Star Wars Universe Thread: May The 4th Be With You

[knappps]

Also I’ve been trying to figure out why I didn’t like TLJ and I keep coming back to the original characters.
Disney messed up by bringing all the old cast back into this trilogy. I don’t think you can write their stories any better then how they already were. If anything, it cheapens their stories and pisses off older fans in the process.
The best move would be to start fresh, then have the occasional cameo or easter egg.

 

[Based Jesus]

This is a weird question but I've been thinking about this for a while.

Does anyone here actually feel that we have been delivered the "Jedi" as they were idealized in the OT by the characters and Lucas himself?

As in the incredible mixture of knight, military leader, superhero, wizard, monk, strategist, and philosopher that made Luke such a threat to the Empire and whose legacy that Obi-Wan and Yoda were so proud to pass onto him?

I feel like in the prequels they were just a bunch of stuck-up elitists who do nothing but get outsmarted and killed, and TLJ, for obvious reasons, did not deliver on this front to me either.

The more I think about it, the more I realize that Genndy Tartakovsky's legendary 2003 Clone Wars series, to me, is the truest interpretation of what the Jedi were meant to be. This series was genius.

The Anakin in Clone Wars 2003 is a totally different Anakin than that in the movies themselves, and a character who acts as an actual valid precursor to Darth Vader. I have the strong feeling that this Anakin is the Anakin that Gendy envisioned as a kid who grew up watching the original movies.

Everything about him, from his mannerisms to his attitude, make it clear that this is Vader, only on the "good" side.

The battle sequences help you understand why a bunch of monks with laser-swords were capable of maintaining order in a futuristic galaxy with all kinds of advanced weaponry and adversity.

I feel like quality and thoughtfulness in storytelling is a rare commodity these days. I wish I worked at LucasFilm.

LOVE this series. Used to have a bootleg DVD of it back in the day.

 

[CP1708]

This is a weird question but I've been thinking about this for a while.

Does anyone here actually feel that we have been delivered the "Jedi" as they were idealized in the OT by the characters and Lucas himself?

As in the incredible mixture of knight, military leader, superhero, wizard, monk, strategist, and philosopher that made Luke such a threat to the Empire and whose legacy that Obi-Wan and Yoda were so proud to pass onto him?

I feel like in the prequels they were just a bunch of stuck-up elitists who do nothing but get outsmarted and killed, and TLJ, for obvious reasons, did not deliver on this front to me either.

The more I think about it, the more I realize that Genndy Tartakovsky's legendary 2003 Clone Wars series, to me, is the truest interpretation of what the Jedi were meant to be. This series was genius.

The Anakin in Clone Wars 2003 is a totally different Anakin than that in the movies themselves, and a character who acts as an actual valid precursor to Darth Vader. I have the strong feeling that this Anakin is the Anakin that Gendy envisioned as a kid who grew up watching the original movies.

Everything about him, from his mannerisms to his attitude, make it clear that this is Vader, only on the "good" side.

The battle sequences help you understand why a bunch of monks with laser-swords were capable of maintaining order in a futuristic galaxy with all kinds of advanced weaponry and adversity.

I feel like quality and thoughtfulness in storytelling is a rare commodity these days. I wish I worked at LucasFilm.

Also the introduction of Grievous and why he has that random cough in Revenge of the Sith.

This mini series was better than the first two prequels and glorious as hell.

 

[Sinner]

Also the introduction of Grievous and why he has that random cough in Revenge of the Sith.

What was the deal with the cough?

 

[osh kosh bosh]

They should have just re cut this into a Lando movie.

 

[Based Jesus]

What was the deal with the cough?

Mace Windu is the deal with the cough

Makes you wonder why more Jedi didnt just do this to his ***.

 

[green rhino123]

Makes you wonder why more Jedi didnt just do this to his ***.

mace windu is the personification of jedi offensive power - and apparently he couldn't even kill grievous? just mame him?
grievous seemed like he wouldn't have a problem with most jedi one-on-one imo

 

[jaypesoz]

mace windu is the personification of jedi offensive power - and apparently he couldn't even kill grievous? just mame him?
grievous seemed like he wouldn't have a problem with most jedi one-on-one imo

I hated how OP he was in the OG CW show

 

[niketalker23]

This ain’t Ron Howard’s movie though. He came and took the reigns after a fourth of the movie was filmed, storyboards were made and scripts were written. Alden has the troll man meme face. It weirds me out. Curious to see what his acting is like as well since he needed an acting coach in the middle of filming to play such a deep and complex character like Han Solo

The kessel run scene looks cool though, can’t lie.

80 to 90 percent of this movie was reshot with Ron Howard. This is his movie.

 

[Based Jesus]

I hated how OP he was in the OG CW show

I loved it, Jedi should be OP, not the ineffectual side characters they were in the prequels

 

[Mark Antony]

Both clone wars toons we're fantastic.

 

[KingdomFlatbush]

I loved it, Jedi should be OP, not the ineffectual side characters they were in the prequels

Monks with laser swords fighting armies of killer robots and space ships?

Hell yeah they better be OP. That's why they were the guardians of the Old Republic for a thousand got damn generations.

 

[sfc415]

Monks with laser swords fighting armies of killer robots and space ships?

Hell yeah they better be OP. That's why they were the guardians of the Old Republic for a thousand got damn generations.

Agree, but maybe they just grew too soft and complacent after not dealing with Sith for several centuries. They looked like they were just being used as high end body guards in the prequels

 

[CP1708]

Monks with laser swords fighting armies of killer robots and space ships?

Hell yeah they better be OP. That's why they were the guardians of the Old Republic for a thousand got damn generations.

Tis why I rock with Sith, not those sensitive feel yourselves Jedi with no forethought whatsoever.

Obi Wan had Anakin dead to rights, put your laser sword thru his back and let's keep the galaxy safe, but noooooooooooooo, he had to be all Jedi about it, my man got some metal arms and legs and ruled the joint for two decades while Obi got sand in his crevices.

 

[sfc415]

In the video games I'm usually a "rogue Jedi". My story decisions are good, but I pick a red saber and spam Force Choke and Lightning constantly

There was a game called Jedi Outcast where the light powers were @#$% like meditate, shield, etc. Who cares??? Used to grab Storm Troopers and throw them off cliffs instead. Jedi powers are trash

 

[MetalMario]

and even in canon, most if not all saber fights won by lightsiders were through anger

The russians and their amazing contribution to cinema. Genndy Tartakovsky is no different

 

[Based Jesus]

It was only until I got older that I truly appreciated Genndy. He's a genius.
The things he does with color are amazing but what he does with sound completely changed how I viewed directing.
If I ever went into film he would have easily been one of my biggest influencers.

 

[Master Zik]

This is a weird question but I've been thinking about this for a while.

Does anyone here actually feel that we have been delivered the "Jedi" as they were idealized in the OT by the characters and Lucas himself?

As in the incredible mixture of knight, military leader, superhero, wizard, monk, strategist, and philosopher that made Luke such a threat to the Empire and whose legacy that Obi-Wan and Yoda were so proud to pass onto him?

I feel like in the prequels they were just a bunch of stuck-up elitists who do nothing but get outsmarted and killed, and TLJ, for obvious reasons, did not deliver on this front to me either.

In real life, a lot of so called legendary groups weren't the real deal either.

Knights Templars? Religious zealots, rapists, and murderers.

Arthur and the knights of the round table? Rapists, murderers, etc.

So and so forth.

Lucas was smart to go braoder with basing some of the Jedi mythology on samurai but even they weren't the most honorable.

I actually felt it was a good choice - and I do believe it was a very aware choice and not a **** up like he I tended something else - for Lucas to portray the Jedi the way he did in the prequels. To me it challenged viewers and long time fans that gave it any real thought. All plays in to Anakin's heel turn as well. Like you see these Jedi during peace time entering an era of chaos and their downfall and they're revealed to be either rigidly unjust or corrupt in some ways. Just like all things they aren't as rosy as you assumed or thought they were in hindsight. A direct real life reflection of so many institutions and renowned groups that fall short of the near fictional idealism placed on them or that they set as the standard that they do not live up to.

Now Genndy's Clone Wars series was great. I love it. He pretty much can't do any wrong but one of the reasons he was able to have the Jedi live up to what they were painted as was cuz it was a series. You get to take such care and attention with a series that you can't with a movie even if its a trilogy even if its a series of trilogies cuz 18 hrs of 9 movies that isn't solely focusing on that group still ain't beating the 2hrs of 25 eps dedicated to one group in a war testing their principles and ideals and then thorough character development of Anakin.

 

[buschfan04]

Mace Windu was OP because he was actually OP. The man can hang with yoda and it’s on record that he beat Sidious. Windu was that Jedi you didn’t mess with. Even Anakin in his teen years knew that.

 

[Master Zik]

Mace Windu spinoff movie

Needed, it is.

 

[wuchi01]

Tis why I rock with Sith, not those sensitive feel yourselves Jedi with no forethought whatsoever.

 

[hand2handking]

‘Star Wars’: 96% of Its Film Universe Writers and Directors Are White Men

CREDIT: REX/SHUTTERSTOCK

http://variety.com/2018/film/column...ones-weiss-benioff-white-creators-1202689891/

I love the “Star Wars” movies. I adored “The Last Jedi” and cried during almost all of Carrie Fisher’s scenes. I’m a fan of the other recent “Star Wars” films as well, and watching the first George Lucas space adventure back in 1977 — in a second-run theater with wooden floors — is one of the formative experiences of my childhood. I was transported into the stars, and in some ways, I never came back.

But loving something doesn’t mean you ignore its flaws. In fact, if you’re a critic, you’re not doing your job if you fail to comment on the patterns you see.

The “Star Wars” tapestry is now 41 years old, with 17 theatrical films (released or planned) forming the backbone of the franchise. By my count, during those four decades, 24 people were hired to direct, write or otherwise take the creative lead on “Star Wars” feature films.

Twenty-three of those key creators were white men. The sole exception is Leigh Brackett, a white woman who had a screenplay credit on “The Empire Strikes Back,” which came out 38 years ago.

Otherwise, no men of color, women of color or white women have held these positions. The franchise’s leading creative voices have been white men 96% of the time.

That’s shocking, and it has to change.

Forgive me for being blunt, but General Organa taught me to face problems head on, not politely avoid them.

Has the “Star Wars” franchise made strides in the kinds of characters it showcases in its tentpole films? Absolutely. Is the whole enchilada run by a woman? Yes, I’m aware of that. But I’m not sure what’s stopping Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy from hiring any of the talented, hungry and skilled men and women of color and white women who have “Star Wars” stories to tell.

I honestly don’t care what the justification is for failing to make the “Star Wars” writer and director rosters truly inclusive; in the many years I’ve reported on these kinds of topics, I’ve heard every rationale and they’re all frankly lame. The Force is not strong in these defenders of the status quo — and honestly, it sure seems like some of the people who make the “Star Wars” films actually agree with me.

Rian Johnson, after all, made a film about how part of growing up is letting go of the way things used to be. “The Last Jedi” introduced a crop of flawed but well-intentioned heroes, who have more or less taken the place of the warriors and rebels who fought before them. Those new characters come in all colors and genders, and Johnson, Kennedy and J.J. Abrams — the first to put out a “Star Wars” film with a female protagonist — deserve a lot of credit for that.

But it’s not enough.

More needs to be done. And we’re way, way past the point where anyone can say that non-white, non-male filmmakers and writers aren’t ready to make this kind of big-budget extravaganza. “Wonder Woman” cleaned up at the box office, and “Black Panther” has shredded pre-opening ticket-sales records. Most of F. Gary Gray and Justin Lin’s films have been commercially successful, crowd-pleasing hits. Ava DuVernay was able to attract A-list talent to “A Wrinkle in Time,” and will do so again for anything she makes down the road. Greta Gerwig, Jordan Peele, Dee Rees, Michelle MacLaren, Rick Famuyiwa, Mimi Leder, Shonda Rhimes, Rachel Talalay and Gina Prince-Bythewood are just a few of the creative minds that could be writing, directing or shepherding stories in the “Star Wars” universe. Most of them have been ready to do so for years, if not decades.

So when the news broke today that David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, the “Game of Thrones” showrunners, had been handed one of the choicest assignments in the entertainment industry — leading a trio of planned “Star Wars” films — I had a few reservations.

On “Game of Thrones,” at times they’ve given women great material, but they’ve also repeatedly mishandled female storylines in problematic ways. The constant and cliched use of sexual violence has been the biggest and most frustrating stumbling block in the HBO drama’s history. And for the most part, “Game of Thrones” has focused on the journeys and interior lives of white characters. If they import some of those patterns into the universe George Lucas created, I may start a rebellion of my own.

Of course, many aspects of “Game of Thrones” have been fantastic. When the show is on its A game, it’s transfixing. And I understand why the large media conglomerate that owns Lucasfilm went this way: The guys who skillfully combined character drama and CGI dragons were going to be the obvious hires.

But I can’t help but thinking of something Carey Mulligan said in a recent Varietyinterview: “If Dee Rees was a white man she’d be directing the next ‘Star Wars,’ she’d be nominated for an Oscar without question.”

She’s right.

After 41 years, where is a “Star Wars” film directed by an African-American woman? By an Asian man? By a Mexican-American woman who grew up riding her bike past the legendary Skywalker Ranch? Why can’t we see those visions of the Force and the Dark Side?

The “Star Wars” franchise is not just healthy — it’s positively robust. It makes a mint for its corporate masters. There’s no reason not to open up the roster of creative talent to the wide array of voices and visions in Hollywood. There’s no reason to be stuck with mindsets that originated a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.

THE MATH

In the last 41 years, 24 people have been hired to be writers, directors or creative leaders of 17 “Star Wars” films. Not all of them stayed throughout the entire production. Of those hires:

23 were white men.

1 was a white woman.

0 were women of color.

0 were men of color.

“Star Wars” (1977)

Writer*: George Lucas
Director: George Lucas

“The Empire Strikes Back” (1980)

Writers: Leigh Brackett (white woman), Lawrence Kasdan, George Lucas

Director: Irvin Kershner

“Return of the Jedi” (1983)

Writers: Lawrence Kasdan, George Lucas

Director: Richard Marquand

“Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace” (1999)

Writer: George Lucas

Director: George Lucas

“Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones” (2002)

Writers: George Lucas, Jonathan Hales

Director: George Lucas

“Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith” (2005)

Writer: George Lucas

Director: George Lucas

“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” (2015)

Writers: Lawrence Kasdan, Michael Arndt, J.J. Abrams

Director: J.J. Abrams

“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” (2016)

Writers: John Knoll, Gary Whitta, Chris Weitz, Tony Gilroy

Director: Gareth Edwards

“Star Wars: The Last Jedi” (2017)

Writer: Rian Johnson

Director: Rian Johnson

“Solo: A Star Wars Story” (201

Writers: Lawrence Kasdan, Jon Kasdan

Directors*: Phil Lord, Chris Miller, Ron Howard [*directing credit not final]

“Star Wars: Episode IX” (2019)

Writers: Colin Trevorrow, Derek Connolly, Jack Thorne [prior writers]

Writers (since Trevorrow departed as writer/director): J.J. Abrams, Chris Terrio

Director: J.J. Abrams

Future “Star Wars” trio of films:

Creative leader: Rian Johnson

Future “Star Wars” trio of films:

Creative leaders: David Benioff and D.B. Weiss

 

[...So]

.

 

[kobeoverbron]

I think I’ll try to forget about Solo until May, then go into it with zero expectations.
That’s what kind of killed TLJ for me. I thought we were getting Johnson’s dark gritty version of Star Wars. The trailer was fantastic and I fell victim to the hype but it ended up coming short of my expectations.

100% true. nowhere near what we all thought it would be.

 

[kobeoverbron]

I hated how OP he was in the OG CW show

I actually loved how "OP" he was here. SO BADASS.