Star Wars Episode 8

[MsMarvelDuckie]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

Here's a possibly geeky nitpick/possibly not about 7 and 8, Snoke in particular...

OK, so the Republic are aware the Sith are evil, were all defeated in some war 500 years before Episode I, right? Palpatine's rise to power, the only people who are aware he's a Sith are the Jedi, who are immediately killed or driven into exile. "By the way, I'm a Sith Lord!" was never a part of his "I'm creating an Empire!" speech, nor would I believe that would have ever come up afterward. He went to the trouble of explaining his change in appearance and sudden penchant for big black hooded robes were to cover up his injuries from Windu. Presumably if it was known he was a Sith he would have faced some pretty strong opposition in the Senate in the 20 years between Episode III and IV. Granted, the high-ranking Imperials in that Death Star room in IV knew ("Your Emperor's sorcerer's ways!")... but surely not the whole of the Empire knew? These were just carry-overs from the Republic, people just doing a job. "The Sith are good!" was not a part of the Emperor's New Order or anything... so the Sith presumably remained a scary, villainous thing in the eyes of all before, during, and after the Empire, right?

So 30 years later, a very, very obvious... if not a Sith outright, then certainly super Dark Side user comes along. Snoke. I mean, he's not even trying to hide it remotely. The whole First Order just forms around this guy right away, enthusiastically? Rally around him to such a degree that apparently the First Order even outnumber and outgun the fledgling New Republic in 8? This doesn't compute. If that were to happen, this Snoke guy would have had to have been super charismatic, even more savvy and conniving than Palpatine. What a guy that must have been.

So let's just kill him and not even get into any of it? Again, lame. Not clever, just lame.

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

We know enough about Sidious. We know at some point in the past he was Darth Plagueis' pupil, then became a senator on Naboo. We know he is carrying on the Sith tradition, as was explained. We don't know anything else, but we know enough to get a handle on him. We don't on Snoke. It's like TMNT 2014, with the Turtles and Splinter hating Shredder for reasons unknown, then he "dies" before they even bothered to give him any kind of backstory or motivation.

My point is, how did a blatantly "Out" Dark Side user like Snoke take power in the First Order, when Palpatine kept that stuff under wraps the whole time, all the way to his death? Who would knowingly follow someone evil?

And all of this is yet one more reason I feel that axing the old EU material in favor of- THIS- was a HUGE mistake of the highest order. I can maybe forgive Han's death, but the villains have been so underwhelming and inexplicable so far, that it makes me sad for what we COULD have had instead. Give me Thrawn and /Joruus over spoiled entitled brat Kylo and Snoke any day. While I was okay with Finn, Rey and Poe in 7, I'm not sure if I care for the narrative they are building for these new heroes. It all just seems so shallow and weak.