Star Wars: Episode VII: The Nerd Rage Awakens

[fireproof78]

I will concede that Vader being Anakin Skywalker made the prequels about his fall, but it didn't have to be executed in the way that they were. Having read the ROTS novelization, I am much more sympathetic to that Anakin than I am to the one portrayed onscreen.

That being said, the PT does little (for me) to have me believe that Anakin can bring balance to the Force. To me, there is not a presence or character in him that makes me feel like has hero qualities to me. In contrast to Luke, who starts out as an everyman character and takes on the trappings of the hero. Luke grows in to the role, and feels like a capable hero.

Anakin, however, I don't feel like he is a hero. He feels like a teenager who is angry at not being selected from a dodge ball team. Well, my complaint about the PT is mostly that I don't feel like any one of them are characters, save for Obi-Wan and Palpatine. Because of this, it is difficult to care about them and the decisions they make. It all feels very small.

I'm not saying that the OT is perfect, just that the characters grab me more, which is frustrating because I like the Jedi and the concepts behind them. They just don't feel like characters to me. Actually, I feel like have more of a connection with the Dwarves (like Bofur or Bombur, not just Thorin) than the Jedi, including Anakin.

I get what the PT is trying to accomplish but I just don't think it does it very well.

 

[Set Harth]

(who, along with the stodgy old Jedi Council - which he also helped eliminate - unbalanced the Force).

The Jedi didn't unbalance the Force. That's fan myth.

In any case, I agree that Anakin did fulfill the prophecy, just not in any way considered by any of the PT characters, at least out loud.

Obi-Wan said out loud that the Chosen One was to bring balance to the Force by destroying the Sith.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

In any case, I agree that Anakin did fulfill the prophecy, just not in any way considered by any of the PT characters, at least out loud.

Obi-Wan said out loud that the Chosen One was to bring balance to the Force by destroying the Sith.

What I meant was that no one anticipated that Anakin would fall to the dark side first and then serve it for a generation, before bringing balance as the Emperor's former long-standing apprentice, or if they did then they didn't say so out loud. I believe that it is implied that, if anything, the Jedi Council, at least Mace, Obi-Wan and Yoda, all expected Anakin to bring balance while serving as a Jedi, at least until Yoda cautioned that the prophecy may have been misread.

 

[davejames]

I think my biggest problem with the whole thing being "Anakin's story" is it seems to suggest that he was ultimately some kind of noble figure in the end, who somehow redeemed all the bad he had done by overthrowing the Emperor and "bringing balance to the Force".

But we're not talking about a guy who just made a few bad choices here; this was a petty and selfish asshole who was hungry for power and became evil and killed a whole ton of people. Luke might have finally got through to a tiny sliver of his "good side" at the end, but that still doesn't remotely make him a heroic figure of any kind.

And the fact Lucas wants the entire saga to be about him? I just don't understand that at all.

 

[Joel_Kirk]

I think my biggest problem with the whole thing being "Anakin's story" is it seems to suggest that he was ultimately some kind of noble figure in the end, who somehow redeemed all the bad he had done by overthrowing the Emperor and "bringing balance to the Force".

But we're not talking about a guy who just made a few bad choices here; this was a petty and selfish asshole who was hungry for power and became evil and killed a whole ton of people. Luke might have finally got through to a tiny sliver of his "good side" at the end, but that still doesn't remotely make him a heroic figure of any kind.

And the fact Lucas wants the entire saga to be about him? I just don't understand that at all.

 

[Set Harth]

I think my biggest problem with the whole thing being "Anakin's story" is it seems to suggest that he was ultimately some kind of noble figure in the end, who somehow redeemed all the bad he had done by overthrowing the Emperor and "bringing balance to the Force".

Then I would say you're reading too much into it.

 

[Mach5]

a Fan painted Star Wars: The Force Awakens poster. I have some minor issue with a few of the characters but overall, really well done.

the artist over-exaggerated John Boyega's jaw, completely overlooked every facial feature that makes Daisy Ridley so pretty, Luke doesn't look like Mark Hamill one bit, and Han looks like he's about to die of old age. Oh, and is that Leia (wearing some kind of Vulcan ceremonial robes) in the back? I really can't tell.

 

[DWF]

Star Wars has always been a work in progress, this is from The Secret History Of Star Wars site.

The series at this point was no longer just about Luke, as evident by the fact that the first (and probably last) third(s) of the saga would not centre on him--which may be one reason why Lucas stopped referring to the series as The Adventures of Luke Skywalker by 1979, when this three-trilogy plan was revealed. It was three separate trilogies which told a chronological story when viewed together but followed different characters and had different styles and tones, although connected in various ways. The first trilogy was to be mainly about Obi Wan. The second trilogy was mainly about Luke. The third trilogy, then, may have followed this "Other," perhaps with Luke in the role of the mentor character (and played by someone other than Mark Hamill), similar to Obi Wan in the middle trilogy. "The sequel is about Jedi knighthood, justice, confrontation, and passing on what you have learned," Lucas would later say in 1983, bolstering this interpretation.

Although Lucas would change some of these plans by the time he released Return of the Jedi, this natural arc of Luke taking an apprentice to continue the Jedi way after he is gone is still alluded to in that film when a dying Yoda intones "Pass on what you have learned..." That the sequels would involve Luke's successor almost seems like a given.

Would the rest of the middle trilogy characters be seen? Certainly audiences would want to find out what happened to them. But, there simply is not enough information to make anything more than assessments of probability; perhaps Lucas would make the films revolve around them, or perhaps Lucas would relegate them to background characters and instead prefer to introduce new ones. It's simply a matter of opinion.

The next question is about plot. There's not much known, and probably Lucas himself knew little about the details. Denise Worrell writes in 1983 that Lucas has specific plots for the prequel trilogy, "but he has only a vague notion of what will happen in the three films of the sequel," also stating that he has only some notes on the films and not specific outlines. This contradicts Lucas' instances saying he had the nine-film saga outlined, for example in the September-October 1980 edition of Prevue where he claims to have "titles and ten-page outlines for each of the" nine films--which probably indicates those claims were false and that it was merely some notes and ideas. In 1980 Lucas revealed to Time magazine that the sequel trilogy would revolve around "the rebuilding of the Republic," and in 1983 stated to that magazine that thematically it would be about "the necessity for moral choices and the wisdom needed to distinguish right from wrong," implying perhaps a more introspective tone, which is consistent with Lucas' implications that the three sets of films would all be stylistically different. The first trilogy is to be more Machiavellian and melodramatic, like a costume drama, as Lucas revealed in 1981, while the second is more action-packed and light-hearted, perhaps leaving the third to be more philosophical, addressing issues of ethical responsibility and moral ambiguity. "The third [trilogy will] deal with moral and philosophical problems," Lucas said in 1983. "In Star Wars, there is a very clear line drawn between good and evil. Eventually you have to face the fact that good and evil aren't that clear-cut and the real issue is trying to understand the difference."

I suspect given that Lucas wrote the outline for the upcoming sequels we'll be seeing elements of the original plan.

 

[Timby]

Oh, and is that Leia (wearing some kind of Vulcan ceremonial robes) in the back? I really can't tell.

Nah, she just borrowed Bison's wardrobe.

 

[CorporalClegg]

Does it come preloaded with psycho power?

 

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

What do you all think of these martial artists from the Raid 2 in TFA, as well as choreographing the fights?

 

[cooleddie74]

Princess Leia in that artwork kinda reminds me of Amanda Grayson in Star Trek IV, only Amanda's headwear was white. All in all, that's a good picture and I give the artist a lot of kudos for putting in that much effort when we know so little about the new movie.

 

[Mach5]

Princess Leia in that artwork kinda reminds me of Amanda Grayson in Star Trek IV, only Amanda's headwear was white. All in all, that's a good picture and I give the artist a lot of kudos for putting in that much effort when we know so little about the new movie.

Oh, sure. But there's so much better stuff around already.

http://techgnotic.deviantart.com/journal/Fan-Art-Friday-Star-Wars-VII-The-Force-Awakens-498480036

http://toybox.io9.com/already-there-is-amazing-the-force-awakens-fan-art-1664542845

 

[BillJ]

Princess Leia in that artwork kinda reminds me of Amanda Grayson in Star Trek IV, only Amanda's headwear was white. All in all, that's a good picture and I give the artist a lot of kudos for putting in that much effort when we know so little about the new movie.

Oh, sure. But there's so much better stuff around already.

http://techgnotic.deviantart.com/journal/Fan-Art-Friday-Star-Wars-VII-The-Force-Awakens-498480036

http://toybox.io9.com/already-there-is-amazing-the-force-awakens-fan-art-1664542845

Some nice art, but I still like the poster from above.

 

[Mach5]

Princess Leia in that artwork kinda reminds me of Amanda Grayson in Star Trek IV, only Amanda's headwear was white. All in all, that's a good picture and I give the artist a lot of kudos for putting in that much effort when we know so little about the new movie.

Oh, sure. But there's so much better stuff around already.

http://techgnotic.deviantart.com/journal/Fan-Art-Friday-Star-Wars-VII-The-Force-Awakens-498480036

http://toybox.io9.com/already-there-is-amazing-the-force-awakens-fan-art-1664542845

Some nice art, but I still like the poster from above.

Suit yourself, but Luke Skywalker is supposed to be played by Mark Hamill, not Kris Kristofferson. Just saying.

 

[fireproof78]

Oh, sure. But there's so much better stuff around already.

http://techgnotic.deviantart.com/journal/Fan-Art-Friday-Star-Wars-VII-The-Force-Awakens-498480036

http://toybox.io9.com/already-there-is-amazing-the-force-awakens-fan-art-1664542845

Some nice art, but I still like the poster from above.

Suit yourself, but Luke Skywalker is supposed to be played by Mark Hamill, not Kris Kristofferson. Just saying.

To be fair, in the original Star Wars poster, Luke Skywalker was played by a muscle bound hunk

 

[Saul]

a Fan painted Star Wars: The Force Awakens poster. I have some minor issue with a few of the characters but overall, really well done.

the artist over-exaggerated John Boyega's jaw, completely overlooked every facial feature that makes Daisy Ridley so pretty, Luke doesn't look like Mark Hamill one bit, and Han looks like he's about to die of old age. Oh, and is that Leia (wearing some kind of Vulcan ceremonial robes) in the back? I really can't tell.

And Luke's lightsaber should be green not blue. Jesus H Christ!

 

[cooleddie74]

There's rarely been a bad Star Wars movie poster (at least the official 20th Century Fox and Lucasfilm ones) over the decades. Star Wars posters have a track record of being great display pieces even if the film itself doesn't always live up to the promotional artwork.

 

[davejames]

To be honest I'm getting pretty tired of this style of SW poster with the soft orangy glow and random collection of characters and ships.

It would be nice to have something a bit different for the new movie. Or at the very least pare things down a bit like with the classic ESB poster featuring Han and Leia (which still remains my all-time favorite).

 

[Mach5]

Suit yourself, but Luke Skywalker is supposed to be played by Mark Hamill, not Kris Kristofferson. Just saying.

To be fair, in the original Star Wars poster, Luke Skywalker was played by a muscle bound hunk

Spoiler: ;)

I've no idea why I was compelled to do this.

(notice how much artistic liberty Tom Jung took with the droids )