Star Wars Discussion Thread contains spoilers (and may contain nuts)

[Josquius]

I wonder what led to Finn being moved from sanitation into villager slaughter; strikes me that would be pretty high up on the ranking of storm trooper jobs, whilst sanitation. ....less so

[Syt]

Maybe it's part of the rotation?

Sanitation => Genocide => TIE-Fighter Maintenance => Kitchen Duty => Street Patrols => repairing chicken soup dispensers etc.

[Barrister]

repairing chicken soup dispensers

I see what you did there 

[Berkut]

Bad guy armor still seems utterly pointless, though.

Rylo Ken's armor seems pretty awesome, actually. I mean, he took a wookie blaster bolt to the side and kept on going...

[Malthus]

Bad guy armor still seems utterly pointless, though.

Rylo Ken's armor seems pretty awesome, actually. I mean, he took a wookie blaster bolt to the side and kept on going...

I was thinking more of the low-level stormtroopers. 

Hell, in RoTJ, the armor doesn't help them against teddy bears throwing rocks and shooting arrows, much less "modern" blasters etc.

In the new movie, no teddy bears, but lots of blasters and the like - it doesn't seem to do shit against them. Why bother wearing it?

[Barrister]

Bad guy armor still seems utterly pointless, though.

Rylo Ken's armor seems pretty awesome, actually. I mean, he took a wookie blaster bolt to the side and kept on going...

I was thinking more of the low-level stormtroopers. 

Hell, in RoTJ, the armor doesn't help them against teddy bears throwing rocks and shooting arrows, much less "modern" blasters etc.

In the new movie, no teddy bears, but lots of blasters and the like - it doesn't seem to do shit against them. Why bother wearing it?

I actually liked how the first scene of the movie is the first time I can ever recall Stormtroopers being competent at performing their mission.

Although really after that they went back to incompetent - you're trying to capture a droid, a girl, and a renegade trooper.  Why go in with tie fighters blasting everything?  Why not just calmly surround the location (Maz'a cantina, or the village at Jakuu) and then start questioning people?

[lustindarkness]

Although really after that they went back to incompetent - you're trying to capture a droid, a girl, and a renegade trooper.  Why go in with tie fighters blasting everything?  Why not just calmly surround the location (Maz'a cantina, or the village at Jakuu) and then start questioning people?

They read the script?

[celedhring]

The film has way too many contrivances to keep the story moving forward, sadly.

Imperial ground troops are also pretty competent in Hoth, I'd say. Although the navy's mistakes (Admiral Ozzel), cost them an overwhelming victory.

[Malthus]

Bad guy armor still seems utterly pointless, though.

Rylo Ken's armor seems pretty awesome, actually. I mean, he took a wookie blaster bolt to the side and kept on going...

I was thinking more of the low-level stormtroopers. 

Hell, in RoTJ, the armor doesn't help them against teddy bears throwing rocks and shooting arrows, much less "modern" blasters etc.

In the new movie, no teddy bears, but lots of blasters and the like - it doesn't seem to do shit against them. Why bother wearing it?

I actually liked how the first scene of the movie is the first time I can ever recall Stormtroopers being competent at performing their mission.

Although really after that they went back to incompetent - you're trying to capture a droid, a girl, and a renegade trooper.  Why go in with tie fighters blasting everything?  Why not just calmly surround the location (Maz'a cantina, or the village at Jakuu) and then start questioning people?

On re-watching, that actually sorta made sense - that first order general dude is shown wanting to destroy the droid and its info, not capture it - while Ren wants it captured. There seems to be a bit of cross-purposes at work here - the general may not want the droid etc. captured, but rather "killed in action", but doesn't want to flagrantly disobey; so issues 'shoot on sight' orders, with the idea of claiming afterwards the killings were necessary.

[lustindarkness]

My mother in law finally went yesterday to watch it, she had somehow not spoiled it for herself and had no idea Han dies. My daughter tells me she was more watching her grandmother's reaction than the screen and said it was just awesome. 

[Valmy]

I didn't know Han died when I watched it. Good job Languish!

[Josephus]

Yeah but Finn is a trained soldier, obviously. I'm sure that includes hand-to-hand.

he spent most of his time in sanitation.

[Josephus]

Watched it again, with a friend, his kids, and mine; it holds up.   

Just for a refresher, we watched Return of the Jedi before it. It was a Star Wars Sunday. 

We all agreed that the new movie was better than RoTJ. Jabba the Hutt was great (particularly that little laughing parasite creature!), but the Ewoks were just so wrong - the kids were all groaning in places at that sequence (just how menacing can the Empire's Troops be if they can be taken down by primitive teddy bears? No wonder the Empire fell  ). In the new movie, the kids were riveted to their seats the whole time. Not a single groanworthy spot. 

Some of the sequences were just breathtaking - particular favorite: the downed wreckage on that desert planet.

Bad guy armor still seems utterly pointless, though.

Oh yeah, I've no doubt that this one will rate highly overall. It was more or less end-to-end action, no annoying creatues like the Ewoks or Jar Jar, no complicated blockade plot line, while it hinted at a blossoming romance, it didn't play that up at all, and  it played up the nostalgia angle fine, but was entertaining throughout even for newbies. We can argue how the plot was more or less the same as A New Hope, but that didn't take away the enjoyment. Hey, I watched it the first time knowing Han was doomed and still enjoyed it. I'd rate this up there with A New Hope.

[Baron von Schtinkenbutt]

Yeah but Finn is a trained soldier, obviously. I'm sure that includes hand-to-hand.

he spent most of his time in sanitation.

Every Marine a Rifleman.  I assume the same applies to stormtroopers.

[Barrister]

I gotta say - I LIKE the Ewoks!

Maybe because I remember seeing the movie as a kid in the theatre, but the idea of assymetrical warfare is surely not a new one to you guys.  They may be technologically inferior, but they're fighting on their own home turf.  There are examples from Viet Nam to Afghanistan of the technologically inferior locals defeating the technologically superior invaders (particularly when they get some outside guidance and advisors)...

As for spoilers, I'm still pissed at the one mainline news report that commented that unlike Hammill and Fisher, Ford wasn't talking about working with the Episode 8 director during interviews...

Though once he stepped out on the bridge you knew something was going to happen, and that something wasn't going to be Rylo Ken turning to the light side.


Fun aside: gave my three boys little lightsabres for Christmas.  TImmy got a blue "Anakin" lightsabre, Joshua got a green "Luke" lightsabre, and because it looks cool, I got Andrew a red "Kylo Ren" lightsabre (complete with hilt).  But Only Timmy has seen the movie, so Andrew doesn't know who Rylo Ken is.  Timmy is trying to tell him, but says his name is "Ben".