Star Wars: Episode IX

[oldmanwinters]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

Absolutely none of them memorable or notably different than existing planets from I-VI.

Amusing thing about Star Wars (and most Sci-Fi space travel films) are that visiting a "planet" usually entails a prolonged stay at a particular small town or city, and yet all the characters continually refer to the place by the planet name rather than anything more specific.

[CyberCubed]

Did they ever explain why Maz had Luke's lightsaber in Episode 7? I remember people talking about that a lot and I don't think Episode 9 said anything about it either because Maz was hardly in the movie. I guess he just gave it to her before he went off on his island?

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

Did they ever explain why Maz had Luke's lightsaber in Episode 7? I remember people talking about that a lot and I don't think Episode 9 said anything about it either because Maz was hardly in the movie. I guess he just gave it to her before he went off on his island?

Nope. Never explained. I'm sure eventually there will be a book or a comic that will explain it, but who cares about those anymore.

[CyberCubed]

I guess JJ just never intended on answering any of the questions or mystery boxes he set up. I also truly think had there not been backlash over Rey's parents being nobody, he would not have somewhat rectonned her to be a Palpatine. Just felt like a flex to me since her parents being no one and coming from nothing would have been fine. That being said her being a Palpatine also kind of works because it explains her power and retroactively how angry she is during all her fight scenes makes sense and people caught on to it.

[Andrew NDB]

I'm sure the hope was that whoever would have made VIII would have picked up what he was setting up and answered that but when nobody did, no room for that in IX.

A little bit miffed that Maz never really became justified as a character at all.

[Sumac]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

A little bit miffed that Maz never really became justified as a character at all.

But she is a strong alien woman! It is enough justification for her character!

[CyberCubed]

Maz had a pretty big sized role in 7 that I really am surprised she was sidelined completely in the next two movies. It felt like she was set up to have a role comparable to Lando in the original movies. She had both a connection to Rey and Luke/Leia, so to not do anything with her after that is weird.

[sdp]

The ST is all JJ's fault in remaking ANH, TLJ needed to do drastic things to change that but instead it ****ed up in its own way. The only good thing TLJ did was the relationship of Rey/Kylo. Killing Snoke in a way was good if he was just going to be a Palpatine lite which it seemed to be but had he been Plagueis then I guess maybe it was a bad move, but too many uncertainties there to judge it one way or another. ROS is bad and a ROTJ remake but in a way it does try to fix things the best it could.

Why did JJ ruin the ST with TFA? That's a post I need to make another day but essentially it's the whole mystery box he set up in the trailers that should've been answered in the actual movie to set up a quest for the ST, not build up something that can't be shocking or rewarding after 3 movies, the whole who is Rey/Kylo/Phasma/Snoke should've all been revealed in TFA to set something up.

Originally Posted by oldmanwinters

Amusing thing about Star Wars (and most Sci-Fi space travel films) are that visiting a "planet" usually entails a prolonged stay at a particular small town or city, and yet all the characters continually refer to the place by the planet name rather than anything more specific.

People do this in real life all the time, they visit one city in a country, even if it's a huge country like say Mexico and speak of the whole country. Hell Africa gets spoken of as a whole continent based on someone's trip to one city in one country of the continent.

[CyberCubed]

Originally Posted by sdp

The ST is all JJ's fault in remaking ANH, TLJ needed to do drastic things to change that but instead it ****ed up in its own way.

The Empire returning under a different name was what screwed over this entire trilogy. It might have been different if the rebellion was more powerful and the empire was "weak" like a role reversal of the original films, but instead it was the same thing.

The only good thing TLJ did was the relationship of Rey/Kylo. Killing Snoke in a way was good if he was just going to be a Palpatine lite which it seemed to be but had he been Plagueis then I guess maybe it was a bad move, but too many uncertainties there to judge it one way or another. ROS is bad and a ROTJ remake but in a way it does try to fix things the best it could.

Rey/Kylo, Luke's scenes, killing Snoke (and the throne room fight scene in general), were all the best parts. The final battle on Crait is also a great part of the movie including Luke/Kylo's confrontation. Also as an aside, it was also Leia's best movie. She had the funniest lines in TLJ, "Why are you looking at me for? Follow him." when they were on Crait and everyone was wondering what to do.

I'm mixed on the Poe/Holdo stuff myself. On one hand it I can see the point of it all, but on the other hand it wasn't that good. It gave Poe something to do but it generally put into perspective there's really not much to his character but be a short-tempered fighter pilot.

[sdp]

I actually already wrote about exactly why the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy is a mess, all of its mysteries should've been in The Force Awakens, the mysteries were already in the trailers, why would you watch a 2+ hour movie to expand on that mystery set up in the trailers? You want to have those resolved.

[Sumac]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

The Empire returning under a different name was what screwed over this entire trilogy.

Completely agree.
Disney's desire to pander to nostalgia and not to be like prequels, screwed the whole foundation of the ST and the rest was just a by-product of this bad decision.

[CyberCubed]

Basically, the main idea of the new trilogy was that Han/Leia's son Kylo Ren turned to the dark side after Luke failed as a teacher, and a new young hero (Rey) had to meet the old main cast and defeat the son and/or save the galaxy again.

When you get down to it, the whole new trilogy was basically about Rey and Kylo Ren. If they focused mainly on the dynamic between the two characters which were genuinely good ideas with actors with great chemistry together, they could have written an interesting story behind it. All the most memorable scenes of this new trilogy are the scenes Rey and Kylo share together, and I think it's obvious they drove the story.

Although as I said before, the reason Kylo Ren was a success was due to Adam Driver's acting. Had any other actor been cast as Kylo Ren, I do not think they would have pulled it off as well. Adam Driver just really sold him especially with the facial expressions, when he was angry/throwing temper tantrums, when he was trying to lure Rey to his side, turning on Snoke, etc.

It made me an Adam Driver fan and made me check out the other movies he was in.

[Sumac]

The original idea for ST was for a female Jedi to escape "Jedi Hunter".

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by raph27

And the prequels weren't a corporate product, made by committee, to pump out more toys and make SW a longer-lasting brand?

The people in Lucas' court were certainly hip to doing that and made sure a lot of those... opportunities were in the prequels, but no, that wasn't its basis for being.

Originally Posted by Leo656

Well, Andrew, with certain people I know it's less "hate" and more "Refusal to acknowledge the existence of" for one reason or another. As I said, I know plenty of people who plain skipped the Prequels, because nothing from "THEIR Star Wars" was involved. Some people really only care about the first three movies, those stories, those characters, and that's all. To them, "Star Wars" ended with ROTJ and everything else has been a cash grab. I agree that is a pretty myopic point of view, but nonetheless,, it's how a lot of people feel.

I get that, but I just don't think they can in all fairness still call themselves Star Wars fans. If you only like 50% of a thing... that's an F in school, isn't it?

Say what you will about the sequel trilogy. Like TMNT after the 2009 sale, there is no longer a human heart at the center anymore. Just Product™.

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

It made me an Adam Driver fan and made me check out the other movies he was in.

Kylo is literally the only interesting character in the sequel trilogy. But he never really filled "The Villain" role the trilogy needed. We don't (or I don't, anyway) ever really HATE him, or want him taken down. Even when he killed Han it was like, "Eh, this sucks but maybe it's for a reason?"

[sdp]

The problem with Kylo's arc is we already saw it with Anakin/Vader.

So apparently the new movies will take place 400 years in the past during an era of the Republic at a time when Yoda was still young and during the sith rule of 2. It won't be a trilogy but it'll be left open so as many stories that have to be told get told.

[Sumac]

I couldn't think of Kylo as a villain.
In TFA he was too whiny and pathetic, in TLJ he felt more like an anti-hero.

[CyberCubed]

Kylo wasn’t supposed to be THE main villain, he was sort of the villain who gets somewhat redeemed at the end or the audience was expecting something to happen with him and Luke/Leia. Seeing Kylo team up with Rey against Snoke’s guards and then Palpatine in 9 is an example of that.

Also the writers know shippers and female fans are a sucker for the “Innocent girl redeems bad boy” trope. Look at how popular Reylo ship is, shippers were going crazy all over twitter and tumblr after the kiss.

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

Kylo wasn’t supposed to be THE main villain

Depends on what movie you're talking about. If you're talking about TFA, no, he wasn't supposed to be "the villain." At least in black and white terms. Villainous, with shades of "maybe he'll be redeemed later on." TLJ, he was either positioned as the central villain or just rendered moot... as in, "There is no villain, anymore. This trilogy doesn't need one." TROS, obviously not the villain.

[Sumac]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

Kylo wasn’t supposed to be THE main villain, he was sort of the villain who gets somewhat redeemed at the end or the audience was expecting something to happen with him and Luke/Leia. Seeing Kylo team up with Rey against Snoke’s guards and then Palpatine in 9 is an example of that.

Even as a "redeemable villain" he still was all over the place.

[Leo656]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

I get that, but I just don't think they can in all fairness still call themselves Star Wars fans. If you only like 50% of a thing... that's an F in school, isn't it?

Sure they can. Just like anyone who only feels passionately about Mirage but hates almost everything else can still call themselves a TMNT fan.

I get what you're going for, though.