Star Wars 7 : The Force Awakens Teaser Trailer

[Emp_Palpatine 501]

Sure, good points. 

Let's also say I am quite a pessimistic guy, so I quite expect the worse. 

 

Regarding old things, I do of course concurr. But it's true when you go all the way round : new isn't always better. A lot of friends and dudes just say : hey, it's modern so it's cool. It's 2014, damit, when need new effects.

I strongly disagree. A cultural production comes from a certain era with its fashion, its effects, its beliefs and so on. That's the first thing. 
Second one is current cultural and production trends. Let's have a look to new Star Trek : who the frak is this new Kirk? Since when is Kirk a brat who deserves only to have his face slapped?  Since when is Kirk in is early twenties with his pimples barely gone? Kirk is a charismatic captain in his mid thirties. Since when is Spock a sissy banging Uhura? Does JJ Abrams even know what a Vulcan is ? 
But todays heroes have to be young, brats and (badly) witted and have a lot of emotions.

 

As franchises go, I have already said that I frankly think that they should be allowed to die. Do we need to have Star Trek or Star Wars for like a century? Things end! And they then leave some space for new ones. 
Can someone name a new franchise in the last 15 years or so? Reboots. Reboots everywhere. Or sequels, and sequels, and sequels and prequels. Making movies, making art, is more than just telling the same story in a different way or just do "hey, let's start spiderman all over again for the second time in 15 years". 
So Star Trek was dying? Let it die! It was and still is awesome! Something does not need to have a movie every two years to be a legend. 

 

When you are rebooting or making forced sequels, you have to be "innovative" or trying to be. Heck, you have to attract teens. Hence bratty Kirk, lence flares, riped and raped plots (Star Trek into Darkness was a bad and incoherent "Wrath of Khan") or triple bladed lightrapiere and toyish droids. 
I concurr with the overall progress in special effect, and I will love the X-Wings scenes, like I liked when the Enterprise fought foes in the reboot movies.

But acting... Characters... plots... They matter.

Edited December 1, 2014 by Emp_Palpatine

[jeanba 1,915]

And the triple bladed lightsaber is just a no-go.

I like it :)

[Capitaine Vengeur 263]

The trailer, if Lucas had made it:

 

 

"Add more TIE!! Can we have this big slug really gargatuan? Why should the Death Star be as large as a little moon, when we can have it as large as a big moon?" Like it or not, it's Lucas' ambition for "more and more" which gave Star Wars the truly Galactic dimensions it has. Just remember the way we discover how gigantic an Imperial Destroyer is in Episode IV, and how bigger than several Destroyers an Executor Dreadnought is in Episode V...

 

 -- George Lucas: Making all other Hollywood megalomaniacs insignificant since 1977. --

Edited December 2, 2014 by Capitaine Vengeur

[jeanba 1,915]

Yes, this was key to Star Wars success

[FastCargo 412]

It's nice to want new franchises and new ways of telling stories.  But having an old franchise doesn't prevent you from telling new stories in new universes.  Pacific Rim, Edge of Tomorrow, Big Hero 6, etc.

 

Two things:

 

1) The idea of retelling old stories in new ways is nothing new.  Shakespeare is a prime example.  Many of his stories have been told and retold through all the various media, updating them for the ages.  And guess what...a lot of times, it has worked well.  In that sense, Star Trek getting updated for more modern times is also nothing new...TOS updated with the movie franchise.  Let's not get started when TNG first came out...the howls of protest when that happened could be heard across the universe.  But now it can be argued that there is just as much of a fanbase for TNG as there was for TOS.

 

2) Though people say they want new stories and new universes...they don't necessarily reward quality with high box office numbers.  One example is Edge of Tomorrow.  This is a movie that had a lot of positive things for it...great action, humor, interesting sci-fi plot, and a character who grows through the film.  Yet, it only did okay at the box office instead of being a big draw for really no discernible reason other than it was different.  Same with something like Cloud Atlas.  And do you think 2001 could do well if released at the box office today?

 

People can complain about 'kids today' and 'storytelling matters', etc.  But people have ALWAYS complained when the world moves on without them.  The difference is that unlike the old days, where seeing it in theatre or listening to it on the radio or TV was the only way to get it, now everyone has their personal copies of ST or SW to watch at home.  Those aren't going away, no matter what happens to the franchise.  Literally nothing they do now can remove your personal copies if you want to hermit up and watch them to the end of your days.

Frankly, I'm glad I don't work in the entertainment industry, especially in a franchise that has a rabid fan base.  A lot of times, it can be a zero sum game...some folks saying "It's too different...I don't recognize it!".  Others saying "It's too much the same...no innovation!".  And tell me this doesn't sound familiar in the gaming community....

 

I keep an open mind, and judge each on its own merits when it arrives.

 

FC

[+Typhoid 231]

I'd like to see Thrawn in the new series. That would add some new plot lines. 

Edited December 1, 2014 by Typhoid

[JediMaster 451]

The EU post-ROTJ has been thrown away as far as we know. Books and other things taking place prior to ROTJ should still count--unless any of the standalone films coming between Eps 7-9 take place then. Not to mention the new Rebels cartoon which I believe takes place 15 years after Ep III and 5 yrs before Ep IV according to the show.

[Emp_Palpatine 501]

The EU post-ROTJ has been thrown away as far as we know. Books and other things taking place prior to ROTJ should still count--unless any of the standalone films coming between Eps 7-9 take place then. Not to mention the new Rebels cartoon which I believe takes place 15 years after Ep III and 5 yrs before Ep IV according to the show.

Nope.

That's the whole EU, save Clone Wars and Rebels, that has been thrown away. Even very instutionnalized things like Shadows of the Empire are gone. 

I won't shed a tear for all the post-war pile of crap like the Vongs and afterward, actually. 

[Centurion-1 1,228]

So can someone brush up my canon here, didnt the empire fall after Return of the Jedi? I was under that impression at least. Or did it revert into the Republic again and the stormies are good guys now? Ahh confusion. Anyways, I'm pretty amped even if I have some reservations.

[FastCargo 412]

So can someone brush up my canon here, didnt the empire fall after Return of the Jedi? I was under that impression at least. Or did it revert into the Republic again and the stormies are good guys now? Ahh confusion. Anyways, I'm pretty amped even if I have some reservations.

 

Technically, no one really knows.  The emperor, the second Death Star, and one Super Star Destroyer were all destroyed.  A statue was pulled down on Coruscant and you see celebrations everywhere.

 

But that kind of means nothing really.  Politics abhors a vacuum...and if a new Republic could not be formed quickly, the galaxy could splinter into a lot of factions.  Remember, in Episode 4, it's mentioned that the Senate is gone...the local governors control the systems.  Which means power was pretty consolidated.  Old rivalries and animosities that were quashed in the Empire could reassert themselves.  And I guarantee not all or even necessarily a lot of the Empire's fleet was at the Battle of Endor.

 

FC

[+Dave 2,318]

[Emp_Palpatine 501]

So can someone brush up my canon here, didnt the empire fall after Return of the Jedi? I was under that impression at least. Or did it revert into the Republic again and the stormies are good guys now? Ahh confusion. Anyways, I'm pretty amped even if I have some reservations.

Nope.

Well, in the E.U, the war lasted for two more decades (somewhat). We are talking about a galaxy-wide conflict...

The Empire did fragment into warlordism after Endor, allowing the Rebellion, now the New Republic, to slowly become the major galactic government. The Empire did had its moments, notably with Thrawn who united the Empire again and unleashed a successful war against the New Republic. It was somewhat 5-10 years after Endor.

 

After that, well, warlordism until Paellon, late Thrawn X.O. managed to unite once again the Empire and signed a peace treaty with the New Republic, allowing both (the Empire is much reduced to a regional power by then, though, whereas the Republic is again the hegemon with its Jedi Order) to coexist.

After that, piles of crap happenned in the E.U and I personnally stopped reading books. 

 

Note that this is the former canon. None knows what Abrams is going to do with his own Star Wars universe. 

Edited December 2, 2014 by Emp_Palpatine

[Capitaine Vengeur 263]

Let's see who's gonna have the last laugh when in the too-much-flared Star Wars the new lightrapière armed (what's next? lightaxes? Lightforks?) sith turned out to be Jar Jar binks. 

 

The EU has already designed the lightwhip and guard shoto (light tonfa); I'm still waiting for the light nunchakus, light shurikens, light bolas and light boomerangs. After all, we're still lacking Asian- or Latino-looking Force-users, it verges on political incorrectness.

 

[Emp_Palpatine 501]

Lightwip date back to the 1980's crappy comics, before the 1990's maturity of the EU.

[jeanba 1,915]

Globally, I am not interested in the EU and that they ignore it is not a problem for me, and maybe a good point

[B52STRATO 215]

May some of you will appreciate this new one.

 

[Fubar512 1,350]

R2 droid auditions for the new series:

 

 

 

 

[jeanba 1,915]

It is said that Georges Lucas don't want to watch the trailer

[Capitaine Vengeur 263]

It is said that Georges Lucas don't want to watch the trailer

He just has no time for it. How many time does it take to count $4.000.000.000, and recover from temporary madness?

[Snailman 517]

Lucas or not, they're going to rape Star Wars. 

 

Period. 

 

Lucas has raped it already, with Ep I. ... and all the following. Animation series. Distorting the storyline. Flushing all stories written after The Return of the Jedi down on the toilet. Where is Admiral Thrawn? tell me.

Disney just continues.  I wish I was wrong, but I have bad feelings. And all my friends have(

[Snailman 517]

I'd like to see Thrawn in the new series. That would add some new plot lines. 

 

NO you won't.... everything people has drawn, written, filmed, etc since the Return of the Jedi, including Thrawn trilogy, and such  is "non canon". All down the sewers. 

 

 

Technically, no one really knows.  The emperor, the second Death Star, and one Super Star Destroyer were all destroyed.  A statue was pulled down on Coruscant and you see celebrations everywhere.

 

But that kind of means nothing really.  Politics abhors a vacuum...and if a new Republic could not be formed quickly, the galaxy could splinter into a lot of factions.  Remember, in Episode 4, it's mentioned that the Senate is gone...the local governors control the systems.  Which means power was pretty consolidated.  Old rivalries and animosities that were quashed in the Empire could reassert themselves.  And I guarantee not all or even necessarily a lot of the Empire's fleet was at the Battle of Endor.

 

FC

 

Personally I did not like the "celebrations on Coruscant" ... well to my best knowledge a huge number of Imperial systems did support "peace and order,"  but yea, since everything is zeroed... they will change and turn the whole thing inside out.

 

 

Can someone name a new franchise in the last 15 years or so? Reboots. Reboots everywhere. Or sequels, and sequels, and sequels and prequels. Making movies, making art, is more than just telling the same story in a different way or just do "hey, let's start spiderman all over again for the second time in 15 years". 

 

Can't agree more.  Hollywoodization eats up everything.  If they calculate, that the profit won't meet the expectations, they do not make the movie.  People pay for this... sequels, distorted prequels. Cliches. Cheap stories with million dollar technology. 

Why they don't film  Battletech universe??  With the technology of the damn Transformer shyte, they could make it. And that's a far better universe than SW... imho.  Nooooo because too few people even know what the hell is Battletech. Not enough projected money into the movie clan's pockets. But you know what... it is better. They would f*k that up, too.

I myself could do very good movies. I have ideas, a lot. If I had billions, I would make them.  Even if the profit would be negative.

 

Read books. Better. You imagine it as you want.

[jeanba 1,915]

Flushing all stories written after The Return of the Jedi down on the toilet. Where is Admiral Thrawn?

95% of what was written after the "return of the jedi", and especially Admiral Thrawn is a rape to the original trilogy.

When those pieces of toilet papers were released, all star wars lovers shouted for heresy.

[Snailman 517]

95% of what was written after the "return of the jedi", and especially Admiral Thrawn is a rape to the original trilogy.

When those pieces of toilet papers were released, all star wars lovers shouted for heresy.

 

I know some people do feel like that. But to say ALL SW lovers...  I don't think. A part of them maybe like some of my friends. I have to agree, to a point because I myself hate stuff like Wongs, and n+1 reincarnations of Palpatine... bigger and bigger super weapons. blah .  One of the exceptions is Thrawn.  How is that, Admiral Thrawn is the second most popular imperial figure after Vader?  Keep the good (and loved) ideas, flush the crap. But to flush all? Nonsense.

[jeanba 1,915]

In 1986, we wzere often playing the SW rpg, being carefull not to change anything : it was accepted by everybody that we could not tell what had happened before or after the "good trilogy", and that the true story should be left to Lucas.

That Lucas failed with ep 1, 2 and 3 is a different matter.

[Snailman 517]

Somehow this happens to all stories and universes... If something is being continued on and on, without sense. As I see it with other sci-fi and fantasy story lines. The more the story is narrowed down to heroes or main characters, the more strong this effect is.
Even if the universe and story line is broad, like with Battletech (with many storylines and places, and eras) this "overdriven universe" effect still appears to some point.

 

Things like technological advance... 

In SW Classic, in a decade so much new stuff appeared. Then what equipment should be  ... like 5000 or 20000 years before New Hope? Back to Old republic or ancient Jedi times?? Or centuries later? huh.

In BT time frames "just" 1000 years, and there happened a war wiping out at least half the knowledge and tech. But after the (otherwise excellent) main story era has "ended", the late part has fallen into the same trap. Another war, another "reset"? 

 

Never ending wars, to keep up the story...

BT is a human universe (quasi) realistic. But SW is more like space fantasy, the time scale is bigger and not necessarily follows our own human nature based world, where all big empires are destined to fall before ruling everything. Is it possible to have several centuries of peace, or having a successful race/state living for a millennia (or more, out of human standards)...  so yes, close a storyline, it can end. yes, as someone has said.

 

Prequel, sequel, spin off.... 

if we can't forget these, and have new ideas, I still vote for spin off... Broaden the universe, from linear to parallel.  That does not hurt. I think.

This is where BT beats SW. At least the classic parts. BT universe is smaller in dimensions, no alien races, no magic, tech is limited, distances are big (due to travel system)  yet it has been made more spacious, for 40+ books.

 

and one more thing, which is my favorite thought to bring up... we had debates with my roleplaying friends a lot of times.

I don't like bipolar universes - the same way I hate when it happens every day in real life..  (No politics this time. )))

SW is bipolar, black and white. Good and evil. Good OR evil. It drives me crazy sometimes.

- It's ok, its a space tale. opera. fantasy. Not supposed to be realistic. All SW is about the Force  - usual answers to my rants.

This is what I value most in BT, is that people are shades of gray. Ruling houses (royal families)  are GREY. They can't be hated, or loved exclusively. They are not evil or bad inherently... they just have agendas an goals. They make mistakes. They follow their goals, and cross each other's way in different type of conflicts from spying, politics or armed conflict.

 

If I break it down to a basic sentence, the teaching of SW is divide the world, the people, put everybody into a light box and dark box. Until the time being. Noone can be grey.  Everyone declared evil can be slaughtered without mercy. All imperials are evil. Wait, they were Republic before, when they were good and the separatists were bad. And now the rebels are the good. What the...??  This too much reminds me of current events. But no RL politics.

Contrary,  BT teaches - if I can say that - about human nature and thinking. About the nature of war. How the world really works. It was just put into a sci-fi scenery.

 

Well sorry for the spin off from the topic ))  Just my thoughts...