Y'all made me do this...

So, Rogue One is a thing. Who's hyped? I am!

UnnaturalGas

I like to nitpick things.

In epvii we were introduced to the newest leads in the franchise, Finn and Rey, working alonside Han.  Now we get Jyn.  I wonder if they've relegated their main characters to single-syllable names in an effort to make them easier to memorize/pronounce for impressionable children, or if they've just given up completely and we can expect further installments to introduce us to characters with names like Bip and Zug.

Also I don't like the direction they've taken the Jedi tradition recently. I'll have a formal manifesto in the future, but right now it's kind of scratching at the back of my mind.

That said, I like explosions and daring do as much as anyone, but I'll probably wait to see it 'til it comes out on VHS or until a friend dowloads it. Also I think Mon Mothma is awesome, like a non-Force-sensitive Yoda. I wanna see what wisdom they feed us, like little birdies, out of her mouth.

I also hope the forced toys continue to accumulate on the already crowded shelves at Walmart.

UnnaturalGas

Oh! I almost totally forgot! From the first time we saw the trailer, I and a friend of mine have been mulling over a satirical sketch that goes something like this:

Rebel: "You're probably the most angsty teen I've ever seen! Someone give her some troops to command! Ignore all of the many highly qualified, and appropriately older, commanders we have at our disposal."

Jyn (with angst): "Also I'm really good at making people think I'm on their side when I'm really not."

Rebel: "Thank the Force you're on our side then! Also give her a bow and arrow; that's popular now."

Inb4 "But mah Luke and Leia"- they were highly skilled in the fields in which they were assigned to serve, and definitely team players.

Tusserk

I've found I get a whoooole tonne more enjoyment out of movies if I don't premeditate on them too hard. The less I know, the less I worry, the more likely I am to have a good time being introduced to things! I still don't sit completely well with the abandonment of the EU (haven't actually managed to watch any of 'Rebels' yet either!), but still enjoyed Force Awakens, and I think Rogue One will be a good watch as well.

What I'm MOST miffed about so far though, haha, (and it's looking to be the same in Rogue One), is that two of the things I personally most adore about the franchise I found poorly lacking in FA. That being, alien creatures, and film score. The rubbish bird was cool, but the 'big monster' reeeeally wasn't my schtick (I'm sorry but a rancor trumps tentacle ball thing any day of the week). And while Kylo Ren got a neat little motif, and my heart soars every time I hear 'the Force Awakens' weave its way through the soundtrack, there was nothing that made me jump up and feel 'this is brilliant, I need this in my life'. I mean, say what you will about the prequels, but they certainly delivered on creatures, and I'll forgive pretty much anything about The Phantom Menace for bringing us what I consider to be one of the absolute finest bits of film score in 'recen't times!

Hablyonus Pense

Well, Tuss, there's a reason you enjoyed "Force Awakens". It's literally " A New Hope", with a few bits changed around to accomodate the angsty millenials. As a recovering angsty millenial, I should know. I found the same things lacking, as well, and I thought Rey seemed very much a "Mary Sue", as it were. For instance, her ability to use the jedi mind trick hours after finding out the jedi were actually real, and with absolutely no training of any kind. (Even Luke had rudimentary training by Obi-Wan.) However, I feel like these Mary Sue moments were done less to over-power the character, and more for the purpose of generating nostalgia. That said, I think they were trying way too hard to do so. There were other plot problems I saw as well, but I won't talk your enormous ears off. Besides, I liked the visual designs of the costumes, ships, weapons, and other technology, many of which were developed from old Ralph McQuarrie concept art for the original films. And a big point I've heard in defense of the film is that J.J. Abrahms and company needed to prove they could do Star Wars right on a base level before venturing into riskier territory, which is why they recycled several plot points from the earlier films, and I can't fault them for that.

And Unatural, Jyn acctually has a last name. It's Urso. Jyn Urso. In fact, almost every one of the main characters in the new movie have last names. They just aren't mentioned in the trailers. But yeah, the teen angst is strong with that one...

Tusserk

"... needed to prove they could do Star Wars right on a base level before venturing into riskier territory..."

I've heard that too, and rightly so. Honestly, I think they went into this knowing full well there was no way they could ever please 100% of the fans, so they just did as much as they could to please as many as possible. And there's no real shame in that, especially after the whirlwind of criticism that followed in the wake of the prequels. It all rides very much like a film put together to prove they could make a Star Wars that looks like a Star Wars, and while some of the nostalgia felt a little on the nose (there's the desert, good, there's the cantina scene, okay, there's the wise little alien, cool...), on a second viewing (yep! Saw it in theaters twice!) I was honestly able to let a lot of that roll off and just enjoy it for what it was.

I also think that everyone gets something different out of Star Wars, watches/reads/games the franchise for different reasons. Even if I didn't get exactly what I wanted out of it, there was still plenty of novelty, things to extrapolate and speculate and discuss with friends, inspirations for scenery and weapons, and an ever inching increase in cast diversity. (Do you know how pleased I am to see a female alien in a major role?? That's not a sexy alien, to boot!?)

In short, I guess, yes, I very very much 'see what they did there', but I'm totally okay with it!

Hablyonus Pense

In conclusion, pretty much every problem Force Awakens has reeks of Disney's intervention. By George's Jowls, they did a number on the franchise. We needed a retcon, but, not a Disney retcon...

Lord Crumb

I was really excited to watch the Force Awakens but I felt a little let down.  They (Disney and JJ Abrams) said it would be an original story and all we got was a rehash of of A New Hope.  Being a Star Wars Fan I cannot help but feel a little ashamed that I still haven't purchased the Force Awakens.  Does that make me a bad Star Wars fan?  I am really looking for to Rogue One but why could they not just call it "Star Wars: Rogue One" instead of "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story".

Hablyonus Pense

<That moment when you wanted to start a discussion, but it turns out you and your friends have almost exactly the same opinion on the topic at hand, so you all just agree with each other and shake hands, then go stand in your seperate corners again.>

Drig

I wasn't blown away by Force Awakens. I really like what I saw though. I know it's very similar to A New Hope but that was intentional and I get where it's coming from. I also feel Rey being "Mary Sue" is intentional as well. It's worthy to me. I'm not mad by it. I feel by the time we have this new trilogy wrapped up, it will feel great as a launching point. I don't think repetition or familiarity is terrible. That being said, I don't want episode 8 to mirror empire. I do want new story content, but I get going back to move forward, especially after the prequels. The good news is that we are going to be getting so much Star Wars that if this one doesn't do it for you, eventually one will. 

As far as Rogue One goes, I'm very excited for it. It looks like its going to be dramatic and fun. It looks fresh to me?

Just wait till episode ten....

Judas

What Drig said.  I actually enjoyed the familiarity of the story in FA.  It made it easier for me to accept the new characters as part of Star Wars. The prequels, to me, never REALLY felt like Star Wars.  To me it's always been about the little guy fighting insurmountable odds.  And the prequels just didn't have that "little guy". There was nobody that we could relate to and experience all the fantastic stuff with.  It was just a couple of super-powered governments filled with super-pwered individuals, duking it out for what amounts to be pointless reasons.  It was a story made, in my opinion, simply to showcase the special effects.

That's why I also remain excited for Rogue One.  Littles guys.  Insurmountable odds.  Fighting the good fight. Sacrifice. You could have characters named "Dip", "Flange", "Um", and "Er" for all I care.  Give me adventure, action, tension, and put it in the galaxy far, far away that I grew up with. 

Drig

I love the prequels! :) Dugs man!

The only Star Wars I didn't like were the Yuuzhan Vong, and the space egg from the Poe Dameron comic that hatched a giant dinosaur/bird deity.

I'm probably not the best judge of how good a Star Wars movie is since I love it all XD

Judas

Hey. To each their own.  They just didn't do it for me. Didn't excite me.  Didn't feel like everything Star Wars meant to me as a kid.  But then, I'm an old guy. lol. I grew attached to a story and it became mine.  The prequels weren't that story. but everyone gets something diferent from Star Wars, and that's why it is so bloody awesome.  It has something for everyone.  Everyone has their own favorite episode because each one offers something different.  I don't begrudge folks for liking Star Wars for a reason other than I do. We all love Star Wars. That's why we're here.  That's why this site is so important to us.  It's the core of this special brotherhood we've created.  And as soon as we start to bicker and argue about that we'll destroy it. Heck!  My kids just absolutely adore the Ewok movies.  That sraight up makes my brain vomit. ah, well.....

Super excited for Rogue One!

Braltika

TFA was a good enough movie. There were things I did not like, things I hated, things I loved. Here's some random musings:

I hated Starkiller base. To me, it just did not make a lot of sense. Is it mobile? How did it fire twice if it drains all the energy of the sun for one shot? What was it's initial purpose? I think that Starkiller base would have been better had it's full potential been revealed at the beginning of Episode IX. That way, the climax would have been to take it out after it destroyed Hosnian Prime. The final battle of Episode VII should have been about the rescue of Rey from Starkiller base and a final attempt of Han to bring his son back. After narrowly escaping, the true purpose of the base could have been a mystery throughout the entire trilogy.

I liked the new characters but felt that Finn was portrayed a bit too socialy handicapped. I'm thinking about the scene where Rey asks him to hand over a specific tool to fix the Falcon. I'm also thinking of the interaction between him and Han (the nodding scene, the 'We'll use the Force'). I dunno, felt a bit awkward all of it.

I did not like the lack of OT aliens. We had tons of new ones, yeah, but they were omnipresent on Jakku, Tokadana, The Resistance Base. I'm beginning to suspect Lucas still cashes big time every time some of the OT alien designs get used or something, it certainly felt like they were deliberatly trying to avoid using them.

I did not like the GI JOE weapons they used. Some were cool like Rey's blaster but the rifle Finn gets from Han? That thing looks like how a ten year old envisions a laser rifle. Also the white accents on the Stormtrooper blasters made them look like cheap Nerf toys.

General Hux could have benefitted from a better actor. Sorry, the stiffness and the shouting did not feel convincing enough.

WHY THE HELL DID LEIA HUG REY AND NOT CHEWBACCA AT THE END? SHE. DOES. NOT. KNOW. HER. 

I loved Chewbacca in this and felt genuinely upset when he got shot. I loved the scene between Han and Ben/Kylo despite it's outcome. I love the mystery around Rey. I liked the action, most of the conversations. The acting was really good. The overall mood and the designs felt like Star Wars (apart from the weapons).

I'm very excited about Rogue One too. I think it's going to be a solid action flick. I really hope they use the opportunity to provide an explanation for the major flaw in the DS design that allowed it to be destroyed by one torpedo shot in a fricking exhaust port.

Tusserk

"I did not like the lack of OT aliens."

A THOUSAND TIMES THIS! Would it have killed them to throw in a defel, a twi'lek (not necessarily a sexy dancing twi'lek), a kubaz... (coughaheerrmmmatrandoshanorashistavanencoughcough) into the cantina scene? For all the nostalgia factors they threw in, it'd be nice to know that humans aren't going to be the only constant between the trilogies.

Also when are we going to get a darned bothan on screen??

Drig

Amen on the Bothan thing. As a SWAG artist, the number of Bothan ideas floating around bugs me to the core. We need one Bothan designed by Lucas Concept Artists so we can get one final cool nail on the coffin. Pretty please...?

Judas

No kidding.  Whenever I look up Bothans I get, like, 12 different concepts.  Some of them look like completely seperate species.  Oh, hey!  This one looks lke a cat.  This one a dog.  This one is some kinda... I don't know... monkey-dog?  Is that one a horse?  THAT ONE'S A HORSE!

In trying to make my own version I've created a design that I call "Dingo-Kitty". lol

This would actually be a neat theme.  Everyone doing their own interpretation of what a Bothan should look like.

Drig

I don't have a source but I remeber reading that for Galaxies, the artists there were bothered by no canon Bothans and asked Lucas if they could do the canon design of Bothans and they said yes, so there's that. However, canon is a whole different world now. What if Bothans are in Rogue One and they are really tiny amphibians with crab eyestalks and wear animal skins of sea lion creatures? Hey it could happen now!?

Tusserk

That said, I think my favourite bothan reference image I ever found was this one from one of the Saga Edition rulebooks. It's definitely what informed my early designs and what I always go back to, though playing swtor as much as I do at the moment sometimes I draw from Bey'wan Aygo's design as well- though I'm not huuuuuge on the big bald (so to speak) dome. Easier to envision a more standard design helmet on, though.

UnnaturalGas

My Saga group calls any given Bothan 'Joe Camel' on account of how we all envision the long snout type. I still think of the wildly different depictions from the Rebellion PC game from time to time though. I still play that game sometimes; great RTS if you haven't seen it. Apparently it was called 'Supremacy' outside of the States.

Braltika

Well the first reviews for R1 are coming through. Most people seem to like or even love it. Always cautious with those fresh reviews with the lingering buzz and excitement of a new SW film but I'm still getting a bit more excited now.

I've heard people say it puts the 'war' in Star Wars. It's dark but funny and the trailers were no indication of tone or story. I'll see it the 15th...

Braltika

R1 delivered and surpassed my expectations. I remained mostly spoilerfree besides what was shown in a few trailers and I must say, I'm glad I had more than a few very very rewarding surprises because of that. My mouth fell open during a few scenes and special effects. You will know what I mean by that :)

I enjoyed it more than EpVII to be honest. It's a very fitting prequel to ANH and genuinly feels like a film made for the real Star Wars fans as it's littered with references to Rebels, the OT and more expanded universe lore. 

Lord Crumb

I am glad to hear good reviews from fellow SW fans. I, like Tusserk, am going to have to wait a few days before I see it. Question: What does OT mean? I feel like an idiot for not knowing. It is probably something simple I bet. Also who is in the Darth Vader suit?