Couldn't find an appropriate thread, so thought I'd start a new one. Besides we have Episode 9 coming soon.
So I get home after work. Think I'll ask Tracy if we can subscribe to Disney+ - I find her already searching through it.
The boys and I always watch a cartoon as they get ready for bed. So with Disney+, we watch the first episode of Star Wars Rebels. Andrew was entranced. I haven't watched this show before, thought it was pretty good.
Once the kids were in bed, I watched The Mandalorian. It was very, very good. I can see where their $100 million went towards.
[spoiler]So the big reveal at the end was that the Mandalorian's bounty was a baby of Yoda's species: albeit a 50 year old baby. That's a pretty good hook. Wonder where it goes from here.[/spoiler]
Loved the very obvious western vibes they're giving the show.
anyone else watching?
Did you ever watch the clone wars animated series?
Slow start, but it got really good. Showed the heroic fall of Anakin way better than the movies.
Quote from: jimmy olsen on November 13, 2019, 01:17:05 AM
Showed the heroic fall of Anakin way better than the movies.
Well there is a high bar :P
Quote from: jimmy olsen on November 13, 2019, 01:17:05 AM
Did you ever watch the clone wars animated series?
Slow start, but it got really good. Showed the heroic fall of Anakin way better than the movies.
I did watch Clone Wars on Netflix. Slow start, but did get good by the end. Tried to get the boys to watch it, they weren't interested. Though that was a couple years ago, they might have a different take on it now.
Got Disney+ free with my Verizon sub
1st ep was OK. Basically a Clint Eastwood/Leone Western rip-off with Star Wars type characters instead of overdubbed Italians pretending to be cowboys.
SW Rebels is pretty awesome. My son & I watched the first 3 season together.
Can you do something for me BB? Check on Disney+ if the new stuff is available in French?
Quote from: Grey Fox on November 13, 2019, 10:51:03 AM
SW Rebels is pretty awesome. My son & I watched the first 3 season together.
Can you do something for me BB? Check on Disney+ if the new stuff is available in French?
I have the Disney+ app on my phone (side note: couldn't seem to find Disney+ on my older Apple TV, but was able to screen mirror Disney+ from my phone to the Apple TV), but I am failing to figure out how you select a different language.
Assuming I figure that out, what do you mean by "new stuff"?
Just heard that there's a *new* edit of the "Han shot Greedo first" scene from A New Hope. :wacko:
Quote from: Barrister on November 13, 2019, 11:06:55 AM
Quote from: Grey Fox on November 13, 2019, 10:51:03 AM
SW Rebels is pretty awesome. My son & I watched the first 3 season together.
Can you do something for me BB? Check on Disney+ if the new stuff is available in French?
I have the Disney+ app on my phone (side note: couldn't seem to find Disney+ on my older Apple TV, but was able to screen mirror Disney+ from my phone to the Apple TV), but I am failing to figure out how you select a different language.
Assuming I figure that out, what do you mean by "new stuff"?
The new shows; Mandalorian, High School Musical; Forky Asks a Questions, etc.
So I went to the dark side to watch Mandalorian :ph34r:
Very entertaining. Then again "Star Wars as a Western" always works for me. Plus Herzog.
Quote from: celedhring on November 13, 2019, 12:19:37 PM
So I went to the dark side to watch Mandalorian :ph34r:
Very entertaining. Then again "Star Wars as a Western" always works for me. Plus Herzog.
:pirate
:(
Realized this show is only going to be 8 episodes long. :(
Quote from: Barrister on November 13, 2019, 12:38:47 PM
Realized this show is only going to be 8 episodes long. :(
They are already prepping season 2, though.
Quote from: Barrister on November 13, 2019, 12:38:47 PM
Realized this show is only going to be 8 episodes long. :(
It is an hour long show right? That is pretty standard.
Quote from: Valmy on November 13, 2019, 01:07:43 PM
Quote from: Barrister on November 13, 2019, 12:38:47 PM
Realized this show is only going to be 8 episodes long. :(
It is an hour long show right? That is pretty standard.
40 minutes.
What? Well I guess that is equivalent to a 15 or so episode long network season.
Still up your game Disney and give the people the 10 episodes per season they deserve.
Yeah, I was surprised that the episode was just 40 minutes long. I guess there's only so much you can stretch $120 mil with those production values (the show looks great).
Quote from: celedhring on November 13, 2019, 01:34:42 PM
Yeah, I was surprised that the episode was just 40 minutes long. I guess there's only so much you can stretch $120 mil with those production values (the show looks great).
Yes, it really does look like a movie.
And I love that it looks like it has a lot of practical effects, and not just CGI (although obviously there is some CGI).
So Disney+ is good, right? The app itself I mean. Is the layout logical or is just a mishmash of random movies and TV shows that make it impossible to find, say, a collection of Star Wars media?
Quote from: FunkMonk on November 13, 2019, 03:12:42 PM
So Disney+ is good, right? The app itself I mean. Is the layout logical or is just a mishmash of random movies and TV shows that make it impossible to find, say, a collection of Star Wars media?
It's very similar to Netflix.
Right off the bat you have buttons for Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic, so you can go right to those if you want.
Then it has categories like Originals, Recommended, Hit Movies, Trending, Out of the Vault (old Disney animation), Inspired by True Stories...
IF you want something very specific, there's a search feature as well.
So after watching The Mandalorian, and one episode of Star Wars Rebels with the kids, I fired up... The Black Hole, Disney's 1979 sci-fi extravaganza (I had to use the search feature). I have a soft-spot for 1970s sci-fi, and this does not disappoint. It looks gorgeous and goofy at the same time (Why does a robot have eyes?). The story however makes very little sense.
The app is pretty good but still needs some tweaking. If you click on say Marvel it will give you a fancy Marvel graphic and then underneath there are lines for "movies", "series and specials", etc. However, the "movies" line doesn't have all the Marvel movies on the site and there is no button to press for "all movies." If there is movie not on the line you have to search for it. [Also on the subject of Marvel the Neflix series aren't there]
On the ipad if you stopped a showing and then picked up later, it remembered my place; but it didn't when I tried the same thing on a Samsung TV.
Platform coverage is not 100%,for example the app isn't (yet) available through my Sony Blu-ray players. Roku and Amazon sticks should work though as well as most if not all Android and ios devices.
Fuck them, then. Iron price, ahoy.
Yeah, I'm broadly anti-pirate, but if there's no legitimate way to purchase a piece of media I'd pirate away without feeling bad about it.
I haven't seen it yet, but think it's already worth however much money they spent for this interview with Werner Herzog:
QuoteFavreau has made some highly successful films recently; did you feel an element of pressure working with him?
I do not know what other films he has made.
You don't?
No.
He made "The Lion King" earlier this year with Beyonce and Donald Glover.
Well I like "The Lion King," but the animated version 30 years back or so. That was a wonderful film, the music was particularly great, Hans Zimmer's score.
[...]
Do you watch any television?
I do, I watch the news from different sources. Sometimes I see things that are completely against my cultural nature. I was raised with Latin and Ancient Greek and poetry from Greek antiquity, but sometimes, just to see the world I live in, I watch "WrestleMania."
[...]
So you've been watching "Keeping Up With the Kardashians?"
I'm starting to discover it. I'm curious; that's my guiding principle.
[...]
What's the next project you're working on?
I have a documentary on meteorites and the cultural implications they have, which I'm currently shooting. It's in the vein of the volcano film I made, "Into the Inferno," which is currently streaming on Netflix.
In that case, you have extra incentive to pay for some more streaming platforms.
You're right. I have no choice but to sign up for Disney Plus and Netflix. I shall go do that now.
Quote from: Barrister on November 13, 2019, 04:30:43 PM
Yeah, I'm broadly anti-pirate, but if there's no legitimate way to purchase a piece of media I'd pirate away without feeling bad about it.
:o
Is this actually the first time you endore something illegal in the forum? What about your impeccable Lawful Good alignment?
It would not be Good if the Law were unjust, would it?
Quote from: Sheilbh on November 13, 2019, 04:34:50 PM
I haven't seen it yet, but think it's already worth however much money they spent for this interview with Werner Herzog:
QuoteFavreau has made some highly successful films recently; did you feel an element of pressure working with him?
I do not know what other films he has made.
You don't?
No.
He made "The Lion King" earlier this year with Beyonce and Donald Glover.
Well I like "The Lion King," but the animated version 30 years back or so. That was a wonderful film, the music was particularly great, Hans Zimmer's score.
[...]
Do you watch any television?
I do, I watch the news from different sources. Sometimes I see things that are completely against my cultural nature. I was raised with Latin and Ancient Greek and poetry from Greek antiquity, but sometimes, just to see the world I live in, I watch "WrestleMania."
[...]
So you've been watching "Keeping Up With the Kardashians?"
I'm starting to discover it. I'm curious; that's my guiding principle.
[...]
What's the next project you're working on?
I have a documentary on meteorites and the cultural implications they have, which I'm currently shooting. It's in the vein of the volcano film I made, "Into the Inferno," which is currently streaming on Netflix.
In that case, you have extra incentive to pay for some more streaming platforms.
You're right. I have no choice but to sign up for Disney Plus and Netflix. I shall go do that now.
Hell yes :lol:
Sign that man up for more Star Wars please, Disney.
Quote from: Grey Fox on November 13, 2019, 10:51:03 AM
SW Rebels is pretty awesome. My son & I watched the first 3 season together.
Can you do something for me BB? Check on Disney+ if the new stuff is available in French?
The Mandalorian at least is. In fact it claims to have quite a few languages. My memory is that the Clone Wars was similarly well translated.
(https://i.imgur.com/VJ555xn.png)
Quote from: The Larch on November 13, 2019, 04:54:04 PM
Quote from: Barrister on November 13, 2019, 04:30:43 PM
Yeah, I'm broadly anti-pirate, but if there's no legitimate way to purchase a piece of media I'd pirate away without feeling bad about it.
:o
Is this actually the first time you endore something illegal in the forum? What about your impeccable Lawful Good alignment?
I'm lawful good, not Lawful Neutral. :cool:
Quote from: Sheilbh on November 13, 2019, 04:34:50 PM
I haven't seen it yet, but think it's already worth however much money they spent for this interview with Werner Herzog:
So... autistic?
Quote from: Barrister on November 13, 2019, 04:30:43 PM
Yeah, I'm broadly anti-pirate, but if there's no legitimate way to purchase a piece of media I'd pirate away without feeling bad about it.
Good to know I won't be prosecuted in Canada! :D :P
Quote from: celedhring on November 14, 2019, 02:50:41 AM
Quote from: Barrister on November 13, 2019, 04:30:43 PM
Yeah, I'm broadly anti-pirate, but if there's no legitimate way to purchase a piece of media I'd pirate away without feeling bad about it.
Good to know I won't be prosecuted in Canada! :D :P
No need to worry, as long a BB is the one prosecuting you; he never wins a case anyway.
Quote from: Barrister on November 13, 2019, 12:54:52 AMThe boys and I always watch a cartoon as they get ready for bed. So with Disney+, we watch the first episode of Star Wars Rebels. Andrew was entranced. I haven't watched this show before, thought it was pretty good.
The first season is the weakest. It has its share of kid friendly silliness. From the end of season 1 it picks up, and seasons 3 and 4 are IMHO very good.
Quote from: The Minsky Moment on November 13, 2019, 10:41:23 AM
Got Disney+ free with my Verizon sub
1st ep was OK. Basically a Clint Eastwood/Leone Western rip-off with Star Wars type characters instead of overdubbed Italians pretending to be cowboys.
I've watched ... a preview :goodboy: of Ep. 1 and agree, though I liked it a lot. But I like spaghetti westerns, and this was basically what I was hoping for.
I thought the Blurrg reminded me of the Guar of Morrowind, so I looked them up. Turns out they first showed up in Ewoks - Battle for Endor and were canonized in the Clone Wars series: https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Blurrg
:lol:
Quote from: Habbaku on November 13, 2019, 04:15:40 PM
Is it just not available in Spain at the moment?
Looks like it's limited to the US and Canada. And the Netherlands, for some reason.
I took a look, don't think there's anything I'd be interested in tbh.
Quote from: The Larch on November 13, 2019, 11:34:05 AM
Just heard that there's a *new* edit of the "Han shot Greedo first" scene from A New Hope. :wacko:
https://io9.gizmodo.com/the-han-shot-first-scene-from-star-wars-has-been-change-1839802913
TL;DR: The versions on Disney+ are from a remaster that Lucas was preparing but wasn't released so far.
Quote from: Barrister on November 13, 2019, 12:54:52 AM
Couldn't find an appropriate thread, so thought I'd start a new one. Besides we have Episode 9 coming soon.
We had this one: http://languish.org/forums/index.php/topic,13608.0.html :P ;)
Quote from: Barrister on November 13, 2019, 04:30:43 PM
Yeah, I'm broadly anti-pirate, but if there's no legitimate way to purchase a piece of media I'd pirate away without feeling bad about it.
I will never understand why companies use different release dates in different nations, particularly for media with active fandoms. Don't they even realize this is a direct encouragement to piracy?
If there's a fandom, staggering the release dates means that part of the fandom is simply excluded from the whole point of being a fan - shared excitement, theories, fan art, all the rest will have passed them by, by the time the show is legally available to them (assuming it ever is). On the other hand ... if they are fans they will have lots of online friends able to get them links to see the show. The result: piracy proliferates.
AFAIK Disney has had trouble getting back the online rights for a lot of their stuff (Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars) in many countries, so it has held on launching Disney+ until they can get most of their content back. For example in Spain most of Disney stuff is on Netflix, and the deal expires some time in 2020.
Quote from: celedhring on November 14, 2019, 10:48:46 AM
AFAIK Disney has had trouble getting back the online rights for a lot of their stuff (Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars) in many countries, so it has held on launching Disney+ until they can get most of their content back. For example in Spain most of Disney stuff is on Netflix, and the deal expires some time in 2020.
Yeah, I figured there was some contractual reasons for some of the disconnect. But some decisions are just inexplicable.
For example - the Disney show
Star vs. The Forces of Evil had different distribution dates on Disney's TV channels in the US and Canada; it showed up months later in Canada. Naturally, every fan in Canada simply pirated the US version, easily obtainable online. Now I don't know the corporate set-up, but is seems odd to have different dates on channels owned by the same corporation as the content provider in two neighbouring nations. Perhaps there is some contractual reason for it.
Quote from: celedhring on November 14, 2019, 10:48:46 AM
AFAIK Disney has had trouble getting back the online rights for a lot of their stuff (Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars) in many countries, so it has held on launching Disney+ until they can get most of their content back. For example in Spain most of Disney stuff is on Netflix, and the deal expires some time in 2020.
I believe the Netflix deal was global - on the US site some of the content has a "coming soon" in 2020.
Differing rights periods can contribute to these differences but staggered international releases are also driven by marketing plans.
The studios and content holders know it may increase piracy but figure the marketing benefits offset that.
Quote from: Syt on November 14, 2019, 07:09:59 AM
Quote from: Barrister on November 13, 2019, 12:54:52 AM
Couldn't find an appropriate thread, so thought I'd start a new one. Besides we have Episode 9 coming soon.
We had this one: http://languish.org/forums/index.php/topic,13608.0.html :P ;)
:(
Mods feel free to merge this thread with the other one.
Ep 2 of The Mandalorian is good too. Also super-short - clocks in at 30 minutes.
Liked that [spoiler]the first third of it is essentially silent, and that he gets his ass kicked more than once. The baby being force sensitive was captain obvious, and I hope there's a better story to him than being some sort of Yoda clone/family[/spoiler].
The pace isn't the quickest - which I'm fine with - but combined with the short episodes and short episode count makes me think there won't be much plot twists and turns in this.
Liked Ep. 2.
[spoiler]I agree that it was nice that the first 10 minutes had no spoken English. I also liked how the ambush was hinted at by shadows in the corner of the screen, or reflections moving on his helmet. Really nicely done.
Fucking Jawas, man. :lol: But: disintegrations :o I guess that's why there's specifications that proof of the kill is required on bounties. :P
The climb up the sandcrawler gave me painful flashbacks to Super Star Wars on SNES. (Though the mountain scrape seemed inspired by Indiana Joned and the Last Crusade.) And I also like that Mando isn't an all powerful killing machine but gets taken down a notch. After the triumphant badassery of last episode it puts things back into perspective. IIRC it was hinted in the Mandalorian Enclave that he's not super experienced just yet? And the warrior with the baby invites comparisons to Lone Wolf and Cub.[/spoiler]
Due to the short length of the episodes it feels like there's no padding or "fat" yet, and it moves pretty fast. Actually, since the first episode was directed by Dave Filoni I keep thinking this feels like a live action version of the animated series (in a good way), going back to the old matinee serials of the 30s and 40s style. Clone Wars was the most obvious about it, with the excited opening narration (which also mimicked the crawl text from the movies) and then dropping the audience in the middle of things.
It kinda makes me want to install SWTOR and play the Bounty Hunter story. :blush:
I am pretty jaded by anything Star Wars. The new movies suck ass and the video games haven't been good for like 15 years.
After watching the first two episodes of The Mandalorian, I'm all in again. :lol:
Quote from: FunkMonk on November 18, 2019, 07:05:39 PM
I am pretty jaded by anything Star Wars. The new movies suck ass and the video games haven't been good for like 15 years.
After watching the first two episodes of The Mandalorian, I'm all in again. :lol:
Fallen Order looks promising :)
Episode 3, then.
The first episode that I would rate as "good" instead of "great", possibly because the arc was fairly predictable (except the finale to some extent).
That said, [spoiler]the joint Mandalorian attack rescuing The Mandalorian made me squee. We saw this kind of stuff in Clone Wars and Rebels, but this is the first time in a live action show. Much appreciated.
So, it's kind of clear that The Client is after the baby's genetic material. Someone pointed out that the Doctor has a Kaminoan symbol on his sleeve, so that would support that. So are they trying to clone Force users? Or isolate the genes that make one more receptive to the Force/Midichlorians? Maybe they try to extract midichlorians?[/spoiler]
Couple questions regarding canon continuity. It's stated that Mandalorians never remove their helmets (I don't think this is a spoiler). But in Clone Wars and Rebels we saw them constantly without helmets - including the traditionalists, like the Nightwatch. Then again, Mandalorians have been known to be rather splintered, so this group might just have a different code. Or maybe they're just cosplayers who keep their helmets on so people don't realize they're actually a bunch of Gungans. :P
Also, in terms of canon continuity, what is [spoiler]"The Great Purge"? We of course know Order 66, but that dealt with the Jedi. Mandalorians were still around in the Imperial Era, as seen in Rebels, and were officially allied with the Empire under Clan Saxon, providing them with special forces (until Bo-Katan Kryze took over, but we don't know much about what happened afterwards, i.e. during Episodes IV-VI of the movies, I think. They also had their beskar armor at the time, and there was a weapon specifically built to exploit that fact. I guess the Purge could refer to the anti-Imperial clans of Mandalore, but even of those there were still significant enough numbers to take over Mandalore during Rebels.
Of course it could be that there actually was a major purge at the time the Empire rose, and that some houses rebuilt (like Wren, Saxon, Viszla, etc.) to what they were a few years ago while others, like the one in the show, went completely old school, kind of like a more fundamentalist Nightwatch.[/spoiler]
Considering how carefully the new canon is generally constructed and makes sure that all puzzle pieces from novels, comics, games, shows and movies fit together, I'm curious how this will be resolved.
Thinking more about it, [spoiler]The Purge might have been part of the Contingency: https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Contingency
It could also tie in with Episode IX coming out in December which (together with some materials like novels etc.) has hinted at a plan set up by Palpatine in some form (hidden fleet etc.).[/spoiler]
Yeah, this is the first episode that was merely "good", as in, it was well done but very by-the-book. Liked the bits of Mandalorian lore though, probably my favorite part of the episode (and I'm not a lore fiend like Syt :P).
Incidentally, I love how many Spanish media are running reviews of this despite the fact there's no way they have watched it legally :lol:
Quote from: Sheilbh on November 13, 2019, 04:34:50 PM
I haven't seen it yet, but think it's already worth however much money they spent for this interview with Werner Herzog:
More Star Wars with Werner Herzog please:
QuoteThe faith in their little green God was not strong enough.
That was the judgment of Werner Herzog, the imperious German filmmaker turned galactic space villain turned Baby Yoda fan club president, when he saw The Mandalorian creator and showrunner Jon Favreau and executive producer Dave Filoni removing the miniature creature from set during one of his scenes with the being.
They were preparing to shoot a blank slate of the sequence as a backup in case they decided during postproduction that the puppet wasn't convincing enough and a digital version had to be substituted.
Herzog, known for films about pushing the limits of human ability and endurance, could not hide his contempt.
"You are cowards," he declared. "Leave it."
The man speaks what my heart feels.
With the latest Rise of Skywalker trailer I'm expecting Anakin to make an appearance in the movie.
Reasoning:
- They keep talking of "Skywalker", but never specify which one.
- Hayden Christensen and Ian McDiarmid made the rounds this year, attending various conventions, charities etc. together, and we know Palpatine will be part of the movie, somehow.
I also kind of expect The Mandalorian to tie into the movie somehow. Its final episodes air around the time of the movie's launch (18th and 25th December).
Also, [spoiler]Kid Green[/spoiler] is said to be [spoiler]about 50 years old. I looked up when the series takes place: 9 years after the Battle of Yavin according to Wookieepedia. So I checked what happened 50 years earlier ... Anakin Skywalker was born ... dun dun dun! Of course there's long been theories that Palpatine "created" Anakin, and I think one of the comics had a vision (not flashback) to that effect[/spoiler], but you know. All speculation.
It all might not have anything to do with each other, though. :D
Mandalorian!
Loved that they went with [spoiler]the hapless village hires mercenaries against bandits that attack them trope[/spoiler], which is one of my favorite western tropes. They also [spoiler]used the AT-ST quite well, with the "red eyes" and all. But these things aren't really really suited to forest fighting :lol:[/spoiler]
That said, it[spoiler] felt a bit like a diversion episode and the main plot wasn't advanced at all. I wouldn't have that much of a problem with it, if this was a longer show... Also, I hope they come up with a good explanation for the tracking fobs, so this doesn't become a "how come they didn't use this tech before" thing, and also why the Mando ever thought he could leave the child there alone.[/spoiler].
Quote from: Syt on November 29, 2019, 05:13:02 AM
With the latest Rise of Skywalker trailer I'm expecting Anakin to make an appearance in the movie.
Reasoning:
- They keep talking of "Skywalker", but never specify which one.
- Hayden Christensen and Ian McDiarmid made the rounds this year, attending various conventions, charities etc. together, and we know Palpatine will be part of the movie, somehow.
If Vader was to show up in the next Star Wars movie I doubt Disney would have the restrain to not spoil it in the marketing.
Quote from: celedhring on November 29, 2019, 03:57:45 PM
If Vader was to show up in the next Star Wars movie I doubt Disney would have the restrain to not spoil it in the marketing.
I dunno- they've been quite restrained in their marketing so far.
Quote from: celedhring on November 29, 2019, 03:56:05 PM
Mandalorian!
Loved that they went with [spoiler]the hapless village hires mercenaries against bandits that attack them trope[/spoiler], which is one of my favorite western tropes. They also [spoiler]used the AT-ST quite well, with the "red eyes" and all. But these things aren't really really suited to forest fighting :lol:[/spoiler]
That said, it[spoiler] felt a bit like a diversion episode and the main plot wasn't advanced at all. I wouldn't have that much of a problem with it, if this was a longer show... Also, I hope they come up with a good explanation for the tracking fobs, so this doesn't become a "how come they didn't use this tech before" thing, and also why the Mando ever thought he could leave the child there alone.[/spoiler].
I love the trope, too, [spoiler]but they already did pretty much the same in Clone Wars (though the Seven Samurai vibes were even more overt - at least they put new spins on it). Loved that they managed to make an AT-ST a bit spooky and scary. And it seems reasonable that some of the old equipment falls into wrong hands. Hell, in Rebels they come across forgotten Clone Wars bases/supplies more than once.
I didn't see it as much of a diversion but as a moment of character development for Mando. He has some of his edges filed off, and he's confronted with the temptation of settling down. He's also made to question some parts of the Mandalorian code, especially the helmet thing. I expect there'll be a pay off to that, what with the "if you take it off you can't put it back on" bit. That stuff still needs to be reconciled with the rest of the canon.
I was expecting the widow to reveal that she is Mandalorian. She's accomplished with a gun, and she looked a bit like Temuera Morrison (Jango Fett). I expected that she might go on a bit of a speech. "Dude, you guys are doing what now? That helmet thing ... are you dumb? Let me tell you about the REAL Mandalorians."
Also not sure how the tracking fobs work. Best guess is genetic signature (because he used it also on his first bounty in the premiere episode). Wookieepedia is no help yet.
I hope we'll see more of Cara Dune.[/spoiler]
I did love that they put a Loth Cat into a scene. :D
I still feel that she show takes the best bits of Rebels/Clone Wars in terms of short form storytelling and puts them in a high budget live action format. I highly approve.
Coming back to Episode 3 for a moment - [spoiler]the Heavy Mandalorian is credited as "Paz Vizla." Now, during Clone Wars/Rebels there was an important house Vizsla, but since the spelling is (slightly) different they might be unrelated?[/spoiler]
P.S.: [spoiler]I have the gut feeling that the Yodling is more aware/mature than he lets on.[/spoiler]
Quote from: celedhring on November 29, 2019, 03:57:45 PM
If Vader was to show up in the next Star Wars movie I doubt Disney would have the restrain to not spoil it in the marketing.
Not Vader. Anakin. :P ;)
Putting Palpatine a gazillion Star Destroyers, and Death Star debris into the trailers etc. has people already plenty hyped, I think.
There don't seem to be midnight premieres for Rise of Skywalker. Earliest screening I could find is in IMAX, 18th December, 2:30 pm. I will be there. :cool:
Syt,
Gina Carano is listed to be in second season, so not sure if back in these last half of first season but will see her again.
Quote from: katmai on November 30, 2019, 01:32:25 PM
Syt,
Gina Carano is listed to be in second season, so not sure if back in these last half of first season but will see her again.
I've read that she's also in two more episodes in this season. :)
Kat, do you if Bill Burr is a one-off appearance or more of a regular going forward?
Quote from: Syt on November 30, 2019, 03:39:04 AM
Coming back to Episode 3 for a moment - [spoiler]the Heavy Mandalorian is credited as "Paz Vizla." Now, during Clone Wars/Rebels there was an important house Vizsla, but since the spelling is (slightly) different they might be unrelated?[/spoiler]
Well, there is [spoiler]Shae Vizla (https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Mandalore_the_Avenger), who is a pretty important character in SWTOR. Paz might be a descendant of the same clan. Wonder if they referenced SWTOR in this oblique way on purpose?[/spoiler]
[spoiler]Well, KOTOR/SWTOR content has been canonized in various ways. Like Onderon which showed up in Clone Wars and introduced Saul Gerrera's character (Forest Whitaker in Rogue One), or the folks from Manaan, the Hammerhead ships, an SWTOR style droid showing up in Clone Wars, and probably more things I've forgotten.[/spoiler]
Quote from: Zoupa on November 30, 2019, 02:54:11 PM
Kat, do you if Bill Burr is a one-off appearance or more of a regular going forward?
if his character has even appeared in in first four episodes I haven't noticed him...
Me neither, I just saw him in one of the trailers.
House Vizsla in Rebels? :D Vizsla is a Hungarian dog breed :p
Quote from: Syt on December 01, 2019, 05:33:54 PM
[spoiler]Well, KOTOR/SWTOR content has been canonized in various ways. Like Onderon which showed up in Clone Wars and introduced Saul Gerrera's character (Forest Whitaker in Rogue One), or the folks from Manaan, the Hammerhead ships, an SWTOR style droid showing up in Clone Wars, and probably more things I've forgotten.[/spoiler]
Some people also spotted a Jedi Defender starship in the trailer for Rise of Skywalker (not really a spoiler, this one).
I'm liking the show, but something seems off. Maybe the short runtime..annoying
(https://i.imgur.com/ngEIRkh.jpg)
This is the way.
Someone's been on Star Wars reddit. :P
Good and fun episode of the Mandalorian, but IMHO so far the weakest, and the plot was a bit of "no surprise theater" once it was set up.
[spoiler]Except for the last scene where another bounty hunter finds the dead Fennec Shand this didn't propel the main narrative forward IMHO. But it has me curious who the mystery person is. Considering the walking sound has a similar cowboy spurs ring to it as the Mandalorian's, it might be another Mando, but hard to tell. If I could wish for a cameo it would be Cad Bane from Clone Wars who would fit the western tropes perfectly.
At any rate, it was nice to see some familiar sights, like Mos Eisley and the Cantina (including trash heap in front of it), and the infamous IG head beverage dispensers. :D When Peli Motto assessed the ship's damage I was wondering if she would mention "carbon scoring" and she did. ^_^ (btw, Amy Sedaris was barely recognizable :D ) She was a fun quirky character and I wouldn't mind seeing more of her (I feel that way about many side characters).
I'm glad they resisted putting any "famous" characters onto Tatooine. That said, I hope the main arc picks up again soon, considering we have only 4 episodes to go in the season.[/spoiler]
I enjoyed the episode and the westerness of it. This show is a strange animal, I like westerns a lot so this feels like your washed up favorite band from the 1980s playing covers from your favorite bands from the 1960s. There's absoultely nothing new here, but it's frankly enjoyable.
I agree. I mean, there's nothing wrong with retelling familiar stories in an unfamiliar setting. After all, that's what the original Star Wars was to a large extent.
I also couldn't avoid noticing that[spoiler] business in the Mos Eisley cantina seemed considerably down, and they went from "no droids" to have droids actually serving the drinks. This new management sucks. :glare:
[/spoiler]
Quote from: Syt on December 06, 2019, 01:29:28 PM
[spoiler]Except for the last scene where another bounty hunter finds the dead Fennec Shand this didn't propel the main narrative forward IMHO. But it has me curious who the mystery person is. Considering the walking sound has a similar cowboy spurs ring to it as the Mandalorian's, it might be another Mando, but hard to tell. If I could wish for a cameo it would be Cad Bane from Clone Wars who would fit the western tropes perfectly.
[/spoiler]
[spoiler]Star Wars reddit seems to think it's Boba Fett[/spoiler].
I liked the Slient Running hommage
(https://homemcr.org/app/uploads/2016/05/SILENT_RUNNING_MoC_002.jpg)
https://twitter.com/joshgad/status/1204803549084807168?s=20
:lol:
Quote from: Syt on December 11, 2019, 02:30:32 PM
https://twitter.com/joshgad/status/1204803549084807168?s=20
:lol:
Nice. :D
Quote from: Syt on December 11, 2019, 02:30:32 PM
https://twitter.com/joshgad/status/1204803549084807168?s=20
:lol:
Funny, but this implies that Rey's parentage is still up for debate? I rather like how TLJ dealt with the question...
Quote from: Barrister on December 11, 2019, 03:07:05 PM
I rather like how TLJ dealt with the question...
Setting up a big plot point only to not pay it off at all? Well to be fair that kind of garbage plotting and writing is what Star Wars is all about.
Quote from: Barrister on December 11, 2019, 03:07:05 PM
Quote from: Syt on December 11, 2019, 02:30:32 PM
https://twitter.com/joshgad/status/1204803549084807168?s=20
:lol:
Funny, but this implies that Rey's parentage is still up for debate? I rather like how TLJ dealt with the question...
By that BIG SPIN I was entirely exhausted of all the BIG SPINS TLJ did.
I am fairly certain the director actually detests the whole Star Wars thing and wanted to show just how above the whole fairytale in space thing he is.
Quote from: Tamas on December 12, 2019, 05:07:18 AM
I am fairly certain the director actually detests the whole Star Wars thing and wanted to show just how above the whole fairytale in space thing he is.
Considering the fact that Rian Johnson has signed up to do a whole trilogy of Star Wars movies I'm pretty sure you're wrong...
There are a lot of rumors floating around that that trilogy has been axed.
The Last Jedi was a trainwreck of a movie begging for serious editing, but there is no question that it dealt with the Rey parentage issue in the right way.
Quote from: celedhring on December 07, 2019, 03:20:05 AM
I enjoyed the episode and the westerness of it. This show is a strange animal, I like westerns a lot so this feels like your washed up favorite band from the 1980s playing covers from your favorite bands from the 1960s. There's absoultely nothing new here, but it's frankly enjoyable.
I've finally binged watched all the 5 episodes so far yesterday night.
Very good show.
However, there was something a little off... I know Pedro Pascal is playing the part. Well, I assume it's him, there's no way to confirm his identity... it could very well be an impostor! :P
Joking aside, in GoT, I thought he had a slight spanish accent with a touch of britishness, here, it seems plain old american/yankee accent.
And the more I listened to it, the more it reminded me of Clint Eastwood in his Sergio Leone movies. The stance, the way he walks and stalks, it really reminds me of his character.
Also, there was a nice "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" moment with the Jawas :D
I liked the Last Jedi quite a lot - more than Force Awakens :ph34r: :blush:
I liked the new movies so far, but I also enjoyed the prequels. I don't come to this series for deep, involved storytelling on the level of Breaking Bad, but rather for escapism in a cool universe. :)
I'm not a fan of the prequels - I think they're quite boring.
Also couldn't get into Solo only watched about half an hour and gave up.
Of the new ones though I love Rogue One the most :blush:
Rogue One was really good, but I thought Solo was fine. Fun little heist movie. :)
I kind of envy you guys, I find them all very cringey I just cannot enjoy them at all. The little annoyances in the original trilogy become much bigger in the later movies. They are also movies that the longer they sit in my mind after viewing the more I dislike them, never a good sign.
Ah well. I will always have KOTOR and KOTOR II.
I had my Star Wars peak in the late 80s/early 90s, when Star Wars was not big, and the EU didn't exist yet (except the old Marvel comics which I loved), so I'm just happy if new stuff comes out. There's of couese stuff that I like more or like less, or dislike, but overall I tend not to be overly critical of the franchise. I guess I'm in the same spot as people who watch every new Transformers movie, or Marvel movie, or the Fast & Furious franchise.
As said, it's mostly escapism for me. I love the universe, and I like seeing more of it (or returning to familiar places, like on The Mandalorian last week).
Quote from: Sheilbh on December 12, 2019, 02:33:17 PM
I liked the Last Jedi quite a lot - more than Force Awakens :ph34r: :blush:
Same here, but I recognize that TLJ doesn't really mesh well with what came before, and likely won't with what comes after.
Quote from: Syt on December 12, 2019, 02:49:01 PM
Fun little heist movie. :)
You son of a bitch! I'm in.
Quote from: Habbaku on December 12, 2019, 03:30:17 PM
Quote from: Sheilbh on December 12, 2019, 02:33:17 PM
I liked the Last Jedi quite a lot - more than Force Awakens :ph34r: :blush:
Same here, but I recognize that TLJ doesn't really mesh well with what came before, and likely won't with what comes after.
Yeah - I don't know. I thought it was kind of going somewhere so Force Awakens was just classic-y Star Wars to me; then Last Jedi was confounding those expectations. Then you are free to move on to something else, but it sounds like it's going back to classic-y Star Wars. So it'll end up being a little weird in context, if fun on its own.
Real shame was that it became some massive Gamergate-esque pop culture war flashpoint which made having any conversation about it a little bit fraught :bleeding:
Yeah, I stay out of those discussions.
I'm just glad that there's new generations of SW fans: https://gfycat.com/idioticsinfulgalapagostortoise
Quote from: Syt on December 12, 2019, 02:49:01 PM
Rogue One was really good, but I thought Solo was fine. Fun little heist movie. :)
Solo would have been better as a sci-fi heist movie. The stars wars nods get annoying fast.
Quote from: Valmy on December 12, 2019, 02:49:46 PM
Ah well. I will always have KOTOR and KOTOR II.
with the Sith Lord restored content mod, I hope? :!:
Of course!
Quote from: Habbaku on December 12, 2019, 11:38:36 AM
There are a lot of rumors floating around that that trilogy has been axed.
The trilogy by the GOT duo has been axed, but not Johnson's that I'm aware of.
They won't announce it. It will just fade quietly away. Like Bob Iger's presidential ambitions.
(https://i.redd.it/9qgd4cj1i8541.jpg)
:D to be fair nobody thinks this is the last stat wars film. The franchise will be milked until we will vomit at the mere mention of Star Wars.
:D
That was great :D
The Rise of Skywalker 10/10
Back on track and a worthy ending. There are so many great scenes in this one and a few ridiculous ones but the right kind of ridiculous not the Canto Bight kind.
That is a very good score. :hmm:
The early media reviews are in and, uh, it's not looking good folks.
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/star_wars_the_rise_of_skywalker
George Lucas wasn't invited to the premiere yesterday. :ph34r:
Quote from: FunkMonk on December 18, 2019, 02:13:29 PM
The early media reviews are in and, uh, it's not looking good folks.
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/star_wars_the_rise_of_skywalker
So 10/10 might be too high a score, but 57% is definitely too low.
To be fair, RT's metric is simply a measure of if critics liked a movie or not, not ordinal in the sense of grades. So a number around 50 or so means that the critics are pretty divided.
So to try and avoid spoilers I haven't even read any reviews, but I've seen headlines and thumbnails.
Half say it's flawed but fun. Half say it's terrible. Lots of mention about fanservice.
My son (6) just finish watching Episode 5. He wasn't flabbergasted at the reveal of Vador fatherhood. He says he didn't know but I'm guessing since he's watch all of Rebels, atleast half of Clone Wars & watches Resistance, it's just part of his cultural zeitgeist.
I honestly can't remember what effect the reveal had on me, I was 5-6 when I first watched it. I should ask my mom if she remembers.
Yeah, I can not remember watching Episode 5 for the first time. I would have been 5 when it came out. My parents might have taken me to the movie theatre for that one - I'll have to ask. I do remember watching Jedi in the theatre, and I had certainly seen Empire before then.
Of course from watching my own kids watching movies at that age, their ability to focus on the exact implications of dialogue sometimes escapes them. I was watching Mandalorian with the kids, and Josh asked me a question. My response was - the character literally just told yuo the answer to that. They watch more for the action and visuals.
I do remember watching Empire on the telly when it was first shown over here. But the only bit I can conjure up are the walkers and the impression that the carbonite freezing scene made on me. But as for the "I'm your father!" bit, I draw blank.
Quote from: celedhring on December 18, 2019, 05:06:56 PM
I do remember watching Empire on the telly when it was first shown over here. The thing that made the most impression on me was the carbonite freezing - scared the hell out of me. But as for the "I'm your father!" bit, I draw blank.
Yeah, if I didn't see it in the theatre, I probably saw it on TV. This was right before VCRs became a huge thing, so I probably didn't watch it on VHS prior to 1983.
Ah, the "movie of the week". That used to be a big thing. In those days it probably would have been on CBC, which had a Sunday night movie.
Same here, compounded by the fact that there were only two TV channels in Spain throughout the 1980s.
When the Catalan TV showed the trilogy on consecutive nights in 1990 it was a huge event. That's actually when me and my brother became huge fans.
Disney should just get Denis Villeneuve, Guillermo del Toro, Quentin Tarantino, Paul Thomas Anderson, and Terence Malick to direct the next few Star War movies and give them license to do what they want. Forget the trilogy mindset and just go for broke on different visions of the Star Wars universe.
The Mandalorian episode 7: :cry:
What does "fanservice" mean?
Quote from: Berkut on December 18, 2019, 10:24:24 PM
What does "fanservice" mean?
It comes from anime. In that context it means adolescent T&A.
Quote from: Berkut on December 18, 2019, 10:24:24 PM
What does "fanservice" mean?
"Fan service, fanservice, or service cut is material in a work of fiction or in a fictional series which is intentionally added to please the audience. The term originated in Japanese in the anime and manga fandom, but has been used in other languages and media."
I am still not sure what that means. Surely everything in a pop film is added to please the audience?
Quote from: Berkut on December 18, 2019, 11:43:46 PM
I am still not sure what that means. Surely everything in a pop film is added to please the audience?
It is stuff put in there for nostalgia and make longterm fans happy, rather than serve a wider audience or make a good story. That is what it means in this particular context anyway.
OK. Just not sure what I am supposed to take away from that. Long term fans of Star Wars? Isn't that everyone who goes to see Star Wars? Are there people who just show up and this is the first SW film they have seen?
Should I be upset or happy that there is "fanservice" stuff?
You know what it means dude. Why are you playing dumb. Example of fan service:
(https://d13ezvd6yrslxm.cloudfront.net/wp/wp-content/images/rogue-one-cameo.jpg)
These guys showed up in Rogue One. They were in A New Hope back in 77, in the cantina. It's a 2 seconds scene in Rogue One. It serves absolutely no purpose. It's fan service.
Get it now? :rolleyes:
Quote from: Zoupa on December 19, 2019, 02:39:33 AM
You know what it means dude. Why are you playing dumb. Example of fan service:
(https://d13ezvd6yrslxm.cloudfront.net/wp/wp-content/images/rogue-one-cameo.jpg)
These guys showed up in Rogue One. They were in A New Hope back in 77, in the cantina. It's a 2 seconds scene in Rogue One. It serves absolutely no purpose. It's fan service.
Get it now? :rolleyes:
Fan service is referencing stuff from a previous movie? OK.
Is this bad or good?
And I am not playing dumb! I am really just this dumb. Apparently.
This isn't exactly a new phenomenon - e.g., Balzac created his own "world" in the early and mid 19th century, with major characters in prior novels cropping up with cameos in later ones. Makes sense to recycle familiar and popular characters to orient loyal readers and yes perhaps even *gasp* please them.
Quote from: Berkut on December 19, 2019, 12:36:51 AM
OK. Just not sure what I am supposed to take away from that. Long term fans of Star Wars? Isn't that everyone who goes to see Star Wars? Are there people who just show up and this is the first SW film they have seen?
Should I be upset or happy that there is "fanservice" stuff?
If you want others to respond to the use of fanservice in a review that angried up your blood, it would help to see that review.
Quote from: The Minsky Moment on December 19, 2019, 03:52:05 AM
This isn't exactly a new phenomenon - e.g., Balzac created his own "world" in the early and mid 19th century, with major characters in prior novels cropping up with cameos in later ones. Makes sense to recycle familiar and popular characters to orient loyal readers and yes perhaps even *gasp* please them.
Goes even further back than that. For example Hercules' inclusion as part of the Argonauts is essentially fanservice. Lots of examples of popular mythological heroes appearing in very minor roles in other myths, to get a pop from the live audiences.
Personally fanservice doesn't bother me if the story has legs on its own.
Fan service (IMHO) is gratuitous inclusion of something fans will recognize (or something that they particularly love) for no discernible plot reason than give them a "Yay! The thing I like!" moment. I don't think it's inherently good or bad. In Star Wars, the most overt instance of it, IMO, is adding Boba Fett to the Jabba scene in the A New Hope Special Edition.
Regarding Rise of Skywalker. I think it's ok? It has great visuals, and the action sequences are good. But it just feels overly hectic, there's hardly any moment to catch your breath. Like a child making up a story on the fly: "And then ..., and then ..., and then ... , and then ...
And the plot ... I tend to not be overly critical of Star Wars plots, but I thought, overall, it was a letdown for me.
[spoiler]So Palpatine's alive? Ok, I can roll with that, if you explain why. Rey is a Palpatine? His granddaughter?? What??? And then she instead of Bend destroys Palpie ... speaking of ...
Rey: "I kill you! No, I heal you!"
Ben: "Thanks Mom/Dad for opening my eyes."
Leia: *dies*
And then he dies resurrecting her?
And Anakin going, "Yo, Rey, kill Palpatine, like I did." (because apparently my weakling grandson can't be counted on for that)
And I dislike how Kylo/Ben is basically cast out of the Force family. "No force ghost advice for you, young man! Now go to your room!"
I'm particularly disappointed in Palpatine's "plan". The canon books etc. hint at this grand masterplan that he has if/when he's taken down with all kinds of machinations set in motion. However, it apparently amounted to, "I'm gonna chill for x years and use a clone puppet to rebuild my Empire and wait for a new host/whatever to take my place properly." Err .... ok.
Maybe it makes more sense on repeated viewings, but I found it very unsatisfying. I didn't have much in terms of theories of how Palpatine would return, but I always thought that Rey being a Palpatine was one of the stupider theories out there.
Also, the plot felt a bit video gamey. We need to get the thing, but to get the Thing, we need the Other Thing, but we need to decipher the Other Thing, and now we destroyed the Thing, but thank God I have a copy of it. Ugh. And the end scene on Tatooine .... crikey. I cringed.
Overall, the trilogy feels like a badly written fan fiction epilogue. And I hate to agree with reviewers, but it basically repeats the end of ROTJ unnecessarily.[/spoiler]
Say what you will about Last Jedi, but at least it tried to go in new directions, whereas TROS feels like "let's tick the boxes we have to" and get this over with.
I don't think it's bad that you can tell they made the story up as they go and didn't have a grand masterplan for the overall story. Not necessarily bad, the original trilogy did the same. But while The Force Awakens retread a lot of familiar ground, it had - IMHO - heart and some passion in it, and asked some intriguing questions. Last Jedi pushed forward and tried to break the familiar mold, and succeeded in some ways, and failed in others. And Rise of Skywalker now returns to playing it safe, not challenging the familiar patterns.
Maybe it's emblematic, but I feel the best of Star Wars in the last years has been on the small screen, not the big one. Clone Wars and Rebels had some exceptional storytelling (and also low points, as all series do, especially in early seasons), and Mandalorian continues to convince. Looking forward to the season conclusion on that one.
I like your last paragraph. I would add Rogue One, as exceptional, in there too.
Quote from: 11B4V on December 19, 2019, 09:43:24 AM
I like your last paragraph. I would add Rogue One, as exceptional, in there too.
I agree. I guess part of it is that I always was curious about the Star Wars universe as a setting. "What else is happening out there?" It's why I generally didn't like the Expanded Universe's "continuation" stories, where the timeline is extended in the future and the Big Heroes (i.e. Luke, Han, Leia, Chewie) faced the warlord of the week (one of the reasons I liked the "clean slate" approach of the Contingency explained in the books/comics).
I preferred new characters and aspects, like the short story collections about the background characters in the Cantina and Jabba's Palace. Clone Wars has a lot of that, and so do Rebels, Rogue One, and Mandalorian.
And while they introduce cool and sympathetic new characters in Ep. VII - IX they seem to sag under the weight of the history of I - VI. It just feels, in sum total, off. They were off to a good start, but I feel they didn't give much room to the characters to grow and develop. In the original trilogy, Empire did a lot of that where we really get to know the characters after their introduction in A New Hope, and that gives a lot of weight to the events in ROTJ. I feel the sequel trilogy is lacking that.
Quote from: Syt on December 19, 2019, 04:37:24 AM
Maybe it's emblematic, but I feel the best of Star Wars in the last years has been on the small screen, not the big one.
I feel this has been true across the board, not just with Star Wars. Movies on the big screen are falling behind in general versus TV because they need to play it safe to be profitable.
Yeah, I mean to say storytelling in general, TV vs movies.
Quote from: Syt on December 19, 2019, 10:16:58 AM
Yeah, I mean to say storytelling in general, TV vs movies.
I agree with you. I think it's because the Original trilogy fan base is just always so vehemently unreasonable they have no freedom. While the younger TV based fan base is much more open. This is why I am glad & excited that the Skywalker saga is finally over.
Quote from: Berkut on December 19, 2019, 02:58:23 AM
Fan service is referencing stuff from a previous movie? OK.
Is this bad or good?
it is neutral.
In Rogue One, it was good, a nice cameo.
But if you keep doing it over&over&over, it becomes bad.
Anyway, let's talk about the Star Wars story that actually has a chance at a satisfying ending: Mandalorian!
Damn, I'm amazed at how much they manage to cram in these sub-40 episodes. Gotta say that this episode felt a bit too rushed, and a lot of the plotting is downright nonsensical once you give it a little thought ([spoiler]so a bunch of bounty hunters embark on a dangerous mission, and nobody carries a medpac?[/spoiler]), but can't wait for the finale.
[spoiler]They killed Werner Herzog :([/spoiler]
[spoiler]
Baby Yoda manages to stay cute even when falling into the Dark Side.[/spoiler]
[spoiler]Black actors with collected voices make for great Star Wars villains[/spoiler]
Yes, excellent episode. Though I thought that [spoiler]Giancarlo Esposito was channeling Gus Fring hard, at least on first impression[/spoiler].
Also, I will always love Werner Herzog's performance in this show. He's so wonderfully super-serious and intense. :lol:
[spoiler]Also, I admit I squeed when I saw the Stormtrooper transport (it was originally a Kenner toy, later put into canon in Star Wars Rebels; this is its first live action appearance .... THIS is fanservice.[/spoiler] ;)
[spoiler]I liked the IG-11 montage, and I gasped at Yoda force choking Cara.
Also, it seems Yod-ling is a litmus test for whether or not you're a good guy. The good guys fawn over him, and the bad guys, well, don't[/spoiler]
Really looking forward to the conclusion next week (such a long wait).
It's a bit weird, but I normally don't have strong reactions when watching a movie or show, but with Mandalorian I find myself reacting quite strongly, cheering, laughing, gasping, etc. I guess it hits the "sweet spot" in my brain. :D
Quote from: Syt on December 20, 2019, 04:11:14 AM
Also, I will always love Werner Herzog's performance in this show. He's so wonderfully super-serious and intense. :lol:
That's essentially his regular self :D
Even when he's like, laid-back and telling anecdotes of his films they're all like "AND KLAUS KINSKI SHOT AT THE EXTRAS SO I CONFISCATED IS RIFLE AND THREATENED TO SHOT HIM!". Man's a legend.
Apparently Herzog called Favreau and Filoni cowards when he was told that the Baby Yoda puppet used during shooting (which he said was "heartbreakingly beautiful") might not be the one shown in the show and could be replaced by CGI if it was not convincing enough. :lol:
Quote from: The Larch on December 20, 2019, 05:27:24 AM
Apparently Herzog called Favreau and Filoni cowards when he was told that the Baby Yoda puppet used during shooting (which he said was "heartbreakingly beautiful") might not be the one shown in the show and could be replaced by CGI if it was not convincing enough. :lol:
:thumbsup:
Kinski would have done worse though. :P
They have an interesting set of directors on this show, anyways. Deborah Chow is apparently going to be on the Kenobi series. Favreau and Filoni come with a decent amount of nerd cred. Rick Famuyiwa has done some decent character work. And the final episode is directed by Taika Waititi, so all bets are off on what that's gonna be like. :D
And the soundtrack is great. The main theme is probably the first piece of Star Wars music since Episode III (the Anakin/Obi-Wan fight) that I find myself humming/whistling randomly.
Quote from: Syt on December 20, 2019, 05:44:39 AM
They have an interesting set of directors on this show, anyways. Deborah Chow is apparently going to be on the Kenobi series. Favreau and Filoni come with a decent amount of nerd cred. Rick Famuyiwa has done some decent character work. And the final episode is directed by Taika Waititi, so all bets are off on what that's gonna be like. :D
And the soundtrack is great. The main theme is probably the first piece of Star Wars music since Episode III (the Anakin/Obi-Wan fight) that I find myself humming/whistling randomly.
And one of the episodes was directed by Bryce Dallas Howard, Ron Howard's daughter, who also has plenty of nerd cred under her belt besides being her father's daughter.
Quote from: Syt on December 20, 2019, 05:44:39 AM
And the soundtrack is great. The main theme is probably the first piece of Star Wars music since Episode III (the Anakin/Obi-Wan fight) that I find myself humming/whistling randomly.
Oh yeah, I found myself humming the end theme the other day and couldn't quite place it where it was from, until I watched this week's episode.
Incidentally, this show is the first time in Star Wars canon I remember body armor actually being defensively useful and not just there to make characters look cool (which it does) - [spoiler]Mando's beskar armor has already blocked several blaster hits[/spoiler]. Now cue Syt saying how we already saw that in Clone Wars season 7 ep 93.
Quote from: celedhring on December 20, 2019, 06:10:56 AM
Incidentally, this show is the first time in Star Wars canon I remember body armor actually being defensively useful and not just there to make characters look cool (which it does) - [spoiler]Mando's beskar armor has already blocked several blaster hits[/spoiler]. Now cue Syt saying how we already saw that in Clone Wars season 7 ep 93.
We already saw that in Episode VIII [spoiler]with Captain Phasma and her chromium armor.[/spoiler] :P
Saw a speculation that [spoiler]Mando will remove the helmet ... to shield Baby Yoda (because blaster proof)[/spoiler].
Quote from: celedhring on December 20, 2019, 06:03:32 AM
Quote from: Syt on December 20, 2019, 05:44:39 AM
And the soundtrack is great. The main theme is probably the first piece of Star Wars music since Episode III (the Anakin/Obi-Wan fight) that I find myself humming/whistling randomly.
Oh yeah, I found myself humming the end theme the other day and couldn't quite place it where it was from, until I watched this week's episode.
The composer (who is Swedish) is the same one from Community, apparently. He's also the producer for Childish Gambino, Daniel Glover's hip hop moniker.
Quote from: Syt on December 20, 2019, 06:28:40 AM
Quote from: celedhring on December 20, 2019, 06:10:56 AM
Incidentally, this show is the first time in Star Wars canon I remember body armor actually being defensively useful and not just there to make characters look cool (which it does) - [spoiler]Mando's beskar armor has already blocked several blaster hits[/spoiler]. Now cue Syt saying how we already saw that in Clone Wars season 7 ep 93.
We already saw that in Episode VIII [spoiler]with Captain Phasma and her chromium armor.[/spoiler] :P
Saw a speculation that [spoiler]Mando will remove the helmet ... to shield Baby Yoda (because blaster proof)[/spoiler].
I'll excuse myself by the fact that I've watched Ep. VIII just twice and the Phasma scenes are among the most forgettable of the lot. :P
Quote from: Syt on December 20, 2019, 06:28:40 AM
Quote from: celedhring on December 20, 2019, 06:10:56 AM
Incidentally, this show is the first time in Star Wars canon I remember body armor actually being defensively useful and not just there to make characters look cool (which it does) - [spoiler]Mando's beskar armor has already blocked several blaster hits[/spoiler]. Now cue Syt saying how we already saw that in Clone Wars season 7 ep 93.
We already saw that in Episode VIII [spoiler]with Captain Phasma and her chromium armor.[/spoiler] :P
Saw a speculation that [spoiler]Mando will remove the helmet ... to shield Baby Yoda (because blaster proof)[/spoiler].
Getting into speculative territory, I was told yesterday that one of the reasons for episode 7 to be pushed forward and be shown before Episode IX was because [spoiler]they wanted to show Baby Yoda using the Force for healing, when he prevents Carl Weathers' character from dying from the poison, as it is speculated that in Episode IX they'll show a similar healing done through the Force and wanted the precedent to be there ahead of the film[/spoiler].
Quote from: The Larch on December 20, 2019, 06:35:25 AM
Quote from: Syt on December 20, 2019, 06:28:40 AM
Quote from: celedhring on December 20, 2019, 06:10:56 AM
Incidentally, this show is the first time in Star Wars canon I remember body armor actually being defensively useful and not just there to make characters look cool (which it does) - [spoiler]Mando's beskar armor has already blocked several blaster hits[/spoiler]. Now cue Syt saying how we already saw that in Clone Wars season 7 ep 93.
We already saw that in Episode VIII [spoiler]with Captain Phasma and her chromium armor.[/spoiler] :P
Saw a speculation that [spoiler]Mando will remove the helmet ... to shield Baby Yoda (because blaster proof)[/spoiler].
Getting into speculative territory, I was told yesterday that one of the reasons for episode 7 to be pushed forward and be shown before Episode IX was because [spoiler]they wanted to show Baby Yoda using the Force for healing, when he prevents Carl Weathers' character from dying from the poison, as it is speculated that in Episode IX they'll show a similar healing done through the Force and wanted the precedent to be there ahead of the film[/spoiler].
That's pretty much exactly what happened.
Quote from: The Larch on December 20, 2019, 06:35:25 AM
Getting into speculative territory, I was told yesterday that one of the reasons for episode 7 to be pushed forward and be shown before Episode IX was because [spoiler]they wanted to show Baby Yoda using the Force for healing, when he prevents Carl Weathers' character from dying from the poison, as it is speculated that in Episode IX they'll show a similar healing done through the Force and wanted the precedent to be there ahead of the film[/spoiler].
Pretty sure that's a reason for it. [spoiler]It's funny seeing Force abilities from the old EU coming back. Similar to the ability that Quinlan Vos had of having visions of an object's past, kind of like Rey did in Ep. VII with Luke's lightsaber.[/spoiler]
You guys are cute, thinking they care about such stuff.
Quote from: The Larch on December 20, 2019, 05:49:25 AM
And one of the episodes was directed by Bryce Dallas Howard, Ron Howard's daughter, who also has plenty of nerd cred under her belt besides being her father's daughter.
Yes, ever since she ran in front of a T-Rex in high heels, her popularity rating jumped sky high for nerds :D
Quote from: Tamas on December 20, 2019, 07:39:54 AM
You guys are cute, thinking they care about such stuff.
Don't ruin our fun! :P
Quote from: Syt on December 19, 2019, 10:12:01 AM
Quote from: 11B4V on December 19, 2019, 09:43:24 AM
I like your last paragraph. I would add Rogue One, as exceptional, in there too.
I agree. I guess part of it is that I always was curious about the Star Wars universe as a setting. "What else is happening out there?" It's why I generally didn't like the Expanded Universe's "continuation" stories, where the timeline is extended in the future and the Big Heroes (i.e. Luke, Han, Leia, Chewie) faced the warlord of the week (one of the reasons I liked the "clean slate" approach of the Contingency explained in the books/comics).
I preferred new characters and aspects, like the short story collections about the background characters in the Cantina and Jabba's Palace. Clone Wars has a lot of that, and so do Rebels, Rogue One, and Mandalorian.
And while they introduce cool and sympathetic new characters in Ep. VII - IX they seem to sag under the weight of the history of I - VI. It just feels, in sum total, off. They were off to a good start, but I feel they didn't give much room to the characters to grow and develop. In the original trilogy, Empire did a lot of that where we really get to know the characters after their introduction in A New Hope, and that gives a lot of weight to the events in ROTJ. I feel the sequel trilogy is lacking that.
I prefered stories that dealt with the Skywalkers/Solo, rather than other characters, most of the time.
And those with Jaina & Jacen Solo, as well as the death of the other kid. Can't forgive them for killing Chewie, but for the rest, I liked it.
And that's what I like about Star Wars: Its setting is big enough and spans such a long time period that it has something for everyone. :)
I need more Baby Yoda in my life. :blush:
Quote from: FunkMonk on December 20, 2019, 01:17:17 PM
I need more Baby Yoda in my life. :blush:
Hamilton / Baby Yoda crossover!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7EyOy0-Of0 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7EyOy0-Of0)
What's this nonsense about Jabba the Hutt being in Episode IV? :wacko:
Quote from: FunkMonk on December 20, 2019, 01:17:17 PM
I need more Baby Yoda in my life. :blush:
I might be a heretic, or just a scrooge, but Baby Yoda does not impress me. :sleep:
ok there Shania
i'll probably watch the new movie and dislike it like all the other new trilogy films, but still gotta do it.
I'd like to see you move objects with your mind. :yeahright:
Well, that sucked.
Decent Dark Horse-ish climax, but overall it just feels they were improvising. Some of the plot points are pretty silly. It feels this trilogy either never had a plan, or had a different one every movie.
There's this moment where Rey wonders [spoiler]why Leia trained her despite knowing she was a Palpatine[/spoiler] and I almost screamed "because they just made this shit up!"
Quote from: Tonitrus on December 20, 2019, 04:36:57 PM
Quote from: FunkMonk on December 20, 2019, 01:17:17 PM
I need more Baby Yoda in my life. :blush:
I might be a heretic, or just a scrooge, but Baby Yoda does not impress me. :sleep:
A brilliant marketing ploy.
If there's one thing Disney knows how to do it's create adorable fictional creatures.
Anyway, I'm rewatching The Phantom Menace for the first time in maybe 10 years and, uh, I kinda like it a whole lot better than the new trilogy. Maybe it's the general shittiness of the Disney trilogy in comparison.
Who knew the Mouse could so successfully rehabilitate an aging, past it genius?
https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2019/11/the-mandalorian-star-wars-baby-yoda
Quote[...]
Allow Deborah Chow, the director of episode three of the series, to explain what she witnessed:
"I had a day with one of the weirdest moments I've ever had directing," she told Vanity Fair. "I was directing Werner with the puppet, and Werner had just fallen in love with the baby. Werner, I think, had forgotten it wasn't actually a live creature, and started sort of...directing the baby."
It's as charming, but no less surreal. "Werner is talking to the baby as if it was a real thing. And I'm trying to direct Werner," Chow said. "And I'm just like, How did I get here? How did my life end up like this?"
[...]
:lol:
Quote from: FunkMonk on December 20, 2019, 07:35:32 PM
If there's one thing Disney knows how to do it's create adorable fictional creatures.
Anyway, I'm rewatching The Phantom Menace for the first time in maybe 10 years and, uh, I kinda like it a whole lot better than the new trilogy. Maybe it's the general shittiness of the Disney trilogy in comparison.
Who knew the Mouse could so successfully rehabilitate an aging, past it genius?
Let us not exaggerate, shall we? Jar Jar Binks, midichloridians i.e the rape of childhood can only happen once (all right maybe twice with the Last Indy movie).
The lack of direction or vision in the new trilogy, specially the last movie is jarring though.
Quote from: Syt on December 21, 2019, 02:45:47 AM
https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2019/11/the-mandalorian-star-wars-baby-yoda
Quote[...]
Allow Deborah Chow, the director of episode three of the series, to explain what she witnessed:
"I had a day with one of the weirdest moments I've ever had directing," she told Vanity Fair. "I was directing Werner with the puppet, and Werner had just fallen in love with the baby. Werner, I think, had forgotten it wasn't actually a live creature, and started sort of...directing the baby."
It's as charming, but no less surreal. "Werner is talking to the baby as if it was a real thing. And I'm trying to direct Werner," Chow said. "And I'm just like, How did I get here? How did my life end up like this?"
[...]
:lol:
It's all both hillarious and lovely. :lol:
Quote from: Duque de Bragança on December 21, 2019, 05:21:28 AM
Quote from: FunkMonk on December 20, 2019, 07:35:32 PM
If there's one thing Disney knows how to do it's create adorable fictional creatures.
Anyway, I'm rewatching The Phantom Menace for the first time in maybe 10 years and, uh, I kinda like it a whole lot better than the new trilogy. Maybe it's the general shittiness of the Disney trilogy in comparison.
Who knew the Mouse could so successfully rehabilitate an aging, past it genius?
Let us no exaggerate, shall we? Jar Jar Binks, midichloridians i.e the rape of childhood can only happen once (all right maybe twice with the Last Indy movie).
The lack of direction or vision in the new trilogy, specially the last movie is jarring though.
Oh, they're definitely bad movies. Bad ideas that no one told Lucas were shit, like midichlorians ( :lol: ), bad acting, convoluted plots, etc etc, the Prequels faults have been told to death.
But at least Lucas had a vision and stuck to it. Those movies complement each other more than the sequels do. On the scale of bad movies, I'm starting to prefer the prequels to the Disneys.
I see we're you're coming from but the prequels are just too incompetent. At least with the current ones I can switch off and be decently entertained. Sometimes.
Plus, there's Rogue One.
Quote from: Solmyr on December 20, 2019, 06:49:59 AM
Quote from: The Larch on December 20, 2019, 06:35:25 AM
Quote from: Syt on December 20, 2019, 06:28:40 AM
Quote from: celedhring on December 20, 2019, 06:10:56 AM
Incidentally, this show is the first time in Star Wars canon I remember body armor actually being defensively useful and not just there to make characters look cool (which it does) - [spoiler]Mando's beskar armor has already blocked several blaster hits[/spoiler]. Now cue Syt saying how we already saw that in Clone Wars season 7 ep 93.
We already saw that in Episode VIII [spoiler]with Captain Phasma and her chromium armor.[/spoiler] :P
Saw a speculation that [spoiler]Mando will remove the helmet ... to shield Baby Yoda (because blaster proof)[/spoiler].
Getting into speculative territory, I was told yesterday that one of the reasons for episode 7 to be pushed forward and be shown before Episode IX was because [spoiler]they wanted to show Baby Yoda using the Force for healing, when he prevents Carl Weathers' character from dying from the poison, as it is speculated that in Episode IX they'll show a similar healing done through the Force and wanted the precedent to be there ahead of the film[/spoiler].
That's pretty much exactly what happened.
You know, if they were worried about introducing new never-seen force powers, I'd rather they looked at [spoiler]that weird Ben/Rey space-bending malarkey.[/spoiler]
My standard reaction to Abrams movies is:
Right after - That was fun, but...
An hour later - That was dumb.
I probably won't see it in the theater unless my relatives want to go over Christmas.
(https://i.redd.it/akypn9t6p1641.jpg)
:lol:
I want my $13 back. This movie is bad.
Quote from: katmai on December 24, 2019, 05:15:08 AM
I want my $13 back. This movie is bad.
should have watched cats instead :P
Quote from: katmai on December 24, 2019, 05:15:08 AM
I want my $13 back. This movie is bad.
:hug:
My brother's review was tepid, which means it's horrible, since he is a Star Wars fanboi.
the way the Force is somehow used now is really dumb.
The first hour of the movie is totally incoherent, no way to catch your breath.
Too much stuff that was done before. Like fans are unable to appreciate new stuff. We just want good stuff. Mandalorian = new and good. Not that hard.
Also, rewatched the beginning of the 2nd one. That's so stupid...
I thought the latest film was pretty good. :sleep:
Quote from: Tonitrus on December 26, 2019, 01:19:28 PM
I thought the latest film was pretty good. :sleep:
Ewok fan? :hmm: :D
I measured about 2-5 seconds worth of Ewoks.
Quote from: Syt on December 19, 2019, 04:37:24 AM
Regarding Rise of Skywalker. I think it's ok? It has great visuals, and the action sequences are good. But it just feels overly hectic, there's hardly any moment to catch your breath. Like a child making up a story on the fly: "And then ..., and then ..., and then ... , and then ...
And the plot ... I tend to not be overly critical of Star Wars plots, but I thought, overall, it was a letdown for me.
[...]
Say what you will about Last Jedi, but at least it tried to go in new directions, whereas TROS feels like "let's tick the boxes we have to" and get this over with.
I don't think it's bad that you can tell they made the story up as they go and didn't have a grand masterplan for the overall story. Not necessarily bad, the original trilogy did the same. But while The Force Awakens retread a lot of familiar ground, it had - IMHO - heart and some passion in it, and asked some intriguing questions. Last Jedi pushed forward and tried to break the familiar mold, and succeeded in some ways, and failed in others. And Rise of Skywalker now returns to playing it safe, not challenging the familiar patterns.
Maybe it's emblematic, but I feel the best of Star Wars in the last years has been on the small screen, not the big one. Clone Wars and Rebels had some exceptional storytelling (and also low points, as all series do, especially in early seasons), and Mandalorian continues to convince. Looking forward to the season conclusion on that one.
Yeah totally agree. I liked Last Jedi but wasn't wildly overexcited about it and found the whole discourse around it a little exhausting. But now I'm really annoyed that they basically just undid lots of the stuff it was doing and the directions that could have gone for what felt like an overly nostalgic rush of things that have been done. There's a difference between working with your source and just imitating it. Also I went today - cinema full of kids - and it was tonally weird because a lot of the jokes just didn't land for some reason. The last two films have had multiple scenes where the whole cinema laughs, this time there was one joke.
What it reminded me of is that scene in Alan Partridge where he's asked his favourite Beatles album: "Tough one! I think I'd have to say The Best of the Beatles". It felt like a film version of that.
Also I'm not convinced by the action scenes and - again I look back at the Last Jedi - and I think the Rey and Ken on Snoke's ship is one of the best action sequences I've seen in ages and I also really enjoyed the bombing sequence. The actions scenes here just didn't seem as clear.
Similarly I think Richard E Grant was criminally under-used and had real Peter Cushing potential.
It's weird given that I think Marvel has actually managed this a lot better and there were maybe lessons to learn from that wing of the Disney MegaCorp.
It was particularly telling given that there was a trailer for the new Ghostbusters film which I felt similarly about. The reboot I thought was okay good fun and reasonably enjoyable (though I'd make a few changes), but then the crazy internet reaction and it's being ignored in favour of what looks like another very nostalgic, Stranger Things infused reboot.
Edit: One other point - Adam Driver really is terrific.
Quote from: katmai on December 24, 2019, 05:15:08 AM
I want my $13 back. This movie is bad.
I've seen it now. I agree.
What does Mandalorian mean? Is he from Mandalore?
Mandalorian is a culture. So not necessarily from mandalore. A warrior culture. So like think Spartans I guess. They used to be a race long ago, but not anymore. ,
Quote from: Tonitrus on December 26, 2019, 01:19:28 PM
I thought the latest film was pretty good. :sleep:
you like Meri are dead to me.
Quote from: HVC on December 26, 2019, 07:23:45 PM
Mandalorian is a culture. So not necessarily from mandalore. A warrior culture. So like think Spartans I guess. They used to be a race long ago, but not anymore. ,
Why the curt sentences? So short and abrupt. Maybe very busy with work? Or possibly mind is controlled by alien invaders.
Quote from: Admiral Yi on December 26, 2019, 07:55:37 PM
Quote from: HVC on December 26, 2019, 07:23:45 PM
Mandalorian is a culture. So not necessarily from mandalore. A warrior culture. So like think Spartans I guess. They used to be a race long ago, but not anymore. ,
Why the curt sentences? So short and abrupt. Maybe very busy with work? Or possibly mind is controlled by alien invaders.
:Embarrass: :D
Quote from: HVC on December 26, 2019, 07:23:45 PM
Mandalorian is a culture. So not necessarily from mandalore. A warrior culture. So like think Spartans I guess. They used to be a race long ago, but not anymore. ,
So....like the Sith?
When they like an idea they really do run with it :mellow:
Quote from: Admiral Yi on December 26, 2019, 07:55:37 PM
Quote from: HVC on December 26, 2019, 07:23:45 PM
Mandalorian is a culture. So not necessarily from mandalore. A warrior culture. So like think Spartans I guess. They used to be a race long ago, but not anymore. ,
Why the curt sentences? So short and abrupt. Maybe very busy with work? Or possibly mind is controlled by alien invaders.
His captors are treating him well.
The Mandalorians feature heavily in the two Knights of the Old Republic. I am not surprised a rare not-shitty Star Wars thing uses that material.
Still probably not bothering to see it though...we'll see.
Mandalorian finale was quite awesome. Loved all the callbacks to shit ranging from E-Web repeater guns to [spoiler]the Darksaber[/spoiler]. At least there's still good, fun, Star Wars being made.
I'm not very familiar with the state of Star Wars canon, but I hope the reference about Mandalorians battling Jedi in the past means that the Mandalorian Wars from KOTOR are canon-ish. I recall Darth Revan being cut from an episode of Clone Wars.
So Rise of Skywalker was not as bad as I thought it would be, but I didn't really feel anything watching it. Was very by-the-numbers, written by committee.
I'm looking forward to hearing what my mega fanboi bartender at the Reagle Beagle is has to say.
Haven't seen Episode 9. Soon.
Watched Mandalorian Episode 8 with my boys tonight. Afterwards they said "that was awesome!".
I agree.
I have spoken.
Very good season finale for Mandalorian.
Top :nerd: moments:
[spoiler]Hearing the E-Web being called an E-Web. It's one thing to know that e.g. the Falcon is a YT-1300, or that Han Solo uses a modified DL-44 blaster; it's something else to have them referenced as such in dialogue which rarely happens outside of novels, games, or comics.
The fricking Darksaber. Makes a lot of sense, but didn't expect to see it in the show at this point. Background: the Darksaber was a blade by the first Mandalorian Jedi over 1000 years ago. It was in the Jedi Temple for safekeeping but "liberated" by Mandalorians and was handed down as a relic. It was later used by Pre Vizsla, the leader of Death Watch, then Darth Maul who used it in his and his brother's fight with Darth Sidious. During SW Rebels it was picked up from Maul's hideout on Dathomir by Ezra and handed to Sabine who gave it to Bo-Katan Kryze who became the leader of the Mandalorian Uprising (which, presumably led to The Purge - I guess in that aftermath Moff Gideon acquired it, either taking it directly from her, or otherwise). Holding it was sure a sign of leadership among Mandalorians.
Speaking of Death Watch: Din Djarin aka the Mando was rescued by them. In the Clone Wars era they were basically a terrorist group who didn't hold with the new pacifist ideals of Mandalore and Duchess Satine and wanted to return to how Mandalorians used to be. They became more morally grey later. Would make sense if their survivors became a central group in trying to restore the Mandalorians.[/spoiler]
Anyways.
[spoiler]Loved the two Scout Troopers at the start of the episode (except their punching The Baby :mad: ) It reminded me a lot of the oooold Troops fan film. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HO70-Rk3jE
I guess Gideon is going to be Moff Exposition? ;)
IG's sacrifice was kinda telegraphed from Ep. 1, but still very good, and I thought the face reveal was also handled very well.
I was surprised that the Mandalorian Covert was raided like this. I thought after Ep. 3 and revealing themselves they would have just moved. The pile of helmets was sad. But the armorer kicks serious ass. I thought she would be killed, but I like the brutal beatdown better. :D[/spoiler]
I like that Mando is not a flawless action hero. Yes, he's a badass, but he also takes his licks. Pedro Pascal gets a lot of acting and emoting done without showing his face. Props for that. And we now have a meaningful quest excuse to roam random planets with a big bad on the heels. Good setup. I kinda hope we get more episodes next season, though. :D
Quote from: celedhring on December 27, 2019, 12:50:20 PM
I'm not very familiar with the state of Star Wars canon, but I hope the reference about Mandalorians battling Jedi in the past means that the Mandalorian Wars from KOTOR are canon-ish.
In Rebels there's a reference to an unspecified old (like millennia ago) conflict between Jedi and Mandalorians.
Revan has kinda, sorta been backdoored into canon. The visual dictionaries are considered canon. E.g. in the Rogue One or Ep. VII one, don't recall which, they had a star chart that showed "Rakata Prime". These dictionaries are written by Pablo Hidalgo who oversees the overall canon of the franchise. Apparently, in the Ep. IX visual dictionary he names legions of Sith Troopers, mostly calling on Sith Lord names from the old EU: Andeddu, Tanis, Tenebrous, Phobos, Desolous, ... and Revan. The planet Exegol also appears to have a "Sadow Escarpment" (likely referencing Naga Sadow).
[spoiler]Regarding Exegol, I wonder how Palpatine escaped there. He did show interest in the Unknown Regions, sensing a strong Dark Side presence there (as per novels, etc. which were written before the plot for Ep. IX was planned), so the idea makes sense. The question is how. On the one hand, large pieces of the Death Star II are surprisingly intact, so maybe he just climbed out of the wreckage using the Dark Side (btw, why are there no scavengers on Endor like on Jakku? I know the novels say that pieces of the wreckage are used for shipbuilding, but that's closer to the Battle of Endor than the sequel trilogy. A bit weird, that. "Let's just leave this pile of resources rot on the teddybear planet." Personally, I like the idea that Palpatine used the World between Worlds (in which he was interested in SW Rebels) as an escape. Maybe the cultists of Exegol pulled him through? I kinda pity the writers who will have to retcon all this stuff in books and comics. :D[/spoiler]
P.S.: loved someone's comment on Twitter: "Gus Fring has a new box cutter."
Quote from: Syt on December 28, 2019, 06:16:06 AM
Very good season finale for Mandalorian.
Top :nerd: moments:
[spoiler]Hearing the E-Web being called an E-Web. It's one thing to know that e.g. the Falcon is a YT-1300, or that Han Solo uses a modified DL-44 blaster; it's something else to have them referenced as such in dialogue which rarely happens outside of novels, games, or comics.
The fricking Darksaber. Makes a lot of sense, but didn't expect to see it in the show at this point. Background: the Darksaber was a blade by the first Mandalorian Jedi over 1000 years ago. It was in the Jedi Temple for safekeeping but "liberated" by Mandalorians and was handed down as a relic. It was later used by Pre Vizsla, the leader of Death Watch, then Darth Maul who used it in his and his brother's fight with Darth Sidious. During SW Rebels it was picked up from Maul's hideout on Dathomir by Ezra and handed to Sabine who gave it to Bo-Katan Kryze who became the leader of the Mandalorian Uprising (which, presumably led to The Purge - I guess in that aftermath Moff Gideon acquired it, either taking it directly from her, or otherwise). Holding it was sure a sign of leadership among Mandalorians.
Speaking of Death Watch: Din Djarin aka the Mando was rescued by them. In the Clone Wars era they were basically a terrorist group who didn't hold with the new pacifist ideals of Mandalore and Duchess Satine and wanted to return to how Mandalorians used to be. They became more morally grey later. Would make sense if their survivors became a central group in trying to restore the Mandalorians.[/spoiler]
Anyways.
[spoiler]Loved the two Scout Troopers at the start of the episode (except their punching The Baby :mad: ) It reminded me a lot of the oooold Troops fan film. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HO70-Rk3jE
I guess Gideon is going to be Moff Exposition? ;)
IG's sacrifice was kinda telegraphed from Ep. 1, but still very good, and I thought the face reveal was also handled very well.
I was surprised that the Mandalorian Covert was raided like this. I thought after Ep. 3 and revealing themselves they would have just moved. The pile of helmets was sad. But the armorer kicks serious ass. I thought she would be killed, but I like the brutal beatdown better. :D[/spoiler]
I like that Mando is not a flawless action hero. Yes, he's a badass, but he also takes his licks. Pedro Pascal gets a lot of acting and emoting done without showing his face. Props for that. And we now have a meaningful quest excuse to roam random planets with a big bad on the heels. Good setup. I kinda hope we get more episodes next season, though. :D
Yeah, hearing "E-Web repeating blaster" made my 12 year old geek reading Star Wars RPG sourcebooks immediately awake from slumber. :lol:
This show has managed to be super-fun with the right doses of callbacks and nostalgia. Props to them. Give Filoni a movie or three, I say.
My only "but" is that there have been a bit too many instances of the baddies acting really stupid for plot reasons, which I know is common in Star Wars, but it always irks me a little.
For example... [spoiler]how they don't just shoot at IG as soon as he pops out of the cave, giving him ample time to arm the bomb. [/spoiler]
Two other thoughts on the film.
I think the reason I found it tonally weird was that it basically tried to do things you'd do in the second film while having the third film. So there's bickering between Finn and Poe about Poe's background, which felt like something you'd do in a second film before resolving in the third. Instead it was just kind of dropped in with no background and didn't really go anywhere. Similarly I think the Knights of Ren were treated as if they should be this terrifying thing, which is maybe something you'd set up in the second film - instead they were just dropped in and treated as scary but there's no context or reason why they are threatening. They just look a bit weird.
Also I'm adding Hux and Rose to my criminally under-used list, along with Richard E Grant's character.
Yeah, was disappointed by the lack of Hux and Rose.
It feels overall like two movies. There's the hectic action roller coaster in the first half till they get to Endor. Then there's the second half which is better paced and gives the characters some more room. There's some good ideas in there, but the execution is lacking. They should have cut a planet or two at the start IMHO, or the detour to the Star Destroyer, and have some quieter moments in between.
That said, I really liked the design of Exegol (except the "submerged" fleet - WTF?), and would like to learn more about the place.
Quote from: Syt on December 28, 2019, 04:14:01 PM
Yeah, was disappointed by the lack of Hux and Rose.
It feels overall like two movies. There's the hectic action roller coaster in the first half till they get to Endor. Then there's the second half which is better paced and gives the characters some more room. There's some good ideas in there, but the execution is lacking. They should have cut a planet or two at the start IMHO, or the detour to the Star Destroyer, and have some quieter moments in between.
That said, I really liked the design of Exegol (except the "submerged" fleet - WTF?), and would like to learn more about the place.
The scavenger hunt in the first part of the movie is dumb and pointless. I mean, they have to [spoiler]find a map to another map...[/spoiler]
Anyway, the main issue is that there hasn't been a solid plan for this trilogy, so they have been switching gears in the past two movies, and it shows by how much they try to cram into this one, and how forced it all feels.
It fucking sucked brain ass.
So basically it was an assburger shitshow....?
They should have pegged Seedy's favorite sci-fi guy.....Vin Diesel for this trilogy.
1. It is amazing to see how thoroughly you can screw up a cannot miss setup in cinema. It would not have been hard at all to play it safe, fill in the plot points in the frame of a story already pretty much laid out, and deliver a solid B+ that maybe would not be amazing, but would certainly not actually be *bad*. And it's not like it being actually bad (both this arc and the 1-3 arc) is the result of them rejecting the play it safe approach and going for something truly amazing. No, they fucked it up while not even trying to do anything at all exceptional.
2. What is more amazing is that even as bad as it is, it is still financially a complete success, I imagine. That is just kind of depressing.
Quote from: Syt on December 28, 2019, 04:14:01 PM
Yeah, was disappointed by the lack of Hux and Rose.
It feels overall like two movies. There's the hectic action roller coaster in the first half till they get to Endor. Then there's the second half which is better paced and gives the characters some more room. There's some good ideas in there, but the execution is lacking. They should have cut a planet or two at the start IMHO, or the detour to the Star Destroyer, and have some quieter moments in between.
That said, I really liked the design of Exegol (except the "submerged" fleet - WTF?), and would like to learn more about the place.
I actually dug the buried fleet- I saw it as a nice nod to the
Lusankya from the Rogue Squadron books in the '90s. Especially with a "bookend" at the other end of the movie when [spoiler]Wedge is manning one of the Falcon's quad laser turrets during the battle at Exegol[/spoiler]. Those books being almost as integral to keeping Star Wars alive before the '97 re-releases started, I enjoy spotting the rare subtle nods to the series.
Quote from: Syt on December 28, 2019, 04:14:01 PM
That said, I really liked the design of Exegol (except the "submerged" fleet - WTF?), and would like to learn more about the place.
And on the fleet...[spoiler]after the Last Jedi is brave enough to have a Star Wars film where zero plot points (from memory) turn on some form of planet killer we get an entire fleet of them :lol: :bleeding:[/spoiler]
Quote from: Sheilbh on December 28, 2019, 10:54:42 PM
And on the fleet...[spoiler]after the Last Jedi is brave enough to have a Star Wars film where zero plot points (from memory) turn on some form of planet killer we get an entire fleet of them :lol: :bleeding:[/spoiler]
I mean, that [spoiler]would have been a lot "braver" if it hadn't still been an existential threat to the Resistance. It was just that instead of risking a
planet being destroyed, they were risking the last ship with a significant number of Resistance fighters. Same threat, different venue[/spoiler].
To me, The Mandalorian, is narrower more focused. IMO has way more depth. I'll throw Rogue One in there too.
I just don't give a shit about the characters or story in I-III & VII-IX. Seems like they tried to capture the epicness of IV-VI through retreaded story trajectories and special effects.
About that planet in Rise of Skywalker, [spoiler]I've read a theory that Exegol might actually be Zakuul from SWTOR, or at least heavily calls back to it. It's a hidden planet in the Unknown Regions, the Force is very strongly present here, it is the residence of the Sith Emperor and the HQ of a massive fleet much like the Eternal Fleet. Even the names sound somewhat similar.[/spoiler]
I have seen the movie. It is shit. Better than Episode 8 but still shit.
Quote from: Sheilbh on December 28, 2019, 02:35:05 PM
Also I'm adding Hux and Rose to my criminally under-used list, along with Richard E Grant's character.
Haven't watched the film, but the lack of Rose is disappointing. There was a bunch of psycho-fans that were livid about the introduction of the character. Like sending death threats and engaging in harassment of the actress type of livid. Apparently this is in part political as these lunatics keep going on about "Social Justice Warriors" and "Political Correctness". My guess is that cutting Rose had to do with these fuckwits.
Quote from: Razgovory on December 29, 2019, 02:35:49 PM
Quote from: Sheilbh on December 28, 2019, 02:35:05 PM
Also I'm adding Hux and Rose to my criminally under-used list, along with Richard E Grant's character.
Haven't watched the film, but the lack of Rose is disappointing. There was a bunch of psycho-fans that were livid about the introduction of the character. Like sending death threats and engaging in harassment of the actress type of livid. Apparently this is in part political as these lunatics keep going on about "Social Justice Warriors" and "Political Correctness". My guess is that cutting Rose had to do with these fuckwits.
Why do people care so much about star wars, it's just some run of the mill cowboys and Indians* yarns set in a space opera.
* goodies and baddies / white and black hats.
Quote from: mongers on December 29, 2019, 03:05:57 PM
Why do people care so much about star wars
Because it's fun! That some people are dicks has nothing to do with Star Wars.
The first 20 minutes or so were dreadful - Star Wars for the ADHD generation.
The rest of the movie had some interesting moments here and there, but overall there was too much that came out of nowhere and too many characters I couldn't give a shit about. They were also way too many fake deaths. In fact, anything that was interesting was basically just relics from the original trilogy.
Overall, I'm not sure which trilogy is worse, the prequels or this one. In most respects 7-9 are superior, but it just seemed way too over the map, bloated and unfocused, and in that respect at least the prequels have the edge.
Quote from: Camerus on December 29, 2019, 05:32:20 PM
The first 20 minutes or so were dreadful - Star Wars for the ADHD generation.
The rest of the movie had some interesting moments here and there, but overall there was too much that came out of nowhere and too many characters I couldn't give a shit about. They were also way too many fake deaths. In fact, anything that was interesting was basically just relics from the original trilogy.
Overall, I'm not sure which trilogy is worse, the prequels or this one. In most respects 7-9 are superior, but it just seemed way too over the map, bloated and unfocused, and in that respect at least the prequels have the edge.
I 100% agree
Quote from: Razgovory on December 29, 2019, 02:35:49 PM
Quote from: Sheilbh on December 28, 2019, 02:35:05 PM
Also I'm adding Hux and Rose to my criminally under-used list, along with Richard E Grant's character.
Haven't watched the film, but the lack of Rose is disappointing. There was a bunch of psycho-fans that were livid about the introduction of the character. Like sending death threats and engaging in harassment of the actress type of livid. Apparently this is in part political as these lunatics keep going on about "Social Justice Warriors" and "Political Correctness". My guess is that cutting Rose had to do with these fuckwits.
Apparently, it's because they shot her scenes with digital Leia, and digital Leia looked crap, so they cut most of the footage from the movie.
Quote from: Tamas on December 30, 2019, 01:58:36 AM
Quote from: Camerus on December 29, 2019, 05:32:20 PM
The first 20 minutes or so were dreadful - Star Wars for the ADHD generation.
The rest of the movie had some interesting moments here and there, but overall there was too much that came out of nowhere and too many characters I couldn't give a shit about. They were also way too many fake deaths. In fact, anything that was interesting was basically just relics from the original trilogy.
Overall, I'm not sure which trilogy is worse, the prequels or this one. In most respects 7-9 are superior, but it just seemed way too over the map, bloated and unfocused, and in that respect at least the prequels have the edge.
I 100% agree
The dialogue was horrible in the prequels, but at the same time they've given us such memorable lines as "I am the Senate" and "I hate sand" as well as many, many others.
I can't really think of anything memorable from the sequels. Maybe "It's true, all of it."
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EM6UOPBWoAAYR82?format=jpg&name=900x900)
"Keep your politics out of my armed insurrections!" - Chewbacca, probably.
Canon history of the Darksaber: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4s0HPTiqj4M
OK, went and saw it.
Maybe my expectations were low, but it was really not that bad.
Quote from: Berkut on December 31, 2019, 01:02:49 AM
OK, went and saw it.
Maybe my expectations were low, but it was really not that bad.
It's pretty good, but most people on languish seem to wish everyone involved with it a painful death.
Nerds tend to have extreme reactions to all things nerdy, I've found.
Quote from: Berkut on December 31, 2019, 01:02:49 AM
Maybe my expectations were low,
that is what it is :P
Quote from: Caliga on December 31, 2019, 09:34:13 AM
Nerds tend to have extreme reactions to all things nerdy, I've found.
Nah, it's just not a great film.
I think that if you judge the latest trilogy on the Joseph Campbell hero's journey; Kylo Ren, rather than Rey is the hero.
[spoiler]According to Campbell the hero needs to somehow overcome a father figure; Ren manages to overcome five. He kills his father and his master Snope; he leads to the death of Palpatine; tries to kill Luke Skywalker twice, ultimately indirectly causing his death; and he symbolically surpasses Darth Vader by mastering the power Vader could not (saving the woman he loves from death.) He goes to the "Underworld" of Exegol; saves the mother figure (this is made most obvious when Ben puts his hand over Rey's womb rather than heart to restore her to life.) While he does gain magical power ("The power to grant boons" as Campbell puts it) he does not return to the land of the living. So, for that Rey has him beat.
I think Kylo Ren is the most intriguing characters in the Star Wars films; with his obvious internal conflict, his predilection to collect (and kill) father figures and his drive to surpass his grandfather (Rey says that he fears that he'll never be as strong as Darth Vader, and in this film Ren says that he'll complete the work that Darth Vader started.) This turns to be dramatically ironic; as Ren does indeed surpass Darth Vader and completes his work, but not in the way that he intended.
I think his "Epiphany" scene was poorly handled; presumably the writers had something better, but with Carrie Fisher's death had to work with what they had.[/spoiler]
For these reasons I think this trilogy is better than the prequels and, while this movie was deeply flawed, it wasn't bad.
Quote from: Razgovory on December 29, 2019, 02:35:49 PM
Quote from: Sheilbh on December 28, 2019, 02:35:05 PM
Also I'm adding Hux and Rose to my criminally under-used list, along with Richard E Grant's character.
Haven't watched the film, but the lack of Rose is disappointing. There was a bunch of psycho-fans that were livid about the introduction of the character. Like sending death threats and engaging in harassment of the actress type of livid. Apparently this is in part political as these lunatics keep going on about "Social Justice Warriors" and "Political Correctness". My guess is that cutting Rose had to do with these fuckwits.
I think they wanted to please everyone and go back to something solid and safer. Unfortunately some of the TLJ criticism was a bit like the Ghostbusters criticism or, say, Gamergate in that it very quickly zoned in on the women involved. Which is a shame because that was probably awful for them, it wasn't really the issue those critics necessarily had (it was just a reflection of that part of internet outrage culture/their politics/their misogyny) and it meant that when you "fix" the issue it doesn't please anyone.
So I think you're right but it wasn't necessarily conscious on the part of Abrams etc.
I've got an acquaintance who was one of the women journalists targeted in Gamergate and I would love to properly talk to her about it because I think that (and more understanding on sports fandoms) would help me better understand everything going on.
My son came up with the basic idea as we were talking after the show last night, a better ending than what we had. Something with a little more pathos.
Quote[spoiler]A New Ending to the Last Skywalker
Scene starts with the confrontation with Palpatine on Egilil.
Changes: Rey is not alone, Poe and Finn have come with her having come together to help her confront the Emperor.But they were separated early, and are off doing something else for the start of the scene.
Scene unfolds.
Emperor gives his pitch, and Rey resists the desire to kill him.
Disturbance in the back of the room, as Kylo makes his appearance. Some guards attempt to detain him, but he force pushes them away casually. He has no saber with him.
The Emperor says "Ahhh, the boy has returned again. I was expecting you. Are you here to help your friend, your lover? Will you rule with her?"
Kylo/Ben replies "I am here for you old man, and attempts to force push the Emperor.
Emperor laughs, and casually waves away his attack, and blasts Ben with some force lightning, forcing him to his knees.
Emperor returns to Rey, and says "You will destroy me, you will fulfill your destiny to bring about the rule of the Sith!"
Rey responds "I will NEVER be your Sith, I will never be who you imagine me to be - grandfather! But I will destroy you because the Sith must be destroyed, but it will be for love, not hate! I am Jedi!"
She whips out her saber, and uses it to interrupt the force lightning forcing Ben to his knees. Ben rises, and she reaches behind her, and throws him his mothers saber. They both stand with sabers raised, ready to attack the Emperor. Ready to destroy him together, not from hate, but from compassion.
This will represent the triumph of the Jedi over the Sith.
The emporer laughs. "You fool, you think you together can overcome ME? You can never destroy me, I am the Sith, I am ALL the Sith!" He raises his arms and you can see the tangible power he draws to himself from all the 'ghost Sith' in the surrounding stands.
Rey and Ben attack, and big ass battle ensues. They work together as a team, using the bond that they have developed. But still the Emperor is too strong, with the power he can pull from the ghost Sith, and he begins to overwhelm them.
Emperor cackles "Now you see the power of the Dark Side. You cannot defeat it, you cannot resist it, you cannot do anything but succumb to it, you fools! You are alone, and will die alone, like your friends." This was his plan all along - to lure the children of Skywalker and Palpatine to him, so he could destroy
them and use their deaths to bring himself back to full life.
Poe and Finn burst into the scene. Fin yells, "They are not alone so long as I am alive" and now it is four against one. Finn is desperately trying to hit the emperor with a melee weapon he grabbed from one of the Sith dudes. Poe is blasting away with his blaster.
The Emperor is momentarily pushed back, and has to go defensive, and the four of them work together to bring him down. He in turn is forced back, down, and appears to be on the verge of destruction. But Finn gets to close, and in a moment the Emperor has his hands against his throat. He raises Finn up in the air, and forcelightning
burns through him. The emperor casually throws his apparently lifeless body aside.
Poe starts shooting at the Emperor blindly, and the Emperor glances at him and says "You fool" and deflects the blaster bolts, one of which hits Ben, knocking him down. He then force imprisons Poe, raising him off the ground in a prison of force lightning. Poe screams in agony.
Finn is dead. Poe is in chains. Ben is down and hurt.
Rey breaks. The death of Finn and the torture of Poe and the forced subjugation of Ben is too much, and she attacks the Emperor. Her hate consumes her, and she becomes incredibly powerful. Her face begins to change, with her veins becoming pronounced in that Sith way.
The power flowing from the ghost Sith begins to flow to her instead of the emperor, and he noticeably weakens.
She attacks the Emperor in a clear rage, her anger giving her power she could never tap before. Her own power and the power she is taking from the Sith now that she has turned has made her a god. She smashes the emperor down, again, and again, and again. Until finally she stands over him.
He is crumpled, defeated.
He breaks. He pleads for mercy, for the mercy of the Jedi. No more.
Rey looks down at him and says "I am what you wanted. I am a Palpatine." And slowly slides her saber into him, almost gently, delighting in his agonized screams. Ben raises himself in the background. He says "Rey?" The emperor dies.
Poe is released from his prison, and falls to the ground. Rey looks at him. "You shall be my first Admiral. You shall lead these fleets (gestures above) to the peace of the galaxy"
Rey turns. Her face is enfused with anger, and power. She looks down at Lukes saber in her hand - raises it up, and concentrates. The saber shimmers...and the blade turns a dark, angry red. She smiles.
Rey gestures, and Poe is released from his prison, and falls to the ground. Rey looks at him. "You shall be my first Admiral. You shall lead these fleets (gestures above) to the peace of the galaxy. Peave under my rule."
Poe responds "I will not trade one despot for another Rey!" She looks at him coldly. "So you shall betray me as well, so be it". She returns him to his prison.
Rey walks to Ben, and this time, she holds out her hand to him. "You were right, you were always right. We were meant to rule together. There will be peace in the galaxy, finally".
Ben looks at her, and takes her outstrectched hand. He knows he is no match for her. She raises him up. "Will you rule by my side? Will you rule by the side of the final Palpatine?"
Finn groggily opens his eyes, badly wounded but not dead. He watches the rest of the scene unfold.
Ben replies "I am the Last Skywalker. I am my fathers son, and my mothers! I am the last Jedi!" and attacks her. She is momentarily surprised by recovers quickly. He cannot defeat her, and his saber blows do not even seem to harm her even when he lands them.
She beats him down until she is pressed up again him, his saber in his hand pinned under her own, and she strikes, cutting off his right hand.
Leias saber falls to the ground, and winks out.
"We could have brought peace, you and I. I gave you what you wanted, what you asked for, and you betrayed me. The old man was right after all, there is only power. If you will not rule with me, I will rule alone" As she prepares to kill him, he pulls the Sith dagger out from his belt with his left hand,
and drives it into her side, openly weeping as he does so. She screams in agony, and immediately falls down. A concussive force emanates from her, blowing outwards, knocking Ben back and as it passes over the ghost Sith, it destroys them completely. Poe is released from his prison, and is blown back against
a pillar, falling unconscious.
Ben crouches over Rey, weeping openly as she bleeds out in his arms. As the light fades from her eyes, she smiles faintly, the marks of the Sith wiping away, so all that is left is Rey.
Finn drags himself over to Ben...."You killed her!" he sobs and hits him in the side of the head with his weapon.
Scene ends.
Open new scene.
Poe is the new leader of the Alliance. He walks down a hall, and into a small cell, where Ben, still badly hurt but with a bandaged hand, sits calmly, manacled. Poe dismisses the guards.
Poe: "They are going through with it. The council is going to execute you tomorrow for killing the last Jedi. Finn's testimony was compelling. And you refused to answer, and demanded that I keep silent about what happened. I cannot let this stand"
Ben: "Of course you can. You are a leader now, and leaders make hard choices. This won't be your last."
Poe: "But why? Why must is be this way? We know the truth of what happened. *I* know the truth. You cannot tell me we must hide the truth!"
Ben: "What is this truth you wish to tell? Which truth? The truth is I have murdered my father, and countless others. I deserve death for my many crimes, and then some. Is that not the truth?"
Poe: "And Rey...she turned. She turned at the end, and would have destroyed us all. What of that truth? Shall we hide that truth as well?"
Ben: "The truth of Rey? The truth is she was the only reason you ever had a chance. The truth is she was the best of all of you. The truth is that power and hate and anger - it is all corrupting, and the truth is that if it could corrupt Rey, it could corrupt anyone. Is that not also the truth?"
Ben: "Do you not see? They were right - they were all right. Obi-wan, Yoda, all of them. Skywalker would bring balance to the force. Not my grandfather, but my mother. Balance. Not the ascendance of the Jedi. Balance."
Ben: "Who was first? The Sith? The Jedi? Does it matter? The Force is balance. If there are Sith, there must be Jedi. If there are Jedi, then how will anyone oppose them except by embracing the Dark Side? Perhaps the galaxy could use a few centuries without either."
Cut to scene as Ben is led to the scaffold. Luke, Rey, Obi-Wan and Yoda stand to the side, watching as he ascends to his death. Obi-wan says to Yoda" "Is he right? Is this the balance sought?" Yoda does not reply.
Fade out.[/spoiler]
Just saw it. I was thoroughly unengaged.
Your ending is better Berkut, but Disney would never approve something morally "grey".
The only ending Disney will approve is one that sells more merchandise. I expect to see [spoiler]Star Destroyers with the world-destroying cannon and Palpatine Throne Dolls[/spoiler] for sale any day now.
Well I went to see it because my kids wanted to see it. They liked it so Disney clearly knows its audience. I was glad they liked it and I didn't suffer for nothing. But I couldn't help but notice they haven't mentioned the films since and just went back to doing whatever. The movie did not exactly capture their imagination.
Everything was just so dumb and cringey. I had this show that was my curse back around 2004-2006 when I worked at UT, I would go over to the Campus Gym to work out with all the students and I always seemed to be stuck in front of a TV showing this godawful show show called Charmed. I just loathed this show so much because nothing that happened ever mattered, every single problem would be easily solved and the characters would do dumb shit and it never mattered and anything that could potentially be cool the show would just make stupid. So while I was sitting there watching the film it just occured to me that this new trilogy is this level of writing. It is Charmed for the big screen. But hey people loved Charmed so clearly there is a market for this kind of writing. I expect this film will have its fans, just not me.
One great example from the film was when [spoiler]Rey uses Sith Force Lightening to blow up the Transport that had Chewbacca was on. For a split second I was like "oh now this might be interesting." Of course it didn't matter at all and of course it was made stupid. Later when the Finn and Poe were about to be executed I was like "even if their heads all got shot off it wouldn't matter" and of course something stupid happened that made no sense.[/spoiler]
So yeah I thought it sucked. I know the original two movies had little things that were stupid and whatever but they were decent movies and reasonably competently made. I am not sure which were worse the prequels or the Disney trilogy. They were both bad but for different reasons.
Well put.
Quote from: Valmy on December 31, 2019, 05:45:51 PM
One great example from the film was when [spoiler]Rey uses Sith Force Lightening to blow up the Transport that had Chewbacca was on. For a split second I was like "oh now this might be interesting." Of course it didn't matter at all and of course it was made stupid. Later when the Finn and Poe were about to be executed I was like "even if their heads all got shot off it wouldn't matter" and of course something stupid happened that made no sense.[/spoiler]
On this. [spoiler]I don't mind the it not mattering. What annoys me is that they've got ages in that fucking desert and at no point do they show another transport. It just felt lazy. Similarly with Finn and Poe with Hux's 2 minute resolution of what I think was an interesting character in the other two. That could have been developed so it didn't just plop out. As I say I think the issue is this is effectively parts 2 & 3 of the Abrams project in the space of one film, when it would have been better, even if it was reversing what happened in the Johnson film to build on and from what it left.[/spoiler]
Quote from: Berkut on December 31, 2019, 01:02:49 AM
OK, went and saw it.
Maybe my expectations were low, but it was really not that bad.
I agree, although you really have to suspend disbelief for literally everything directly or indirectly related to a logistics question [spoiler](starting with the rise of the First Order while the New Republic was doing...??? and continuing through to "how do you assemble all those fucking volunteer ships at the hidden planet at the same time?")[/spoiler].
I find it helps if I imagine Star Wars being a campfire story that is being put on film exactly as told around the campfire...i.e., over the top in space operatic fashion.
...it's still miles better than Starcrash.
Quote from: Sheilbh on December 31, 2019, 09:10:16 PM
[spoiler]What annoys me is that they've got ages in that fucking desert and at no point do they show another transport. It just felt lazy.[/spoiler]
See above re: logistics.
Me and Jake were trying to calculate how many crew would be needed for all those secret Star Destroyers....
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Imperial_I-class_Star_Destroyer
About 50,000 for the I-Class, and that's without any teams that are experts in the world-destroying cannon. If we assume that each ship is running at half-strength and the Stormtrooper assignments are heavily reduced as well, we're still sitting at ~25,000 per ship, multiplied by, what, 200 vessels? So just 50 million loyal Final Order crew and ST conscripts!
Fucking kill me.
I also thought about where they got the crews for those hidden ships as well. :lol:
To play devil's advocate: they do have cloning technology there [spoiler]as shown with Snoke.[/spoiler] :P
Quote from: Syt on January 02, 2020, 01:03:57 PM
To play devil's advocate: they do have cloning technology there [spoiler]as shown with Snoke.[/spoiler] :P
And a military academy too? :P
Quote from: The Larch on January 02, 2020, 01:20:26 PM
Quote from: Syt on January 02, 2020, 01:03:57 PM
To play devil's advocate: they do have cloning technology there [spoiler]as shown with Snoke.[/spoiler] :P
And a military academy too? :P
(https://i.gifer.com/7w0a.gif)
:P
Quote from: Syt on January 02, 2020, 01:03:57 PM
To play devil's advocate: they do have cloning technology there [spoiler]as shown with Snoke.[/spoiler] :P
But they make it plain that the people are "recruits". If they were [spoiler]clones, as you propose, then surely we'd see copies to make the point? To my view, the clones were literally only Palpatine's bloodline and involved no one else.[/spoiler]
Also, when do we get to drop fucking spoiler tags? It's been three weeks!
Quote from: ulmont on January 02, 2020, 11:56:04 AM
Quote from: Sheilbh on December 31, 2019, 09:10:16 PM
[spoiler]What annoys me is that they've got ages in that fucking desert and at no point do they show another transport. It just felt lazy.[/spoiler]
See above re: logistics.
Yeah. It's not the logistics that annoys me it's more the Agatha Christie thing. You have to show the reader/viewer the elements of a solution.
Quote from: Habbaku on January 02, 2020, 12:17:54 PM
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Imperial_I-class_Star_Destroyer
About 50,000 for the I-Class, and that's without any teams that are experts in the world-destroying cannon. If we assume that each ship is running at half-strength and the Stormtrooper assignments are heavily reduced as well, we're still sitting at ~25,000 per ship, multiplied by, what, 200 vessels? So just 50 million loyal Final Order crew and ST conscripts!
Fucking kill me.
During the movie, I briefly thought it would have been more interesting if, much like Palpatine himself, they were some kind of undead crew members, whom even the First Order was uneasy working with.
But no.
That sounds like an interesting idea, but unless it happened in a previous movie in the series, JJ was never going to use it.
Also, can we all pause and take a moment to appreciate just how diverse and accepting the First Order was? Women, men, blacks, white, Asians, old, young, and even a Ginger at the very top! Truly the fascism of the future.
Okay, saw the movie yesterday with the kids. It was too long for Josh in the end, but the other two really liked it. Unlike someone else's kids, they keep talking about the movie today, so it had some kind of impact.
I have had several thoughts rattling around in my head, so here they are in no particular order (spoilers abound, so big space if you want to skip):
-the first half of the movie was just plain boring. They're running around doing this useless scavenger hunt, when supposedly they only have 18 hours to defeat the big bad evil.
-you know, I liked TFA. I really liked TLJ. But in retrospect this completed trilogy has given me new appreciation for the prequel trilogy, because at least they gave us a coherent and plotted out story over the three movies (though still TPM doesn't add much).
-thinking about it, the ending of TFA kind of handcuffs Johnson and TLJ. Luke is all alone on Ach-To, after hiding out for decades. When Rey gets there... what other possible storyline is there really? As Luke puts it, he's not going to ride out with his laser sword and take on the first order. Which all leads to one of TROS's flaws - that two of the main leads, Poe and Rey, haven't even met each other until this movie!
-but similarly though, the ending of TLJ kind of handcuffs JJ again. In order to follow the storyline from TLJ, the Resistance is down to only enough people to fit on the Falcon. In order to continue with that you have to follow with how that somehow lights the spark in the galaxy, with new force-sensitive people rising up... which could be a very interesting movie to see! It might even be a Star Wars movie - but it's not the finale to the previous 8 movies.
-there's nothing inherently wrong with bringing back Palpatine. Heck Darth Maul makes a come back after being cut in half AND being dumped down a large shaft. But you shouldn't be introducing the big baddie of a trilogy in the opening acts of the third movie.
-so Rey's a Palpatine. Again, there's nothing inherently wrong with that being the plot twist. But it feels unearned. All the best plot twists, once revealed, have you slapping your knee going "oh it's obvious! I should have seen that coming!". Luke being a Force Projection at the end of TLJ was well earned - there were plenty of clues that something was up. Rey being a Palpatine was not set up in any way I could tell (because they never had an overarching plot to start with). And yes, the the way, Darth being Luke's father wasn't well set up either, but that was a different era.
-Kylo Ren/Ben Solo is easily, hands down, the most interesting character of the trilogy. I like the under-stated symmetry that Kylo WAS able to do what his grandfather Annakin could not - save the life of someone he loved.
-okay, so Harrison Ford coming back did catch me by surprise. Thought that scene was quite well done.
-I suppose it's kind of inevitable, but still kind of annoying, how they have to keep upping the stakes in each movie. First it was the Death Star, then a new larger Death Star, then an entire planet capable of killing multiple planets, then a fleet of hundreds of planet-killing star destroyers.
-final battle was Fan Service galore... and I liked it. I'm sure I only picked out half of the voices of Jedis. There's Wedge! and Nien Numb! And the Ghoest from Rebels (which I've only just started watching).
-General Hux being the spy. I liked it. An unexpected twist, since they kind of set up that other General to be it. Shame they promptly had Hux killed. He could have been a fascinating character in ongoing movies. I kind of Werner von Braun figure perhaps if he defects to the Resistance.
-so going forward... the Last Order fleet is destroyed, and the First Order is now leaderless, but it should still be an ongoing concern, right? I do hope they keep moving the storyline forward, and not just keep pumping out prequel movies and storylines.
Quote from: Habbaku on January 02, 2020, 02:29:23 PM
Also, can we all pause and take a moment to appreciate just how diverse and accepting the First Order was? Women, men, blacks, white, Asians, old, young, and even a Ginger at the very top! Truly the fascism of the future.
I'm okay with that, because you know who you don't see working for the First Order?
Aliens.
Quote from: Barrister on January 02, 2020, 02:53:16 PM
Quote from: Habbaku on January 02, 2020, 02:29:23 PM
Also, can we all pause and take a moment to appreciate just how diverse and accepting the First Order was? Women, men, blacks, white, Asians, old, young, and even a Ginger at the very top! Truly the fascism of the future.
I'm okay with that, because you know who you don't see working for the First Order?
Aliens.
Just like the Empire, right?
I spent like 2 and a half hours on my alternate ending, and you fuckers are like "Disney would not go for it". No shit.
You people are a waste of my writing talents, and that is saying something!
:P
Quote from: Berkut on January 02, 2020, 04:28:51 PM
I spent like 2 and a half hours on my alternate ending, and you fuckers are like "Disney would not go for it". No shit.
You people are a waste of my writing talents, and that is saying something!
:P
You had to put it under a spoiler tag, in a quote, and apparently shrink the text size? :bleeding:
After copy-pasting it into something readable... My problems with the movie weren't in the final scenes, but in how we got there. The ending we got handled itself about as well as it could have. By necessity, when you bring back Palpatine, and include a set-piece in the Death Star 2.0 throne room, is going to have to echo the ending of ROTJ. I'm all for a more morally ambiguous ending, but I don't think a kids movie like Star Wars was ready for an ending that ambiguous.
Actually that segues into one other issue I had with the ending - not only is the theme from TLJ that "The Jedi have to end", but that that reasoning flows from the notion that there is always balance between dark and light. The Jedi/the Light, CANNOT win against the Sith/the dark.
I saw Rise Of Skywalker.
It has some nice scenes. It isn't awful. But....it often appears to be just a collection of set pieces loosely connected. The start especially is just out of nowhere.
It seems like the writerss had a lot of ideas and decided to just cram them all in with no editing. The plot as it unfolds would be more suited to a miniseries.
Oh. And the light speed skimming thing is stupid.
I get heavy vibes of a Lando and black girl with gap teeth spin off series. I really recognise that girl despite her not having been in much :hmm:
Finally to around to seeing it. I don't get the hate for it. It's got a light touch, daring-do, sense of fun. It's very Star Warsy and isn't that the point? The narrative is a bit of a mess but that's always been true from 1-8, why worry now? The criticism that it crams too much in and the pace is too fast is fair - it does have the feel of an "MCU-style" Star Wars movie. But that I fear is the unavoidable consequence of making sci-fi action movies for 2019 audiences as opposed to late 70s audiences.
Mando version of Big Iron: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iavdy2qQCrs
:lol:
Quote from: Syt on January 06, 2020, 03:30:38 AM
Mando version of Big Iron: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iavdy2qQCrs
:lol:
:lol:
One thing I thought was silly was the dude getting cut in half by the door in the first scene.
1. Why shoot the tiny ass door control instead of the guy you are dragging through the door?
2. Wouldn't that destroy the door control anyway?
3. If you are going to kill him, why not just shoot him instead of using your rope thingie?
4. They don't have technology to keep sliding doors from chopping people in half if they happen to be inside them when it closes?
I gave up on the show at that point.
Quote from: Berkut on January 06, 2020, 01:31:57 PM
One thing I thought was silly was the dude getting cut in half by the door in the first scene.
1. Why shoot the tiny ass door control instead of the guy you are dragging through the door?
2. Wouldn't that destroy the door control anyway?
3. If you are going to kill him, why not just shoot him instead of using your rope thingie?
4. They don't have technology to keep sliding doors from chopping people in half if they happen to be inside them when it closes?
I gave up on the show at that point.
You gave up on the show within the first 2-3 minutes?
Of course that was silly. I mean modern elevators already have very low-tech safety measures to prevent people from being caught or cut in two. One of many silly things in Star Wars (whats with the numerous bottomless pits everywhere with nary a safety railing in sight?).
The scene was intended to serve one purpose: it establishes Mando as a bad ass of few words. And it works.
Pretty sure he's joking. I think. :D
Yeah, I did not quit of course. The show is great.
Quote from: Berkut on January 06, 2020, 02:45:38 PM
Yeah, I did not quit of course. The show is great.
:hmm: It can be so hard to tell with you...
the other hint that the planet in question does not have tight OSHA enforcement is situating a landing strip in an area frequented by giant monsters that eat ship waste.
Quote from: The Minsky Moment on January 06, 2020, 02:59:57 PM
the other hint that the planet in question does not have tight OSHA enforcement is situating a landing strip in an area frequented by giant monsters that eat ship waste.
The Galactic Empire probably cut their funding in a fit of austerity. :(
Building hundreds of hidden Star Destroyers ain't cheap, buddy.
I want that Star Wars: The Imperial Bureaucrat show.
An entire show centered around guys like the speeder-bike scouts BSing with one-another or Imperial bureaucrats carping about the number of old passcodes still in the system would go along great with me.
Quote from: Valmy on January 06, 2020, 03:05:15 PM
I want that Star Wars: The Imperial Bureaucrat show.
The Office, but set in the Death Star's HR department.
Quote from: Habbaku on January 06, 2020, 03:06:15 PM
An entire show centered around guys like the speeder-bike scouts BSing with one-another or Imperial bureaucrats carping about the number of old passcodes still in the system would go along great with me.
That scene was awesome.
I wonder if you could get away with an entire show set from the POV of lower-ranking Imperial troops. The kind of guys who just want to make it home to see their kids, but without glamourizing "the dark side". Probably not, but might be interesting.
Quote from: Habbaku on January 06, 2020, 03:04:29 PM
Building hundreds of hidden Star Destroyers ain't cheap, buddy.
There's a reason why no one wants imperial credits in the Mandalorian and it's not just regime change. Too much quantitative easing and monetizing the deficit.
Quote from: The Minsky Moment on January 06, 2020, 03:34:34 PM
Quote from: Habbaku on January 06, 2020, 03:04:29 PM
Building hundreds of hidden Star Destroyers ain't cheap, buddy.
There's a reason why no one wants imperial credits in the Mandalorian and it's not just regime change. Too much quantitative easing and monetizing the deficit.
:D I was thinking something similar.
Relevant to the discussion of work safety while working for the Empire.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQdDRrcAOjA
Quote from: celedhring on January 06, 2020, 03:49:58 PM
Relevant to the discussion of work safety while working for the Empire.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQdDRrcAOjA
I just knew this was going to be from Clerks. :D
I know it's not as funny anymore, but when Clerks came out seeing a movie making a Star Wars joke was pretty awesome.
Quote from: The Minsky Moment on January 05, 2020, 04:19:19 AM
Finally to around to seeing it. I don't get the hate for it.
Palpatine was never in the plans from the beginning. It was a last minute addon from JJ Abrams, and it shows.
C'mon. In RotJ, he gets vaporized as his body his thrown in the Death Star's generator. Coming back as a Force ghost is possible and has had numerous examples of it done in the EU and the canon movies&tv series. Coming back in flesh&bones is ridiculous.
That Palpatine could secretely ammass an entire fleet of planet killer star destroyers with no means at all? How did he do that? These things don't come out of the void. AFAIK, the last Star Destroyer producing machine in the world was destroyed in KOTOR 1 ;)
There could have been cloning vats for the Stormtroopers, that's been done before and it's plausible.
Using force lightning to destroy so many ships should be very taxing. See how he changed from "Senator Palpatine" to "Emperor Palpatine" when he used forced lightning on Mace Windu in Ep #3. How, in his decrepit state, could he have come up with the energy to do such a thing?
Mind you, manipulating large objects on a grand scale has been done before in the EU, but it did kill its user.
And so many incoherent plots. Like, that Death Star Ruins: "We've searched for it but never been able to locate it". Oh yeah, like, a giant ball of steel exploding over a planet would leave ruins scattered over the galaxy??? C'mon. It's a wreck, it didn't travel elsewhere by itself. It's on Endor or one of its moon.
QuoteIt's got a light touch, daring-do, sense of fun.
Not enough. Not like "I love you" - "I know" of Han and Leia in the face of danger, say.
QuoteIt's very Star Warsy and isn't that the point?
Not really.
QuoteThe narrative is a bit of a mess but that's always been true from 1-8, why worry now?
No. 1-3 suffer from poor character development. Lucas was great at planning a story, bad at telling it. When it gets into the micro details of how to tell the story, he wasn't up to it. The big picture, how Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader was great, but how Anakin besomes Vader in 5 seconds was bad.
The Expanded Universe (Legend, now), has done as much better job at telling the fall of a character, from light side to dark side.
Quote from: Barrister on January 06, 2020, 03:27:13 PM
but without glamourizing "the dark side". Probably not, but might be interesting.
non Jedi don't glamour the dark side. They glamour order ;) Just like the average Nazi didn't glamour the Holocaust and the civilian executions, they glamoured for the order restored.
Quote from: viper37 on January 06, 2020, 05:31:55 PM
Quote from: The Minsky Moment on January 05, 2020, 04:19:19 AM
Finally to around to seeing it. I don't get the hate for it.
Palpatine was never in the plans from the beginning. It was a last minute addon from JJ Abrams, and it shows.
C'mon. In RotJ, he gets vaporized as his body his thrown in the Death Star's generator. Coming back as a Force ghost is possible and has had numerous examples of it done in the EU and the canon movies&tv series. Coming back in flesh&bones is ridiculous.
Stolen from another web site, but it sort of makes sense:
First of all, Force Ghosts are really a Jedi thing. No idea if a Sith has ever come back in that way.
But more generally, the idea is that Palpatine isn't really Palpatine (at least when we first see him). He's a projection of the All Sith - the vast group of the spirits/projections of the former Sith that we see in the shadows. As the Dark Side is a part of the Force, and will always be a part of the Force, it was a projection of the Dark side that really just took the form of Palpatine.
That's why 'Palpatine's' goals seem so nebulous and ever-changing. First he wants Kylo Ren to kill Rey - so that he fully becomes Sith (ahd the All Sith can be one with him). Then he wants Rey to kill 'Palpatine' - so the All Sith can be one with Rey. And finally, when both Rey and Kylo reject him, it is only after he drains their life force that Palpatine assume a more physical form, and only then that he can start to manipulate the force himself.
The Empire Strikes Back is regarded by many as the pinnacle of the SW films and for good reason. But the narrative is a mess and plot holes are cavernous. If you actually try to describe the plot to someone who never saw SW it would sound nuts. The Rebels, fresh with the momentum of destroying the Empire's secret weapon and killing the top imperial minister, hole up in an remote, indefensible and logistically nightmarish ice planet where they are discovered through the simple expedient of sending a cheap probe. Rather than simply nuking the pathetic base from orbit using their vast fleet, the Empire implements a pointlessly complex ground assault using the worst designed AFVs in the history of any known universe, thus allowing sufficient time for the copiously plot armored protagonists to escape. The movie then splits into two plots: a getaway gone wrong with most of the main characters while the lead character (and audience) suffers through barrages of grammatically mangled koans delivered by a wrinkled muppet with a chronic throat condition. The interlude proves to be mere time wasting as lead character belatedly rushes away to save the others, negating the purpose of the training that took up most of the previous hour. After battling the Black Codpieced Bad Guy in a series of sets that -- like the Death Star in the original film -- appear like they were designed by a 10 year old that got bored with his erector set and quit halfway through, we get the big reveal: in a vast galaxy of quadrillions of people it just so coincidentally happens that hero and villain are related! Then as our hero is on the verge of perishing he is saved by space ghosts to rejoin a vast mobile rebel armada . . . the existence of which makes pointless the whole Hoth base business that started things off.
See its easy to make it all seem silly through analysis.
Quote from: The Minsky Moment on January 06, 2020, 06:01:38 PM
The Empire Strikes Back is regarded by many as the pinnacle of the SW films and for good reason. But the narrative is a mess and plot holes are cavernous. If you actually try to describe the plot to someone who never saw SW it would sound nuts.
Except that has zero to do with why the other movies don't work for me. The plot and whatever holes it has are usually not the problem. Basic narrative structure, having some sort of internal logic that get you involved in the story, stakes, characters...all that stuff. You know, the shit that actually matters when telling a story.
QuoteThe Rebels, fresh with the momentum of destroying the Empire's secret weapon and killing the top imperial minister, hole up in an remote, indefensible and logistically nightmarish ice planet where they are discovered through the simple expedient of sending a cheap probe.
Because the Empire knew where their base was so they went to some remote place hoping to not be noticed. Darth Vader used his voodoo Sith shit to know that the probe droid had found them. In this universe it is well established the magical Force stuff gives its users intuitive knowledge.
QuoteRather than simply nuking the pathetic base from orbit using their vast fleet, the Empire implements a pointlessly complex ground assault using the worst designed AFVs in the history of any known universe, thus allowing sufficient time for the copiously plot armored protagonists to escape.
Because they had some kind of shield thing. This is all well accounted for, once more, in the basic plot structure and points in the film. I don't know does it make sense in some weird military analysis of the technological capabilities of fantasy star ships? I don't know. But it is adequately explained in the internal world of the film. I get it if I watch the film, that is what is needed not some advanced military analysis of fake fictional empires.
QuoteThe movie then splits into two plots: a getaway gone wrong with most of the main characters while the lead character (and audience) suffers through barrages of grammatically mangled koans delivered by a wrinkled muppet with a chronic throat condition.
I mean fair enough, maybe Yoda is too goofy looking. But they already set up that he was going to seek out this Jedi Master dude earlier. The fact that Yoda is this goofy little puppet has a narrative and character purpose that is blatantly obvious. The Force(tm) makes even goofy little puppets strong and don't judge him by size. He says those things AND shows you. So they both show and tell. I fail to see how anybody would miss those story beats.
As for the getaway gone wrong well they already set up that Harrison Ford's spaceship was broken somehow so again it was told as one would normally expect a story to be told. Now they don't bother to tell you WHY his stupid ship is broken but lots of time has passed since the first film so you just sort of figure something happened in there.
QuoteThe interlude proves to be mere time wasting as lead character belatedly rushes away to save the others, negating the purpose of the training that took up most of the previous hour.
I disagree. I mean they blatantly hit you over the head setting up the final battle during that time. It has a narrative purpose and explains the stakes. Now maybe you think it is boring shit but there is a logic to it.
QuoteAfter battling the Black Codpieced Bad Guy in a series of sets that -- like the Death Star in the original film -- appear like they were designed by a 10 year old that got bored with his erector set and quit halfway through, we get the big reveal: in a vast galaxy of quadrillions of people it just so coincidentally happens that hero and villain are related!
Well it is random space shit. You just presume it all does magical space stuff. As for the reveal, well shit like that happens in fiction all the time. And again they set it up a bit by talking about the main characters dad before. You know, information that actually serves a narrative purpose.
QuoteThen as our hero is on the verge of perishing he is saved by space ghosts to rejoin a vast mobile rebel armada . . .
I mean based on what you have been told before about the magic in this world it wasn't too ridiculous. However no space ghost appeared in that scene. But hey it has been a long time so...whatever.
Quotethe existence of which makes pointless the whole Hoth base business that started things off.
Maybe. Maybe not. Who cares? Maybe it makes perfect sense based on the intricacies of space military strategy. However, the already set it up narratively that the rebels were regrouping at some secret rendez-vous point and there it is.
QuoteSee its easy to make it all seem silly through analysis.
Through really nerdy analysis of space military strategy I guess. But the overwhelming majority of people who have seen a movie before and know how fiction works and how stories are told should have no problem following all the beats. And it is in those areas that the prequels and the recent trilogy don't work for me, not the space magic or space military technological realism or the logistics of having a secret planet destroying base or whatever.
I mean let's take [spoiler]Palpatine returning in the recent trilogy. Now does that make sense? Is that a plothole? I mean not really, the Sith are basically magical space wizards. And they even set up that they can prevent death in a previous film. But as a narrative story telling beat this just fucking sucks. The whole plot of the six previous films was that Darth Vader was supposed to fulfill this big prophecy to kill the Emperor. Then they bring him back? Lazy story telling. Hate it. We already did that and it serves no narrative purpose besides lazily getting to avoid telling a new story.[/spoiler] But again go back and read my previous post on this. The whole way they told the story was incompetently told like a hack cable TV show and the characters didn't work for me. I don't care about plot holes and thinking through space magic and space strategy. Just tell a good story that has some point to it.
But anyway the whole "well the original movies sucked to you must like the new one since you liked that one!" game was played 20 years ago with the prequels. It was nonsense then and it is nonsense now.
Quote from: The Minsky Moment on January 06, 2020, 06:01:38 PM
The Empire Strikes Back is regarded by many as the pinnacle of the SW films and for good reason. But the narrative is a mess and plot holes are cavernous. If you actually try to describe the plot to someone who never saw SW it would sound nuts. The Rebels, fresh with the momentum of destroying the Empire's secret weapon and killing the top imperial minister, hole up in an remote, indefensible and logistically nightmarish ice planet where they are discovered through the simple expedient of sending a cheap probe. Rather than simply nuking the pathetic base from orbit using their vast fleet, the Empire implements a pointlessly complex ground assault using the worst designed AFVs in the history of any known universe, thus allowing sufficient time for the copiously plot armored protagonists to escape. The movie then splits into two plots: a getaway gone wrong with most of the main characters while the lead character (and audience) suffers through barrages of grammatically mangled koans delivered by a wrinkled muppet with a chronic throat condition. The interlude proves to be mere time wasting as lead character belatedly rushes away to save the others, negating the purpose of the training that took up most of the previous hour. After battling the Black Codpieced Bad Guy in a series of sets that -- like the Death Star in the original film -- appear like they were designed by a 10 year old that got bored with his erector set and quit halfway through, we get the big reveal: in a vast galaxy of quadrillions of people it just so coincidentally happens that hero and villain are related! Then as our hero is on the verge of perishing he is saved by space ghosts to rejoin a vast mobile rebel armada . . . the existence of which makes pointless the whole Hoth base business that started things off.
See its easy to make it all seem silly through analysis.
But I think that's just looking at the plot. I kind of think this film isn't as good as a film. As I say the fight in the red room and the bombing sequence in the Last Jedi are really well-done, suspenseful action sequences. The equivalent sort of scenes here I felt were messy and often because I think they felt a need, especially in some scenes, to shoehorn in a reference to some character from Star Wars myth rather than focus on, you know, suspense and action. It got in its own way.
And I think the issue is MCU have raised the bar for how you do this kind of huge blockbuster movie because they're very good at having lots of ridiculous dashing and chasing, but enough scenes in between or moments to allow the characters to breathe (especially the last couple of films). I don't think the issue is Star Wars getting MCUed, I don't think it's MCU enough. I think there's a lot they could have learned from them, not least how to deal with secondary characters. If anything I think the issue is Star Wars maybe getting stuck up their own ares over what they should/shouldn't do and how a Star Wars film should be.
Also as I say on a purely character leve you have this running joke(?)/character point about Finn wondering about Poe's background. But it's just dropped in from nowhere, raised a couple of times in fairly obtrusive ways and then sort-of resolved. There's no pay off or character development from it because I don't think you ever care. This is why I wonder if it's an idea Abrams intended to put in his second film, but never got to so instead of changing just rushes it in this one.
I can sort of see the point that they needed some enemy from the past and then there's an adventure where you run to get the thing and then go off to do something etc - and on a level it's fine. My issue is I think there's another franchise that's doing that type of film better - and I think other films in this franchise have done it better.
Look, its pretty simple. They never had a story. There is no story. It is just a bunch of action sequences that JJ Abrams thinks is what makes a movie, raggedly strung together. They never, at any point, had any overall story to tell.
In a lot of ways, the first three movies were better - well, at least in THAT way. They at least had a story to tell, and it is clear that the story was understood by the teller right when they started telling it.
You know perfectly well that nobody had any idea how the third movie would end when they started filming the first movie, nor did they know when they stopped filming the first movie.
I disagree. My guess is this is what JJ Abrams wanted and he had a vague idea of where the three films would go. But they got Johnson in for the second one who had a different take (and I'm sure he had a rough idea what he wanted to do with film three). So when Abrams comes back he either has to re-imagine and build on what Johnson's done (which he doesn't) or try and do a sort-of greatest hits from what he wanted to do in 2 & 3 in half the time (which he does).
I've no doubt film 2 would have introduced Palpatine and built up the threat, if Abrams did it.
Abrams specifically stated he wasn't coming back after the first film, though. If he had an idea of what he was going to do, he obviously didn't communicate it very well with Johnson, or Johnson and Disney agreed to eschew it all. And then Colin Treverrow was fired/released/whatever, and...Abrams came back only to try to tack on what he wanted to do with the trilogy anyway and then rush through it?
That makes him an even worse storyteller.
Interesting. He was interviewed on the Mayo and Kermode show here (for TROS) and said him and his writing partner had ideas of where it would go over the next two films.
I have no doubt that they did, and I have little doubt that they gave those notes over to Johnson and Disney/Treverrow.
I am 100% convinced that there was no mention of Palpatine's return, though.
Quote from: Sheilbh on January 06, 2020, 11:03:57 PM
I disagree. My guess is this is what JJ Abrams wanted and he had a vague idea of where the three films would go. But they got Johnson in for the second one who had a different take (and I'm sure he had a rough idea what he wanted to do with film three). So when Abrams comes back he either has to re-imagine and build on what Johnson's done (which he doesn't) or try and do a sort-of greatest hits from what he wanted to do in 2 & 3 in half the time (which he does).
I've no doubt film 2 would have introduced Palpatine and built up the threat, if Abrams did it.
That's actually very close to the reason Kathleen Kennedy gave for switching late in production and bringing JJ Abrams back in as a "ringer" to close the trilogy:
QuoteWell, I wouldn't say it didn't work. Colin was at a huge disadvantage not having been a part of Force Awakens and in part of those early conversations because we had a general sense of where the story was going. Like any development process, it was only in the development that we're looking at a first draft and realizing that it was perhaps heading in a direction that many of us didn't feel was really quite where we wanted it to go. And we were on a schedule, as we often are with these movies, and had to make a tough decision as to whether or not we thought we could get there in the time or not. And as I said, Colin was at a disadvantage because he hadn't been immersed in everything that we all had starting out with Episode VII.
Even though she's talking about Trevorrow, it's not like Rian Johnson was in on those discussions, either- sounds like they're very much aware that the short production cycle and choice to direct with an ensemble pretty much made it impossible to tie things together neatly as a trilogy the way audiences were expecting from the first 6 core movies.
Yeah, I don't know why anyone would ask me to believe what a bunch of people invested in their narrative tell me rather than what I saw with my own eyeballs.
And listen to what they are actually saying. They had a "general sense of where the story was going". Do you think Tolkien when he was wrapping up the first book had just a "general" sense of where his story was going?
A "general sense"? OK. That means...nothing. It means they knew that movie three would have Finn and Rey and Kylo in it. It does not mean that at that moment they knew who Rey was, or what all that foreshadowing meant (which turned out to make no fucking sense at all).
Bullshit. Bullshit. Double bullshit. JJ Abrams knew where it was going my ass. Their "general sense" means not a damn thing. You don't need a general sense, you need a specific idea of the broad outlines of the structure of the story. Who are these characters. What are the reveals, and why? You can fill in the treasure hunts and adventures and secondary characters along the way, for sure. But there is no fucking way you can convince me that when they started this thing, they knew Rey was going to be the grand-kid of Palpatine. If that is true, I want to see the dated storyboards.
I do not believe it one bit.
Hell, if it IS true, that would actually make it worse, since if they actually knew where they were going, it makes their incredibly terrible execution of getting their that much worse. Snope? WTF was the point of Snope if the eventual Real Bad Guy is Palpatine????
Well it is not like JJ Abrams doesn't have a history of setting up things without any idea of how to pay it off and badly fumbling trying to do so.
Indeed. Why anyone would just take their word for it that no, really, they totally had a plan! I have no idea.
It's someone calling "Bank" after the shot already went off the glass. Except in this case it missed entirely.
Quote from: Barrister on January 06, 2020, 05:42:16 PM
First of all, Force Ghosts are really a Jedi thing. No idea if a Sith has ever come back in that way.
Darth Marr. :contract:
Berkut is right.
I find the notion that there was no direction for the trilogy pretty hard to believe, at least for the main character arcs. Lucas kinda came up with the OT after the first one became a huge success, even swerving in stuff like Leia-Luke-Vader's relationship (retroactive incest, yay!) but he never thought he'd make more than one which was clearly not the case here.
I find it more likely that they have been switching gears after every movie which lead to the current mess. I suppose eventually we'll know what went down.
Something I'd love to know is Lucas' original plans for the new trilogy, the prequels are exemplars of terrible filmmaking and screewriting, but at least there's a purpose to them, and tell a story that leads up to the OT. Then again I remember this bit in the press (https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dfdltj1U8AEw2lN.jpg) and maybe we didn't lose that much :D
Quote from: Sheilbh on January 06, 2020, 11:03:57 PM
I disagree. My guess is this is what JJ Abrams wanted and he had a vague idea of where the three films would go. But they got Johnson in for the second one who had a different take (and I'm sure he had a rough idea what he wanted to do with film three). So when Abrams comes back he either has to re-imagine and build on what Johnson's done (which he doesn't) or try and do a sort-of greatest hits from what he wanted to do in 2 & 3 in half the time (which he does).
I've no doubt film 2 would have introduced Palpatine and built up the threat, if Abrams did it.
That sounds right.
3 definitely has the feel of trying to cram in more than one film.
And 2 as a chase movie really didn't fit.
Quote from: Tyr on January 07, 2020, 05:45:33 AM
That sounds right.
3 definitely has the feel of trying to cram in more than one film.
And 2 as a chase movie really didn't fit.
The Empire Strikes Back is a chase movie. They are very similar on that regard, the objective of the good guys in both is merely "live to fight another day".
My belief in the existence of a framework of a plan, even if a shitty one, is precisely all the derivative parts of the new trilogy that are taken straight from their OT counterparts, which is a constant throughout all the movies. I think they had some of those story beats in place right off the bat - maybe even Palpatine's return and Snoke being a smokescreen, so they could re-enact ROTJ in the third -, but they kept tinkering and reversing course, which lead to a mess.
All in all, the best moment in these films is probably the scene in TLJ where they kill off Snoke and
Dark Helmet Kylo Ren takes over as big bad, there's a hint of something different and interesting there, by refusing to just replay Vader's story of redemption (like they ended up doing anyway), and I kinda wish they stuck to their guns on that regard and let the Kylo-Rey arc play differently than just Vader-Luke but with kissing. The rest of TLJ is deeply flawed (I think it undermines itself by reversing every single plot cliche they can lay their hands on instead of keeping focus), but at the end of the day it's the best film in the trilogy.
Anyway, no more new Star Wars until 2021 IIRC? The Kenobi and Andor shows won't start shooting until summer this year.
Whenever I watch Rogue One, "I want to see more of Cassian Andor" is not what comes up in my mind, but given that Mandalorian (as Rogue One itself) was great I'm kinda itching for it.
Quote from: celedhring on January 07, 2020, 06:24:20 AM
Anyway, no more new Star Wars until 2021 IIRC? The Kenobi and Andor shows won't start shooting until summer this year.
Whenever I watch Rogue One, "I want to see more of Cassian Andor" is not what comes up in my mind, but given that Mandalorian (as Rogue One itself) was great I'm kinda itching for it.
Season 2 of The Mandalorian is currently being shot and IIRC will hit screens by the end of the year, so I guess that'll be the official SW fix for 2020.
The future trilogy to be helmed by Rian Johnson is slated to begin in 2022, AFAIK.
Quote from: The Larch on January 07, 2020, 06:41:23 AM
Quote from: celedhring on January 07, 2020, 06:24:20 AM
Anyway, no more new Star Wars until 2021 IIRC? The Kenobi and Andor shows won't start shooting until summer this year.
Whenever I watch Rogue One, "I want to see more of Cassian Andor" is not what comes up in my mind, but given that Mandalorian (as Rogue One itself) was great I'm kinda itching for it.
Season 2 of The Mandalorian is currently being shot and IIRC will hit screens by the end of the year, so I guess that'll be the official SW fix for 2020.
The future trilogy to be helmed by Rian Johnson is slated to begin in 2022, AFAIK.
Is that trilogy still happening? It was never cancelled but I doubt it's being worked on anymore.
Didn't know that Mandalorian S2 was happening this year. That's awesome.
Quote from: celedhring on January 07, 2020, 07:07:42 AM
Quote from: The Larch on January 07, 2020, 06:41:23 AM
Quote from: celedhring on January 07, 2020, 06:24:20 AM
Anyway, no more new Star Wars until 2021 IIRC? The Kenobi and Andor shows won't start shooting until summer this year.
Whenever I watch Rogue One, "I want to see more of Cassian Andor" is not what comes up in my mind, but given that Mandalorian (as Rogue One itself) was great I'm kinda itching for it.
Season 2 of The Mandalorian is currently being shot and IIRC will hit screens by the end of the year, so I guess that'll be the official SW fix for 2020.
The future trilogy to be helmed by Rian Johnson is slated to begin in 2022, AFAIK.
Is that trilogy still happening? It was never cancelled but I doubt it's being worked on anymore.
I believe they reiterated recently that the Rian Johnson trilogy is still going ahead. It is rumoured that it's meant to be set during the Old Republic.
QuoteDidn't know that Mandalorian S2 was happening this year. That's awesome.
Apparently they have been filming since november already, so I guess that it was the plan all along, and didn't wait for the reaction to season one before ordering a second.
Isn't the new Clone Wars season also coming this year?
Quote from: Syt on January 07, 2020, 09:01:41 AM
Isn't the new Clone Wars season also coming this year?
February 17 apparently.
Paradoxical as it may seem, I am actually really looking forward to the next major Star Wars film. I'm cautiously optimistic that it will be quite good since it will no longer be creaking under the weight of expectations or previous lore.
Quote from: Habbaku on January 07, 2020, 10:35:46 AM
Paradoxical as it may seem, I am actually really looking forward to the next major Star Wars film. I'm cautiously optimistic that it will be quite good since it will no longer be creaking under the weight of expectations or previous lore.
I mean I thought that about The Force Awakens. I think all their films are creaking under the fact that they don't really have an artistic vision or story to tell.
Quote from: Sheilbh on January 06, 2020, 10:49:34 PM
I kind of think this film isn't as good as a film.
No dispute there.
QuoteI can sort of see the point that they needed some enemy from the past and then there's an adventure where you run to get the thing and then go off to do something etc - and on a level it's fine. My issue is I think there's another franchise that's doing that type of film better - and I think other films in this franchise have done it better.
MCU had a LOT more space and time to work with - a dozen or so films spaced our over 15 years where each major character got a full background. The 7-9 trilogy suffered from the rush to monetize.
The main lesson learned from Star Wars is this - if you are going to fight in a climactic battle to save the universe from tyranny, do not climb into your X-wing fighter with facial hair.
Every pilot should be issued a razor.
Quote from: The Minsky Moment on January 07, 2020, 11:01:11 AM
The main lesson learned from Star Wars is this - if you are going to fight in a climactic battle to save the universe from tyranny, do not climb into your X-wing fighter with facial hair.
Every pilot should be issued a razor.
:D Fat boys don't do too well either, do they?
Poor Porkins. :(
Quote from: Admiral Yi on January 07, 2020, 11:07:12 AM
:D Fat boys don't do too well either, do they?
Messes up the drag coefficient.
At least Temmin "Snap" Wexley had a singing, dancing murder droid when he was a teen:
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Mister_Bones
:wub:
OK, so here is what I don't get.
WHO is in charge of creating the actual story? I mean, JJ Abrams is a director. He is good at directing (at least theoretically). There is no reason to suppose he has the kind of imagination necessary to craft a good story.
I don't see why they would not go out, for something like this, and hire someone proven to be good at crafting great stories (or several someones for that matter), pay them a bunch of money, and say "Give me a three movie arc about the next generation of the SW story". Hell, have ten people do it for half a million each, and pick the best one.
We saw from GOT that just because people are good at turning a great story into great cinema, does not by any means mean that they are any good at coming up with the story to begin with.
Screenplay credits are JJA, and Chris Terrio, who also wrote Superman v Batman, Justice League, and Argo (one of these things is not like the others, one of these things just doesn't belong ....)
Story credit is, according to IMDB:
Derek Connolly ... (story by) &
Colin Trevorrow ... (story by) and
Chris Terrio ... (story by) &
J.J. Abrams ... (story by)
Conolly's and Trevorrow's credits include Detective Pikachu, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Jurassic World.
Quote from: Syt on January 07, 2020, 12:39:11 PM
Screenplay credits are JJA, and Chris Terrio, who also wrote Superman v Batman, Justice League, and Argo (one of these things is not like the others, one of these things just doesn't belong ....)
Story credit is, according to IMDB:
Derek Connolly ... (story by) &
Colin Trevorrow ... (story by) and
Chris Terrio ... (story by) &
J.J. Abrams ... (story by)
Conolly's and Trevorrow's credits include Detective Pikachu, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Jurassic World.
Looks like a lot of experience in extending franchises past their sell by date.
The OT didn't have much of a story. Plucky rebels take on evil empire in Movie 1, then get beat back in Movie 2, then re-run their Movie 1 exploits in movie 3, only this time it sticks.
The prequel triology on the other hand had a pretty good story to tell - the tragic corruption of a flawed hero, the undermining of a democracy from within, the fall of an ancient spiritual order, plots and counterplots. Problem is the delivery is awful - leaden dialogue, wooden acting, clumsy direction.
Between the two I'll take the shakier story.
Quote from: Berkut on January 07, 2020, 12:24:50 PM
OK, so here is what I don't get.
WHO is in charge of creating the actual story? I mean, JJ Abrams is a director. He is good at directing (at least theoretically). There is no reason to suppose he has the kind of imagination necessary to craft a good story.
I don't see why they would not go out, for something like this, and hire someone proven to be good at crafting great stories (or several someones for that matter), pay them a bunch of money, and say "Give me a three movie arc about the next generation of the SW story". Hell, have ten people do it for half a million each, and pick the best one.
We saw from GOT that just because people are good at turning a great story into great cinema, does not by any means mean that they are any good at coming up with the story to begin with.
There's the Lucasfilm Story Group but I'm not completely sure if they are doing that. I've always been confused about their exact role, besides being canon curators.
That said, do we really have a true precedent for this? Most movie sagas telling a somewhat continuous story have always been either adaptations of preexisting material (LOTR, Potter, even Marvel to a degree...), or spawned from a really successful first film and given to the same filmmakers that made that film (Pirates of the Caribbean, Matrix). I can't think of any other case where a company decided they were going to make 3 connected films, not adapting an existing story, and at the same time not use the same creative team for all three.
Quote from: The Minsky Moment on January 07, 2020, 12:56:39 PM
The OT didn't have much of a story. Plucky rebels take on evil empire in Movie 1, then get beat back in Movie 2, then re-run their Movie 1 exploits in movie 3, only this time it sticks.
The prequel triology on the other hand had a pretty good story to tell - the tragic corruption of a flawed hero, the undermining of a democracy from within, the fall of an ancient spiritual order, plots and counterplots. Problem is the delivery is awful - leaden dialogue, wooden acting, clumsy direction.
Between the two I'll take the shakier story.
Any time you try to summarize three movies worth of plot into one line it makes it seem silly. The "plot" of the OT is the Campbellian Hero's Journey, both over the initial movie, and again over the trilogy.
The boys were quite taken with TROS, and we've embarked on rewatching the whole 9 part series, starting at episode 1 (we're mid-way through 2 now). You've certainly hit on the highs and lows of the prequels: the plot is much more coherent, with a more interesting story to tell. But the dialogue is stiff and clunky, and the CGI is showing its age far more than the practical effects of the much earlier original trilogy.
I'm not sure which I would say I prefer at this point however. The new movies have much better dialogue and even acting, and the more practical effects look great. But story is such a big part of a movie...
Quote from: Barrister on January 06, 2020, 05:42:16 PM
First of all, Force Ghosts are really a Jedi thing. No idea if a Sith has ever come back in that way.
Kotor 1&2 shows they can. There were also some (now non canon) comics about the "resurected" Emperor (his ghost) trying to push Luke to the Dark Side.
Quote
That's why 'Palpatine's' goals seem so nebulous and ever-changing. First he wants Kylo Ren to kill Rey - so that he fully becomes Sith (ahd the All Sith can be one with him). Then he wants Rey to kill 'Palpatine' - so the All Sith can be one with Rey. And finally, when both Rey and Kylo reject him, it is only after he drains their life force that Palpatine assume a more physical form, and only then that he can start to manipulate the force himself.
It's still too deus ex machina to me. He is clearly flesh&blood to begin with, albeit attached to some kind of machine to maintain his life.
He wants Rey to kill him the same way he wanted Luke to do it, so they would turn to the Dark Side trying to do it. He has no intention of letting himself be killed-again, like he did on the Death Star. Remember when he told Luke to strike him? He knew Vader would intervene. And he thought, in the end, only one of them would survive and join him as an apprentice. That was exactly the same with Kylo and Rey.[/quote]
Quote from: The Minsky Moment on January 06, 2020, 06:01:38 PM
The Rebels, fresh with the momentum of destroying the Empire's secret weapon and killing the top imperial minister, hole up in an remote, indefensible and logistically nightmarish ice planet where they are discovered through the simple expedient of sending a cheap probe.
Their old base was now discovered and the Imperials would quickly send a massive fleet to anihilate them. They needed to move out of sight, so they could regroup. The Alliance strengght is in ambush battles, not open warfare against an ennemy superior in numbers and technical resources.
Also, Hoth was seen as great because it is very remote. They were discovered not by a simple cheap probe, but because Darth Vader search the Force and was alert at the time the probe "malfunctionned". Otherwise, the empire officers would have simply dismissed it as local fauna interfering with the probe, as it happens.
Quote
Rather than simply nuking the pathetic base from orbit using their vast fleet, the Empire implements a pointlessly complex ground assault using the worst designed AFVs in the history of any known universe, thus allowing sufficient time for the copiously plot armored protagonists to escape.
It is said in the movie there is a planetary shield preventing bombardment.
If WWII happenned today, once achieveing air superiority, the Russians would probably drop a bunker-buster bomb over Hitler's bunker rather than risk many troops in a grinding land battle.
Quote
The movie then splits into two plots: a getaway gone wrong with most of the main characters while the lead character (and audience) suffers through barrages of grammatically mangled koans delivered by a wrinkled muppet with a chronic throat condition.
That's the charm of the movie ;) :P
QuoteThe interlude proves to be mere time wasting as lead character belatedly rushes away to save the others, negating the purpose of the training that took up most of the previous hour.
Hot headed heroes aren't exactly a new thing. ;) Even by the 70's standard. ;)
Quote
After battling the Black Codpieced Bad Guy in a series of sets that -- like the Death Star in the original film -- appear like they were designed by a 10 year old that got bored with his erector set and quit halfway through, we get the big reveal: in a vast galaxy of quadrillions of people it just so coincidentally happens that hero and villain are related! Then as our hero is on the verge of perishing he is saved by space ghosts to rejoin a vast mobile rebel armada . . . the existence of which makes pointless the whole Hoth base business that started things off.
He used the Force to contact his (then unknown) sister. Nothing magical about it!... err, wait, that didn't sound right :P
Quote from: celedhring on January 07, 2020, 05:28:50 AM
I find the notion that there was no direction for the trilogy pretty hard to believe, at least for the main character arcs. Lucas kinda came up with the OT after the first one became a huge success, even swerving in stuff like Leia-Luke-Vader's relationship (retroactive incest, yay!) but he never thought he'd make more than one which was clearly not the case here.
I find it more likely that they have been switching gears after every movie which lead to the current mess. I suppose eventually we'll know what went down.
Something I'd love to know is Lucas' original plans for the new trilogy, the prequels are exemplars of terrible filmmaking and screewriting, but at least there's a purpose to them, and tell a story that leads up to the OT. Then again I remember this bit in the press (https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dfdltj1U8AEw2lN.jpg) and maybe we didn't lose that much :D
https://collider.com/rise-of-skywalker-palpatine-was-jj-abrams-idea-not-colin-trevorrow/
Quote
"Bringing back the Emperor was an idea JJ brought to the table when he came on board," Trevorrow says. "It's honestly something I never considered. I commend him for it. This was a tough story to unlock, and he found the key."
Quote from: Barrister on January 07, 2020, 10:30:56 AM
Quote from: Syt on January 07, 2020, 09:01:41 AM
Isn't the new Clone Wars season also coming this year?
February 17 apparently.
ooohhhh! Not gonna miss that! :)
Quote from: Berkut on January 07, 2020, 12:24:50 PM
WHO is in charge of creating the actual story? I mean, JJ Abrams is a director. He is good at directing (at least theoretically). There is no reason to suppose he has the kind of imagination necessary to craft a good story.
Ultimately, Kathleen Kennedy is in charge of hiring everyone and has the last word on the story.JJ Abrams was executive director for the 2nd one too, I believe, although it was really hands off.He was supposed to come back for #3 in a similar role.
He&Disney hired someone for the script of #1 and #3 (well, some people, actually).
Beside Kennedy, he's the one who has the last word on the script for #1 and #3.
#2 was mostly Johnson by himself.
But they really work in teams, where they discuss ideas. The scripters, the directors and sometimes the executive director (Abrams).
When Abrams took over, he had talks with Johnson and with Trevorrow, apparently.
Quote
I don't see why they would not go out, for something like this, and hire someone proven to be good at crafting great stories (or several someones for that matter), pay them a bunch of money, and say "Give me a three movie arc about the next generation of the SW story". Hell, have ten people do it for half a million each, and pick the best one.
That would have been the wisest decision. Hire one person to write the 3 movies. then shoot them all at the same time and release one per year, like The Lord of the Rings.
Kathleen Kennedy (who was hired by Lucas, not Disney) is 66, and it's unclear whether she's going to stick around. Robert Iger may want his own person in charge of Disney's second most popular franchise.
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/star-wars-uncertainty-extends-kathleen-kennedys-disney-future-1256357
Quote from: The Minsky Moment on January 07, 2020, 12:56:39 PM
The OT didn't have much of a story. Plucky rebels take on evil empire in Movie 1, then get beat back in Movie 2, then re-run their Movie 1 exploits in movie 3, only this time it sticks.
The OT had a simple story, but it was well told at least for the first two. I mean there is no reason why plucky rebels take on evil empire cannot be a good story or be "much of a story". Truly great fiction has been written with less of a story, and that does not even include all the space wizard or classic hero's journey stuff. The third one was not great overall (though it had some good set pieces), though I suppose could have been good if it had been executed better. It is kind of amazing despite having a sci fi universe with magical wizards they had to retell blowing up a giant planet destroying base not once or twice but three times. There are just no other stories that can be told I guess.
Quote from: Barrister on January 07, 2020, 01:10:47 PM
Any time you try to summarize three movies worth of plot into one line it makes it seem silly. The "plot" of the OT is the Campbellian Hero's Journey, both over the initial movie, and again over the trilogy.
I think you misspelled "The Hidden Fortress."
Quote from: ulmont on January 07, 2020, 03:39:54 PM
Quote from: Barrister on January 07, 2020, 01:10:47 PM
Any time you try to summarize three movies worth of plot into one line it makes it seem silly. The "plot" of the OT is the Campbellian Hero's Journey, both over the initial movie, and again over the trilogy.
I think you misspelled "The Hidden Fortress."
I love that in this day and age it's possible to effortlessly stream so many modern movies.
I hate that in this modern day and age there is no way I can think of to watch The Hidden Fortress, which I have never seen. In fact I think the only Kurosawa movie I've ever seen was Ran (which was very good, and obviously inspired a scene in TLJ, to come full circle).
https://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Fortress-English-Subtitled/dp/B004CXGZSW
Amazon has Hidden Fortress.
Greatest horse chase scene EVAH
Quote from: Admiral Yi on January 07, 2020, 04:40:14 PM
https://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Fortress-English-Subtitled/dp/B004CXGZSW
Amazon has Hidden Fortress.
Greatest horse chase scene EVAH
Cool - I'll have to check it out.
Quote from: Barrister on January 07, 2020, 03:49:40 PM
I love that in this day and age it's possible to effortlessly stream so many modern movies.
I hate that in this modern day and age there is no way I can think of to watch The Hidden Fortress, which I have never seen. In fact I think the only Kurosawa movie I've ever seen was Ran (which was very good, and obviously inspired a scene in TLJ, to come full circle).
Check out the Criterion Channel (https://www.criterionchannel.com). They used to stream on Hulu, now it's a separate service.
Quote from: Admiral Yi on January 07, 2020, 04:40:14 PM
https://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Fortress-English-Subtitled/dp/B004CXGZSW
Amazon has Hidden Fortress.
Greatest horse chase scene EVAH
that's Amazon US. Don't know if .CA has it.
Finally saw the Rise of Skywalker.
Such lazy storytelling.
A current problem of blockbusters now is the constant need to lazily overexplain, including overexplain "overwhelming odds". The baddies do not merely have a larger army, they have 10s of thousands of planet destroying ships. And then have a good guy actually say out loud "they have 10s of thousands of planet destroying ships". And then show a planet being destroyed by said ship. And then having a good guy say that a planet has been destroyed by only one of these ships... Ugh.
Favorite use of nostalgia is Kylo Ren threatening a subordinate with the trademarked Harrison Ford's "silencing finger".
Quote from: Oexmelin on January 11, 2020, 07:23:54 PM
A current problem of blockbusters now is the constant need to lazily overexplain
You may enjoy: https://youtu.be/0oQtGCtnF2Y
Quote from: Oexmelin on January 11, 2020, 07:23:54 PM
Finally saw the Rise of Skywalker.
Such lazy storytelling.
A current problem of blockbusters now is the constant need to lazily overexplain, including overexplain "overwhelming odds". The baddies do not merely have a larger army, they have 10s of thousands of planet destroying ships. And then have a good guy actually say out loud "they have 10s of thousands of planet destroying ships". And then show a planet being destroyed by said ship. And then having a good guy say that a planet has been destroyed by only one of these ships... Ugh.
Favorite use of nostalgia is Kylo Ren threatening a subordinate with the trademarked Harrison Ford's "silencing finger".
I actually remmeber thinking "Why not a million of them?" I mean, if you are going to build 25,000 star destroyers armed with a planet killing weapon EACH, why not just make it a million? Or a billion?
As everyone int he family but me has the flu we started a subscription to HBO. I got my 5 year old boy to start watching one of those star wars cartoons, he seems to like it. It seems somewhat similar in tone to Thunderbirds which he normally watches and enjoys. Since he is into space he got a lot of Star Wars stuff for Christmas, which he didn't care about at all, so this might kindle an interest.
Disney put the guy who made the alternate Star Trek junk in charge of this. Who thought it would be good?
Quote from: MadImmortalMan on January 14, 2020, 05:45:08 AM
Disney put the guy who made the alternate Star Trek junk in charge of this. Who thought it would be good?
Hard to argue with that.
Sam Witwer (Darth Maul voice actor) breaks down the scene between Maul and Obi-Wan in Rebels (spoilers, obviously):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrkFj6iepMs
Such a nerd. :wub: :nerd:
So the boys have been on a Star Wars kick after watching Episode 9 in the theatre. We went back and started watching from Episode 1-onward. We finished Episode 4 last night.
I wanted to go back to the prequels to see if I had a new appreciation for them - given that my complaint about the new movies is no coherent storyline, and that is indeed the one thing the prequels have going for them.
But no - the writing is still bad. The dialogue is still awful. Jar Jar Binks is still terrible and racist. The 0 year old CGI is showing its age (the practical effects of ANH mostly still hold up though - although the Special Edition insertions are terrible).
There's some satisfaction from seeing the story all pull together, but I think I prefer the newer movies even with their flaws. The new movies have some just beautifully shot scenes, with nothing to really compare from the prequels. And Kylo Ren is still perhaps the most compelling character in any of the movies.
Yeah, a Spanish channel always runs a Star Wars marathon whenever a saga film comes out and I accidentally caught a glimpse of Phantom Menace. Jar Jar is even more annoying than I remembered. Lucas also inserts him and his lame humor even in dramatic scenes, completely throwing off the tone. The newer films are plagued by many issues, but they aren't the catastrophic cinematic failure that are the prequels.
Quote from: Syt on January 15, 2020, 11:10:10 AM
Sam Witwer (Darth Maul voice actor) breaks down the scene between Maul and Obi-Wan in Rebels (spoilers, obviously):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrkFj6iepMs (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrkFj6iepMs)
Such a nerd. :wub: :nerd:
I remember seeing that scene, expecting one epic duel... and in less than 10 seconds, Maul is done! What a pleasant surprise :)
Quote from: celedhring on January 16, 2020, 02:52:30 AM
Yeah, a Spanish channel always runs a Star Wars marathon whenever a saga film comes out and I accidentally caught a glimpse of Phantom Menace. Jar Jar is even more annoying than I remembered. Lucas also inserts him and his lame humor even in dramatic scenes, completely throwing off the tone. The newer films are plagued by many issues, but they aren't the catastrophic cinematic failure that are the prequels.
Funny. I was rewatching Episode VIII and thought to myself that 1-2-3 are masterpieces compared to 8 and 9 :P
Quote from: Barrister on January 15, 2020, 01:15:31 PM
So the boys have been on a Star Wars kick after watching Episode 9 in the theatre. We went back and started watching from Episode 1-onward. We finished Episode 4 last night.
I wanted to go back to the prequels to see if I had a new appreciation for them - given that my complaint about the new movies is no coherent storyline, and that is indeed the one thing the prequels have going for them.
But no - the writing is still bad. The dialogue is still awful. Jar Jar Binks is still terrible and racist. The 0 year old CGI is showing its age (the practical effects of ANH mostly still hold up though - although the Special Edition insertions are terrible).
I read an article in the AV Club which pointed out CGI made it possible for George Lucas to put up his vision on the screen: which turned out to be an ugly and over-saturated mess. The limitations of practical effects forced him to make a better movie.
QuoteThere's some satisfaction from seeing the story all pull together, but I think I prefer the newer movies even with their flaws. The new movies have some just beautifully shot scenes, with nothing to really compare from the prequels. And Kylo Ren is still perhaps the most compelling character in any of the movies.
Kylo Ren was one of the better anti-heroes in recent memory; it's a shame he got stuck in such dumb movies.
A bit of trivia from The Mandalorian, for those of you who were not entirely familiar with the whole universe :)
Moff Gideon's weird sword (https://www.thewrap.com/the-mandalorian-what-you-need-to-know-about-moff-gideon-weird-sword-black-lightsaber-darksaber-rebels-clone-wars/)
And, finally, maybe some good news on the Star Wars movie front! :)
Taika Waititi in Early Talks to Develop 'Star Wars' Movie (https://variety.com/2020/film/news/taika-waititi-star-wars-movie-1203470052/)
Yes please, Taika Waititi directing a Star Wars movie would great.
https://ew.com/movies/2020/01/16/taika-waititi-star-wars-movie-report/
After what he did with Thor 3 that is indeed promising
They need to reboot the entire thing.
Quote from: 11B4V on January 17, 2020, 08:23:24 PM
They need to reboot the entire thing.
I saw it last night and could not agree more!
In case I am not the last one to see it I will use spoiler quotes
[spoiler]Turns out the rebels had overwhelming firepower and support with which they could have taken out the bad guys at any time. The implication is their leadership, including the Skywalker siblings, were totally inept.
The only thing saving the good guys from their inept leadership is that Palpatine was a terrible father and grandfather. But even so, his plan almost worked because the Skywalkers didn't do anything to help/protect the one person in the whole galaxy that mattered - even though they knew who and how important she was.
Lastly, it turns out Han and Leia really were terrible parents and didnt show love to their son until it was to late for him.
But lots of nice fan stroking to keep the fanbois from walking away completely.[/spoiler]
Meanwhile, in the New Yorker ...
(https://i.redd.it/mtp8z54tt1c41.jpg)
Quote from: crazy canuck on January 19, 2020, 11:56:43 AM
Quote from: 11B4V on January 17, 2020, 08:23:24 PM
They need to reboot the entire thing.
I saw it last night and could not agree more!
No, no! please no. No more Skywalker! Please.
Well, without a reboot that is exactly what you are going to get.
A full reboot of the entire series.
1-6 could be well done with a reboot assuming you had good people doing it, of course.
7-9 The story itself is such a mess, Im not sure what you could do in a reboot unless you REALLY rebooted....
No reboot, please. Just go elsewhere in the galaxy and do a tangentially-related story. The universe has room for plenty of shit besides a rehashed Skywalker tale.
Quote from: Habbaku on January 21, 2020, 11:39:24 AM
No reboot, please. Just go elsewhere in the galaxy and do a tangentially-related story. The universe has room for plenty of shit besides a rehashed Skywalker tale.
One would think...
Mandalorian--which people are inexplicably raving over--has very little attachment to the Skywalker tale. If they can make that work, they can make a film work. Disney does not lack for money or for talent.
I really, really hope Waititi takes the job.
Even Mandalorian had a connection to the EPIC BATTLE BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL through baby Yoda.
That's not really Yoda as a baby. Just a member of the same race.
asoka
Quote from: Zoupa on January 21, 2020, 02:57:04 PM
That's not really Yoda as a baby. Just a member of the same race.
But based on the babies age (50 some odd years old) e could still be a Yoda clone
Quote from: HVC on January 21, 2020, 03:04:21 PM
Quote from: Zoupa on January 21, 2020, 02:57:04 PM
That's not really Yoda as a baby. Just a member of the same race.
But based on the babies age (50 some odd years old) e could still be a Yoda clone
Kuill, who said he had worked with clones, said that it looked naturally evolved, not lab grown.
They are making an Obi-Wan series, so there will probably be more Skywalker stuff, at least to some degree.
There are also persistent rumors about some kind of Old Republic project.
Eh, quite sure there's plenty Obi Wan did without those Skywalker twats.
Quote from: 11B4V on January 22, 2020, 05:25:08 AM
Eh, quite sure there's plenty Obi Wan did without those Skywalker twats.
He was not yet a full Jedi when he met Anakin. So unless this is going to be about the time he spent living as a hermit there isn't going to be much to tell that is not related to the Skywalker clan.
Quote from: crazy canuck on January 22, 2020, 12:37:30 PM
Quote from: 11B4V on January 22, 2020, 05:25:08 AM
Eh, quite sure there's plenty Obi Wan did without those Skywalker twats.
He was not yet a full Jedi when he met Anakin. So unless this is going to be about the time he spent living as a hermit there isn't going to be much to tell that is not related to the Skywalker clan.
Well the idea is to use Ewan McGregor, so it certainly won't be about Kenobi's time as a Padawan, and rather his time on Tattoine,
But while we know young Luke perceived Kenobi as being something of a hermit, he made have had more going on his his life than we think.
But that being said, I'm pretty negative on prequels of existing characters, so unless they have just some really compelling story to be told I'd rather they just leave it alone.
After episode 9, I am no longer interested in Star Wars content.
@BB They are going to have to break with the established story then. At the end of III Obi Wan takes baby Luke to Tattooine and stays there as his protector.
Quote from: Hamilcar on January 22, 2020, 01:13:54 PM
After episode 9, I am no longer interested in Star Wars content.
your potential loss. You take the good with the bad, really.
Apparently there's going to be a final season of CLone Wars, the animated show, which I'm interested in. I'm interested in season 2 of Mandalorian.
I've still never watched Solo though.
If it looks like it's going to be good, I'll watch. If it looks like it'll be bad, I won't.
Quote from: Barrister on January 22, 2020, 01:28:19 PMApparently there's going to be a final season of CLone Wars, the animated show, which I'm interested in.
The trailer dropped today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLW2jkd6E7g
Quote from: crazy canuck on January 22, 2020, 01:15:20 PM
@BB They are going to have to break with the established story then. At the end of III Obi Wan takes baby Luke to Tattooine and stays there as his protector.
I am aware of this.
Luke hardly knew Kenobi, so Kenobi had lots of time to be doing
something. He was there for 18-20 years.
Now, maybe it's just adventure among the jawas and sand people. Really more of a western theme (though Mandalorian is leaning pretty hard in that direction). Or of course maybe he leaves from time to time.
You will recall that Obi Wan did not even have a ship - that is why they met Han Solo. He was not checking in on Luke in between adventures. He was there for the duration.
Quote from: crazy canuck on January 22, 2020, 01:39:34 PM
You will recall that Obi Wan did not even have a ship - that is why they met Han Solo. He was not checking in on Luke in between adventures. He was there for the duration.
1. Perhaps he still had his Jedi Starfighter - which is a single seater.
2. Perhaps he didn't have a shp when Luke met him, but he did earlier (and lost it somehow).
Finally, it's not like some inconsistencies haven't slipped in at this point anyways. Remember Obi-wan saying to R2 "I don't remember ever owning a droid before"? Well he had a droid in his aforementioned Jedi Starfighter, but of course he's known R2 for years and years in the prequels!
Two wrongs don't make a right :P
Quote from: Syt on January 21, 2020, 03:12:24 PM
Quote from: HVC on January 21, 2020, 03:04:21 PM
Quote from: Zoupa on January 21, 2020, 02:57:04 PM
That's not really Yoda as a baby. Just a member of the same race.
But based on the babies age (50 some odd years old) e could still be a Yoda clone
Kuill, who said he had worked with clones, said that it looked naturally evolved, not lab grown.
Perhaps that means not aged fast like the clone troopers but aged naturally a la Boba Fett.
Quote from: Barrister on January 22, 2020, 01:28:19 PM
Quote from: Hamilcar on January 22, 2020, 01:13:54 PM
After episode 9, I am no longer interested in Star Wars content.
your potential loss. You take the good with the bad, really.
Apparently there's going to be a final season of CLone Wars, the animated show, which I'm interested in. I'm interested in season 2 of Mandalorian.
I've still never watched Solo though.
If it looks like it's going to be good, I'll watch. If it looks like it'll be bad, I won't.
I don't see it as a loss. I can't unsee the sequel movies, and they ruin the fundamental mythology of the universe. So, even if they create superb content, I'm no longer interested.
Quote from: Hamilcar on January 23, 2020, 07:20:44 AM
Quote from: Barrister on January 22, 2020, 01:28:19 PM
Quote from: Hamilcar on January 22, 2020, 01:13:54 PM
After episode 9, I am no longer interested in Star Wars content.
your potential loss. You take the good with the bad, really.
Apparently there's going to be a final season of CLone Wars, the animated show, which I'm interested in. I'm interested in season 2 of Mandalorian.
I've still never watched Solo though.
If it looks like it's going to be good, I'll watch. If it looks like it'll be bad, I won't.
I don't see it as a loss. I can't unsee the sequel movies, and they ruin the fundamental mythology of the universe. So, even if they create superb content, I'm no longer interested.
That situation, where you are quiting SW, is both a great resolution for you & for the SW universe.
Quote from: Hamilcar on January 23, 2020, 07:20:44 AM
I don't see it as a loss. I can't unsee the sequel movies, and they ruin the fundamental mythology of the universe. So, even if they create superb content, I'm no longer interested.
I never saw that the Star Wars universe even had a "fundamental mythology" other than "The Force is powerful but can be used for evil as easily as for good" without ever deciding just what The Force was.
That was okay for three movies, which were fantasy types with "the force" substituting for magic, but it couldn't sustain any closer examination, which is what made the attempt in the second three movies to transform the genre from fantasy to science fiction so awkward and unsatisfying. I've not seen any of the "mainstream" stories since the awful "episode 7" but liked Rogue One quite a lot.
I think they need to set aside the tired and cliched "hero's journey to save the universe" story lines and just do stories. The hero's journey, if they still want to follow the quest-type story lines, should mostly be internal anyway, and the external quest need not involve the force or the fate of the universe.
They could reboot, but not for a decade or so.
Quote from: Hamilcar on January 23, 2020, 07:20:44 AM
I don't see it as a loss. I can't unsee the sequel movies, and they ruin the fundamental mythology of the universe. So, even if they create superb content, I'm no longer interested.
I don't get this. What is "the fundamental mythology of the universe"?
The Force and Obi Wan's description of it in the first movie as a metaphysical concept. You may have been too young to notice the huge impact that had on popular culture in the 70s. Lucas decided the go another direction after he became born again.
Quote from: crazy canuck on January 23, 2020, 11:24:10 AM
The Force and Obi Wan's description of it in the first movie as a metaphysical concept. You may have been too young to notice the huge impact that had on popular culture in the 70s. Lucas decided the go another direction after he became born again.
But Hamilcar said it was the sequel movies (aka the recent Disney movies) that ruined the "fundamental mythology". Thus I don't think he's talking about midichlorines.
Never heard that Lucas was "born again". His wiki page says he self-describes as "Buddhist methodist", and was raised as a Methodist.
Buddhist methodist? How? :D There's either afterlife and eventual ressurection according to the Bible, or reincarnation, you cannot have both.
Quote from: Tamas on January 23, 2020, 11:52:41 AM
Buddhist methodist? How? :D There's either afterlife and eventual ressurection according to the Bible, or reincarnation, you cannot have both.
I couldn't tell you. Here's the source for the wiki line if you're interested.
https://www.adherents.com/people/pl/George_Lucas.html
That explains his religious views when he made the first movies.
Quote from: Barrister on January 22, 2020, 01:28:19 PM
I've still never watched Solo though.
If it looks like it's going to be good, I'll watch. If it looks like it'll be bad, I won't.
Solo is good. Compared to IX, it is a masterpiece.
Quote from: Barrister on January 22, 2020, 01:47:28 PM
Finally, it's not like some inconsistencies haven't slipped in at this point anyways. Remember Obi-wan saying to R2 "I don't remember ever owning a droid before"? Well he had a droid in his aforementioned Jedi Starfighter, but of course he's known R2 for years and years in the prequels!
he might not have owned it, the way the Skywalkers "owned" R2-D2. It belonged to the Republic, and he just go it with his starfighter for the battle.
That he did not recognize R2D2 is silly though.
Quote from: viper37 on January 23, 2020, 07:34:15 PM
Quote from: Barrister on January 22, 2020, 01:47:28 PM
Finally, it's not like some inconsistencies haven't slipped in at this point anyways. Remember Obi-wan saying to R2 "I don't remember ever owning a droid before"? Well he had a droid in his aforementioned Jedi Starfighter, but of course he's known R2 for years and years in the prequels!
he might not have owned it, the way the Skywalkers "owned" R2-D2. It belonged to the Republic, and he just go it with his starfighter for the battle.
That he did not recognize R2D2 is silly though.
One possible explanation is that he was being deceptive about his real identity and more importantly Luke's true identity - which Luke did not learn until his confrontation with Vader.
He could have easily said R2 belonged to his father.
Quote from: grumbler on January 23, 2020, 07:55:32 AM
Quote from: Hamilcar on January 23, 2020, 07:20:44 AM
I don't see it as a loss. I can't unsee the sequel movies, and they ruin the fundamental mythology of the universe. So, even if they create superb content, I'm no longer interested.
I never saw that the Star Wars universe even had a "fundamental mythology" other than "The Force is powerful but can be used for evil as easily as for good" without ever deciding just what The Force was.
over the years, movies, series, animes, books, comics, games, even when not canon today have built upon tiny bits of dialogue here&there in the original movies or the prequels to build some kind of mythology on the Force, how it can be use, what it can do, what are the technicalities of super lightspeed travels, etc, etc.
Even if you throw away the specific story lines to make new movies, you don't have to vomit over everything that was done to give flesh to that universe.
Quote from: The Minsky Moment on January 24, 2020, 11:31:44 AM
He could have easily said R2 belonged to his father.
Sure but why make the further lie that Vader killed his father more elaborate.
Obi Wan series is back to the drawing board and delayed.
https://www.denofgeek.com/us/tv/star-wars/285517/obi-wan-kenobi-disney-series-placed-on-hold
They must have read our thread
Quote from: Barrister on January 23, 2020, 10:47:21 AM
Quote from: Hamilcar on January 23, 2020, 07:20:44 AM
I don't see it as a loss. I can't unsee the sequel movies, and they ruin the fundamental mythology of the universe. So, even if they create superb content, I'm no longer interested.
I don't get this. What is "the fundamental mythology of the universe"?
Two fundamental ideas that the sequels and ep 9 especially, completely ignored:
1. Saving people from death is a legendary dark side ability. Palpatine uses it as a bait to convert Anakin, leading to the downfall of the Jedi. I always thought that Palpatine was lying to Anakin, and that no such ability exists. But if it does, it's open only to the dark side. Yet Rey just uses it, without training, and without any negative consequences.
2. The Star Wars saga was all about Anakin bringing balance to the force. Yet he was entirely missing from the sequels. It's a bit like doing a Christian movie and just ignoring Jesus.
Quote from: Hamilcar on January 25, 2020, 02:04:49 PM
Quote from: Barrister on January 23, 2020, 10:47:21 AM
Quote from: Hamilcar on January 23, 2020, 07:20:44 AM
I don't see it as a loss. I can't unsee the sequel movies, and they ruin the fundamental mythology of the universe. So, even if they create superb content, I'm no longer interested.
I don't get this. What is "the fundamental mythology of the universe"?
Two fundamental ideas that the sequels and ep 9 especially, completely ignored:
1. Saving people from death is a legendary dark side ability. Palpatine uses it as a bait to convert Anakin, leading to the downfall of the Jedi. I always thought that Palpatine was lying to Anakin, and that no such ability exists. But if it does, it's open only to the dark side. Yet Rey just uses it, without training, and without any negative consequences.
It is not a legendary dark side ability. Palpatine says his former master researched this.
There is no ability restricted to the dark side or the light side, it's mostly about the "fuel" you're using. Use anger = dark side. Be at peace = light side. Generally speaking, choking someone is not done while you're at peace ;) hence, it's associated to the dark side.
Since darksiders don't care much about others, healing powers are generally associated to the light side.
Quote
2. The Star Wars saga was all about Anakin bringing balance to the force. Yet he was entirely missing from the sequels. It's a bit like doing a Christian movie and just ignoring Jesus.
He did it, twice over. Or just once, depends on how you see things.
He destroyed the Jedi when they were too powerful, too arrogant, too blind to the obvious.
He destroyed the Sith when they were too powerful, too arrogant, too blind to the obvious.
His job is done.
That's the thing though. He didn't destroy the Sith, since "The dead speak!" and "Somehow, Palpatine survived".
:bleeding: x 1000
Quote from: crazy canuck on January 25, 2020, 11:09:34 AM
They must have read our thread
could happen! ;)
We laugh, but I was one day surprised to see some of my more detailed political positions make it to the provincial Liberal campaign... Turns out a future Liberal minister was visiting our political forum "undercover" to take notes :)
I'm unreasonably hyped for this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=60&v=oggRmtYFHiA&feature=emb_logo
Disagree
You are not being unreasonable
Finally saw the movie (rented on Amazon prime), it wasn't bad but I did get a little bored or tired toward the end. Really should have avoided adding in new characters in the middle of the last movie.
I'm really enjoying this last season of The Clone Wars :)
[spoiler]
The lightsabe duel between Ashoka and Darth Maul was amazing[/spoiler]
I feel like a little kid who's seeing Star Wars for the first time everytime I watch that. :)
Finaly episodes this Friday and Monday May the 4th be with you.
[spoiler]
Next week will deal with Order 66[/spoiler]
I really enjoyed Rogue One, what a marvelous homage! Parts 6,7 and 8 were absolute dogshit though, with atrocious writing. Sorry, I'll leave now.
Spot on
Quote from: fromtia on April 29, 2020, 03:50:47 PM
I really enjoyed Rogue One, what a marvelous homage! Parts 6,7 and 8 were absolute dogshit though, with atrocious writing. Sorry, I'll leave now.
Don't be sorry, it's not your fault Disney did a worst job than Lucas did with the prequels :P
But that's 7,8 and 9.
Rewatching Episode I. Damn it's bad. But still better than Episode 8 and 9.
The whole "It's Disney's fault" creed has become a nasty political mantra online.
Damn is not liking Disney now a political stance? I miss being able to dislike Disney and Donald Trump apolitically.
Quote from: Oexmelin on April 30, 2020, 08:01:56 PM
The whole "It's Disney's fault" creed has become a nasty political mantra online.
Really? I have yet to come accross that. You sure find the good ones. I have someone like that on my Facebook, everywhere there's Quebec bashing, he's there to see it.
It not hard to find. Pick any random youtube video discussing Star Wars. There are always tons of variations on "Disney ruined Star Wars with SJW/PC culture!!!".
I don't get the hate for and anger at the movies. I can understand that people might be disappointed that they don't get what they hope for, but the vitriol and fury often seen is ridiculous. It's a bunch of movies, FFS. :rolleyes:
Episode 8 was mostly excellent and took the story into a new direction. Episode 9 should have followed through instead of rolling everything back.
Quote from: Solmyr on May 01, 2020, 02:33:49 AM
Episode 8 was mostly excellent and took the story into a new direction. Episode 9 should have followed through instead of rolling everything back.
I tend to agree on this take of the new trilogy, going back to Abrams for Ep 9 was a mistake.
Quote from: Solmyr on May 01, 2020, 02:33:49 AM
Episode 8 was mostly excellent and took the story into a new direction. Episode 9 should have followed through instead of rolling everything back.
:yes:
Quote from: Syt on May 01, 2020, 01:45:00 AM
I don't get the hate for and anger at the movies. I can understand that people might be disappointed that they don't get what they hope for, but the vitriol and fury often seen is ridiculous. It's a bunch of movies, FFS. :rolleyes:
Feel my boundless rage. grrrr. grrrrr. :mad:
Quote from: Oexmelin on May 01, 2020, 01:43:17 AM
It not hard to find. Pick any random youtube video discussing Star Wars. There are always tons of variations on "Disney ruined Star Wars with SJW/PC culture!!!".
Oh I agree absolutely. Right wing trolls suddenly becoming experts on writerly tropes and banging on endlessly about Rey being a "Mary Sue" and so on, just furious that there's a female lead or that the rebel fighters in Rogue One weren't sufficiently white. Absolutely bonkers. Still, the writing
is terrible. I take it with a pinch of salt of course, because it's not as if the original trilogy was a screenwriting masterpiece.
Quote from: Solmyr on May 01, 2020, 02:33:49 AM
Episode 8 was mostly excellent and took the story into a new direction. Episode 9 should have followed through instead of rolling everything back.
I thought it was a nonsensical mess. But I guess in Episode 8 they did something that somebody liked, even if it wasn't me. They probably should have stuck with that.
But hey how about if you are going to write a trilogy of films you have them planned out beforehand with character arcs and themes and plots instead of trying to do something radically different with each film?
At any rate, I need to catch up on the final season of Clone Wars. :)
Quote from: fromtia on May 01, 2020, 11:00:08 AM
Quote from: Oexmelin on May 01, 2020, 01:43:17 AM
It not hard to find. Pick any random youtube video discussing Star Wars. There are always tons of variations on "Disney ruined Star Wars with SJW/PC culture!!!".
Oh I agree absolutely. Right wing trolls suddenly becoming experts on writerly tropes and banging on endlessly about Rey being a "Mary Sue" and so on, just furious that there's a female lead or that the rebel fighters in Rogue One weren't sufficiently white. Absolutely bonkers. Still, the writing is terrible. I take it with a pinch of salt of course, because it's not as if the original trilogy was a screenwriting masterpiece.
Well I would disagree only in the sense that in the original trilogy (Well the first two movies) were laser focused on the story they were telling and what the themes were and how the characters were going to develop and there was little wasted time and everything was followed through on. I mean I guess that just means they were competently constructed. That is far more than I can say for any of the other movies.
So were they screenwriting masterpieces? I mean probably not but you could probably teach a class on competent screenwriting using them as positive examples.
Quote from: Valmy on May 01, 2020, 11:07:14 AM
Well I would disagree only in the sense that in the original trilogy (Well the first two movies) were laser focused on the story they were telling and what the themes were and how the characters were going to develop and there was little wasted time and everything was followed through on. I mean I guess that just means they were competently constructed. That is far more than I can say for any of the other movies.
So were they screenwriting masterpieces? I mean probably not but you could probably teach a class on competent screenwriting using them as positive examples.
I agree completely. Compared to 7,8 and 9 they shine in this department.
Quote from: Valmy on May 01, 2020, 11:02:52 AM
But hey how about if you are going to write a trilogy of films you have them planned out beforehand with character arcs and themes and plots instead of trying to do something radically different with each film?
It baffles me why they wouldn't do this. You know you're going to make 3 movies - why not plot out the story you want to tell right from the beginning?
But then again - JJ Abrams is the fellow who brought us Lost, which did the exact same thing... :frusty:
I watched a recap of the leaked original Colin Trevorrow's script of Episode 9. It made a bit more sense, if only a bit. :D
Lucas was the guy who had singular control over the original movies, even if he didn't direct all of them.
The sequels had a room full of suits gathered around a table trying to please Bob Iger.
Quote from: FunkMonk on May 01, 2020, 11:20:41 AM
Lucas was the guy who had singular control over the original movies, even if he didn't direct all of them.
The sequels had a room full of suits gathered around a table trying to please Bob Iger.
Yeah and that really shows when you watch the movies. They watch like a collection of bolt on moments and set pieces pulled out of a box, intended to maximize revenues and then haphazardly assembled.
I prefer the Old Republic timeline, anyway. More variety, and since it's no longer canon, it's not being screwed up by Disney. :D
Quote from: FunkMonk on May 01, 2020, 11:20:41 AM
Lucas was the guy who had singular control over the original movies, even if he didn't direct all of them.
The sequels had a room full of suits gathered around a table trying to please Bob Iger.
Well that person with singular control was supposed to be Kathleen Kennedy, who was hand-picked by Lucas.
Dave Filoni is the fan favorite at Lucas at the moment. Fans love his Clone Wars and Rebels work, and his fingerprints are all over The Mandalorian.
JJ Abrams is a hack and I'm not sure why anyone expected him to do anything but hack work. His SW movies are exemplary of his usual MO: all flash and action, devoid of substance or character.
Quote from: Solmyr on May 01, 2020, 11:24:29 AM
I prefer the Old Republic timeline, anyway. More variety, and since it's no longer canon, it's not being screwed up by Disney. :D
I do love those two video games.
Imperial propaganda video. For kids! :D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJYRSIDelWU
Quote from: Solmyr on May 01, 2020, 02:33:49 AM
Episode 8 was mostly excellent and took the story into a new direction. Episode 9 should have followed through instead of rolling everything back.
Yeah I generally agree. I really liked the whole Rey from nowhere idea and found the last scene really stirring of the kids finding the symbol of the revolt - and I was interested in what direction they were going to go with that.
Instead we got "somehow Palpatine returned" :lol:
Quote from: Sheilbh on May 02, 2020, 11:34:17 AMInstead we got "somehow Palpatine returned" :lol:
:bleeding:
The more I think of it, the worst it looks. That must have been an asspull belonging to the asspull Hall of Fame.
The new trilogy is bad bad bad. Palpatine returning means episodes 1-6 mean nothing.
Vader's redemption was for naught.
My headcannon is the new trilogy doesn't exist.
Quote from: Sheilbh on May 02, 2020, 11:34:17 AM
Quote from: Solmyr on May 01, 2020, 02:33:49 AM
Episode 8 was mostly excellent and took the story into a new direction. Episode 9 should have followed through instead of rolling everything back.
Yeah I generally agree. I really liked the whole Rey from nowhere idea and found the last scene really stirring of the kids finding the symbol of the revolt - and I was interested in what direction they were going to go with that.
Instead we got "somehow Palpatine returned" :lol:
"Noooooo you can't just regurgitate old characters and stories forever!"
"HAHA, EMPEROR LIGHTNING HANDS GO BZZZZZZ"
Quote from: Oexmelin on April 30, 2020, 08:01:56 PM
The whole "It's Disney's fault" creed has become a nasty political mantra online.
To be fair, they do shit like this:
(https://i.imgur.com/4HrJ63g.jpg)
I saw episode 9 for the first time yesterday.
At first, if I had to review it, I would rate it positively. It was fast paced, action packed, moved the story along to a decent conclusion. keep in mind it's a movie primarily aimed at children, not 50 year olds. The thing I liked most, is it didn't have a stupid chariot race, annoying character, etc etc.
But then, as i thought about it, about what I liked, I realized that from the series point of view, not as a stand alone, it was terrible. I agree. The first premise: Palpatine returns. What? Is that the best premise for the movie you got.
Then it falls on the usual tropes. Big, bad powerful empire have big, bad, powerful WMD--but it's got a fatal flaw. You'd think they have learned from DS 1 and 2. You have the usual "Quest to find something that leads you to a desert, exotic planet." And then, of course, the parental lineage reveal.
I thought at the end Ray was a bit of a bitch. Why did she say her last name was Skywalker? her parents weren't baddies. they tried to save her, no? Why abandon them that way. Bitch.
But as a final episode, I enjoyed the few throws to the older series. The ruined DS, Endor, the Ewoks, Han, Luke, Leia, Luke's old ship, etc.
It was enjoyable--as a stand alone.
Quote from: Josephus on May 03, 2020, 06:53:11 AM
But then, as i thought about it, about what I liked, I realized that from the series point of view, not as a stand alone, it was terrible. I agree.
That's Abrams hallmark. The more you think about it the less you'll like it.
The reason the new Star Wars movies suck is The Empire Strikes Back :P
http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20200430-star-wars-why-the-empire-strikes-back-is-overrated
QuoteWhy The Empire Strikes Back is Overrated
The general consensus is that the second in the original Star Wars trilogy - released 40 years ago - is the best. In fact, it's to blame for the franchise's problems, writes Nicholas Barber.
It's 40 years this month since The Empire Strikes Back was released, and for most of that time the second film in the Star Wars series has been enshrined as the best: the darkest, the most complex, the most mature. Directed by Irvin Kershner, it's the Star Wars episode with the highest score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes (94%) and from viewers on Imdb (8.7), and the one that is said to elevate the saga as a whole. "It is because of the emotions stirred in Empire," wrote Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times when the film was re-released in 1997, "that the entire series takes on a mythic quality that resonates back to the first and ahead to the third. This is the heart."
I wish I could agree. This might come across as a contrarian hot take, but it seems obvious to me that the best film in the Star Wars series is, in fact, Star Wars. (I know we're supposed to call it 'A New Hope' these days, but it was called Star Wars when it came out in 1977, so that's good enough for me.) What's more, it seems obvious that The Empire Strikes Back is the source of all the franchise's problems. Whatever issues we geeks grumble about when we're discussing the numerous prequels and sequels, they can all be traced back to 1980.
I should add, before too many people attempt a Darth Vader-style Force choke through the internet, that I wouldn't be saying this if I wasn't in awe of what George Lucas accomplished as the writer, director and producer of the original Star Wars. That swashbuckling adventure! Those iconic characters! That lived-in world with its wealth of history, mythology, politics and technology! I'm not completely happy with Alec Guinness's toupee, but otherwise Lucas's masterpiece gets more astonishing with every re-watch.
Then came The Empire Strikes Back – a gloomier film, admittedly, but also a slower, stodgier, more contrived, convoluted and repetitive one. Again, I'm not being perverse here. In 1980, several critics were underwhelmed, including Vincent Canby of the New York Times, who stated that the sequel wasn't "as fresh and funny and surprising and witty" as Star Wars. It was, he believed, "a big, expensive, time-consuming, essentially mechanical operation".
I wouldn't go that far, but let's be sensible about this. The production design is clearly not on the same level as Star Wars. The Rebel base on the ice planet looks roughly what you'd expect a Rebel base on an ice planet to look like; the plain white plastic corridors of Cloud City could have been salvaged from the studio bins after a Star Trek film had wrapped. These shortcomings are disguised by Peter Suschitzky's atmospheric cinematography. (A master of shadows, reflections and deep colour, he would go on to be David Cronenberg's regular director of photography.) But not even Suschitzky's spine-tingling work could improve the derivative story.
Key events in Star Wars include Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) being knocked unconscious by a wilderness alien; Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) being captured by Darth Vader (Dave Prowse's body paired with James Earl Jones's voice); Luke learning about the Force from a Jedi master in a remote cave; a lightsaber duel that ends badly for the good guys; a 'scoundrel' abandoning the Rebels before having a change of heart; and a protracted battle between the ranks of the Rebel Alliance and the heavily armed Empire. Switch around the order of those events, and you've got The Empire Strikes Back. And while the screenwriters, Lawrence Kasdan and Leigh Brackett, did a clever job of revising and reshuffling our favourite scenes, that hardly compares to Lucas's achievement of dreaming up those scenes in the first place.
'Setting a bad example'
But here's where things get tricky. My grievance with The Empire Strikes Back isn't that it sticks to the winning formula established by Star Wars: that's what most sequels do, after all. My grievance is that it also betrays Star Wars, trashing so much of the good work that was done three years earlier. My un-Jedi-like anger bubbles up even before the first scene – at the beginning of the 'opening crawl' of introductory text, to be precise. "It is a dark time for the Rebellion," says this prose preamble. "Although the Death Star has been destroyed, Imperial troops have driven the Rebel forces from their hidden base and pursued them across the galaxy."
Haaaaang on a minute. "Although the Death Star has been destroyed"? "Although"? The sole aim of the heroes and heroines in Star Wars was to destroy the Death Star, a humungous planet-pulverising spaceship of crucial strategic importance to the Empire. One of their big cheeses announced that "fear of this battle station" would keep every dissenter in line. Another hailed it as "the ultimate power in the universe". But now the Rebels' demolishing of the ultimate power in the universe is waved aside with an "although"? That, frankly, is not on. And it's just the first of many instances when The Empire Strikes Back asks us to pretend that Star Wars didn't happen.
Remember that scene in Star Wars when an Imperial admiral mocked Darth Vader for his "sad devotion to that ancient [Jedi] religion"? Forget it – because in The Empire Strikes Back we're told that the Emperor himself is devoted to the same religion. And what about Obi-Wan Kenobi? Remember how he started training Luke to be a Jedi knight partly because his previous pupil, Darth Vader, turned to the Dark Side of the Force? Narrative logic demands that the ghostly Obi-Wan should keep on training Luke in The Empire Strikes Back, and send his new apprentice into combat against his old one. Forget it. The poor chap is cold-shouldered so that Yoda can train Luke instead.
Watching Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back one after the other is like watching a hijacking: you're seeing a juggernaut being held up and driven in another direction. You can sense that Lucas and his team aren't focusing on the current film any more – they're setting up the third part in what would now be a trilogy – and they are no longer interested in wars in the stars. Despite its title, The Empire Strikes Back is rarely about the Alliance v the Empire, it's about who is related to whom and who is in love with whom (the two sometimes overlap). It twists the saga from the political to the personal, from space opera to soap opera. Is it possible to say whether the Empire is better or worse off at the end of the film, after all that supposed striking back? Not really. None of that matters, apparently, compared to the booming declaration: "I am your father!"
If The Empire Strikes Back had been a one-off, I could have forgiven it by now. But what about all the many films that have used it as a model – all the films that have tarnished Star Wars by contradicting its mythos and obsessing over its family trees? All the tiresome dramatic revelations which have tried and failed to be as mind-blowing as the one about Luke's lineage? I was annoyed when Qui-Gon Jinn was shoehorned into Obi Wan's past in The Phantom Menace, annoyed when Rey became Palpatine's granddaughter (or something) in The Rise of Skywalker, annoyed when the emergence of the all-conquering First Order in The Force Awakens reduced everything done by Luke, Leia and Han Solo to a footnote. But I accept that the writers and directors of those films were only following The Empire Strikes Back's bad example.
It's not just Star Wars films that have made the exasperating mistake of prioritising franchise-building over simply making a good film, either. Think of all those films and TV shows that assume we'll jump for joy when the villain is revealed to be Sherlock Holmes' sister or James Bond's childhood pal. Think of all those superhero blockbusters that waste time teeing up the next instalment in the series. I'm sorry, but The Empire Strikes Back has to take the blame for all of them. Search your feelings, you know it to be true.
I don't quite agree with this opinion that ESB is overrated, but he's IMHO not quite wrong about the soap opera-fication of the franchise since then, connecting all the dots and establishing all the family trees, either literally (Boba Fett's parentage, the Skywalker family, Palpatine's progeny) or figuratively (Yoda trained Dooku trained Qui-Gon trained Obi-Wan trained Anakin). It's a bit of what I call "plot royalty" where family members of people from the original cast of a franchise are also important because their parents/grandparents were, often following in their footsteps. Or, alternatively, "This person is awesome, because his/her parents were awesome."
yeah, I agree with most of what he says. I think it can be summed up thusly: The Star Wars sequels have mostly been paint by numbers movies. Here's the template, now fill it up.
Quote from: Josephus on May 03, 2020, 07:59:22 AM
yeah, I agree with most of what he says. I think it can be summed up thusly: The Star Wars sequels have mostly been paint by numbers movies. Here's the template, now fill it up.
Thanks, Jos, that probably explains why I've not seen more than one or two of the films subsequent to the original three.
Quote from: Syt on May 03, 2020, 07:15:05 AM
The reason the new Star Wars movies suck is The Empire Strikes Back
I disagree. They already made a big deal about Luke's father in the first movie.
Making Leia Luke's sister was pretty stupid though. But the obsession over who was descended from who is not why these movies suck, that is a tiny side issue. I mean it doesn't help having something that stupid repeated over and over again but generally the reason they suck is because they all just fail basic story telling. You can tell a good story based on obsessing over family trees.
Quote from: Habbaku on May 01, 2020, 12:41:37 PM
JJ Abrams is a hack and I'm not sure why anyone expected him to do anything but hack work. His SW movies are exemplary of his usual MO: all flash and action, devoid of substance or character.
I liked Alias. The first few seasons at least. By the end, it became weird, but still, I liked it at first.
Quote from: Valmy on May 01, 2020, 01:17:54 PM
Quote from: Solmyr on May 01, 2020, 11:24:29 AM
I prefer the Old Republic timeline, anyway. More variety, and since it's no longer canon, it's not being screwed up by Disney. :D
I do love those two video games.
3. There is one MMORPG ;)
Taika Waititi to direct and co-write a new theatrical Star Wars movie.
https://www.starwars.com/news/taika-waititi-announce
I am: cautious optimistic. Waititi was involved in The Mandalorian (voiced IG-11, directed season 1 finale), Jo Jo Rabbit was well received (still need to see it) and of course Thor: Ragnarok was great.
So, after rumors emerged a few months ago, it's confirmed that Waititi will direct a Star Wars film. Interesting choice. I mean, a completely different style to classical Star Wars, but after the blandness of the new trilogy I look forward something with a bit more creativeness behind it.
EDIT: Barrister'd by a minute! :lol:
Watched the final season of Clone Wars yesterday and today. Damn, they upped the animation and fidelity some more. Also, more stuff going on in the background; e.g. ships now feel crowded etc.
Three arcs, 4 episodes each:
First arc: fun action romp. Kind of like Republic Commandos, if the Commandos were action movie clichés - the sniper, the tech guy, the big brawny guy who likes explosions, and the boss/scout. 7.5/10
Second arc: Ahsoka meets two young ladies trying to get rich, and they have some adventures with criminals. 6.5/10
Third arc: Ahsoka and Bo-Katan Kryze travel to Mandalore to liberate it/capture Darth Maul. Actually, it's less 4 episodes and more a movie cut into parts. The story runs parallel to the events in Episode III. Fantastic story, and a good way to close out the series. Wouldn't recommend to someone who hasn't watched the show, because a lot of the impact comes from knowing the characters and their backstories. 9.5/10
Quote from: Barrister on May 04, 2020, 12:57:39 PM
Taika Waititi to direct and co-write a new theatrical Star Wars movie.
https://www.starwars.com/news/taika-waititi-announce
I am: cautious optimistic. Waititi was involved in The Mandalorian (voiced IG-11, directed season 1 finale), Jo Jo Rabbit was well received (still need to see it) and of course Thor: Ragnarok was great.
I hope it's a film about the two scout troopers at the start of the final Mandalorian episode. :P
In how many projects is Waititi involved at the moment? He is doing stuff for Marvel (directing the new Thor movie), DC (acting in the new Suicide Squad), his own projects (reading now about him I just discovered that he's directing a comedy about Michael Fassbender being the coach of the American Samoa football team :lol: ), now this Star Wars stuff... I'm getting some post-GOT Benioff & Weiss vibes from him at the moment, putting his fingers in every pie there is.
I'm glad, I think he's very good.
Though I am incredibly annoyed when people who are mainly behind the camera are also handsome <_<
Alan Tudyk has the best MayThe4th tweet :lol:
https://twitter.com/AlanTudyk/status/1257392563088220162?s=20
Quote from: The Larch on May 04, 2020, 01:29:18 PM
In how many projects is Waititi involved at the moment? He is doing stuff for Marvel (directing the new Thor movie), DC (acting in the new Suicide Squad), his own projects (reading now about him I just discovered that he's directing a comedy about Michael Fassbender being the coach of the American Samoa football team :lol: ), now this Star Wars stuff... I'm getting some post-GOT Benioff & Weiss vibes from him at the moment, putting his fingers in every pie there is.
Yeah, except unlike those assholes, he's actually followed through on his myriad projects. Also, the schedule isn't that bogged down. He has his projects, sure, but the spacing on them (his SW film likely due for 2023 release) seems fairly normal. Katmai could probably comment further.
Yeah. Waititi has the football movie coming out this year, has Thor: Love and Thunder in 2022, and presumably will slot in untitled Star Wars feature in 2023-2024. Sounds doable.
Quote from: Syt on May 04, 2020, 02:50:24 PM
Alan Tudyk has the best MayThe4th tweet :lol:
https://twitter.com/AlanTudyk/status/1257392563088220162?s=20
This inmediately came to my mind. :lol:
(https://legendsrevealed.com/entertainment/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/darkhelmet.jpg)
Quote from: Habbaku on May 04, 2020, 02:58:00 PM
Quote from: The Larch on May 04, 2020, 01:29:18 PM
In how many projects is Waititi involved at the moment? He is doing stuff for Marvel (directing the new Thor movie), DC (acting in the new Suicide Squad), his own projects (reading now about him I just discovered that he's directing a comedy about Michael Fassbender being the coach of the American Samoa football team :lol: ), now this Star Wars stuff... I'm getting some post-GOT Benioff & Weiss vibes from him at the moment, putting his fingers in every pie there is.
Yeah, except unlike those assholes, he's actually followed through on his myriad projects. Also, the schedule isn't that bogged down. He has his projects, sure, but the spacing on them (his SW film likely due for 2023 release) seems fairly normal. Katmai could probably comment further.
I do hope so, I wouldn't want him to spread himself too thin and be a victim of his own success.
Also, in a fortuitous connection, I just saw that Mark Hamill will appear in next week's What we do in the Shadows episode, portraying an ancient vampire, rival of Laszlo. :lol: Apparently Hamill is a huge What we do in the Shadows fan. :)
(https://imagesvc.meredithcorp.io/v3/mm/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.onecms.io%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F6%2F2020%2F05%2F04%2FWWDITS_207_0096r.jpg)
Could it be, after decades of dross (except Clone Wars), we shall see a new Golden Age of Star Wars??
Seems unlikely, but isn't impossible if they put the proper talent to work.
I saw Ep 9.
Why did everyone hate the movie?
My favorite moment was hearing the voice of Asohka & Kanaan.
Quote from: The Larch on May 04, 2020, 03:48:20 PM
Quote from: Syt on May 04, 2020, 02:50:24 PM
Alan Tudyk has the best MayThe4th tweet :lol:
https://twitter.com/AlanTudyk/status/1257392563088220162?s=20 (https://twitter.com/AlanTudyk/status/1257392563088220162?s=20)
This inmediately came to my mind. :lol:
(https://legendsrevealed.com/entertainment/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/darkhelmet.jpg)
Closer to home than that (for Tudyk) ;)
It's a reference to an episode of Firefly, the first one, maybe.
It's his opening line from Firefly, yes.
It's been a loooooong time since I saw Firefly, as if I'd remember any lines. :P
"Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal" has become reasonably popular amongst geeks. :P
This is the scene referenced - it's right after the Civil War intro of the original pilot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znxFrgql5dc
It's very Joss Whedon. :P
Btw, Alan Tudyk has a new show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIlo-avH9rU
Unpopular opinion, I didn't really enjoy Firefly that much. :P
Quote from: The Larch on May 08, 2020, 03:43:59 AM
Unpopular opinion, I didn't really enjoy Firefly that much. :P
:o :o :o
Quote from: The Larch on May 08, 2020, 03:43:59 AM
Unpopular opinion, I didn't really enjoy Firefly that much. :P
Most overrated series ever.
Firefly was one of the rare instances where I re-binged all episodes immediately after watching it the first time.
The main reason it drew me in was that initially it felt very much like what I would have expected a Han Solo TV show to feel like. Wild west in space, hijinks, silly dialogue ...
More importantly, if you didn't like the show, that's fine. You probably also liked something that I thought was crap. :)
I've never seen it. :blush:
Quote from: garbon on May 08, 2020, 06:35:59 AM
I've never seen it. :blush:
If you don't like Joss Whedon's style of dialogue and writing, I would steer clear. In my personal circle of friends, many people who liked Buffy/Angel, also loved Firefly. Personally, I've not watched those shows, so can't comment.
Quote from: The Larch on May 08, 2020, 03:43:59 AM
Unpopular opinion, I didn't really enjoy Firefly that much. :P
I didnt like it when it was on TV. The train episode was silly and I stopped watching at that point. But when I rewatched it on Netflix in the order that was originally intended I enjoyed it very much.
I think the show was quite strong for a sample of just 10-something episodes. Also at the time we didn't have that many sci-fi shows to go around so it attracted a lot of attention.
It would have thrived in today's TV landscape.
It's a similar fate as The Pirates of Dark Water.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pirates_of_Dark_Water
:(
Quote from: Syt on May 08, 2020, 03:42:55 AM
Btw, Alan Tudyk has a new show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIlo-avH9rU
Looks pretty awful.
Somebody give him a role in a good show that doesn't get cancelled - I swear Tudyk has got some kind of Indian curse on him on that regard.
I loved him in James Gunn's PG Porn. Difficult to find the clip on non spam sites anymore, so here it is from a German movie mag's site: https://www.cinema.de/kino/video/clip-pg-porn-high-poon-15045_vi.html
Cracks me up every time. :lol:
Also shows what the job of a director is. :P
Here's hoping he's in the Cassian Star Wars show.
(And with that, we gently circle back to the actual topic of the thread :P)
There's strong rumors of Hayden Christensen being in the Obi Wan show that's planned. Fandom seems elated.
Also, it appears that Rosario Dawson may show up as Ahsoka Tano in Mandalorian Season 2.
Rosario Dawson is now hated by the woke crowd, so that should institute some lovely politics back into Star Wars, where it belongs.
Quote from: Habbaku on May 08, 2020, 03:08:25 PM
Rosario Dawson is now hated by the woke crowd, so that should institute some lovely politics back into Star Wars, where it belongs.
What? Did she once say "not all white men are pure evil"?
Quote from: Syt on May 08, 2020, 06:39:19 AM
Quote from: garbon on May 08, 2020, 06:35:59 AM
I've never seen it. :blush:
If you don't like Joss Whedon's style of dialogue and writing, I would steer clear. In my personal circle of friends, many people who liked Buffy/Angel, also loved Firefly. Personally, I've not watched those shows, so can't comment.
It's closer to Angel in tone than Buffy. Not that there weren't a few "Whedon" lines here&there in Buffy, but it was more subtle. In Firefly, he did go over the top though :P
"Will you take my arm?"
"Will you wash it first?"
:lol:
Quote from: Valmy on May 08, 2020, 03:20:32 PM
Quote from: Habbaku on May 08, 2020, 03:08:25 PM
Rosario Dawson is now hated by the woke crowd, so that should institute some lovely politics back into Star Wars, where it belongs.
What? Did she once say "not all white men are pure evil"?
Some people feel "strongly" that the original voice actress of the cartoon should portray her in the Mandalorian series.
Ashley Eckstein:
(https://tvguide1.cbsistatic.com/i/r/2020/03/20/2b2b803d-f9fc-422d-8fcb-3f4bc960a473/thumbnail/1300x867/ffec65d398c0e9059cd8f65b6cbaec58/200320-ashley-eckstein-star-wars-clone-wars.jpg)
(https://external-preview.redd.it/VUKczV90ba3LK3swpDmeqpkNCeK805fNrpLPE8g214I.png?auto=webp&s=9bcc639c5f764e3053d79ed37cac4185acc79907)
I do like that actress, especially her late portrayal of the character in Rebels and S7 of Clone Wars, but Rosario Dawson is great too.
I have no idea if Disney picked her because she's a fan, because she's good looking, or simply because she's black. Either way, I would have preferred the original actress, but it's entirely possible Dawson's more used to shoot with costume, make-up & green screen than Eckstein. Whatever, I'm sure it will be a quality production that I will enjoy.
The day I start worrying about what SW Twitter fans think, I'll met myself in an asylum.
I understand that people would like to see Eckstein take on that role, but a good voice actress/actor doesn't necessarily be a great live action actor/actress. I doubt they'd go for what they did with Maul in Solo, where Ray Park performs physically, but Sam Witwer who voices Maul in Clone Wars/Rebels lends the voice.
I think Rosario Dawson could be a good fit, though. Considering that Ahsoka has orange skin, the skin color of the actress doesn't matter much, either way.
Quote from: Syt on May 09, 2020, 11:45:12 AM
I think Rosario Dawson could be a good fit, though. Considering that Ahsoka has orange skin, the skin color of the actress doesn't matter much, either way.
It apparently does for the racist edgelords who now pollute those fandoms.
Quote from: viper37 on May 09, 2020, 11:30:19 AMI have no idea if Disney picked her because she's a fan, because she's good looking, or simply because she's black.
How about "because she's a good actress with name recognition that will help the show"?
Quote from: The Larch on May 09, 2020, 12:28:54 PM
Quote from: viper37 on May 09, 2020, 11:30:19 AMI have no idea if Disney picked her because she's a fan, because she's good looking, or simply because she's black.
How about "because she's a good actress with name recognition that will help the show"?
It's certainly possible. Hard to know given the current mood of absolutely casting people of colour because they are people of colour. But I've said that before, and won't go back again at it.
I do like her, a lot. I'm totally indifferent on who plays the part. She certainly has the talent to pull it off. But I believe Eckstein also had the physical talent, but certainly lacked the name recognition.
Voice over worked for Darth Maul in Solo because that was basically a cameo. Can't work if she's a semi-regular.
It appears Temuera Morrison has been signed on as Boba Fett for Mando.
Quote from: viper37 on May 09, 2020, 02:54:12 PM
Quote from: The Larch on May 09, 2020, 12:28:54 PM
Quote from: viper37 on May 09, 2020, 11:30:19 AMI have no idea if Disney picked her because she's a fan, because she's good looking, or simply because she's black.
How about "because she's a good actress with name recognition that will help the show"?
It's certainly possible. Hard to know given the current mood of absolutely casting people of colour because they are people of colour.
Don't be such an idiot.
One more step into having Ezra return.
Quote from: Oexmelin on May 09, 2020, 12:26:24 PM
Quote from: Syt on May 09, 2020, 11:45:12 AM
I think Rosario Dawson could be a good fit, though. Considering that Ahsoka has orange skin, the skin color of the actress doesn't matter much, either way.
It apparently does for the racist edgelords who now pollute those fandoms.
I wonder how old they are considering they get upset over a cartoon for kids.
Quote from: Grey Fox on May 09, 2020, 05:40:08 PM
One more step into having Ezra return.
It would be great to finally make a movie on Thrawn, and include him in the lot :)
Quote from: Tamas on May 11, 2020, 01:32:15 AM
I wonder how old they are considering they get upset over a cartoon for kids.
I often wonder that too.
But then, I think of all these 20-30 somethings who are fully emotionally invested in which Hogwarts house they belong. Or the arguments I hear between 40 somethings in my local comic bookstore. I wonder if the current "mainstreamed" nerd culture has taken the place of music as crucial marker of teenage identity. I also suspect that this teenage nerd culture is almost entirely predicated on typically teenage power fantasies that resonate perhaps louder, and longer, in a world that feels disempowered.
And this nerd culture, like so many other areas, has also become proxies for other political oppositions that go well beyond "Kirk or Picard". The celebration of "badassery" has attracted all sorts of fascist fanboys who jerk off to the Empire; those nostalgic of a golden age of comics as all-male soft erotica cling to their male power fantasies and women in tight spandex. Those who can't ever see themselves empathize (or imagine themselves as) a black hero get angry when black heroes get introduced.
I am sure there are kids who enjoy playing loudmouths and edgelords in those debates. But I think there are mostly emulating older guys.
Katee Sackhoff, aka Starbuck from BSG, will reprise her role of Mandalorian leader and badass Bo-Katan Kryze in Mandalorian season 2 :w00t:
https://www.slashfilm.com/the-mandalorian-season-2-bo-katan/
(https://d13ezvd6yrslxm.cloudfront.net/wp/wp-content/images/katee-sackhoff-star-wars-rebels-700x336.jpg)
:punk:
I finally watched Solo. It is decent. I think I would have preferred it a lot more if it weren't Han, Chewie, and Lando but just some random Star Wars background people a la Rogue One. Also, the beginning of the movie is very, very dark on screen to the detriment of what is happening. It all kind of blends into a murky haze. Unsure if this was intentional or not. Also, I'm finally coming around to liking The Last Jedi, I think. My opinion change started with the mess that is Rise of Skywalker. I'll watch the new trilogy again some time to see if the mindset sticks. Finally, I located very nearly the complete run of Ewoks the cartoon series on Youtube, so I've been making my way though that. Fun times and it seems a lot of episodes were written by Paul Dini of Batman: The Animated Series fame.
If you're going back to Ewoks, you should probably also dig out Droids again. ;)
I was never a fan of R2 and 3PO. Especially 3PO. I despise the character. Some droids are pretty awesome, but not them. I've always loved Ewoks though.
(https://external-preview.redd.it/mbVMJylqBn4lpC8y5nEJlmk_pYdGODuru9TNClySxtI.png?auto=webp&s=5d9a0f5185c39fbdc128071e32bfc876ae5dc918)
Quote from: Oexmelin on May 11, 2020, 12:59:20 PM
those nostalgic of a golden age of comics as all-male soft erotica cling to their male power fantasies and women in tight spandex.
tbh, it's not like the male super heroes are wearing business suites either.
Quote from: Syt on May 12, 2020, 11:18:14 AM
Katee Sackhoff, aka Starbuck from BSG, will reprise her role of Mandalorian leader and badass Bo-Katan Kryze in Mandalorian season 2 :w00t:
https://www.slashfilm.com/the-mandalorian-season-2-bo-katan/
(https://d13ezvd6yrslxm.cloudfront.net/wp/wp-content/images/katee-sackhoff-star-wars-rebels-700x336.jpg)
Hottie
Mom got Disney+ and binged Mandalorian this weekend :D
It's a short show, but she's never watched a show so quickly, ever.
It seems Timothy Olyphant will be in Season 2, and apparently be wearing Boba Fett's armor. Which led to speculation that he'd be a character from one of the short stories inset into the Aftermath books, a sheriff who bought the damaged armor from Jawas who scavenged the wreckage of Jabba's barge from ROTJ. Temuera Morrison has been confirmed for a small appearance in Mando as Boba.
What's Fett's status in the current state of the Star Wars universe? I lost track... :lol:
Olyphant is a great addition. He fits the show perfectly imho.
Quote from: celedhring on May 20, 2020, 03:08:24 AM
What's Fett's status in the current state of the Star Wars universe? I lost track... :lol:
Olyphant is a great addition. He fits the show perfectly imho.
Last seen falling into the Sarlacc.
On Olyphant's potential character, here:
https://www.slashfilm.com/timothy-olyphant-mandalorian-character/
QuoteLast week, it was revealed that Justified and Deadwood star Timothy Olyphant had been cast in The Mandalorian season 2 in an unknown role. Olyphant's casting is a story we have been chasing and trying to confirm for months now. And while we didn't get to break the news, we do have some juicy information to add regarding Olyphant's Mandalorian season 2 role. Which established Star Wars universe character is Timothy Olyphant playing in the upcoming season? And why is he wearing Boba Fett's iconic armor? Here are the details.
Who is Cobb Vanth?
Our sources have confirmed to us that Olyphant filmed scenes wearing Boba Fett's Mandalorian armor for the upcoming second season of The Mandalorian. That might sound confusing because earlier this month it was reported that Temuera Morrison, who originated the role of Jango Fett (Boba's clone father), had been cast as Boba Fett. So what's going on here?
If Morrison is playing the role of Boba Fett, then Timothy Olyphant is playing an enigmatic character named Cobb Vanth. Introduced in Chuck Wendig's Aftermath book series, Vanth is the self-appointed sheriff of the Tatooine-based settlement Freetown. He wears a mysterious set of Mandalorian armor that was acquired from Jawas who scavenged the wreckage of Jabba the Hutt's sail barge shortly after the events of Return of the Jedi. As you may recall, that was the site of a battle where Boba Fett was thrown into the Sarlacc Pit on Tatooine's Dune Sea. It's assumed that the Mandalorian armor purchased by Vanth is none other than the infamous green armor formerly worn by one of the galaxy's most notorious bounty hunters, Boba Fett.
Very little has been revealed about Vanth's backstory, only that he was once a slave, as evidenced by a star-shaped scar carved into his back, signifying ownership. With the fall of gangster Jabba the Hut, a power vacuum has consumed Tatooine, drawing all sorts of crime syndicates to take over the unruled landscape. Cobb has committed his life in the service of protecting Freetown and keeping criminal elements, like the Red Key Raiders, away from Tatooine. He even struck a deal with the Tusken Raiders to help protect the township.
It should be noted that all of the above character details were revealed during the Aftermath book series. We don't know what he part he plays in the upcoming season of The Mandalorian, but I think the books offer a rad set-up for the character. The Aftermath series gave the impression that while Boba Fett may be dead, the iconic armor would live on for another generation. But if Fett himself is still alive, and present in The Mandalorian season 2, this complicates things.
Who Was That Mysterious Gunslinger?
In the Mandalorian season one episode titled "The Gunslinger," a mysterious figure was teased, sporting the bounty hunter's trademark spurs. In that episode, the Mandalorian agrees to help a young bounty hunter named Toro Calican acquire a target on the desert planet of Tatooine. Their search for the assassin Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen) takes them across the Dune Sea, home of the Sarlacc Pit that was thought to have killed Boba Fett. Calican takes out Shand and tries to double-cross the Mandalorian, leading to his own death. In the final moments of the episode, we see a mysterious character approaching the seemingly lifeless body of Fennec Shand. We can see and hear the bounty hunter's trademark spurs and a cape hangs down, reminiscent of the one Fett may have worn. Is that character Boba Fett, or is it Cobb Vanth?
Was Fett's Mandalorian armor reclaimed by the Jawas after the Sarlacc spit them out, or did Boba Fett pawn them for a ride off this dirty sand planet? Morrison's casting led many to assume this meant that Boba Fett survived the fall into the Great Pit of Carkoon, forever changing Star Wars canon. But that might not be the case at all. Maybe Fett's appearance could be limited to an establishing flashback. The hardworking team at The Hollywood Reporter even noted that it was only a "small role" in season two. But why would Vanth be all the way out in the Dune Sea? Perhaps this season may be leading to a confrontation between Vanth and Fett, with the bounty hunter coming back to reclaim his armor? And how will any of this involve The Mandalorian? We'll have to tune in to find out.
We reached out to Lucasfilm for comment but received no response back, as was typical with our previous Mandalorian scoops. The Mandalorian season 2 is still scheduled to be released in October 2020 on Disney+.
So they did away with him escaping the Sarlacc pit off-camera in Legends? Well, that's nice. Always hated that. Hope Temuera is there in flashbacks, rather than bringing Boba back.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faQO57Iwlo0 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faQO57Iwlo0)
Also, a new video game, Star Wars Squadrons, by EA.
Just when I was thinking Tie Fighter would need a reboot/remaster :)
Quote from: viper37 on June 19, 2020, 03:13:47 PM
Also, a new video game, Star Wars Squadrons, by EA.
Just when I was thinking Tie Fighter would need a reboot/remaster :)
Being discussed in the games sub-board.
https://www.starwars.com/news/star-wars-the-bad-batch-series-announce
QuoteSTAR WARS: THE BAD BATCH, AN ALL-NEW ANIMATED SERIES, TO DEBUT ON DISNEY+ IN 2021
CLONE FORCE 99, FROM STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS, RETURNS!
Today, Disney+ ordered its next animated series from Lucasfilm, Star Wars: The Bad Batch. Fresh off of the critically-acclaimed series finale of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, the Disney+ original series will premiere on the streaming service in 2021.
The series follows the elite and experimental clones of the Bad Batch (first introduced in The Clone Wars) as they find their way in a rapidly changing galaxy in the immediate aftermath of the Clone War. Members of Bad Batch — a unique squad of clones who vary genetically from their brothers in the Clone Army — each possess a singular exceptional skill, which makes them extraordinarily effective soldiers and a formidable crew. In the post-Clone War era, they will take on daring mercenary missions as they struggle to stay afloat and find new purpose.
"Giving new and existing fans the final chapter of Star Wars: The Clone Wars has been our honor at Disney+, and we are overjoyed by the global response to this landmark series," said Agnes Chu, senior vice president, Content, Disney+. "While The Clone Wars may have come to its conclusion, our partnership with the groundbreaking storytellers and artists at Lucasfilm Animation is only beginning. We are thrilled to bring Dave Filoni's vision to life through the next adventures of the Bad Batch."
Star Wars: The Bad Batch is executive produced by Dave Filoni (The Mandalorian, Star Wars: The Clone Wars), Athena Portillo (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels), Brad Rau (Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars Resistance) and Jennifer Corbett (Star Wars Resistance, NCIS) with Carrie Beck (The Mandalorian, Star Wars Rebels) as co-executive producer and Josh Rimes as producer (Star Wars Resistance). Rau is also serving as supervising director with Corbett as head writer.
Now, I can get behind that.
And the trailer to Mandalorian S2 has dropped. Can't wait.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcKMwPHMe1k&ab_channel=IGN
:w00t:
So, Mandalorian Season 2. :) Do we need spoilers here? Anyways, I'll use them till people say it's fine.
Very good start I thought. [spoiler]It was kind of an open secret that Timothy Olyphant would very likely be Cobb Vanth, a character in one of the many "mini stories" sprinkled throughout the Aftermath trilogy of books. His flashback is basically that story bit. There's some changes (the town was called Freetown; the Rancor keeper Malakili and a baby Hutt make an appearance, and it was the Red Key Raiders, not a mining group who enslaved the town, and the armor acquisition was slightly different, but overall the story beats are the same).
I like, though, that they go to other sources for characters, locations etc. than just the movies or animated shows. I did not recognize John Leguizamo at the start.
The story was pretty standard and a mix of wild west (the beleaguered frontier settlement, uneasy alliances) and fantasy (slay the dragon) with the usual tropes and not too many surprises, but I thought it was quite well told.
And of course the first in canon look (at least on screen, I guess) of what a Krayt dragon is and looks like. Didn't expect them to go full Dune on it, though.
When I saw the cave I thought, "Oh, looks like in KotOR!" And then the plan to kill it is basically the same. Including Bantha bait (except buried explosives instead of mines, but potayto - potahto). And they even get a friggin' Krayt Dragon Pearl in the end. :lol:
Tbf, I half expected that Mando would let Cobb keep the armor ("You're worthy of it" or something).
And then of course the reveal at the end where we meet Boba Fett again. We'll see how that shakes out. I look forward to fan protests when the story does anything with him the Boba fanboys don't approve of. At the same time, I don't want him to take away too much focus from our main cast. We'll see, I guess.[/spoiler]
One thing I noticed with myself was that I keep looking at the background in most shots - I generally love the Star Wars universe and its design, so I'm usually scanning if I see anything cool, like a background character or item or whatever. Just a tick of mine.
Wow, it's already out? :w00t:
Yes, a pleasant surprise this grey morning. :)
I'll have to look for it after lunch... :shifty:
Speculation:
[spoiler]Was it confirmed by Disney that Temuera Morrison would play Boba Fett in the Mandalorian? Because conceivably he could also play Rex from Clone Wars and Rebels. He was old in Rebels due to the Clones' rapid aging, but he's confirmed to have been at the Endor battle in ROTJ, and Mandalorian is set in 9 ABY, so 9 years after Rebels ended, and 5 years after ROTJ, so not completely outlandish.
Morrison looks old and scarred in the coda of the episode - though this could of course be due to him falling into the sarlacc (Boba Fett would be about Mando's age, maybe a little older). He's bald, like Rex was, however, he lacks Rex's characteristic beard (and even eyebrows). Also, Rex would probably favor dual pistols over a rifle and a gaffi stick.
Just having some fun speculating, but I think it would make for an interesting bait and switch, and it would be interesting to see how Mando deals with someone who's Mandalorian by heritage, saw them during the Clone Wars, or may shed some light on the Purge. We know Ahsoka will be in the season, and I could see her working together with Rex, tracking down the baby.
If it's Boba Fett, then there's a few questions - why has he been stuck on Tatooine for so long? Did he never try to reclaim his armor? He has a gaffi stick and a blaster rifle, presumably from Sandpeople, so it looks like he would be a capable fighter, still, and he would know how to best take out the marshal.
It just seems odd.
And there's the question of what his arc would be. Would he become a "good" Mandalorian? For all we know he was never really connected to them and did his own thing. If he survived the sarlacc (possibly the sarlacc that got eaten by the Krayt?), how injured/disabled is he?[/spoiler]
I guess we'll find out over the next few episodes. :)
Ooh, forgot to mention - [spoiler]the R5 unit from Ep. IV has a cameo. :lol:[/spoiler]
I fucking love this show. The episode was great. I was hesitant when they started doing it on seasin 1, but I'm glad that they go for the "monster of the week" thing when it's no longer in vogue to do so, and they do such a good job of it. [spoiler]Not so sure about the reveal though, I wish they kept Boba apart from this.[/spoiler]
The KOTOR reference/plagiarism was amazing too. :lol:
Damn I love me some Star Wars westerns. :alberta:
Also, I didn't realize that [spoiler]Timothy Olyphant was going to be in the show so when I realized it was him it put a huge smile on my face. BULLOCK DEADWOOD if Ian McShane ever shows up in this show fucking lol [/spoiler]
That was awesome.
Damn the universe for making me choose between new Mandalorian, and new ST: Disco, on the same night. By virtue of my kids Mando won.
Quote from: Syt on October 30, 2020, 05:27:05 AM
Speculation:
[spoiler]Was it confirmed by Disney that Temuera Morrison would play Boba Fett in the Mandalorian? Because conceivably he could also play Rex from Clone Wars and Rebels. He was old in Rebels due to the Clones' rapid aging, but he's confirmed to have been at the Endor battle in ROTJ, and Mandalorian is set in 9 ABY, so 9 years after Rebels ended, and 5 years after ROTJ, so not completely outlandish.
[/spoiler]
Not officially, no, but IMDB has the answer you are searching for.
Here's what I think about your last part:
[spoiler]
He was defeated, the Empire he helped was also defeated, Jabba the Hutt sleeps with the fishes, so he's decided to retire because he feels dishonored, hence the haggard look.
[/spoiler]
Good point. :) I look forward to next week and hope we learn a bit more.
Overall liked the first episode, however:
1. It did not advance the plot at all. That seems odd. Like literally at the end of the show, he knew no more about his quest then he did when it started - the entire thing was a complete sideshow.
2. Tatooine? Really? Again? You would think the fucking SW universe has about 6 planets in the entire thing, and Tatooine is 4 of them.
It's not the kind of show where the plot matters too much. Just enjoy the ride.
The majority of first season's episodes did not advance the main plot any more than this one. This show is like the SWTOR MMO, you go to a planet with some kind of main story, then get distracted by a ton of side quests. :D
I would argue that a lot of season 1 showed us a change in character for Mando, him slowly leaving his old life behind.
And I'd argue this episode was set up - Boba Fett's armor coming into play, Cobb Vanth - in case we do a gathering of allies like at the end of season 1 - and showing that this quest might be a slow one, because there might be occasional dead ends.
I agree with Berkut in that the episode didn't feel like an "episode 1", but there wasn't really much to setup that we didn't know at the end of last season: he's got to get Baby Yoda home, doesn't know where it is, and Gus Fring is hot on his heels.
But I really like how the show has been able to bring back the "monster of the week" formula in an age where it was considered passé for headline shows.
I mean, there's no way he is going to actually find Baby Yoda's people, when that happens the series will end so the writers are not going to do it. So I don't mind the sidetracking.
Quote from: Tamas on November 02, 2020, 07:19:33 AM
I mean, there's no way he is going to actually find Baby Yoda's people, when that happens the series will end so the writers are not going to do it. So I don't mind the sidetracking.
Good writing is when you hide the actual realities of your story constraints from the viewer and make it look less like the story is on rails from the start. The viewer should be allowed to believe that they *might* find BY's mom tomorrow!
I'm pretty certain that the whole arc about returning BY to his people will be solved by the end of the season (doesn't mean he will successfully return him, though). The show doesn't feel like one of those where they stretch the same premise over multiple seasons.
Quote from: celedhring on November 02, 2020, 09:07:07 AM
I'm pretty certain that the whole arc about returning BY to his people will be solved by the end of the season (doesn't mean he will successfully return him, though). The show doesn't feel like one of those where they stretch the same premise over multiple seasons.
But Baby Yoda is a massive hit with people as I understand, (an endless source of memes on 9gag for example). Not gonna' write a cash cow out.
With Ashoka showing up, I wonder if Ezra & Thrawn show up. I can imagine a scenario where BY ends up in the end with Ezra in the outer (or further) reaches.
The series is the unification show between the cartoon, the comics & the acted universe, so it's not impossible. The time line fits too.
Quote from: Tamas on November 02, 2020, 07:19:33 AM
I mean, there's no way he is going to actually find Baby Yoda's people, when that happens the series will end so the writers are not going to do it. So I don't mind the sidetracking.
Clone Wars and Rebels have each come to a proper conclusion of their story arcs (granted, CW's was a bit late due to the Disney takeover upheaval at the time). I trust Favreau/Filoni that they will wrap this up properly, and I'd guess we will have 4 or 5, maybe 6 seasons in the end.
Quote from: Grey Fox on November 02, 2020, 09:17:36 AM
Ashoka showing up, I wonder if Ezra & Thrawn show up. I can imagine a scenario where BY ends up in the end with Ezra in the outer (or further) reaches.
The series is the unification show between the cartoon, the comics & the acted universe, so it's not impossible. The time line fits too.
I could see that happening.
Ezra would be ... what, in his mid to late twenties, with the show being set 9 years after the end of Rebels?
Ezra is born on the first Empire Day. If I get the time right, he should be 29 in The Mandalorian.
It would be a mindfuck if he was played by Freddie Prinze, Jr (Kanan from Rebels), but I figure he's a bit too old for that role. :lol:
Quote from: celedhring on November 02, 2020, 09:07:07 AM
I'm pretty certain that the whole arc about returning BY to his people will be solved by the end of the season (doesn't mean he will successfully return him, though). The show doesn't feel like one of those where they stretch the same premise over multiple seasons.
They can have a return, but not a return. he finds yoda's planet, only to discover they aren't all gifted in the force (he's under the assumption that they are, he mentions that BY species can move stuff with their mind). So then has to search for the jedi.
Btw, how does Cobb Vanth keep his hair looking so great under that helmet?
(https://img1.looper.com/img/gallery/why-cobb-vanth-from-the-mandalorian-season-2-looks-so-familiar/intro-1604077937.jpg)
Compare with Mando in the finale of season 1:
(https://cosmicbook.news/images1/pedro-pascal-mandalorian-no-helmet.jpg)
:P
Advances in helmet hair prevention technology happened between seasons.
What's the deal these days, are theater versions of the original trilogy available in any simple way?
Quote from: The Brain on November 02, 2020, 12:41:53 PM
What's the deal these days, are theater versions of the original trilogy available in any simple way?
No.
Quote from: Barrister on November 02, 2020, 12:43:50 PM
Quote from: The Brain on November 02, 2020, 12:41:53 PM
What's the deal these days, are theater versions of the original trilogy available in any simple way?
No.
Ah well. Guess I'll check in again in a decade or two.
Quote from: The Brain on November 02, 2020, 12:41:53 PM
What's the deal these days, are theater versions of the original trilogy available in any simple way?
:pirate
Quote from: Syt on November 02, 2020, 12:52:33 PM
Quote from: The Brain on November 02, 2020, 12:41:53 PM
What's the deal these days, are theater versions of the original trilogy available in any simple way?
:pirate
What happened to PA anyway?
There's a user on reddit who does old school comic book covers for Star Wars shows:
(https://i.redd.it/j5j88jt18rx41.jpg)
(https://i.redd.it/wf062r83z8x51.jpg)
(https://i.redd.it/mc985qcaphb41.png)
I kinda miss a Baby Yoda face next to the Mandalorian in the corner of their comic. :lol:
:D
Quote from: Berkut on November 02, 2020, 12:03:31 AM
Overall liked the first episode, however:
1. It did not advance the plot at all. That seems odd. Like literally at the end of the show, he knew no more about his quest then he did when it started - the entire thing was a complete sideshow.
2. Tatooine? Really? Again? You would think the fucking SW universe has about 6 planets in the entire thing, and Tatooine is 4 of them.
This sums up my view of the episode.
Also, the digestive practices of that monster had been studied for generations, and still they could not figure out how to feed the thing without getting eaten themselves and through all those generations it never occurred to them to plant explosives on the thing being eaten.
Quote from: crazy canuck on November 04, 2020, 04:20:30 PM
Quote from: Berkut on November 02, 2020, 12:03:31 AM
Overall liked the first episode, however:
1. It did not advance the plot at all. That seems odd. Like literally at the end of the show, he knew no more about his quest then he did when it started - the entire thing was a complete sideshow.
2. Tatooine? Really? Again? You would think the fucking SW universe has about 6 planets in the entire thing, and Tatooine is 4 of them.
This sums up my view of the episode.
Also, the digestive practices of that monster had been studied for generations, and still they could not figure out how to feed the thing without getting eaten themselves and through all those generations it never occurred to them to plant explosives on the thing being eaten.
The Tusken Raiders studied the Krayt Dragon for generations. The settlers are the ones who brought the explosives to the table.
Quote from: Barrister on November 04, 2020, 04:22:41 PM
Quote from: crazy canuck on November 04, 2020, 04:20:30 PM
Quote from: Berkut on November 02, 2020, 12:03:31 AM
Overall liked the first episode, however:
1. It did not advance the plot at all. That seems odd. Like literally at the end of the show, he knew no more about his quest then he did when it started - the entire thing was a complete sideshow.
2. Tatooine? Really? Again? You would think the fucking SW universe has about 6 planets in the entire thing, and Tatooine is 4 of them.
This sums up my view of the episode.
Also, the digestive practices of that monster had been studied for generations, and still they could not figure out how to feed the thing without getting eaten themselves and through all those generations it never occurred to them to plant explosives on the thing being eaten.
The Tusken Raiders studied the Krayt Dragon for generations. The settlers are the ones who brought the explosives to the table.
So those particular settlers were the only ones with explosives?
Quote from: crazy canuck on November 04, 2020, 04:25:13 PM
Quote from: Barrister on November 04, 2020, 04:22:41 PM
Quote from: crazy canuck on November 04, 2020, 04:20:30 PM
Quote from: Berkut on November 02, 2020, 12:03:31 AM
Overall liked the first episode, however:
1. It did not advance the plot at all. That seems odd. Like literally at the end of the show, he knew no more about his quest then he did when it started - the entire thing was a complete sideshow.
2. Tatooine? Really? Again? You would think the fucking SW universe has about 6 planets in the entire thing, and Tatooine is 4 of them.
This sums up my view of the episode.
Also, the digestive practices of that monster had been studied for generations, and still they could not figure out how to feed the thing without getting eaten themselves and through all those generations it never occurred to them to plant explosives on the thing being eaten.
The Tusken Raiders studied the Krayt Dragon for generations. The settlers are the ones who brought the explosives to the table.
So those particular settlers were the only ones with explosives?
Settlers and Tusken Raiders never sat down and talked before. It took our hero Mando to bring them together. It's a bit of a hoakey storyline but perfectly in keeping with Star Wars / The Mandalorian's storytelling vibe.
Quote from: Barrister on November 04, 2020, 04:28:14 PM
Quote from: crazy canuck on November 04, 2020, 04:25:13 PM
Quote from: Barrister on November 04, 2020, 04:22:41 PM
Quote from: crazy canuck on November 04, 2020, 04:20:30 PM
Quote from: Berkut on November 02, 2020, 12:03:31 AM
Overall liked the first episode, however:
1. It did not advance the plot at all. That seems odd. Like literally at the end of the show, he knew no more about his quest then he did when it started - the entire thing was a complete sideshow.
2. Tatooine? Really? Again? You would think the fucking SW universe has about 6 planets in the entire thing, and Tatooine is 4 of them.
This sums up my view of the episode.
Also, the digestive practices of that monster had been studied for generations, and still they could not figure out how to feed the thing without getting eaten themselves and through all those generations it never occurred to them to plant explosives on the thing being eaten.
The Tusken Raiders studied the Krayt Dragon for generations. The settlers are the ones who brought the explosives to the table.
So those particular settlers were the only ones with explosives?
Settlers and Tusken Raiders never sat down and talked before. It took our hero Mando to bring them together. It's a bit of a hoakey storyline but perfectly in keeping with Star Wars / The Mandalorian's storytelling vibe.
Yeah, that is why I made the comment about the settlers not being the only source of explosives. The Tuskens apparently fed their mounts to the beast for generations and it never dawned on them that feeding it something that would kill it would solve all their problems.
I understand your point CC but this is the SW universe. Dumb by default.
Quote from: Grey Fox on November 04, 2020, 05:31:00 PM
I understand your point CC but this is the SW universe. Dumb by default.
I get a kick out of hearing all the ways BB tries to argue it isn't.
Quote from: crazy canuck on November 04, 2020, 05:10:01 PM
Yeah, that is why I made the comment about the settlers not being the only source of explosives. The Tuskens apparently fed their mounts to the beast for generations and it never dawned on them that feeding it something that would kill it would solve all their problems.
Tusken Raiders don't use explosives, IIRC.
There is something about hunting the beast and bringing back the krayt pearl that is some kind of fabulous exploit, but I'd have to replay KOTOR 1 to remember exactly what it was :P
Quote from: viper37 on November 04, 2020, 07:33:58 PM
Quote from: crazy canuck on November 04, 2020, 05:10:01 PM
Yeah, that is why I made the comment about the settlers not being the only source of explosives. The Tuskens apparently fed their mounts to the beast for generations and it never dawned on them that feeding it something that would kill it would solve all their problems.
Tusken Raiders don't use explosives, IIRC.
There is something about hunting the beast and bringing back the krayt pearl that is some kind of fabulous exploit, but I'd have to replay KOTOR 1 to remember exactly what it was :P
A Steam achievement?
Quote from: viper37 on November 04, 2020, 07:33:58 PM
Quote from: crazy canuck on November 04, 2020, 05:10:01 PM
Yeah, that is why I made the comment about the settlers not being the only source of explosives. The Tuskens apparently fed their mounts to the beast for generations and it never dawned on them that feeding it something that would kill it would solve all their problems.
Tusken Raiders don't use explosives, IIRC.
There is something about hunting the beast and bringing back the krayt pearl that is some kind of fabulous exploit, but I'd have to replay KOTOR 1 to remember exactly what it was :P
And yet they got the pearl by using explosives :hmm:
Quote from: Solmyr on November 05, 2020, 03:59:24 AM
Quote from: viper37 on November 04, 2020, 07:33:58 PM
Quote from: crazy canuck on November 04, 2020, 05:10:01 PM
Yeah, that is why I made the comment about the settlers not being the only source of explosives. The Tuskens apparently fed their mounts to the beast for generations and it never dawned on them that feeding it something that would kill it would solve all their problems.
Tusken Raiders don't use explosives, IIRC.
There is something about hunting the beast and bringing back the krayt pearl that is some kind of fabulous exploit, but I'd have to replay KOTOR 1 to remember exactly what it was :P
A Steam achievement?
lol :P
Quote from: crazy canuck on November 05, 2020, 09:33:02 AM
Quote from: viper37 on November 04, 2020, 07:33:58 PM
Quote from: crazy canuck on November 04, 2020, 05:10:01 PM
Yeah, that is why I made the comment about the settlers not being the only source of explosives. The Tuskens apparently fed their mounts to the beast for generations and it never dawned on them that feeding it something that would kill it would solve all their problems.
Tusken Raiders don't use explosives, IIRC.
There is something about hunting the beast and bringing back the krayt pearl that is some kind of fabulous exploit, but I'd have to replay KOTOR 1 to remember exactly what it was :P
And yet they got the pearl by using explosives :hmm:
Like I said, I can't remember the details. I remember your character using explosives on a bantha that served as bait for the dragon, just like the episode (minus the jetpack scene inside the belly of the beast ;) ). I also remember visting the Tusken raider's camp with HK-47 and talking about how Arrak - damn, Tatooine! ;) because a wasted desert too. I don't remember much else.
There was something specific though, they never used explosives themselves for some reason.
Just go and replay the game :P
Quote from: crazy canuck on November 05, 2020, 09:33:02 AM
Quote from: viper37 on November 04, 2020, 07:33:58 PM
Quote from: crazy canuck on November 04, 2020, 05:10:01 PM
Yeah, that is why I made the comment about the settlers not being the only source of explosives. The Tuskens apparently fed their mounts to the beast for generations and it never dawned on them that feeding it something that would kill it would solve all their problems.
Tusken Raiders don't use explosives, IIRC.
There is something about hunting the beast and bringing back the krayt pearl that is some kind of fabulous exploit, but I'd have to replay KOTOR 1 to remember exactly what it was :P
And yet they got the pearl by using explosives :hmm:
Yeah but that took place 4,000 years in the past of the movies. Over the millennia they forgot explosives technology.
Yay, new episode.
I expect some people will be disappointed because [spoiler]it doesn't advance the main quest really, [/spoiler]but it was still fun IMHO.
The overarching theme of the episode was: [spoiler]"It gets worse."[/spoiler]
[spoiler]The rescue at the end was a bit Deus Ex Machina, but not to a silly amount. I can see the X-Wing pilots searching for the ship and then finding them in their predicament. I did like that they basically left them then and there without any further assistance, basically saying, "Be grateful we don't shoot you, too!"
The moment I saw Baby Yoda look at the eggs I thought, "Oh no ...." :o - I wonder if there'll be a pay off next episode. He ate what? Half a dozen at least? I wonder if the passenger will notice.
Also, nice to make use of the killed droid, and nice to hear Richard Ayoade again. ^_^
It looks like the spiders were Krykna, which we first saw in Rebels. They're quite resilient if they can live in such conditions: https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Krykna
They're based on a Ralph McQuarrie concept for Dagobah in ESBE: https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/starwars/images/8/89/RMQ-KnobbyWhiteSpider.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/1000?cb=20070807181205
Based on the episode title I thought the passenger would be Boba, but I guess not.
I thought the little fight at the start was a bit pointless except to establish that other folks are still hunting for the child. I thought that they would have some sort of ride that Mando could use, but I guess it's possible someone dropped them off there for later pick up.
I liked the comm chatter between Mando and the New Republic X-Wings. And you clearly knew that things went south when the switched channels and afterwards activated their S-Foils. :D[/spoiler]
Overall a very enjoyable outing, [spoiler]but I hope we can pick up the main story again next week, seeing how there's only eight episodes this season[/spoiler].
One more thing that stood out for me. [spoiler]With the frog lady's egg container, it seemed like the child was reaching out with the force to them when he first went to them? I wonder if he felt that they weren't beings yet (because unfertilized, like your regular chicken eggs), or what he sensed when he touched the glass and the slightly mythic music played (the same music that played when he approached the spider eggs, though he didn't seem to "reach out" to them, but rather do some more physical, non-force tests (knocking the shell, sniffing it).[/spoiler]
Theory I saw online: [spoiler]what if it turns out frog lady's husband is Bossk? That would be a fun twist (esp. since he would be a good candidate for knowing about Mandalorians), but I think it's unlikely.[/spoiler]
Quote from: Valmy on November 05, 2020, 11:34:05 PM
Quote from: crazy canuck on November 05, 2020, 09:33:02 AM
Quote from: viper37 on November 04, 2020, 07:33:58 PM
Quote from: crazy canuck on November 04, 2020, 05:10:01 PM
Yeah, that is why I made the comment about the settlers not being the only source of explosives. The Tuskens apparently fed their mounts to the beast for generations and it never dawned on them that feeding it something that would kill it would solve all their problems.
Tusken Raiders don't use explosives, IIRC.
There is something about hunting the beast and bringing back the krayt pearl that is some kind of fabulous exploit, but I'd have to replay KOTOR 1 to remember exactly what it was :P
And yet they got the pearl by using explosives :hmm:
Yeah but that took place 4,000 years in the past of the movies. Over the millennia they forgot explosives technology.
They forgot about something someone just down the road was using? And they came to get it? And knew what it was for and everything.
You guys really have to stop trying to defend this as making any sense.
KOTOR is not canon, so this discussion seems moot to me. Sand people in the current universe son't seem to have explosives. So what?
I do find it funny, though, that this is a sticking point in a universe that was created around samurai space wizards. :P
Quote from: Syt on November 06, 2020, 09:19:04 AM
KOTOR is not canon, so this discussion seems moot to me. Sand people in the current universe son't seem to have explosives. So what?
I do find it funny, though, that this is a sticking point in a universe that was created around samurai space wizards. :P
The explosives are like a mile a way from them. Their neighbours have been using them for years in their mining operations. Are the Sand People, who raid that very settlement, deaf, dumb and blind?
(https://i.redd.it/jqvoeziik5j01.jpg)
Or they knew about them but haven't been able to obtain them, or have a full grasp of how they operate, or were just plain scared of them. Tons of reasons why they didn't dabble with them. Sorry if this "breaks" the story for you and destroys your suspension of disbelief. I give a lot of leeway to my silly space fantasy action fluff.
Quote from: Syt on November 06, 2020, 09:19:04 AM
KOTOR is not canon, so this discussion seems moot to me.
Of course it isn't.
It is actually good and doesn't suck shit so clearly cannot be allowed to be canon in post-1983 Star Wars :lol:
:rolleyes:
Quote from: Syt on November 06, 2020, 03:27:14 PM
:rolleyes:
That was my response to the last six movies as well.
KOTOR and KOTOR 2 though :hug:
I enjoyed all Star Wars movies. And the TV shows. I haven't watched Resistance yet, though. :)
EDIT: Even though I've been a big fan of the movies since I was a kid, I don't feel I ever cared much for the story. Characters yes, to an extent, but I always loved the universe first and foremost. So I'm not much bothered if the story is good or bad, as long as I get to see more of the universe.
I think later Clone Wars and Rebels, plus Mando, are the bits where I cared the most about the story and characters.
Quote from: Syt on November 06, 2020, 03:29:27 PM
I enjoyed all Star Wars movies. And the TV shows. I haven't watched Resistance yet, though. :)
I envy you. I wish I enjoyed them.
I really wish Star Wars was cool.
But anyway if KOTOR is ever mentioned in this thread you can expect an appearance by me :P
Quote from: Valmy on November 06, 2020, 03:31:05 PM
I envy you. I wish I enjoyed them.
I really wish Star Wars was cool.
But anyway if KOTOR is ever mentioned in this thread you can expect an appearance by me :P
See my edit. I might be an outlier. :)
Weakest episode of both seasons so far.
P.S.: for me sci-fi shows are about escapism into a different world. As such I'm quite forgiving of plot holes (real or imagined), worn out tropes if they're freshened up a bit, or inconsistencies (I don't care if the rules for transporters or holodecks change, or how much damage Data's body can withstand between Star Trek episodes). A show has to be exceptionally abysmal or boring for me to stop following it once I start it. Doesn't mean I don't see differences in quality. However, I may enjoy show or movie A more than show or movie B, even though I might think that B is the better show or movie.
It's also why I try not to discuss shows on the web much anymore, because I know a lot of people are enjoying them a lot less than me. :D
Quote from: Syt on November 06, 2020, 08:49:17 AM
Theory I saw online: [spoiler]what if it turns out frog lady's husband is Bossk? That would be a fun twist (esp. since he would be a good candidate for knowing about Mandalorians), but I think it's unlikely.[/spoiler]
not the same species.I don't think I've never ever heard of inter-species relationship in SW universe.
Quote from: Valmy on November 06, 2020, 03:31:05 PM
Quote from: Syt on November 06, 2020, 03:29:27 PM
I enjoyed all Star Wars movies. And the TV shows. I haven't watched Resistance yet, though. :)
I envy you. I wish I enjoyed them.
I really wish Star Wars was cool.
But anyway if KOTOR is ever mentioned in this thread you can expect an appearance by me :P
KOTOR! KOTOR! KOTOR!
:P
Syt have you checked the latest Thrawn book, Ascendency? I've just started it, and it's pretty cool so far, as is nearly anything with Thrawn in it :D
Outbound flight has now been made canon, that's nice :)
I thought it was a fun episode. :)
Quote from: viper37 on November 07, 2020, 12:17:20 AM
Syt have you checked the latest Thrawn book, Ascendency? I've just started it, and it's pretty cool so far, as is nearly anything with Thrawn in it :D
Outbound flight has now been made canon, that's nice :)
I haven't. I read the occasional Star Wars book but not many recently. I admit I'm not a big fan of Timothy Zahn's writing. :)
So, the x-wing guys saved him and then left him to die. That made a lot of sense.
Quote from: Syt on November 07, 2020, 03:42:43 AM
Quote from: viper37 on November 07, 2020, 12:17:20 AM
Syt have you checked the latest Thrawn book, Ascendency? I've just started it, and it's pretty cool so far, as is nearly anything with Thrawn in it :D
Outbound flight has now been made canon, that's nice :)
I haven't. I read the occasional Star Wars book but not many recently. I admit I'm not a big fan of Timothy Zahn's writing. :)
Ah, well, if you ain't a fan of his writing, you won't like this one either. Pity :(
Quote from: crazy canuck on November 07, 2020, 10:06:05 AM
So, the x-wing guys saved him and then left him to die. That made a lot of sense.
they didn't left him to die. They knew the ship could probably still fly, they were just pissed off he tried to escape.
Quote from: viper37 on November 07, 2020, 04:46:43 PM
Quote from: crazy canuck on November 07, 2020, 10:06:05 AM
So, the x-wing guys saved him and then left him to die. That made a lot of sense.
they didn't left him to die. They knew the ship could probably still fly, they were just pissed off he tried to escape.
:lol: I love how you hedged. Probably, maybe sort of, with lots of luck. Or did they just know that our hero wears plot armour and not just Mando armour.
Quote from: crazy canuck on November 07, 2020, 10:06:05 AM
So, the x-wing guys saved him and then left him to die. That made a lot of sense.
Yeah, that scene didn't quite make much sense. Otherwise, fun episode.
Quote from: celedhring on November 07, 2020, 05:13:52 PM
Quote from: crazy canuck on November 07, 2020, 10:06:05 AM
So, the x-wing guys saved him and then left him to die. That made a lot of sense.
Yeah, that scene didn't quite make much sense. Otherwise, fun episode.
It was also remarkable that everyone was an excellent marksmen as well. Even the Frog. Post empire, accuracy has really improved.
I enjoyed it. But unforced writing mistakes are really unnecessary. Disney probably spent a lot of money somewhere - lets hope for some better writing in later episodes.
Quote from: crazy canuck on November 07, 2020, 04:48:20 PM
Quote from: viper37 on November 07, 2020, 04:46:43 PM
Quote from: crazy canuck on November 07, 2020, 10:06:05 AM
So, the x-wing guys saved him and then left him to die. That made a lot of sense.
they didn't left him to die. They knew the ship could probably still fly, they were just pissed off he tried to escape.
:lol: I love how you hedged. Probably, maybe sort of, with lots of luck. Or did they just know that our hero wears plot armour and not just Mando armour.
that too :P
What can I say? cops get angry when they have to chase you and they're desinclined to acquiesce to your request after that :P
Quote from: crazy canuck on November 07, 2020, 05:18:16 PM
Quote from: celedhring on November 07, 2020, 05:13:52 PM
Quote from: crazy canuck on November 07, 2020, 10:06:05 AM
So, the x-wing guys saved him and then left him to die. That made a lot of sense.
Yeah, that scene didn't quite make much sense. Otherwise, fun episode.
It was also remarkable that everyone was an excellent marksmen as well. Even the Frog. Post empire, accuracy has really improved.
You should rewatch the last episode of season 1 :P
I just don't understand the train of thought of the X-Wing pilots. If they had already decided they weren't arresting him, why were they still looking for him? :P
That said, the "stopped for a broken light, oh your license plate is registered as being used in a crime" movie cop moment was pretty fun. But they should've resolved that whole mini-arc better (which they usually do).
Also, I believe the pro-life movement won't be adopting Baby Yoda as their pet mascot any time soon. :sleep:
Yeah, the X-Wing resolution was weird. I kinda understand that they wanted to be sure of what happened to the ship. With seeing how he tried to foil the attack on the prison ship to some degree, maybe they wanted to see if he was alive. The closest I can get to a reasonable train of thought was that on the one hand they know he was involved in shady stuff, but that he also tried to do some good and they were unsure where he stood, on the whole. I guess they thought, "We'll leave him here with a warning, let the Force/luck/fate sort this out." At the same time it was nice to see his actions from the season 1 episode having some consequences, and possibly having some good karma coming his way.
I'm kinda curious about the Frog Lady. I liked her character and mannerism quite a bit, but she seems surprisingly capable in a pinch. She rigged the droid's interface to act as a translator. She shot spiders with high accuracy off the kid's head. She doesn't take shit from Din. And what was she doing on Tatooine? She says her species can only really live on Trask, a water world (which we will likely see next episode and which was shown in the trailer) - Tatooine is like the polar opposite to that. I feel she's more than just a concerned mom-to-be and I would love to see more of her backstory, but I doubt we'll see that. There's a shot in the trailer where two frog people are walking away from the camera; one of them definitely her.
And Baby Yoda is concerning me. Between force choking Cara, Mando constantly setting an example of violence solving everything, and him happily munching on a lady's eggs, I feel his chaotic neutral impulses will lead to some serious problems down the line unless Din becomes a stricter parent and better role model. :P
It was just a badly written episode.
Quote from: Tamas on November 08, 2020, 04:37:46 AM
It was just a badly written episode.
Yeah, in retrospect you're probably right. Thinking back on it, nothing happens in the episode besides introducing Frog Lady.
Respectfully disagree.
We see more of the bond that Din and the Kid have, with the Kid clearly accepting him as a father figure and source of comfort and protection.
We further establish the naughty streak of the Kid that may hint at future problems.
We're shown again that past actions will have consequences in the show and that they can be good or bad, depending on how Din behaves.
We had Mando slipping back into expediency over doing right by his fellow traveler, which he reverses.
We see three different kinds of caring for children. The passive, protective way of the Frog Lady, the hyperaggressive way of the spiders, and Mando, who is somewhere in between.
It didn't advance the major quest much, but I don't mind. I expect that this journey isn't meant to be easy, or without dead ends. It reminds me in many ways of episode 2 of season 1 (with the Jawas and Mudhorn) in which we see Din having a really bad day, barely making it out in one piece (oddly, that episode also revolved around an egg ...), and the Razorcrest being beaten up. And he might have a future ally in the Frogsters, just as he had in Kuill.
While Din is a badass fighter, and it's fun to see him kick ass, he can become cocky. He will have setbacks, he will mess up, and have situations go from bad to worse to worst, and he will have to claw back from them, and hopefully learn from the experience. This episode was a strong reminder of that.
My only real complaint is the unsatisfying resolution with the X-Wing patrol. I assume Appa had to get back to his convenience store in time. :P
Quote from: Syt on November 08, 2020, 05:21:39 AM
Respectfully disagree.
We see more of the bond that Din and the Kid have, with the Kid clearly accepting him as a father figure and source of comfort and protection.
We further establish the naughty streak of the Kid that may hint at future problems.
We're shown again that past actions will have consequences in the show and that they can be good or bad, depending on how Din behaves.
We had Mando slipping back into expediency over doing right by his fellow traveler, which he reverses.
We see three different kinds of caring for children. The passive, protective way of the Frog Lady, the hyperaggressive way of the spiders, and Mando, who is somewhere in between.
Those themes, with the exception of the "how to take care of children" stuff, which is more a background motif than something that drives a plot, were already adressed in season 1, in better (imho) episodes. The episode didn't really bring anything new to the table, not even concluded the mission of delivering Frog Lady safely to the planet (I think they should have got rid of the prelude in Tatooine with the ambush, which added nothing).
Again, not bashing the show here, just not one of its strongest episodes.
Yeah overall the show is still great, I consider this the only weak episode it has had. But it was still weak.
Quote from: celedhring on November 08, 2020, 05:52:09 AM
Quote from: Syt on November 08, 2020, 05:21:39 AM
Respectfully disagree.
We see more of the bond that Din and the Kid have, with the Kid clearly accepting him as a father figure and source of comfort and protection.
We further establish the naughty streak of the Kid that may hint at future problems.
We're shown again that past actions will have consequences in the show and that they can be good or bad, depending on how Din behaves.
We had Mando slipping back into expediency over doing right by his fellow traveler, which he reverses.
We see three different kinds of caring for children. The passive, protective way of the Frog Lady, the hyperaggressive way of the spiders, and Mando, who is somewhere in between.
Those themes, with the exception of the "how to take care of children" stuff, which is more a background motif than something that drives a plot, were already adressed in season 1, in better (imho) episodes. The episode didn't really bring anything new to the table, not even concluded the mission of delivering Frog Lady safely to the planet (I think they should have got rid of the prelude in Tatooine with the ambush, which added nothing).
Again, not bashing the show here, just not one of its strongest episodes.
I will reserve my judgement for later. If he brings the frog lady home and departs withing 10 minutes of the next episode and we never see her or her people again, I'll agree with you.
If it ends being important to the overall plot in some way, like his meeting with Cara Dune, then I'll side with Syt ;)
I wouldn't say I liked it, but I'm not ready to say it was a weak episode.
Reinforcing the idea that the kid can be bad, therefore using the dark side of the Force may serve later. Just seeing him do something bad once is not enough, imho. :)
We'll see :)
I've started watching s2 of mandalorian.
For a no name outback desert planet Tattooine sure sees a lot of action. It's the Midsomer of the star wars universe.
Quote from: Tyr on November 08, 2020, 04:00:20 PM
I've started watching s2 of mandalorian.
For a no name outback desert planet Tattooine sure sees a lot of action. It's the Midsomer of the star wars universe.
It's likely a budget thing, but I'd like to see what a crowded planet looks like in the Star Wars universe.
Quote from: Liep on November 09, 2020, 12:36:19 AM
Quote from: Tyr on November 08, 2020, 04:00:20 PM
I've started watching s2 of mandalorian.
For a no name outback desert planet Tattooine sure sees a lot of action. It's the Midsomer of the star wars universe.
It's likely a budget thing, but I'd like to see what a crowded planet looks like in the Star Wars universe.
You have the Coruscant scenes in Attack of the Clones, but I presume you (sensibly) have forgotten about that :lol:
I actually liked this episode more than the season opener. I think it's because I'm a sucker for baby yoda and this episode had baby yoda all over the place. :P
Also I appreciate that cops are assholes even in star wars. The world building is insanely good in this show.
Quote from: celedhring on November 09, 2020, 02:28:59 AM
You have the Coruscant scenes in Attack of the Clones, but I presume you (sensibly) have forgotten about that :lol:
I have forgotten all about that. Is that the 2nd prequal?
Yes.
(https://preview.redd.it/q7uxg41y1fy51.jpg?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=7f1cf9b5d45afca979926539d43fbdbbcdcf56de)
Apparently Frog Lady and Dr. Mandible are seen in the cantina back in season 1.
Yay, episode 3!
[spoiler]... and it's only 35 minutes (including recap and credits). :(
The theme of the Razorcrest getting trashed continues. I guess in a way it reflects Mando himself changing during his journey?
Big nerd-out moment when Bo-Katan's helmet comes into view. Nice to see Katee Sackhoff slip quite comfortably into a live action role she had hitherto only voiced. And it basically confirmed what has been speculated about: that taking off helmets is quite normal for Mandalorians, and apparently not taking it off is what the more extreme Deathwatch do.
Pretty standard action fare, otherwise. Nice to see Mandalorians kick ass as a group, but they also didn't feel particularly challenged. Mando felt very much like the junior member of the raiding party. Appropriately so, since Bo-Katan has been doing this for decades, fought in the Clone Wars, etc. I liked Titus Welliver as the Imperial captain. And the bit about the other officer "trapping" the Mandalorians was funny.
I'm quite glad the Kid didn't eat any more eggs or the frog couple's offspring. I'm genuinely glad their story had a happy ending for now. And maybe he learned a bit of empathy? :)
Random bits: I like that it's mostly Quarren and Mon Calamari on this water world. Nice to see Deadliest Catch, Star Wars edition, too. Though it feels a bit filler that Night Owl come to rescue Mando from the boat, then - after he left them - rescue him *again*. I like to think they had a discussion in between along the lines of "we could really use his help on this heist", but it still seemed like doing the same scenario twice.
I laughed out loud when after the seemingly successful landing the Crest dropped into the sea. And the state of the ship after the makeshift repairs. Love the new maritime stylings :D
I feel we haven't seen the last of Bo-Katan, what with her hunting Gideon and the Darksaber.
Next week Ahsoka, then? Unless we crashland again somewhere which, given the state of the ship, isn't completely unlikely. :lol:[/spoiler]
Liked this episode a lot, although I was a bit surprised about Mando not being aware of there being other Mando groups. Anyway, after two "stand alone" episodes it was time to get the main arc back on track.
I love how the show casually casts Titus Welliver as an unnamed one-off Imperial Captain :lol:
General consensus seems to be that Episode 5 is the "real Ahsoka episdoe", because that's the one that Dave Filoni directed.
Also, nice to see a Gozanti cruiser in live action. :D
Nice episode!
That was great. Really like this show.
Quote from: celedhring on November 13, 2020, 07:57:45 AM
Liked this episode a lot, although I was a bit surprised about Mando not being aware of there being other Mando groups.
Well, he was adopted (foundling) into the clan, and there was a Great Purge at some point. The Tribe may not have told them there were heretic Mandalorian, from a certain point of view...
I like seeing Kathee Sackoff interpret Bo-Katan, I think she nailed her perfectly.
Quote from: viper37 on November 14, 2020, 09:35:44 PM
I like seeing Kathee Sackoff interpret Bo-Katan, I think she nailed her perfectly.
Isn't she the voice actor for the same character in Clone Wars and Rebels?
Yes.
Interesting video about how Mandalorian is using virtual sets via LED screens to significantly reduce the amount of greenscreen shooting necessary:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ufp8weYYDE8&feature=emb_logo&ab_channel=Insider
Quote from: viper37 on November 14, 2020, 09:33:55 PM
Quote from: celedhring on November 13, 2020, 07:57:45 AM
Liked this episode a lot, although I was a bit surprised about Mando not being aware of there being other Mando groups.
Well, he was adopted (foundling) into the clan, and there was a Great Purge at some point. The Tribe may not have told them there were heretic Mandalorian, from a certain point of view...
That's fine, but he has been interacting with Mandalorians across the galaxy during all of his adult life (as seen in season 1). It seems odd he never came into contact or heard about other factions.
Who are supposed to be the oddballs in Mandalorian society, btw? Mando's group or Bo-Katan's group?
Quote from: Barrister on November 15, 2020, 12:12:59 AM
Quote from: viper37 on November 14, 2020, 09:35:44 PM
I like seeing Kathee Sackoff interpret Bo-Katan, I think she nailed her perfectly.
Isn't she the voice actor for the same character in Clone Wars and Rebels?
Didn't know that. As soon as she took her helmet off I thought the role suited her like a glove.
Quote from: celedhring on November 15, 2020, 03:42:30 AMThat's fine, but he has been interacting with Mandalorians across the galaxy during all of his adult life (as seen in season 1). It seems odd he never came into contact or heard about other factions.
Has he? I thought we only saw him with the guys who were on Nevarro and now he's for the first time going out seeking other hidden groups? :unsure:
QuoteWho are supposed to be the oddballs in Mandalorian society, btw? Mando's group or Bo-Katan's group?
Up for debate, but in later Clone Wars and certainly in Rebels, Bo-Katan's group was more "middle of the road". Death Watch was on one end of the spectrum (all about fighting and conflict and being the most awesomest warriors like in their mythical past) - and we see Little Din being rescued by them in the season 1 flashbacks - and Bo-Katan's sister Duchess Satine on the extreme pacifist end. Most Mandalorian clans we see during those shows fall somewhere on that spectrum (often closer to Death Watch), but those are the two far ends of it. Bo-Katan first ran with Death Watch but split off from them when they aligned with Maul IIRC (I need to rewatch CW ...). He character softened a bit after this and becomes more of a "responsible leader" figure going forward - her main goal still remains uniting Mandalore and making it great again.
Keep in mind that even Death Watch weren't as dogmatic in the past. They certainly didn't have the "always wear helmet" rule before the Purge, but there's a good chance they became more radicalized after the purge.
It still leaves questions open. DW rescued Din during the Clone Wars - so he maybe remembers the old days of unmasking not being a big deal? Or maybe there's always been a ultra-orthodox strain within Death Watch that we didn't see in the previous shows.
DW was mostly led by the Vizsla clan. A Paz Vizsla was seen in seaon 1 (the heavy with the chaingun), but allegiances have been known to be a bit fluid between clans. Wookieepedia calls Din's group "The Tribe" .... it's all a bit vague at this point, but I'm sure we might learn more in the future.
Ahsoka was on Mandalore when the Mandalorians pushed out Maul, so she might have more insight to this. She wasn't involved in the retaking of Mandalore in Rebels, but she might know more about the Purge.
So the story about retaking Mandalore has already been told? I was hoping the Mandalorian show might be going towards that direction.
Quote from: Syt on November 15, 2020, 04:05:05 AM
Quote from: celedhring on November 15, 2020, 03:42:30 AMThat's fine, but he has been interacting with Mandalorians across the galaxy during all of his adult life (as seen in season 1). It seems odd he never came into contact or heard about other factions.
Has he? I thought we only saw him with the guys who were on Nevarro and now he's for the first time going out seeking other hidden groups? :unsure:
He didn't give the feeling of somebody who was interacting with other mandalorians for the first time, certainly. Plus he's been travelling all over the galaxy as a bounty hunter. It feels odd he might think that DW mandos are the only mandos - it's just a nitpick anyway. Seems to me the writers went that route because it was easier that way to explain the existence of these groups if Mando didn't know them either.
Are the KOTOR Mandalorian wars in the current canon, btw?
Yes, I'm excited.
They're not really in the canon. Rebels established that the Mandalorians fought the Jedi a long time ago. Also, that there was a Mandalorian Jedi who was the one to create the Darksaber.
There's a backdoor canonization of Revan in that one of the Sith Trooper divisions in the visual guide for Rise of Skywalker is named after him, but without further explanation. Those books are considered canon, but if retcons were required, I'd assume they would be among the first things to be decanonized (the Force Awakened one had a star chart that had Rakata Prime in it, the Starforge system in KOTOR, but again - no additional info or anything, just a cute thing for fans).
With Mando meeting various people wearing Mandalorian armor so far this season I feel he will start creating his own idea what it means to be Mandalorian, independent from how he was brought up. Might bring him into conflict with the smith from season 1. I kinda want and don't want him to be the next Mandalore at this point. :D
The IMDB thumbnail for the next episode shows Cara Dune. Gina Carano has had a bit of Twitter trouble recently. She got called out for liking various tweets that argued for voter fraud stealing the election from Trump, she's a known anti-masker. In September she got in trouble with the transgender crowd. Apparently she asked Pedro Pascal why people were adding things like "he/him/his" to their profiles, and he said that it's the preferred pronouns of people, especially transgendered ones. She added "beep/bop/boop" or something similar to her profile as a joke. People called her out on that, and she doubled down on it.
Pedro Pascal was criticized for being exuberant on social media after the election was called for Biden, including sharing and then deleting this meme:
(https://boundingintocomics.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/2020.11.08-03.26-boundingintocomics-5fa76574a0c43-e1604806028271.jpg)
Agree with the consensus. Great episode. Glad the story is progressing forward again.
This time they're not wasting any merchandising opportunities. :lol:
(https://www.funkami.es/28852-medium_default/figura-funko-pop-baby-yoda-the-child-egg-canister-407-the-mandalorian.jpg)
Quote from: The Larch on November 15, 2020, 12:25:56 PM
This time they're not wasting any merchandising opportunities. :lol:
It was quite a sacrifice for Disney to not risk BY being spoiled last year by missing out on all that merchandising.
So they're definitely making up for lost time now!
Comparison of Bo-Katan between from Clone Wars to Rebels to Mandalorian.
(https://oyster.ignimgs.com/wordpress/stg.ign.com/2020/11/bo-katan-clone-wars.png)
(https://www.nexusroute.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/515ep16.jpg)
(https://falaanimal.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/bo-katan-kryze_14052020-800x445.jpg)
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Em8rMKfW8AAAqb0?format=jpg&name=medium)
Assuming she was ca. 20 during the Clone Wars, she would be in her late 40s, early 50s now?
I also notice, in direct comparison, I like the Clone Wars style better than Rebels. Rebels took me a bit to get into because it's a bit more stylized and cartoonish.
Speaking of style, the Mandalorians were clearly fans of Picasso (or: Picasso was inspired by them, considering the "A long time ago" part :P ) in how they depicted their war against the Jedi.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/CCb-qhrSwZ2Ef3O0VAWQfmiIZuNhq6VD6RMyRMjDNfLRpRP4Xpo_WnUfUN7dirBn6IhsZX-BHSDHVG4b25fP9k3_0xcqzfGdlUWkBbqE8COVvPYeNpPkLJ2BXaYu9ruVqLz_L8SX8RSUWnOE7-wMYWJfpP0XzkFNJYqZYWMlNpdE4a_Rot5t3aCqS_vuQ9etR4n2pq4EGQ)
(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/4c/d0/69/4cd0691404f8dfb265a6b4cb3611690b.jpg)
Quote from: Syt on November 16, 2020, 11:56:05 AM
I also notice, in direct comparison, I like the Clone Wars style better than Rebels. Rebels took me a bit to get into because it's a bit more stylized and cartoonish.
Yeah, when I got Disney+ I tried watching both Clone Wars and Rebels and the difference in style was too jarring. Rebels felt too simplistic in comparison.
I got used to it in Rebels after a while. And I think, like in Clone Wars, the animations and detailing got better in later episodes. But I might be misremembering things.
Quote from: Barrister on November 15, 2020, 12:12:59 AM
Quote from: viper37 on November 14, 2020, 09:35:44 PM
I like seeing Kathee Sackoff interpret Bo-Katan, I think she nailed her perfectly.
Isn't she the voice actor for the same character in Clone Wars and Rebels?
duh! hadn't realized that :)
Quote from: celedhring on November 15, 2020, 03:42:30 AM
That's fine, but he has been interacting with Mandalorians across the galaxy during all of his adult life (as seen in season 1). It seems odd he never came into contact or heard about other factions.
He only met the Tribe in season 1, IIRC.https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Din_Djarin
And most people who meet Mandalorians meet them with their armor and helmets on, unless they visit the Mandalore planet.
Quote
Who are supposed to be the oddballs in Mandalorian society, btw? Mando's group or Bo-Katan's group?
Mando's group, according to Clone Wars.
Should a watch Clone Wars or Rebels first. I think I watched few episodes of Clone Wars back in the day.
CW is 7 season. Start with Rebels, it's more relevant to the current situation.
Also Resistance style is the weirdest.
Obviously, I liked the episode. This is pretty much the ultimate fan service to me. The non Skywalker saga shows are finally crossing into real action.
Quote from: Grey Fox on November 16, 2020, 09:54:17 PM
Obviously, I liked the episode. This is pretty much the ultimate fan service to me. The non Skywalker saga shows are finally crossing into real action.
Clone Wars is hardly a "non Skywalker" show...
:hmm:
But I like CW.
:(
For those who need it or want a refresher, Star Wars Explained has done a short video of Bo-Katan's story pre-Mandalorian as far as we know it.
https://youtu.be/rMPUINKtrJI
Happy Mandoday!
Leaving out the spoiler tags. I assume people checking this thread know by now it contains spoilers.
Nice and fun action piece, but no big surprises - the escape method was heavily telegraphed, and the escape sequence, while looking very good was also quite straightforward. Mind you, this is minor complaining, though.
The main plot arc did get some love, though. We have it confirmed that Gideon is after the child for its blood and its high "M count" - I wonder what "M" stands for. :P
The guys in the tanks reminded me of Snoke due to the scar(?) on the top of their head. So we might see the early stages of the Snoke project, maybe? The holo recording speaks of volunteers. Question is if Gideon is trying to create a new Emperor, or if he's acting in accordance with a Palpatine plan (or maybe one evolves into the other? "Thanks for the effort, I'll take it from here. Love, Sheev").
A few random thoughts:
- the Imperial base was representative of basically 50% of all Imp bases in the Dark Forces/Jedi Knight games :lol: Built into a cliff side, elevators, hallways, secret lab, and some lava thrown in for good measure.
- it was easy to guess the tracker twist because of the last shot of the mechanic before the group departed
- the last scene looked like we might see some Dark Trooper action? They looked similar to these Phase IIs that were introduced in the Star Wars Uprising game (which supposedly is canon?) https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Phase_II_dark_trooper I'm starting to think Gideon was heading some sort of research and special weapons division
- how THE FUCK was the Razorcrest completely overhauled into pristine condition so quickly? Did they spend weeks planning their assault? The hell?? :lol:
- child really needs to work on its impulse control; also needs to take a mechanics class
Btw, I also watched the LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special. It's a cute little adventure/toy commercial/trailer for LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. Starts with a small excuse to revisit various scenes from the movies (nicely done, including the respective music cues) before doing its own adventure. If you've seen the other LEGO Star Wars shorts you kinda know what to expect. There were a few funny gags, but at the end of the day it's a little fluff piece without much substance.
It's objectively better than the 1978 Holiday Special, but that makes it a lot less interesting to watch. I actually like the campy nonsense of the old one despite the cringe, but then I do like the bits with Bea Arthur and Harvey Korman, even though they run decidedly too long. :D
I quite liked the Lego Star Wars Holiday Special. :) Watched it with the kids after Mando last night.
The basic conceit (I don't think this is a spoiler) is Rey gets a time-travelling Jedi crystal that lets her visit all the highlights from the various films (and Clone Wars, and even Mando). Wacky hijinks ensue, because that's the Lego Star Wars way.
I thought it was good fun, some very knowing humour (best line: [spoiler]Old Han Solo stands beside young Han Solo. They both look at Greedo, then one of them says "Do you want to shoot first"?[/spoiler])
Quote from: Barrister on November 21, 2020, 01:22:27 PM
I quite liked the Lego Star Wars Holiday Special. :) Watched it with the kids after Mando last night.
The basic conceit (I don't think this is a spoiler) is Rey gets a time-travelling Jedi crystal that lets her visit all the highlights from the various films (and Clone Wars, and even Mando). Wacky hijinks ensue, because that's the Lego Star Wars way.
I thought it was good fun, some very knowing humour (best line: [spoiler]Old Han Solo stands beside young Han Solo. They both look at Greedo, then one of them says "Do you want to shoot first"?[/spoiler])
I really like the bit with [spoiler]the two Vaders on Hoth. :lol:[/spoiler]
I was conditioned at a young age to avoid anything that had the words Star Wars and Holiday Special in the same sentence.
edit: I just made myself physically ill.
Quote from: Syt on November 20, 2020, 04:46:53 AM
- the Imperial base was representative of basically 50% of all Imp bases in the Dark Forces/Jedi Knight games :lol: Built into a cliff side, elevators, hallways, secret lab, and some lava thrown in for good measure.
That was my very first thought once they arrived. Massive JK vibes :lol:
This latest episode gets a 5 out of 5 on the Baby Yoda scale.
So goddamn cute :lol:
Quote from: FunkMonk on November 21, 2020, 05:17:54 PM
This latest episode gets a 5 out of 5 on the Baby Yoda scale.
So goddamn cute :lol:
He's cute even when getting electrocuted. :lol:
I'm not sure of Mando's employment of child labor in hazardous environments though :lol:
We now know how he eats/drinks with the helmet - tediously. Especially since the helmet reseals/unseals every time.
I assume we will eventually become more relaxed about not wearing the helmet all the time. Not least because Pedro Pascal was apparently not happy that people don't see his face on a regular basis. Valid concern for an actor.
There's also fan speculation that the armorer from season 1 might end up being a villain when he starts straying from The Way of their little cult.
Quote from: Syt on November 22, 2020, 07:40:49 AM
We now know how he eats/drinks with the helmet - tediously. Especially since the helmet reseals/unseals every time.
I assume we will eventually become more relaxed about not wearing the helmet all the time. Not least because Pedro Pascal was apparently not happy that people don't see his face on a regular basis. Valid concern for an actor.
There's also fan speculation that the armorer from season 1 might end up being a villain when he starts straying from The Way of their little cult.
He only does that because The Child is present right? The rule is that he can't be seen without the helmet, not that he can't remove it (in private).
Also, my mom was seriously disappointed when he saw Pascal's unmasked face. "I expected someone more handsome" :lol:
Quote from: celedhring on November 22, 2020, 07:50:24 AMHe only does that because The Child is present right? The rule is that he can't be seen without the helmet, not that he can't remove it (in private).
I assume so. But that might not be practical at all times, like when you spend a lot of time in company.
Quote from: celedhring on November 22, 2020, 07:50:24 AM
Quote from: Syt on November 22, 2020, 07:40:49 AM
We now know how he eats/drinks with the helmet - tediously. Especially since the helmet reseals/unseals every time.
I assume we will eventually become more relaxed about not wearing the helmet all the time. Not least because Pedro Pascal was apparently not happy that people don't see his face on a regular basis. Valid concern for an actor.
There's also fan speculation that the armorer from season 1 might end up being a villain when he starts straying from The Way of their little cult.
He only does that because The Child is present right? The rule is that he can't be seen without the helmet, not that he can't remove it (in private).
Also, my mom was seriously disappointed when he saw Pascal's unmasked face. "I expected someone more handsome" :lol:
IIRC doesn't he tell that lady in the first season (google: Episode 4: The Sanctuary) when asked when he last removed his helmet, his response was "last night"?
I kind-of assume that since I'm pretty sure Disney doesn't want this show to end any time soon that sooner or later Din Djarin is going to transition to not wearing his helmet all the time.
Quote from: Grey Fox on November 16, 2020, 09:48:35 PM
CW is 7 season. Start with Rebels, it's more relevant to the current situation.
Also Resistance style is the weirdest.
Thanks for the advice. I am on episode 11 of season one of Rebels. I wasn't sure I would like watching a cartoon, but it is really quite good.
The Rebels season 1 finale episodes really got me hooked on the show. Till then I liked it, but I didn't love it yet.
Random thought on Mandalorian: this season we've seen him entrust the child 3 times in 4 episodes to other people:
- to Cobb Vanth when he goes into the Krayt Dragon
- to the Frog couple last episode
- to the school this episode
I guess it's mostly to have the kid out of the way during the action bits, but currently it's a great measure of who Din trusts. Let's hope this doesn't get disappointed at some point. Maybe if Bo-Katan trades the child for the Darksaber ... ? :ph34r:
I've started watching The Clone Wars in chronological episode order, according to this: https://www.starwars.com/news/star-wars-the-clone-wars-chronological-episodeorder
Plan to watch Rebels after that.
Quote from: Syt on November 22, 2020, 03:27:46 PM
The Rebels season 1 finale episodes really got me hooked on the show. Till then I liked it, but I didn't love it yet.
I have finished the two part beginning of season two.
It is great. How is it that the writing for this cartoon is so superior to the scripts for the multi million dollar budget live action movies.
Quote from: crazy canuck on November 24, 2020, 10:03:45 AM
Quote from: Syt on November 22, 2020, 03:27:46 PM
The Rebels season 1 finale episodes really got me hooked on the show. Till then I liked it, but I didn't love it yet.
I have finished the two part beginning of season two.
It is great. How is it that the writing for this cartoon is so superior to the scripts for the multi million dollar budget live action movies.
Because they're multi million dollar budget live action movies. Cartoons are low risk and if you give them to a group of talented people they can have much more freedom with them. There have been a bunch of pretty great cartoons these past years.
Quote from: crazy canuck on November 24, 2020, 10:03:45 AM
Quote from: Syt on November 22, 2020, 03:27:46 PM
The Rebels season 1 finale episodes really got me hooked on the show. Till then I liked it, but I didn't love it yet.
I have finished the two part beginning of season two.
It is great. How is it that the writing for this cartoon is so superior to the scripts for the multi million dollar budget live action movies.
You know the answer I say to these questions.
The Skywalker saga is stupid & too blame.
Quote from: crazy canuck on November 24, 2020, 10:03:45 AM
Quote from: Syt on November 22, 2020, 03:27:46 PM
The Rebels season 1 finale episodes really got me hooked on the show. Till then I liked it, but I didn't love it yet.
I have finished the two part beginning of season two.
It is great. How is it that the writing for this cartoon is so superior to the scripts for the multi million dollar budget live action movies.
It's largely credited to Dave Filoni who is a bit of a Star Wars uber-nerd and not too shabby when writing stories. Looking forward to his Mandalorian episode next week.
In Rebels I knew shit was getting real when Tarkin puts the two bumbling officers on the spot who mostly served as comic relief in the first season and the inquisitor kills them. Stakes were immediately raised and you get the feeling that playtime is truly over.
Quote from: Syt on November 24, 2020, 10:25:39 AM
Quote from: crazy canuck on November 24, 2020, 10:03:45 AM
Quote from: Syt on November 22, 2020, 03:27:46 PM
The Rebels season 1 finale episodes really got me hooked on the show. Till then I liked it, but I didn't love it yet.
I have finished the two part beginning of season two.
It is great. How is it that the writing for this cartoon is so superior to the scripts for the multi million dollar budget live action movies.
It's largely credited to Dave Filoni who is a bit of a Star Wars uber-nerd and not too shabby when writing stories. Looking forward to his Mandalorian episode next week.
In Rebels I knew shit was getting real when Tarkin puts the two bumbling officers on the spot who mostly served as comic relief in the first season and the inquisitor kills them. Stakes were immediately raised and you get the feeling that playtime is truly over.
Yeah, I loved that scene. That was when the show made the transition from an entertaining cartoon to telling a compelling story.
Quote from: celedhring on November 21, 2020, 02:50:45 PM
Quote from: Syt on November 20, 2020, 04:46:53 AM
- the Imperial base was representative of basically 50% of all Imp bases in the Dark Forces/Jedi Knight games :lol: Built into a cliff side, elevators, hallways, secret lab, and some lava thrown in for good measure.
That was my very first thought once they arrived. Massive JK vibes :lol:
there are also similar bases, one in particular, very similar to that one (albeit, it was a very different landscape) in Fallen Order.
Picked up Rebels and I'm now up to the middle of season 2. Loved that the B-Wing origin story is loosely based on the Star Wars: Strikeforce Shantipole module :nerd:
#Ashoka is TT in Spain :lol:
I watched a bit of Rebels today to hype myself a bit (see above), I suspect I wasn't alone.
Well, this was much anticipated, and I think it delivered. Since Filoni wrote the script, Ahsoka in this episode seems like a natural extension from her arcs in Clone Wars and Rebels. Rosario Dawson did a fine job adopting the role. :)
Big name drops:
Thrawn! (if you're confused about it, keep watching Rebels to the end)
Tython! (looking it up, and Tython was re-canonized in one of the comics a year ago; in old EU it was mentioned first in Darth Bane: Rule of Two, and of course featured heavily in SWTOR if you pick a Jedi class). :)
The story felt a little bit like an RPG adventure, but in a good way. :D Loved to see Ahsoka in live action combat. :)
We have a name for the child! Grogu! And it was adorable how he perked up every time his name was mentioned. :wub:
Random thoughts:
- Michael Biehn! :w00t: :wub:
- when Mando is looking for Ahsoka, there's *of course* an owl/convor sitting on a tree (https://www.starwars.com/databank/morai)
- Loth cat!
- HK-87s :lol: (Filoni is a big KOTOR fan and likes to work references in)
- some nice dialogue callbacks
- loved the staredown scene between Mando and Biehn
- loved the samurai style preparation for the duel between the magistrate and Ahsoka (and I thought the magistrate was a tad too strong/competent, but I guess she may have been training a lot with her HKs?)
- establishing that beskar is, indeed, lightsaber proof
- bit of a Yojimbo homage, too? Ahsoka walking down main street to the leader, Mando double crossing the town ...
- Was wondering about Ahsoka's reverse grip throughout the episode - she changed to it in the fight after losing one saber; I guess she was in "this is easy" stance before :P
If we continue the pattern, I expect next week to be a bit of a breather episode before the two part finale of the season. Big showdown on Tython at the end of the season? Duel beskar spear vs Darksaber?
One thing I've been wondering is if Gideon is the Big Bad or if he's a henchman. Seeing him in his Arquitens cruiser last week reminded me a bit of Rebels, where the ship heavily featured at the start till the story escalated and regular Star Destroyers were brought in by the Empire. So I think it's possible, that while Gideon is a fanatic, powerful guy, there might still be an escalation to his boss. He seems to have quite some tricks up his sleeve between his "volunteer" program with force user blood and Dark Troopers (armored in beskar, maybe? :o ), but doesn't appear to have huge piles of resources. Maybe something like a competent Krennic from Rogue One who was made Moff? Besides, if he's Moff, there's still room for a Grand Moff. :P
P.S.: What if Thrawn is Gideon's boss?
This show is real good.
My one hope is that they steer clear of anything and everything from the sequel trilogy. Just forget they exist. They don't have to write it out of existence, just don't reference anything from them. I think they realize how much of a mess that trilogy was so they'd be wise to keep this separate. It would free them from writing themselves into knots trying to keep continuity with that shitshow too.
Quote from: FunkMonk on November 27, 2020, 11:36:57 AM
This show is real good.
My one hope is that they steer clear of anything and everything from the sequel trilogy. Just forget they exist. They don't have to write it out of existence, just don't reference anything from them. I think they realize how much of a mess that trilogy was so they'd be wise to keep this separate. It would free them from writing themselves into knots trying to keep continuity with that shitshow too.
I think that chances are good they will avoid it completely. Making any sense of it in subsequent stories would be too difficult.
Not necessarily. Clone Wars did some pretty good work with the prequel material they had to work with and tying those movies together better.
Personally, I hope they don't tie into the "big picture" too much except for cameos and glimpses, but I've always found stories that expanded the universe outside the main characters of the main saga more interesting.
Quote from: Syt on November 27, 2020, 01:26:20 PM
Not necessarily. Clone Wars did some pretty good work with the prequel material they had to work with and tying those movies together better.
Personally, I hope they don't tie into the "big picture" too much except for cameos and glimpses, but I've always found stories that expanded the universe outside the main characters of the main saga more interesting.
The prequels are masterpieces compared to the shite that are the sequels, though.
:rolleyes:
I actually like the first prequel. goes down from there though.
Truthfully, of the original trilogy i only like the first one anyway
Quote from: HVC on November 27, 2020, 03:16:06 PM
I actually like the first prequel. goes down from there though.
Truthfully, of the original trilogy i only like the first one anyway
Heresy
Empire Strikes Back was the best of the three
Well, this episode was brilliant. Might be my favorite of the show. Echoes of Kurosawa. :wub:
Quote from: Syt on November 27, 2020, 07:11:14 AM
P.S.: What if Thrawn is Gideon's boss?
Not a chance.
he's not the kind of subordinate Thrawn would want, needlessly sacrificing other Empire soldiers, especially in a time when resources are quite limited.
Using civilians as shield is certainly not above Thrawn, nor is stripping a planet of resources, tricking an entire race into servitude, or turning a blind eye to slavery and other evils of the Empire, but needlessly sacrificing a bunch of soldiers for the possible incompetence of one research director, no, not him at all.
Beside, he wouldn't recreate a Force wielding leader he can't control, like Snoke.
I see two possibilities:a) Palpatine's clone is alive and pulling the string, but too weak to assume leadership openlyb) Gideon is part of an organization or Moffs/Generals/Admirals that realize they can't do shit without a Force wielding Emperor and are attempting to re-create them, unaware that Palpatine is pulling the strings behind the scenes
I dislike both ideas, but we got to work with the material we were given ;)
(https://i.redd.it/eclhl9qzpu161.jpg)
Yeah it gave off serious old school samurai vibes.
Quote from: viper37 on November 28, 2020, 01:10:24 AM
Quote from: Syt on November 27, 2020, 07:11:14 AM
P.S.: What if Thrawn is Gideon's boss?
Not a chance.
he's not the kind of subordinate Thrawn would want, needlessly sacrificing other Empire soldiers, especially in a time when resources are quite limited.
Using civilians as shield is certainly not above Thrawn, nor is stripping a planet of resources, tricking an entire race into servitude, or turning a blind eye to slavery and other evils of the Empire, but needlessly sacrificing a bunch of soldiers for the possible incompetence of one research director, no, not him at all.
Beside, he wouldn't recreate a Force wielding leader he can't control, like Snoke.
I see two possibilities:a) Palpatine's clone is alive and pulling the string, but too weak to assume leadership openlyb) Gideon is part of an organization or Moffs/Generals/Admirals that realize they can't do shit without a Force wielding Emperor and are attempting to re-create them, unaware that Palpatine is pulling the strings behind the scenes
I dislike both ideas, but we got to work with the material we were given ;)
Fair points. What, then, if Thrawn and Gideon were rivals and Gideon using his weapons projects to try and overpower Thrawn to become the "true" leader of the Empire?
Also, someone pointed out that the HK droids had the emblem of Thrawn's 7th Fleet on their heads:
(https://preview.redd.it/4dqnmcdnzt161.jpg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4a70bea8e4779eaed684292210b8ea1a08bdca0f)
(https://i.pinimg.com/474x/f3/53/34/f3533498ad3d1f545716b3e4eb267140--empire-posts.jpg)
Since we didn't hear of Sabine or Ezra, I would assume they're been reunited, and Ahsoka is now pursuing Thrawn for ... whatever reason there might be. The Empire re-arming in the Unknown Regions (which is also where the Chiss Ascendancy is) despite the disarmament treaty with the New Republic? I could see her working for the early Resistance trying to keep tabs on what the Not-Yet-First Order is doing. The X-Wing cop last episode already hinted that they're aware of things happening "out here" (i.e. the Rim).
Knowing Thrawns pragmatism, there might be an alliance of convenience to take down Gideon?
Tython is according to current lore in the Deep Core. So there might be a chance next episode is set somewhere in the core worlds while on the way there? Also, I'd imagine Tython is not a generally well known location, and we might have to hunt information again next episode, which usually means doing a favor for someone. :P
Sidenote: we have Bo-Katan and Ahsoka on quests to hunt down one man, Gideon and Thrawn, respectively. Wonder if those quests will intersect. But Bo-Katan and Ahsoka together on screen feels more like a Season 3 thing, maybe? Or maybe we just round up the people from earlier in the season again for the big finale. :P
I'm still kind of expecting that the series will culminate in the re-taking of Mandalore, and Din becoming the next Mandalore (with the show title meaning THE Mandalorian), but I'm happy to be completely wrong if it turns out the series is headed some place else entirely.
Quote from: Syt on November 28, 2020, 03:20:23 AM
(https://i.redd.it/eclhl9qzpu161.jpg)
Michael Biehn's death scene reminded me a lot of the goon with the gun that tries to kill Sanjuro after surrendering, too. Plus the whole "turning against the local lord that hired you" plot point.
This might be my favorite episode of the show, admittedly of out of pure cinephilia. The photography and directing were absolutely on point. Christ, just give Filoni a Star Wars movie.
I don't care for the name they picked.
Also, I know that Yoda's race isn't known for their language skills, but if he had formal Jedi training, wouldn't have hurt to teach him to speak. He doesn't even seem to speak his race's language.
Quote from: celedhring on November 28, 2020, 06:58:22 AM
Also, I know that Yoda's race isn't known for their language skills, but if he had formal Jedi training, wouldn't have hurt to teach him to speak. He doesn't even seem to speak his race's language.
Yoda was 900-something when he died, so for convenience let's say they live 10x as long as humans, and age at 1/10. So Grogu would be 5 now in human years. And he would be like 1 or so when he was at the temple. We don't know what he did the past 25, 30 years. He might have been in stasis for all we know. :P
I suppose we'll eventually learn what happened to him all the way until Werner Herzog put up a contract for him. Incidentally, I hope this particular arc *doesn't* turn out to be Snoke's origin story (since Gideon was trying to create artificial force users). Honestly couldn't care less about Snoke. Rather the show kept carving his own niche.
The way he perks up when Mando calls his name was adorable, by the way. I was afraid that "Baby Yoda being cute" would get played out this season but somehow it keeps working :lol:
Quote from: celedhring on November 28, 2020, 06:24:07 AM
Quote from: Syt on November 28, 2020, 03:20:23 AM
(https://i.redd.it/eclhl9qzpu161.jpg)
Michael Biehn's death scene reminded me a lot of the goon with the gun that tries to kill Sanjuro after surrendering, too. Plus the whole "turning against the local lord that hired you" plot point.
This might be my favorite episode of the show, admittedly of out of pure cinephilia. The photography and directing were absolutely on point. Christ, just give Filoni a Star Wars movie.
Isn't the initial sequence, with the soldiers from the walls trying to follow the fighting in the fog also taken from a Kurosawa film?
Most certainly Throne of Blood, that's the quintessential "samurais and mist" Kurosawa movie, although I can't pinpoint the particular scene. The setting of the fortress was most surely inspired by the castle surrounded by fog in that film.
Quote from: celedhring on November 28, 2020, 08:17:03 AM
Most certainly Throne of Blood, that's the quintessential "samurais and mist" Kurosawa movie, although I can't pinpoint the particular scene. The setting of the fortress was most surely inspired by the castle surrounded by fog in that film.
Is that the one based on MacBeth? The one that ends with Toshiru Mifune looking like a hedgehog because of all the arrows that he gets pierced by at the final battle?
Quote from: The Larch on November 28, 2020, 09:37:43 AM
Quote from: celedhring on November 28, 2020, 08:17:03 AM
Most certainly Throne of Blood, that's the quintessential "samurais and mist" Kurosawa movie, although I can't pinpoint the particular scene. The setting of the fortress was most surely inspired by the castle surrounded by fog in that film.
Is that the one based on MacBeth? The one that ends with Toshiru Mifune looking like a hedgehog because of all the arrows that he gets pierced by at the final battle?
Yes.
Quote from: celedhring on November 27, 2020, 05:05:30 PM
Well, this episode was brilliant. Might be my favorite of the show. Echoes of Kurosawa. :wub:
Yes, that was amazing.
Quote from: celedhring on November 28, 2020, 07:10:36 AM
I suppose we'll eventually learn what happened to him all the way until Werner Herzog put up a contract for him. Incidentally, I hope this particular arc *doesn't* turn out to be Snoke's origin story (since Gideon was trying to create artificial force users). Honestly couldn't care less about Snoke. Rather the show kept carving his own niche.
The way he perks up when Mando calls his name was adorable, by the way. I was afraid that "Baby Yoda being cute" would get played out this season but somehow it keeps working :lol:
it might be better if everyone somehow forgets about the sequels completely.
Quote from: Crazy_Ivan80 on November 29, 2020, 03:50:41 PM
it might be better if everyone somehow forgets about the sequels completely.
Yes, let's hope so.
Quote from: HVC on November 27, 2020, 03:16:06 PM
Truthfully, of the original trilogy i only like the first one anyway
:wacko:
So why are you reading this thread?
Because I like the mandalorian :P
It doesn't make sense that you've seen The Mandalorian though.
David Prowse, Darth Vader, died today age 85. :(
Quote from: Eddie Teach on November 29, 2020, 05:13:56 PM
It doesn't make sense that you've seen The Mandalorian though.
Star Wars is a cultural thing. I've seen all the movies at some point.
Quote from: Syt on November 28, 2020, 05:02:07 AM
Fair points. What, then, if Thrawn and Gideon were rivals and Gideon using his weapons projects to try and overpower Thrawn to become the "true" leader of the Empire?
Good point. In the non-canon universe, it was hinted at that Thrawn had a rival killed at some point before coming back to the known galaxy. They might (sort of) re-canonize that story with this. Interesting :)
Quote
Also, someone pointed out that the HK droids had the emblem of Thrawn's 7th Fleet on their heads:
Damn maniacs for noticing this! :D
Quote
Since we didn't hear of Sabine or Ezra, I would assume they're been reunited, and Ahsoka is now pursuing Thrawn for ... whatever reason there might be. The Empire re-arming in the Unknown Regions (which is also where the Chiss Ascendancy is) despite the disarmament treaty with the New Republic? I could see her working for the early Resistance trying to keep tabs on what the Not-Yet-First Order is doing. The X-Wing cop last episode already hinted that they're aware of things happening "out here" (i.e. the Rim).
Maybe Ahsoka heard that Thrawn was back and now wants to find Ezra? Maybe Sabine is busy on her side searching on her own? They could have decided to split up at some point to pursue two concurrent leads.
In the EU, Thrawn was busy building his own little Empire of the Hand in the unknown regions. I wonder if they will try to bring something like this into the series, eventually. :)
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Knowing Thrawns pragmatism, there might be an alliance of convenience to take down Gideon?
It's entirely possible.
Quote
Tython is according to current lore in the Deep Core. So there might be a chance next episode is set somewhere in the core worlds while on the way there? Also, I'd imagine Tython is not a generally well known location, and we might have to hunt information again next episode, which usually means doing a favor for someone. :P
Hmm. Correlia would be nice. :)
Quote
Sidenote: we have Bo-Katan and Ahsoka on quests to hunt down one man, Gideon and Thrawn, respectively. Wonder if those quests will intersect. But Bo-Katan and Ahsoka together on screen feels more like a Season 3 thing, maybe? Or maybe we just round up the people from earlier in the season again for the big finale. :P
Season 2 will be the showdown at the Jedi temple against Moff Gideon. That is telegraphed since the beginning, imho.
Quote
I'm still kind of expecting that the series will culminate in the re-taking of Mandalore, and Din becoming the next Mandalore (with the show title meaning THE Mandalorian), but I'm happy to be completely wrong if it turns out the series is headed some place else entirely.
It would be a fitting end for the series. :)
Quote from: celedhring on November 28, 2020, 06:24:07 AMChrist, just give Filoni a Star Wars movie.
Why just one? Why not three? :P
I don't understand Smoke hate. He was good vilain.
Quote from: mongers on November 29, 2020, 05:29:46 PM
David Prowse, Darth Vader, died today age 85. :(
https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-55117704 (https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-55117704)
Quote
Dave Prowse: Darth Vader actor dies aged 85
Dave Prowse, the Bristolian former bodybuilder best known for playing Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy, has died aged 85.
Prowse was cast as Vader for his imposing physique, even though the role was voiced by James Earl Jones.
But the weightlifter-turned-actor was most proud of playing the Green Cross Code Man. The role, promoting road safety in the UK, earned him an MBE.
"May the force be with him, always!" said his agent Thomas Bowington.
"Though famous for playing many monsters - for myself, and all who knew Dave and worked with him, he was a hero in our lives."
Prowse, a personal trainer, and his brother were responsible for starting some of the first gyms in England
Mr Bowington called the actor's death, after a short illness, "a truly and deeply heart-wrenching loss for us and millions of fans all over the world".
Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars movies, said he was "so sad" to hear the news.
"He was a kind man and much more than Darth Vader," Hamill said on Twitter. "He loved his fans as much as they loved him."
'My first recollection of him was he was enormous'
Star Wars co-star - and fellow Briton - Anthony Daniels, who has played C-3PO in 11 of the 12 Star Wars instalments, paid tribute to Prowse's contribution to the epic series.
"Dave's iconic figure dominated the finished film in '77 and has done so ever since," he wrote on Twitter on Sunday.
The family of the late actor Peter Mayhew, who played Chewbacca alongside Prowse's Vader, posted a picture of the pair with R2-D2 actor Kenny Baker, who died in 2016: "I hope you're up there sharing a pint and a story with the boys," said the tweet posted by the Peter Mayhew Foundation.
Doctor Who star John Barrowman recalled how Prowse "got me into shape" for a stage role in the musical Matador.
"Dave was a huge part of our #confamily - his smile will be missed," he added, referring to the star's popular presence at fan conventions.
Meanwhile, Mayor of Bristol Marvin Rees hailed Prowse's Bristol roots and his legacy: "A Bristol man and along with #WhyDon'tYou and #GrangeHill, part of our 70s and 80s childhoods," he wrote.
Prowse's career as an actor spanned 50 years, but it was his role as the Sith Lord in Star Wars that brought him international fame.
Unfortunately, his West Country accent was not deemed suitable for the part of a menacing Hollywood villain and his lines were dubbed.
However, Prowse was a definitive presence in all three of the early films, thanks to his hulking 6ft 6in (1.98 m) frame, honed by the weightlifting skills which saw him represent England at the Commonwealth Games in the early 1960s.
During this period, he reportedly became close friends with rival bodybuilding competitors Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lou Ferrigno (later better known as TV's Incredible Hulk) - long before their on-
Prowse claimed he was unaware the voice of Darth Vader would be dubbed by another actor
Prowse made his film debut in 1967 James Bond spoof Casino Royale playing Frankenstein's Creature, a part he was asked to play again in two films from the iconic Hammer film series, 1970's Horror Of Frankenstein and 1974's Frankenstein and the Monster From Hell.
He also regularly featured on cult series such as The Saint, Space 1999 and Doctor Who, in which he was cast as a minotaur in the 1972 episode The Time Monster, opposite Jon Pertwee.
Behind the scenes in Hollywood circles, Prowse prepared the late Christopher Reeve for the physical demands of his role as Superman, as the actor's personal trainer.
Spotted by director George Lucas in the 1971 film Clockwork Orange, in which he played a bodyguard, Prowse was invited to audition for the roles of Darth Vader and Chewbacca in 1977's Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope.
He later told the BBC's Tanya Beckett, he chose Vader over Chewbacca because "you always remember the bad guys".
Lucas films response:
https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-55128932 (https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-55128932)
Quote from: Grey Fox on November 30, 2020, 09:46:08 PM
I don't understand Smoke hate. He was good vilain.
So good that he let himself be killed by his apprentice in total surprise.
Like Palpatine?
Quote from: Eddie Teach on December 01, 2020, 07:16:11 PM
Like Palpatine?
No, in a totally different way.
Vader killed Palpatine to save his son, that was not premiditated, he acted upon seeing Luke tortured and imploring him, you can see, in that wordless scene the powerful emotions taking him, his devotion to his master vs redeeming himself in the eyes of the son he never knew.
Where as the kid killed his master, something he planned all along and was just waiting for the right moment, not out of love, but to simply take his place, something any true Sith would expect.
At least Palpatine killed his master in his sleep.
I'm sure I've posted this before, but it's just a monumental work of genius
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYD3QtyEGGM&list=PL8s6sSjUyaxUk3mCUqiNuJiMNxs9QdthO&index=1
:lol:
(https://scontent-cdt1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/127936445_10159259796486908_8102538439304209628_n.jpg?_nc_cat=110&ccb=2&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=6yzWTr59OUAAX8g3rbV&_nc_ht=scontent-cdt1-1.xx&oh=d592d1b5b42d2ac54d9c051ed2f48f34&oe=5FEB8A62)
(https://i.redd.it/lsc42ikm7p261.jpg)
:lol:
Quote from: celedhring on December 02, 2020, 02:51:57 AM
:lol:
One of the characters in Jedi: Fallen Order said she and her Padawan saved younglings from the temple during the purge, so people are speculating that either she or Cal Kestis might show up in the show.
:D
Quote from: Syt on December 02, 2020, 03:56:13 AM
(https://i.redd.it/lsc42ikm7p261.jpg)
:lol:
There was a very similar joke in a Spanish comic strip on Twitter last week. :P
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EnwGALFWEAAbxR5?format=jpg&name=large)
Come on - isn't that the basic storyline of more than half D&D modules out there.
I really like the show, I even think it is written well, but the plotlines and themes are extremely well-worn.
Ooooh boy.
Oooh boy indeed. (SPOILERS TO FOLLOW)
I really liked the episode, but what that heck has Boba Fett been doing the past 4 or 5 years? He probably knew where his armor was. He still had his ship. Was he just chilling? His sand people weapons seem to indicate he spent time on Tatooine. Maybe he pulled a Maul and turned feral, somehow surviving in the Sarlacc until it was eaten by the Krayt dragon? :P I expect/hope we'll get some exposition in the next episode, because it seems like a big gap.
Still surprisingly agile considering he looks pretty banged up. Fennec coming back is not a huge surprise; it's been speculated about since the scene after the Gunslinger episode. Bit surprised that Boba Fett is so big on honor, keeping his word, etc. Maybe it's different because Din is a fellow Mandalorian, but previously I had the impression that Boba Fett tends to look out for himself first and foremost. And he didn't factor into any of the Mandalorian plotlines of Clone Wars or Rebels, so this seems a bit sudden. How did he track Din, though? Another tracking beacon? Did he figure out his "home base" on Nevarro and then followed the Imperial beacon once it was installed?
Speculation of whether or not Boba Fett counts as Mandalorian is finally settled, I suppose, with Jango being a foundling, like Din.
I liked that they brought in what looked like predecessors to the landing craft used in The Force Awakens. Nice design. I also liked that they made an attempt to portray a Stormtrooper unit as a military outfit, with machine gun and mortar. (They were still incompetent, but an attempt was made :P ) Also, Din blocking blaster bolts with his armor has to go wrong at some point, no? :P
Well, good bye Razorcrest, that's one accident you won't be coming back from (and after it just got overhauled, too!). :weep:
Dark Troopers! :w00t: (I'm generally happy they like to bring in cool stuff from the old EU, I suspect it's Filoni's influence)
It's unclear who or what Grogu saw during his meditation, if anything. Possible Jedi/force users at this time that we know about are: Luke (duh), Leia, Ezra Bridger (probably still alive), Ahsoka, and possibly Cal Kestis and Cere Junda from Jedi: Fallen Order (both characters used the likenesses of their voice actors - Cameron Monaghan known as Joker on Gotham and Debra Wilson who is mostly known as voice actress - so transitioning them to live action would not be too hard). And then there's a whole gallery of force ghosts that he could have communed with, I suppose.
Oh, and I was underwhelmed by Tython. I was hoping for some proper ruins, but who knows what happened the last few millennia. Except for the name it could have been pretty much any random planet. :P
So what's next? A prison break, and then taking (or trying to take) the child back? I'm somewhat expecting them to follow the Rebels formula a bit where each season finale raised the stakes and escalated the story and scope.
Yeah I was hoping for little more re: tython
I've seen bits and pieces of the Clone wars and Rebels shows. I guess I should give them a proper view.
It was one of the episodes where a lot that was happening didn't make much sense (Fett's presence, backstory, and motivations in particular) but I'll just go with the flow on account on how cool it is :lol:
Also, Fett looks like he could use some time on the threadmill...
Quote from: celedhring on December 04, 2020, 07:53:36 AM
Also, Fett looks like he could use some time on the threadmill...
It's all muscle. :P
I hope we get a bit more info on Fett next episode - what he did since ROTJ, how he found Mando, etc., so I'll let it slide for now.
There was one moment I rolled my eyes at, when the E-Web shoots at Fennec, and she runs on top of the rocks instead of, you know - BEHIND THEM
Oh, and Mando trying to pick up Grogo from the Force force field (heh) and getting repulsed every time. I admire his tenacity, but dude - get a hint. :D
Quote from: Syt on December 04, 2020, 07:56:58 AM
I hope we get a bit more info on Fett next episode - what he did since ROTJ, how he found Mando, etc., so I'll let it slide for now.
I hope so, because everything about him in this episode makes extremely little sense.
I presume he hates the Jedi, since they killed his father. That's something I hope will come into play.
Well, he tried to kill Mace Windu in Clone Wars. :P
Quote from: Syt on December 04, 2020, 12:09:34 PM
Well, he tried to kill Mace Windu in Clone Wars. :P
Only watched two seasons of that. :lol:
If you watched the first two season, you have the worst behind you. :P
It picks up considerably IMHO in season 3+4 and seasons 5-7 are amazing. The finale was a big emotional payoff.
Quote from: Syt on December 04, 2020, 04:19:39 AM
I really liked the episode, but what that heck has Boba Fett been doing the past 4 or 5 years? He probably knew where his armor was. He still had his ship. Was he just chilling? His sand people weapons seem to indicate he spent time on Tatooine. Maybe he pulled a Maul and turned feral, somehow surviving in the Sarlacc until it was eaten by the Krayt dragon? :P I expect/hope we'll get some exposition in the next episode, because it seems like a big gap.
I suppose he spent some time healing, trying to find his armor, than decided against attacking the Marshall head on, so he recruited the lady to help, patched her up, got ready to move on the Marshall, but then Mando comes along and take it off Tatooine.
I'm not really sure how he tracked him to Trython. Only Ashoka would know where he went. Unless he knows about Gogru from his own investigation and deduced from whom he met last week that he'd be go to Trython?
Quote
So what's next? A prison break, and then taking (or trying to take) the child back? I'm somewhat expecting them to follow the Rebels formula a bit where each season finale raised the stakes and escalated the story and scope.
I hope Moff Gideon has a chance to look at that beskar spear from very close ;)
A fight with the spear and Darksaber would be nice :)
Quote from: Syt on December 04, 2020, 07:56:58 AM
There was one moment I rolled my eyes at, when the E-Web shoots at Fennec, and she runs on top of the rocks instead of, you know - BEHIND THEM
She knew how bad they were at shooting moving targets, she figured it was safer on the rocks than jumping down :P
Quote
Oh, and Mando trying to pick up Grogo from the Force force field (heh) and getting repulsed every time. I admire his tenacity, but dude - get a hint. :D
if you don't succeed at first, try and try and try again ;)
I'm not sure if I can unsee this ... :lol:
(https://preview.redd.it/fxyov25d09361.png?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=da7c6146e4f59df18a63c760a74309b8697aa5ad)
Not sure what you're seeing.
Quote from: celedhring on December 04, 2020, 07:53:36 AM
Also, Fett looks like he could use some time on the threadmill...
Temuera Morissons career has been mostly local NZ fare and playing the occasional goof in a supporting role. He ain't no action hero and rarely looks super healthy.
When he was laying into the storm troopers using his Sand People stick there was fair bit of traditional Maori combat moves going on - including the eye and facial movements. I thoroughly enjoyed that.
I don't mind his weight gain much. Robert Rodriguez made him look like a beast. Reminded me of wrestlers like Bam Bam Bigelow, or Vader, who were not exactly super athletic looking but delivered convincing performances in the ring. Especially Vader, with his gut, and at 6'5 and over 400 lbs/200 kg doing moonsaults from the top rope and shit.
https://youtu.be/vRVn_XZPoYM
https://youtu.be/S9dI5cc2uZ4
By the way, in universe, Bo-Katan would be about 10 years older than Boba Fett.
(https://www.denofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/the-mandalorian-bo-katak-kryze-how-old-age.jpg)
(https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Boba-Fett-in-The-Mandalorian-Season-2-Episode-6.jpg)
IRL, Temuera Morrison is about 20 years older than Katee Sackhoff. :P
Also, it's kind of funny that this double page from a comic was my main/only source of knowledge about Mandalorians for me in the 80s when I was a teen. :lol:
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EoksdVmW8AA_QXU?format=jpg&name=medium)
Quote from: Syt on December 06, 2020, 12:48:45 PM
By the way, in universe, Bo-Katan would be about 10 years older than Boba Fett.
(snip)
IRL, Temuera Morrison is about 20 years older than Katee Sackhoff. :P
Imperfections in the cloning process plus being in a Sarlacc Pit Monster? Ireally need to watch this show. Everyone is saying I'm going to lose my Star Wars fan card. :lol:
Are all the human looking characters supposed to be the same species?
I think so? :unsure:
Personally, I think Boba just had a really bad time with that Sarlacc and afterwards.
Quote from: Eddie Teach on December 06, 2020, 03:12:54 PM
Are all the human looking characters supposed to be the same species?
In star wars not necessarily.
Every episode of the Manladorian: https://youtu.be/Y7EB4ZYWKYI
Quote from: Benedict Arnold on December 06, 2020, 03:01:58 PM
Imperfections in the cloning process plus being in a Sarlacc Pit Monster? Ireally need to watch this show. Everyone is saying I'm going to lose my Star Wars fan card. :lol:
Sarlacc Pit Monster and what might have come after, or before, since we never saw his adult face ;)He was a non quick-aging clone, if you recall Episode II.
My head canon until something else is confirmed: he gets swallowed by the sarlacc. Krayt dragon gets attracted by commotion, eats sarlacc and Boba escapes, badly wounded. Jawas steal his armor, but sandpeople take him in and he very slowly recovers (which is why he has their weapons - the rifle and the gaffi stick) - I suppose sandpeople can respect someone who survives coming out of a Sarlacc. He hangs around Tatooine, trying to find his gear. He finally tracks the armor to Cobb Vanth, but Mando picks it up just as he shows up.
An ongoing theme this season has been "what's a Mandalorian". First we meet Cobb Vanth who has no Mandalorian heritage, but in the end Mando seems to deem him worthy. Then he gets challenged by Frog Lady that being Mandalorian is more than just wearing the gear and going through the motion, reminding him of the ideals and reputation of Mandalorians. After that, Bo-Katan and her Nite Owls, a "true" Mandalorian in that she was born and raised there, ruled the planet, and points out that Din's clan is maybe a crazy cult. And now Boba Fett, a fellow foundling, who in many ways followed a similar path as Din did before he met Grogu - just doing jobs, trying his best to survive (except Din was also attached to his clan, whereas Boba seems to have gone it solo). I think this broadening of horizons will make him find his own path of what a Mandalorian could and should be, and I still expect we will see him become the Mandalore (the spear would make an awesome sign of office :P ).
(Footnote: the seasons seem to have themes like that: last season it was him leaving his old life behind and realizing - during the prison break - that he has moved on from his ruthless past.)
Since Din is without ship I'd guess that he'll be handed Slave I now. I see two options for that:
1. Boba Fett retiring ("I'm getting too old for this shit.").
2. Boba Fett goes out in a blaze of glory while freeing Grogu, rectifying him "dying" like an idiot in ROTJ (apparently Lucas said that if he had realized how popular Boba Fett would be he'd have given him a much better send off). Heck, give him an emotional death speech, à la Boromir in Fellowship of the Ring. :P
Quote from: chipwich on December 06, 2020, 07:16:41 PM
Quote from: Eddie Teach on December 06, 2020, 03:12:54 PM
Are all the human looking characters supposed to be the same species?
In star wars not necessarily.
Completely human-looking ones are generally human, though I don't know if Star Wars ever explains how all those humans settled on a gazillion different planets in the galaxy. Then there are some humans with a non-Earth skin color that are considered "near-human". E.g. Chiss with blue skin.
Well, wasn't there supposed to be something like thousands of years with hypedrive technology?
Quote from: Tamas on December 07, 2020, 06:49:18 AM
Well, wasn't there supposed to be something like thousands of years with hypedrive technology?
At least 20 000 years, in canon, I think.
KOTOR makes it a tad older, I think (Rakata Infinite Empire).
Quote from: Solmyr on December 07, 2020, 05:33:06 AMQuote from: chipwich on December 06, 2020, 07:16:41 PM
Quote from: Eddie Teach on December 06, 2020, 03:12:54 PM
Are all the human looking characters supposed to be the same species?
In star wars not necessarily.
Completely human-looking ones are generally human, though I don't know if Star Wars ever explains how all those humans settled on a gazillion different planets in the galaxy. Then there are some humans with a non-Earth skin color that are considered "near-human". E.g. Chiss with blue skin.
Wookiepedia says they may originally have come from Coruscant and settled the planets of the Core as they started emigrating.
Nobody seems to remember. This is what happens in a galaxy that suffers a massive war and cataclysm every millenia or so :P
Quote from: viper37 on December 31, 1969, 07:26:47 PM
Nobody seems to remember. This is what happens in a galaxy that suffers a massive war and cataclysm every millenia or so :P
Well, that's what happens in Asimov's galaxy
Robert Rodriguez:
(https://i.redd.it/yr7906vft5461.jpg)
So, Disney seems to be so happy with The Mandalorian that they just announced they're going to produce a bunch of tv shows in the Star Wars universe. :nerd:
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Eo6cCCKUYAAIOrT?format=jpg&name=large)
I think I'd watch a Lando show if it had Donald Glover.
Also, Hayden Christensen returns. That'll be interesting.
What has been announced so far about these new projects:
- Obi Wan Kenobi will star Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen, and is set 10 years after Revenge of the Sith.
- Ahsoka will star Rosario Dawson and will run paralel to The Mandalorian.
- Rangers of the New Republic will also run paralel to The Mandalorian.
- Andor will be a prequel to Rogue One and it'll star Diego Luna.
- Rogue Squadron will be directed by Patty Jenkins (Wonder Woman). Apparently it's a very personal project for Jenkins as her father was a Vietnam veteran fighter pilot who died in a crash during a NATO exercise when she was young.
- A Droid Story will be an animated show featuring C3PO and R2D2 joining a new hero who they'll guide.
- The Bad Batch will be another animated show, in the vein of Clone Wars, following a squadron of soldiers during the rise of the Empire.
- Visions will be an anime style anthology show composed of short films by anime authors.
- The Acolyte will be a mistery-thriller about the rise of the dark side during the High Republic.
It was also announced that there'll be a new feature Star Wars film, to be directed by Taika Waititi.
Some of these shows are already in production and will debut next year, others are still in early development.
Quote from: Liep on December 10, 2020, 06:53:42 PM
I think I'd watch a Lando show if it had Donald Glover.
That was not confirmed and apparently Lando is one of the shows still in early development, so I guess it'll take a while for it to hit the screens.
Quote from: The Larch on December 10, 2020, 07:09:08 PM
Quote from: Liep on December 10, 2020, 06:53:42 PM
I think I'd watch a Lando show if it had Donald Glover.
That was not confirmed and apparently Lando is one of the shows still in early development, so I guess it'll take a while for it to hit the screens.
interesting just read blurb that Glover will indeed be in it.
Quote from: katmai on December 10, 2020, 07:18:54 PM
Quote from: The Larch on December 10, 2020, 07:09:08 PM
Quote from: Liep on December 10, 2020, 06:53:42 PM
I think I'd watch a Lando show if it had Donald Glover.
That was not confirmed and apparently Lando is one of the shows still in early development, so I guess it'll take a while for it to hit the screens.
interesting just read blurb that Glover will indeed be in it.
In the tweet I saw they didn't mention Glover at all, the only name mentioned was Justin Simien as the person behind the show..
Quote from: The Larch on December 10, 2020, 07:07:24 PM
What has been announced so far about these new projects:
- Obi Wan Kenobi will star Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen, and is set 10 years after Revenge of the Sith.
- Ahsoka will star Rosario Dawson and will run paralel to The Mandalorian.
- Rangers of the New Republic will also run paralel to The Mandalorian.
- Andor will be a prequel to Rogue One and it'll star Diego Luna.
- Rogue Squadron will be directed by Patty Jenkins (Wonder Woman). Apparently it's a very personal project for Jenkins as her father was a Vietnam veteran fighter pilot who died in a crash during a NATO exercise when she was young.
- A Droid Story will be an animated show featuring C3PO and R2D2 joining a new hero who they'll guide.
- The Bad Batch will be another animated show, in the vein of Clone Wars, following a squadron of soldiers during the rise of the Empire.
- Visions will be an anime style anthology show composed of short films by anime authors.
- The Acolyte will be a mistery-thriller about the rise of the dark side during the High Republic.
It was also announced that there'll be a new feature Star Wars film, to be directed by Taika Waititi.
Some of these shows are already in production and will debut next year, others are still in early development.
Wow.
Except the Ken Obi story, this is very good news. Looking forward to The Bad Batch.
Disney correctly calculated that the demand for Star Wars products is infinite.
Quote from: The Larch on December 10, 2020, 07:23:43 PM
In the tweet I saw they didn't mention Glover at all, the only name mentioned was Justin Simien as the person behind the show..
Yeah upon further review I've only seen one story that said he's attached, others echo what you wrote so retracting what I said.
Bad Batch trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3PIh0Ec_sk&ab_channel=Nerdist
We saw them in the final season of Clone Wars. The trailer is rather unclear whether they support or reject the Empire. You have Tarkin praising them at the end, but that doesn't have to mean much. Somehow I don't see Disney doing a series about a group of Imperial SpecOps. They seem to be fighting other clones? Needs more info IMHO. Also: Fennec Shand is in the trailer :o (Or another woman who wears the exact same outfit and helmet - also: eww, doesn't she change gear in 20+ years between the Clone Wars and Mandalorian?)
EDIT: Oh my god, I just realized: will this be A-Team: Star Wars Edition? :w00t: :lol:
Cassian Andor teaser: https://youtu.be/gSW-pARyP-M
Not much there, except bits of concept art, some sets.
I'm also loving that there'll be a Rogue Squadron movie (in three years ...). Kind of curious which era it will be set in. During the Rebellion, after Endor, during the sequel era ... ?
Quote from: The Larch on December 10, 2020, 07:07:24 PM
- Rogue Squadron will be directed by Patty Jenkins (Wonder Woman). Apparently it's a very personal project for Jenkins as her father was a Vietnam veteran fighter pilot who died in a crash during a NATO exercise when she was young.
I'm currently reading the whole Rogue Squadron series of books and I keep telling myself how great a tv series it would make! :D
I'm a happy SW Fan ;)
Quote from: Syt on December 11, 2020, 01:19:39 AM
Bad Batch trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3PIh0Ec_sk&ab_channel=Nerdist
We saw them in the final season of Clone Wars. The trailer is rather unclear whether they support or reject the Empire. You have Tarkin praising them at the end, but that doesn't have to mean much. Somehow I don't see Disney doing a series about a group of Imperial SpecOps. They seem to be fighting other clones? Needs more info IMHO. Also: Fennec Shand is in the trailer :o (Or another woman who wears the exact same outfit and helmet - also: eww, doesn't she change gear in 20+ years between the Clone Wars and Mandalorian?)
EDIT: Oh my god, I just realized: will this be A-Team: Star Wars Edition? :w00t: :lol:
The final logo is red, the color of the Empire and the Sith, usually.
Tarkin is wearing an imperial uniform. He might congratulate them for a job well done, or is simply sarcastic after their capture, or the capture of a member. I'm leaning for the first part.
We see them standing with other clones (now Stormtrooper, notice the all white, no yellow band) when the Palpatine becomes Emperor. They may not have been chipped like other clones, but the Empire being the successor to the Republic and them not working closely with Jedis all along the war, they may had held sympathetic views toward the empire at first.
Them fighting clones could mean at some point they rebel against their other Stormtroopers comrades. Again, their uniform are 100% pure white and the masks look a little different.
Quote from: Syt on December 11, 2020, 01:19:39 AM
Also: Fennec Shand is in the trailer :o (Or another woman who wears the exact same outfit and helmet - also: eww, doesn't she change gear in 20+ years between the Clone Wars and Mandalorian?)
She likes the style I guess. When they cast a nearly 60 actress for the role I suspected they would reuse the character in some earlier setting (or that she had already appeared in Clone Wars/Rebelrs whatever, haven't watched it all yet).
So, Jon Favreau essentially created the Marvel movie universe with Iron Man and now the live-action Star Wars TV Universe. Disney surely will make him very rich.
Quote from: The Larch on December 10, 2020, 07:07:24 PM
- The Bad Batch will be another animated show, in the vein of Clone Wars, following a squadron of soldiers during the rise of the Empire.
I totally read it as The Bad Bitch at first and was wondering if Disney is actually going to produce a R-rated show. :D
Quote from: Solmyr on December 11, 2020, 04:31:20 AM
Quote from: The Larch on December 10, 2020, 07:07:24 PM
- The Bad Batch will be another animated show, in the vein of Clone Wars, following a squadron of soldiers during the rise of the Empire.
I totally read it as The Bad Bitch at first and was wondering if Disney is actually going to produce a R-rated show. :D
Same
In a podcast I listened about the announcement they were really excited about the Acolyte show, as they really liked the author behind it (a certain Leslye Headland who I had honestly never heard of) and its concept the most intriguing.
interesting indeed, but isn't it a bit much...
Quote from: The Larch on December 11, 2020, 06:50:26 AM
In a podcast I listened about the announcement they were really excited about the Acolyte show, as they really liked the author behind it (a certain Leslye Headland who I had honestly never heard of) and its concept the most intriguing.
It's also going to be set during the "High Republic" era, it seems, which is a new setting 200 years before Phantom Menace which they'll start exploring in book and comic form starting next year (the first book was supposed to be out already, but it's been delayed till January - the first few chapters have been released for free, though). Writer Charles Soule has mostly worked on comics so far.
The Acolyte will be set in the "late" High Republic Era, whatever that means. :P
Pretty self contained episode of Mandalorian.
Mando gets once again challenged: what do the rules actually mean. Always wear the Mandalorian helmet? Never show his face? And, of course, he takes off the helmet to save the mission. It's always a bit amusing to me, because as badass as Din is, Pedro Pascal looks often so completely unthreatening and harmless :lol:
During the juggernaut hijack we see that Din has become quite reliant on using his armor in combat when he first tries to block hits with his arms and the armor immediately shatters. We also establish that he quickly adapts.
I didn't expect to see a bit of Fury Road today, but I'm fine with it. :)
We're also reminded of the true face of the Empire. At first it seemed a bit lovely how all the soldiers salute Din and Migs when they roll in unscathed, but then the Imperial officer ("The Believer") made it clear what the Empire actually is.
Love the reference to Operation Cinder which was previously only shown in comics, books, and the single player campaign in the new Battlefront II. Basically, it was a plan by Palpatine to cause as much havoc as possible and basically "reset the gameboard", have one final destructive battle with the Rebellion/New Republic (Battle of Jakku), before the ideologically pure Imperial lremnant retreats to the Unknown Regions to regroup.
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Operation:_Cinder
Cinder was part of the Contingency: https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Contingency
Again an example how the show pulls together events from across the range of Star Wars media at this point.
No Boba backstory. :( But I love that he repainted his armor. And I actually cheered when the seismic charge was revealed. :lol: :blush:
I liked the Mayfeld backstory and that he comes across as a lot more sympathetic than last season.
Also: no Grogu in this episode. :o :(
Syt you are such a Star Wars nerd. :lol:
But it's great, you are keeping me updated and giving me a lot of lore background info that makes the Mandalorain especially more enjoyable, so it is much appreciated, please keep it up. :cheers:
Eh, I watch a lot of Star Wars Explained's videos. I don't really catch all the material any more. I tried to catch up on the comic series when I had Marvel Unlimited, but it's a bit confusing which order e.g. the Vader comics were released in, since there's several series starting with #1 :rolleyes: And I haven't read most books of the new canon.
Looks like I will be keeping the Disney streaming service.
So after doing Kurosawa, this week Mando does The Wages of Fear with a sprinkling of Mad Max. I love this show so fucking much :lol:
Quote from: celedhring on December 11, 2020, 03:10:56 PM
So after doing Kurosawa, this week Mando does The Wages of Fear with a sprinkling of Mad Max. I love this show so fucking much :lol:
Don't forget Inglorious Basterds. :P
Needed more terrible Italian :P
Quote from: Syt on December 11, 2020, 03:17:44 PM
Quote from: celedhring on December 11, 2020, 03:10:56 PM
So after doing Kurosawa, this week Mando does The Wages of Fear with a sprinkling of Mad Max. I love this show so fucking much :lol:
Don't forget Inglorious Basterds. :P
And Office Space.
Quote from: Habbaku on December 11, 2020, 03:31:53 PM
Quote from: Syt on December 11, 2020, 03:17:44 PM
Quote from: celedhring on December 11, 2020, 03:10:56 PM
So after doing Kurosawa, this week Mando does The Wages of Fear with a sprinkling of Mad Max. I love this show so fucking much :lol:
Don't forget Inglorious Basterds. :P
And Office Space.
:unsure: How so?
Bill Burr's character literally says "TPS Reports".
Quote from: Habbaku on December 11, 2020, 03:44:54 PM
Bill Burr's character literally says "TPS Reports".
Oh :lol:
I also smiled at the Robocop callback "Prisoner XXXX, you have 3 seconds to comply".
Quote from: celedhring on December 11, 2020, 03:52:35 PM
I also smiled at the Robocop callback "Prisoner XXXX, you have 3 seconds to comply".
That was fun. :)
I also found it interesting that you could see Din's eyes through his trooper helmet.
Also, he seems really lost and helpless without his helmet, needing Migs to come to the rescue. He only really snaps back to his normal self when he has the helmet back on.
Someone on Reddit joked that maybe Din is just a bit slow, and it only shows without his helmet. When he's wearing his helmet he just comes across as cool and brooding instead of confused and lost. :P
I thought the "Din acts shellshocked without his helmet" was a nice character touch. He's culturally conditioned to wear it at all times, so it's the equivalent of being forced to strike a conversation in a café while not wearing pants.
Finished Rebels. It kept getting better and better.
So, please tell me what What to watch next. :)
Quote from: crazy canuck on December 11, 2020, 04:50:52 PM
Finished Rebels. It kept getting better and better.
So, please tell me what What to watch next. :)
Clone Wars has its up and downs, but generally becomes good from Season 3 on (though there are good bits in the first two season). The finale of season 7 was quite amazing IMHO. A lot of the first two seasons is not in chronological order. There's a guide out there that has all episodes listed chronologically, but you can just go with the normal order and will be fine. For the full story you can check out the 2008(?) movie that came before the show, but it's really not that great, but it introduces Ahsoka for the first time.
I have yet to watch Resistance. I hear it's not great, but apparently adds some world building detail for the time before the sequel trilogy.
Also, what did you make of the World Between Worlds? :P
I loved how Mando was a complete wreck without his helmet.
I also loved how Boba Fett said "Let's just say they might recognize my face".
Yet again, my boys just loved this episode, and are already bemoaning the fact there's only one left for the year.
I had forgotten Mando was the guy from Narcos.
Another big achievement of the show is making Bill Burr likeable :P
Quote from: Syt on December 11, 2020, 04:57:40 PM
Quote from: crazy canuck on December 11, 2020, 04:50:52 PM
Finished Rebels. It kept getting better and better.
So, please tell me what What to watch next. :)
There's a guide out there that has all episodes listed chronologically,
https://www.starwars.com/news/star-wars-the-clone-wars-chronological-episodeorder
Quote from: celedhring on December 12, 2020, 03:09:27 AM
Another big achievement of the show is making Bill Burr likeable :P
Yeah that is quite the feat. :lol:
:yes:
He was perfectly-cast in the SNL Sam Adams bit: https://youtu.be/je1NIf8GeeY
Just playing himself is easy work.
Nice touch giving the despicable bad guy something other than an Oxbridge accent. The American accent worked well.
Quote from: crazy canuck on December 13, 2020, 07:24:56 PM
Nice touch giving the despicable bad guy something other than an Oxbridge accent. The American accent worked well.
I said earlier taht the scene reminded me of Inglorious Basterds. Django Unchained might be a better fit with King Schultz not being able to take Candy's shit anymore and just shooting him.
Quote from: Syt on December 14, 2020, 11:43:22 AM
Quote from: crazy canuck on December 13, 2020, 07:24:56 PM
Nice touch giving the despicable bad guy something other than an Oxbridge accent. The American accent worked well.
I said earlier taht the scene reminded me of Inglorious Basterds. Django Unchained might be a better fit with King Schultz not being able to take Candy's shit anymore and just shooting him.
yeah, I think that is a good comparison. Loved the scene. :cool:
One thing that really bugs me from the episode though... why did they have to bring Bill Burr into the mining facility, since they actually didn't need him to unlock the terminal? (I mean, he gives Mando a stick and then he unlocks the terminal with his own confused face).
I mean heck - what kind of security system relies on any old face to unlock?
Quote from: Barrister on December 14, 2020, 01:10:11 PM
I mean heck - what kind of security system relies on any old face to unlock?
SOme have argued that it's kind of a captcha, proving that you're not droid or alien. Especially since you have to breach several layers of security to get into the system (get in the base, have a code cylinder).
Quote from: celedhring on December 14, 2020, 01:03:57 PM
One thing that really bugs me from the episode though... why did they have to bring Bill Burr into the mining facility, since they actually didn't need him to unlock the terminal? (I mean, he gives Mando a stick and then he unlocks the terminal with his own confused face).
I think part of it is that he knows the procedures, protocol etc. so he will not be noticed as easily?
Quote from: celedhring on December 14, 2020, 01:03:57 PM
One thing that really bugs me from the episode though... why did they have to bring Bill Burr into the mining facility, since they actually didn't need him to unlock the terminal? (I mean, he gives Mando a stick and then he unlocks the terminal with his own confused face).
He wasnt there for his face, he was there for his knowledge of the protocols
the part that confused me most is mando sending a telegram warning that he's coming. surely surprise would be an asset.
Quote from: HVC on December 14, 2020, 02:15:43 PM
the part that confused me most is mando sending a telegram warning that he's coming. surely surprise would be an asset.
Well, he doesn't say that he's not coming alone or who he's bringing with. I don't think that Gideon would expect two Mandalorians show up (let alone Boba Fett), or possibly more if Bo-Katan joins in (plus Fennec, and likely Cara). Besides, I would expect Gideon to expect that Din would try hunt him down and be prepared.
Quote from: Habbaku on December 12, 2020, 10:57:38 AM
:yes:
He was perfectly-cast in the SNL Sam Adams bit: https://youtu.be/je1NIf8GeeY
Just playing himself is easy work.
Common enough in New England.
I got a real Sam Adams ad before the skit. :lol:
Quote from: crazy canuck on December 13, 2020, 07:24:56 PM
Nice touch giving the despicable bad guy something other than an Oxbridge accent. The American accent worked well.
they may have wanted to emphasize the difference between land troops and naval officers.
These Imperials are distracting me. I need my Imperial officers to have upper class english accents. It's just not the same without it. :cry:
RIP Jeremy Bulloch, the original man in the Fett suit.
(https://preview.redd.it/old07t7i0t561.jpg?width=640&height=1005&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=dc492efb5c3a4aeb2339d187951c60949b7afc80)
He also played an Imperial officer in Empire Strikes Back:
(https://www.banthaskull.com/images/MIAF/photo/Lieutenant_Sheckil.jpg)
And he had a cameo in Revenge of the Sith, as the pilot of the corvette that takes the heroes back to Coruscant:
(https://imgix.ranker.com/user_node_img/50038/1000744818/original/boba-fett-in-revenge-of-the-sith-photo-u1?w=650&q=60&fm=pjpg&fit=crop&crop=faces%22)
(https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/KwUAAOSwHgdeV9s0/s-l225.jpg)
Look forward to fanboi Syt thoughts on s2 finale.
Make sure to watch past credits.
Quote from: Syt on December 17, 2020, 04:46:00 PM
RIP Jeremy Bulloch, the original man in the Fett suit.
:(
Star Wars subreddit had a photo of all three Bobas just a couple of days ago:
(https://i.redd.it/aygnyz6sde561.jpg)
Quote from: katmai on December 18, 2020, 03:58:12 AM
Look forward to fanboi Syt thoughts on s2 finale.
Actually a bit disappointed.
It was quite awesome, up till Din brings Gideon to the bridge and Bo-Katan refuses to just take the saber from him. In Rebels she accepted it without combat from Sabine (who, admittedly, just picked it up in a cave so technically didn't win it in combat, either), so I would have expected a comment about that ("I accepted it once without combat and it nearly destroyed Mandalore", or something).
There was a lot of speculation about who Grogu would reach out to, and I have to admit Luke was my least favorite choice. They kinda pulled off the face, but it's still sitting on the edge of uncanny valley for me.
And Grogu leaving ... so Din's arc is over now? Uhm ... so Grogu will be killed when Kylo Ren massacres the academy? What was Gideon working on? Who was he working for? Does Bo-Katan live? (probably) Plenty unanswered questions that might get addressed in the other announced shows (Rangers, Ahsoka), but I feel we go out on a ho-hum note.
Liked the post credit scene; strong Conan vibe.
(https://johnrfultz.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/screenshot-med-012.jpg)
Book of Boba Fett - will that be a separate series, or season 3 of the Mandalorian? I mean we can continue with Din and him working with Bo-Katan maybe to free Mandalore, but without the Grogu relationship I feel we might lose an important emotional core. Or do we pick up 10 years later with Din rescuing him from the massacre? I feel rather unsatisfied with the end of the season as you can tell. But they could also tell stories about different Mandalorians, I suppose.
I liked Luke kicking arse because I feel the new Star Wars movies owed us that. But the whole "hey, does this mean Grogu dies in a few years" kinda gave conflicting singals :lol:
Also, when the second season began I said I believed they would close the "return BY to his own" arc this season so I'll claim a cookie for myself. :)
And I like when shows close stories instead of strecthing things way too long. Now they have to come up with something else, and maybe it won't be as good. But unlike Syt I like that they went with this ending.
Confession: I was never much into Luke. I always found him a tad bland, so while I liked his scenes, I wasn't super hyped to see him. Actually, I liked him better in the sequel trilogy than in the originals, because he was a lot more interesting IMHO. YMMV a lot. :P
One reason why this felt so unsatisfying was that Din and Grogu were reunited for a hot five seconds before Grogu is being whisked away by Luke.
It's a good thing Boba Fett stayed on the Slave I, it would have been awkward if he had met Luke on the cruiser's bridge.
"... hi?"
"Hi. ... ... So ... what have you been up to?"
I suppose we will now focus on the topic of Mandalorian succession. I mean, Din is technically qualified to be the Mandalore now what with him having the edgelord saber. :P I worry that we might see some game of thrown style shenanigans between Din, the Children of the Watch with the Armorer, Bo-Katan, etc.
I do expect Grogu to come back somehow, for some reason. Din promised that they would see each other again, and he's a man of his word. :P Maybe Grogu gets some training, but senses Din being in danger or something? I trust Filoni and Favreau enough to get to a satisfying solution, but I feel after I watched the finale my main reaction is: er, ok, now what?
On the post credit scene: it's shockingly easy to take over Jabba's Bib Fortuna's palace, it seems. And I winced when they stood on the trap door in front of the throne.
One of the nice touches of this episode was how the first time they met, Bo-Katan and crew sorta mocked Mando for being a traditionalist zealot, but now he shows himself to be more open-minded than them re: Boba's heritage and darksaber rulebook.
Also, how did the shuttle pilot survive the Death Star explosion in ANH? He looked a wee on the younger side too, so maybe he was on a school visit and left before the Rebel attack. :P
Quote from: celedhring on December 18, 2020, 08:43:01 AM
Also, how did the shuttle pilot survive the Death Star explosion in ANH? He looked a wee on the younger side too, so maybe he was on a school visit and left before the Rebel attack. :P
In Lost Stars, one of the main characters is stationed aboard the Death Star. After the Alderaan attack he was part of a squadron that was sent to investigate Dantooine. So I would assume he survived that way. Or there were other stranded TIEs like Vader's.
Lost Stars is a cool novel if you don't mind the romance plot. Two kids growing up on a backwater world are fascinated with becoming pilots and join the Imperial Navy. The guy ends up joining the Rebellion after Alderaan, while she stays on and won't betray her oath. We see their point of view of the main beats of the original trilogy and all the way to the Battle of Jakku.
Quote from: Syt on December 18, 2020, 04:48:45 AM
There was a lot of speculation about who Grogu would reach out to, and I have to admit Luke was my least favorite choice. They kinda pulled off the face, but it's still sitting on the edge of uncanny valley for me.
I dunno, the face looked totally plastered on to me. There was obvious blur around it.
I agree that Luke in TLJ was way more interesting. Maybe Grogu taught him how to have fun?
Quote from: Syt on December 18, 2020, 08:52:43 AM
In Lost Stars, one of the main characters is stationed aboard the Death Star. After the Alderaan attack he was part of a squadron that was sent to investigate Dantooine. So I would assume he survived that way. Or there were other stranded TIEs like Vader's.
Plausible. He didn't display a strong survival instinct given the way he taunted Cara. :P
The show is supposed to happen some 20 years before all went tits up with Luke's Jedi academy, no? So there's still plenty of time to get Grogu involved, although since he's still essentially a baby after 50 years, he won't be developing much...
Quote from: celedhring on December 18, 2020, 09:05:30 AM
Quote from: Syt on December 18, 2020, 08:52:43 AM
In Lost Stars, one of the main characters is stationed aboard the Death Star. After the Alderaan attack he was part of a squadron that was sent to investigate Dantooine. So I would assume he survived that way. Or there were other stranded TIEs like Vader's.
Plausible. He didn't display a strong survival instinct given the way he taunted Cara. :P
The show is supposed to happen some 20 years before all went tits up with Luke's Jedi academy, no? So there's still plenty of time to get Grogu involved, although since he's still essentially a baby after 50 years, he won't be developing much...
Considering Yoda lived to be 900-something, and Grogu is 50, I just divide their age by 10 to guess what their equivalent human age is (though Grogu seems a tad slow for a 5 year old :P ).
To be fair to Grogu, he's spent years (even decades?) in captivity as a guinea pig. That's probably not going to help his cognitive development.
The only thing I really missed was a bit more on Grogu's story since he survived Order 66, but I guess that will fleshed out in the appropiate tie-ins, Disney needs its money. :P
I was particularly intrigued in how did he first escape from Novarro's facility. I presume somebody helped him.
Quote from: Solmyr on December 18, 2020, 09:04:11 AMI dunno, the face looked totally plastered on to me. There was obvious blur around it.
Yes, the blur was distracting. I'm not sure if it was better or worse than Tarking in Rogue One.
Fans were suggesting Sebastian Stan (Winter Soldier) as a possible recast for a young Luke.
(https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/sebastian-stan-e1550178246740.jpg?w=1024)
Random thought: Sasha Banks wrestling Boba Fett was fun!
Also, we see again that Bo-Katan is used to being in a leadership role and has a lot of experience - her detailing the plan for the assault was showcasing that nicely. "This is what we deal with, this is what we do. Questions? Good."
Also, Ming-Na Wen who plays Fennec Shand is 57 years old :o
Quote from: Syt on December 18, 2020, 11:17:15 AM
better or worse than Tarking in Rogue One.
Somehow it bothered me less than ancient James Earl Jones voicing Darth Vader.
It also kind of makes me wish I had become an agent, I could get a nice portfolio of dead actors to represent.
Mark Hamill isn't dead :lol:
Quote from: celedhring on December 18, 2020, 11:34:55 AM
Mark Hamill isn't dead :lol:
I was talking about Peter Cushing. I would still have to wait to get Hamill as a client.
Quote from: Valmy on December 18, 2020, 11:36:34 AM
Quote from: celedhring on December 18, 2020, 11:34:55 AM
Mark Hamill isn't dead :lol:
I was talking about Peter Cushing. I would still have to wait to get Hamill as a client.
We had a thread about that. :) http://languish.org/forums/index.php/topic,15955.msg1207729.html#msg1207729
As an aside, I distinctly remember from my IP Law classes that dead people had no image rights, except in the state of California (because Hollywood). Might have changed since then, though.
Btw, do you think Luke found it weird, that he got to watch a dad take off his helmet for his (adopted) child? :P
That moment would have carried more emotional weight if he hadn't previously removed it for Bill Burr :P
The High Republic novel will release on 5th January. Apparently, there's also going to be a kids' novel, a YA novel, a comic series, and an animated show (The Acolyte). Looks like Disney is really testing the waters on this, kinda like the Shadows of the Empire project in 1996 where Lucasfilm did everything they would for a movie (book, comics, games, soundtrack, toys) to gauge interest in the franchise.
Um where have you heard Acolyte is animated?
Quote from: katmai on December 18, 2020, 02:42:52 PM
Um where have you heard Acolyte is animated?
It seems I mixed that up. :unsure:
I've read up on this Acolyte thing. So it's essentially Knights of the Not-Old Republic? Heh, I'll check it out.
I wish somebody decided to bring the Tales of the Jedi comics back into the canon... man, I loved that shit as a kid.
Not gonna lie, 90% of this show for me was the relationship between Mando and the kid. Not sure how next season is going to turn out now :(
:cry:
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Epizq-YVgAA9wrP?format=jpg)
I always thought that linking Baby Yoda with Luke would be narratively interesting. Given that Luke was trained by Yoda, having him train Grogu is a nice closing of the circle. I never thought that they'd pute Luke on the show, though (Boba Fett? Sure, he's a glorified background character, but Luke is a big deal), I thought it was way too important a character, but man am I happily surprised. And let's not forget R2 - D2 and his happy beeping! This is the kind of fanservice that warms my soul. :P
Now, this opens tons of questions for next season. I even discussed it with a buddy this week, he argued that if Baby Yoda was to be finally delivered to the jedis then the show would stop having a purpose, while I thought that the protagonist is the Mando, not Baby Yoda (as much a scene stealer and fan favourite as he was). Let's see what happens now...
Sigh, very dissapointed that fucking Luke showed up.
First of all, it makes no sense. They are talking about Baby Yoda being super important, and he ends up with THE primary character in a story arc that has been done to death, yet we've never heard of him before? How does that make any sense?
But more importantly, once again, the writers lack imagination. A universe of 10,000 planets with trillions of sentient beings, and it has to be fucking Luke who strolls in. At least they weren't on Tattooine. The SW universe is apparently about the size of a high school campus.
Quote from: Syt on December 18, 2020, 08:35:14 AM
but I feel after I watched the finale my main reaction is: er, ok, now what?
that's called a cliffhanger, I believe :P
Quote from: Syt on December 18, 2020, 11:17:15 AM
Fans were suggesting Sebastian Stan (Winter Soldier) as a possible recast for a young Luke.
he has his own series :)
Quote from: Syt on December 18, 2020, 02:45:12 PM
Quote from: katmai on December 18, 2020, 02:42:52 PM
Um where have you heard Acolyte is animated?
It seems I mixed that up. :unsure:
Do not fail me again.;)
I had to go into a 1 week quarantine because of an infected teacher at my local school, with my 7 year old son. He loves the series. Me, we've watched the first 3 episodes and will keep going. Except I'm imaging this is a tragedy involving a upstanding citizen who via an alien mind parasite turns on longstanding colleagues, friends, and even family. :hmm:
Quote from: Berkut on December 18, 2020, 09:49:42 PMFirst of all, it makes no sense. They are talking about Baby Yoda being super important, and he ends up with THE primary character in a story arc that has been done to death, yet we've never heard of him before? How does that make any sense?
That's one thing where I trust the writers for now. A big question during the run of Clone Wars was what to do with Ahsoka. She was arguably the most important person in Anakin's live together with Padme and Kenobi yet wasn't heard or seen of in the movies ever. They handled that quite well IMO with her arcs in the last two seasons of Clone Wars (the finale intersecting a few times with the events of Revenge of the Sith), and her role in Rebels. I expect them to have a good explanation what happened with Grogu as well. Kylo Ren's massacre is ca. 20 years into the future, so I'm sure he will leave before then. Also, much of the gap between ROTJ and TFA is not very mapped out yet in stories and comics, especially for the main cast, so there's a lot of wiggle room yet.
I agree it's a bit odd that we keep returning to the same planets a lot, but to be fair, Tatooine showed up only once this season, and all other worlds were new or were created for the show (Nevarro). Tatooine is a fascinating setting for me, so I don't mind returning to it but YMMV of course.
I geeked out when it was Luke, even if the de-aging tech is still less than perfect.
Yeah, interested to see where it goes since Grogu apparently is going to be out of commission for along while (though I firmly believe he'll be back). So I guess the ongoing storyline will be Din Djarin and his relationship with the rest of the Mandalorians? Could be interesting.
for a few seconds during the finale I hoped Filoni has managed to retrieve Kyle Katarn from the abyss (and why not: he canonized the dark troopers). Now that would have been a surprise
Quote from: Barrister on December 19, 2020, 02:01:46 AM
I geeked out when it was Luke, even if the de-aging tech is still less than perfect.
Yeah, interested to see where it goes since Grogu apparently is going to be out of commission for along while (though I firmly believe he'll be back). So I guess the ongoing storyline will be Din Djarin and his relationship with the rest of the Mandalorians? Could be interesting.
Yeah I also totally geeked out :D I think he looked as convincing as can reasonably be expected
Quote from: Berkut on December 18, 2020, 09:49:42 PM
Sigh, very dissapointed that fucking Luke showed up.
First of all, it makes no sense. They are talking about Baby Yoda being super important, and he ends up with THE primary character in a story arc that has been done to death, yet we've never heard of him before? How does that make any sense?
But more importantly, once again, the writers lack imagination. A universe of 10,000 planets with trillions of sentient beings, and it has to be fucking Luke who strolls in. At least they weren't on Tattooine. The SW universe is apparently about the size of a high school campus.
It reminds me of the Zahn books. I guess we should be happy Luuke hasn't shown up yet.
Finished Rebels season 2.
I'd have never figured out [spoiler]Darth Maul as the mannerly-speaking villain[/spoiler]. I guess I should finish watching Clone Wars at some point, but the number of seasons is a bit unwieldly.
Quote from: celedhring on December 20, 2020, 11:16:22 AM
I guess I should finish watching Clone Wars at some point, but the number of seasons is a bit unwieldly.
Most episodes arrange into arcs. Just watch them one arc at a time (usually 2-5 episodes). Or take your time. No rush.
Kotaku has a list of key episodes for Season 1-6. I think its missing some interesting ones, but I feel it's a good starting point if you want the basic gist of it (feel free to skip the Zillo beast episodes, unless you want a Star Wars take on Godzilla and King Kong - Season 2 had several homages to classic movies). Personally, I would add Season 3, Episodes 15 - 17 (Overlords, Altar of Mortis, Ghosts of Mortis), but the episodes are very divisive among fandom, and a lot of people hate the side of force mysticism it added. And the Season 2 episode Bounty Hunters for a Star Wars take on Seven Samurai.
Quote from: celedhring on December 20, 2020, 11:16:22 AM
Finished Rebels season 2
The worst thing about an otherwise awesome episode were the helicopter lightsabers :bleeding:
Quote from: Syt on December 20, 2020, 12:12:59 PM
Quote from: celedhring on December 20, 2020, 11:16:22 AM
Finished Rebels season 2
The worst thing about an otherwise awesome episode were the helicopter lightsabers :bleeding:
Oh yeah that was rolleyes-worthy. Also, who was driving [spoiler]Vader's fighter[/spoiler] while he was on top of it, looking cool? :P
But the rest of the two-part finale was damn great. I've actually watched enough of CW (halfway season 2 I think - the last episode I remember watching was when Anakin and Obi Wan face off against a bug queen) [spoiler]to know about the relationship between Anakin and Ashoka, so their duel resonated a lot with me.[/spoiler]
Quote from: celedhring on December 20, 2020, 12:28:26 PM
Oh yeah that was rolleyes-worthy. Also, who was driving [spoiler]Vader's fighter[/spoiler] while he was on top of it, looking cool? :P
[spoiler]He was probably using the force for that. [/spoiler]:P
I need to finish Resistance at some point. I'm like 3 episodes in when I last watched. It draws a lot of criticism, but I think I have enough tolerance to make it through both seasons. :D
So, watched a few more eps. Bendu's voice really really rung a bell in my head, and I was delighted when wikipedia sput out the fact he's played by Tom Baker :wub:
Old Doctor Who is the first sci-fi show I have memories of watching.
God Damn Skywalkers.
I can dig crime lord Boba Fett.
What I love is that Paul Sun-Hyung Lee who plays the X-Wing pilot Carson Teva in season 2 is apparently a bit of a Star Wars fan and is not above some cosplay. :D
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DmMZr2IU4AAY1N1.jpg)
(https://www.tribute.ca/news/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Paul-Sun-Hyung-Lee-Kims-tossing-swag-to-the-fans-who-cosplays-as-a-Kims-character-2-1.jpg)
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DkE0SI3XgAE8IyP.jpg)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/33915785678_634b10614d_c.jpg)
(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRM2Z3Xlx5Ynfw3ScW16InWDMAXUzHyTMVzvQ&usqp=CAU)
He's had the X-Wing costume since way before he joined the cast of Mandalorian.
At what point stops being cosplaying if you're cosplaying as yourself? :hmm: :P
I'd bet something that he took the opportunity of being in the show to rummage through all the production boxes. :lol:
Quote from: celedhring on December 21, 2020, 11:43:10 AM
At what point stops being cosplaying if you're cosplaying as yourself? :hmm: :P
Well, the cosplay came first, in his case. :hmm:
Btw, his private helmet says "Appa" in Aurebesh, and on the ridges "OK SEE YOU", in reference to his other show, Kim's Convenience.
Quote from: The Larch on December 21, 2020, 11:44:10 AM
I'd bet something that he took the opportunity of being in the show to rummage through all the production boxes. :lol:
Apparently he tried on Biggs' original helmet when they were creating his costume.
Quote from: The Larch on December 21, 2020, 11:44:10 AM
I'd bet something that he took the opportunity of being in the show to rummage through all the production boxes. :lol:
I saw an interview with him - he totally did!
Quote from: Barrister on December 21, 2020, 11:45:55 AM
Quote from: The Larch on December 21, 2020, 11:44:10 AM
I'd bet something that he took the opportunity of being in the show to rummage through all the production boxes. :lol:
I saw an interview with him - he totally did!
:lmfao:
I mean, who of us wouldn't :blush:
There's been some confirmations: The Book of Boba Fett will indeed be a spin off from Mandalorian. Robert Rodriguez (who directed The Tragedy) will produce together with Favreau and Filoni. Pedro Pascal will be back for season 3 of Mandalorian. And Apparently Fett's spin off will come out before Mando #3?
Robert Rodríguez as Exec Producer (I assume Filoni and Favreau will not be too involved) is big MEH for me.
Quote from: celedhring on December 21, 2020, 12:27:43 PM
Robert Rodríguez as Exec Producer (I assume Filoni and Favreau will not be too involved) is big MEH for me.
Why is that?
I, for one, didn't feel like The Tragedy was as great an episode as so many seem to because of the awful military handling (which can also be seen in the episode in the first season with the space orcs having their AT-ST be terribly mismanaged). But aside from that, the episode didn't have any huge weaknesses and was still fun.
I thought executive producer was a courtesy title?
Quote from: Habbaku on December 21, 2020, 01:39:53 PM
Quote from: celedhring on December 21, 2020, 12:27:43 PM
Robert Rodríguez as Exec Producer (I assume Filoni and Favreau will not be too involved) is big MEH for me.
Why is that?
I, for one, didn't feel like The Tragedy was as great an episode as so many seem to because of the awful military handling (which can also be seen in the episode in the first season with the space orcs having their AT-ST be terribly mismanaged). But aside from that, the episode didn't have any huge weaknesses and was still fun.
He was just the director in that. Exec Producer means creative control, and I don't care much for Robert Rodríguez' brand of storytelling.
I'm down for the inevitable Danny Trejo cameo though.
Quote from: Eddie Teach on December 21, 2020, 01:47:05 PM
I thought executive producer was a courtesy title?
Not in TV. I mean, there it can still be a courtesy title but it's usually the title given to the showrunner.
El Mariachi/Machete/Star Wars crossover?
Quote from: celedhring on December 21, 2020, 01:49:14 PM
Quote from: Habbaku on December 21, 2020, 01:39:53 PM
Quote from: celedhring on December 21, 2020, 12:27:43 PM
Robert Rodríguez as Exec Producer (I assume Filoni and Favreau will not be too involved) is big MEH for me.
Why is that?
I, for one, didn't feel like The Tragedy was as great an episode as so many seem to because of the awful military handling (which can also be seen in the episode in the first season with the space orcs having their AT-ST be terribly mismanaged). But aside from that, the episode didn't have any huge weaknesses and was still fun.
He was just the director in that. Exec Producer means creative control, and I don't care much for Robert Rodríguez' brand of storytelling.
I'm down for the inevitable Danny Trejo cameo though.
Sure, I'm aware of that RE: exec/director split. Was curious as to why you didn't like his storytelling.
Well, he's one of those 1990s Tarantino imitators that shared the surface of the master's style, but none of his nuance. Sure, I can turn off my brain and enjoy a little of Machete or whatever (just a little) but a whole Star Wars show a la manièré de El Mariachi? Not really. And if he tries to suppress or change his style, I don't think it will work. By all accounts he's a decent director when he's not shooting films on a shoestring.
Now Tarantino Star Wars, this I would like to see (wasn't he attached to Star Trek at some point?)
But meh, The Mandalorian has filled up my goodwill tank after the last years of Star Wars, so I'll watch with a fully open mind.
I made the mistake and clicked on a Twitter "discussion" of "OMG Boba got his ass kicked by A GIRL! SJWs ruin MAH BOI!" :bleeding:
I finally got to the Rebels episode where they find out about [spoiler]Thrawn developing the TIE Defender[/spoiler]
And I'm totally and fully geeked out :w00t:
The world needs a Tarantino Star Wars project now more than ever.
Quote from: celedhring on December 21, 2020, 04:24:16 PM
I finally got to the Rebels episode where they find out about [spoiler]Thrawn developing the TIE Defender[/spoiler]
And I'm totally and fully geeked out :w00t:
Yes, that was an awesome :nerd: moment. :D
Quote from: Syt on December 22, 2020, 02:12:55 AM
Quote from: celedhring on December 21, 2020, 04:24:16 PM
I finally got to the Rebels episode where they find out about [spoiler]Thrawn developing the TIE Defender[/spoiler]
And I'm totally and fully geeked out :w00t:
Yes, that was an awesome :nerd: moment. :D
Admiral Zaarin was fulcrum :o
Quote from: celedhring on December 21, 2020, 02:45:37 PM
Well, he's one of those 1990s Tarantino imitators that shared the surface of the master's style, but none of his nuance. Sure, I can turn off my brain and enjoy a little of Machete or whatever (just a little) but a whole Star Wars show a la manièré de El Mariachi? Not really. And if he tries to suppress or change his style, I don't think it will work. By all accounts he's a decent director when he's not shooting films on a shoestring.
Now Tarantino Star Wars, this I would like to see (wasn't he attached to Star Trek at some point?)
But meh, The Mandalorian has filled up my goodwill tank after the last years of Star Wars, so I'll watch with a fully open mind.
Interesting mix-up between
manière and
maniéré. The latter meaning affected (style). :P
This does not bode well for the show I guess.
Fun little fact. The scrapyard in Chapter 15 was a tabletop model. And the walker was not CGI but was brought to live via stop motion thanks to Phil Tippett's team:
https://www.starwarsnewsnet.com/2020/12/star-wars-effects-veteran-phil-tippett-reveals-his-studio-provided-stop-motion-animation-on-the-mandalorian.html
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EpZdJB7VQAM0FLj?format=png&name=small)
I enjoyed this fan-made short movie, hope you guys will too:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVSox0qApO4
Christ, that "fan film" probably has more budget than most of the stuff I work in :lol:
Cute idea. They should've gone all in and made it an Indy/Star Wars crossover.
A rather odd Guardian article about where this writer thinks Star Wars should go next after the Mandolorian season 2 ending. I like the comments section. :D
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/dec/24/luke-skywalker-the-mandalorian-new-mark-hamill-led-star-wars-movies
More of the same in series 2. Light on plot but high on flash. Fun.
.... But....
This means kylo ren kills baby yoda? :o :(
Quote from: Tyr on December 26, 2020, 04:11:24 PM
This means kylo ren kills baby yoda? :o :(
20 years from now, he might have moved elsewhere ;)
Nearly finished with Rebels. Lots of love for how much of the old EU backstory they kept for Thrawn. Having an entire multi-season story arc revolving around the [spoiler]TIE Defender[/spoiler] truly pleased my teenager me.
I'm going to summon Syt for something though. Is there an in-universe reason as for why X-Wings never show up until the last season? They [spoiler]devoted an entire episode to the origin story of the B-Wing[/spoiler], but X-Wings are not addressed and being such an iconic craft, it's kinda strange (because they are never shown until the last season, implying the Rebellion didn't have them yet).
Oh, and regarding the darksaber inconsistencies with Mandalorian.
[spoiler]The whole "you have to take it via combat" thing is indeed present in rebels, just for some weird reason is never alluded to when Bo-Katan receives it from Sabine.[/spoiler]
I think the rationale re: crafts is that every rebel cell had access to different material. Hence the cell in Rebels had access to the A-Wing and Dodonna's cell to the Y-Wing. X-Wings have not been covered, I am willing to bet deliberately.
What Oex said. Considering how iconic the X-Wing is and that the show runs basically up to the events of Rogue One, it seems deliberate, but I have no info.
Wookieepedia is also very sparse:
QuoteThe X-wing was descended from Incom Corporation's Clone Wars–era starfighters, namely the Aggressive ReConnaissance-170 starfighter, Clone Z-95 Headhunter, and Z-95 Headhunter. Incom's engineers strove to build a well-rounded, hyperdrive-equipped snubfighter with no exploitable weakness. The new starfighter was intended to become the backbone of the Imperial Navy, but political forces led to the Galactic Empire deciding to rely on Sienar Fleet Systems' more affordable TIE line. The Alliance to Restore the Republic then adopted the X-wing design as its own.
In old EU, the ships were secured in a raid [spoiler]similar to what we see with the B-Wings in Rebels[/spoiler].
In TIE Fighter, Z-95s were flying garbage cans with no armor or shielding. They exploded quite easily :bowler:
I hated trying to shoot down Y-Wings and B-Wings though. Fuckers could take a ton of hits.
Quote from: Syt on December 29, 2020, 09:42:49 AM
What Oex said. Considering how iconic the X-Wing is and that the show runs basically up to the events of Rogue One, it seems deliberate, but I have no info.
Wookieepedia is also very sparse:
QuoteThe X-wing was descended from Incom Corporation's Clone Wars–era starfighters, namely the Aggressive ReConnaissance-170 starfighter, Clone Z-95 Headhunter, and Z-95 Headhunter. Incom's engineers strove to build a well-rounded, hyperdrive-equipped snubfighter with no exploitable weakness. The new starfighter was intended to become the backbone of the Imperial Navy, but political forces led to the Galactic Empire deciding to rely on Sienar Fleet Systems' more affordable TIE line. The Alliance to Restore the Republic then adopted the X-wing design as its own.
In old EU, the ships were secured in a raid [spoiler]similar to what we see with the B-Wings in Rebels[/spoiler].
The Shantipole episode in Rebels is a very obvious homage to the old EU RPG module that dealt with the same incident. I love that Filoni is such an obvious geek, and loved the same geek things I did. :lol:
[spoiler]Instead of a planet where it's very difficult to land, Shantipole was a research station in the middle of an asteroid field. There was also a Mon Cal in charge (although it was Ackbar in the module). Like in the episode, you ended up taking the prototypes to break an Imperial blockade.[/spoiler]
I've heard it said often clone wars is worth a watch.
I recall watching some of it many years ago and found it Meh... But turns out there's 2 series. I saw the cartoon. There's also the Pixar styled one which is the good one.
But apparently it was all shown completely out of order and there's a proper order to watch it in.
This is all needlessly complex.
There's a animated movie & there is 7 season worth of ~20minutes episodes.
Yes, you are right, it is needlessly complex. But that was GL for you.
Quote from: Tyr on December 29, 2020, 04:32:57 PM
I've heard it said often clone wars is worth a watch.
I recall watching some of it many years ago and found it Meh... But turns out there's 2 series. I saw the cartoon. There's also the Pixar styled one which is the good one.
But apparently it was all shown completely out of order and there's a proper order to watch it in.
This is all needlessly complex.
Only the first two seasons were out of order, IIRC (and maybe a stray episode or so in season 3); after that it's all in order. Personally, I find no issue with just watching them in broadcast order. The movie is quite "eh" and mostly serves as contrast to how much better the series got. It's not much of a movie and more a few episodes stitched together.
On the topic of "people age weirdly in the Star Wars universe" :P
(https://preview.redd.it/p6w83aca3k861.jpg?width=640&height=803&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=92caae2c979b70d496d3aa9d2d3e178b7e2175ca)
Another mark in favor of not turning Anakin into Vader until the kids were a little older. And not making Luke and Leia twins so that the line about Leia's young memories of her mother didn't turn out to be retconned into something impossible.
Quote from: Syt on December 31, 2020, 12:56:35 PM
On the topic of "people age weirdly in the Star Wars universe" :P
By the time people there hit their 60s they start looking like Jabba the Hutt. So comparatively, they are quite well preserved.
Quote from: Habbaku on December 31, 2020, 01:01:33 PM
Another mark in favor of not turning Anakin into Vader until the kids were a little older. And not making Luke and Leia twins so that the line about Leia's young memories of her mother didn't turn out to be retconned into something impossible.
Nothing is impossible through the Force!
:P
Quote from: Habbaku on December 31, 2020, 01:01:33 PM
Another mark in favor of not turning Anakin into Vader until the kids were a little older. And not making Luke and Leia twins so that the line about Leia's young memories of her mother didn't turn out to be retconned into something impossible.
Leia's force-sensitive. Her incredibly vague memories (IIRC she said "kind" and "sad") aren't impossible.
Yes they are. She was literally just-born when those memories would have been made. Where did the memory of kindness come from?
Why doesn't Luke have the same memories?
It's nonsense.
It's a bunch of movies about magical space wizards and planet sized super stations. I can give them a pass on that. :P
So we've been having a nightly Star Wars marathon over the Christmas holidays.
Let me tell you something that does irk me: the changing rules for lightspeed.
Remember in ANH it's established that 'flying through lightspeed isn't like dusting crops' and you need to make precise calculations.
Then in TFA Han twice does weird things with lightspeed - he frees the captured Millenium Falcon from inside the other ship by going to lightspeed from inside that other ship. Then he gets to Starkiller Base by using lightspeed to get through the shield. Funny - they could have used those maneuvers several times in the earlier movies...
Then in the next movie - the Holdo maneuver. It's beautifully shot, but it does directly contradict the movie right before it (that you can use lightspeed to fly through stuff). Plus of course why couldn't they have used that maneuver in the past...
And then finally in TRoS - instead of making precise calculations suddenly Poe is doing some kind of skipping or jumping where he goes into lightspeed numerous times - seemingly unworried about running into anything.
Look - you can have a movie about space wizards and laser swords and still maintain suspension of disbelief - you just have to be consistent about your own internal rules.
Yeah, the changing rules on lightspeed is bizarrely the only thing that profoundly irks me regarding Star Wars' universe consistency :lol:
They also last hours or weeks depending on the dramatic needs of the writer. Also related: how they sometimes they can reach other systems without using lightspeed (like in ESB how they go from Hoth to Bespin). Such a trip would take years.
Light speed has nothing on Ludicrous speed.
Quote from: celedhring on January 01, 2021, 11:04:43 AM
Yeah, the changing rules on lightspeed is bizarrely the only thing that profoundly irks me regarding Star Wars' universe consistency :lol:
They also last hours or weeks depending on the dramatic needs of the writer. Also related: how they sometimes they can reach other systems without using lightspeed (like in ESB how they go from Hoth to Bespin). Such a trip would take years.
At least they're consistent on that last point. Mando had to take Frog Lady from one planet to another not using lightspeed - which took a long time.
So apparently they do have some kind of faster than light travel that isn't "lightspeed".
Quote from: Barrister on January 01, 2021, 11:57:14 AMSo apparently they do have some kind of faster than light travel that isn't "lightspeed".
(https://thumbs.gfycat.com/UltimateHilariousBrahmancow-small.gif)
Well, there might be FTL travel outside of hyperspace, but it might be significantly slower than the "normal" way.
Also, hyperspace travel behaves as the plot requires it. Similar to how there's lots of inconsistencies in Star Trek on how shields, holodecks etc. work.
Regarding the Holdo Maneuver, they lampshade it in TROS when Poe says that it was basically a fluke that it worked (1 in a million, I think he says).
There's some theories that hyperspace might be connected to the Force somehow, due to some events in Season 4 of Rebels: [spoiler]The Loth wolves guiding the rebels to the other side of the planet through hyperspace, and speculation that the World Between Worlds might also be connected to Hyperspace somehow.[/spoiler]
Quote from: Habbaku on January 01, 2021, 09:36:18 AM
Yes they are. She was literally just-born when those memories would have been made. Where did the memory of kindness come from?
In the EU, while Leia was pregnant with her twins, she was able to "communicate" with them through the Force, send them appeasing thoughts, sort of.
But it's been left intentionnally vague.
Also, in the EU, she did not have that kind of connection with her 3rd child.
Quote
Why doesn't Luke have the same memories?
Girls&moms share a special link.
Quote from: Barrister on January 01, 2021, 10:54:49 AM
So we've been having a nightly Star Wars marathon over the Christmas holidays.
Let me tell you something that does irk me: the changing rules for lightspeed.
Remember in ANH it's established that 'flying through lightspeed isn't like dusting crops' and you need to make precise calculations.
Then in TFA Han twice does weird things with lightspeed - he frees the captured Millenium Falcon from inside the other ship by going to lightspeed from inside that other ship. Then he gets to Starkiller Base by using lightspeed to get through the shield. Funny - they could have used those maneuvers several times in the earlier movies...
Then in the next movie - the Holdo maneuver. It's beautifully shot, but it does directly contradict the movie right before it (that you can use lightspeed to fly through stuff). Plus of course why couldn't they have used that maneuver in the past...
And then finally in TRoS - instead of making precise calculations suddenly Poe is doing some kind of skipping or jumping where he goes into lightspeed numerous times - seemingly unworried about running into anything.
Look - you can have a movie about space wizards and laser swords and still maintain suspension of disbelief - you just have to be consistent about your own internal rules.
If you disregard movie #8, suddenly, everything we know about the Force and lightspeed becomes more "logical" ;)
The only thing that may makes sense in this movie is the Holdon maneuver, although she was a bit far from the other ship.
Short bursts of lightspeed are acceptable without precise caculations as the risks to hit a celestial body or another ship are minimal.
Previously, it seemed established that all ships travel at the same speed in lightspeed, the only difference being the mass of the ship and its engines power that would let it skirt closer to celestial bodies like blackholes, planets, etc. Nav computers plot a course, with a chart, using available hyperlanes, and avoid known obstacles. If an unknown obstacles is detected, the ship will revert to real/normal space, hence the interdictor cruisers that simulate the gravity well of a planet. Also, cruising near a regular planet vs cruising near a gas giant means in the second case you got to get further away from it then in the first case.
In the past, you could not go to hyperspace with a ship right in front of you as it meant crashing in it. SW 4,5,6 kinda demonstrates it with the Falcon trying to outrun the Imperial ships. Rogue One made a perfect demonstration of what happens when a smaller ship enters lightspeed right before a bigger one appears in front of it.
Going through hyperspace while inside another ship should not have been possible. Holdon's maneuver would only have been possible if there was an hyperspace lane on this particular vector (they are somewhat larger than a single ship, still, there is a limited # of lanes available by system). "Unknown" territories have few hyperspace lanes, and some of them can be unreliable due to poor charting.
Now, come to think of it, better disregard movies 7,8 and 9 all together and concentrate on the Lucas ones + Clone Wars + Rebels + Mandalorians :P
Quote from: viper37 on January 03, 2021, 09:08:51 PM
Now, come to think of it, better disregard movies 7,8 and 9 all together
stuff seems to be going on in the Star Wars / Filoniverse that could potentially result in that. But who knows. So many rumours that next thing you'll hear is that somehow Palpatine returned... again
No way they are going to decanon those, but what I'm sure they will do for the time being is set all upcoming shows/movies in the era before 7-8-9. That way they can, in fact, ignore them.
It wouldn't surprise me though if Filoni used the new shows to give more backstory to the First Order and Snoke and the Emperor. Given that Clone Wars is in a way a more satisfying version of the prequels, I wouldn't be against that.
Just jettisoning prior canon seems to be about the opposite of Filoni's MO. Instead he's going out of his way to try and rehabilitate certain elements fans didn't like, like midichlorines.
Look, I thought Rise of Skywalker was a deeply disappointing movie and I understand the sentiment of "going back" to the "classic era", but I do hope they go back at some point. I'd be up for the further adventures of Poe, Finn and or Rey (Skywalker) - though maybe not all together. What happens to the Republic and the First/Final Order, what happens to those force sensitive without a Jedi order, that sort of thing.
I could not fucking care less what happens to any of them.
Its a big universe. There has to be something about ten thousand times more interesting going on than the doings of characters whose entire narrative existence was based on the idea that they should be just re-telling of an old story that was tired BEFORE it was TOLD AGAIN.
A thousand fucking times, NO. IF YOU MAKE ANOTHER GOD DAMN MOVIE ABOUT TATTOOINE OR DEATH STARS I WILL BE VERY PUT OUT!
Quote from: Berkut on January 04, 2021, 03:45:09 PM
I could not fucking care less what happens to any of them.
Its a big universe. There has to be something about ten thousand times more interesting going on than the doings of characters whose entire narrative existence was based on the idea that they should be just re-telling of an old story that was tired BEFORE it was TOLD AGAIN.
A thousand fucking times, NO. IF YOU MAKE ANOTHER GOD DAMN MOVIE ABOUT TATTOOINE OR DEATH STARS I WILL BE VERY PUT OUT!
You do know that the Book of Boba Fett is probably going to feature Tattoine prominently... :P
On the one hand I agree - let's not just remake the trilogy yet again.
But on the other hand it's hard to base a brand new movie based on brand-new characters with no tie-in to existing lore. So why not a movie about Poe Dameron's X-wing squadron, or Finn's efforts to free slave Stormtroopers, or Rey going on a grand adventure to discover Jedi artifacts, or literally just about any new unrelated story involving established characters? Hell let's see a movie based on Babu Frik's droid repair shop? Or a Maz Kanata and Chewie Rom-Com?
I would love to see a re-telling of the core story with different or new characters, if it was done as an intended replacement for the disasters that were Episodes 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, and 9.
Otherwise, just go find something else to tell us about.
Quote from: Barrister on January 04, 2021, 03:53:25 PM
But on the other hand it's hard to base a brand new movie based on brand-new characters with no tie-in to existing lore. So why not a movie about Poe Dameron's X-wing squadron, or Finn's efforts to free slave Stormtroopers, or Rey going on a grand adventure to discover Jedi artifacts, or literally just about any new unrelated story involving established characters? Hell let's see a movie based on Babu Frik's droid repair shop? Or a Maz Kanata and Chewie Rom-Com?
Rogue One is a good example of not needing existing characters.
Quote from: crazy canuck on January 04, 2021, 03:57:15 PM
Quote from: Barrister on January 04, 2021, 03:53:25 PM
But on the other hand it's hard to base a brand new movie based on brand-new characters with no tie-in to existing lore. So why not a movie about Poe Dameron's X-wing squadron, or Finn's efforts to free slave Stormtroopers, or Rey going on a grand adventure to discover Jedi artifacts, or literally just about any new unrelated story involving established characters? Hell let's see a movie based on Babu Frik's droid repair shop? Or a Maz Kanata and Chewie Rom-Com?
Rogue One is a good example of not needing existing characters.
Rogue One tied in extremely closely to the existing lore. It literally ends just where ANH begins.
And The Mandallorian is based on a "new" character, but one who very closely resembles an existing one (and they introduce another character who closely resembles another existing character in Episode 1).
We could have movies 100 years into the future with force users learning to rebuild the Jedi order led by Grogu.*
*@Disney Pay me for that.
How about seeing parts of Tattooine that don't look like Mos Eisley? I mean, it has an atmosphere, shouldn't it have some various climate regions?
Quote from: crazy canuck on January 04, 2021, 03:57:15 PM
Quote from: Barrister on January 04, 2021, 03:53:25 PM
But on the other hand it's hard to base a brand new movie based on brand-new characters with no tie-in to existing lore. So why not a movie about Poe Dameron's X-wing squadron, or Finn's efforts to free slave Stormtroopers, or Rey going on a grand adventure to discover Jedi artifacts, or literally just about any new unrelated story involving established characters? Hell let's see a movie based on Babu Frik's droid repair shop? Or a Maz Kanata and Chewie Rom-Com?
Rogue One is a good example of not needing existing characters.
Darth Vader and Grand Moff Tarkin ;)
Quote from: Eddie Teach on January 04, 2021, 04:01:45 PM
How about seeing parts of Tattooine that don't look like Mos Eisley? I mean, it has an atmosphere, shouldn't it have some various climate regions?
It's all desert. According to non canon KOTOR (Valmy, that's your cue! :P ), it used to be lushed plains, then the Rataka came in and vitrified the planet, then it's all deserts.
Come to think of it, it's always mono climate on all planetts :P
Hoth is all ice, Tatooine is all sand, Alderaan was all plains and hills, Coruscant is a big city, etc, etc.
I've watched none of this because, so far, Disney + is where I draw the line.
BUT. Thomas Kinkade has licensed Mandalorian art:
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Eq6miagXYAI52ME?format=jpg&name=large)
https://thomaskinkade.com/art-genre/the-mandalorian/
Edit: God I love kitsch :mmm:
Wait, isn't he dead? :huh:
Are they really selling imitations of his style at that kind of markup?
Quote from: celedhring on January 04, 2021, 04:22:05 PM
Wait, isn't he dead? :huh:
Are they really selling imitations of his style at that kind of markup?
By the sounds of it he's basically a Renaissance artist - so this is technically by the studio of Thomas Kinkade :lol:
QuoteA Legacy of Light
Thomas Kinkade, the famed "Painter of Light," loved to share his passion for art and his creative process with other artists throughout his career. Thom believed in supporting artist development and exchanged ideas with artists. Through this collaborative environment, Thom passed down his methods and imparted the techniques, concepts and vision for his signature Kinkadian style.
Today, the artists of the Thomas Kinkade Studios apply many of the same techniques created and used by Thom during his lifetime; from sketching to digital and oil brushwork, to image recapture and his use of light. Over time, these mastered skills have evolved into a Kinkadian style of art adored by art collectors around the world.
Quote from: celedhring on January 04, 2021, 04:22:05 PM
Are they really selling imitations of his style at that kind of markup?
It's art. We, commoners, are unable to truly appreciate the value of such... masterpieces. :zipped:
Heh, just noticed that the bounty hunter ship that shows up in an early CW episode where the Jedi team up with a group of with bounty hunters to help some villagers, is the same model as the Razor Crest.
Quote from: Berkut on December 18, 2020, 09:49:42 PM
Sigh, very dissapointed that fucking Luke showed up.
First of all, it makes no sense. They are talking about Baby Yoda being super important, and he ends up with THE primary character in a story arc that has been done to death, yet we've never heard of him before? How does that make any sense?
But more importantly, once again, the writers lack imagination. A universe of 10,000 planets with trillions of sentient beings, and it has to be fucking Luke who strolls in. At least they weren't on Tattooine. The SW universe is apparently about the size of a high school campus.
Just got through it...
I get your beef but it was telegraphed from parsecs away. The kid makes contact with a powerful Jedi who is not AT. There aren't many candidates in the SW universe for that position at that time. If you have a problem with Skywalker ex machina, then nonology era Star Wars may not be your thing.
Quote from: celedhring on January 04, 2021, 05:41:07 PM
Heh, just noticed that the bounty hunter ship that shows up in an early CW episode where the Jedi team up with a group of with bounty hunters to help some villagers, is the same model as the Razor Crest.
Ah, the Seven Samurai/Magnificent Seven episode. Also, an early appearance by Hondo Ohnaka.
And yeah, the gunship has a very similar design to the Razor Crest:
(https://i1.wp.com/thefwoosh.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Sugi-2.jpg)
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Eq6TeO_XMAAlKbL.jpg)
Ah, that's a much clearer shot of the ship than what you get in the episode. It's not *that* similar then (but certainly the Crest was inspired by it).
Quote from: celedhring on January 05, 2021, 02:39:05 AM
Ah, that's a much clearer shot of the ship than what you get in the episode. It's not *that* similar then (but certainly the Crest was inspired by it).
Or they had a common point of inspiration.
The first High Republic book is out. Star Wars Explained seems to like it a lot, so I look forward to get into it. :)
Quote from: Syt on January 05, 2021, 12:16:03 PM
The first High Republic book is out. Star Wars Explained seems to like it a lot, so I look forward to get into it. :)
I'm still midway through the X-Wing series, I love it! :)
Quote from: Syt on January 05, 2021, 12:16:03 PM
The first High Republic book is out. Star Wars Explained seems to like it a lot, so I look forward to get into it. :)
Does it explain why the galaxy banned cannabis and brought this glorious period to its end?
Quote from: The Minsky Moment on January 04, 2021, 10:49:02 PM
Quote from: Berkut on December 18, 2020, 09:49:42 PM
Sigh, very dissapointed that fucking Luke showed up.
First of all, it makes no sense. They are talking about Baby Yoda being super important, and he ends up with THE primary character in a story arc that has been done to death, yet we've never heard of him before? How does that make any sense?
But more importantly, once again, the writers lack imagination. A universe of 10,000 planets with trillions of sentient beings, and it has to be fucking Luke who strolls in. At least they weren't on Tattooine. The SW universe is apparently about the size of a high school campus.
Just got through it...
I get your beef but it was telegraphed from parsecs away. The kid makes contact with a powerful Jedi who is not AT. There aren't many candidates in the SW universe for that position at that time. If you have a problem with Skywalker ex machina, then nonology era Star Wars may not be your thing.
Who is AT?
Quote from: Eddie Teach on January 05, 2021, 08:09:10 PM
Who is AT?
Asohka Tano, the first Jedi we met in Mandalorian.
Oh right.
Lovely 1 hour video of Alex (Star Wars Explained) and Paul Sun-Hyung Lee nerding out about Star Wars:
https://youtu.be/pX_vHoz_dMk
Well, mostly it's Paul nerding out, he does like 90% of the talking. It's so great how exited and enthusiastic he is. :wub:
WTF. Just saw ROTJ. They changed the Ewok celebration song. :mad:
Quote from: Eddie Teach on January 06, 2021, 02:19:03 PM
WTF. Just saw ROTJ. They changed the Ewok celebration song. :mad:
Again?
So, the godzilla episodes. Not Clone Wars' finest hour.
Quote from: celedhring on January 06, 2021, 03:43:07 PM
So, the godzilla episodes. Not Clone Wars' finest hour.
Yeah, they were quite bad. Have you seen the Shadow Virus episodes yet? It was cheesy, but I liked Michael York as OTT totally not German mad scientist.
Quote from: Syt on January 06, 2021, 03:44:53 PM
Quote from: celedhring on January 06, 2021, 03:43:07 PM
So, the godzilla episodes. Not Clone Wars' finest hour.
Yeah, they were quite bad. Have you seen the Shadow Virus episodes yet? It was cheesy, but I liked Michael York as OTT totally not German mad scientist.
Yeah, those were in the first season. Not my favorites either, but the cheese was somewhat entertaining. Didn't like the zombie-worm from Geonosis ones either :lol:
Quote from: celedhring on January 06, 2021, 03:59:03 PM
Quote from: Syt on January 06, 2021, 03:44:53 PM
Quote from: celedhring on January 06, 2021, 03:43:07 PM
So, the godzilla episodes. Not Clone Wars' finest hour.
Yeah, they were quite bad. Have you seen the Shadow Virus episodes yet? It was cheesy, but I liked Michael York as OTT totally not German mad scientist.
Yeah, those were in the first season. Not my favorites either, but the cheese was somewhat entertaining. Didn't like the zombie-worm from Geonosis ones either :lol:
I appreciated that they wanted to do an homage to the old school voodoo zombie movies, but yeah, it was a bit iffy. They stop those homages largely after season 2, fortunately, and the plot arcs become better from season 3 on, though there's still the occasional "eh" outing.
I did like the Mandalore arc in the second season. Also the invasion of Geonosis itself, which is far better than the one in Attack of the Clones.
Quote from: celedhring on January 06, 2021, 04:18:20 PM
I did like the Mandalore arc in the second season. Also the invasion of Geonosis itself, which is far better than the one in Attack of the Clones.
Yeah, that was good. Also the Ryloth arc.
Dathomir episodes in season 3 - loved those, despite some really tortured plotting :P. Dathomir always sounded intriguing to me, a hostile jungle planet dominated by force witches. It never got much attention in the old EU material (at least, that I'm aware of), and I'm glad it's being expanded here.
In general, I've always loved those Star Wars/sword-and-sorcery intersections, like the Tales of the Jedi comics.
isn't there an arc with three force gods?
Quote from: HVC on January 08, 2021, 09:27:52 AM
isn't there an arc with three force gods?
Yeah, that's a good one too. Always been a sucker for Force mysticism stories.
Quote from: HVC on January 08, 2021, 09:27:52 AM
isn't there an arc with three force gods?
The Mortis arc, yes. It's still somewhat unresolved as the presence of [spoiler]the Convor[/spoiler] in Mandalorian shows - [spoiler]the connection between it, the Daughter and Ahsoka[/spoiler] is still somewhat unclear.
Quote from: celedhring on January 08, 2021, 09:30:04 AM
Quote from: HVC on January 08, 2021, 09:27:52 AM
isn't there an arc with three force gods?
Yeah, that's a good one too. Always been a sucker for Force mysticism stories.
Interestingly, Rebels had more of those than Clone Wars, in comparison. Though one of my favorite scenes on that was in Season 2 of Rebels, [spoiler]"Legends of Lasat", where the Rebels go through the star cluster with the help of an old artifact[/spoiler]. The understated string music still gives me goosebumps.
https://youtu.be/mwJPUopLrw0
Quote from: celedhring on January 08, 2021, 09:30:04 AM
Quote from: HVC on January 08, 2021, 09:27:52 AM
isn't there an arc with three force gods?
Yeah, that's a good one too. Always been a sucker for Force mysticism stories.
So the cartoons go back to the frce being mystical? or is it still midichlorians, or both?
Quote from: HVC on January 08, 2021, 09:39:10 AM
Quote from: celedhring on January 08, 2021, 09:30:04 AM
Quote from: HVC on January 08, 2021, 09:27:52 AM
isn't there an arc with three force gods?
Yeah, that's a good one too. Always been a sucker for Force mysticism stories.
So the cartoons go back to the frce being mystical? or is it still midichlorians, or both?
They sorta reformulated midichlorians, meaning that being Force sensitive comes first, and the midichlorians then allow you to use it and being stronger with it. So I guess it's both.
Quote from: celedhring on January 08, 2021, 09:42:28 AM
Quote from: HVC on January 08, 2021, 09:39:10 AM
Quote from: celedhring on January 08, 2021, 09:30:04 AM
Quote from: HVC on January 08, 2021, 09:27:52 AM
isn't there an arc with three force gods?
Yeah, that's a good one too. Always been a sucker for Force mysticism stories.
So the cartoons go back to the frce being mystical? or is it still midichlorians, or both?
They sorta reformulated midichlorians, meaning that being Force sensitive comes first, and the midichlorians then allow you to use it and being stronger with it. So I guess it's both.
I haven't really noticed mention of midichlorians at all. About half way through season 5 of Clone Wars now. It seemed to me they had fixed the stupidity of Episode I
Yeah, so far Clone Wars to me is like a better version of the prequels. And it's very much a children's show, in the sense that the narrative structures are pretty simple when you get down to it... which makes it kinda sad that they are far more successful than the movies were :lol:
Quote from: celedhring on January 08, 2021, 12:00:26 PM
Yeah, so far Clone Wars to me is like a better version of the prequels. And it's very much a children's show, in the sense that the narrative structures are pretty simple when you get down to it... which makes it kinda sad that they are far more successful than the movies were :lol:
How far in are you?
And yes, Anakin actually becomes an interesting character. :P
Quote from: celedhring on January 08, 2021, 12:00:26 PM
Yeah, so far Clone Wars to me is like a better version of the prequels. And it's very much a children's show, in the sense that the narrative structures are pretty simple when you get down to it... which makes it kinda sad that they are far more successful than the movies were :lol:
The story arcs get a lot better - and darker. It starts looking a lot like Rebels [spoiler]after the comic Empire leaders were killed[/spoiler]
Quote from: Syt on January 08, 2021, 12:06:37 PM
Quote from: celedhring on January 08, 2021, 12:00:26 PM
Yeah, so far Clone Wars to me is like a better version of the prequels. And it's very much a children's show, in the sense that the narrative structures are pretty simple when you get down to it... which makes it kinda sad that they are far more successful than the movies were :lol:
How far in are you?
And yes, Anakin actually becomes an interesting character. :P
Finishing the 3rd season. I'm on holiday until Monday, and since we're back in lockdown I'm binging as much of it as I can :P
The first part of season 4 is IMHO weaker than what follows after (the excellent Umbara arc) and you have "the bad stuff" almost entirely behind you.
So, season 3 finishes with a Most Dangerous Game arc. I love that trope :lol:
Very good arc, even, despite the [spoiler]Chewie fanservice (dude can't help getting captured, can he?)[/spoiler]
Starting season 4 and indeed, Jaws 3D isn't the kind of movie this show (or any show) should be homaging. :lol:
The underwater setting doesn't quite work.
Yeah, it wasn't great.
Quote from: Syt on January 09, 2021, 09:24:26 AM
Yeah, it wasn't great.
And they follow it up with a Jar Jar-centric episode. That's a rough patch :lol:
I really want to see more of Mandalore and Maul (I assume both arcs eventually merge given he had the Darksaber in Rebels), when does that happen?
After Nomad Droids it picks up again. Though that episode is a silly little jaunt.
I think Maul's coming back end of season 4 and much of his involvement is in season 5, IIRC.
Quote from: Syt on January 09, 2021, 10:21:02 AM
After Nomad Droids it picks up again. Though that episode is a silly little jaunt.
I think Maul's coming back end of season 4 and much of his involvement is in season 5, IIRC.
I'm intrigued by him. I mean, he's a disposable brute in Phantom Menace, and then in Rebels he shows up and he's an actually interesting villain, deranged yet articulate.
It made me kinda wish the Solo sequel actually happened. Although I suppose they can pick up that thread in one of the million new Star Wars shows.
Is any of them set in the time between Episodes 3 and 4? Well, Kenobi and Andor, I suppose. Lando, possibly.
Quote from: Syt on January 09, 2021, 12:00:30 PM
Is any of them set in the time between Episodes 3 and 4? Well, Kenobi and Andor, I suppose. Lando, possibly.
The Bad Batch, too.
I suppose Lando would make the most sense.
Well Kenobi, too, though that might not chime well with their final encounter in Rebels (which was beautiful, btw).
Sam Witwer breaks it down quite well in this video: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2572527209680386
It was actually George Lucas who wanted to bring back Maul. When the writers asked him how he thought that would be possible, considering HE GETS CUT IN HALF in Episode I, he just said, "You'll figure it out." :lol:
I admit after the bumpy start of Season 4, when they brought back Maul I thought, "Ok, show has jumped the shark, time to move on." I'm happy to have been wrong.
Also, someone commented that when the Clone Wars movie launched and it became clear there would be a series, no one would have guessed that the final arc [spoiler]would have people on the edge of their seats over the events around Ahsoka and Maul[/spoiler]. :lol:
Well, the 'Nam Umbara arc is indeed excellent. Love those "war is hell" episodes. My only "but" is [spoiler]that making Krell a traitor seems a bit of a copout[/spoiler].
Again, I'm astonished by how excellent the action in this show is. And it was produced 10 years ago, even. Rebels isn't nearly as good in that department, but they obviously had a smaller budget.
Has anyone checked out any of the new High Republic books/comics/stories/efforts? I'm intrigued by the concept, but haven't seen many reviews yet.
Quote from: Syt on January 09, 2021, 12:15:31 PM
It was actually George Lucas who wanted to bring back Maul. When the writers asked him how he thought that would be possible, considering HE GETS CUT IN HALF in Episode I, he just said, "You'll figure it out." :lol:
Not their brightest idea tbf, [spoiler]spiderlegs are super-cheesy. Fortunately they don't last much on him.[/spoiler]
But I look forward seeing him in season 5+. Similarly, Ventress is also much more fun [spoiler]when she's no longer a random Sith apprentice with a cool character design,[/spoiler]
Quote from: Benedict Arnold on January 12, 2021, 02:30:41 AM
Has anyone checked out any of the new High Republic books/comics/stories/efforts? I'm intrigued by the concept, but haven't seen many reviews yet.
I have read good reviews, but I haven gotten around to read any books about it.
Quote from: celedhring on January 12, 2021, 06:23:31 AM
Quote from: Syt on January 09, 2021, 12:15:31 PM
It was actually George Lucas who wanted to bring back Maul. When the writers asked him how he thought that would be possible, considering HE GETS CUT IN HALF in Episode I, he just said, "You'll figure it out." :lol:
Not their brightest idea tbf, [spoiler]spiderlegs are super-cheesy. Fortunately they don't last much on him.[/spoiler]
But I look forward seeing him in season 5+. Similarly, Ventress is also much more fun [spoiler]when she's no longer a random Sith apprentice with a cool character design,[/spoiler]
Asaj Ventres was to have an arc dedicated to her in Clone Wars, but it got cut. Instead, the author(s) made a novel about her and Quinlan Vos, it's called
Dark disciple and it is actually very good.
On the rumour front, there is a lot of chatter from second hand sources that Filoni and Favreau are working on a way to integrate some of the events of
Heir to the Empire, the first book where Grand Admiral Thrawn is featured, into some kind of cross-over for all their new tv series.
Obviously, lots of things will have to change, given the crappy sequel movies, but I still find it really fascinating. I've been waiting 30 years for these books to be adapted as movies :P
Quote from: Syt on January 09, 2021, 12:15:31 PM
It was actually George Lucas who wanted to bring back Maul. When the writers asked him how he thought that would be possible, considering HE GETS CUT IN HALF in Episode I:
It was just a flesh wound.
Quote from: viper37 on January 12, 2021, 12:31:29 PM
Quote from: celedhring on January 12, 2021, 06:23:31 AM
Quote from: Syt on January 09, 2021, 12:15:31 PM
It was actually George Lucas who wanted to bring back Maul. When the writers asked him how he thought that would be possible, considering HE GETS CUT IN HALF in Episode I, he just said, "You'll figure it out." :lol:
Not their brightest idea tbf, [spoiler]spiderlegs are super-cheesy. Fortunately they don't last much on him.[/spoiler]
But I look forward seeing him in season 5+. Similarly, Ventress is also much more fun [spoiler]when she's no longer a random Sith apprentice with a cool character design,[/spoiler]
Asaj Ventres was to have an arc dedicated to her in Clone Wars, but it got cut. Instead, the author(s) made a novel about her and Quinlan Vos, it's called Dark disciple and it is actually very good.
On the rumour front, there is a lot of chatter from second hand sources that Filoni and Favreau are working on a way to integrate some of the events of Heir to the Empire, the first book where Grand Admiral Thrawn is featured, into some kind of cross-over for all their new tv series.
Obviously, lots of things will have to change, given the crappy sequel movies, but I still find it really fascinating. I've been waiting 30 years for these books to be adapted as movies :P
Mmmm... yeah the Thrawn trilogy doesn't fit too well with the current canon. And quite honestly, besides the character of Thrawn there isn't that much great stuff in these books (Luuke!).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bq30vO3K4Lw&ab_channel=julianrougeron
I've always got the feeling they are going to use Thrawn to explain the rise of the First Order.
Quote from: celedhring on January 12, 2021, 12:53:47 PM
Mmmm... yeah the Thrawn trilogy doesn't fit too well with the current canon. And quite honestly, besides the character of Thrawn there isn't that much great stuff in these books (Luuke!).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bq30vO3K4Lw&ab_channel=julianrougeron (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bq30vO3K4Lw&ab_channel=julianrougeron)
I've always got the feeling they are going to use Thrawn to explain the rise of the First Order.
Mara Jade, Talon Karrde and the slicer Ghent are all interesting characters, imho, much more so than Luke who is a tad boring.
They also introduce the Noghri, which we see in Rebels along Thrawn.
But yeah, they would have to make it appear as so he is involved in the rise of the First Order for things to work out with the new canon universe.
I think the idea of a large fleet that has been mothballed/lost and being rediscovered to be a potent weapon would and could be utilized to good effect. I'd imagine they could make a massive Separatist Fleet that just kind of deactivated when Palpatine ended the war by taking the mask off would be a pretty big game changer for whomever found it in the aftermath of the death of Palpatine in Jedi. There are other plot points and secondary characters that could be fun to bring in, too. All without having to adopt all of the really terrible ideas and silly thing. A nice pick and choose type effort would be allow for nice Easter eggs for older fans and also help fill out the universe additionally.
Of course Luke is boring. He's the Everyman character, the one the audience replaces with themselves.
Quote from: Benedict Arnold on January 12, 2021, 04:32:47 PM
I think the idea of a large fleet that has been mothballed/lost and being rediscovered to be a potent weapon would and could be utilized to good effect.
Didn't they just do that storyline?
I don't know. I've yet to start the Mandalorian. Or watch Rebels/Resistance.
Quote from: Barrister on January 12, 2021, 05:20:16 PM
Quote from: Benedict Arnold on January 12, 2021, 04:32:47 PM
I think the idea of a large fleet that has been mothballed/lost and being rediscovered to be a potent weapon would and could be utilized to good effect.
Didn't they just do that storyline?
Not that I'm aware of... What did you have in mind?
Episode 9?
Quote from: Barrister on January 12, 2021, 10:58:07 PM
Quote from: Eddie Teach on January 12, 2021, 10:40:49 PM
Episode 9?
Ding ding ding!
Not exactly the same thing. It was a top of the line fully functional fleet filled with, presumably, clones, to operate these warships. Not the same as a lost fleet considered to be a myth by nearly everyone.
Besides, that movie was awful.
Quote from: viper37 on January 13, 2021, 01:52:41 AM
Quote from: Barrister on January 12, 2021, 10:58:07 PM
Quote from: Eddie Teach on January 12, 2021, 10:40:49 PM
Episode 9?
Ding ding ding!
Not exactly the same thing. It was a top of the line fully functional fleet filled with, presumably, clones, to operate these warships. Not the same as a lost fleet considered to be a myth by nearly everyone.
Besides, that movie was awful.
Exactly. They *could* have done something cool like lost fleets of droids or something like that. Instead, they went with the absolutely idiotic fleet of Death Star Destroyer thing filled with a billion clones all hidden under the sand of a forgotten planet. So botched a good thing and then took one of the worst parts, the dumb clone thing, from the Thrawn books. I mean, what was his clone name secretly? Emperor Palpaatine? God. So much of the movie sucks in retrospect. If it weren't bursting at the seams with fun fan service at parts, it would be complete trash.
Still, if they went with a "look, I found this fleet of gazillion ships and I'm gonna use it blast the good guys" storyline, it would feel like a rethread.
Not that Star Wars is alien to rethreads, of all franchises, but the TV shows have managed to be rather fresh.
Quote from: celedhring on January 13, 2021, 06:14:14 AM
Still, if they went with a "look, I found this fleet of gazillion ships and I'm gonna use it blast the good guys" storyline, it would feel like a rethread.
Not that Star Wars is alien to rethreads, of all franchises, but the TV shows have managed to be rather fresh.
What's amusing about that statement is how many retreads / homages are stuffed into the TV shows. :)
Quote from: Barrister on January 13, 2021, 10:50:37 AM
Quote from: celedhring on January 13, 2021, 06:14:14 AM
Still, if they went with a "look, I found this fleet of gazillion ships and I'm gonna use it blast the good guys" storyline, it would feel like a rethread.
Not that Star Wars is alien to rethreads, of all franchises, but the TV shows have managed to be rather fresh.
What's amusing about that statement is how many retreads / homages are stuffed into the TV shows. :)
They are very fanservice-ish, but the plot itself isn't. If anything they retread other films rather than Star Wars :lol:
Quote from: celedhring on January 13, 2021, 12:48:03 PM
Quote from: Barrister on January 13, 2021, 10:50:37 AM
Quote from: celedhring on January 13, 2021, 06:14:14 AM
Still, if they went with a "look, I found this fleet of gazillion ships and I'm gonna use it blast the good guys" storyline, it would feel like a rethread.
Not that Star Wars is alien to rethreads, of all franchises, but the TV shows have managed to be rather fresh.
What's amusing about that statement is how many retreads / homages are stuffed into the TV shows. :)
They are very fanservice-ish, but the plot itself isn't. If anything they retread other films rather than Star Wars :lol:
But that's exactly what I mean! :contract:
The Mandalorian is just a space western. They've ripped whole storylines from different western and/o samurai movies.
The TV shows avoid retreating the existing Star Wars movies themselves, but are otherwise far from original.
Ok, I misunderstood you. :lol:
Anyway, I've kept on trucking with Clone Wars. Next up: the Onderon arc. Onderon was one of my favorite settings in the Tales of the Jedi comics - I marked out when it showed up in Kotor. The arc in itself is well done, although for all their efforts in this show, Rebels, and Rogue One, I have never ever cared for Saw Gerrera as a character.
And then the episode after that arc... Ilum! :w00t:
I don't understand what people are talking about. There was no Star Wars Episode 9. It was never made. Canceled mid-production.
Quote from: FunkMonk on January 15, 2021, 09:27:57 AM
I don't understand what people are talking about. There was no Star Wars Episode 9. It was never made. Canceled mid-production.
What I found even weirder was that they tried to produce Episode 9 without even doing an Episodes 7-8. I guess they were trying to follow Lucas's lead of starting at Ep. 4?
Disney is weird.
:lol:
This is not wrong:
(https://i.redd.it/hy571hx2x0c61.jpg)
I'm about 34% into the High Republic book. I like it so far, but the first 30% is basically one big action scene (not complaining).
So, I delivered a bunch of work yesterday and today took the day off, so watched more Clone Wars.
The spy droid squad arc was really fun. Also, finally got to see [spoiler]Gregor, although he looks saner here[/spoiler]. Always nice to see characters in CW that pop up again in Rebels.
Quote from: celedhring on January 19, 2021, 09:57:47 AMThe spy droid squad arc was really fun.
I liked it, but I recall it was a tad divisive at the time.
How did you like the thinly veiled commentary when 3PO and R2 brought "democracy" to some liliputans? :P
Quote from: Syt on January 19, 2021, 10:07:39 AM
Quote from: celedhring on January 19, 2021, 09:57:47 AMThe spy droid squad arc was really fun.
I liked it, but I recall it was a tad divisive at the time.
How did you like the thinly veiled commentary when 3PO and R2 brought "democracy" to some liliputans? :P
Heh, that episode was pretty good too. Big fan of absurdism.
And given how much time the prequels and CW spend giving the impression that the Republic kinda sucks, I guess I shouldn't be surprised about that either. :P
Quote from: celedhring on January 19, 2021, 10:18:26 AM
Quote from: Syt on January 19, 2021, 10:07:39 AM
Quote from: celedhring on January 19, 2021, 09:57:47 AMThe spy droid squad arc was really fun.
I liked it, but I recall it was a tad divisive at the time.
How did you like the thinly veiled commentary when 3PO and R2 brought "democracy" to some liliputans? :P
Heh, that episode was pretty good too. Big fan of absurdism.
And given how much time the prequels and CW spend giving the impression that the Republic kinda sucks, I guess I shouldn't be surprised about that either. :P
I thought blasting them away with their engine as they leave was a great touch. :lol:
Quote from: celedhring on January 19, 2021, 09:57:47 AM
So, I delivered a bunch of work yesterday and today took the day off, so watched more Clone Wars.
The spy droid squad arc was really fun. Also, finally got to see [spoiler]Gregor, although he looks saner here[/spoiler]. Always nice to see characters in CW that pop up again in Rebels.
I recently finished the spy droid arc as well, and really liked it.
I really enjoyed the Ahsoka arc. [spoiler]But the terrorist had a point - the Republic is everything she said it is[/spoiler]
Started with the Mandalore arc in s5 this weekend. Still haven't finished it, but the first thing I noticed is that Clone Wars Bo-Katan feels more like Mandalorian Bo-Katan than Rebels Bo-Katan did. Here she's more of a gray character, driven and with a nasty streak ([spoiler]she's Death Watch afterall[/spoiler]), while in Rebels she was a complete goody two shoes. I always assumed that the fall of Mandalore made her nastier and bitter, but it seems the writing was just a bit inconsistent (I certainly prefer the CW-Mandalorian version of the character).
I just realized that Gar Saxon and Fenn Rau are Titus Pullo and Lucius Vorenus.
I've been watching Clone Wars, midway through season 2. One thing I find funny is how often there will be missions with multiple "generals" and half a dozen soldiers supporting them.
Quote from: celedhring on January 23, 2021, 05:48:28 AM
Started with the Mandalore arc in s5 this weekend. Still haven't finished it, but the first thing I noticed is that Clone Wars Bo-Katan feels more like Mandalorian Bo-Katan than Rebels Bo-Katan did. Here she's more of a gray character, driven and with a nasty streak ([spoiler]she's Death Watch afterall[/spoiler]), while in Rebels she was a complete goody two shoes. I always assumed that the fall of Mandalore made her nastier and bitter, but it seems the writing was just a bit inconsistent (I certainly prefer the CW-Mandalorian version of the character).
Keep watching, you will see Bo-Katan evolve into more of what you see in Rebels. I am not sure I agree about the goody two shoes, that character always has a hard edge, that softens just a bit if it is deserved.
Finished the 5th season. The Ashoka arc is pretty damn good. She's quickly becoming one of my favorite characters in this whole Star Wars TV universe. Also, her bond with Anakin feels far more significant than the one with Padmé (no surprise here).
One thing I've never quite understood, though, is that Anakin is given a padawan yet he's not a master (he's denied the rank in Revenge of the Sith).
Quote from: celedhring on February 02, 2021, 12:11:49 PM
Finished the 5th season. The Ashoka arc is pretty damn good. She's quickly becoming one of my favorite characters in this whole Star Wars TV universe. Also, her bond with Anakin feels far more significant than the one with Padmé (no surprise here).
One thing I've never quite understood, though, is that Anakin is given a padawan yet he's not a master (he's denied the rank in Revenge of the Sith).
Remember the episode early on (maybe even season 1) where she was supposed to be Obi Wan's padawan, but she became Anakin's padawan because it was believed it would help him.
Jedi Knights can train an apprentice; Kenobi had just been promoted to Jedi Knight when he took on the kid.
Quote from: The Minsky Moment on February 02, 2021, 02:37:22 PM
Jedi Knights can train an apprentice; Kenobi had just been promoted to Jedi Knight when he took on the kid.
iirc that was another special case.
(https://i.redd.it/9zp0jvigz4f61.jpg)
Guess making out with his sister really affected Luke :P
It also shows that Mark Hamill is a great dude. :)
Kinda wish he had a bigger career. That said, he's not a very good actor outside of voice acting.
Quote from: celedhring on February 03, 2021, 07:04:16 AM
Kinda wish he had a bigger career. That said, he's not a very good actor outside of voice acting.
I was about to say...he has had a great career. He is a very talented voice actor.
There are persistent rumors that a KOTOR III is in development, but it has nothing to do with EA/Bioware.
Not much has filtered since last year, just more&more rumors going on. Eventually, something will come of it.
Quote from: viper37 on February 06, 2021, 04:32:10 PM
There are persistent rumors that a KOTOR III is in development, but it has nothing to do with EA/Bioware.
Not much has filtered since last year, just more&more rumors going on. Eventually, something will come of it.
Is it Obsidian? Please don't be Ubisoft.
Quote from: Valmy on February 07, 2021, 03:39:59 PM
Quote from: viper37 on February 06, 2021, 04:32:10 PM
There are persistent rumors that a KOTOR III is in development, but it has nothing to do with EA/Bioware.
Not much has filtered since last year, just more&more rumors going on. Eventually, something will come of it.
Is it Obsidian? Please don't be Ubisoft.
they don't say. No confirmation from Disney/Lucas Arts on this, just annoying rumours.
Quote
Inverse Codex
Everything we know about the rumored Knights of the Old Republic 3
Could Darth Revan return in KOTOR 3?
Corey Plante
1.25.2021 12:28 PM
A far-flung dream for many gamers out there might one day soon come true: A new video game based on the beloved Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic franchise is reportedly in development.
BioWare's Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (2003) was the first game about a galaxy far, far away that disregarded the Skywalker family and set out on its own story about a Darth Revan, a Jedi who lived about 4,000 years before the original films. Revan fell to the dark side of the Force, became a Sith Lord, and then became a blank slate for the player to shape as they saw fit thanks to a convenient bout of amnesia. The role-playing game was so successful that Obsidian Entertainment developed a sequel a year later, which was met with critical acclaim.
The franchise seemed to be dead in the water for more than 15 years, but new rumors that emerged in 2021 have reinspired hope, of all things, that a new Star Wars role-playing game was secretly in development. Here's everything we know about Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 3.
Is KOTOR 3 in development?
Darth Revan is one of the greatest Force users of all time.BioWare
Star Wars insider Bespin Bulletin — which has a fairly reliable track record when it comes to Star Wars news — reported during a January 21, 2021 podcast episode that a new Knights of the Old Republic game was in development outside of Electronic Arts and EA.
"Amongst my digging, I heard there is a Knights of the Old Republic project in development somewhere," Bespin Bulletin said. "I talked to a couple of people, and I also found out that Jason Schreier said that it's not with EA, and we'll 'never guess' who the studio is that's making this game."
He's referring to a comment that Bloomberg games reporter Jason Schreier made on the Resetera forums in December 2020: "Nobody's going to guess right that's for sure," he said on a thread where fans were speculating what studio might be developing the game.
Nate Najda of Wushu Studios also hinted in the same Resetera thread that he had knowledge of the game: "It's not as mysterious as you think," Najda wrote. "It's just not a household name most people are aware of." By all accounts, it sure seems like these rumors might be true, but how did we get here?
Disney signed a deal with Electronic Arts in 2013 that gave the publisher exclusive rights to Star Wars games. Disney announced BioWare's games were no longer canon in 2015, and two years later EA shifted its focus from single-player games to online titles while Disney invested a lot of time and money into developing the new trilogy of movies. Eventually, that also included newer EA games part of Disney's canon, like Star Wars: Battlefront II and Jedi: Fallen Order.
Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy told MTV News in April 2019, however, that Disney has something in store for KOTOR fans.
"You know, we talk about that all the time," she said. "Yes, we are developing something to look at. Right now I have no idea where things might fall, but we have to be careful that there is a cadence to Star Wars that doesn't start to feel like too much."
Her statements suggested that there wasn't anything in the works outright, but that the beloved story will continue eventually. Now, we're finally seeing peaks at what she meant.
As of January 13, 2021 with the launch of Lucasfilm Games, any developer could feasibly make a Star Wars game. "We've been working quietly behind the scenes for a while now," Lucasfilm Games VP Douglas Reilly told StarWars.com. Ubisoft is making a story-driven, open-world game, and we'll likely see more from EA as well. But this "Big Bang" for the Star Wars gaming galaxy could mean all sorts of exciting new projects ... including KOTOR 3.
All of these newer developments possibly corroborate some older rumors Cinelinx reported in January 2020 that a new KOTOR game was in development.
"It wasn't so much a remake, but a 'sequel' of sorts," wrote editor-in-chief Jordan Maison. "It would be a Knights of the Old Republic project that would integrate elements from the first two games in order to bring certain things into the current Star Wars canon. Not necessarily a remake, so much as a re-imagining."
[/b]
I will say this. As much as I would love a new Kotor game and to get parts of Kotor brought into the current canon, I always found the "this happened 4000 years ago but the technology is roughly the same" part of the Kotor lore a bit problematic :ph34r:
I mean, it doesn't matter for a videogame, but it would kinda bug me if they ever made an Old Republic show. So far references to ancient times (Jedi temples and such) are always kinda vague and they work.
Quote from: celedhring on February 08, 2021, 01:15:53 AM
I will say this. As much as I would love a new Kotor game and to get parts of Kotor brought into the current canon, I always found the "this happened 4000 years ago but the technology is roughly the same" part of the Kotor lore a bit problematic :ph34r:
I mean, it doesn't matter for a videogame, but it would kinda bug me if they ever made an Old Republic show. So far references to ancient times (Jedi temples and such) are always kinda vague and they work.
That's a problem of the games, though. The original comics looked a lot more archaic with their ships and architecture. The games, though somewhat based on the comics, were more of a Star Wars re-imagining than a vision of what the galaxy looked like 4000 years earlier. A way to tell an original story with the familiar elements of the universe (The Force, light sabers, hyperspace travel, aliens, an evil empire) without having to worry about the mainstream canon much.
Yeah, the original comics were essentially "sword and sorcery in space". Still a bit problematic but less so.
The Kotor games imho could have been set 100-200 years before the prequels and enjoy the same freedom. This is what High Republic is going for, I presume.
Quote from: Valmy on February 07, 2021, 03:39:59 PM
Quote from: viper37 on February 06, 2021, 04:32:10 PM
There are persistent rumors that a KOTOR III is in development, but it has nothing to do with EA/Bioware.
Not much has filtered since last year, just more&more rumors going on. Eventually, something will come of it.
Is it Obsidian? Please don't be Ubisoft.
Ubisoft is, in fact, making an open world Star Wars game: https://www.theguardian.com/games/2021/jan/14/the-force-re-awakens-ubisoft-working-on-new-open-world-star-wars-game
EA also confirmed that they're working on a Star Wars shooter.
The real question, though: where's the new Star Wars strategy game? Rebellion and Battlegrounds are showing their age these days. :P
Actually, my one complaint about Star Wars games is that basically all titles need to be mass market compatible. Can still create great games (Fallen Order, Battlefront II after a gazllion content updates), but I miss experimentation. Games Workshop seems MUCH more liberal to let developers throw things at the wall and see what sticks. Between Vermintide, Bloodbowl, Total War, Gladius, Armageddon, Battlfleet Gothic Armada, Mechanicus, etc. etc. they've all kinds of genre covered in recent years.
Also, I want a game like Privateer or Freelancer set in the Star Wars universe, dammit. :P
Well, with the whole Lucasfilm Games being brought back and opening up the licenses to other publishers hopefully we'll get some variety. Rebellion was actually pretty unique when it came out.
The X games have many Star Wars mods :P
MODS ARE NOT THE SAME THING :P
Incidentally, my very first Star Wars game was Return of the Jedi which I played on a friend's Amstrad. I still remember to this day when, after a run of incredible luck, I managed to finish all levels and destroy the Death Star reactor, only to then find out I had to cross all the map again on the reverse to escape the explosion, which I failed to do so, prompting copious nerd rage. :P
Nerd rage along those lines?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Psgn0kMfafo (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Psgn0kMfafo)
Yep, although it probably doesn't sound as nasty in Catalan. :P
Yeah, Castilian would be a better bet in that aspect. :P
Quote from: celedhring on February 08, 2021, 04:19:22 AM
The X games have many Star Wars mods :P
(https://media1.giphy.com/media/jRGGQMWvYvYraZ5kvI/giphy.gif)
I used to play the Star Wars Reborn mod for X3. Some cursory googling shows that it hasn't been updated in a while but a few more have came out since, building on it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=197U5_QRITA&list=PLdPGT1zHAPjXdYW9WQDzL1yPrQ-nl9vtQ&ab_channel=TheFlumpySquid
I know there are some for X4 (which have better graphics and even ship interiors), but they don't seem as complete.
This one seems to be the biggest around these days:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIq6np1WHsY&ab_channel=TheXPGamers
I'm not up to date on what modders do, but when I used to follow Star Wars mods for non-Star Wars games, most projects went like this
- "This will be a total conversion, recreating the Star Wars universe in [game]!"
- "Here's some Star Wars 3D models imported into the game!"
- [crickets]
:P
Reborn was quite comprehensive. Of course, the gameplay of X3 doesn't match Star Wars lore perfectly, but it was a decently immersive experience.
So, more Clone Wars.
Fives Order 66 arc: pretty damn good and quite heartbreaking. One of my favorites of the show.
Sadly, it is followed up by a frankly terrible Clovis vs Anakin arc.
Quote from: celedhring on February 08, 2021, 04:29:27 PM
So, more Clone Wars.
Fives Order 66 arc: pretty damn good and quite heartbreaking. One of my favorites of the show.
Sadly, it is followed up by a frankly terrible Clovis vs Anakin arc.
Agreed, I found myself fast forwarding through a lot of the Clovis episodes.
So here is a question for you now that you have seen it all. How the heck did Maul [spoiler]end up back in charge in Mandalor. I thought the Emperor had put an end to that.[/spoiler]
Haven't seen it all yet, I presume [spoiler]Sidious left him in charge as part of whatever Sidious plan he always has.[/spoiler]
Quote from: celedhring on February 08, 2021, 04:46:36 PM
Haven't seen it all yet, I presume [spoiler]Sidious left him in charge as part of whatever Sidious plan he always has.[/spoiler]
Not really. There were episodes that were planned but ended up being told in comic form when the show was canceled: https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Star_Wars:_Darth_Maul%E2%80%94Son_of_Dathomir
That doesn't explain it, either, though. His Wookieepedia entry is quite vague on the topic.
Quote[spoiler]Maul and other parts of his loyal forces would eventually return to Mandalore, where they remained in hiding for a short time. The Pyke Syndicate and Black Sun also eventually rejoined the Shadow Collective.[35] At some point, Maul also forged ties with the criminal organization Crimson Dawn, led by Dryden Vos. He continued to rule his operation, one part of which involved the transportation of a large shipment of spice by the Pykes.[36]
The Pykes hired Rafa Martez to deliver the spice, but after a heavy ethics debate between Martez and the former Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano, Martez's sister, Trace, dumped the spice into hyperspace. With no shipment to deliver, the three were taken into custody by the Pykes on Oba Diah. Shortly afterward, Maul contacted the new leader of the Pykes, Marg Krim, via hologram about the lost shipment of spice. Krim attempted to assure Maul that the delay of the spice would not jeopardize his plans. Maul warned Krim of further delays, informing him that every piece of his plan was important and if one part of it faltered, the entire plan could be jeopardized. Krim attempted to defend himself by informing him of the ever-growing interference of the Galactic Republic in his shipments and of a shipment that had arrived on Coruscant, but was raided by the Republic. Maul asked if any Jedi were involved, but Krim did not know since none of his men survived, which allowed Maul to come to the conclusion that there were. Just then, Maul noticed something hiding in the pipework surrounding where the meeting was taking place and turned to try to see what it was. After searching for a few seconds, he discovered nothing and, not realizing it was Tano, turned back towards Krim, informing him that he had other things to attend to. Maul warned him that if he caused any more delays, he would allow Crimson Dawn to take over the Pyke Syndicate. With that warning, Maul ended the transmission.[36][/spoiler]
Quote from: celedhring on February 08, 2021, 04:46:36 PM
Haven't seen it all yet, I presume [spoiler]Sidious left him in charge as part of whatever Sidious plan he always has.[/spoiler]
Oh crap, sorry. When you said no more clone wars I thought you had finished to the end of the last season. My apologies. :Embarrass:
I said "So, more Clone Wars". :P
Quote from: celedhring on February 08, 2021, 05:33:04 PM
I said "So, more Clone Wars". :P
I had a dyslexic moment. :Embarrass:
Still ahead of me, I guess.
I really liked the second half of season 3, starting with the episode about the Night Sisters.
Quote from: Syt on February 08, 2021, 05:02:29 PM
Quote from: celedhring on February 08, 2021, 04:46:36 PM
Haven't seen it all yet, I presume [spoiler]Sidious left him in charge as part of whatever Sidious plan he always has.[/spoiler]
Not really. There were episodes that were planned but ended up being told in comic form when the show was canceled: https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Star_Wars:_Darth_Maul%E2%80%94Son_of_Dathomir
That doesn't explain it, either, though. His Wookieepedia entry is quite vague on the topic.
Quote[spoiler]Maul and other parts of his loyal forces would eventually return to Mandalore, where they remained in hiding for a short time. The Pyke Syndicate and Black Sun also eventually rejoined the Shadow Collective.[35] At some point, Maul also forged ties with the criminal organization Crimson Dawn, led by Dryden Vos. He continued to rule his operation, one part of which involved the transportation of a large shipment of spice by the Pykes.[36]
The Pykes hired Rafa Martez to deliver the spice, but after a heavy ethics debate between Martez and the former Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano, Martez's sister, Trace, dumped the spice into hyperspace. With no shipment to deliver, the three were taken into custody by the Pykes on Oba Diah. Shortly afterward, Maul contacted the new leader of the Pykes, Marg Krim, via hologram about the lost shipment of spice. Krim attempted to assure Maul that the delay of the spice would not jeopardize his plans. Maul warned Krim of further delays, informing him that every piece of his plan was important and if one part of it faltered, the entire plan could be jeopardized. Krim attempted to defend himself by informing him of the ever-growing interference of the Galactic Republic in his shipments and of a shipment that had arrived on Coruscant, but was raided by the Republic. Maul asked if any Jedi were involved, but Krim did not know since none of his men survived, which allowed Maul to come to the conclusion that there were. Just then, Maul noticed something hiding in the pipework surrounding where the meeting was taking place and turned to try to see what it was. After searching for a few seconds, he discovered nothing and, not realizing it was Tano, turned back towards Krim, informing him that he had other things to attend to. Maul warned him that if he caused any more delays, he would allow Crimson Dawn to take over the Pyke Syndicate. With that warning, Maul ended the transmission.[36][/spoiler]
So the season 5 episode where [spoiler]Sidious humiliates Maul and says "he has plans for him" is never followed on?[/spoiler] That sucks.
And I just noticed the "Ashoka framed" episodes are all named after Hitchcock movies. I love Filoni so much :lol:
Quote from: Syt on February 08, 2021, 04:05:01 AM
Also, I want a game like Privateer or Freelancer set in the Star Wars universe, dammit. :P
Elite Dangerous but set in the Star Wars galaxy?
So, finished the 6th season of Clone Wars:
- Jar Jar Binks and the Temple of Doom: CW takes a lot of the prequel crap and turns it into gold, but Jar Jar is definitely beyond their powers.
- Yoda's Magical Mystery Tour: I love all the "Force mysticism" episodes (so far, the Force Gods arc is my favorite of the show). This one is another brilliant example. I was surprised to learn that - as I understood it - [spoiler]Force Ghosts aren't apparently a thing in this era. If Yoda, however, learns this technique, when does Kenobi supposedly get the ability to commune with Luke in the OT? And ghost Anakin shows up in ROTJ too[/spoiler].
Just one more season to go!
Quote from: celedhring on February 10, 2021, 05:04:12 PM
So, finished the 6th season of Clone Wars:
- Jar Jar Binks and the Temple of Doom: CW takes a lot of the prequel crap and turns it into gold, but Jar Jar is definitely beyond their powers.
- Yoda's Magical Mystery Tour: I love all the "Force mysticism" episodes (so far, the Force Gods arc is my favorite of the show). This one is another brilliant example. I was surprised to learn that - as I understood it - [spoiler]Force Ghosts aren't apparently a thing in this era. If Yoda, however, learns this technique, when does Kenobi supposedly get the ability to commune with Luke in the OT? And ghost Anakin shows up in ROTJ too[/spoiler].
Just one more season to go!
[spoiler]IIRC at the end of Revenge of the Sith, Yoda tells Obi-Wan that he have to undergo training when he's on Tatooine, because Qui-Gon has found a way to communicate through the Force. So I guess that's how Obi-Wan learns it. As for Anakin ... no idea - though we do hear Qui-Gon's voice shouting Anakin's name when he's about to slaughter the Sandpeople, so there might have been a connection there; maybe he shepherded Anakin into the Force when he died? [/spoiler] :lol:
Now that we are on this topic...[spoiler] I suppose that's the explanation why both Kenobi and Yoda vanish when they die, while other dead Jedi didn't? (but then neither did Qui Gon)[/spoiler]
Quote from: celedhring on February 10, 2021, 05:04:12 PM
So, finished the 6th season of Clone Wars:
- Jar Jar Binks and the Temple of Doom: CW takes a lot of the prequel crap and turns it into gold, but Jar Jar is definitely beyond their powers.
- Yoda's Magical Mystery Tour: I love all the "Force mysticism" episodes (so far, the Force Gods arc is my favorite of the show). This one is another brilliant example. I was surprised to learn that - as I understood it - [spoiler]Force Ghosts aren't apparently a thing in this era. If Yoda, however, learns this technique, when does Kenobi supposedly get the ability to commune with Luke in the OT? And ghost Anakin shows up in ROTJ too[/spoiler].
Just one more season to go!
At the end of Episode 3 Yoda mentioned to Obi-Wan that his old master Qui-Gon has returned (presumably as a force ghost) - Obi-Wan must have learned from him.
Past that... I dunno.
Quote from: celedhring on February 10, 2021, 05:21:21 PM
Now that we are on this topic...[spoiler] I suppose that's the explanation why both Kenobi and Yoda vanish when they die, while other dead Jedi didn't? (but then neither did Qui Gon)[/spoiler]
I think it is just a secret discovered by Qui Gon, passed on to Yoda then to Obi Wan (they all get the necessary training). No idea how Vader learned it (the explanation falls apart at that point).
Quote from: celedhring on February 10, 2021, 05:21:21 PM
Now that we are on this topic...[spoiler] I suppose that's the explanation why both Kenobi and Yoda vanish when they die, while other dead Jedi didn't? (but then neither did Qui Gon)[/spoiler]
To maintain itself beyond death, a Jedi needs a kind of anchor, often, but not always, another Force user with whom they were close. It could also be an object with particular meaning to the deceased too. And kinda like our ghost mythology, it would usually involve unfinished business.
Grumbler moment:
Force ghost work exactly as the writers intend it to work at the moment :P
I noticed that in KOTOR, Sith Force ghosts are a thing and they do not surprise anyone in your party. In TOR, Force ghosts are a thing but they are of immense surprise to your character.
My guess is, it is not widespread knowledge and it is not a technique taught at Jedi or Sith academies, meaning it must be part of their extra-curricular activities, when they have they take classes from another faculty :P
I guess that, maybe, it is not a technique you really learn as much as it "happens", and then you deal with it.
In KOTOR, the Sith ghosts are hundreds of years old, if not more, in TOR, a few years, and in the old EU, Kenobi's ghost disapear shortly after the battle of Endor, following years of declining appearances.
Anakin and Yoda may not have persisted because their goal was accomplished and there was nothing less for them to do: The Emperor is dead, Darth Vader is no more, Anakin is back.
Quote from: viper37 on February 10, 2021, 10:03:06 PM
Anakin and Yoda may not have persisted because their goal was accomplished and there was nothing less for them to do: The Emperor is dead, Darth Vader is no more, Anakin is back.
Yoda appeared to old man Luke in Last Jedi.
In other news
QuoteLucasfilm has spoken.
The producers of Disney+'s flagship series, The Mandalorian, have parted ways with original cast member Gina Carano, who plays Rebel shock trooper-turned-New Republic marshal Cara Dune on the Star Wars spinoff.
"Gina Carano is not currently employed by Lucasfilm and there are no plans for her to be in the future," a Lucasfilm representative said in a statement to our sister site Deadline. "Nevertheless, her social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities are abhorrent and unacceptable."
Formerly a mixed martial artist, Carano has been under fire from many fans for quite a while now, due to problematic things she has said/opinions she has supported all across social media. Carano has alternately been accused of being anti-trans (in part by appearing to mock the use of chosen pronouns), racist, anti-mask/anti-vaxxer, and a supporter of the attempted Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, among other things.
Most recently, an Instagram post of hers was interpreted to be an antisemitic defense of Nazis (stating that Jews in World War II were not beaten by German soldiers but "by their neighbors"). Though some argued her post was by no means absolving Nazis of wrongdoing, the #FireGinaCarano hashtag got trending again, with many asking Lucasfilm and Mandalorian EP Jon Favreau to oust the actress.
Carano was reportedly set to star in her own Mandalorian spinoff, according to The Hollywood Reporter, with Disney ready to announce the news at their big Investor Day presentation in December. But the company scrapped those plans after seeing Carano's earlier posts. "They have been looking for a reason to fire her for two months, and today was the final straw," a source tells THR.
The Mandalorian was due to start production on Season 3 as soon as filming of offshoot The Book of Boba Fett had wrapped.
Quote from: Barrister on February 10, 2021, 10:07:48 PM
Quote from: viper37 on February 10, 2021, 10:03:06 PM
Anakin and Yoda may not have persisted because their goal was accomplished and there was nothing less for them to do: The Emperor is dead, Darth Vader is no more, Anakin is back.
Yoda appeared to old man Luke in Last Jedi.
I keep forgetting about that horrible movie.
Quote from: katmai on February 10, 2021, 11:54:46 PM
In other news
QuoteLucasfilm has spoken.
The producers of Disney+'s flagship series, The Mandalorian, have parted ways with original cast member Gina Carano, who plays Rebel shock trooper-turned-New Republic marshal Cara Dune on the Star Wars spinoff.
"Gina Carano is not currently employed by Lucasfilm and there are no plans for her to be in the future," a Lucasfilm representative said in a statement to our sister site Deadline. "Nevertheless, her social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities are abhorrent and unacceptable."
Formerly a mixed martial artist, Carano has been under fire from many fans for quite a while now, due to problematic things she has said/opinions she has supported all across social media. Carano has alternately been accused of being anti-trans (in part by appearing to mock the use of chosen pronouns), racist, anti-mask/anti-vaxxer, and a supporter of the attempted Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, among other things.
Most recently, an Instagram post of hers was interpreted to be an antisemitic defense of Nazis (stating that Jews in World War II were not beaten by German soldiers but "by their neighbors"). Though some argued her post was by no means absolving Nazis of wrongdoing, the #FireGinaCarano hashtag got trending again, with many asking Lucasfilm and Mandalorian EP Jon Favreau to oust the actress.
Carano was reportedly set to star in her own Mandalorian spinoff, according to The Hollywood Reporter, with Disney ready to announce the news at their big Investor Day presentation in December. But the company scrapped those plans after seeing Carano's earlier posts. "They have been looking for a reason to fire her for two months, and today was the final straw," a source tells THR.
The Mandalorian was due to start production on Season 3 as soon as filming of offshoot The Book of Boba Fett had wrapped.
I will never understand why these people continue to post on social media.
On the flip side, it's great to have a way to identify the bigots.
Most surprising thing of all is that she was given ample warning, yet she kept posting. Some people can't help themselves I guess.
Quote from: Barrister on February 10, 2021, 06:10:20 PM
Quote from: celedhring on February 10, 2021, 05:04:12 PM
So, finished the 6th season of Clone Wars:
- Jar Jar Binks and the Temple of Doom: CW takes a lot of the prequel crap and turns it into gold, but Jar Jar is definitely beyond their powers.
- Yoda's Magical Mystery Tour: I love all the "Force mysticism" episodes (so far, the Force Gods arc is my favorite of the show). This one is another brilliant example. I was surprised to learn that - as I understood it - [spoiler]Force Ghosts aren't apparently a thing in this era. If Yoda, however, learns this technique, when does Kenobi supposedly get the ability to commune with Luke in the OT? And ghost Anakin shows up in ROTJ too[/spoiler].
Just one more season to go!
At the end of Episode 3 Yoda mentioned to Obi-Wan that his old master Qui-Gon has returned (presumably as a force ghost) - Obi-Wan must have learned from him.
Past that... I dunno.
I had forgotten about that bit in ROTS. Every time I try to rewatch it I never make it to the end :P
I suppose the upcoming Obi Wan series might give more clarity, IIRC it's supposedly set in the aftermath of ROTS?
With Gina Carano out of the SW universe, I've heard doubts aboutt he future of the "Marshalls of the New Republic" spin-off show in which she was meant to star. A wild theory going on involves recasting her character and giving it to Lucy Lawless. :lol:
I'd dig it. Though probably a bit old these days no?
Michelle Rodriguez? that's her whole thing.
Her character wasn't that memorable, imho. I mean, she was likeable and fun, but I won't really feel a hole in my soul if we never see Cara Dune again. :sleep:
Quote from: celedhring on February 11, 2021, 09:36:08 AM
Her character wasn't that memorable, imho. I mean, she was likeable and fun, but I won't really feel a hole in my soul if we never see Cara Dune again. :sleep:
Yeah same here, no big loss.
She was the worst actor on the show barring perhaps Bill Burr. No loss.
Quote from: Habbaku on February 11, 2021, 10:12:07 AM
She was the worst actor on the show barring perhaps Bill Burr. No loss.
Yup. Every time I saw her on screen I felt pulled out of the show.
I get the same thing when Burr is on screen, but at least he's mildly entertaining. Carano is just flat all the time.
I had no issue with Bill Burr, but that's likely because I've not known him before watching Mandalorian.
He's mainly a comedian, though he did have a memorable turn in Breaking Bad.
Quote from: garbon on February 11, 2021, 02:47:30 AM
On the flip side, it's great to have a way to identify the bigots.
I mean I am prone to sometimes get emotional and post stupid shit online. Or maybe sometimes I just have a stupid idea that I decide to post online for some reason. But I at least do it relatively anonymously here on Languish in front of 20 other people. Doing it when I am a public figure and have a high paying job on the line and it is directly and proudly linked to my name? What madness is that? People have been getting fired for social media posts for over a decade now. Have some sense people.
Quote from: Valmy on February 11, 2021, 11:51:08 AM
Quote from: garbon on February 11, 2021, 02:47:30 AM
On the flip side, it's great to have a way to identify the bigots.
I mean I am prone to sometimes get emotional and post stupid shit online. Or maybe sometimes I just have a stupid idea that I decide to post online for some reason. But I at least do it relatively anonymously here on Languish in front of 20 other people. Doing it when I am a public figure and have a high paying job on the line and it is directly and proudly linked to my name? What madness is that? People have been getting fired for social media posts for over a decade now. Have some sense people.
One of the problems is when people see the President of the United States say outrageous things online, they figure it is ok for them to do it too.
Lots of people are finding out that isn't so.
Quote from: Tyr on February 11, 2021, 09:12:30 AM
I'd dig it. Though probably a bit old these days no?
Michelle Rodriguez? that's her whole thing.
Well maybe for that specific character but they could easily create another action lead for Lawless to fill same role, no?
Quote from: Valmy on February 11, 2021, 11:51:08 AM
Quote from: garbon on February 11, 2021, 02:47:30 AM
On the flip side, it's great to have a way to identify the bigots.
I mean I am prone to sometimes get emotional and post stupid shit online. Or maybe sometimes I just have a stupid idea that I decide to post online for some reason. But I at least do it relatively anonymously here on Languish in front of 20 other people. Doing it when I am a public figure and have a high paying job on the line and it is directly and proudly linked to my name? What madness is that? People have been getting fired for social media posts for over a decade now. Have some sense people.
Perhaps though I don't think you ever stupidly post bigoted things.
You're not from Oklahoma. ;)
I dislike people being fired because they post stupid things on social media. Carano is a public figure not some anonymous nobody so the bar for her is somewhat higher, but the most recent post of hers is at least debatable.
But that being said I agree the character Cara Dune was mostly forgettable. No idea what other plans they had for the character, but won't be missed in Mandalorian.
Quote from: Barrister on February 11, 2021, 12:25:38 PM
I dislike people being fired because they post stupid things on social media. Carano is a public figure not some anonymous nobody so the bar for her is somewhat higher, but the most recent post of hers is at least debatable.
But that being said I agree the character Cara Dune was mostly forgettable. No idea what other plans they had for the character, but won't be missed in Mandalorian.
:rolleyes:
It's debatable if you're trying to retain white nationalists as a voting block for your party, maybe. Otherwise it's not.
Quote from: Jacob on February 11, 2021, 12:39:20 PM
It's debatable if you're trying to retain white nationalists as a voting block for your party, maybe. Otherwise it's not.
I tried to find the tweet but looks like she deleted it.
But from the story quoted it says "stating that Jews in World War II were not beaten by German soldiers but "by their neighbors"". I mean we have a thread going on right now on that very topic where it is, in fact, being debated. And it doesn't appear to absolve the Germans of their role in it either.
But yes, it was a dumb thing to say. But I have to be consistent - short of extreme cases I don't like people being fired because they post dumb shit on social media, no matter what their politics.
Quote from: Barrister on February 11, 2021, 12:44:58 PM
Quote from: Jacob on February 11, 2021, 12:39:20 PM
It's debatable if you're trying to retain white nationalists as a voting block for your party, maybe. Otherwise it's not.
I tried to find the tweet but looks like she deleted it.
But from the story quoted it says "stating that Jews in World War II were not beaten by German soldiers but "by their neighbors"". I mean we have a thread going on right now on that very topic where it is, in fact, being debated. And it doesn't appear to absolve the Germans of their role in it either.
But yes, it was a dumb thing to say. But I have to be consistent - short of extreme cases I don't like people being fired because they post dumb shit on social media, no matter what their politics.
Fortunately, my sister also shared it on Facebook:
Quote(https://scontent-vie1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/p526x296/50962001_2039366296143790_8182753232569761792_n.jpg?_nc_cat=1&ccb=3&_nc_sid=cdbe9c&_nc_ohc=gjuvk9euS8UAX_Fv6ot&_nc_ht=scontent-vie1-1.xx&tp=6&oh=6510f3bf6a5fec1f47a3830e1f9c087c&oe=6049A290)
Bill Carroll
January 30, 2019 · ·
Jews were beaten in the streets, not by Nazi soldiers but by their neighbors...even by children. :(
"Because history is edited, most people today don't realize that to get to the point where Nazi soldiers could easily round up thousands of Jews, the government first made their own neighbors hate them simply for being Jews. How is that any different from hating someone for their political views?"
Quote from: Barrister on February 11, 2021, 12:44:58 PM
Quote from: Jacob on February 11, 2021, 12:39:20 PM
It's debatable if you're trying to retain white nationalists as a voting block for your party, maybe. Otherwise it's not.
I tried to find the tweet but looks like she deleted it.
But from the story quoted it says "stating that Jews in World War II were not beaten by German soldiers but "by their neighbors"". I mean we have a thread going on right now on that very topic where it is, in fact, being debated. And it doesn't appear to absolve the Germans of their role in it either.
But yes, it was a dumb thing to say. But I have to be consistent - short of extreme cases I don't like people being fired because they post dumb shit on social media, no matter what their politics.
Jews in WWII were not just beaten by German soldiers. They were slaughtered by German soldiers.
But it wasn't just the soldiers. The general population was culpable.
Quote from: Eddie Teach on February 11, 2021, 03:19:18 PM
But it wasn't just the soldiers. The general population was culpable.
The statement was - "Jews were not beaten by German soldiers but by their neighbors" Please tell me you understand that is a false statement.
Well, back to Star Wars :P
The Bad Batch arc. The arc was entertaining enough, but I really didn't finish the last episode thinking "I want to see a whole show about these guys". The characters are really cliché, good for a few laughs, but not much else.
Quote from: celedhring on February 11, 2021, 05:19:52 PM
Well, back to Star Wars :P
The Bad Batch arc. The arc was entertaining enough, but I really didn't finish the last episode thinking "I want to see a whole show about these guys". The characters are really cliché, good for a few laughs, but not much else.
I liked it, but it was in consistent with the other episodes that make R2D2 out to be something special and irreplaceable. Turns out a lot of droids are pretty amazing.
Quote from: The Larch on February 11, 2021, 08:56:40 AM
With Gina Carano out of the SW universe, I've heard doubts aboutt he future of the "Marshalls of the New Republic" spin-off show in which she was meant to star. A wild theory going on involves recasting her character and giving it to Lucy Lawless. :lol:
Lucy Lawless is a bit too old now for that, 53 I think. Besides, as per the WP, that show got scrapped in November. Unless it was something else. I'm having a hard time keeping track of all that Disney stuff now. Can't understand why, so few shows in production... :P
Anyway, I quite liked her, and her limited acting skills weren't an issue for her role, since it was especially written with her in mind.
I also liked Bill Burr. I also haven't found an issue with any of the actors so far, unlike in past series like, say, the various Star Trek where it was obvious some guest stars had neither the talent or the inclination to play engaging characters.
Quote from: Valmy on February 11, 2021, 11:51:08 AM
What madness is that?
It's Sparta, I think.
QuotePeople have been getting fired for social media posts for over a decade now. Have some sense people.
People have also been fired for any kind of shit, like being drunk and saying stupid shit to your friends that someone caught on camera and published on social media.
Anyway. You're asking a pro-Trump Republican who firmly believes the election was stolen to use judgement and rational thought before engaging in public debates. Here's madness for ya :P
Quote from: garbon on February 11, 2021, 12:14:25 PM
Quote from: Tyr on February 11, 2021, 09:12:30 AM
I'd dig it. Though probably a bit old these days no?
Michelle Rodriguez? that's her whole thing.
Well maybe for that specific character but they could easily create another action lead for Lawless to fill same role, no?
I'd see her in any kind of non drama action role, but as an action star, I think she's on the older side and out of shape. Even with stunt doubles, actors have to look the part. Just ask the actors playing the Marvel super heroes.
Quote from: Barrister on February 11, 2021, 12:25:38 PM
I dislike people being fired because they post stupid things on social media.
I too. But these big corporations, they are touchy about these things, and I'm quite certain any signed contract will have a clause about not making them look bad.
I think Disney has been hitching to fire her for a while and this was just the best pretext, like, she gave them her head on a golden platter.
But you're the lawyer, so you tell me: should the government legislate to forbid such overtly broad clause in work contracts?
Quote from: celedhring on February 11, 2021, 05:19:52 PM
Well, back to Star Wars :P
The Bad Batch arc. The arc was entertaining enough, but I really didn't finish the last episode thinking "I want to see a whole show about these guys". The characters are really cliché, good for a few laughs, but not much else.
stop hijacking threads, please!
:P
I felt the same, yeah, but... It's really about seeing more "Clone Wars" that I'm excited. You can't call it Clone Wars II since the was is finished, so they had to come up with something else :P
Filoni will write stuff, and they'll get clones, Vader, Tarkin, Palpatine, etc, so I can't see how it'll not be interesting :)
I am guessing they will reintegrate minor figures from the CW series (like Quinlan Vos) who may have survived order 66. I suppose a lot of this show's early season will focus on the Jedi hunt, or maybe some battles with former Seperatists resistance pockets.
Rangers of the new Republic is not scrapped, the rumor was Carano character was going to be in that show, but that was scraped after her November social media dust up.
On age: Ming-Na Wen who plays Fennec Shand is 58 :P
Yeah but being Asian takes off 20 years.
I mean, they had Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford do action stuff in the sequels, and they are ancient. :P
Clark Gregg was playing Phil Coulson on Agents of Shield in his 50s.
And Temuera Morrison just turnd 60.
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EuC037cWYAMnDIZ?format=jpg&name=small)
Ted Cruz forgets Sabin Wren, Hera Syndulla, Fennec Shand, Bo Katan, Jyn Erso, Maz Kanata, ...
Well everybody seeming to like the Mandalorian was fun for awhile. Now we can get back to having American partisan arguments about Star Wars which seems to be what everybody actually wants to do instead of be entertained.
Jyn was certainly a victim. Also, don't think Maz counts. Humans only.
Build that wall Eddie
Only if we can get a matching one in the north.
Quote from: Syt on February 12, 2021, 01:14:39 PM
Ted Cruz forgets Sabin Wren (PoC), Hera Syndulla (miscegenation), Fennec Shand (PoC), Bo Katan (lost her planet twice), Jyn Erso (Antifa), Maz Kanata (dumb CGI character, also PoC), ...
Explained it for you :P
Quote from: Eddie Teach on February 12, 2021, 01:23:08 PM
Only if we can get a matching one in the north.
Stop teasing with things we want but will never get.
Quote from: crazy canuck on February 12, 2021, 01:27:59 PM
Quote from: Eddie Teach on February 12, 2021, 01:23:08 PM
Only if we can get a matching one in the north.
Stop teasing with things we want but will never get.
Well if you paid for it...
Quote from: Valmy on February 12, 2021, 01:30:24 PM
Quote from: crazy canuck on February 12, 2021, 01:27:59 PM
Quote from: Eddie Teach on February 12, 2021, 01:23:08 PM
Only if we can get a matching one in the north.
Stop teasing with things we want but will never get.
Well if you paid for it...
The Mexicans didnt have to pay for theirs, why the double standard :mad:
Quote from: crazy canuck on February 12, 2021, 01:36:34 PM
The Mexicans didnt have to pay for theirs, why the double standard :mad:
Yeah and they got a shitty incomplete one. Just saying.
Quote from: Valmy on February 12, 2021, 01:37:29 PM
Quote from: crazy canuck on February 12, 2021, 01:36:34 PM
The Mexicans didnt have to pay for theirs, why the double standard :mad:
Yeah and they got a shitty incomplete one. Just saying.
Fair point.
Quote from: celedhring on February 12, 2021, 01:23:16 PM
Quote from: Syt on February 12, 2021, 01:14:39 PM
Ted Cruz forgets Sabin Wren (PoC), Hera Syndulla (miscegenation), Fennec Shand (PoC), Bo Katan (lost her planet twice), Jyn Erso (Antifa), Maz Kanata (dumb CGI character, also PoC), ...
Explained it for you :P
:lol:
Carano shouldn't have been fired just for being an idiot who says stupid stuff.
But it you take a job for the Mouse, you can't expect any breaks if you get too "outspoken"
I am not sure why an employer can't or should not fire people for saying stupid stuff if it reflects poorly on the employer. Employers can terminate for any reason that is not contrary to law. They just need to make the business judgment that they are better off without that person.
This goes back to a basic misunderstand many on the right (certainly not directed at you JR) have about the meaning of the freedom of speech.
"Instrumental in making Star Wars fun again." :lol: :lol: :lol: Come on man. :lol:
I doubt Ted actually gives a shit about Gina Carano or Star Wars or an employer's/employee's rights, or even "cancel culture" for that matter. Whatever convinces Trump voters to rally around him is all he gives a shit about. Same with that Hawley kid.
Anyways, let this be the final act in this mini drama:
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EuCvJGyWQAQdQ9u?format=jpg&name=small)
Quote from: crazy canuck on February 12, 2021, 03:05:47 PM
I am not sure why an employer can't or should not fire people for saying stupid stuff if it reflects poorly on the employer. Employers can terminate for any reason that is not contrary to law. They just need to make the business judgment that they are better off without that person.
This goes back to a basic misunderstand many on the right (certainly not directed at you JR) have about the meaning of the freedom of speech.
In this case I am not sure it is good business for the employer to be associated with such a public and politically charged controversy.
I get that when posting on Social Media you have no rights and your life is put out there for all to destroy and attack if they don't like what you are saying. Hence why it is madness to participate. Even peons in minimum wage jobs get fired for stupid social media shit.
Quote from: Valmy on February 12, 2021, 05:01:02 PM
Quote from: crazy canuck on February 12, 2021, 03:05:47 PM
I am not sure why an employer can't or should not fire people for saying stupid stuff if it reflects poorly on the employer. Employers can terminate for any reason that is not contrary to law. They just need to make the business judgment that they are better off without that person.
This goes back to a basic misunderstand many on the right (certainly not directed at you JR) have about the meaning of the freedom of speech.
In this case I am not sure it is good business for the employer to be associated with such a public and politically charged controversy.
I get that when posting on Social Media you have no rights and your life is put out there for all to destroy and attack if they don't like what you are saying. Hence why it is madness to participate. Even peons in minimum wage jobs get fired for stupid social media shit.
the employer made a different judgment obviously
Disney has been making lots of questionable business decisions lately.
Quote from: Valmy on February 12, 2021, 05:07:46 PM
Disney has been making lots of questionable business decisions lately.
Ok, not sure how that changes the fact it is their business decision to make.
Quote from: Syt on February 12, 2021, 04:00:23 PM
Anyways, let this be the final act in this mini drama:
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EuCvJGyWQAQdQ9u?format=jpg&name=small)
She's a qanon weirdo. Plus her acting sucked. No great loss to the show.
Quote from: crazy canuck on February 12, 2021, 06:09:05 PM
Quote from: Valmy on February 12, 2021, 05:07:46 PM
Disney has been making lots of questionable business decisions lately.
Ok, not sure how that changes the fact it is their business decision to make.
It doesn't. I don't think either me or Minsky were saying otherwise.
Quote from: Syt on February 12, 2021, 01:11:37 AM
On age: Ming-Na Wen who plays Fennec Shand is 58 :P
Compare the body shape of both actresses today ;)
Quote from: crazy canuck on February 12, 2021, 03:05:47 PM
This goes back to a basic misunderstand many on the right (certainly not directed at you JR) have about the meaning of the freedom of speech.
well, nobody on the right here made such statements, for sure. Saying we don't like it does not mean we're tearing our shirts over it.
Of course, any company has the right to terminate an employee's contract. I don't want the government to infringe any more on the right of employers to manage their staff. It's just sad when it happens for silly stuff like this.
Quote from: viper37 on February 12, 2021, 06:44:13 PM
Quote from: crazy canuck on February 12, 2021, 03:05:47 PM
This goes back to a basic misunderstand many on the right (certainly not directed at you JR) have about the meaning of the freedom of speech.
well, nobody on the right here made such statements, for sure.
Not today. You are correct.
Quote from: viper37 on February 12, 2021, 06:38:30 PM
Quote from: Syt on February 12, 2021, 01:11:37 AM
On age: Ming-Na Wen who plays Fennec Shand is 58 :P
Compare the body shape of both actresses today ;)
Compare both to the body shape of Temuera Morrison.
Compare Gina Carano season 2 to Gina Carano season 1.
Compare thee to a summer's day.
Quote from: Solmyr on February 13, 2021, 01:42:08 AM
Quote from: viper37 on February 12, 2021, 06:38:30 PM
Quote from: Syt on February 12, 2021, 01:11:37 AM
On age: Ming-Na Wen who plays Fennec Shand is 58 :P
Compare the body shape of both actresses today ;)
Compare both to the body shape of Temuera Morrison.
Irrelevant.
It is unfortunate she turned out to be a nutter. I quite liked her and it was nice to have a female hero solider type who actually had the build rather than the usual Hollywood style "I had to choose between modelling and soldiering" type. Was pretty good for representation I thought.
But totally fair firing considering it all.
Doesn't really bother me when a anti-Semitic homophobic white supremacist(weird flex on her part) loses her job over not learning when to shut up.
Quote from: Grey Fox on February 13, 2021, 08:09:38 PM
Doesn't really bother me when a anti-Semitic homophobic white supremacist(weird flex on her part) loses her job over not learning when to shut up.
I get that but there is a context.
I think Disney would have been better off just pretending her social media idiocy just didn't exist.
Quote from: Valmy on February 13, 2021, 10:26:49 PM
Quote from: Grey Fox on February 13, 2021, 08:09:38 PM
Doesn't really bother me when a anti-Semitic homophobic white supremacist(weird flex on her part) loses her job over not learning when to shut up.
I get that but there is a context.
I think Disney would have been better off just pretending her social media idiocy just didn't exist.
They already tried that earlier, didn't work.
Quote from: Solmyr on February 14, 2021, 01:30:42 AM
Quote from: Valmy on February 13, 2021, 10:26:49 PM
Quote from: Grey Fox on February 13, 2021, 08:09:38 PM
Doesn't really bother me when a anti-Semitic homophobic white supremacist(weird flex on her part) loses her job over not learning when to shut up.
I get that but there is a context.
I think Disney would have been better off just pretending her social media idiocy just didn't exist.
They already tried that earlier, didn't work.
They have another big mess on their hands after overpaying for Star Wars after they finally were making something people were liking. Is this working?
You engage in stupid stuff you win stupid prizes. Disney should be above the social media idiocy. If this actress actually does something then yeah you fire her. Now they are also opening themselves up to immense social pressure every time some person who works for them posts something stupid on social media. Hurrah? Big win?
Well, maybe now people working for them will think twice before posting stupid shit on social media. So yeah, a win. :)
Also, if she went out physically in front of Disney HQ shouting antisemitic and transphobic shit, she'd get fired, surely? This is no different, except she's shouting to a bigger audience.
Interesting that V thinks corporations should just turn a blind eye when their employees repeatedly post bigoted things because "it's just social media".
Quote from: garbon on February 14, 2021, 01:48:19 AM
Interesting that V thinks corporations should just turn a blind eye when their employees repeatedly post bigoted things because "it's just social media".
Why is that interesting? Are you threatening me?
Quote from: Valmy on February 14, 2021, 01:49:42 AM
Quote from: garbon on February 14, 2021, 01:48:19 AM
Interesting that V thinks corporations should just turn a blind eye when their employees repeatedly post bigoted things because "it's just social media".
Why is that interesting? Are you threatening me?
No, just one of your stupid takes that generally leads to you posting emotionally
Quote from: Solmyr on February 14, 2021, 01:37:32 AM
Well, maybe now people working for them will think twice before posting stupid shit on social media. So yeah, a win. :)
Well it has been a decade since this whole thing of firing people for social media foolishness has been normalized. I haven't noticed all the big social progress we have made since then.
And yeah one would think everybody would stop doing this garbage on social media. You don't have to look far to see people paying big prices for it.
And while we would certainly hope this kind of thing is always done righteously to strike down the wicked that is generally not how these things always go. American Corporations are well known for always using their arbitrary power for good after all.
But anyway don't post on social media kids.
Quote from: garbon on February 14, 2021, 01:51:30 AM
Quote from: Valmy on February 14, 2021, 01:49:42 AM
Quote from: garbon on February 14, 2021, 01:48:19 AM
Interesting that V thinks corporations should just turn a blind eye when their employees repeatedly post bigoted things because "it's just social media".
Why is that interesting? Are you threatening me?
No, just one of your stupid takes that generally leads to you posting emotionally
Ah. Very cute.
Anyway you mischaracterized what I was saying and misquoted me with something I never said. You are free to interpret a take I never made and something I never said as stupid.
Ignoring issues never works. Sorry. It just imbeds the problem deeper and more pervasively through the whole. When things have been left to rot and fester under the "just ignore it" model for as long as they have, it is going to take a lot of time, pain, and effort to even begin to see widespread change. The fact that there is change though (For example: Go watch a new Harvey Weinstein production or a Kevin Spacey film. Oh. Wait.) is encouraging and reason to hold out hope that this is the correct course to take.
Quote from: Valmy on February 14, 2021, 02:02:43 AM
Quote from: garbon on February 14, 2021, 01:51:30 AM
Quote from: Valmy on February 14, 2021, 01:49:42 AM
Quote from: garbon on February 14, 2021, 01:48:19 AM
Interesting that V thinks corporations should just turn a blind eye when their employees repeatedly post bigoted things because "it's just social media".
Why is that interesting? Are you threatening me?
No, just one of your stupid takes that generally leads to you posting emotionally
Ah. Very cute.
Anyway you mischaracterized what I was saying and misquoted me with something I never said. You are free to interpret a take I never made and something I never said as stupid.
No, I cut to the heart of your silly take. It would not have been a better take for Disney to keep their head in the sand.
Quote from: garbon on February 14, 2021, 02:38:30 AM
Quote from: Valmy on February 14, 2021, 02:02:43 AM
Quote from: garbon on February 14, 2021, 01:51:30 AM
Quote from: Valmy on February 14, 2021, 01:49:42 AM
Quote from: garbon on February 14, 2021, 01:48:19 AM
Interesting that V thinks corporations should just turn a blind eye when their employees repeatedly post bigoted things because "it's just social media".
Why is that interesting? Are you threatening me?
No, just one of your stupid takes that generally leads to you posting emotionally
Ah. Very cute.
Anyway you mischaracterized what I was saying and misquoted me with something I never said. You are free to interpret a take I never made and something I never said as stupid.
No, I cut to the heart of your silly take. It would not have been a better take for Disney to keep their head in the sand.
That is not what my take was at all. I was only saying that in this particular circumstances, because it was the first thing with Star Wars they had made something people were actually enjoying that maybe it might have been a better decision to sidestep the controversy. I could be wrong but there are 74 million Trump voters out there and you are trying to get a vast audience. And then what happens when somebody else on one of your movies makes a controversial tweet? Then suddenly the pressure will pour in to keep doing it, especially if right wingers feel like some left wing person should get fired to even the score or something. Is that really the publicity you might want? I don't know. But I specifically referring to this particular situation.
What I certainly did not say was that corporations should just turn a blind eye when their employees post bigoted things because "it's just social media." That is a really extreme way to characterize what I was saying. Especially since I certainly would never say something like "it's just social media" as I have said for years it is actually very dangerous and serious. Anything you put up there can stick with you the rest of your life and ruin it.
I have never really liked this busybody let's police everybody and punish the wicked stuff. It seems all very culty. But on the other hand nobody forced this woman to be a jackass publicly so you know...if you like Trump and QAnon (or some other controversial political opinion) best to do that under an alias.
Dude I love you but what is your point exactly? You seem to be saying tout et son contraire.
She wasn't even fired was she? I thought they just didn't offer her a new contract.
I don't know anything about the previous tweets, just the "last straw". I don't think whining about how Democrats are like Nazis is flagrant enough for Disney stepping in to be a wise move. There's a reason Godwin's Law is so familiar, those comparisons are old hat.
Was anyone considering boycotting Disney over Carano's tweets before they made this a story?
Nitpick: the post was not so much Democrats = Nazis but Republicans/Conservatives = prosecuted like Jews.
Quote from: Valmy on February 14, 2021, 01:32:48 AM
They have another big mess on their hands after overpaying for Star Wars after they finally were making something people were liking. Is this working?
They did not overpay. IIRC, they made their money with the first movie and its derivative products. If not with the first, than with the second they came even.
Quote from: Benedict Arnold on February 14, 2021, 02:09:01 AM
Ignoring issues never works. Sorry. It just imbeds the problem deeper and more pervasively through the whole. When things have been left to rot and fester under the "just ignore it" model for as long as they have, it is going to take a lot of time, pain, and effort to even begin to see widespread change. The fact that there is change though (For example: Go watch a new Harvey Weinstein production or a Kevin Spacey film. Oh. Wait.) is encouraging and reason to hold out hope that this is the correct course to take.
Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey weren't 'cancelled' because of something they said, but because of something they did. The lastest being Joss Whedon, apparently (and that saddens me a lot more than these other fuckers). This is something that should be out in the open, this is something that should get you fired imediatly rather than swept under a rug.
The problem here, it's easy to pile onto the actress, she said silly stuff, comparing the political games of Dems Vs GOP as Nazis vs Jews. I don't think that was antisemitic, just extremely dumb, in line with the limited intelligence of the actress.
She went from 2nd rate actress to martyr of the right (one more :P ) in one post. I'm not sure it's better.
And when people get fired for posting "stupid shit", from a GOP-centric point of view, are you also gonna say "good riddance"?If someone posts on social media that it's ok for transgenders to use the bathroom of their choice and their employer fires them, is that also a very good thing?
Again, I don't want govt intervention in this. Doesn't mean I like it.
Quote from: Valmy on February 14, 2021, 05:19:54 AM
That is not what my take was at all. I was only saying that in this particular circumstances, because it was the first thing with Star Wars they had made something people were actually enjoying that maybe it might have been a better decision to sidestep the controversy. I could be wrong but there are 74 million Trump voters out there and you are trying to get a vast audience. And then what happens when somebody else on one of your movies makes a controversial tweet? Then suddenly the pressure will pour in to keep doing it, especially if right wingers feel like some left wing person should get fired to even the score or something. Is that really the publicity you might want? I don't know. But I specifically referring to this particular situation.
The Trump voters were already enraged at Disney for having a female lead, an Asian woman and some other things :P
Quote from: Zoupa on February 14, 2021, 08:16:30 AM
Dude I love you but what is your point exactly? You seem to be saying tout et son contraire.
She wasn't even fired was she? I thought they just didn't offer her a new contract.
She was fired, she won't be coming back for the 3rd season, nor will she appear in other series (but that was decided before the last straw, I think).
Quote from: viper37 on February 14, 2021, 01:21:26 PM
Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey weren't 'cancelled' because of something they said, but because of something they did. The lastest being Joss Whedon, apparently (and that saddens me a lot more than these other fuckers). This is something that should be out in the open, this is something that should get you fired imediatly rather than swept under a rug.
The problem here, it's easy to pile onto the actress, she said silly stuff, comparing the political games of Dems Vs GOP as Nazis vs Jews. I don't think that was antisemitic, just extremely dumb, in line with the limited intelligence of the actress.
She went from 2nd rate actress to martyr of the right (one more :P ) in one post. I'm not sure it's better.
And when people get fired for posting "stupid shit", from a GOP-centric point of view, are you also gonna say "good riddance"?If someone posts on social media that it's ok for transgenders to use the bathroom of their choice and their employer fires them, is that also a very good thing?
Again, I don't want govt intervention in this. Doesn't mean I like it.
She wasn't fired for one post. The one getting attention was simply the last in a series of pretty offensive posts. "The straw that broke the mouse's back", if you will.
She's a QAnon believer and a COVID denialist. Seriously, there's no way retaining her would not be a bad look for Disney.
Today I learned she wasn't even fired. She merely didn't have her contract renewed.
Wow. Already I was on Disney's side. Now...How is this even controversial? :rolleyes:
Saw on twitter that Ming Na Wen (Fennec Shand in Mandalorian) also voiced Mulan and appeared in Agents of Shield, which makes her one Pixar role short of completing the Disney Grand Slam.
EDIT: She was also Chun-Li :w00t:
Quote from: Zoupa on February 14, 2021, 08:16:30 AM
Dude I love you but what is your point exactly? You seem to be saying tout et son contraire.
She wasn't even fired was she? I thought they just didn't offer her a new contract.
My point is that it is idiotic to do what she did so publicly on social media. I sure wish people would take that shit to heart. There are busy bodies out there just waiting for somebody to say something bad.
Then I got a little distracted pointing out that finally Disney had a big Star Wars success only to have it get all partisan and divisive because of this stupid business. But that is neither here nor there.
Quote from: Benedict Arnold on February 14, 2021, 01:56:09 PM
She wasn't fired for one post. The one getting attention was simply the last in a series of pretty offensive posts. "The straw that broke the mouse's back", if you will.
One or one thousand does not really matter. A lot of people post a lot of objectionable/offensive things on social media, depending on who's reading it.
A pro-Trump Evangelical Christian reading my Facebook page would find a lot of objectionable, downright offensive material.
Quote from: celedhring on February 15, 2021, 09:34:56 AM
Saw on twitter that Ming Na Wen (Fennec Shand in Mandalorian) also voiced Mulan and appeared in Agents of Shield, which makes her one Pixar role short of completing the Disney Grand Slam.
EDIT: She was also Chun-Li :w00t:
She had a major role in Agents of Shield, she did not just "appear" :)She got to kick-ass a lot. I really liked her character. :)
Quote from: Solmyr on February 15, 2021, 04:55:18 AM
She's a QAnon believer and a COVID denialist. Seriously, there's no way retaining her would not be a bad look for Disney.
I never said she was the brightest star out there. She's certainly pretty dumb. But there are tons of people like her out there. Should they all be fired?
I'm all for it, but it ain't my country who's gonna be the most affected, after all.
At the same time, I still haven't a clue on how to fight that Q-Anon bullshit, still spreading, still increasing outside the US.
Quote from: Valmy on February 15, 2021, 04:44:00 PM
Then I got a little distracted pointing out that finally Disney had a big Star Wars success only to have it get all partisan and divisive because of this stupid business. But that is neither here nor there.
Disney had 4 big Star Wars success before that, out of 5, but only 2 were success with the fans and the $$$. The other only brought $$$ home, without the fans approval.
Rogue One was pretty well received by critics, the public and generated a lot of cash, albeit less than the other 3 movies they made, since there was a lack of derivative products (I guess it was a derivative product in itself, since it's goal was to keep the flame on while we were waiting for the other opus). #8 was well received with critics, generated a lot of money, but disapointed fans. #9 was pawned by critics and received mixed reviews by fans, but apparently still made money.
Only Solo was disapointing in terms of generated income. And the lack of derivative products, again, like Rogue One. I'm not sure it even worked well in China :P
Quote
Details about the film are being kept under wraps, but Shapiro said in a statement, "We could not be more excited to be working with Gina Carano, an incredible talent dumped by Disney and Lucasfilm for offending the authoritarian Hollywood Left. This is what Daily Wire exists to do: provide an alternative not just for consumers, but for creators who refuse to bow to the mob."
He added, "We're eager to bring Gina's talent to Americans who love her, and we're just as eager to show Hollywood that if they want to keep cancelling those who think differently, they'll just be helping us build the X-Wing to take down their Death Star."
I hear the violins... "Incredible talent" :P :P :P
Source (https://www.msn.com/en-ca/entertainment/tv/news/gina-carano-learned-she-was-fired-from-the-mandalorian-on-social-media/ar-BB1dJGpb?li=AAggNb9)
Ashoka and the weird hairdo sisters. Well, that was a dumb arc.
Season ends better
Yeah, Siege of Mandalore is amazing, it nearly absolves Revenge of the Sith of its awfulness. I'm gonna miss this show, hopefully the upcoming ones will be as good.
Couldn't help notice the horns in the helmets of Maul's mandalorians. Makes me wonder if the Armorer in Mandalorian (whose helmet also features small horns) is supposed to be a former Maul loyalist.
I just finished season 6. Dark side Yoda seems more like movie Yoda, not so solemn.
It's more a prequel-original trilogy thing. Prequels Yoda doesn't behave or talk anything like Dagobah Yoda. They kinda try to bridge the gap in the cartoon, put him in a place where he's been humbled by his failures, but still.
Despite indulging in book-burning, New Trilogy Yoda matches Dagobah Yoda more.
Finished the series. I'm a little disappointed they didn't develop more the story of Anakin's fall, leaving us with the lackluster explanation from the prequels.
They, at least, manage to make him a bit more likeable and interesting (although that last Clovis arc where he acts like a chauvinistic pig is pretty awful). But at least the show manages to make him look heroic and a great comrade despite his insecurities and emotional failings. My single favorite moment of the show remains the force gods arc, where Anakin sees a glimpse of his future and is absolutely devastated at what he will become, before getting his memory erased. It humanizes him a lot.
But yeah, ultimately the show has to work within the confines of the movies. And the movies are awful.
Syt, since you're my source for this kind of stuff: my brother's birthday is approaching and he has taken to Star Wars comic books as of late. Have you heard of any being particularly good?
Honestly no idea. I tried following the comics via Marvel Unlimited (which is ca. 6 months behind the print releases in its content), but the various series, plus crossovers, make it a bit difficult to follow if you want to do it chronologically. It doesn't help that they occasionally start a new series with the same name of the previous one
Check on Amazon what trade paperbacks there are and how they rate. I believe some of the new Thrawn novels have been adapted into comic form? Or try Reddit?
If you want an overview of series, check here: https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Timeline_of_canon_comics
(https://scontent-mad1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/163203809_2151436191660095_8596086796156740928_n.jpg?_nc_cat=1&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=Uc4jNXhw9ycAX9IDkrT&_nc_ht=scontent-mad1-1.xx&oh=e0208f10284f7fac1475164869e1000f&oe=607EB6C4)
I've thousands of Star Wars comics... Both pre and post Disney.
My advice celedrhing would be Star Wars: Darth Vader by Charles Soule Omnibus.
There are awesome not-canon anymore stories, but unless you scour used comic book stores, you;ll never find them.
Shit the Omnibus is not published yet. Well go for the paperbacks then. There's 4 of them for that series.
Quote from: Zoupa on March 23, 2021, 01:51:32 PM
I've thousands of Star Wars comics... Both pre and post Disney.
My advice celedrhing would be Star Wars: Darth Vader by Charles Soule Omnibus.
There are awesome not-canon anymore stories, but unless you scour used comic book stores, you;ll never find them.
Thanks! I see that they are available in Amazon Spain.
I've read the books Republic Commando (5 of them IIRC) and a follow up Imperial Commando: 501st.
It expands on the stories told by Clone Wars but differs in that it's mostly about smaller commando units, groups of 4-6 individual clones who received special&specific training by mercenaries hired by Jango Fett. We mainly follow three of these commando groups, trained by Mandalorians, and one group is referred to as the "Nulls", because they're the first batch of clones created by the Kaminoans and they slightly altered the Fett genome to make them faster, stronger and more intelligent, but not more compliant. So, as the story begins, one of their newly hired instructors is tasked with "disposing of defective merchandise", that is, 6 of these 4-5 year old kids, hatched a couple of years previously. It does not go well. For the Kaminoans.
There's a lot of Mando'a culture and vocabulary being thrown at you. Both the instructors we follow have different style, the nearly sadistic Walon Vau and fatherly type Kal Skirate, but both of them like their boys - a lot -, and Skirata has adopted the Nulls, and later on, some of the other clones.
Unfortunately, this series conflicts with the Clone Wars tv series in a major aspect, that of how Order 66 happenned, and also, it was never completed. It's obvious the "last" book wasn't supposed to be the last, but we're stuck with an unfinished story. First time ever something like this happens to me in SW 'verse. I should have read the book's review before starting them. Oh well.
The stories are mostly character driven, there's not a lot of war-like action, except in the first book, where the clone commandos first meet their Jedi commanders, in the form of a lost commando separated from his brothers and a Jedi Padawan separated from her master.
It ain't the best SW books I've read, but I enjoyed them nonetheless. If you're curious and Mandalorians, their culture, traditions, etc, this is the book series for you. If you dream of heroic Jedis braving insurmountable odds... not so much. Like I said, the characters are interesting and well defined, especially the clones, possibly an easier thing to be done in books than visually when you're always trying to remember which one wears blue and who has the shaved hair, the short hair or the mohawk haircut.
As in the tv series, it's still funny, when you think about it, that clones roughly the same biological age (a matter of months, mostly) will think of other clones as "highly respected veteran" or "kid".
I don't think it's possible for Jedis to face insurmountable odds, given they are magic. :P
Obi Wan show cast has been revealed. No clues about who they are each playing (besides the returning actors from the prequels), but no McDiarmid, Jimmy Smits, Morrisson, etc... although I presume those might still show up as bit parts.
(https://scontent-mad1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/166746109_1861591433992652_7081274247430835463_n.jpg?_nc_cat=110&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=a26aad&_nc_ohc=3_a2S4xQSRsAX-B5Ojz&_nc_ht=scontent-mad1-1.xx&oh=a4bea60894bb3bd1e1c984c52704d13a&oe=60894219)
Kumail Nanjani? Now that's not someone I expected to see in a SW product, although I guess that the Mandalorian already opened the gates for comedians to perform serious roles.
People found out he's jacked, so now he can have serious roles :P
And Indira Varma crosses another big TV saga off her list.
Quote from: HVC on March 30, 2021, 07:45:31 AM
People found out he's jacked, so now he can have serious roles :P
IIRC he only got jacked for a Marvel movie, but he said that it was totally impossible for him to keep that physique forever. :P
Quote from: celedhring on March 30, 2021, 07:49:02 AM
And Indira Varma crosses another big TV saga off her list.
What would be the big 3 of IP? Star Wars, Marvel and GoT? Or would Harry Potter be there instead of GoT?
Yeah, Varma only needs a Marvel film/show to complete the Grand Slam. Potter seems to have died a bit. We'll see what life GoT has left, too, but HBO is going to double down on it.
Got Ice Cube JR too.
This is a low key commentary on the state of suburban LA.
Hayden Christensen redemption arc - unexpected :o
Quote from: Sheilbh on March 30, 2021, 09:04:39 AM
Hayden Christensen redemption arc - unexpected :o
I look forward to hearing more about sand.
You can't really blame the actors for what's in the script.
Quote from: Eddie Teach on March 30, 2021, 09:14:26 AM
You can't really blame the actors for what's in the script.
I don't actually. I am sure he was fine in everything else he has been in.
The actors are not why those films didn't work for me.
So is this going going to be Obi Wan's story or more all Skywalker all the time with Hayden Christenson?
Missed this new Bad Batch trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiAfrYNNt-k&ab_channel=IGN
I didn't find the characters that interesting in their Clone Wars arc - they seem a bunch of cliches out of Team Fortress - but I'm certainly going to watch this. Plus now it seems Rex will show up, too.
The guy making the clone voices is going to have a lot of fun talking to himself...
Not a shocking revelation, but I guess we now have confirmation the sequels had absolutely no direction whatsoever.
https://www.cbr.com/star-wars-rey-kenobi-toyed-with-early-on-daisy-ridley/
Quote
During an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live with guest host Josh Gad, Ridley was asked if the truth regarding Rey's parentage was something she knew from the beginning. "No," Ridley replied. "At the beginning there was toying with, like, an Obi-Wan connection. And then... there were, like, different versions. And then it really went to that she was no one. And then it came to Episode IX, and J.J. [Abrams] pitched me the film and was like, 'Oh yeah, Palpatine's your granddaddy.' And I was like, 'Awesome.' And then two weeks later, he was like, 'Oh, we're not sure.' So, it kept changing." According to Ridley, she didn't know the definitive answer until after filming had already begun.
well, the whole Palpatine thing was only decided just before filming #3.
Eh, they were making up the Skywalker family tree as they went when doing the original trilogy too.
Quote from: Syt on April 04, 2021, 11:51:50 AM
Eh, they were making up the Skywalker family tree as they went when doing the original trilogy too.
But fair enough - I doubt Lucas was thinking very much about a sequel, never mind a huge global franchise (though it must have crossed his mind, since he let Vader live at the end of A New Hope).
By the time it came to make Ep 7 they knew they were making a trilogy. I still think it was almost criminal they went into the process with absolutely no master plan about how things would end up.
Yeah, Disney are drawing up an entire expanded universe out of this. They have no excuse.
So was Vader supposed to be Luke father right from the beginning?
Because you know - that actually doesn't make any fucking sense at all when seen from the lense of just Episode IV.
Quote from: Berkut on April 06, 2021, 02:25:51 PM
So was Vader supposed to be Luke father right from the beginning?
Because you know - that actually doesn't make any fucking sense at all when seen from the lense of just Episode IV.
I don't think so. But Vader was saved at the end of Episode IV to be a recurring villain, that was all BB was saying.
Though Vader means father in like Danish or something so who knows?
Heh, just think if Lucas didn't think of getting Vader out of the Death Star when making Star Wars. The trilogy doesn't become such a cultural icon without Darth Vader.
How many things can hinge of minute decisions like that...
Quote from: Berkut on April 06, 2021, 02:25:51 PM
So was Vader supposed to be Luke father right from the beginning?
Because you know - that actually doesn't make any fucking sense at all when seen from the lense of just Episode IV.
to answer your question, no:
https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/a26063945/darth-vader-luke-skywalker-father-original-star-wars-empire-strikes-back-script/
OK, that certainly makes sense.
I mean - leaving Luke on Tatooine with Vaders actual name and with relatives of Vader in an effort to hide him from Vader? WTF?
Quote from: Berkut on April 08, 2021, 12:05:22 AM
OK, that certainly makes sense.
I mean - leaving Luke on Tatooine with Vaders actual name and with relatives of Vader in an effort to hide him from Vader? WTF?
Well, that's not a problem with ANH, rather how Lucas handled the change. Vader's real name being "Skywalker" isn't (indirectly) established until ESB. And honestly, that's not that much of a problem I'd say. There are billions of people in the galaxy, we don't know how common that surname could be.
The problem is that Obi Wan hides him WITH VADER'S RELATIVES, IN VADER'S FUCKING HOME PLANET. And that's another thing to add to the very long list of sins of the prequels.
Honestly, one of the things I'm mostly interested about the new Obi Wan show is whether they address the elephant in the room of how terrible that plan is, yet it ultimately works.
Didn't Anakin think his kids died?
Yeah, but you're essentially one bout of nostalgia away from destroying the galaxy's last hope* - it's a terrible plan.
My only explanation would be that Obi Wan believes Anakin is dead, so Tatooine is safe. But then again, he knows Vader in the OT.
*well, there was another.
I've read one attempt to explain it so that Vader actually does sense his kids distantly, but doesn't do anything about it because he doesn't want the Emperor to get his hands on them.
Quote from: Solmyr on April 08, 2021, 03:28:49 AM
I've read one attempt to explain it so that Vader actually does sense his kids distantly, but doesn't do anything about it because he doesn't want the Emperor to get his hands on them.
Nah, in the current version of ESB it's the Emperor who reveals to Vader that "the rebel that destroyed the Death Star" is his son, during the holographic conversation they have. Unless Vader is feigning surprise in that scene, of course. That change is awful, imho, but it is what it is.
It's obvious luke was put there because Vader hates sand and so would never visit :P
Quote from: celedhring on April 08, 2021, 01:47:59 AM
Quote from: Berkut on April 08, 2021, 12:05:22 AM
OK, that certainly makes sense.
I mean - leaving Luke on Tatooine with Vaders actual name and with relatives of Vader in an effort to hide him from Vader? WTF?
Well, that's not a problem with ANH, rather how Lucas handled the change. Vader's real name being "Skywalker" isn't (indirectly) established until ESB. And honestly, that's not that much of a problem I'd say. There are billions of people in the galaxy, we don't know how common that surname could be.
The problem is that Obi Wan hides him WITH VADER'S RELATIVES, IN VADER'S FUCKING HOME PLANET. And that's another thing to add to the very long list of sins of the prequels.
Honestly, one of the things I'm mostly interested about the new Obi Wan show is whether they address the elephant in the room of how terrible that plan is, yet it ultimately works.
It doesn't matter how common it is, why would you leave it the same? If I needed to hide Luke Smith from someone looking for Luke Smith ad that someone looking for them name is named Joe Smith because he happens to be the dad of Luke Smith, I am going to change their fucking name to Bob Rodolfo or something.
And while maybe the "Skywalker" surname is as common as mud (seems unlikely considering the reverence everyone has around the name, and the fact that we have never, ever, ever, seen a single person with the same surname who was not a actual relation), leaving someone named Skywalker with someone related to the Skywalker looking for them, with other people also named Skywalker...no, you cannot possibly pretend that makes any sense. If you were trying to hide someone that important from the two most powerful people in the galaxy, who both have at their disposal a intelligence apparatus of unparalleled size, there is just no fucking way you can retcon that into making sense.
Even if we assume Vader didn't WANT to find him (which makes no fucking sense since once he does he doesn't help Luke hide but immediately tries to recruit him, and then nearly kills him), that doesn't explain why the people hiding Luke are morons. THEY don't know that Vader would not want to find him.
It is really too bad, because that really was the start of a trend you say all throughout the SW universe, that was so fucking lame. Gigantic universe, but only a couple dozen people in it actually matter. And no matter what they do, the lazy fucking writers and creative talent just keep going to back to that, over and over and over again. Hell, there was a time when the "reveal" about Rey was going to be...gasp....nothing! She has NO CONNECTION! Just a truly random person! INSANE!
But of course...they could not even resist that. And it turns out that the universe doesn't actually care about 99.9999999% of the entities in the galaxy, and everything only happens to this ultra select tiny group. C3PO and R2 are randomly dropped at a random planet randomly trying to get away from Vader and randomly, out of the entire hundreds of billions of sentient beings in the galaxy, just happen to fall into the lap of the son of the person they were fleeing from.
Decades later, another droid is randomly dropped on a random planet to be found by a random person, who just so happens to be the long lost grand-daughter of the previous Emperor.
Ugggh. It's all just so fucking LAZY.
Sorry, I will stop ranting now.
Quote from: celedhring on April 08, 2021, 01:47:59 AM
Quote from: Berkut on April 08, 2021, 12:05:22 AM
OK, that certainly makes sense.
I mean - leaving Luke on Tatooine with Vaders actual name and with relatives of Vader in an effort to hide him from Vader? WTF?
Well, that's not a problem with ANH, rather how Lucas handled the change. Vader's real name being "Skywalker" isn't (indirectly) established until ESB. And honestly, that's not that much of a problem I'd say. There are billions of people in the galaxy, we don't know how common that surname could be.
The problem is that Obi Wan hides him WITH VADER'S RELATIVES, IN VADER'S FUCKING HOME PLANET. And that's another thing to add to the very long list of sins of the prequels.
Honestly, one of the things I'm mostly interested about the new Obi Wan show is whether they address the elephant in the room of how terrible that plan is, yet it ultimately works.
Vader hates Tatooine, too many bad memories.Tatooine is established as being a backwater planet with not much of an Imperial presence.Vader never even goes to Tatooine himself to search for Leia and the Death Star plans.They are not technically his relatives, he has no links with them, he met them only once.
Vader thinks his kid (singular) died with Padme. He has no reason to search for Luke until he felt his presence during the Death Star incident.
All in all, given the changes, I think it works pretty well.
Quote from: HVC on April 08, 2021, 08:05:49 AM
It's obvious luke was put there because Vader hates sand and so would never visit :P
desert temps for asthmatics can't be that great :P
Quote from: celedhring on April 08, 2021, 01:47:59 AM
Quote from: Berkut on April 08, 2021, 12:05:22 AM
OK, that certainly makes sense.
I mean - leaving Luke on Tatooine with Vaders actual name and with relatives of Vader in an effort to hide him from Vader? WTF?
Well, that's not a problem with ANH, rather how Lucas handled the change. Vader's real name being "Skywalker" isn't (indirectly) established until ESB. And honestly, that's not that much of a problem I'd say. There are billions of people in the galaxy, we don't know how common that surname could be.
The problem is that Obi Wan hides him WITH VADER'S RELATIVES, IN VADER'S FUCKING HOME PLANET. And that's another thing to add to the very long list of sins of the prequels.
Honestly, one of the things I'm mostly interested about the new Obi Wan show is whether they address the elephant in the room of how terrible that plan is, yet it ultimately works.
To be fair the bolded wasn't a problem with the prequels. It was introduced in the original trilogy.
Quote from: Berkut on April 08, 2021, 09:06:00 AM
It doesn't matter how common it is, why would you leave it the same? If I needed to hide Luke Smith from someone looking for Luke Smith ad that someone looking for them name is named Joe Smith because he happens to be the dad of Luke Smith, I am going to change their fucking name to Bob Rodolfo or something.
But that's exactly what a smart person would do, so Vader is expecting that!!! See how smart they are, it's like hiding in plain sight!! :P
Quote
And while maybe the "Skywalker" surname is as common as mud (seems unlikely considering the reverence everyone has around the name, and the fact that we have never, ever, ever, seen a single person with the same surname who was not a actual relation), leaving someone named Skywalker with someone related to the Skywalker looking for them, with other people also named Skywalker...no, you cannot possibly pretend that makes any sense. If you were trying to hide someone that important from the two most powerful people in the galaxy, who both have at their disposal a intelligence apparatus of unparalleled size, there is just no fucking way you can retcon that into making sense.
In the EU, it was said it was a pretty common name in the mid/outer rim area of the galaxy. But in the movies, there's zero Solo or Kenobi either. Rey was given a Palpatine connection at the last minute. It really means nothing in itself.
QuoteEven if we assume Vader didn't WANT to find him (which makes no fucking sense since once he does he doesn't help Luke hide but immediately tries to recruit him, and then nearly kills him), that doesn't explain why the people hiding Luke are morons. THEY don't know that Vader would not want to find him.
Vader does not know he has a son, let alone a daughter too. Leia was better hidden, come to think of it. But in both cases, they are hidden in young families in age of having children of their own.
Quote
It is really too bad, because that really was the start of a trend you say all throughout the SW universe, that was so fucking lame. Gigantic universe, but only a couple dozen people in it actually matter. And no matter what they do, the lazy fucking writers and creative talent just keep going to back to that, over and over and over again. Hell, there was a time when the "reveal" about Rey was going to be...gasp....nothing! She has NO CONNECTION! Just a truly random person! INSANE!
No complaints here :PHeck, I'm playing the Old Republic and the story, in a galaxy that spans 1000 of star systems is held on a dozen different world that you often revisit.
Quote
But of course...they could not even resist that. And it turns out that the universe doesn't actually care about 99.9999999% of the entities in the galaxy, and everything only happens to this ultra select tiny group. C3PO and R2 are randomly dropped at a random planet randomly trying to get away from Vader and randomly, out of the entire hundreds of billions of sentient beings in the galaxy, just happen to fall into the lap of the son of the person they were fleeing from.
IIRC, there's less than 300 Jedis left when The Phantom Menace begins, and they kill 150-200 of them in Attack of the Clones. And they fight a galactic war with an army of 3 million soldiers in all. Pilots, naval officers, ground troops, special forces. I think the US might have had close to that number of soldiers for WWII, and that was one country of one planet.
Quote
Decades later, another droid is randomly dropped on a random planet to be found by a random person, who just so happens to be the long lost grand-daughter of the previous Emperor.
There's just so many coincidences in this world, it's amazing! :P
Quote
Ugggh. It's all just so fucking LAZY.
But it works. Disney has more than made their money with that, why change a successful recipy?
Admit it. We're being played for suckers but we keep asking for more. :(
Quote from: Barrister on April 08, 2021, 11:55:42 AM
Quote from: celedhring on April 08, 2021, 01:47:59 AM
Quote from: Berkut on April 08, 2021, 12:05:22 AM
OK, that certainly makes sense.
I mean - leaving Luke on Tatooine with Vaders actual name and with relatives of Vader in an effort to hide him from Vader? WTF?
Well, that's not a problem with ANH, rather how Lucas handled the change. Vader's real name being "Skywalker" isn't (indirectly) established until ESB. And honestly, that's not that much of a problem I'd say. There are billions of people in the galaxy, we don't know how common that surname could be.
The problem is that Obi Wan hides him WITH VADER'S RELATIVES, IN VADER'S FUCKING HOME PLANET. And that's another thing to add to the very long list of sins of the prequels.
Honestly, one of the things I'm mostly interested about the new Obi Wan show is whether they address the elephant in the room of how terrible that plan is, yet it ultimately works.
To be fair the bolded wasn't a problem with the prequels. It was introduced in the original trilogy.
Unless there's something I'm missing, you don't learn that Vader is a Tatooine native until TPM.
Quote from: celedhring on April 08, 2021, 12:11:52 PM
Quote from: Barrister on April 08, 2021, 11:55:42 AM
Quote from: celedhring on April 08, 2021, 01:47:59 AM
Quote from: Berkut on April 08, 2021, 12:05:22 AM
OK, that certainly makes sense.
I mean - leaving Luke on Tatooine with Vaders actual name and with relatives of Vader in an effort to hide him from Vader? WTF?
Well, that's not a problem with ANH, rather how Lucas handled the change. Vader's real name being "Skywalker" isn't (indirectly) established until ESB. And honestly, that's not that much of a problem I'd say. There are billions of people in the galaxy, we don't know how common that surname could be.
The problem is that Obi Wan hides him WITH VADER'S RELATIVES, IN VADER'S FUCKING HOME PLANET. And that's another thing to add to the very long list of sins of the prequels.
Honestly, one of the things I'm mostly interested about the new Obi Wan show is whether they address the elephant in the room of how terrible that plan is, yet it ultimately works.
To be fair the bolded wasn't a problem with the prequels. It was introduced in the original trilogy.
Unless there's something I'm missing, you don't learn that Vader is a Tatooine native until TPM.
Yes, but then how do you get Luke's aunt and uncle to live on Tattooine when Anakin isn't from there? Plus Beru at least knows Anakin (he's not a farmer - he has too much of his father in him').
Although as I think about it - Leia might actually have been the worse-hidden twin. Luke at least is on an obscure backwater planet with a step-brother Anakin has only ever met once. Leia is placed with a extremely prominent and political family with a foster-father that Anakin knows extremely well.
(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/84/4f/86/844f8661e536bd250621f3b94c34c23a.jpg)
At least they changed her surname! (although that was only because Leia's status as Luke's sister was decided in ROTJ...)
Regarding the Larses, the fact they live in Tatooine in ANH doesn't mean they did in the past or that Anakin lived there in the past.
Quote from: celedhring on April 08, 2021, 12:45:56 PM
At least they changed her surname! (although that was only because Leia's status as Luke's sister was decided in ROTJ...)
Regarding the Larses, the fact they live in Tatooine in ANH doesn't mean they did in the past or that Anakin lived there in the past.
Moisture farming doesn't seem like kind of career path you move around from planet to planet to follow.
Quote from: Barrister on April 08, 2021, 12:58:14 PM
Quote from: celedhring on April 08, 2021, 12:45:56 PM
At least they changed her surname! (although that was only because Leia's status as Luke's sister was decided in ROTJ...)
Regarding the Larses, the fact they live in Tatooine in ANH doesn't mean they did in the past or that Anakin lived there in the past.
Moisture farming doesn't seem like kind of career path you move around from planet to planet to follow.
My personal headcanon before the prequels were released is that the Larses retired there after the Clone Wars, taking Luke with them. Obi Wan makes Owen seem like a pretty jaded dude in ANH.
Quote from: celedhring on April 08, 2021, 01:02:18 PM
Quote from: Barrister on April 08, 2021, 12:58:14 PM
Quote from: celedhring on April 08, 2021, 12:45:56 PM
At least they changed her surname! (although that was only because Leia's status as Luke's sister was decided in ROTJ...)
Regarding the Larses, the fact they live in Tatooine in ANH doesn't mean they did in the past or that Anakin lived there in the past.
Moisture farming doesn't seem like kind of career path you move around from planet to planet to follow.
My personal headcanon before the prequels were released is that the Larses retired there after the Clone Wars. Obi Wan makes Owen seem like a pretty jaded dude in ANH.
Owen Lars really didn't come across as a veteran!
He came across as a very basic figure - someone who has farmed his entire life and likely expects Luke to carry on after him.
Didn't say he was a vet. Just somebody that fled from conflict and strife. Again, the real canon proved you right: he's a moisture farming lifer. Again, what I mean is that were million ways to build Anakin's past without involving Tatooine.
Quote from: celedhring on April 08, 2021, 01:13:01 PM
Didn't say he was a vet. Just somebody that fled from conflict and strife. Again, the real canon proved you right: he's a moisture farming lifer. Again, what I mean is that were million ways to build Anakin's past without involving Tatooine.
I mean sure, you're right.
But Anakin being from Tatooine was probably the most straight-forward. Plus it allowed Lucas to revisit fan-favourite Tatooine (although I have to say between episodes 4, 6, 1, 2, 9 plus Clone Wars and Mandalorian I'm about done with the place).
Quote from: Barrister on April 08, 2021, 01:15:22 PM
Quote from: celedhring on April 08, 2021, 01:13:01 PM
Didn't say he was a vet. Just somebody that fled from conflict and strife. Again, the real canon proved you right: he's a moisture farming lifer. Again, what I mean is that were million ways to build Anakin's past without involving Tatooine.
I mean sure, you're right.
But Anakin being from Tatooine was probably the most straight-forward. Plus it allowed Lucas to revisit fan-favourite Tatooine (although I have to say between episodes 4, 6, 1, 2, 9 plus Clone Wars and Mandalorian I'm about done with the place).
It was never a fan favorite, it is just lazy writing. Why develop something new when you can just go back to the same fucking place over and over and over again?
I have had friends travel to Tunisia to visit the original locations of ANH. It was a fan-favorite, the problem is that it's been ridiculously overplayed. The busiest backwater planet of the galaxy.
Quote from: Berkut on April 08, 2021, 01:17:55 PM
It was never a fan favorite, it is just lazy writing. Why develop something new when you can just go back to the same fucking place over and over and over again?
Of course it was a fan favourite - that's why we keep coming back to it. That's why Jakku never had any kind of resonance despite being functionally the same as Tatooine.
Quote from: Barrister on April 08, 2021, 01:38:06 PM
Quote from: Berkut on April 08, 2021, 01:17:55 PM
It was never a fan favorite, it is just lazy writing. Why develop something new when you can just go back to the same fucking place over and over and over again?
Of course it was a fan favourite - that's why we keep coming back to it. That's why Jakku never had any kind of resonance despite being functionally the same as Tatooine.
Well, the entire effin' movie is functionally the same as ANH :lol:
Quote from: celedhring on April 08, 2021, 12:45:56 PM
Regarding the Larses, the fact they live in Tatooine in ANH doesn't mean they did in the past or that Anakin lived there in the past.
Solo is an ancient family name from Correlia, the Organas were a well established noble&ruling family on Alderaan as of 4000 years ago, and Skywalker seems like "Snow" and "Sand" in GoT, names given to orphans and bastards.
I don't think anyone has moved to another planet, except to Coruscant maybe, in over 20 000 years in this universe :P
Planetary emigration and immigration was a virtual impossibility in the Galactic Republic ever since Senator Malious Katrumprunner got his planetary migration reform bill passed through the Senate shortly after the inception of the Republic. Even if you could qualify it took the bureaucrats decades to process the paperwork. The Jedi of course ignored all these formalities; another reason most of the population hated their guts.
In case anyone wants to know where I got that piece of lore from, I used the same methods used in making the last six canon movies: I pulled it out of my ass without any thought whatsoever.
Quote from: Barrister on April 08, 2021, 11:55:42 AM
Quote from: celedhring on April 08, 2021, 01:47:59 AM
Quote from: Berkut on April 08, 2021, 12:05:22 AM
OK, that certainly makes sense.
I mean - leaving Luke on Tatooine with Vaders actual name and with relatives of Vader in an effort to hide him from Vader? WTF?
Well, that's not a problem with ANH, rather how Lucas handled the change. Vader's real name being "Skywalker" isn't (indirectly) established until ESB. And honestly, that's not that much of a problem I'd say. There are billions of people in the galaxy, we don't know how common that surname could be.
The problem is that Obi Wan hides him WITH VADER'S RELATIVES, IN VADER'S FUCKING HOME PLANET. And that's another thing to add to the very long list of sins of the prequels.
Honestly, one of the things I'm mostly interested about the new Obi Wan show is whether they address the elephant in the room of how terrible that plan is, yet it ultimately works.
To be fair the bolded wasn't a problem with the prequels. It was introduced in the original trilogy.
Ok I never thought he was his literal uncle until the prequels. I thought it was just something he called his guardians.
Quote from: The Minsky Moment on April 08, 2021, 07:14:00 PM
In case anyone wants to know where I got that piece of lore from, I used the same methods used in making the last six canon movies: I pulled it out of my ass without any thought whatsoever.
Haters gonna hate.
Incidentally, since I recently finished Clone Wars, decided - against my better judgment - to rewatch Ep3 to brush up my memories of those events. There were some... contrasts.
(https://scontent-mad1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/171550841_10160214263165752_9108529337294674193_n.jpg?_nc_cat=1&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=QDUmDipL1bMAX_2MsrP&_nc_ht=scontent-mad1-1.xx&oh=741faaf01405597175e2a362fab9eb97&oe=6096CE80)
(and the whole Order 66 business is made even worse by the fact that the Clone Wars show establishes the Jedi knew the Sith were responsible for the creation of the clone army)
Quote from: The Minsky Moment on April 08, 2021, 07:14:00 PM
In case anyone wants to know where I got that piece of lore from, I used the same methods used in making the last six canon movies: I pulled it out of my ass without any thought whatsoever.
Shit has just got real
So, Bad Batch is here. First (long) episode is mostly a set-up affair, although it does feature interesting stuff like seeing [spoiler]Order 66 from the Bad Batch's PoV hunting down/helping no one other than padawan Caleb aka Kanan Jarrus and his master[/spoiler].
I get the feeling the show wants to be Star Wars' A-Team. Crack commando team on the run, helping people everywhere they go.
Also, Dee Bradley Baker (the guy that does all the clones' voices) is a master of his craft. He probably voiced like 80% of the dialogue in this episode and everybody comes across with distinct mannerisms and personality.
As a set up I liked it, though the second half seemed to drag a bit.
I liked the callback to the Clone Wars. [spoiler]It's been a while since I read the Kanan comics which flashed back to his time with his master on that planet and how he survived Order 66, but there might be a small retcon here in how he escaped.[/spoiler]
When they were told to go to [spoiler]Onderon I knew they'd most likely run into Saw Gerrera - and they did, fancy that. :P I liked that they used the younger voice actor who portrayed Saw in the Clone Wars series. In Rebels which is set closer to Rogue One he's voiced by Forest Whitaker who played him in the movie[/spoiler].
And I got nostalgic hearing Tom Kane doing the opening narration like he did in Clone Wars. He had a stroke December 30th, and it's unsure if he will be able to go back to full voice acting. I always loved his work, and he's been extremely prolific in all things Star Wars. In Clone Wars he was most notably the narrator, but also Admiral Yularen, Yoda and others. He was the Yoda character in KOTOR, voiced C-3PO and other droids in many games, or the fleet battle interface in Star Wars: Rebellion. Just check his Wiki page: and search for Star Wars: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Kane
Wow, had no idea about Tom Kane. I gather he must have recorded his bit before the stroke? He suffered it in October, it seems.
And yeah, the Kamino part dragged a bit. But narrative expedience has never been Clone Wars' M.O. :P
I'm also a bit miffed by Star Wars' obsession with making [spoiler]Saw Gerrera[/spoiler] happen. I never cared for the character in any of its versions.
Quote from: celedhring on May 04, 2021, 12:16:54 PM
I'm also a bit miffed by Star Wars' obsession with making [spoiler]Saw Gerrera[/spoiler] happen. I never cared for the character in any of its versions.
I don't mind him if he's just showing up as guest star here and there. *shrug*
The kid character was fortunately not of the annoying sort. Though [spoiler]her backstory has been setup as an obvious mystery. And I assume there will be a redemption of Crosshair where his chip either gets removed or breaks.[/spoiler]
Quickly browsed the [spoiler]Kanan [/spoiler]comic again. [spoiler]The clone troopers in that one had red armor markings, not green ones. The planet looks ... similar? Like, same trees, but the art makes it hard to judge if there's snow. There's a "jump cut" between Caleb running through the woods fleeing from Clone Troopers and making it to a space port, so the interlude with Hunter could have taken place around the time. The death scene of Master Billaba is pretty much lifted 1 to 1.[/spoiler] Overall small, inconsequential changes. I still find it interesting how in the new canon characters and events can cross over between books, animated shows, live action etc.
The kid wasn't annoying so I'll give it a pass for now. When they introduced Ashoka Tano back in CW I kinda groaned ("oh no, here comes the part where they put an annoying kid sidekick in this") and that turned out... okay.
I'd honestly would have preferred that [spoiler]Crosshair joined the Empire out of his own volition, instead of being conditioned by the chip[/spoiler].
Are we supposed to know what[spoiler] "J-19" is or who is there[/spoiler]? I guess not.
Quote from: celedhring on May 04, 2021, 12:40:15 PM
Are we supposed to know what[spoiler] "J-19" is or who is there[/spoiler]? I guess not.
Speculation [spoiler]seems to be that it's the sector where Saleucami is, where the Clone deserter from Season 2 of Clone Wars lives with his Twi'lek wife: https://www.gamerevolution.com/guides/680356-star-wars-the-bad-batch-j19-j-19[/spoiler]
https://twitter.com/DavidWCollins/status/1389274088900755456
Quote"This is where the fun begins!"
Years ago I started a journey with elite clones as the sound designer on Republic Commando. It's been pure joy coming full circle as the sound designer, editor and mixer on Star Wars: The Bad Batch, premiering tomorrow on May the 4th.
He says in other posts that he's been re-using sound effects from Republic Commando (and Force Unleashed) for the show. :D
Apparently there are rumors that Disney might bring back the Cara Dune actress?
Quote from: garbon on May 05, 2021, 02:00:35 AM
Apparently there are rumors that Disney might bring back the Cara Dune actress?
lots of stuff online about this, but it all comes down to one Youtube video, or credibility unknown. And a right-wing leaning comic-book website.
It's not impossible, but I have my doubts. She's a pro-Trump and a pr disaster in waiting. Disney, like all mega-corp wants to avoid pr disaster.
A pr disaster on Twitter maybe, very unlikely to make the actual public notice her.
Disney had backtracked on James Gunn after all (director of Guardians of the Galaxy, fired from doing #3, then re-hired awhile later).
It also had to do with social media posts. In Gunn's case they were quite dated and he apologized profusely.
Quote from: garbon on May 05, 2021, 02:00:35 AM
Apparently there are rumors that Disney might bring back the Cara Dune actress?
Maybe she was just sent to her room to think about what she did.
Touching clip of Star Wars fans in actions :)
https://fb.watch/5kdtFT4HQk/
Having kids can be a pain - I had to wait until they were ready to watch The Bad Batch!
I liked it. Who knows where it will go of course. The kid (Amiga? Omega?) was kind of annoying but I'll cut them some slack as they obviously have something in mind. Kind of fun to revisit Ep 3 from the clone perspective.
I expected the second episode to be a bit of a breather after the intro triple extra long and look: I was right. :D Overall fine but not great. :)
[spoiler]The fans were right, we meet up again with the deserter from CW season 2. They come for advice on how to hide and all they get is "maybe lay low and stop being soldiers?" Well, duh.[/spoiler] :D
We're shown a bit more of how the Empire starts changing life in the galaxy, which is always welcome.
[spoiler]When the kids starting playing with the ball, you just know that the ball go wide and Omega will go into danger to get it back. It's a bit of a well worn trope at this point.[/spoiler] :D
I guess for the most part the episode is supposed to [spoiler]establish her as headstrong and having her own will. She goes after the ball, she stays on the ship by herself, she decides to run the ID chips to the others, she decides to not stay with the deserter and returns to the squad. I liked her gawking at being on another planet for the first time. I'm a sucker for such scenes even if we've seen them a fair few times at this point.[/spoiler] This is now show #3 of kid character joining up with badass characters on adventures (after Rebels and Mandalorian ... actually, 4 if you include Ahsoka in Clone Wars). I hope they don't rely on this trope too much going forward, even though the results of that so far were great.
People have been speculating about [spoiler]Omega and what/who she's a clone of. There's some saying saying she might be a Palpatine clone (because her hair looks similar), and she was an early attempt at a force sensitive clone (and when things between Empire and Kamino - clone rebellion? - the Empire went full genocide on Geonosis, so why not Kamino?) turn sour the Empire has to start the effort from scratch (see: SW Ep. IX, Mandalorian). Others say she has a different special ability (still - why one female clone?) we have yet to learn about. Or that she has the ability of all of the Bad Batch.[/spoiler] Guess we'll see.
What people have pointed out, though, is the similarity between Clone Force 99 (Bad Batch) and Task Force 99 (S.C.A.R. Squadron) from the Star Wars comics, ca. between New Hope and Empire Strikes Back.
(https://pm1.narvii.com/7118/441912b3f073e67fc84d956862de03265779f768r1-528-373v2_hq.jpg)
(https://i.redd.it/6qx1ah6ejra51.jpg)
Question is whether the Bad Batch turned into the squad, or they were inspired by them [spoiler](after Tarkin saw the BB in action). Maybe Crosshair was involved in its creation?[/spoiler]
Regarding the episode, I will just say that [spoiler]Cut declines being flown out of the planet by the Bad Batch because it's too risky, and then agrees to a plan that's probably way riskier [/spoiler] :hmm:
Quote from: celedhring on May 07, 2021, 06:38:34 AM
Regarding the episode, I will just say that [spoiler]Cut declines being flown out of the planet by the Bad Batch because it's too risky, and then agrees to a plan that's probably way riskier [/spoiler] :hmm:
Or [spoiler]he thinks, "Yeah, going out with a shuttle will be difficult, but staying with those loonies is guaranteed suicide."[/spoiler] :P :lol:
Well, this was a pretty run of the mill [spoiler]"stranded on a moon with beasties"[/spoiler] episode. Every Star Wars show has one (at the minimum) of those, and at least they got it out of the way early. :D
I find the Empire/Kamino arc more interesting so far, because of all the exloration of the early days of the Empire.
Agreed that [spoiler]the moon bit was pretty standard, but it was well executed. I assume Wrecker's headache was foreshadowing, and I assume it will converge with Tech's scanner thingie to find the inhibitor chips.
The Crosshair plot was ... dark. There's been theories that Crosshair could become the prototype for the Death Troopers, so we'll see where this leads, or if the outcome will be the "normal" Imperial Stormtroopers.
I like the portrayal of Tarkin as cost cutting bureaucrat. :D
So the Kaminoans will look at creating superior clones and need more material since Jango's samples aren't good enough anymore. It sounds like they want to use the Bad Batch (and/or Omega) as template, but they might have something entirely different in mind. Looking forward to see how this shakes out.[/spoiler]
I'm a bit disappointed. This feels more like Rebels than Clone Wars.
Well, considering the Clone Wars are over at this point in the timeline...
Well, this was always going to be a show more focused on a single group of characters rather than the large canvas The Clone Wars was.
Looks like Tarkin was promoted between episodes of the show :hmm:
(https://scontent.fbcn7-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/186546199_2893266184292731_6851866616964683514_n.jpg?_nc_cat=108&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=ixtsH2uwVcAAX8deuh5&_nc_ht=scontent.fbcn7-2.fna&oh=309886155fea5c40a4afd949f22e6dd8&oe=60C817A0)
Star Wars Explained in their post show podcast brought this up and that it doesn't quite match up the books where he's promoted later. But they also more or less shrugged their shoulders at this, not sure if it was intentional or accidental.
Alex pointed out that when they made those insignia for A New Hope some prop guy probably just glued some bits and pieces together that looked like insignia with more squares just meaning higher rank and it wasn't till later that proper meanings were attached to each pattern.
Yeah, the exact ranks for each insignia are clearly ex-post. IIRC Moff Jerjerrod in ROTJ doesn't even wear the same one as Tarkin in ANH.
My bet is that someone put the wrong insignia on Tarkin's animated model and now they'll have to retcon everything :lol:
And then we're not even talking about the whole Grand Moff vs Governor Tarkin thing.
Anyways, here's Grandma Tarkin.
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E1bJOrrX0AU5PvX?format=jpg&name=small)
You know, you've made me look up his cameo in Revenge of the Sith:
(https://andtherecameaday.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/tarkin.jpg)
Moff insignia.
Is it possible a kids' program failed to be consistent? :P
Maybe the empire just had a chicklet shortage?
Clones. There are multiple Tarkin's (Tarkini?) at at different ranks. Time line maintained :contract: :P
Quote from: HVC on May 18, 2021, 10:47:05 AM
Clones. There are multiple Tarkin's (Tarkini?) at at different ranks. Time line maintained :contract: :P
But then why is Tarkin so skeptical about clone troopers?
Quote from: Barrister on May 18, 2021, 10:49:42 AM
Quote from: HVC on May 18, 2021, 10:47:05 AM
Clones. There are multiple Tarkin's (Tarkini?) at at different ranks. Time line maintained :contract: :P
But then why is Tarkin so skeptical about clone troopers?
They don't know their clones.
Quote from: celedhring on May 16, 2021, 03:29:32 AM
Looks like Tarkin was promoted between episodes of the show :hmm:
Moff is a civilian rank, akin to sector governor.Even though they wear military uniforms, they answer to the Emperor, not the military chain of command. Technically, not a promotion.
Ah, figure the old European colonization model. I guess Spanish colonies were similar to New France. In 1757, Montcalm was the general leading the military expeditions against the British, but Vaudreuil was responsible for all military forces left in what is now Quebec, as well as civilian operation of the colony. That would be like a Moff. Except the French never got a Death Star to destroy Albany. :(
Just came across The Rise of Skywalker on one of those streaming websites I "subscribe" to.
I gave it another go, as I thought "It couldn't be as bad as I remember after the 1st viewing".
It's so bad, Jesus Christ it's bad. I burst out laughing a couple of times.
Quote from: viper37 on May 18, 2021, 06:34:07 PM
Quote from: celedhring on May 16, 2021, 03:29:32 AM
Looks like Tarkin was promoted between episodes of the show :hmm:
Moff is a civilian rank, akin to sector governor.Even though they wear military uniforms, they answer to the Emperor, not the military chain of command. Technically, not a promotion.
Ah, figure the old European colonization model. I guess Spanish colonies were similar to New France. In 1757, Montcalm was the general leading the military expeditions against the British, but Vaudreuil was responsible for all military forces left in what is now Quebec, as well as civilian operation of the colony. That would be like a Moff. Except the French never got a Death Star to destroy Albany. :(
I always thought moffs more as Roman governors, which both ran a province and commanded its military forces.
Quote from: Zoupa on May 19, 2021, 12:12:06 AM
Just came across The Rise of Skywalker on one of those streaming websites I "subscribe" to.
I gave it another go, as I thought "It couldn't be as bad as I remember after the 1st viewing".
It's so bad, Jesus Christ it's bad. I burst out laughing a couple of times.
The Rise of Skywalker was sentenced the moment the openin crawl brought up Palpatine.
Quote from: The Larch on May 19, 2021, 03:15:19 AM
Quote from: Zoupa on May 19, 2021, 12:12:06 AM
Just came across The Rise of Skywalker on one of those streaming websites I "subscribe" to.
I gave it another go, as I thought "It couldn't be as bad as I remember after the 1st viewing".
It's so bad, Jesus Christ it's bad. I burst out laughing a couple of times.
The Rise of Skywalker was sentenced the moment the openin crawl brought up Palpatine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qx03yPXg4ZQ
Such a terrible creative decision, made even worse by how they don't even give a fuck about explaining it :lol:
The only good thing about the sequel trilogy is that it puts a good light on the prequel one. Sure, the prequels were shittily made as well but they were a pairing of incompetence with a genuine care for the setting.
The sequels were clearly made by people who could not care less about Star Wars and Episode 8 was made by someone who quite clearly despised it.
Quote from: celedhring on May 19, 2021, 03:20:37 AM
Quote from: The Larch on May 19, 2021, 03:15:19 AM
Quote from: Zoupa on May 19, 2021, 12:12:06 AM
Just came across The Rise of Skywalker on one of those streaming websites I "subscribe" to.
I gave it another go, as I thought "It couldn't be as bad as I remember after the 1st viewing".
It's so bad, Jesus Christ it's bad. I burst out laughing a couple of times.
The Rise of Skywalker was sentenced the moment the openin crawl brought up Palpatine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qx03yPXg4ZQ
Such a terrible creative decision, made even worse by how they don't even give a fuck about explaining it :lol:
And the massive asspull of making Rey to be Palpatine's grand-daughter, just because.
Episode 8 was good, if they actually continued to go through with the things it established.
Quote from: Solmyr on May 19, 2021, 03:50:02 AM
Episode 8 was good, if they actually continued to go through with the things it established.
I'm of two minds on that film. On one part, it has the most interesting ideas of the whole sequel trilogy (Rey being a nobody, Kylo not being redeemed, 1-chance-in-a-million plans not always come through...). Now, it had a bit of "I'm too smart for this shit" vibe, but it was interesting. But, on the other hand, the film is choke-full of horrible stuff. The entire plotline of the escaping fleet is awful, awful.
But Disney made it worse by rebooting everything for 9.
Quote from: celedhring on May 19, 2021, 03:54:26 AM
Now, it had a bit of "I'm too smart for this shit" vibe
A bit? It reeks of it. "Funny moments" like the iron pressing down as if it was a landing ship are also part of that.
It's quite flabbergasting how in such a massive franchise they didn't have the entire story completely mapped up from the start, thus subjecting audiences to so much whiplash from film to film, so different were their tones and stories. If they weren't keen on what Rian Johnson wanted to do for The Last Jedi, why did they hire him in the first place? If Abrams was their preferred style, why didn't they give him the whole franchise from the beginning? What happened with Trevorow that he quit the production of Rise of Skywalker? So many questions...
Quote from: celedhring on May 19, 2021, 03:54:26 AM
Quote from: Solmyr on May 19, 2021, 03:50:02 AM
Episode 8 was good, if they actually continued to go through with the things it established.
I'm of two minds on that film. On one part, it has the most interesting ideas of the whole sequel trilogy (Rey being a nobody, Kylo not being redeemed, 1-chance-in-a-million plans not always come through...). Now, it had a bit of "I'm too smart for this shit" vibe, but it was interesting. But, on the other hand, the film is choke-full of horrible stuff. The entire plotline of the escaping fleet is awful, awful.
But Disney made it worse by rebooting everything for 9.
I agree with this.
It was on the right track, just bad execution.
Quote from: The Minsky Moment on May 19, 2021, 11:06:52 AM
Quote from: celedhring on May 19, 2021, 03:54:26 AM
Quote from: Solmyr on May 19, 2021, 03:50:02 AM
Episode 8 was good, if they actually continued to go through with the things it established.
I'm of two minds on that film. On one part, it has the most interesting ideas of the whole sequel trilogy (Rey being a nobody, Kylo not being redeemed, 1-chance-in-a-million plans not always come through...). Now, it had a bit of "I'm too smart for this shit" vibe, but it was interesting. But, on the other hand, the film is choke-full of horrible stuff. The entire plotline of the escaping fleet is awful, awful.
But Disney made it worse by rebooting everything for 9.
I agree with this.
It was on the right track, just bad execution.
I can't agree it was bad execution, because there were some absolutely beautiful shots and scenes in that movie.
JJ Abrams is a hack.
Quote from: Barrister on May 19, 2021, 11:22:20 AM
Quote from: The Minsky Moment on May 19, 2021, 11:06:52 AM
Quote from: celedhring on May 19, 2021, 03:54:26 AM
Quote from: Solmyr on May 19, 2021, 03:50:02 AM
Episode 8 was good, if they actually continued to go through with the things it established.
I'm of two minds on that film. On one part, it has the most interesting ideas of the whole sequel trilogy (Rey being a nobody, Kylo not being redeemed, 1-chance-in-a-million plans not always come through...). Now, it had a bit of "I'm too smart for this shit" vibe, but it was interesting. But, on the other hand, the film is choke-full of horrible stuff. The entire plotline of the escaping fleet is awful, awful.
But Disney made it worse by rebooting everything for 9.
I agree with this.
It was on the right track, just bad execution.
I can't agree it was bad execution, because there were some absolutely beautiful shots and scenes in that movie.
Like the iron "landing" as a ship? Or the Rebel cruiser ramming the whole Imperial fleet? A turd filmed in a smart angle is still a turd.
I did think it was impressive that they made a movie that felt it was too smart for the idiocy of the Star Wars universe...and then put lots of idiotic stuff in it. That kind of reflects badly on both the film maker and the franchise.
Though compared to the ninth movie I guess it looks like a work of cinematic...adequacy.
Fun episode, but more heavily action than story focused.
Last episode [spoiler]the Kaminoans said they need to retrieve Omega, this episode Fennec Shand is looking for her - she might be hired by the Kaminoans, but it could be a bait and switch where she's actually hired by someone else. Side note: does she not change up her gear in the 25 or so years between Bad Batch and Mandalorian? I'd question that she's still an active bounty hunter in Mandalorian, but then again Ming-Na Wen pulled off the role in Mando while in her 50s, so she gets a pass.[/spoiler] :P
I will say I'm very impressed with the production values. The street scenes on Pantora were quite impressive with loads of detail, lighting etc. and the action scenes looked quite incredible. You can tell they're clearly producing for 4K resolutions now. No comparison to early Clone Wars or even later Rebels.
Minor complaint: [spoiler]why does the ladder from a sewer tunnel lead straight to the top of a tower well above street level? :D That's like in Dark Souls II where you go to the top of a tower, take an elevator further up and end up in a lave cave somehow.[/spoiler]
I liked the Clone Commando doll. :D
This was a fun episode. Yes, more action than story but enjoyable nonetheless. Plus droid comedy is always a winner for me in animated Star Wars, and this episode had a little bit of it.
Liked [spoiler]Fennec Shand[/spoiler] in it, I thought they gave her a cool musical cue too. I wonder if we'll ever see some of the [spoiler]CW bounty hunters though[/spoiler].
Really impressed with today's Bad Batch episode - it looked fantastic. Visuals do not compare with earlier Clone Wars stuff, or even Rebels. Story did what it needed to do and was effective.
Enjoying the show so far and agree that the visuals are great. I hear they produce the series for 4K resolutions, explaining the fidelity. I watched a video recently about how Rebels evolved over its runtime. It started with a very low budget, which is why the early seasons look rather basic and take shortcuts to limit the workload, and that only when the show took off they got more resources.
Slightly disappointed that what has been hinted at for several weeks now was relatively quickly resolved within one episode with (seemingly) no lingering consequences.
I do appreciate seeing Bracca again. :)
Yeah, today's episode was visually great, too. Particularly the "trapped inside the engine" part. It's also good to see the show pick up the main arc. Wasn't getting the feeling those side missions where getting much of anywhere.
Also, [spoiler]Cad Bane shows up as the next bounty hunter on Omega's tail, and he's got his own Morricone-ish musical cue. [/spoiler]Did he have that before?
I don't mind the side missions. They helped establish the squad trying to find a path for themselves, and learning how life works if you're not part of a major military organization. And while long form storytelling has become pretty much the norm these days, I also think there's room for shows with self contained episodes (Clone Wars had a great balance in that regard).
After [spoiler]resolving the inhibitor chip issue so quickly last episode I was interested to see if Crosshair would also be put under the knife (and it could potentially turn out that he's actually quite ok with how the Empire does things, which would be a neat twist).
Not sure about Cad Bane's musical queue, but I was hyped to see him again. Easily my favorite bounty hunter (that he's basically Lee van Cleef/Sentenza/Angel Eyes helps a lot). Loved the Sergio Leone gunfight homage.
There's still speculation that Crosshair becomes the origin of the Death Troopers, and I think this episode lends more credence to that theory. The non-clone troopers in his squad have green tinted lenses like him and DTs, and he will likely have to undergo surgery now, which might open the door to some Million Dollar Man scenario? (Death Troopers reportedly routinely undergo surgical enhancements. It's a shame they made them look like chumps in SW Rebels.)
Still a question what the Kaminoan contingency is and what Omega's role in it is. We all know that there don't seem to be any Kaminoans around in the later media, and we know what happened to the Geonosians ... a Clone uprising would be interesting.[/spoiler]
Btw, the gloing impact point of the sniper round reminded me a lot of the Jedi Knight games. :D
Btw, I just noticed that D+ now has the old cartoons - Droids, Ewoks, and the Ewok movies :D
Oh, and: The Story of the Faithful Wookiee. That one had me confused, but it's the animated bit from the Holiday Special in which Boba Fett was originally introduced. :lol:
Btw, this gave me Jedi Outcast/Jedi Academy flashbacks, when you miss with the sniper rifle. :D
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E4KGStYXIAYzY2K?format=png&name=900x900)
I used to watch both Droids and Ewoks as a kid, but I'm not in an urge to revisit them :lol:
[spoiler]Watching some Cad Bane scenes from CW reveal that the Morricone-style theme seems indeed new.[/spoiler] I'll be happy if Bad Batch picks up on the long-standing Star Wars tradition of referencing other movies.
Like the Samurai movie inspired show down between Maul and Kenobi in Rebels?
Btw, I love Sam Witwer's breakdown of the scene: https://youtu.be/wppqgXKeV0E
That was my favorite scene in Rebels.
Quote from: celedhring on June 18, 2021, 05:45:36 AM
That was my favorite scene in Rebels.
My biggest surprise about Rebels was that it actually made me root for a character protrayed by Freddie Prinz Jr (tbf till then I mostly knew him from teen romcoms :P )
He was a counter-terrorism agent in 24.
Good episode. :)
I love me some [spoiler]Bounty Hunter on Bounty Hunter[/spoiler] action.
Once again the episode looked incredible. The [spoiler]sunlight/fog/clouds in the abandoned station looked incredible. Also: dropping a dead clone on Fennec Shand[/spoiler]: gross!
Some more information was revealed, answering some questions, and I liked the confirmation that there's [spoiler]conflicting goals within the Kaminoans[/spoiler].
What I'm currently not on board with (though my mind may change on this), is that Omega [spoiler]is revealed as Boba Fett's quasi-twin, and I was hoping we would not see Boba Fett in this show, and rather they do their own thing. Between Mandalorian, Book of Boba Fett, and now this it might be a bit of Fett overkill (and frankly I have somewhat limited patience for "everything is connected" kind of stories.[/spoiler] But if the ride is good, I might change my tune on that. [spoiler]I did in Mandalorian[/spoiler].
[spoiler]Cad Bane looks like he has a head implant. There was an unfinished Clone Wars arc for which animated storyboards were created in which he and Boba Fett dueled (the shots were very similar to the duel between Hunter and Bane in the last episode). In the duel, Bane hits Fett in the helmet (it's how he got the famous dent), and Bane is implied to go down. It's possible, I guess, that this happens before this show, and he's wearing the implant because of his injuries sustained in the duel. (I wouldn't be surprised if this is shown in Book of Boba Fett which is confirmed to have flashbacks to his past.) Also, Cad Bane's ship in this episode was teased years ago for the mentioned duel episode/arc, and when the series was canceled Filoni said it would be a shame to not see it in action. Get he sorted that out.[/spoiler] :P
Heh, I was wondering why [spoiler]Cad wasn't riding the Xanadu Blood.[/spoiler]
Very cool episode, indeed. Might be my favorite so far of the show. Agreed on [spoiler]too many Fetts[/spoiler], though.
Interesting bit: people were wondering why Omega is blonde when all other clones are dark haired. Turns out Temuera Morrison's (deceased) sister was blonde. :o
She's got a kiwi accent, too (which the clones lack :P)
I half expect now that this series (or season at least) may tie in a fair bit with the Boba Fett series. Boba searching for his lost sister or something?
What concerns me, though, is that Star Wars reaches a survivability of gruesome injury I last saw in the Elfen Lied Manga. :P
Shot in the stomach? Robogut!
(https://www.thathashtagshow.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/fennec-guts.jpg)
Cut in half? Robolegs!
(https://comicvine1.cbsistatic.com/uploads/original/4/48954/3086353-tcw%20maul.png)
Shot in the head? Armor plate!
(https://static2.cbrimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cad-bane-bad-batch-ep9-2.jpg)
Eaten by Sarlacc? ???
(https://bleedingfool.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/boba-fett-actor-temeuera-morrison-1607090412-370x250.png)
Thrown down a reactor shaft? Force essence transfer to a prepared clone as part of a long term contingency!
(https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Qb2fEBqyShu4S3emnFJ776-1200-80.jpg)
And I'm not even counting force ghosts. :P
Actually, I guess you can add Echo to the list, too. :P
Not sure how to place "Rothgar Deng", a background character from Rise of Skywalker:
QuoteRothgar Deng, possibly operating under an alias, was a Corellian bounty hunter who, by the time of the war between the First Order and the Resistance, was old and experienced. In an attempt to live and work forever, Deng subjected himself to cybernetic replacements, and turned to black market surgical clinics to replace damaged body parts.
[...]
While no explicit connection was made, Deng's name, background, and armor resemble that of the bounty hunter Dengar, who similarly hailed from Corellia. The 2020 reference text The Star Wars Book provided further similarities, stating that Dengar became almost unrecognizable after undergoing extreme surgeries following the Galactic Civil War.
(https://i.redd.it/7l1xsc6ryak41.jpg)
Well, Vader is the OG of miraculous cybernetic survivals.
I found Shand's roboguts rather silly, tbf.
Oh, there's also the cyborg bounty hunter Valance who debuted in the 80s and was brought back recently:
(https://starwarsblog.starwars.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/starwars27-116.jpg)
(https://static0.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Beilert-Valance-star-wars.jpg)
In the old comics he was a former Imperial who was nearly killed in a Rebel attack. He "died" fighting Vader when he fell into a corrosive/toxic lake (nice Terminator parallel that predates Terminator by 3 years). For an anniversary he was recently "reactivated" for a Legends event; apparently he was only in stasis when he fell into the lake thanks to his cybernetics.
But he's made the transition to canon comics by now with a similar backstory (though he gets to meet Solo when they were in the Imperial military together).
Re: Fennec Shand, I wonder if she had her cybernetic parts before she was shot in season 1, based on all the sparks flying when she's shot which is something you usually see with droids:
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EXaTCN-XsAARnAZ.jpg)
Bit of a breather after the last few episodes, but an enjoyable action bit. Once more the Bad Batch realize that the political realities have quite changed for them and Omega's prodigy skills are presented again.
celed will enjoy Alexander Siddig being in this one, considering he's going through DS9 at the moment. :)
Looking up Raxus, since I had forgotten about it (it's been quite some time since I watched Season 3 of Clone Wars), this is what the separatist senate looked like. Looks slightly familiar. :bowler:
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F-Yg_AQdGp7SI%2FVirOdXu-qdI%2FAAAAAAAABUc%2FOwMTn31F7o0%2Fs1600%2FParliament%252BI.JPG&hash=b6d0524b49c0b7bfd3e33d632bc4e541a961f97d)
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F-gSBnVTJcKyY%2FVirOYCP_tMI%2FAAAAAAAABUM%2FU5KRXwT6__w%2Fs1600%2FParliament%252BII.JPG&hash=bd56623a767949b2c43de8ca5a32c0fbb6557b46)
I found the episode enjoyable, the walker scene was a very fun action sequence with the Bad Batch looking like the lean and mean fighting machine they are supposed to be. And having them help [spoiler]a separatist was a nice wrinkle[/spoiler].
I also caught Bashir's voice for the Senator. I wonder if that character will be back at some point.
Btw, after long hiatus I finally finished the first High Republic novel, set ca. 200 years before Phantom Menace. I enjoyed it. It's not exactly a deep story, and mostly and action romp, and I like the bad guys they've set up.
If I have any complaints it's that the pacing can be a bit weird, with a long action scene interspliced with other scenes, caused by the rather large amount of characters introduced. You have easily a dozen Jedi, plus four main villains, plus a bunch of secondary characters.
The second book of the trilogy is out, and it reviews well. There's other releases around it, too - there's comics (obvs), as well as kids and young adult novels. For some reason, the latter aren't available in English for me on Kindle, only paperback or Audible. :huh:
I've read one of the tie in comics, and does the annoying thing where it takes a character from the book and deals with the aftermath of what they experience in the story. If you read it stand alone it's still a decent Jedi/dark side/mild horror story, but you get thrown in with little backstory (what's Starlight Beacon, why is this character hurt and who is the other dead person they refer to, who are all these people?) would seem quite confusing. I guess I will check out the other material that's out before moving on to book two (you win this round, Disney! :mad: )
On the whole it's nice to get into a setting that's in Star Wars, but not directly connected to the rest of the saga by characters and plots (Yoda is technically in there but so far there's been no focus on him). Kind of like The Old Republic setting, though much closer to "present day". (The planned show The Acolyte is going to take place at the tail end of this era and I guess kind of bridge the period between THR and Phantom Menace?)
Star Wars Visions, an anthology series (I guess something like Love, Death, and Robots, but [non-canon] Star Wars?), will debut September 22nd.
Some of the art previews makes me look forward to the fans melting down, with one side unhealthily obsessing over the below, and the other side going into a violent hate-fueled frenzy. :lol:
(https://i.redd.it/j5gygc70c3971.png)
What's your take on Disney apparently retiring "Slave I" as the name of Boba's ship? More than anything, this tells me they definitely want to turn Fett into a "good" character, which would kinda suck if you ask me.
Is the ship's name ever uttered in any of the cartoons/movies, btw? I'd say no.
It's a big shrug from me. I understand LEGO wouldn't want the name on their family friendly toy line, even though I guess most purchasers are adult collectors. I don't see them renaming it, though, as the name has been around for way too long at this point, though I guess Boba could rename the ship in story. Maybe it will be the Omega in the future. ;)
As long as they don't bring back Slave 2, 3, and 4. :P Slave 2 and 4 below, I think 3 didn't show up in e.g. comics or so.
Slave 2:
(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ttXHp-YUQuw/maxresdefault.jpg)
Slave 4:
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fpm1.narvii.com%2F6633%2F9f35248141e1be6a9c0d4451054771f438c0a9d2_00.jpg&hash=8795f7fd70f32a23d442658da55f15e7f7394791)
I'm reading From A Certain Point of View, a collection of short stories about background and secondary characters in A New Hope. Some of it is good, some funny, some meh, as these anthologies tend to be. It's canon status is ... questionable, I guess? The conceit is that every story is told by unreliable narrators.
The formal complaint by Motti about how, while he is a very tolerant person, it was completely inappropriate by Vader to proselytize for his religion during a professional meeting, e.g. was hilarious. As was the "Incident Report" filled out by a disillusioned Stormtrooper who ends up snapping and taking a Dewback and riding into the desert. Or how the officer who ordered not to shoot the escape pod got away with it.
What I did NOT expect, however, was a story about a fling between Stormtrooper TK-421 and an Imperial officer heavily implied to be Tarkin, told from the viewpoint of the mouse droid that Chewie screamed at. :lol:
Bad Batch - [spoiler]Hera & Chopper[/spoiler] :w00t:
Interesting episode, given that Bad Batch & Omega play a very secondary role in it, with the twi'leks as the protagonists. I wonder if we'll get more of those as the show goes on. It was a nice change of pace.
They seem to have dialed up the twi'lek French accent too. I don't remember it being so strong in CW/Rebels.
I thought the episode was fine, but I've never been a big fan of the Ryloth stuff. Twi'lek accent are always all over the place. You have some with heavy accents, and others who speak generic American.
I did :w00t: when [spoiler]Chopper's scope popped up[/spoiler], though. :)
Interesting tidbit that I forgot but that Star Wars Explained pointed out. [spoiler]In the novel Sith Lords which is set later and has Vader and Palps go to Ryloth, Orn Free Taa is alive and well. I thought it was weird that Cham Syndulla was arrested for attempted assassination, but I guess it makes sense if the senator lives.[/spoiler]
I look forward to the continuation of the story next week, though. I feel [spoiler]Cpt Howzer (the clone captain on Ryloth) will join the Bad Batch, because unlike other clones he seems to have retained his humanity.[/spoiler]
Btw, kinda looking forward to this (it's non-canon, like Visions):
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E5yEnPVVEAkc6oo?format=jpg&name=medium)
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E5yEnOvVEAkD5gu?format=jpg&name=medium)
Quote from: Syt on July 04, 2021, 03:03:10 AM
Some of the art previews makes me look forward to the fans melting down, with one side unhealthily obsessing over the below, and the other side going into a violent hate-fueled frenzy. :lol:
I oppose violence, but hate-fueled frenzy seems a reasonable response under the circumstances.
Star Wars and Harlock Saga were my fundational space-operas when I was a kid, so I'm actually looking forward to anime Star Wars :blush:
Surprisingly, the fandom's biggest concern seems to be, "Yeah, but is it canon?" Eckhartsladder (I generally like his videos despite his terrible clickbait titles and thumbnails) put it well and I agree - people shouldn't get hung up on canon. Sure, it's cool that the "main content" is in line with each other, but not everything has to be. Back during the Legends era nobody cared. I mean, look at the old video games alone, from Rebel Assault and X-Wing to Force Unleashed and Empire at War. :P
Quote from: celedhring on July 09, 2021, 01:51:05 PM
Star Wars and Harlock Saga were my fundational space-operas when I was a kid, so I'm actually looking forward to anime Star Wars :blush:
And i liked pizza and french fries, but I didn't want french fries baked into my pizza.
Quote from: The Minsky Moment on July 09, 2021, 04:10:52 PM
Quote from: celedhring on July 09, 2021, 01:51:05 PM
Star Wars and Harlock Saga were my fundational space-operas when I was a kid, so I'm actually looking forward to anime Star Wars :blush:
And i liked pizza and french fries, but I didn't want french fries baked into my pizza.
Traditionalist!
Quote from: celedhring on July 09, 2021, 01:51:05 PM
Star Wars and Harlock Saga were my fundational space-operas when I was a kid, so I'm actually looking forward to anime Star Wars :blush:
Yeah, can't be worse than the prequels or the Disney movies.
For Harlock Saga, both the '70s and '80s animes? Did you watch the latter movie? Maybe they will recycle it for Star Wars. :P
Quote from: Syt on July 09, 2021, 10:36:47 AM
I look forward to the continuation of the story next week, though. I feel [spoiler]Cpt Howzer (the clone captain on Ryloth) will join the Bad Batch, because unlike other clones he seems to have retained his humanity.[/spoiler]
I don't think that will happen. [spoiler]Howzer seems to be set up for a "meaningful sacrifice", perhaps as he is about to switch sides. My guess is that he will be a reverse Crosshair and chooses to do the right thing despite the chip (as Crosshair's scarring on the side of the head seems to foreshadow that he got his chip removed and serves the empire willingly).[/spoiler]
Quote from: Duque de Bragança on July 09, 2021, 05:07:16 PM
Quote from: celedhring on July 09, 2021, 01:51:05 PM
Star Wars and Harlock Saga were my fundational space-operas when I was a kid, so I'm actually looking forward to anime Star Wars :blush:
Yeah, can't be worse than the prequels or the Disney movies.
For Harlock Saga, both the '70s and '80s animes? Did you watch the latter movie? Maybe they will recycle it for Star Wars. :P
Grew up watching the 1970s anime, but I caught the 80s one at a later age. I did watch the live action movie too, which was awful.
I'm a big fan.
My favorite episode so far.
Quote from: Oexmelin on July 09, 2021, 06:27:40 PMI don't think that will happen. [spoiler]Howzer seems to be set up for a "meaningful sacrifice", perhaps as he is about to switch sides. My guess is that he will be a reverse Crosshair and chooses to do the right thing despite the chip (as Crosshair's scarring on the side of the head seems to foreshadow that he got his chip removed and serves the empire willingly).[/spoiler]
Could be. But there might also be more going on. [spoiler]1. There was an action figure of Howzer before the show named "Ballast" which could be a Bad Batch name. "We don't need you, you're just ballast." And then he proves his worth and is accepted. 2. I'm surprised that Adm. Rampart allows such a "free" clone under his command, considering how they cranked up Crosshair's chip to 11. With the plot to frame Cham Syndulla (bookended by him saying to Orn Free Taa at the start that they all have their parts to play and at the end thanking him for playing his part), maybe the plan is to have him join the Bad Batch as sleeper agent? Wild speculation, of course.[/spoiler]
Btw, probably pure coincidence, but I loved the ship landing on the moon. The scenery reminded me of some of Ralph McQuarrie's art for Battlestar Galactica.
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E59AMB3VgAMIh40?format=jpg&name=medium)
(https://shellielewis.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/ralph-mcquarrie-68.jpg)
(https://i.redd.it/fa9tutjc5kgz.jpg)
Also, I see people loving Howzer's haircut.
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E54IiX9XIAASTpu?format=jpg&name=900x900)
Maybe I grew up with too many WW2 documentaries, but I see:
(https://preview.redd.it/viwnq580p7821.jpg?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=9a30bfa787607a6e057c58c7f7a2483e722b15f5)
(https://64.media.tumblr.com/de5716c6e8ad4f19a7659d15316b0dc8/tumblr_mx47zt3KOV1s65pq4o1_400.jpg)
(https://i.pinimg.com/474x/84/94/79/849479318523bd972c73826f3deda181.jpg)
:P
Quote from: celedhring on July 10, 2021, 01:42:58 AM
Grew up watching the 1970s anime, but I caught the 80s one at a later age. I did watch the live action movie too, which was awful.
I'm a big fan.
What live action movie? :huh: All I remember are a few anime movies about the Nibelungen of something, plus the most recent ones in 2013. There are supposedly 3 more coming, btw, but all animes.
It's a shame they never went back to the original concept. But I guess people constantly drinking alcohol and ranting about female egos might not have been approriate for todays' kids :P
So, I've watched Star Wars Resistance in its entirety.
I think it's ... fine. It's not reaching the heights of Rebels or Clone Wars in their later seasons, but I also don't think it's worse (or much worse) than the lows of those shows, esp. in the earlier seasons (Lando and the Puffer Pigs, Jar Jar pretending to be a Jedi general, etc.).
It's better than the Droids or Ewoks cartoons, though, IMHO. :P
It's clearly aimed at a pretty young audience (possibly younger than how Rebels and Clone Wars started out) and never really sheds this. Not sure why it then originally aired at 10 pm on a week night, considering the target demographic.
Its story telling is not particularly deep. For the most part it felt like a throwback to 80s action cartoons with familiar tropes, story lines, and "twists" - there are some episodes where after the setup you can guess quite well how it will play out if you've seen enough such cartoons since the 80s. There's some good stuff in there - esp. Season 1 has an escalating throughline for many episodes once the characters are settled in. Season 2 is more "adventure of the week" for much of its run but wraps things up reasonably well in the last couple of episodes, though it leaves some open questions regarding some side characters that were introduced at various points but who never really went anywhere.
When I started watching Rebels I really struggled with the new look at first. The show had a lower budget in the beginning and it showed, and the change in character models was grating. I mean, this was what Yoda looked like FFS:
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EX_gNaCWkAAtjdc.jpg)
Resistance is also 3D animated, but it goes for a more hand drawn look and seems inspired by shows like Avatar. The environments are often gorgeous, and the ships and technology have a bit of an 80s/90s sc-fi anime vibe with their high level of detailing. At the same time it has a certain goofiness in animation of some characters. There's some goofy characters - especially the lead who alternates between being slapstick clumsy and hyper competent - with exaggerated gestures, facial animations, pratfalls etc. and earnest characters who don't. Think Pete Venkman's goofiness vs the more straitlaced Ray, Egon, and Winston in the Real Ghostbusters cartoon. Your tolerance for that kind of stuff will have a huge effect on whether you will enjoy the show.
Spoilers from here on:
I find it interesting that on IMDB the second season episodes are rated higher than the first season. The first season had an ever escalating encroachment of the First Order onto the platform (it starts as an ocean platform but is at the end of season 1 revealed to be a mobile refueling station with hyperdrive etc.). It's not a deep plot but it keeps raising the stakes for the characters, esp. Kaz who is a crack pilot but now has to learn to be an inconspicuous spy (he fails the inconspicuous part quite often). The season ends with the First Order attacking the station, and the station making a last minute escape by leaving the planet and jumping away - this battle happens at the same time as the destruction of the Hosnian System in The Force Awakens. One of the characters (Tam) who was in favor of the First Order bringing more security to the station is disappointed that Kaz and her mentor lied to her about them working with the Resistance and joins the First Order as a TIE pilot.
Season 2 has the station on the run. The need to secure supplies, the race pilots have to learn how to work together as a fighter squadron, etc. and more than once they manage to make a last second escape from the First Order. Shades of Battlestar Galactica. Eventually they find a planet to park the station but of course the First Order find them and they have to flee again. Tam realizes that the First Order is bad, actually, when they assemble a dozen star destroyers to bomb out natives on the planet and she tries to defect back to her friends. In a climactic battle she's saved, the First Order ship and the two big bads of the show are killed, and everyone is happy together.
Not the deepest writing, but the action scenes are overall quite enjoyable. There's some facepalming stuff, like when people move through zero G environments by basically swimming, or when the station Captain doesn't tell anyone he's picked a planet to settle until they arrive there, and only THEN decides to maybe send out scouts to look if the place is actually safe.
I would have wished for some fleshing out for the larger events in the galaxy because that seems like a big blank spot of the sequel trilogy, but the viewpoint is kept quite narrow. I liked the ride, overall, I liked the characters, but there would have been a lot more potential. The bad guys were reasonably competent; at least more so than the early villains of Star Wars Rebels (like Commandant Aresko and Taskmaster Grint).
There were some nostalgic Easter eggs. Like when the music in the bar is the cantina music from KOTOR on at least two occasions. Or when you realize the comlink sound is the holo communicator sound from SWTOR. And the building on Dantooine which is seen briefly bears a strong resemblance to the Jedi Enclave in KOTOR.
Overall a 6.5/10 for me, but I can also understand others not enjoying the show at all and rating it much lower.
I remember the 80s anime influence being acknowledged by the animators, and it's the only reason I'd have watched the show, since the sequel trilogy managed to kill any interest I might have had in that era. Gotta say your review hasn't motivated me to watch it either :P But thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Yeah, I find it hard to recommend, but I also think people are too harsh on it.
Reading a bit on the plot it certainly does sound like they borrow from Robotech/Macross, now that was an awesome cartoon :hmm:
Quote from: celedhring on July 10, 2021, 01:42:58 AM
Quote from: Duque de Bragança on July 09, 2021, 05:07:16 PM
Quote from: celedhring on July 09, 2021, 01:51:05 PM
Star Wars and Harlock Saga were my fundational space-operas when I was a kid, so I'm actually looking forward to anime Star Wars :blush:
Yeah, can't be worse than the prequels or the Disney movies.
For Harlock Saga, both the '70s and '80s animes? Did you watch the latter movie? Maybe they will recycle it for Star Wars. :P
Grew up watching the 1970s anime, but I caught the 80s one at a later age. I did watch the live action movie too, which was awful.
I'm a big fan.
Live action movie? I was speaking of the 2013 anime movie. :D
Yeah, I meant that one. Somehow I had it in my mind it was live action, not just 3D. Anyway, it was awful.
Has it always been the case that a barren moon has an earth like atmosphere in the Star Wars universe?
I was pondering whether I should watch Resistance to catch up on the canon/storylines (watched Clone Wars and Rebels earlier this year), but sounds like it's not necessary.
I would assume there's been quite a bit of terraforming.
Quote from: Eddie Teach on July 11, 2021, 12:32:03 PM
I would assume there's been quite a bit of terraforming.
Perhaps, but not on that moon.
Considering that in Legends Onderon and its moon Dxun (which had the same gravity and could also retain breathable air) were so close that their atmospheres regularly touched and allowed beasts to move from one to the other I try not to question the astromechanics of the Star Wars universe too much. :P
(https://i.imgur.com/8ckSiYa.jpeg)
Ha, I did not know that. So I guess, in that context, an earthlike atmosphere, gravity etc everywhere, including barren moons, is completely unremarkable. :D
Star Wars has always been playing kinda fast and loose with that kind of stuff. Think of Empire Strike's back when they're inside the space slug. It's a small planetoid, but they have normal Earth gravity (not to mention that they only need a mask to survive what is likely a cave exposed to space since the slug monster has its mouth open till they try to escape).
Lucasfilm hires a professionnal deepfakers (https://www.theverge.com/2021/7/26/22595227/star-wars-lucasfilm-mandalorian-rogue-one-hire-deepfake-shamook)
A professional Youtuber/Deepfake artist who specializes in SW deepfakes and has put samples of his videos online was just hired by Lucasfilm.
It's an impressive work.
Today's Bad Batch. Fun episode, also the Kamino arc finally gets advanced.
[spoiler]"Infiltrate secret Imperial base" is probably one of my favorite Star Wars tropes. Of course this one is also carved inside a mountain. :D
Also, did we ever learn how Gregor made it out alive of that suicidal battle in CW? I don't think so.[/spoiler]
Re: [spoiler]Gregor - "Somehow he's back" :P [/spoiler]
[spoiler]The use of the Death Star escape music from A New Hope gave me goosebumps. [/spoiler] :blush:
Speculation: [spoiler]Also, slightly unsure if Crosshair is still thinking the Empire is a good thing. He seemed a bit pensive after Howzer's speech on Ryloth, and maybe he asked Rampart for permission to hunt the Batch as a way to reconnect. His face was blasted on Bracca where the chip would be, so maybe that disabled it? And this episode also leaves his motivation open at the end. He wanted to catch the whole squad, but Hunter "will do." For what?
Someone mentioned that Delta Squad from Republic Commando hunted deserters after the war, and that they would be a cool new group of villains for the Bad Batch, and we saw that commandos are now training the new Stormtroopers, so .... [/spoiler]
Oh, one thing I missed, but that Star Wars Explained pointed out: [spoiler]the yellow Clone Commando was Scorch from Republic Commando/Clone Wars.[/spoiler]
https://twitter.com/TheBadBatch/status/1423267554395623424?s=20
Quote
Star Wars: The Bad Batch
@TheBadBatch
Star Wars: #TheBadBatch will return for a second season in 2022. Prepare for the two part finale of season one starting tomorrow, only on @DisneyPlus
Excellent episode. :)
As i kind of expected, [spoiler]Crosshair's chip has been removed. He's kinda cagey about when, but I assume it was after he had that part of his head melted.
The use of John Williams' Episode 2 music for Kamino :wub:[/spoiler]
And some "oof" dialogue:
[spoiler]Crosshair: "They don't leave their own behind ... most of the time."
Hunter: "You tried to kill us. We didn't have a choice."
Crosshair: "Hm. And I did?"[/spoiler]
[spoiler]The view of the empty city and its destruction was appropriately somber. [/spoiler]
10 minutes of useless information about
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic: https://youtu.be/T6kQLUPcSw8
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: https://youtu.be/lZ51c-VvuNA
Somewhat embarrassed by how many of those I knew. :blush:
A 4-parter finale :lol: (a 5-parter if you take into account it follows on [spoiler]Hunter's capture[/spoiler] in the last episode).
Very nice episode. [spoiler]Nice detail that the first and last appearances of Kamino in Star Wars canon (of course now Syt will point out that this isn't the case because comic XXXX featured it before the timeline of Ep 2) are visually similar (the rain).
[/spoiler]
Quote from: celedhring on August 06, 2021, 02:54:45 PM
A 4-parter finale :lol:
Four-parter? :unsure:
And I don't really follow the comics. I did catch that Palps in a recent one met Vader on Exegol where his cloning tubes were shown, and a jar with a hand that people speculate is Luke's, and that he used the DNA in some of his experiments. :lol:
Yeah, the caption description of the episode says "Part 1 of 4". :huh:
I suppose then that season 2 will start with a two parter as the season's final episode is next week?
Star Wars meets [spoiler]the Poseidon Adventure :w00t:
Good episode as denouement for the season, but no major shift in the status quo. No heroic sacrifice by Hunter or Crosshair (as some predicted), and no Crosshair rejoining the squad (which was admittedly a surprise), but I suppose they set up his eventual return to the fold with episodes like these.
The medical officer at the end wears the Kamino cloner badge (like Dr Pershing in Mandalorian). The Star Wars website recently had a blog entry explaining Palpatine's contingency plan(s) which heavily involved cloning, so I assume this starts here with Palps having a vested interest in the technology.
Got some Bioshock vibes from some scenes, like walking through the underwater tunnel, and coming up in the burning debris field.
I thought we might see what happened to the remaining clones/regs. In last episode the young clone asking, "But we'll still be soldiers, right?" was :cry: My head canon for now is that they may be used to tie up some loose ends, like aiding in the genocide of the Geonosians. The Empire wants to replace the clones, might as well throw them into a meat grinder of sorts.[/spoiler]
Once more, I love the visuals in this show. Lots of cool stuff with the water and the lightning (much better than CWs Calamari eps, for example).
I also had Bioshock vibes :lol:
Incidentally, the "Part 1 of 4" thing looks like it was a typo on Disney+ Spain's part, they have changed it to 2 parts.
Btw, apparently they're casting Sabine Wren for live action. :w00t:
Quote from: Syt on August 13, 2021, 12:28:46 PM
Btw, apparently they're casting Sabine Wren for live action. :w00t:
For which series? The Ashoka one?
I think so.
That show looks like it will be a Rebels quasi-sequel, dealing with the search for Ezra and Thrawn, right? I'm down with that.
Quote from: celedhring on August 14, 2021, 12:28:30 AM
That show looks like it will be a Rebels quasi-sequel, dealing with the search for Ezra and Thrawn, right? I'm down with that.
That's the general assumption since nothing concrete has been announced. There were news (or rumors?) about a casting call for Ezra a few weeks ago IIRC.
Btw, I see quite a few comments looking at the epilogue of the Bad Batch season finale and going:[spoiler] "Mountain? Cloning?? Mount Tantiss from the Thrawn Trilogy confirmed!!!" :lol: (Tbf, considering how much content they pull in from the old EU, I assume the callback is intentional, even if it turns out to be a different place.)[/spoiler]
Because Imperial secret bases built inside mountains is such a novel concept in the Star Wars universe :lol:
Of course. :D Still wondering what Thrawn is up to. Does he want to recreate the original Empire? Is he part of the contingency and works towards the First Order? Or is he doing Chiss Ascendancy stuff?
Quote from: celedhring on August 14, 2021, 08:34:38 AM
Because Imperial secret bases built inside mountains is such a novel concept in the Star Wars universe :lol:
yeah, they should go for the space fortresses instead :P
So, the episode guide on the official Star Wars page is online, and as usual has concept art etc. In the concept art the place is actually called Mt Tantiss :lol:
Quote from: celedhring on August 13, 2021, 09:06:51 AM
Once more, I love the visuals in this show. Lots of cool stuff with the water and the lightning (much better than CWs Calamari eps, for example).
I also had Bioshock vibes :lol:
Incidentally, the "Part 1 of 4" thing looks like it was a typo on Disney+ Spain's part, they have changed it to 2 parts.
The finale was a bit disappointing for me, really just an add on to part 1. Would have been better to end the season with part 1 and then start season two with part 2, now there is now cliff hanger and not no real indication of where they are going with this. They have lost there way a bit. They spent most of the season building up who the kid was, a few episodes where bounty hunters were after her, and now - meh its all for nothing.
So, following his stroke it's official that Tom Kane will retire.
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E-9wkLXXEBICkD_?format=png&name=small)
He's been an incredibly prolific voice actor: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0437454/
And one of the staples of Star Wars games and animation; see his Wookieepedia page for his Star Wars works: https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Tom_Kane
Among many other things he was the voice of Yoda, Admiral Yularen, the narrator in Clone Wars, and many, many more.
:(
People found the knitted sweater that one Mon Calamari wore in Mandalorian on Amazon:
https://twitter.com/lightreyber/status/1437214915534622720?s=20
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E_IDWAsUcAEp8T-?format=jpg&name=small)
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E_IDWAsVUAA3bM4?format=jpg&name=small)
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E_IDWAwVQAIqcAd?format=jpg&name=small)
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E_IDWBsVIAI-om2?format=jpg&name=small)
Stars Visions is out! Watched the first couple eps. The first one is a super-stylized (and awesome) samurai flick with lightsabers. Second one is cute.
So Star Wars Visions is out. A bunch of Manga studios were asked to do a short Star Wars animation, and generally given free reign.
I just watched The Duel by Kamikaze Douga (probably best known for JoJo's Bizarre Adventures).
It's a story old as time: village gets attacked by bandits, Ronin steps in to save the day.
Only they went fully old school with the visuals:
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E_4n1K-VQAMYeun?format=jpg&name=medium)
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E_4n1LIVIAgeWoF?format=jpg&name=medium)
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E_4n1K-UcAUk1D4?format=jpg&name=medium)
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E_4n1LAVgAIdEHk?format=jpg&name=medium)
:wub:
(black borders are because my screengrabber sucks)
Finished it! Favorite ones were The Duel, The Elder, and The Ninth Jedi. Heck, I would watch a whole show of the latter one.
As usual with these anthology shows there's a lot of ups and downs, but the whole "take Star Wars and do whatever you want with it, canon be damned" was pretty refreshing.
Finished up myself. I watched in Japanese with subtitles, but will certainly rewatch in English.
I agree that The Duel, The Elder, and The Ninth Jedi were there best. And my immediate reaction to 9th Jedi was also, "Yes, please give me a show based on this!" Great self contained story but also works as an excellent pilot :D
The Duel: As pointed out in the screengrabs - a callback to old timey Akira Kurosawa who was a major inspiration for Star Wars. I mean, just look at the respective title screens of Yojimbo and The Duel:
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E_8m3o_XEAUHds2?format=png&name=small)
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E_8m-k4XoAE0Ht5?format=jpg&name=small)
Very classic "Ronin saves village from bandits", but very well executed, and with a compelling art style - black and white with dashes of color (lights, blaster shots, lightsabers). Interestingly, there will be a novel about the Ronin character (called "Ronin") coming out some time soon.
Tatooine Rhapsody: Boba Fett is tasked with apprehending a young Hutt who plays in a rock band and bring him to Jabba for execution. Silly little story, with a fun rock soundtrack. Loved seeing the Mos Espa pod racing arena again.
The Twins: Twin brother and sister, dark force users, duel on a twin star destroyer over a powerful crystal - the sister wants to use it for evil, he wants to prevent that. Visually I thought this was really cool, but overall lacked substance.
The Village Bride: Bandits terrorize a village (sound familiar? :P ) in the aftermath of the Clone Wars. The village chief's daughter is willing to sacrifice herself to save the village. A lost Padawan saves the day. I think I would have liked this one better if I had seen it before The Duel, because the premise is similar, and while it's well done The Duel just seems to do this so much better.
The Ninth Jedi: Some time in the distant future. The Jedi are scattered throughout the galaxy. Light sabers have passed into myth. A mysterious figure assembles a handful of stray Jedi, promising them lightsabers that have been created by a saber smith with the kyber crystals found on the planet. Cool visuals, an interesting premise and some nice twists. This was great, and felt like a pilot to a show (that I would gladly watch).
T0-B1: Star Wars Pinocchio by way of Astro Boy. Retro art style and a synth soundtrack in the style of Isao Tomita ( :wub: ) make this the arthouse entry to the anthology. A droid helps an old guy who tries to turn (what appears to be) Tatooine into a lush landscape. The droid himself dreams of becoming a Jedi. An inquisitor shows up and kills the old man. The droid later continues his work, manages to turn the planet into a garden, defeats the inquisitor in a tight battle and learns to use the force.
The Elder: Fun story about a master and an apprentice, sometime before Phantom Menace, probably, sensing a dark presence on a planet and investigating. They're faced with an old dark side user who they have to fight to the death. Besides the action it adds a theme of transience and all existence being transitory. Loved it. Would watch more of the master/apprentice having adventures - they had pretty good chemistry. :)
Lop & Ocho: An (adopted) ruling family is torn between supporting or resisting the Empire, embracing tradition or technological progress. It sees daughter turn against father and sisters against each other. Strong Meiji restoration vibes. :) It wasn't quite good, I thought, but the ending was ... there? It sets itself up for a sequel, but as it is feels incomplete (unlike 9th Jedi which can easily stand on its own).
Akakiri: The playlist order starts with a Kurosawa homage and ends with one. A Jedi has visions of death and killing that draw him to a planet where he grew attached to a certain princess. The princess is removed from power by a usurper. They make their way to the fortress with two comic relief peasants. It's clearly inspired by Hidden Fortress, in which a general, a princess and two peasants have to make their perilous way and which greatly inspired George Lucas for Star Wars (the peasants took the form of C-3PO and R2-D2, and the peasants in this one have similar body shapes to the two droids). The story revolves around destiny and choice, and ... I did not expect the ending. Really liked this one.
In retrospect I think I would have liked a few more stories without Jedi or lightsaber duels (I had flashbacks to watching fan films on TheForce.net in the early 00s which featured MANY lightsaber fights :D ). :P
It's official, we lost WW2. We stamped out Japanese militarism yet somehow allowed this to flourish.
LEGO Star Wars Terrifying Tales
Bit of a mixed bag. It goes the Simpsons' Treehouse of Horror route with a silly framing story and vignettes that spoof horror media.
The framing is Poe Dameron crashlanding his X-Wing on Mustafar and runnning into a Hutt who's converting Vader's Castle into a hotel resort (just go with it). Meanwhile, Vader's lackey (from Rogue One) has plans of his own and tells three stories.
One is about Ben Solo joining the Knights of Ren, as a parody of the Lost Boys.
Next is Spider Darth Maul and General Grievous rushing to find a legendary Sith artifact for Palpatine.
And finally The Monkey's Wookiee's Paw as a "What If" in which Luke leaves the farm to go to the academy and join the Empire.
Those three and the framing so far were quite fun.
Unfortunately, the action finale felt quite generic and "meh". Without that I would have liked it a lot better.
It's weird how the animation quality of Bad Batch is basically on the level of the end of Attack of the Clones at this point. :hmm:
(https://starwarsblog.starwars.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/attack-of-the-clones.jpg)
Not a high bar. The battle of Geonosis in AOTC is a total eyesore with all the CGI clone troopers.
That's true. :D Not to mention the classic "let's all run at each other and shoot guns" strategy they use. :D
They did better mocap for ROTS.
Pablo Hidalgo on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/pabl0hidalgo/status/1449583375941918725?s=20
Basically, the Darksaber was originally supposed to be a vibroblade, with the model similar to the KOTOR swords. However, at the last moment Lucas said he didn't want vibroblades to be able to deflect lightsabers. It was too late to change the model, so they changed the visual effects and voila: Darksaber. :D
Looks like no new Star Wars movies on the horizon. The only thing going right now is the Waititi movie which is super-early in development and looks like doesn't even have a script yet.
The article doesn't mention the movie that was being produced by Kevin Feige, but "Marvel Star Wars" is not something I'm really looking forward to.
Quote
Rogue Squadron Might Not Be the Only Star Wars Movie in Trouble Due to Creative Differences
Patty Jenkins' Rogue Squadron movie has reportedly been shelved due to creative differences and it may not be the only one. Here's the latest on Rian Johnson's Star Wars trilogy...
By John Saavedra
|
November 15, 2021
|
Disney+ Day might have been a letdown for Star Wars fans hoping for lots of big updates about Lucasfilm's upcoming slate of space adventures, but that doesn't mean we didn't get big news last week. It was just bad news: Rogue Squadron, the standalone Star Wars movie set to be directed by Patty Jenkins (Wonder Woman) for a 2023 release, has reportedly been delayed indefinitely.
THR reported last week that the delay came down to Jenkins' busy schedule. Her other commitments, including the upcoming Wonder Woman 3, which she will direct for Warner Bros., will prevent her from shooting Rogue Squadron next year in time for a big screen bow in 2023. According to the outlet, there was a hope that once Jenkins scheduled cleared up she'd be back to finish what she started with Matthew Robinson (Love and Monsters), who was writing the script.
But a follow up report by former THR editor Matthew Belloni, writing for Puck News, asserts there are bigger problems behind the scenes than Jenkins' packed schedule. Yes, like several other Disney era Star Wars projects before it, it sounds like Rogue Squadron was delayed due to creative differences.
"I talked to a few insiders this week that said the real culprit was the dreaded 'creative differences'; specifically, Jenkins couldn't agree on the script with Lucasfilm executives, including senior V.P. Michelle Rejwan," writes Belloni. "Jenkins wasn't willing to dick around, and she has other projects, notably Wonder Woman 3 at Warner Bros., where she enjoys more creative freedom."
It's unclear if Jenkins has left the project altogether at this time, but Lucasfilm is no stranger to high-profile breakups with A-list filmmakers. Most famously, the studio parted ways with Phil Lord and Chris Miller while they were filming Solo: A Star Wars Story, and brought in Ron Howard to finish the movie, which remains the franchise's biggest failure at the box office, earning less than $400 million globally. Lucasfilm's collaboration with director Colin Trevorrow on Episode IX also ended prematurely due to creative differences, leading to the return of J.J. Abrams and The Rise of Skywalker.
Citing Hollywood agents, Belloni says the reason for Lucasfilm's tumultuous track record is that "top filmmakers are dying to make a Star Wars movie—until they sign on and experience the micromanagement and plot-point-by-committee process."
Like Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm seems to value the voice of the many over the vision of a singular storyteller, with the buck stopping at Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, who has led the Star Wars franchise to over $6 billion at the box office over five movies, but hasn't always been a popular steward for the saga among a certain group of fans for various reasons. All the trouble behind the scenes since the Disney takeover in 2012 hasn't helped.
Most recently, Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss exited their own Star Wars project, a new trilogy of films that would have reportedly explored the origin of the Jedi. And Belloni asserts that one other project has been quietly "shelved" due to creative differences, too.
"It also happened to Rian Johnson," reveals Belloni, "whose own planned trilogy was shelved."
The trilogy that was announced in 2017 ahead of the release of The Last Jedi has been the subject of heavy speculation over the past few years, but Lucasfilm has said very little about the project since the original announcement. Despite whispers about these movies being shelved, Johnson has reassured fans several times that his trilogy is still in development.
"No it isn't true, I'm still working on the trilogy," said Johnson in response to rumors that the trilogy had been canceled in 2019.
At the time, Johnson spoke more in-depth about his approach to developing a new Star Wars trilogy that captured the spirit of George Lucas' original movies, telling Observer, "I think that the fun and challenging part of it is to dive in, figure out what's exciting and then figure out what it's going to be," Johnson said. "We're doing something that steps beyond the legacy characters. What does that look like? To me, the blue sky element of it is what was most striking about it. I know the way that I'm coming at it and what's fun about it for everyone in George Lucas' films is figuring out, 'what's the next step?' It really makes you think and figure out what the essence of Star Wars is for me and what that will look like moving forward."
But the rumors of Johnson's exit have continued.
Earlier this year, Johnson confirmed to author Sariah Wilson in an interview that he was still working on new Star Wars movies.
"Yes, Rian's Star Wars trilogy is still on," Wilson tweeted at the time. "No dates or timelines because he has other projects going on, but it is happening."
Whether these movies end up happening or not, Johnson is a bit busy at the moment with his Knives Out sequels for Netflix. The second movie is currently in production.
It's worth nothing that Kennedy didn't mention Johnson's trilogy during last year's Disney Investors Day event, where Rogue Squadron was first announced. During the broadcast, Kennedy also teased a mystery Star Wars movie from Taika Waititi (Thor: Love and Thunder), which is still in the early development stage.
"It's still in the 'EXT. SPACE' stage. But we've got a story. I'm really excited by it because it feels very me," Waititi told Wired in August. "I tend to go down that little sincerity alleyway in my films. I like to fool the viewer into thinking 'ha it's this' and then them going, 'Damn it, you made me feel something!'"
If the Jenkins and Johnson reports are true, Waititi's movie may be the only hope of seeing a Star Wars film on the big screen any time soon. Unless those Old Republic movie rumors are true...
Check out the full schedule of upcoming Star Wars movie and TV releases here.
I feel part of the "creative differences" may be the Filoni-verse (I'm hyperbolic). There's an increasing amount of continuity between all Star Wars content (movies, shows, books, comics, games ...), and I feel this is maybe starting to weigh down the creative process.
Can't see many of the upcoming shows encroaching on a "Top Gun in Space" movie set in the rebellion era, besides super-basic continuity stuff. And I suspect they're pretty willing to retcon books/comics/games. They have already done that on occasion.
I think it's just Disney being Disney.
I wonder why Disney insists on getting top directors for their projects when they don't intend to give them barely any artistic freedom at all and the whole thing will be micromanaged to hell and back. Isn't it better to just get a competent workhorse? I mean, ask almost any fan and they won't be able to tell you the names of the directors of The Empire Strikes Back or The Return of the Jedi, or they'll say that Lucas directed them.
I think they might be over-concerned to make sure "it feels like Star Wars", i.e. maintaining a certain look and feel. See the backlash against Rian Johnson's movie which, for all its faults, introduced some rather interesting ideas and visuals and tried to subvert certain tropes (infiltration gone wrong, "special" bloodlines etc.).
In a way, Visions was a breath of fresh air because it gave studios a lot of freedom and they ran with it.
Quote from: The Larch on November 16, 2021, 05:47:32 AM
I wonder why Disney insists on getting top directors for their projects when they don't intend to give them barely any artistic freedom at all and the whole thing will be micromanaged to hell and back. Isn't it better to just get a competent workhorse? I mean, ask almost any fan and they won't be able to tell you the names of the directors of The Empire Strikes Back or The Return of the Jedi, or they'll say that Lucas directed them.
Irving Kershner (TESB director) was Lucas' teacher at USC :lol:
As an alumni of an American film school, I can see the fingerprints of that system all over TESB. In a good way.
Quote from: celedhring on November 16, 2021, 09:46:02 AM
Quote from: The Larch on November 16, 2021, 05:47:32 AM
I wonder why Disney insists on getting top directors for their projects when they don't intend to give them barely any artistic freedom at all and the whole thing will be micromanaged to hell and back. Isn't it better to just get a competent workhorse? I mean, ask almost any fan and they won't be able to tell you the names of the directors of The Empire Strikes Back or The Return of the Jedi, or they'll say that Lucas directed them.
Irving Kershner (TESB director) was Lucas' teacher at USC :lol:
As an alumni of an American film school, I can see the fingerprints of that system all over TESB. In a good way.
Such as? You can't just say that and not explain yourself. :P
Quote from: The Larch on November 16, 2021, 09:49:48 AM
Quote from: celedhring on November 16, 2021, 09:46:02 AM
Quote from: The Larch on November 16, 2021, 05:47:32 AM
I wonder why Disney insists on getting top directors for their projects when they don't intend to give them barely any artistic freedom at all and the whole thing will be micromanaged to hell and back. Isn't it better to just get a competent workhorse? I mean, ask almost any fan and they won't be able to tell you the names of the directors of The Empire Strikes Back or The Return of the Jedi, or they'll say that Lucas directed them.
Irving Kershner (TESB director) was Lucas' teacher at USC :lol:
As an alumni of an American film school, I can see the fingerprints of that system all over TESB. In a good way.
Such as? You can't just say that and not explain yourself. :P
Ah, just the way scenes are shot and constructed. It's all super textbook, very deliberate. I can almost hear my college teachers when I watch that movie. :P
Rian Johnson should not be left near a SW film ever again.
He does not understand Star Wars at all.
Patty Jenkins is a good (even excellent) director, but I suspect she wanted the hero of her movie, or Rogue Squadron's leader to be a female pilot, and Disney likely thought they have had enough with Rey in the last trilogy.
Disney isn't known for its daring, hyper original stories. Jenkins may have pushed for some "riskier" stuff that was a big no for Disney. I feel like they should give them more leeway, like Lucas Arts did for the book authors, but make sure there is continuity in the stuff.
Quote from: viper37 on November 16, 2021, 01:00:42 PMPatty Jenkins is a good (even excellent) director, but I suspect she wanted the hero of her movie, or Rogue Squadron's leader to be a female pilot, and Disney likely thought they have had enough with Rey in the last trilogy.
Why do you make up such mysoginistic crap? When the project was announced she said that for her it was a way to pay hommage to his father, who was a jet fighter pilot.
And Rian Johnson's film was by far the best of the new trilogy, it would have been much better if he had been in charge of it all instead of JJ Abrams.
Quote from: The Larch on November 16, 2021, 01:04:50 PM
Quote from: viper37 on November 16, 2021, 01:00:42 PMPatty Jenkins is a good (even excellent) director, but I suspect she wanted the hero of her movie, or Rogue Squadron's leader to be a female pilot, and Disney likely thought they have had enough with Rey in the last trilogy.
Why do you make up such mysoginistic crap? When the project was announced she said that for her it was a way to pay hommage to his father, who was a jet fighter pilot.
And Rian Johnson's film was by far the best of the new trilogy, it would have been much better if he had been in charge of it all instead of JJ Abrams.
Word.
Actully though it might have been much better if ANYONE was in charge of all, instead of just making it up as they went.
Quote from: Barrister on November 16, 2021, 01:17:49 PMQuote from: The Larch on November 16, 2021, 01:04:50 PMAnd Rian Johnson's film was by far the best of the new trilogy, it would have been much better if he had been in charge of it all instead of JJ Abrams.
Word.
Actully though it might have been much better if ANYONE was in charge of all, instead of just making it up as they went.
I still can't wrap my mind around the fact that they did not have the whole trilogy at the very least fully plotted out before they started shooting it. That the last movie was more or less made up on the fly is nothing short of flabbergasting.
I know the original trilogy was indeed made up as they went, but they didn't know it'd be such a massive success before they started shooting.
As a leafs fan i long ago learned that there's no incentive for a company to do a good job if they're going to make money anyway.
Quote from: HVC on November 16, 2021, 02:02:23 PM
As a leafs fan i long ago learned that there's no incentive for a company to do a good job if they're going to make money anyway.
But they have all kinds of incentives. They were going to crank out multiple Star Wars movies per year. But instead each movie in the trilogy made less than the one before, and no Star Wars movies have come out since TROS.
I also don't understand why TROS had such a definitive ending, and didn't just set up for more movies in that era. Instead all the content coming out it set in the time period prior to the new movies.
Quote from: The Larch on November 16, 2021, 01:04:50 PM
Quote from: viper37 on November 16, 2021, 01:00:42 PMPatty Jenkins is a good (even excellent) director, but I suspect she wanted the hero of her movie, or Rogue Squadron's leader to be a female pilot, and Disney likely thought they have had enough with Rey in the last trilogy.
Why do you make up such mysoginistic crap? When the project was announced she said that for her it was a way to pay hommage to his father, who was a jet fighter pilot.
It's not mysoginistic. I would have loved to see her movie. With or without female super pilots. With or without subtle hints at feminism.
I just think she wanted a female heroine and Disney did not want to have another one. That's what amount to serious creative differences. I think some people at Disney see the success of the Mandalorian and the failure of the last movie (in SW speak...) as a way to confirm their bias that female-led movies underperform à the box office.* That's the reason why it took so long to make a Black Widow movie, because female led action movies tend to underperform at the box office. And I'm guessing that, even with the pandemic going on, BW's numbers weren't that great, so they don't want to take any chances on that.
It is my opinion based on her previous interviews to Wonder Woman and the reaction of the ultra feminist crowd. It does not mean I would not enjoy her movie, whatever way she choses to make it.
As soon as she accepted to make a SW movie, she had to know there would be a lot more micro-management in a continuous universe across many medias than in a self contained DC movie.
Quote
And Rian Johnson's film was by far the best of the new trilogy, it would have been much better if he had been in charge of it all instead of JJ Abrams.
Rian Johnson does not understand Star Wars.
Bombers are heavily shielded and armored. They shouldn't be destroyed by a single hit from a Tie. Also, a commander won't send a bomber squad unescorted, or with only one X-Wing, no matter how good the pilot is, as an escort.
You can't travel to a far away planet on the other end of the galaxy and be back in time for dinner when you left at 5 before 11. Space travel isn't a Stargate, it's hyperspace in this universe, faster than light is not instantaneous.
The whole scene at the casino was stupid.
Luke Skywalker acted stupidly through this entire film, beginning with him throwing away his lightsaber.
The battlecruiser crashing through another one a lightspeed was the least stupid thing of the movie.
You can't communicate in real time with the Force, it isn't telepathy. You can only communicate impressions. Over far distance, you can only do it with someone whom you are very familiar with, like a master and his/her apprentice.
The Force does not let you act through objects that are distant and let you teleport them to you magicallyé
The post-credit scene with the kids was totally meaningless.
And so on and so on.
Is it a better movie than part 9? Yes, absolutely. But we ain't raising the bar very high. It's worst than #7, whose only flaw was its total lack of imagination.
*They do under-perform, that is true, but I believe it's more a question of material given than the character's gender. Also, there ain't many female-led action movies, so it's easier to spot one that fails compared to the many male-led action movies that went dud.
Ahsoka show news are pouring in. They have cast Sabine, and they are starting to shoot on March 2022. I assume Thrawn is going to be in it, and I hope they do cast Mikkelsen, his portrayal in Rebels was just fantastic.
I read that Hayden Christensen is also set to appear. Anakin force ghost, I presume? Or Clone-Wars era flashbacks...
I'm betting on Clone Wars flashbacks.
To the surprise of no one Rangers of the New Republic has been canned. Apparently they didn't even get to script phase.
https://gizmodo.com/star-wars-spinoff-rangers-of-the-new-republic-is-super-1848124833
This is absurdly adorable :lol:
https://www.brothers-brick.com/2021/12/11/__trashed-10/
Fabuland was my first Lego in 1979 or 80. :)
(https://i.postimg.cc/GmVrjTRn/image.png)
https://twitter.com/ATRightMovies/status/1473367673593483265?s=20
I don't think anyone but me and Zanza here will know of Ilja Richter (the German TV personality who was seemingly on screen all the time in the 70s and up till mid-80s). :D
First episode of Book of Boba is fine. It looks like the show will jump between his sojourn in Tatooine after escaping the Sarlacc Pit and Star Wars Godfather (on that regard, I love Japanese homages in Star Wars but the "Daimyo" title he's been bestowed as crime lord is pretty on the nose).
They are definitely making Boba a good-ish guy, with the show going out of the way to show he doesn't want to rule with fear. Young Boba wasn't really too bloodthirsty in Clone Wars, but I hope the Tatooine flashbacks show a little more of why he's so cuddly.
Temuera looks noticeably fitter compared to how he looked in Mandalorian. I mean, he's still got the dad bod, but he looks incredible for being 60...
I liked the first episode. Oddly, the action bits left me a bit underwhelmed.
That said, I loved the world building in this (and the music which seems a mix between Mandalorian chants and spaghetti western soundtrack).
Random things I liked:
- the Jawa "dialogue" was largely lifted from A New Hope, and I'm not sure if I should be worried that I recognized a lot of them so readily
- the chill mediterranean rendition of the cantina song from A New Hope
- the detail in the city scenes - it would have been easy to keep the camera up close in action scenes and not add much background, but you can almost always see bits of the city in the background, busy streets underneath etc. adding to the feeling that this is a real place
- the voice of the droid at the start sounded familiar ... it's Matt Berry; I didn't recognize him at first because he's much more Marvin the Paranoid Android than his usual bombastic self :lol: I hope they keep doing such droid cameos (like Richard Ayoade in Mandalorian)
Edit: Oh, the Rodian. He speaks Huttese, of course, and while it's difficult to make out many words, we hear "sleemo" (which we know as insult from Star Wars Ep. I) and another he repeats is "stoopa" - I recognized it from Ben Burtt's "Galactic Phrase Book & Travel Guide" from 2001 (one of the few Star Wars books I retain, excellently illustrated by Sergio Aragones) where it means "fool".
Also, happy to see a Tatooine swoop bike gang (introduced originally in Shadows of the Empire). :lol:
Ditto regarding the action scenes.
[spoiler]The fight against the energy shield ninjas was a bit dumb, indeed. And I feel that somebody as seasoned as Fett should kinda have known better than to try his flamethrower while boxed in. But it also featured Shand being ruthlessly efficient, which is something I always have time for. The reptilian centaur fight was pretty meh[/spoiler].
Also, silly detail that I probably have missed in the past, but it's the first time I notice *coins* in current canon Star Wars. I'd say all previous forms of currency have been chips of square/rectangular shapes.
Quote from: celedhring on December 29, 2021, 08:31:37 AM
Also, silly detail that I probably have missed in the past, but it's the first time I notice *coins* in current canon Star Wars. I'd say all previous forms of currency have been chips of square/rectangular shapes.
Good point. There were round coins in the casino at Canto Bight, but those might have been casino chips.
ScreenCrush has a good video about references and connections of the first episode: https://youtu.be/1-vL_WwFOyw (though not sure if it's actually EVERY easter egg and reference - title may be hyperbolical :P )
Like him I did feel sometimes reminded of the desert scenes in The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly during some of Boba Fett's flashbacks.
That was my same thought exactly. Particularly when he's tied and dragged by the tuskens.
Watching the video and the words "Robert Rodríguez, one of my all-time favorite directors" should disqualify him from running a film youtube channel.
Quote from: celedhring on December 30, 2021, 10:26:22 AM
Watching the video and the words "Robert Rodríguez, one of my all-time favorite directors" should disqualify him from running a film youtube channel.
:lol:
He made good some points about the similarities to the Ten Commandments, though.
Syt, are you familiar with the new Zahn Thrawn books? Are they good? Wondering about buying them for my brother as holiday present, he loved the old Thrawn trilogy.
I watched Boba Fett last night. That was a steaming pile of trash.
Quote from: celedhring on December 30, 2021, 03:23:21 PM
Syt, are you familiar with the new Zahn Thrawn books? Are they good? Wondering about buying them for my brother as holiday present, he loved the old Thrawn trilogy.
I read the first one. I don't like Zahn's style of writing, so I didn't continue. There's only so much frowning and furrowing of brows and murmuring I can take during a story. I also felt his Thrawn was a bit too much like Cumberbatch's Sherlock (including his own Watson style character) who is hyper-competent and planning his five-dimensional chess moves ten steps ahead of everyone else. The first book also has a parallel story of how Governor Pryce (from Rebels) rose through the ranks which I actually liked.
YMMV. :P
You make it sound like it'll fall into "I shouldn't like this, but I do" category. :P
Quote from: Habbaku on December 30, 2021, 03:28:04 PM
I watched Boba Fett last night. That was a steaming pile of trash.
You sound like someone who hasn't seen Star Wars since the mid 90s.
K.
My only fear is that they try to do The Mandalorian without Mando - the western vibes, the same-ish music... - which just won't work. I hope they let Boba get its own thing, Godfather in space could be fun.
At any rate, Temuera Morrison's ad for aPolynesian Spas makes a lot more sense now (call it foreshadowing). :P
(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/21HKBw449bE/hqdefault.jpg)
https://youtu.be/21HKBw449bE
Quote from: celedhring on December 31, 2021, 02:40:13 AM
My only fear is that they try to do The Mandalorian without Mando - the western vibes, the same-ish music... - which just won't work. I hope they let Boba get its own thing, Godfather in space could be fun.
It does surely have some western vibes, but I'm a sucker for space westerns, so I can live with that (I mean, his dad was called Jango FFS). I'm curious where they will take the direction. It's only 7 episodes, and if they keep narrating the 5 years since ROTJ as flashbacks, I'm half wondering if it would have been served better as two feature length films - one filling the gaps between ROTJ and Mando, the other telling the post Mando part. Since we're apparently heading towards some sort of overarching climax that will have Mando, Fett and Ahsoka converging in some way, I would assume this is the story of Fett aquiring a power base that will come into play later on in either battling Thrawn or settling the fate of Mandalore (or both). Kind of like Maul's creation of Crimson Dawn in Clone Wars, maybe, but with a more good guy character leading it, and overcoming more resistance (I mean, Maul basically walks up to the crime lords, kills some of them and that makes them fall in line).
Saw some speculation about the sand people we see in the episode (which dress notably different from what we've seen in the movies and Mandalorian). Some speculate they might be influenced by a comics story - Vader did return to Tatooine, and apparently while there slaughtered some more Tuskens for good measure. Some survivors of the massacre started worshipping him as some sort of warrior god, with effigies and stuff. I find it doubtful that they'd make such a reference in the show (they would have to explain that to viewers at some point, because the vast majority - me included - doesn't follow the comics). Star Wars Explained said he didn't expect it to be confirmed on show but that it might become a throw-away line in a visual dictionary or something (which are technically considered canon). But I do wonder if we will get some more info on why these guys have a more bad ass look than the "generic" Tuskens, but my guess is that the main reason is "to make them more visually interesting", to be able to discern standing within the tribe etc.
I've seen a fair lot of people wonder who the unfortunate stormtrooper at the start of the episode is. It seems people have been trained to expect all kinds of connections to non-live action material at this point. I think it's cool when those connections happen (Cobb Vanth was a huge one for me, putting a cool minor side character from a series of vignettes within a novel on screen), but I also don't want the series to fall into the trap that everything showing up is a reference to something somewhere. That happens already A LOT in Star Wars. Sure, you can wave it away as "The Will Of The Force", and the mythical character of the original movies (including the prequels, and sequels if you want to be charitable), with myths and legends also having quite closed off systems of characters interacting with each other, but I feel outside of "the main movies" it has less of a place, unless the story is meant to specifically tie into the "main saga". I thought Rebels managed that well, establishing a lot of new stuff (both characters, but also as to how the Force works and what it can do) without getting too bogged down by the "main story" so to speak. Where movie characters or from other shows showed up their appearance was either brief (Leia, Lando) or as major catalysts for the story that didn't become part of the main cast (Vader, Maul, Ahsoka), or made sense in context of the story (Rex, Wolffe, Gregor). But the main story arc was carried by the main cast of the show.
SFGate* agrees with Hab. Found the show "worse than polio".
*NHOI before
Quote from: celedhring on December 30, 2021, 03:23:21 PM
Syt, are you familiar with the new Zahn Thrawn books? Are they good? Wondering about buying them for my brother as holiday present, he loved the old Thrawn trilogy.
They are very good books, with the caveat that I find Thrawn to be borderline invincible in this series, so the effect of surprise is kinda gone whenever he shows up in a battle. Not that the author would kill his character, but sometimes, just sometimes, I'd like him to face these "impossible"* odds and be forced to execute a retreat.
I do like however that you are far away from the Republic, the rebellion, the Empire(s). It's a totally new society to explore, a totally new culture based on the doctrine of not firing the first shot (which is at odds with Thrawn's own philosophy or preemptive strikes).
*It is stated in the books Thrawn does not believe in impossible odds.
Quote from: viper37 on December 31, 2021, 09:57:30 PMI find Thrawn to be borderline invincible in this series, so the effect of surprise is kinda gone whenever he shows up in a battle. Not that the author would kill his character, but sometimes, just sometimes, I'd like him to face these "impossible"* odds and be forced to execute a retreat.
And people complain about Rey being a Mary Sue character. :P
Also, Sophie Thatcher's character in the latest BoBF trailer looked familiar:
(https://bespinbulletin.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/img_9016.jpg)
(https://static.kino.de/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Ally-rcm0x450u.jpg)
Same haircut but different fashion sense. Where is the second pic from?
Quote from: Habbaku on December 30, 2021, 03:28:04 PM
I watched Boba Fett last night. That was a steaming pile of trash.
I don't know it was a steaming pile of trash...but it was a bit dull.
Isn't that Psellus' sister?
Quote from: Eddie Teach on January 02, 2022, 07:09:13 AM
Same haircut but different fashion sense. Where is the second pic from?
The Breakfast Club? :huh:
Quote from: Syt on January 02, 2022, 10:13:42 AM
Quote from: Eddie Teach on January 02, 2022, 07:09:13 AM
Same haircut but different fashion sense. Where is the second pic from?
The Breakfast Club? :huh:
Psellus' sister was in The Breakfast Club? :huh:
:huh:
You should maybe just re-read the posts. Nothing posted has implied that Sophie Thatcher was in The Breakfast Club.
Quote from: Habbaku on January 02, 2022, 03:01:08 PM
Nothing posted has implied that Sophie Thatcher was in The Breakfast Club.
Sixteen Candles then?
I reached out to Psellus on Facebook when he moved to Vienna asking if he'd like to go for coffee some time, but he ignored me. :(
Quote from: Habbaku on January 02, 2022, 03:01:08 PM
You should maybe just re-read the posts. Nothing posted has implied that Sophie Thatcher was in The Breakfast Club.
I was being funny.
Quote from: Syt on January 03, 2022, 11:15:43 AM
I reached out to Psellus on Facebook when he moved to Vienna asking if he'd like to go for coffee some time, but he ignored me. :(
Depending on the time, dude was maybe on one of his withdrawal periods. He's been pretty up and down the past year.
Quote from: Syt on January 02, 2022, 02:47:31 AM
Quote from: viper37 on December 31, 2021, 09:57:30 PMI find Thrawn to be borderline invincible in this series, so the effect of surprise is kinda gone whenever he shows up in a battle. Not that the author would kill his character, but sometimes, just sometimes, I'd like him to face these "impossible"* odds and be forced to execute a retreat.
And people complain about Rey being a Mary Sue character. :P
meh. It is the way it is. Rambo goes on an entire Russian platoon on horseback with a M-16, gets on unscathed, it's as expected. But a woman can't do those things, no, that just isn't possible. :sleep:
:P
We should hold Star Wars to higher standards than Rambo. Hell, we should hold Rambo to higher standards.
Book of Boba ep 2. Still don't care much for the Dances with Tuskens parts (and the show does care much for them...). Regarding the crime lord timeline: [spoiler]Black Krrsantan[/spoiler] :w00t:
Quote from: Eddie Teach on January 03, 2022, 10:52:39 PM
We should hold Star Wars to higher standards than Rambo. Hell, we should hold Rambo to higher standards.
The only thing that really differs is that the second movie in the Star Wars trilogy (ep V) was good.
Quote from: celedhring on January 05, 2022, 09:59:00 AM
Book of Boba ep 2. Still don't care much for the Dances with Tuskens parts (and the show does care much for them...). Regarding the crime lord timeline: [spoiler]Black Krrsantan[/spoiler] :w00t:
I liked this episode a lot better than the previous one. Though I didn't expect that the flashback ten or so minutes in would be ... the rest of the episode. :D I still think they should have done things in chronological order. Maybe there will be an alternate cut at some point. At the moment the pacing is really, really weird for me. Or perhaps this will head to a point where the two plots will meaningfully converge (e.g. Boba getting his ass kicked and going back to his tribe to recover).
[spoiler]It's going very Dances with Banthas with the flashback and I actually rolled my eyes when I realized they did the "train passengers shoot natives and bisons as drive-by" thing. But I came around to it for several reasons. Mostly it was a fun action scene that transported many wild west train heist tropes quite well to the setting. But I love train heists! And it had the Pykes (who I always enjoy seeing in Star Wars)! It had the awesome train conductor droid! :D The episode goes a bit through the joining/being accepted into the tribe tropes you have in these kinds of stories which are not very innovative, but I thought they were ok. I liked the introduction of the weaponsmith(?), because a nagging question is how the Tuskens fashion their weapons (or for that matter, their mask implements, considering they seem to burn their dead with them). They scavenge stuff, have some basic tools ... good enough for me. I did like that they confirmed that the planet used to have oceans which has been part of Tatooine's backstory in Legends, with different versions (most people might recall the story told by the Tuskens in KotOR). [/spoiler]
Also, it's a bit of a weird and lucky coincidence that they cast someone 20+ years ago as the "Clone Dad" of Boba Fett who has experience using the real life weapon the Tusken gaffi sticks are based on. :D
And I loved going to Tosche Station and caught up with Camie and Fixer (not putting this in spoilers since this was known from the trailers). People were joking before that maybe there'd be a bunch of dusty power converters that never got picked up. I was quite impressed that they managed to re-cast Luke's old friends quite well. Which is extra fan-service-y, since the whole sequence at Tosche Station was famously cut from the original movie (I first saw it when it was included in the ca. 2000 multimedia CD from LucasArts called "Behind the Magic" which included the scenes, plus cut scenes from the beginning of the movie of Luke watching the opening space battle, and an alternate cut of the cantina scene - some of these made it into the fanmade "Star Wars Grindhouse Cut" that I thought was a quite interesting take by removing any reference to the Force and using e.g. Isao Tomita for a soundtrack; that Lucas was apparently quite impressed with the effort).
Anyways, these were the original Camie and Fixer:
(https://starwarsataglance.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/camie1.jpg)
(https://i.pinimg.com/736x/00/f8/8c/00f88c649fe3e5b78c7d921682e94edc--star-wars-episode-iv-star-wars-love.jpg)
The present day stuff was all right. Some new interesting developments but not much progress. I like they added [spoiler]Black Krrsantan[/spoiler] from the comics, but I always found his look a bit too cartoony. Then again, Boba is running around with two Gamorreans in their undies, so what do I know :P I did enjoy the [spoiler]Hutt using a little furry creature as a sweat sponge[/spoiler]. :lol:
The creature probably didn't enjoy it so much.
I was wondering why [spoiler]the assassin guy was totally ready to die, but apparently not by rancor.[/spoiler]
Quote from: Solmyr on January 06, 2022, 02:13:17 AM
I was wondering why [spoiler]the assassin guy was totally ready to die, but apparently not by rancor.[/spoiler]
Quick painless death vs slow agonizing death, maybe?
Anyways, here's my predictions for the arc:
[spoiler]The mayor and Twi'lek Jennifer Beals are already working with the Hutts (which is why they're so bemusedly dismissive to Fett). The Hutts outmaneuver Fett (who as we see is not doing well playing politics yet) and run him out of town. Fennec saves his life (so they're even), and they go to "his" Tusken tribe to recover and regroup. Then launch an assault on the Hutts (with the Tuskens) and take over for real. Also, Black Krrsantan ends up working with/for Fett.
Alternative: Boba of Arabia, who unites the
Arab Tusken tribes against the
Ottomans off-worlders. :P[/spoiler]
I like your alternate suggestion :P
Quote from: viper37 on January 07, 2022, 04:39:05 PM
I like your alternate suggestion :P
I mean the scene of [spoiler]the Tuskens looting the train after the heist reminded me a lot of Lawrence of Arabia[/spoiler]. :P
Quote from: Syt on January 07, 2022, 04:52:37 PM
Quote from: viper37 on January 07, 2022, 04:39:05 PM
I like your alternate suggestion :P
I mean the scene of [spoiler]the Tuskens looting the train after the heist reminded me a lot of Lawrence of Arabia[/spoiler]. :P
I haven't seen that series yet. Later :)
The [spoiler]train scene[/spoiler] was cool but it made absolutely no sense :lol:
Quote from: celedhring on January 08, 2022, 03:22:53 AM
The [spoiler]train scene[/spoiler] was cool but it made absolutely no sense :lol:
[spoiler]I think it does a few things (besides being fun): sets up the Tuskens as something to be reckoned with. Them getting swoop bikes is an obvious parallel to American natives getting horses. But they will also probably draw more attention now. The Pyke Syndicate is running spice on Tattooine. Goes to show that with Jabba gone (and the Hutt Council having been "abolished" of sorts by Vader) other groups are trying to muscle in, with Tattooine becoming a much less stable place between biker gangs, syndicates, Tuskens etc. Boba gets a first taste of being in authority and being magnanimous (towards the Pykes). Might also set up the Pykes as potential future allies. Also, keep in mind he's doing all this without his armor. The lizard visions also seem to hint that he's trying to figure out who is really is, besides a clone of his father (both genetically and in how he earns his living, down to the armor he wears).
I feel that the answer to the question "why didn't he go after his armor sooner" might be that he felt that he didn't need it, or tried to break free from it. Why did he get it back in the end, anyways? There's probably an event that prompted it. Like, I don't know, the Tusken tribe being slaughtered and him being unable to stop it. So he retreats back into his shell, metaphorically and literally by getting into armor again. We ended the last episode on a high note for Boba and the Tuskens, so I feel we may be headed for disaster there very soon. :P[/spoiler]
Btw, it's been confirmed that Dave Filoni wrote the 6th (penultimate episode), so everyone on Twitter is going, "Cad Bane confirmed!!!" :lol:
That would be pretty fucking cool.
It would be damn time for live action Cad Bane - but I fear that with [spoiler]Black Krssantan they have already ticked the "cool guest bounty hunter" item off the checklist. [/spoiler]
Quote from: celedhring on January 08, 2022, 11:28:30 AM
It would be damn time for live action Cad Bane - but I fear that with [spoiler]Black Krssantan they have already ticked the "cool guest bounty hunter" item off the checklist. [/spoiler]
Could be a flashback. There was a Clone Wars arc that was in production but not finished when the show wrapped up following the Disney purchase. It had Bane and Fett duel each other. It was supposed to be the "origin story" for the dent on his helmet, and Bane himself was shot in the head.[spoiler] In The Bad Batch we saw Bane with a big metal plate in his skull, so there's a good chance the duel is probably still canon[/spoiler].
Well, Fennec and Bane now have history too.
If they brought back Luke for The Mandalorian, surely they can bring whoever they please for The Book of Boba Fett.
So far we've got creepy deaged Leia, Tarkin and Luke. We're only missing Han and Lando.
And I wonder if the Kenobi show will eventually feature zombie Alec Guiness.
The Kenobi show certainly has the potential to bring back the more interesting characters. When will it premiere? Is it meant to be this year?
SWE has some thoughts about Boba being weak on the show as some people complain: https://youtu.be/XbAhEfEH6zI
He points out he seems weaker in the present day bits, and seems pretty much on top of his game in the flashbacks with the Tuskens. He also adds a few thoughts and some speculation why that might be.
I've been wondering why he spends so much time inside the bacta tank - besides it being an excuse to launch the flashbacks.
So Dances with Wolves on acid crossed with Lawrence of Arabia - I like it
Quote from: crazy canuck on January 12, 2022, 11:56:19 AM
So Dances with Wolves on acid crossed with Lawrence of Arabia - I like it
And The Godfather.
Now, that was a packed episode. Can't wait for Boba [spoiler]the Rancor raider[/spoiler] - we also got the inevitable Danny Trejo role.
The present part seems to finally be coming into focus, although it's weird that the [spoiler]Hutts are seemingly out of the picture just one episode after bringing them in.[/spoiler]
Now [spoiler]that Krssntan owes him a favor[/spoiler] I'm kinda expecting Fett will go all "avengers assemble" and bring in his bounty hunter pals (Bossk, Bane, etc...) for the final bout of the show.
I found it weird that the biker gang went all Power Rangers with their colored bikes.
Quote from: The Larch on January 10, 2022, 04:57:41 AM
The Kenobi show certainly has the potential to bring back the more interesting characters. When will it premiere? Is it meant to be this year?
I'm of two minds about it. McGregor as Obi Wan was one of the few things I liked from the prequel trilogy, but what kind of stories are they going to tell with this show? He's supposed to have spent all this time in hiding in Tatooine guarding Luke, another "Adventures in Tatooine" show would be a bit too much. And if they take him off-planet it will kinda annoy me.
The fact they cast Christensen makes me think they might flash back to the Clone Wars era, though. Plus I'm sure there'll be plenty of Force mysticism (and the Force episodes in Clone Wars were among my favorites of the show).
Quote from: celedhring on January 12, 2022, 12:04:43 PM
The fact they cast Christensen makes me think they might flash back to the Clone Wars era, though. Plus I'm sure there'll be plenty of Force mysticism (and the Force episodes in Clone Wars were among my favorites of the show).
I am hoping for this.
Good episode. When I saw the title card I immediately thought[spoiler] "Streets of San Francisco," and what do you know? We get an old school car chase with all the tropes, even with the speeder made to look more like a 70s car.[/spoiler] :lol:
As expected, [spoiler]the tribe gets massacred. And the Pykes are emerging as the main antagonists, at least for now. I agree it's odd to have the Hutts come in and immediately leave. I hope there's more to it than appears. And I kind of expect the Rancor and/or Danny Trejo to be a trap the Hutts leave behind in some way. After last week's episode people were thinking the little critter the Hutt uses to dab his sweat would be Hoojib, from the old Marvel comics in the 80s. They look very similar, especially with the little antenna on their head, but their ears seem a bit small. That said, in the comics they were a sentient, intelligent species, which kinda makes this worse.[/spoiler] :lol:
The [spoiler]fight with Krrsantan was pretty cool and as vicious as it should be. And Boba keeps building his own tribe, incidentally doubling every time he does. He starts alone. Gets Fennec (2), then the Gamorreans (4) and now the bikers (8). I loved their bikes, reminds me of 80s fair ground rides with their colors. [/spoiler]They add a welcome dash of color to Tatooine, too. :P
I was not wild about [spoiler]the car chase. It felt weirdly slow, and I felt they overdid it on the tropes there[/spoiler].
Kind of curious where they'll take this. Also, they kept mentioning that Tatooine [spoiler]used to have water. Kinda wondering if that's some foreshadowing of some major changes coming for the planet?[/spoiler] :o
Quote from: celedhring on January 12, 2022, 12:04:43 PM
Quote from: The Larch on January 10, 2022, 04:57:41 AM
The Kenobi show certainly has the potential to bring back the more interesting characters. When will it premiere? Is it meant to be this year?
I'm of two minds about it. McGregor as Obi Wan was one of the few things I liked from the prequel trilogy, but what kind of stories are they going to tell with this show? He's supposed to have spent all this time in hiding in Tatooine guarding Luke,
He took some time off that assignment to duel Darth Maul. It took about 5 seconds. So they're gonna extend that into a full season. Second season will be about his meeting with Quinlan Vos, when he discovers that Darth Vader is Anakin Skywalker and meets Obi Wan on Tatooine. ;)
Quote
another "Adventures in Tatooine" show would be a bit too much. And if they take him off-planet it will kinda annoy me.
The fact they cast Christensen makes me think they might flash back to the Clone Wars era, though. Plus I'm sure there'll be plenty of Force mysticism (and the Force episodes in Clone Wars were among my favorites of the show).
The only thing I could see would be some characters coming to Tatooine, where he either dodges or encounters them. And I totally agree with you, it would suck.
Otherwise, it would be focused on Vader and his hunt for the remaining Jedi(s).
Footnote: [spoiler]we see that the Tusken chief is dead, and the kid (because Boba Fett burns is little wooden proto-gaffi). But unless I missed it we haven't seen the corpse of the female warrior who trained Boba, so I expect her to have survived. (not that someone dying in Star Wars seems to mean much any more. :P )[/spoiler]
https://www.washingtonpost.com/comics/2022/01/12/temuera-morrison-boba-fett/
Quote[...]
For the moment, Morrison is mum on just how much of his face we'll be seeing on Disney Plus outside of "The Book of Boba Fett." There are multiple Star Wars streaming series in production (including "Obi-Wan Kenobi" and "Ahsoka") that present opportunities for him to appear not only as Boba Fett but other clone troopers that share his face. They gained popularity in "The Clone Wars," while voiced by actor Dee Bradley Baker.
"Well, there are people — I'm thinking of Captain Rex for one. He looks a little like me. There's Commander Cody. What happened to those guys? There's all those clone armies," Morrison said. "That could be something fresh and new and exciting."
:hmm:
Quote from: Syt on January 12, 2022, 12:49:10 PM
Kind of curious where they'll take this. Also, they kept mentioning that Tatooine [spoiler]used to have water. Kinda wondering if that's some foreshadowing of some major changes coming for the planet?[/spoiler] :o
Foreshadowing [spoiler]of that when those water barrels spilled all over the ground during the speeder chase?[/spoiler]
Quote from: Solmyr on January 12, 2022, 03:44:41 PM
Quote from: Syt on January 12, 2022, 12:49:10 PM
Kind of curious where they'll take this. Also, they kept mentioning that Tatooine [spoiler]used to have water. Kinda wondering if that's some foreshadowing of some major changes coming for the planet?[/spoiler] :o
Foreshadowing [spoiler]of that when those water barrels spilled all over the ground during the speeder chase?[/spoiler]
:hmm:
[spoiler]We did also see water spilled in the previous episode, after the train heist.
Actually, with the center of Mos Espa being in a crater of sinkhole, maybe the rot will be "washed away" quite literally.[/spoiler]
Although Tatooine [spoiler]is still a desert planet in Rise of Skywalker, so... :P[/spoiler]
Quote from: Solmyr on January 12, 2022, 05:01:35 PM
Although Tatooine [spoiler]is still a desert planet in Rise of Skywalker, so... :P[/spoiler]
[spoiler]Well at least where Luke used to live. :P[/spoiler]
Quote from: Syt on January 12, 2022, 03:07:49 PM
"Well, there are people — I'm thinking of Captain Rex for one. He looks a little like me. There's Commander Cody. What happened to those guys? There's all those clone armies," Morrison said. "That could be something fresh and new and exciting."
:hmm:
[/quote]
Cody had his chip activated and stayed loyal to the Empire until he was forcibly retired.
Rex, we kinda know from Rebels and The Bad Batch what he did.
Mr Morrison is a little out of date on his Star Wars lore, contrary to us. :P
Have we actually seen how Cody's life played out after Ep. 3? I do expect him to show up in The Bad Batch, though.
As for Rex, yes, we know about him up to ROTJ. However, there's a gap between ROTS and Rebels (him meeting Gregor and Wolff and going off into exile), and of course he could be a character in the Ahsoka show which would be most fitting.
Plus Morrisson is age-appropiate for playing the clones in the Rebellion-New Republic era :P
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FI7icmRWQAAR5ZH?format=jpg&name=small)
I know the look is divisive (I happen to like it - the paintjobs remind me of bumper cars and other carnival rides of my childhood), but this looks VERY much like something George Lucas could have added, considering his love for nostalgic Americana. I mean, these would mesh well with Dexter's Diner in Episode 2. :P
Also, is this the first time we see proper cyborgs in Star Wars live action? Well, besides Luke and Vader. And Lobot. And the Decraniated. Well, you know what I mean, people who do this voluntarily. :P (I'm reminded of the Cyborg "race" in SWTOR).
(Actually, they might also be inspired by UK mod culture.)
As I said, they made me think of the Power Ranger bikes. :P
The cyborg aspect felt a bit tacky - more Inspector Gadget than transhumanism, particularly the dude with the extensible foot :P - but they've just introduced the characters, gotta give them room.
Yes, some of the modifications seemed oddly specific for the scene, but I could see them making sense if they e.g. got into scraps with other biker gangs on the regular.
I kind of hope that with a bit of normalization for cyborgs we might get to see Beilert Valance at some point. He was a cyborg bounty hunter in the old Marvel comics (even before Empire Strikes Back, IIRC) with a pretty cool arc of going from villain to good guy (unusual at the time), and he's been brought back in the comics and fans seem to like him (haven't read any of his stories).
He did the Terminator look before Terminator (incidentally, in those stories he died after being dropped into a lake of lava acid after fighting Vader; I think his brain survived and he returned later?).
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHC13NJX4AAluNk.png)
EDIT: Actually, since he was introduced in 1978, he might have been one of, if not the first bounty hunter introduced in Star Wars.
Bright blue is not the Terminator look.
Kids on scooters that are taken seriously. I guess Boba is really desperate.
I usually watch Star Wars Explained's chat after episodes of these shows. This time they had Lucky Yates (i.e. the voice of Krieger - and the basis for Ray's face - on Archer). He seems to be a bit of a Star Wars fan. :lol:
Heh, apparently the line "I've ridden beasts 10 times its size" is a reference to the Star Wars holiday special :lol:
https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/boba-fett-star-wars-holiday-special-canon
That seems to be the consensus, yes. :D
Quote from: celedhring on January 13, 2022, 02:22:18 AM
Plus Morrisson is age-appropiate for playing the clones in the Rebellion-New Republic era :P
Trust the internet to make a mock-up. I like it. :D
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FI_rQiKXsAUDfps?format=jpg&name=small)
Incidentally seeing Morrison in armor again has reminded me of this forgotten Playstation game, where he voiced Jango: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyyyBBjaKdU&ab_channel=Gamer%27sLittlePlayground
I have fond memories of it, of course it looks like crap 20 years later.
I remain underwhelmed by the Book of Bobba Fett; it feels a lot more "empty" than the Mandalorian, probably because it messes with a character that benefited a lot from his aura, rather than from anything concrete about him - but that's the trick they pulled, very well, I thought, with the Mandalorian. Can't really have that a second time in a row. The whole story proceeds both too slowly and too quickly: [spoiler]One day, Bobba Fett is captive to the Tusken; the other, he's their savior; the next, they are dead - and their impact, beyond some material things, haven't really made an impact [/spoiler] (I think it also shows that Temuera Morrison is not as good an actor as Pedro Pascal).
If Bobba Fett is supposed to be dangerous, it's hard to disagree with the mayor, or the water merchant, that so far, he isn't really that deserving of political respect. Yet, he's given respect by some characters where the series has shown us that none was actually warranted. The first seasons of Game of Thrones (or, indeed, the Godfather) should have given a good sense of how to build a political narrative with stakes - and few words.
If the contrast is supposed to be between his physical prowess and lack of political acumen, it's not quite convincing, because he's shown to be diminished, and yet not. If it's between his change of heart, it's not showing at all - it seems to have happened off screen. If it's about growing his influence after having thought he had it all, we never saw him triumphant - and thus, will be weird to see him humbled. If Fett is out of shape, and physically diminished, it needs to actually show as a hurdle, rather than as a narrative contrivance. If his band of mercenaries is ragtag, they need to be shown as such... Yet, they are simultaneously snotty kids, and really competent; the Gamorreans are loyal, but never actually there.
It's like the director never wants to threaten the cool factor of all his action figures.
I think the problem is that the story lacks focus. It tries to be many things and yet it never settles into one, so plot hooks come and go without leaving much of a mark. Mandalorian had a very basic hook (save the child!) which was mantained throughout, and every episode was clearly about something very concrete - Book of Boba has been much more muddled on that regard. Now, you don't need to write every show like The Mandalorian, but Book of Boba clearly hasn't found its own rythm.
I still feel they may tie the past and present stories together in what I hope will be a satisfying way.
Boba in the present is clearly weaker in some way. In the flashbacks he kicks all kinds of ass, while in the present he is often on the receiving end of an ass kicking and is saved by allies (assassination attempt Ep. 1, Black Krrsantan).
I think it's fine to give Boba Fett more depth than "ruthless, monosyllabic bounty hunter", and this series seems him trying to break free from his heritage (Jango wanted him to be just as himself) and forge his own path. Kinda how Rancors are more than just killer beasts. ;)
At any rate, if anyone wants to catch up on the canon materials, good luck:
https://i.redd.it/xsawyrvt5ja81.png
:P
Quote from: celedhring on January 14, 2022, 01:20:38 PM
I think the problem is that the story lacks focus. It tries to be many things and yet it never settles into one, so plot hooks come and go without leaving much of a mark. Mandalorian had a very basic hook (save the child!) which was mantained throughout, and every episode was clearly about something very concrete - Book of Boba has been much more muddled on that regard. Now, you don't need to write every show like The Mandalorian, but Book of Boba clearly hasn't found its own rythm.
A lack of focus sure. But also some lame ideas mixed into the lack of focus. They turned a bad ass bounty hunter into a befuddled fool of an old man with no idea what is going on.
New episode of Book of Boba was... okay? The first half had a lot of "we already know this happened but we have to see it anyway" busywork with [spoiler]Fennec's rescue and the search for the armor[/spoiler] but I appreciated the scene where him and Fennec sit down and he tells her (and the audience) about his vision for the future. The character really needed this kind of "look, this is what I'm about" moment.
I didn't understand why he [spoiler]looked for the armor inside the Sarlacc pit, since he used it to escape[/spoiler] - I guess it's understandable he has some memory loss from the event, but it confused me a bit. Also, the reason why they created that whole cyborg arc is finally revealed, [spoiler]since it's a way to explain how Fennec got cyborged[/spoiler]. Anyway it's pretty clear than the flashbacks are over, and that Boba has left the bacta tank and is finally healed - which hopefully means he'll kick some more ass.
Can't wait for the major cameo hinted at the end of the episode. Really praying for Cad Bane.
Oh, and the Krssantan scene had me in stitches.
I liked this episode. As you say we know what happened, but I thought it was fine. [spoiler]Stealing the ship (I was amused by how they went out of their way to not call it Slave One, and I look forward to the OUTRAGE among certain fans :lol: ) was a fun little action piece, and even though the bit with the rabbit droid was a bit silly, I did love seeing that design making the transition from Clone Wars to live action. :D Also, when they snuck in the kitchen I was heavily reminded of Skyrim. "Did you hear something?" "Must have been a rat!" :D I was taken out a bit by the little drone heaving very visible red lights and them using it at night. I understand that the lights are there for our benefit, really, so as a viewer you can more easily track it, but it still felt odd.
I did like the mod shop. We've seen plenty of people having cybernetic implants from Vader and Luke to Lobot, Maul and others. Most people seem to rather not take them unless they have to (Cliegg Lars in Ep. 2 notably did not replace his leg after losing it to the Tuskens), but it makes sense that there might be some counter culture who lean into having body modifications of that kind.
Killing the gang was satisfying, but I expect a revelation that it was NOT the gang who killed the tribe. As for the sarlacc, I expected him to just drop a seismic charge into it and move on. I kinda can understand that he might have fuzzy memory of his escape, but he would need to think that he got out of the armor and escaped that way, OR that he got out, took off the armor and it fell back in again? It was weird, and seemed to only exist for a small action scene, and to explain his acid burns that we still see in Mando Season 2.
The present day stuff was a bit meh for me. The Krrsantan scene was funny (and convenient exposition), even though I was ready to cringe if he had acted differently. But the other bits ... eh. The family gathering carried little weight for me, and you know one or all of them will likely betray him.[/spoiler]
Btw, ScreenCrush pointed out someone else's observation that the Boba Fett theme song bears a striking similarity to the Ronja Robber's Daughter main theme, which might be an intended homage since Ludvig Göransson is Swedish. Check here: https://youtu.be/1BwESS6Ngcc?t=20
Quote from: celedhring on January 19, 2022, 05:17:02 AM
Can't wait for the major cameo hinted at the end of the episode. Really praying for Cad Bane.
Based on the musical cue I doubt it's Cad Bane, but you never know. [spoiler]I guess we'll see Din Djarin, based on the music. I kind of expect this to be a teaser for Mando season 3? Because when we left him there was that whole weird situation around the Darksaber. Some time has passed since then - what's the status now? Does Din still have it? Will it be mentioned at all? Will he bring back up in the form of more Mandalorians? Because I doubt that just he alone would tip the scales enough. So bringing in more bounty hunters is of course an option (which could be a veritable rogue's gallery from the movies and animated shows, like Cad Bane, Zuckuss, 4-LOM, Dengar, Embo - just for the dynamic with Krrsantan it would be interesting to bring in Bossck, especially now that we've established his hate for Trandoshans .... shit, throw in Hondo while we're at it for the laughs). [/spoiler]
This popped up randomly for me in Spotify - a spaghetti western version of the Bad Batch theme. Not sure why that one needed a wild west theme, but it sounds decent enough IMHO.
https://open.spotify.com/album/7b3AXZE47gC8eGAVRWY3oo?si=wmvmZW30Q12Ib_53ijB-KQ
Mary Elizabeth Winstead has been cast for the Ahsoka show. There's speculation about her role, and people seem to suggest she might either be Hera Syndulla, or a Chiss Admiral from the books/comics? :unsure:
She's not Sabinie Wren, that role has gone to Natasha Liu Bordizzo. Mena Massoud was cast ages ago, and reasonable speculation says he'll be Ezra. Ivana Sakhno has also been cast (again, mystery role, though her Wiki page says "Astrid" :huh: ).
Hayden Christensen has also been confirmed to be on the show. Presumably in flashbacks or as force ghost?
She's not French :P
Quote from: celedhring on January 22, 2022, 10:47:45 AM
She's not French :P
Neither is Hera during Rebels (except when talking to her dad). :P
Actually, on the character of "Astrid" - apparently there exists an Astrid character in canon, a background character in Solo who was then named in the visual dictionary for the movie and also appeared up in a Poe Dameron book.
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Astrid_Fenris
Character:
(https://www.starwars-universe.com/images/encyclopedie/personnages/avatars_v6/astrid_fenris_avv6.jpg)
Ivanna Sakhno:
(https://c4.wallpaperflare.com/wallpaper/255/674/464/ivanna-sakhno-actress-2018-photoshoot-wallpaper-preview.jpg)
In the picture she looks like a young Gwendoline Christie, but she's like 18-20 cm too short to play a young Cpt Phasma. :P
Quote from: Syt on January 22, 2022, 10:20:13 AM
Mary Elizabeth Winstead has been cast for the Ahsoka show. There's speculation about her role, and people seem to suggest she might either be Hera Syndulla, or a Chiss Admiral from the books/comics? :unsure:
Looking at her picture, she'd fit the profile of Admiral Ar'alani.
So, new episode of Boba is [spoiler]the backdoor pilot to Mando's new season. It is a fine Mandalorian episode, but the last thing Book of Boba Fett needed is another episode where nothing is being advanced for you know, Boba.[/spoiler]
I liked how [spoiler]they clarified the whole Bo-Katan not winning the Darksaber in battle thingie in a way that makes lots of sense. I love how they present the Mando mythology (the Armorer is so good in that role) and I like how they are positioning them as in opposition to the Jedi regarding how they tackle personal bonds. That said, the whole "never take off your helmet" clause is quickly becoming a bit of an nuisance, particularly given that we have seen so many purebreed Mandalorians with it off throughout the various shows. I honestly don't care for him going on a quest to redeem himself for this.[/spoiler]
Also, although I liked that they brought back [spoiler]an N-1 Starfighter, it seems a particularly poor choice for a bounty hunter ship. Very limited room for his gear, passengers or prisoners (I guess he's bringing them cold from now on).[/spoiler]
Incidentally, the shot of the droids on the ruined Mandalore city has to be a callback to Terminator.
Ok, I had a pretty exhausting day at work that took an hour longer than planned, the lunch I ordered was never delivered for some reason (the service cancelled after me waiting for an hour), so I had no food between 7 am and almost 7 pm. So this episode was just what I needed.
Now, I loved the episode. A lot. Enjoyed it more than the previous episodes, to be honest. I've found the series so far "fine" - some good moments and cool things, but overall just, well, fine. Don't hate it, enjoy it when I watch it, but also don't feel excited about it - even if my posts here may seem differently. :P I feel this will be a somewhat divisive episode because 1.) [spoiler]It's a full on Mandalorian episode in an already short Book of Boba Fett season[/spoiler] and 2.) I expect some will complain that [spoiler]"it doesn't move the plot forward enough" (which is true for Boba Fett's personal story in this, though I feel there was some huge foreshadowing, see comment below).[/spoiler]
That said, I also had many :w00t: and fanboi "squee" moments. There was a lot of fanservice in this, but I didn't mind.
Loved the opening in the [spoiler]slaughterhouse. We don't see such mundane places much in Star Wars and it's always appreciated. We learn that Din sucks at using the Darksaber. He still has it, so where's Bo Katan? With the Republic? Possible, but unlikely, I guess. The shots of the ringworld reminded me SO MUCH of Citadel Station in KotOR2. I mean, look at this: https://deadlystream.com/downloads/screens/thumb-a05f5a5c246b9723f8f7d78a30bd0bbb-quanon--s-ciatdel-station-skybox.jpg
We catch up with the armorer and Paz Vizsla and get some backstory (nicely tied together I thought). The "Night of Tears" looked pretty amazing (and so soon after destroying Tipoca City on Kamino :weep: ), with the ground combat taking its cues VERY heavily from the future scenes in Terminator which was weird but also pretty cool. Loved the reference to Concordia. :) We get the prophecy that the Mythasaur will reunite the Mandalorians - while showing the Mythasaur amblem which is of course Boba Fett's emblem so .... foreshadowing? Even more, Boba is creating his own family or, in Mando term, Clan/House. Will Din become part of his clan after being exiled by the Children of the Watch, and use Boba's emblem and take back Mandalore? I mean his show is literally called The Mandalorian and I've been expecting this to be his long term arc.
Anyways, he gets some (much needed) training. The blade seems a lot heavier than when Sabine was wielding it? Though some of the instruction seemed to echo the Rebels episode where she learns to wield it (and we see the little forearm shields again :wub: ). I feel he will get some proper training when he visits "his little friend" and Luke sees that he has the Darksaber, maybe? Speaking of, the armor for Grogu ... seems the little guy will get his own bit of mithril, I mean: beskar chainmail. :wub:
Of course Din gets kicked out of the Covert because he admits he has taken off the helmet. Logical consequence, I guess, and provides him with an arc to "redeem" himself and be accepted by the Children of the Watch again by going into the waters of the mines of whatever when he goes reuniting the Mandalorians. The extremists do hold to their creed, though, because even though exiled, Din keeps the Darksaber after beating Paz Vizsla. It's made clear again that the Darksaber was created by the founder of the house of Vizsla. And let's not forget the Pre Vizsla weilded the Darksaber in Star Wars Clone Wars and led the extremists of Nightwatch (out of which the Children of the Watch possibly arose, or at least were inspired by, because, well, "CHILDREN OF THE WATCH" - not exactly subtle :D ).
Loved Din checking in for his flight. Reminded me of a classic scene that I loved as a kid - Bret Maverick with James Garner where he has to turn in his weapons before a poker game. See this scene: https://youtu.be/ABuuM8BObjk?t=49
Back to Mos Eisley, where he meets with good ol' Peli (guess her brief background cameo in the flashback to Boba visiting the Pykes two episodes ago was foreshadowing?). Had a big smile when they revealed the N1, and loved them turning it basically into a hot rod. The chemistry between Din, Peli and the droids was quite good. I didn't need to know about Peli having dated a Jawa and them being "very furry", though. :D
And I gave a big AWWW when the BD droid (from Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order) showed up, and even more when Din says, "Thanks, little guy." (The main character says it, or something close to it, A LOT to BD during the game when BD does something for you.) :wub: Speaking of catchphrases: "Wizard." No, Star Wars, please don't bring that back. Then again, Din is so socially awkward that it kinda works with him (better than with the kids in Episode 1 :lol: ). Loved the scene of him taking her for a spin, and of course he gets pulled over by the cops again. :lol: Loved seeing Paul Sun-Hyung Lee again and and him giving some advice to the "new guy". Also, this time Din gets to pull a fast one on them (literally). :D
I agree that the ship is a bit impractical for a bounty hunter, but who knows where Din's path takes him. Replacing the astromech slot with a "booster seat" makes me think he and Grogu will travel together in that ship.
And finally Fennec comes in and "hires" him, but he will visit "a little friend" first. So ... will we see Luke/Grogu next episode? Or will that be off screen so we can go back to Boba Fett's story?
Again, loved the episode. It was a nice breather to get us caught up with Din, and overall quite lighthearted which I enjoyed (and needed today). However, in a season this short, to spend an entire episode on this makes me question the overall pacing for the series at this point. Between the flashbacks and present day being intercut a lot in the first few episodes to now this. I don't think any of it is completely unnecessary. Showing how Boba survived the Sarlacc, met the sandpeople and had time (years, literally) to rethink his goals in life was good and important. I still don't see why this needed to be shown in non-chronological order, though. I didn't feel that there was necessarily a strong connection between flashback/present day narrative or theme (unless I missed it). The Kamino flashbacks could have been provided differently, IMHO, if they're meant to have a pay off later.
And I guess they could have just introduced Din with his new ship, and exiled from the Covert, and without the spear etc. They could have teased this as something to be explained later (kind of like with how they introduced Boba Fett) but maybe they didn't want to repeat that. I think it would have been better to have this episode as a Mandalorian special or something to be released between episodes, instead of it being part of the Book of Boba Fett. I thought for much of the episode, "We interrupt The Book of Boba Fett for this Special Episode of The Mandalorian." At first jokingly, and then realizing that was precisely what was happening. Loved the content, but not sure it needed to be an explicit part of the show. The whole structure of this show is very strange to me at this point, tbh.
Anyways, curious where we head next. More Din, meeting Grogu again? Or back to Boba Fett?[/spoiler] Next week's episode was written by Dave Filoni, so it will likely involve character that are important to him, or where he has "control" - such as it is - over their arc, so I guess we'll see. At this point I don't know anymore what to expect when starting a new episode of this show. :lol:
(Also, sorry for the rambling post. :P )
Oooh, forgot: [spoiler]Beggar's Canyon![/spoiler] :w00t: (No [spoiler]threading the needle,[/spoiler] though :( )
Also, we're heading for [spoiler]Mandalorian Game of Thrones[/spoiler], aren't we? :P
I think they expect people who watch one show to watch the other. I don't mind, but understand why some will.
I'm disappointed in the lack of those New Republican pilots' respect for bureaucracy and paperwork. No wonder the Republic ended up falling to such a low level when its own military doesn't respect protocols. :lol:
Quote from: Habbaku on January 26, 2022, 10:19:47 PM
I'm disappointed in the lack of those New Republican pilots' respect for bureaucracy and paperwork. No wonder the Republic ended up falling to such a low level when its own military doesn't respect protocols. :lol:
:lol:
In the books the New Republic is shown as very decentralized, with the member worlds being more autonomous again, with own security forces etc. I feel this lack of resources is also shown in the Mandalorian episode with the prison ship which is manned almost entirely with droids instead of personnel, and also with our traffic cops who seem to cover a pretty large area more or less by themselves (yes, it's the Outer Rim which is kinda like the Star Wars equivalent of the Wild West, but still).
Star Wars Explained has a good summary/review of the episode: https://youtu.be/Cc34K_FbDwU
Also, ScreenCrush summarizes the Mandalorian backstory from Clone Wars/Rebels in his Episode 5 connections/easter egg video for those who haven't watched the show or need a refresher: https://youtu.be/JrjXNlbFpG4
Didn't realize it watching, but the episode also had the most random re-appearance of an old prop:
(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/64/2e/7d/642e7d5c5a1a55da2051eb90d4b9e558.jpg)
Bryce Dallas Howard has directed three episodes in the franchise so far: in Mando S1 she did the one with the villagers and the raiders (with the "evil demonic" AT-ST), and in S2 The Heiress in which Bo Katan is re-introduced. With this episode, I think she's building a pretty good track record there.
For some reason I recalled someone complaining about the pacifist, reformed Mandalorians we saw first in Clone Wars and looked up the quote and when it was:
Quote from: Benedict Arnold on January 05, 2010, 06:21:38 PM
Killing the Karen Traviss series and making Mandalore into a peace-loving, post-apocalyptic world is nigh on unforgivable though.
It's been a crazy ride for Mandalore and Mandalorians since then.
This show is really losing me. I got to see our fearless lead character actually manage to get past the kitchen staff and then in the next episode I had to sit though a one hour advertisement for the next season of Mando.
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FKOfL96XIAAFAQ8?format=jpg&name=small)
:lol:
I'm 90% certain that Sedaris ad-libbed the dating line :lol:
Quote from: celedhring on January 29, 2022, 04:01:07 AM
I'm 90% certain that Sedaris ad-libbed the dating line :lol:
Pretty sure she ad-libbed a lot of stuff in her scenes there. :D
Quote from: crazy canuck on January 27, 2022, 03:42:14 PM
This show is really losing me. I got to see our fearless lead character actually manage to get past the kitchen staff and then in the next episode I had to sit though a one hour advertisement for the next season of Mando.
To me it just set up an even more direct comparison to show how much more fun The Mandalorian is than Boba Fett. Feels like a strange choice.
Someone raised on Twitter the question whether Bo-Katan and the Armorer know each other. Both spent time on Concordia, after all. Bo-Katan was Death Watch, the Armorer is part of the Children of the Watch.
Also, the Armorer knows a shit ton of lore. Kind of makes you wonder if it's someone we know from other shows. People point to the spikes on her helmet and that the Mandalorians who were part of Maul's Shadow Collective had similar spikes in his honor. That would make Rook Kast a prime candidate; she was the leader of the Super Commandos of the Shadow Collective and rescued Maul from imprisonment. (Her helmet had no spikes, though.) I guess she could have gone full on fundamentalist after the end of the Shadow Collective.
Otherwise not many Mandalorian females left. There's Clan Wren, of course. But I doubt the armorer is Sabine, but she had no affiliation to Death Watch, and we saw her at the end of Rebels, after ROTJ, leaving to search for Ezra together with Ahsoka, so the timelines don't add up, either. Could be Sabine's Mom, but ... eh.
Also, looking up the Mandalorian clans on Wookieepedia, it turns out that the father of Satine and Bo-Katan Kryze was Adonai. So I suppose Bo-Katan is literally descended from God. :P
So, I just realized that the twi'lek cantina owner is played by Jennifer Beals. This blew my mind.
Damn does she still look hot at her age.
Quote from: celedhring on January 30, 2022, 03:39:47 AM
So, I just realized that the twi'lek cantina owner is played by Jennifer Beals. This blew my mind.
Damn does she still look hot at her age.
Also ties us back in with the talk of water. :P
(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/cjZL5av-9yI/hqdefault.jpg)
Quote from: celedhring on January 30, 2022, 03:39:47 AM
So, I just realized that the twi'lek cantina owner is played by Jennifer Beals. This blew my mind.
Damn does she still look hot at her age.
That was a pretty slow recognition time on your part. :P
The headtails are misleading, plus I never read the credits. <_<
One thing I love is how random design decisions can create ripples that turn into hurricanes.
Take the Darksaber. In Clone Wars, Obi-Wan was supposed to fight Pre Vizsla with a lightsaber. The design team wanted to give Pre Vizsla a vibro blade. George Lucas intervened: he thought a vibro blade was boring, and to jazz it up. So they created the Darksaber effect and inserted a line that Mandalorians stole it from the Jedi (which doesn't contradict the later lore - the Jedi might have kept it after Tarre Vizsla's death and the Mandalorians reclaimed it).
Anyways, we've gone from "make the weapon look a bit cool" to "This is now the Mandalorian Excalibur that will be a major item in our flasgship live action show." :lol:
(Similar with the little forearm shields. They had a firefight mapped out for the Clone Wars show, but then realized there was no cover for the Mandalorians. So they added the shields. :D )
Sorry, one more thing because it comes up a few times in my Twitter timeline: Ep. 5 has a rather impressive two minute single take:
(forgoing spoilers at this point)
We see Mando limp through the city, get on the elevator, go into the busy bar to his clients where the camera pans around the table, then he goes back to the elevator, goes down to yet a different level and back out into the streets. Even with the Dome, which obviously does the heavy lifting, this is still a pretty impressive illusion. I'd think the bar and elevator were physical sets and the rest was done by the Dome?
Single takes are so easy to do nowadays, they don't impress me as much. You can fuse two separate takes digitally, without the usual old tricks (i.e. pointing the camera at something dark to make the transition smoother). 1917 did it a lot.
My understanding is there were no digital edits, but I might be wrong.
But yeah, visually this episode was so much better than the other episodes of Book of Boba. Robert Rodríguez is not that great a director. The Mos Espa bike chase was so weirdly plodding, for example.
Incidentally, I don't know how Mando managed to survive so long without Beskar. Dude sure gets hit a ton.
I noticed that previously that he relies a lot on his armor taking hits for him and that he seems to "hide" behind it (which I guess ties thematically into Boba Fett's story) and that he may end up in a situation where he reflexively relies on it but doesn't have it.
Quote from: garbon on January 29, 2022, 05:38:36 AM
Quote from: crazy canuck on January 27, 2022, 03:42:14 PM
This show is really losing me. I got to see our fearless lead character actually manage to get past the kitchen staff and then in the next episode I had to sit though a one hour advertisement for the next season of Mando.
To me it just set up an even more direct comparison to show how much more fun The Mandalorian is than Boba Fett. Feels like a strange choice.
Yeah I agree. I am not sure how they salvage Boba Fett at this point, its going to be hard to watch a simpleton bumble around after watching the well crafted characters in Mando again.
Quote from: garbon on January 30, 2022, 04:54:34 AM
Quote from: celedhring on January 30, 2022, 03:39:47 AM
So, I just realized that the twi'lek cantina owner is played by Jennifer Beals. This blew my mind.
Damn does she still look hot at her age.
That was a pretty slow recognition time on your part. :P
I have to admit I didn't recognize her either.
I liked Star Wars Explained's point that Din meeting Boba at this point in time is probably very intentional.
Mando has been on his arc:
Season 1 gave him a purpose (Grogu) beyond bounty hunting and challenged his beliefs (e.g. his hate of droids).
Season 2 exposed him to other definitions of what a Mandalorian could be. Bo-Katan (the old ways), Boba Fett (forging his own path), Cobb Vanth (embodying Mandalorian ideals of honor and bravery, even if not a "true" Mandalorian).
Season 2.5 (as BoBF has been referred to in the run up) sees him at a crossroads - exiled from his Covert, without his son, burdened with the Darksaber and an impractical ship for bounty hunting. Seeing Boba build his "tribe" (or House if you want to stick with Mandalorian nomenclature) might inspire him to do something similar which then eventually becomes a quest of liberating/uniting Mandalore.
Wait, they think seeing what Boba Fett is doing would be inspiring to Mando? They have definitely not been watching the same show :D
Poor Boba, they have stolen their show :(
Really, the [spoiler]Skywalker segment was way too long and too reliant on callbacks to ESB - and while I appreciate the effort to convey Luke's own insecurity as teacher and the issue of how to deal with Grogu's emotional attachments, all this plotline should be in the Mandalorian show, not here[/spoiler]
Otherwise, great to see [spoiler]Cobb Vanth though, Timothy Oliphant playing frontier law figures[/spoiler] is one of the little pleasures of life. Also, [spoiler]real action Cad Bane looks really creepy[/spoiler]
Also what scares me the most of [spoiler]Skywalker's scenes is that they are going to rely more and more on those deepfakes for extended roles, and not just cameos. Besides the uncanny valley element, I think characters like him are best left for bit parts.[/spoiler]
So, uhm. What?
I said above the structure of the show is confusing me. And the last two episodes didn't help matter. I feel they might have had story for five episodes originally. Then maybe realized that there were a few things that they wanted to set up and establish so we end up with these diversions.
I think the pieces and scenes by themselves are mostly fine. But the way they're arranged into a seven episode series seems really, really weird and more like an anthology series at this point. They had all these ideas, but then put them through a blender it seems. No idea what's gonna be in the final episode. I don't feel they can wrap all this up in one instalment? So BoBF Season 2? Or will this transition into Mandalorian S. 3?
[spoiler]It was cool catching up with Luke and Grogu and putting a hard choice before Din (and he made the right call IMHO). How will Grogu decide? We'll see. The training stuff was cool to see. The music where Grogu dodged the remote sounded very JRPG, though, like something out of a Final Fantasy game.
Great to see Cobb Vanth. His scenes were all great. And with Cad Bane showing up you just know the deputy will die. I don't think Cobb Vanth himself is dead. He was hit only once, and it looked like into the shoulder, while his deputy took the rest of the hits. Star Wars has a history of shooting characters non-fatally. Hunter vs. Cad Bane, the corrupt Twi'lek politician, who was shot in the head, and of course Cad Bane failing to kill Boba Fett. Besides, Bane exposited awkwardly that Boba used to work for the Empire and be a "bad guy." Surely Cobb Vanth will need to challenge him on that so Boba can monologue about how he's a changed man (and fans will hate it, as usual).
Loved that they kept Cad Bane's voice, but agreed, he looked scary.
Semi-CGI Luke veered between looking somewhat off and looking great. Needs some improvement, but most of the time it rated as "good enough" for me. It was very likely that he'd show up, because his stand in played the young X-Wing pilot last episode. Great to see Ahsoka and Luke interact, though. Not sure what to make of the "Will I see you again?" line from Luke. Please don't make this a romantic interest. :D
Rosario Dawson's acting seemed a bit off. Or at least I felt that there were some awkward "Jedi hand gestures" from her when she talks and walks with Din.
There were some laugh out loud moments for me. The deputy/Mando/Cobb interaction was great. So was the sandcrawler with the Krayt Dragon skull attached to it. [/spoiler] :lmfao:
As said, I think the single elements are all good, but the final assembly seems incredibly uncoordinated and planless.
Btw, what is (was?) the point of [spoiler]Garsa Fwip (Jennifer Beals' character)?[/spoiler] :huh:
Also, are [spoiler]Max Rebo and Figrin D'an all right[/spoiler]? :(
Quote from: Syt on February 02, 2022, 08:09:57 AM
Btw, what is (was?) the point of [spoiler]Garsa Fwip (Jennifer Beals' character)?[/spoiler] :huh:
Also, are [spoiler]Max Rebo and Figrin D'an all right[/spoiler]? :(
Yeah, they set up that place like the Rick's café of Mos Espa, [spoiler]and ultimately do nothing with it besides a Krssantan gag and now getting bombed. I hope Fwip survived and they'll just rebuild the place, but that would be too many "nah, he didn't really die" characters in one episode.[/spoiler]
Btw, is it me or is [spoiler]Cad Bane[/spoiler] just about the only character who regularly changes his outfit? I mean, he has a certain style, but looking at other images, there's a couple different pieces. Everyone else seems to just keep wearing their old stuff. Even [spoiler]Cobb Vanth hasn't changed out of his red shirt from last season of Mando[/spoiler]. And Fennec has worn her stuff for 20 years now, it seems. :lol:
Quote from: celedhring on February 02, 2022, 08:14:00 AM
Quote from: Syt on February 02, 2022, 08:09:57 AM
Btw, what is (was?) the point of [spoiler]Garsa Fwip (Jennifer Beals' character)?[/spoiler] :huh:
Also, are [spoiler]Max Rebo and Figrin D'an all right[/spoiler]? :(
Yeah, they set up that place like the Rick's café of Mos Espa, [spoiler]and ultimately do nothing with it besides a Krssantan gag and now getting bombed. I hope Fwip survived and they'll just rebuild the place, but that would be too many "nah, he didn't really die" characters in one episode.[/spoiler]
Yes, it's rather puzzling. [spoiler]Nothing of real plot significance seems to have happened there. I mean there might be a pay off how that pushes people away from the Pykes, or she survives and suddenly is revealed to have all kinds of clandestine connections to aid in the fight, but the latter would be VERY deus ex machina. The place was given too much attention in the script to be just "background flavor."[/spoiler]
Oh, the line from the [spoiler]Majordomo, "It was a scheduled vacation" really cracked me up.[/spoiler] :D And when [spoiler]Mando flies into the palace hangar: where's Boba's ship parked[/spoiler]? :hmm:
Yeah, that line was great. The majordomo is lowkey my favorite new character of the show :lol:
My other favorite line (for the wrong reasons) is [spoiler]when, after Luke is worried about Grogu's dedication to the Jedi training, Ashoka says with a tender smile, "like your father". THAT'S NOT A GOOD THING.[/spoiler]
Quote from: celedhring on February 02, 2022, 08:27:33 AM
Yeah, that line was great. The majordomo is lowkey my favorite new character of the show :lol:
My other favorite line (for the wrong reasons) is [spoiler]when, after Luke is worried about Grogu's dedication to the Jedi training, Ashoka says with a tender smile, "like your father". THAT'S NOT A GOOD THING.[/spoiler]
I thought so, too, but to be fair [spoiler]up till she realized Vader was Anakin, she had a very good relationship with him and held him in highest regard, so I took it to mean she was referring to the "good" Anakin. And I would assume Luke would have told her that in the end he returned to the light side (never mind the millions or billions of people killed on his watch :P ).
When Luke and Grogu walked and he gave him a little "force lift" every few steps to make sure he kept up, though[/spoiler]. :wub: :cry:
Anyways, at this point I expect that we will spend [spoiler]30% or so of "Ahsoka" following the adventures of Migs Mayfeld, or that a chunk of the "Kenobi" show will be checking in on what the Bad Batch are doing or something[/spoiler]. :P
Completely random thought I had during the episode: [spoiler]we see Grogu remembering Order 66 and other Jedi being killed by Clones (strong echo to Din's flashback of the droid attack on his childhood home).
How would Grogu react if he met Boba Fett? Would he recognize him as a clone (he might not have seen one without a helmet)? And if so, how would he react? They didn't meet in Mandalorian: Boba arrived when Grogu was meditating/being abducted and stayed on his own ship during the events on Moff Gideon's cruiser.[/spoiler]
:hmm:
(https://preview.redd.it/d9oxc1devte81.jpg?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=e271de43b009fa41744219c35f6729461453bb1b)
:lol:
Quote from: Syt on February 02, 2022, 08:09:57 AM
Btw, what is (was?) the point of [spoiler]Garsa Fwip (Jennifer Beals' character)?[/spoiler] :huh:
Introducing us to the concept of Twi'Lek himbos.
It irks me a bit that [spoiler]Luke makes Grogu choose between being a Mandalorian and being a Jedi, when we heard last episode that there was a Mandalorian Jedi :P (Foreshadowing? :o ). Though you could probably argue that Luke doesn't know that. He did mention to Ahsoka that he feels Grogu's heart isn't in this, so I guess he also wants to give him an out?
It would be all kinds of weird if The Mandalorian turned out to be Grogu all along, and Mando season whatever takes place 300 years in the future with him uniting the Mandalorians under his banner.[/spoiler] :lol:
I must say I really like the new [spoiler]Luke [/spoiler] theme song.
[spoiler]Live action Cad Bane is pretty scary. I thought he had more of a roguish charm in Clone Wars.[/spoiler]
I kinda wished [spoiler]Grogu was a bit older and could speak. Just so when Luke tells him about Yoda he could go, "WTF? You were trained by Yoda? THE Yoda? He survived??" And, "Yeah, of course I know Yoda. I was a padawan at the temple, remember? EVERYONE knew Yoda. And Kenobi. They were on the Jedi Council, you know?"[/spoiler] :lol:
Quote from: Eddie Teach on February 02, 2022, 11:51:05 PM
[spoiler]Live action Cad Bane is pretty scary. I thought he had more of a roguish charm in Clone Wars.[/spoiler]
Yeah. I think it's the [spoiler]teeth, mostly. I looked at some shots from Clone Wars but he had sharp pointy teeth there too, though I guess not as visible.[/spoiler]
Well that was a whole lot of boring with a gun fight out of a old fashioned western.
If there is a point to the Bobba Fett series, I hope they start coming around to it.
Interesting Grogu theory.
[spoiler]We see the flashback to Order 66, and though the clones dispatch of the Jedi, they don't shoot Grogu, although nothing would stop them.
In Mando Season 2, after "mind melding" Ahsoka says, "At the end of the Clone Wars when the Empire rose to power, he was hidden. Someone took him from the Temple. Then his memories becomes... dark. He seemed lost. Alone."
In the Clone Wars series, Palpatine (with help of Cad Bane) was seeking to abduct Force sensitive children.
So what if Grogu was not rescued from the Jedi Temple, but rather captured by the clones on orders of Palpatine? He probably knew the Force potential of Yoda's species and that there was a very young one (30 years at the time of ROTS - so maybe ca. 3 years human equivalent?).
And what if he was then taken to, say, Mount Tantiss where the Kaminoan cloning equipment was brought in The Bad Batch? (And keeping in mind that Dr Pershing and others in Mando S1/2 wears the Kaminoan cloner badge.)
Still leaves the question what happened between ROTS and Ep. 1 of Mando. Who freed Grogu and when? Bad Batch with help of the Kaminoan scientist? I don't think he'd be there long, because otherwise the Empire's research would have been in better shape by the time Palpatine needs a new body. And if he's busted out so early, who hides him in the meantime?[/spoiler]
For those who want to catch up: Cad Bane's story so far.
https://youtu.be/WVt2fLIGY9o
Quote from: crazy canuck on February 03, 2022, 04:31:06 PM
Well that was a whole lot of boring with a gun fight out of a old fashioned western.
If there is a point to the Bobba Fett series, I hope they start coming around to it.
It is clear that Boba Fett was not an important character in his own show. Feels like they really just wanted a platform to remind us of all their other existing/upcoming content.
And ugh can we get away from the first family of Star Wars? I'm going to start regretting seeing Grogu appear if his appearance always heralds such boring sequences.
I'm not a fan of tying everything into the main characters but I also liked seeing Luke trying to figure out how to teach a student.
As for Boba Fett - I think they shouldn't have put his name in the title of the show. I kinda guess what they're trying to do at this point is telling one continuous story between the series, with Mandalorian S 3 picking up where this series ends, and then Ahsoka picking up from there (or BOBF S2 if there is one).
That is also the only reason I can think of why Boba's backstory about his time between Sarlacc and killing Bib Fortuna was told in flashbacks, and not chronologically, because they want to remain anchored in the "main plot" timeline/chronology established by The Mandalorian.
That chronology then leads into the "climactic event" they hinted at, and which I expect to be a an all out fight bringing everyone together fighting Thrawn and/or liberating/uniting Mandalore.
However, if that was their plan, they should maybe have titled the various series differently or at least have clarified that it's all different chapters in an ongoing storyline from here on out and that there might be interludes catching us up on other characters and events.
Quote from: Syt on February 05, 2022, 06:23:16 AM
However, if that was their plan, they should maybe have titled the various series differently or at least have clarified that it's all different chapters in an ongoing storyline from here on out and that there might be interludes catching us up on other characters and events.
Yeah completely agree with this.
Quote from: garbon on February 05, 2022, 05:56:29 AM
Quote from: crazy canuck on February 03, 2022, 04:31:06 PM
Well that was a whole lot of boring with a gun fight out of a old fashioned western.
If there is a point to the Bobba Fett series, I hope they start coming around to it.
It is clear that Boba Fett was not an important character in his own show. Feels like they really just wanted a platform to remind us of all their other existing/upcoming content.
And ugh can we get away from the first family of Star Wars? I'm going to start regretting seeing Grogu appear if his appearance always heralds such boring sequences.
+1
Boba Fett always benefitted from being seen less, and being talked about more. The aura of mystery-but-central character schtick has been taken (and well-made) with Mando. It would have been better to go along that route, and see Fett rarely, but feel his empire develop slowly but surely.
I feel the show is more poorly written than Mando. Which is weird, because I think this is very much the same team?
I think the bits stand out as not being as good as the rest have been the present day ones with Boba. I thought the story of what happened to him between the events of Return of the Jedi and when we see him in The Mandalorian was clichéd but fine. And I also think the last two episodes were good. But the stuff with Boba building his crime family is the weakest, and I feel it's mostly because those parts have been disjointed due to the flashbacks and because they get little screen time. To me it's mostly a problem of structure and expectation setting.
It seems originally Jon Favreau wanted to make a Boba Fett show, but at the time there were still plans to have a movie instead. So he went and created a show about a different Mandalorian which may have been a stroke of luck in hindsight.
It does make me wonder, though how much of early ideas for the Boba Fett movie found their way into the shows. Similar with Kenobi which was also supposed to be a movie, originally.
Over the weekend it was confirmed that Andor Season 2 would start filming in Fall. Which is apparently also around when Season 1 would air? And currently the show is planned for to run 3 seasons.
Since it's set in pre-Episode 4 times, I wonder if they will use it to add some background for Ahsoka (who's hunting for Thrawn and presumably Ezra from Rebels)? Heck, they could have Freddie Prinze Jr. reprise his role as Rebels, or include Temuera Morrison as old Rex. :lol:
Not sure what the release calendar for this year looks like, but I'm guessing: Kenobi => Andor => Mando Season 3?
Of course with the unexpected swerves of Book of Boba Fett I now wonder if Kenobi has a hand in keeping Grogu away from the Empire so that they can tie it into their expanded Clone Wars/Rebels-verse. :P
As I said before the Kenobi show worries me. If they get him involved in way too much off-Tatooine shenanigans, it breaks the concept of the character and his mission to hide in Tatooine all this time, guarding Luke. But if he never leaves planet, we'll get yet another Tatooine show and it will be ridiculous.
I suppose we'll see. If he abandons his duties on Tatooine I hope they have
a) an incredibly good reason
b) he makes sure Luke is safe during his absence (though I guess a ticking clock in that regard could add tension, where he MUST return or else!)
Or maybe we'll get a few episodes with Obi-Wan before being treated to a multi-episode arc of Djin Djarin learning to ride a speeder bike.
Quote from: celedhring on February 07, 2022, 05:04:19 AM
Or maybe we'll get a few episodes with Obi-Wan before being treated to a multi-episode arc of Djin Djarin learning to ride a speeder bike.
I mean he would be a kid or teen during this, so ...
Quote from: Oexmelin on February 05, 2022, 05:52:17 PM
Boba Fett always benefitted from being seen less, and being talked about more. The aura of mystery-but-central character schtick has been taken (and well-made) with Mando. It would have been better to go along that route, and see Fett rarely, but feel his empire develop slowly but surely.
I feel the show is more poorly written than Mando. Which is weird, because I think this is very much the same team?
I agree with all of that. And when they did decide to show him building his empire they made him look like a fool. Maybe there is some grand plan of a redemption arc, but why destroy a perfectly good character to build him up again?
Quote from: crazy canuck on February 07, 2022, 11:18:16 AM
...but why destroy a perfectly good character...
bad influence from Kennedy?
Well, the last episode of Boba is wickedly fun. Everything that happens was telegraphed a mile away in prior episodes, but nonetheless it is effective and enjoyable. I only felt [spoiler]the droid fight dragged on too long. And why couldn't they use the trick they use in Clone Wars? Those shields were supposed to work like the Dune shields[/spoiler]
I'm really impressed by Bane's facial animations, by the way. The teeth are distracting, but the "acting" is pretty damn good and always exudes menace. I hope we get to see more live action Cad Bane in some of the other shows [spoiler]I enjoyed how with just a few lines they can convey Bane's and Boba's story together[/spoiler]
I didn't get the post-credits scene, I guess I'll have to wait until the Star Wars savants chime in.
Enjoyed the final episode, even though I thought the action was dragged out maybe a bit too much. But everyone gets a chance to shine and look cool, so that's fun.
Story wise, I'd rate the conclusion as "fine". It wraps up the main arc, sets up one or two things for the future but otherwise doesn't leave too much dangling.
I agree with cel, many points were either telegraphed or were quite easy to expect - like [spoiler]Boba and the Rancor, or Boba vs Bane where BF looses on blasters but wins on gaffi stick. I really liked that they called back to their history, and I thought their confrontation was quite satisfying. No Fennec/Cad Bane callback, though. Bane may be dead, but he could easily show up in Kenobi or Andor. Come to think of it, I think Lando would be an awesome foil for him, if that show ever gets made. :D[/spoiler]
Bunch of call backs to classic movies. [spoiler]Boba/Din fighting together made me think of Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid, the scene with the Gamorreans and the train calling back to Once Upon A Time in the West, kaiju movies/King Kong etc.
I love Peli, but the way she showed up in the middle of the fight felt VERY contrived, as did that Luke would just send R2 and his X-Wing to deliver Grogu? Err ... Also, are the Gamorreans the only "recognizable" members of Boba's troops who died? :( Though I guess one of the mods also died.
I liked that Grogu seems to be a bit less violent and impulsive following his training with Luke. E.g. calming the Rancor into sleep (and then cuddling up with him ... awwww :wub: ) and uses maybe the force more easily (like when he jumps into Din't arms). And the ending scene with Din and Grogu was obviously adorable.[/spoiler]
So what remains? A really weirdly structured seven episodes as mentioned before. Overall a decent story with good components, but It somehow feels less than the sum of its parts, because it felt so unstructured.
[spoiler]We see Boba Fett finally cutting loose from his past - he literally kills it. Fennec seems to not fully on board yet, based on their discussion re: profiting from spice trade at the start of the episode. Din's and Grogu's plot and character arcs get moved forward a bit. I wonder if Din would have been all in on the "let's die together" thing with Boba if he had known Grogu was on his way to him? For now the conflict seems resolved. Cobb Vanth is getting the bacta treatment and will probably get some cybernetics and probably take over from Boba Fett, I suppose?[/spoiler]
Someone said that the show has a bit of a "tell, don't show" problem. We hear about how the locals are suppressed, how ruthless the Pykes are, how spice is hurting a lot of people .... but we hardly see any of it. I can't really disagree. :hmm: (I guess we would have needed an extra episode's worth of runtime to include it across the episodes, though?)
Btw, majordomo once again killing it! :lol: And [spoiler]are he and Peli an item now?[/spoiler] :unsure:
Quote from: Syt on February 09, 2022, 06:30:20 AM
Someone said that the show has a bit of a "tell, don't show" problem. We hear about how the locals are suppressed, how ruthless the Pykes are, how spice is hurting a lot of people .... but we hardly see any of it. I can't really disagree. :hmm: (I guess we would have needed an extra episode's worth of runtime to include it across the episodes, though?)
Or just don't repurpose two full episodes of the show as Mandalorian S3 episodes? :lol:
Also, [spoiler]we don't see Garsa in the entire episode despite them using the ruined club as shelter, so we can assume she's very much dead. Wasted character, imho.[/spoiler]
Yeah, completely unsure what the point of that character was, in hindsight. Maybe they'll flesh them out in a different show, but on this one it just felt quite unnecessary.
Quote from: celedhring on February 09, 2022, 06:08:26 AM
I didn't get the post-credits scene, I guess I'll have to wait until the Star Wars savants chime in.
[spoiler]That guy looked like a Kiffar. Could it be Quinlan Vos?[/spoiler]
Quote from: Solmyr on February 09, 2022, 06:58:18 AM
Quote from: celedhring on February 09, 2022, 06:08:26 AM
I didn't get the post-credits scene, I guess I'll have to wait until the Star Wars savants chime in.
[spoiler]That guy looked like a Kiffar. Could it be Quinlan Vos?[/spoiler]
I think that's the [spoiler]surgeon who added the cybernetics to Fennec in Ep. 4. The implication being that Cobb Vanth gets some implants.[/spoiler]
Quote from: Syt on February 09, 2022, 07:02:22 AM
Quote from: Solmyr on February 09, 2022, 06:58:18 AM
Quote from: celedhring on February 09, 2022, 06:08:26 AM
I didn't get the post-credits scene, I guess I'll have to wait until the Star Wars savants chime in.
[spoiler]That guy looked like a Kiffar. Could it be Quinlan Vos?[/spoiler]
I think that's the [spoiler]surgeon who added the cybernetics to Fennec in Ep. 4. The implication being that Cobb Vanth gets some implants.[/spoiler]
Ah okay, I forgot about that guy. :lol:
The homage to this scene gave me a big smile, though. :D
(https://c.tenor.com/W6ssi83XiK8AAAAd/once-upon-a-time-in-the-west-charles-bronson.gif)
And of course:
(https://i.makeagif.com/media/8-23-2015/DkgZ2L.gif)
I was de determined to resist temptation, but now, I have to see it! Damm it!
I think in retrospect I rate the series as "fine." The individual elements were sound, IMHO, some quite excellent, but it would have benefited from:
- having the plot in chronological order instead of the flashbacta
- add one episode's worth of runtime to better build out the Mos Espa gang war story and flesh out characters that got very little screen time for how they important they were made out to be at first
- better setting of expectations that there might be "detours" and major interludes to other characters than Boba in the story
Oddly, I found that the action scenes filmed by Robert Rodriguez were, overall, the weakest (the train heist is still my favorite from this run). The finale had some really awesome bits, but it also had times when it seemed to drag/sag unnecessarily. Also, it's best not to think too much about the action and how the "war" seemed rather small, but that's most of Star Wars for you. :P
Coming up next:
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FLNeCzFVgAEDyyu?format=jpg&name=900x900)
After that it's Andor in the Fall, and probably Mando S3 for Christmas or so. Bad Batch season 2 was also set for 2022, not sure where it slots in, though.
Also, on movie callbacks - I didn't notice the one in the previous episode, because it's been ages since I watched The Untouchables.
(https://i.makeagif.com/media/12-02-2017/eKpehf.gif)
On reddit, a helpful user provided a chronology of current canon adult/young adult novels (excluding short stories). Included MOVIES and TV SHOWS in caps as reference.
THE HIGH REPUBLIC
232 BBY - Light of the Jedi
232 BBY - Into the Dark
231 BBY - The Rising Storm
231 BBY - Out of the Shadows
231 BBY - Tempest Runner
231 BBY - The Fallen Star
231 BBY - Midnight Horizon
FALL OF THE JEDI
42-40 BBY - Padawan
39 BBY - Master and Apprentice
32 BBY - EPISODE I
32 BBY - Queen's Peril
28 BBY - Queen's Shadow
92-24 BBY - Dooku: Jedi Lost
22 BBY - EPISODE II
22 BBY - Brotherhood
22-19 BBY - THE CLONE WARS
22 BBY - Queen's Hope
19 BBY - Dark Disciple
19 BBY - Thrawn Ascendancy Trilogy
REIGN OF THE EMPIRE
19 BBY - EPISODE III
19 BBY - THE BAD BATCH
18 BBY - Ahsoka
22-17 BBY - Catalyst
14 BBY - Lords of the Sith
14 BBY - Tarkin
13 BBY - Most Wanted
11 BBY - A New Dawn
10 BBY - SOLO
9 BBY - OBI-WAN KENOBI
AGE OF REBELLION
5-1 BBY - REBELS
5 BBY - ANDOR
3 BBY - Leia: Princess of Alderaan
11-2 BBY - Thrawn
2 BBY - Thrawn: Alliances
1 BBY - Thrawn: Treason
13-0 BBY - Rebel Rising
0 BBY - ROGUE ONE
0 BBY - EPISODE IV
0 ABY - Inferno Squad
0 ABY - Heir to the Jedi
3 ABY - EPISODE V
6 BBY - 3 ABY - Twilight Company
4 ABY - EPISODE VI
THE NEW REPUBLIC
4 ABY - Alphabet Squadron
4 ABY - Aftermath
5 ABY - Shadow Fall
5 ABY - Life Debt
5 ABY - Empire's End
5 ABY - Victory's Price
11 BBY - 5 ABY - Lost Stars
10 BBY - 7 ABY - Last Shot
9 ABY - THE MANDALORIAN
9 ABY - THE BOOK OF BOBA FETT
18 ABY - Poe Dameron: Free Fall
21 ABY - Shadow of the Sith
28 ABY - Bloodline
RISE OF THE FIRST ORDER
32 ABY - Force Collector
28 - 33 ABY - Phasma
34 ABY - EPISODE VII
34 ABY - EPISODE VIII
34 ABY - Resistance Reborn
35 ABY - Galaxy's Edge: Black Spire
35 ABY - A Crash of Fate
35 ABY - EPISODE IX
Quote from: celedhring on February 09, 2022, 06:08:26 AM
Well, the last episode of Boba is wickedly fun. Everything that happens was telegraphed a mile away in prior episodes, but nonetheless it is effective and enjoyable. I only felt [spoiler]the droid fight dragged on too long. And why couldn't they use the trick they use in Clone Wars? Those shields were supposed to work like the Dune shields[/spoiler]
I'm really impressed by Bane's facial animations, by the way. The teeth are distracting, but the "acting" is pretty damn good and always exudes menace. I hope we get to see more live action Cad Bane in some of the other shows [spoiler]I enjoyed how with just a few lines they can convey Bane's and Boba's story together[/spoiler]
I didn't get the post-credits scene, I guess I'll have to wait until the Star Wars savants chime in.
Well I am glad someone enjoyed it. I found it boring and stupid. Boba turns out to be even more of a fool than previously thought. He really just took everyone at their word that they would not turn on him? Mando immediately recognized that was the smart play for the others. And then childlike Boba repeated it was. The episode is full of those sorts of things. The cavalry turns out to be one transport of bad fighters (really that was what Boba was counting on to turn the tide). Another stupid Western duel.
And to top it all off, they could have just gone and taken out the leadership of the invading group all along. The whole thing was ridiculous.
Mando should not have been splattered with this mess.
I totally want a sitcom about Peli. :D
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FLRQkFAXoAIUNBP?format=jpg&name=large)
Hell, I'd settle for an animated version. :D
Ray Stevenson will be in Ahsoka.
(https://cdn1-www.superherohype.com/assets/uploads/2022/02/Ray-Stevenson.jpg)
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/ahsoka-ray-stevenson-rosario-dawson-star-wars-series-1235091736/
You may remember him from HBO's Rome, or Vikings. HWR says he will play an admiral, but NOT Thrawn.
He was on Clone Wars and Rebels as Gar Saxon (Clan Saxon was part of House Vizsla). Saxon was commander of the Super Commandos in Maul's Shadow Collective and later served as Imperial governor/vice-roy of Mandalore. He also was an Emperor's Hand. However, he died in Rebels, so not likely he'll play the same character. But seeing how Jon Favreau played Pre Vizsla (who was beheaded in Clone Wars) and now plays Paz Vizsla in the live action shows, it's not impossible that he plays another character from the same clan.
Meanwhile, Kevin McKidd, who played Mandalorian Fenn Rau on Rebels expressed interest in reprising the role for live action. Fenn Rau was the leader of the Protectors of Concord Dawn was first captured by and then later joined the Rebels and also aided in the struggle to free Mandalore.
(https://bilder.fernsehserien.de/gfx/person_1000/k/kevin-mckidd-1617854462-w-893.jpg.jpg)
(https://starwarsreadingorder.com/images/characters/fenn_rau.jpg)
For Kenobi, there's rumors that Rupert Friend will play the Grand Inquisitor from Star Wars Rebels.
(https://www.small-screen.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/rupert-friend-star-wars-rebels-villain-kenobi-disney-plus-series-1050x591.jpg)
(https://justkillingti.me/wp-content/2018/05/cover.png)
Which would be a bit of a shame, because on Rebels he was voiced by the always excellent Jason Isaacs. :(
I saw people on twitter claim that he had been cast as Thrawn, which looked like a severe miscasting to me - happy to see that this is not apparently the case.
I really hope they bring back Mikkelsen for the role.
Quote from: crazy canuck on February 10, 2022, 10:18:04 AM
Well I am glad someone enjoyed it. I found it boring and stupid. Boba turns out to be even more of a fool than previously thought. He really just took everyone at their word that they would not turn on him? Mando immediately recognized that was the smart play for the others. And then childlike Boba repeated it was. The episode is full of those sorts of things. The cavalry turns out to be one transport of bad fighters (really that was what Boba was counting on to turn the tide). Another stupid Western duel.
And to top it all off, they could have just gone and taken out the leadership of the invading group all along. The whole thing was ridiculous.
Mando should not have been splattered with this mess.
I'm with cynical CC on this. It felt like there was a ton of nonsensical rules. Cad Bane appears but because Boba Fett doesn't want to duel then honor(?) has it all wait to kick off till the bad guys roll their other force in BUT then it is totally okay for Fennec to just run over and kill the opposing leadership.
Also Boba agrees to plan to split up all his forces for a warning system that doesn't actually provide any useful warning? Also, I loved when the one mod, with the black lady from Freetown, told the black lady she'd distract the droid while black lady sniped the fighters but like they were stationed on the roof side by side so any droid fire would come at them both. And I literally said outloud to my husband on that final Western-style duel - wow, there was literally nothing entertaining about that scene at all.
Apart from the bits with Mando and his cast of characters, a very forgettable series with little to commend it.
There's not much "there" there, but still it's fun watching people walk around in the Star Wars universe.
Sure which is why I watched it all. :)
This theory (spoilers obviously) makes as much sense as anything else:
https://www.polygon.com/star-wars/22929592/book-of-boba-fett-hero-vs-villain
Quote from: Eddie Teach on February 12, 2022, 09:07:03 AM
There's not much "there" there, but still it's fun watching people walk around in the Star Wars universe.
That's me, and why I tend to be quite forgiving of Star Wars content in general. Even as a kid I didn't really get invested in Luke's story which is why I didn't swoon like many fans did when he showed up in the shows (actually, I was WAY more excited to see Cad Bane :D ). But I love seeing more of the universe, and see stories about it, bonus if it's new or minor characters - though I get why they tie things in with known characters and try to funnel viewers into other content by bringing in characters from animated shows, comics and books. And I think it's fine if done in moderation. The canon and old expanded universe are so big that anytime they need character archetypes they could just fill the ranks from there. Mando Season 1 stood quite well on its own, Season 2 started to bring in quite a number of characters (Luke, Ahsoka, Boba Fett, Bo-Katan, Boba Fett ...), but I thought it was ok, because Din had been well established as his own person by that point.
Anyways, for me that galaxy far, far away is just a great sandbox to escape to, and it has to be truly awful for me to not enjoy it (some early Clone Wars episodes were a bit hard to sit through). :)
Also, Din is so knowledgeable in some areas, and in others, well, he can be charmingly simple. :lol:
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FLVn0zMVgAEWrhf?format=jpg&name=medium)
(There's also the video from last year after season 2, "5 minutes of Din not knowing he's in Star Wars." :D )
Patton Oswalt on Parks & Recreation predicting a scene from Book of Boba Fett :P
https://youtu.be/Ke9pwEeU8yI
(https://scontent.fymq3-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/274637481_5115756525130433_9053242504504872003_n.jpg?_nc_cat=102&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=228nCIgw5bQAX-GYUou&_nc_ht=scontent.fymq3-1.fna&oh=00_AT_FbRub67Lpq_YshQIu8jh-gMTjSajUWcGHlkEmd7Tydg&oe=62199DEB)
- He supervises construction of an stellar base offering thousand of jobs
- He offers his son a high responsibility position in the company
- He recruits without any kind of discrimination
- He organizes a suprise party for his daughter's engagement...
A true progressive! :)
Nobody posted the Obi-Wan trailer yet?
https://twitter.com/starwars/status/1501630785190719488?t=gc3xJ6w7zoDH_1w1GU2WIw&s=09
First impressions are okay. The Grand Inquisitor's make up looks awful in real-action though.
Teaser trailer for Kenobi: https://youtu.be/TWTfhyvzTx0
Looks like inquisitors are out hunting him. Which makes sense - Vader knows that Kenobi survived their duel. So that makes him an obvious target.
Bit concerned about the appearance of what surely are the Grand Inquisitor and the Fifth Brother from Rebels. Their appearance in the show:
(https://img2.goodfon.com/wallpaper/nbig/c/24/zvezdnye-voyny-povstancy-star-6344.jpg)
(https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/images/fifth-brother-inquisitor_03d7760a.jpeg)
Their appearance in the trailer:
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FNbejgXUYAEtrfT?format=jpg&name=small)
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FNbgN3uUcAI1Quy?format=jpg&name=small)
I tend to not get hung up too much about differences between appearance in animation vs live action but ... damn. For the Grand Inquisitor it's especially weird, since we have seen what his race looks like in Episode III:
(https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/images/databank_pauan_01_169_7fbc02c1.jpeg)
And I think Jason Isaacs' voice was great for the character: https://youtu.be/XII0OMkOu9k
(Isaacs expressed interest in the past of reprising his role - but ... oh well.)
We can surmise that some of these characters survive - Grand Inquisitor and Fifth Brother show up in Rebels which is set shortly before A New Hope. I assume Kenobi will fake his death (or be presumed dead) so they can focus on other targets?
I like this take on Book of Boba Fett. Mostly because it summarizes my view quite well. :P
https://youtu.be/U9Xqa7ZPsy0?list=LL
Also, Kenobi premiere moved from 25th May (release date of original Star Wars) to Friday, May 27th, and it will drop the first two episodes.
Disney have provided a watchlist for people who want to catch up on Obi-Wan's background:
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FTNahFrWQAEDG7g?format=jpg&name=900x900)
The movies make sense of course. I would put a huge asterisk on the Clone Wars movie. For as great as Clone Wars can be, it's a terrible introduction to the series. It doesn't help that it's basically just a few episodes slapped together into a movie. Read a plot summary instead. :P
The Clone Wars episodes in S2 and 5 are about his connection to Mandalore, and cover much of how the attempts of Duchess Satine to reform Mandalorians into a peaceful society failed, plus her very personal connection to Obi-Wan. The season 5 arc is a tad dark. Not sure why they include S2 Ep. 15 (Padme and Bail Organa investigating murders in the senate) and Ep. 16 (Anakin running a blockade to get supplies to Bail Organa), though. :hmm:
The Season 4 episodes have Obi-Wan go undercover as bounty hunter after faking his own death. It's a fun adventure (and has Cad Bane!), but it also is a key moment for Anakin: he's kept completely in the dark, and it makes him question how far he can trust the Jedi Order, or even Obi-Wan.
This Disney primer includes the cartoons, right? That's the Clone Wars stuff?
Si.
What about any movies based on cartoons based on toys based on movies? You know, LEGO shit. Anything required from that?
No, I don't think any of that stuff is canon. Though their Halloween special had a fun story of Kylo joining the Knights of Ren, spoofing The Lost Boys (including sexy saxophone player). :P
I'm surprised that Star Wars Explained hasn't put out a lore video about Obi-Wan before the series premiere this week. :hmm:
IGN has it covered, though, summarizing his canon story so far from books to movies, to comics, to animated shows:
(His second duel with Maul in Star Wars Rebels is one of the highlights of that series.)
SW explained has put out a video explaining - based on the trailers - some of the elements they bring in from non-live action, though, like the inquisitors:
Lots of talk about the new SW shows (https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/05/star-wars-cover-the-rebellion-will-be-televised?utm_source=pocket-newtab)
Obi-Wan, Andor, Rebellion, Ahsoka, The Acolyte. No talk of the Rogue Squadron movie though.
I fear it's gone with the wind:
https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/star-wars-rogue-squadron-trouble-creative-differences/
Yeah, the Rogue Squadron flick seems dead.
A pity, I kinda have an itch for starships pew-pew. I'll have to rewatch the Battle of Scarif again, I guess.
"Andor" trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5UX1Adanis&ab_channel=StarWars
I liked Rogue One, but I'll admit that after exiting the movie "I really want to see more of Cassian Andor" wasn't very high on my list. Nonetheless, seems interesting enough, looks like it will also deal with "origin of the Rebellion" stuff.
I was actually shocked by how good the trailer is. I am also less than interested in seeing more of Cassian Andor, but if he serves as a vehicle to watch clandestine terror networks of the Rebel Alliance go to work, then great.
So Kenobi, Ep1/2 - I liked them overall, even though some of the plotting is a bit forced (particularly ep 2). The big takeaway though is that it looks like the show has a story to tell, unlike say Boba.
- Don't really care for the Inquisitors as villains, didn't like them in Rebels and don't like them in here. They're just too cartoony, even for Star Wars standards. The terrible make-up/costume job doesn't help either.
- McGregor is great as Kenobi. Love how broken he is after the events of ROTS. He's quite far from the wise character we meet in A New Hope, and I hope they can bridge that gap in the show effectively (which seems its indeed the character arc they are going for).
- I was worried about how they would take Kenobi off Tatooine, but I think that part (the kidnapping of Leia) makes sense and works. It also feeds into his character arc of finding again his heroism. It also fits in with the beginning of ANH, with Leia seeking him again for help.
- Some nice little bits of worldbuilding (the Clone beggar, the fake Jedi con artist)
- Kenobi navigating the seedy underworld always works.
- Not sure about Third Sister knowing that Lord Vader is Anakin Skywalker - I thought that was kinda a secret.
- I like the fact that we are two episodes in and Kenobi has yet to light up his lightsaber.
- Incidentally, my favorite moment so far is Obi-Wan digging up his lightsabers from the desert at the end of episode 1.
- Poor Rupert Friend, saddled with bad makeup, pompous dialogue, and an early "death" (since his character has to show up in Rebels).
You watched the episodes during breakfast or what? :lol:
Quote from: The Larch on May 27, 2022, 04:47:29 AMYou watched the episodes during breakfast or what? :lol:
I started the first one as soon as it was uploaded :lol:
Quote from: celedhring on May 27, 2022, 04:50:00 AMQuote from: The Larch on May 27, 2022, 04:47:29 AMYou watched the episodes during breakfast or what? :lol:
I started the first one as soon as it was uploaded :lol:
I tend to catch up on TV during quiet workdays. :D
Watched the two Kenobi episodes. Really enjoyed it. Seeing McGregor as Obi Wan again put a smile on my face. And I appreciated the prequel trilogy refresher at the start of first episode.
I am enjoying the fact that the prequels are no longer shunned. Although I guess that has been the case for a while, what with the success of the animated series and all.
I wonder if in 20 years the sequel trilogy will become beloved. :hmm:
Highly doubt that. The plot of the prequels was pretty good, it was the dialogue that shit the bed.
The sequels are just all around bad films.
Watched episode one. Really freaking boring. The chase in the forest with a little girl was just ridiculous. I hope it gets better.
Quote from: FunkMonk on May 27, 2022, 08:25:51 PMI wonder if in 20 years the sequel trilogy will become beloved. :hmm:
let's not push it. :D
I liked the episodes too. Great SW stuff. :)
I really like little Leia:
Obi-Wan saying she reminds her of someone, "she was fearless too. And stubborn.
That part made me really laugh, and remember the Clone Wars series.
Quote from: crazy canuck on May 27, 2022, 09:42:40 PMWatched episode one. Really freaking boring. The chase in the forest with a little girl was just ridiculous. I hope it gets better.
Watched both. It's ok. B- maybe. The Inquisitors are caricatures.
Kids are stupid. :lol:
Quote from: FunkMonk on May 27, 2022, 08:25:51 PMWatched the two Kenobi episodes. Really enjoyed it. Seeing McGregor as Obi Wan again put a smile on my face. And I appreciated the prequel trilogy refresher at the start of first episode.
I am enjoying the fact that the prequels are no longer shunned. Although I guess that has been the case for a while, what with the success of the animated series and all.
I wonder if in 20 years the sequel trilogy will become beloved. :hmm:
The first prequel should still be shunned. I recently watched the first two before watching the Clone Wars and that first one is just terrible. Respectfully, Zoupa is out to lunch if he thinks the first one had a good plot.
Yeah, the plot of the prequels ain't no good at all. Story =/ plot.
Quote from: garbon on May 28, 2022, 01:56:22 AMQuote from: FunkMonk on May 27, 2022, 08:25:51 PMWatched the two Kenobi episodes. Really enjoyed it. Seeing McGregor as Obi Wan again put a smile on my face. And I appreciated the prequel trilogy refresher at the start of first episode.
I am enjoying the fact that the prequels are no longer shunned. Although I guess that has been the case for a while, what with the success of the animated series and all.
I wonder if in 20 years the sequel trilogy will become beloved. :hmm:
The first prequel should still be shunned. I recently watched the first two before watching the Clone Wars and that first one is just terrible. Respectfully, Zoupa is out to lunch if he thinks the first one had a good plot.
The plot of episode one, "kid, I know you are potentially the most powerful Jedi we have ever seen and are probably the chosen one, but we can't save your mother from slavery because that's not what we came here to do. You are just going to have to internalize all that pain. I am sure everything will be ok."
It stays within the Jedi mind frame of detachment. Plus jedi are dicks.
Something that bugs me: "Ben Kenobi". If he's supposed to be in hiding, using the same surname isn't wise. I know Lucas picked it so Luke could connect the dots, but so could bounty hunters and inquisitors.
Quote from: Eddie Teach on May 28, 2022, 12:40:02 PMSomething that bugs me: "Ben Kenobi". If he's supposed to be in hiding, using the same surname isn't wise. I know Lucas picked it so Luke could connect the dots, but so could bounty hunters and inquisitors.
Well, it's not much worse than leaving him under the care of Vader's stepbrother, in Vader's native planet...
But Vader thought the kids were dead, didn't he? The manhunt was for Jedi.
Quote from: Eddie Teach on May 28, 2022, 12:57:41 PMBut Vader thought the kids were dead, didn't he? The manhunt was for Jedi.
Yeah, but Kenobi is there for the kid. So he's just one Vader nostalgia trip away from being found.
I never understood why they made Anakin a native of Tatooine in the prequels.
Quote from: celedhring on May 28, 2022, 01:03:45 PMQuote from: Eddie Teach on May 28, 2022, 12:57:41 PMBut Vader thought the kids were dead, didn't he? The manhunt was for Jedi.
Yeah, but Kenobi is there for the kid. So he's just one Vader nostalgia trip away from being found.
I never understood why they made Anakin a native of Tatooine in the prequels.
Tatooine is apparently everything.
Bad Batch season 2 trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JX5OW8cOec&ab_channel=StarWars
The wookie youngling survived! (Yes, they are starting to have a "way too many Jedi survived" issue)
Quote from: FunkMonk on May 27, 2022, 08:25:51 PMI wonder if in 20 years the sequel trilogy will become beloved. :hmm:
I grew up with the original trilogy, and they are beloved to me.
My kids grew up with the originals and prequels, and rate them all about equally good I think.
I think the better question is - in 20 years will the sequel trilogy be welcomed back in the fold.
Watched second episode of Kenobi. The two cent thug summed up the episode well - "I can't believe you fell for it"
Yeah, exactly! And by the way once Vader finds out that there is a connection with Kenobi, how does he not put two and two together?
This is what happens when you use the Prequels as source material.
Quote from: crazy canuck on May 30, 2022, 06:17:44 PMThis is what happens when you use the Prequels Star Wars as source material.
:D
It's a problem anytime you start composing a story in the middle.
Quote from: crazy canuck on May 30, 2022, 06:17:44 PMYeah, exactly! And by the way once Vader finds out that there is a connection with Kenobi, how does he not put two and two together?
Vader only appears at the end of the episode in a bacta tank.
The only one who saw Kenobi is the 3rd Sister, a glimpse of him. Everyone else is dead.
He'll make the connection, he'll investigate for sure.
Quote from: viper37 on May 31, 2022, 03:03:50 PMQuote from: crazy canuck on May 30, 2022, 06:17:44 PMYeah, exactly! And by the way once Vader finds out that there is a connection with Kenobi, how does he not put two and two together?
Vader only appears at the end of the episode in a bacta tank.
The only one who saw Kenobi is the 3rd Sister, a glimpse of him. Everyone else is dead.
He'll make the connection, he'll investigate for sure.
The third sister made the connection between Kenobi and Leah and Kenobi bit on it. The third sister knows Kenobi was there. Her intention was to take Kenobi to Vader.
The actor playing the third sister is being attacked by vile online racist scum.
Third episode of Kenobi is sadly a clusterfuck.
Quote from: crazy canuck on May 31, 2022, 04:00:36 PMQuote from: viper37 on May 31, 2022, 03:03:50 PMQuote from: crazy canuck on May 30, 2022, 06:17:44 PMYeah, exactly! And by the way once Vader finds out that there is a connection with Kenobi, how does he not put two and two together?
Vader only appears at the end of the episode in a bacta tank.
The only one who saw Kenobi is the 3rd Sister, a glimpse of him. Everyone else is dead.
He'll make the connection, he'll investigate for sure.
The third sister made the connection between Kenobi and Leah and Kenobi bit on it. The third sister knows Kenobi was there. Her intention was to take Kenobi to Vader.
Vader did not order the 3rd sister to kidnap Leia to get to Kenobi. Vader would not be the kind to kidnap a child to get to Kenobi, and the Senator would not act, at this point in time, overtly against the Senate, unless they both knew for sure the Organa were still in contact with Kenobi.
If that was the case, Vader would go there with his 501st, arrest Organa, torture them both for the location of Kenobi.
The 3rd Sister acted independently to gain favor from Vader. That's often how Sith works. Vader just generally prefers brute force.
Quote from: crazy canuck on May 31, 2022, 11:19:12 PMThe actor playing the third sister is being attacked by vile online racist scum.
Why? I thought she was very good in her role.
Quote from: viper37 on June 01, 2022, 09:50:43 AMQuote from: crazy canuck on May 31, 2022, 04:00:36 PMQuote from: viper37 on May 31, 2022, 03:03:50 PMQuote from: crazy canuck on May 30, 2022, 06:17:44 PMYeah, exactly! And by the way once Vader finds out that there is a connection with Kenobi, how does he not put two and two together?
Vader only appears at the end of the episode in a bacta tank.
The only one who saw Kenobi is the 3rd Sister, a glimpse of him. Everyone else is dead.
He'll make the connection, he'll investigate for sure.
The third sister made the connection between Kenobi and Leah and Kenobi bit on it. The third sister knows Kenobi was there. Her intention was to take Kenobi to Vader.
Vader did not order the 3rd sister to kidnap Leia to get to Kenobi. Vader would not be the kind to kidnap a child to get to Kenobi, and the Senator would not act, at this point in time, overtly against the Senate, unless they both knew for sure the Organa were still in contact with Kenobi.
If that was the case, Vader would go there with his 501st, arrest Organa, torture them both for the location of Kenobi.
The 3rd Sister acted independently to gain favor from Vader. That's often how Sith works. Vader just generally prefers brute force.
I think he might be missing the point that if the third sister can make the connection why can't Vader. Also you're missing the point that the third sister is highly motivated to please theatre so why wouldn't she telling him.
You really have to do a lot of mental gymnastics to make this plotline work at all.
Quote from: viper37 on June 01, 2022, 09:51:06 AMQuote from: crazy canuck on May 31, 2022, 11:19:12 PMThe actor playing the third sister is being attacked by vile online racist scum.
Why? I thought she was very good in her role.
The fact that they are racist scum might just be the explanation
Quote from: viper37 on June 01, 2022, 09:51:06 AMQuote from: crazy canuck on May 31, 2022, 11:19:12 PMThe actor playing the third sister is being attacked by vile online racist scum.
Why? I thought she was very good in her role.
Wrong skin colour AND gender, I assume.
Quote from: crazy canuck on June 01, 2022, 10:03:02 AMYou really have to do a lot of mental gymnastics to make this plotline work at all.
She makes the connection that Senator Organa and Kenobi worked together during the Clone Wars. Not that Leia is Vader's child, hidden by Kenobi, or even an adopter daughter.
The Empire already keeps all former Jedi acquaintances under surveillance. Organa is no different.
What she did was pushing a little too far, kidnapping the daughter of an Imperial senator. It worked, so she's out of trouble. If it hadn't, it had been something else.
EDIT:
Better question to ask is how is it everyone believes Kenobi is dead 9 years later, because "it's been so long he must be dead by now" and there's a confirmed sighting right there, that may involve Vader himself.
Quote from: celedhring on June 01, 2022, 06:03:57 AMThird episode of Kenobi is sadly a clusterfuck.
Yes :( Ready to give up on the series already. This sucked.
Quote from: Tamas on June 01, 2022, 12:30:14 PMQuote from: celedhring on June 01, 2022, 06:03:57 AMThird episode of Kenobi is sadly a clusterfuck.
Yes :( Ready to give up on the series already. This sucked.
I mean I don't know how to begin. There's just no way this squares up with ANH anymore, and it's not like they are sacrificing continuity in exchange of gripping action and storytelling. And it's sad because I honestly dig the idea of "broken Kenobi finding himself again" as the show's throughline. But the execution is mediocre.
Incidentally, I need Syt in this thread.
Quote from: celedhring on June 01, 2022, 12:52:38 PMIncidentally, I need Syt in this thread.
It's not mindblowing, but I enjoy it. Also, I'm immensely exhausted these last few days, and not in much of a mood to go into big arguments about it.
Unsure why this doesn't square up with ANH, though. We're in the middle of the story arc, where our hero is at his lowest. From here I expect he will rise again, reconnect with the force, face Vader again in a much more even fight that schools Vader (leading to the "When I left you, I was but a learner ..." line), rescue Leia, and escape in a way that also makes everyone think he's dead.
Quote from: viper37 on June 01, 2022, 10:53:01 AMQuote from: crazy canuck on June 01, 2022, 10:03:02 AMYou really have to do a lot of mental gymnastics to make this plotline work at all.
She makes the connection that Senator Organa and Kenobi worked together during the Clone Wars. Not that Leia is Vader's child, hidden by Kenobi, or even an adopter daughter.
The Empire already keeps all former Jedi acquaintances under surveillance. Organa is no different.
What she did was pushing a little too far, kidnapping the daughter of an Imperial senator. It worked, so she's out of trouble. If it hadn't, it had been something else.
Yes, and if one has just a bit of curiosity in the position of Vader, one might just ask themselves, what was so special here to make Kenobi come out of hiding after all these years. Just that he knew, in passing, one of the Senators. No, a more curious mind would think there is more to it than that.
ANH seemed to be really clear about it was the first Kenobi-Vader meeting since Vader was Kenobi's student.
The 3rd Sister pretty much says what drives a Jedi in the opening of the series. ;)
Quote from: Tamas on June 01, 2022, 02:49:51 PMANH seemed to be really clear about it was the first Kenobi-Vader meeting since Vader was Kenobi's student.
Yes. But it seems the 3rd episode has fucked that up nicely (haven't seen it yet) :(
Quote from: Tamas on June 01, 2022, 02:49:51 PMANH seemed to be really clear about it was the first Kenobi-Vader meeting since Vader was Kenobi's student.
*Note* I haven't had a chance to watch. Yet.
But the line from Vader goes "I've been waiting for you, Obi-Wan. We meet again at last. The circle is now complete. When I left you I was but the learner. Now, I am the master!"
It seems to me there's still room for a meeting between Obi-Wan and Vader in-between Episodes 3 and 4, just as long as Vader still feels like he was a "learner" at that time. It stretches canon, but doesn't break it.
Star Wars has never been consistent. Love triangle angle got revamped as incest, Vader killed Luke's dad, then became his dad. Keeping the tradition alive!
Haven't watched episode 3 yet, though.
Quote from: Barrister on June 01, 2022, 03:43:46 PMQuote from: Tamas on June 01, 2022, 02:49:51 PMANH seemed to be really clear about it was the first Kenobi-Vader meeting since Vader was Kenobi's student.
*Note* I haven't had a chance to watch. Yet.
But the line from Vader goes "I've been waiting for you, Obi-Wan. We meet again at last. The circle is now complete. When I left you I was but the learner. Now, I am the master!"
It seems to me there's still room for a meeting between Obi-Wan and Vader in-between Episodes 3 and 4, just as long as Vader still feels like he was a "learner" at that time. It stretches canon, but doesn't break it.
Tarkin believes him to be dead because they've long been without news. That implies a certain measure of time after some eventful period. 9 years through relatively peaceful times is not enough for me.
Quote from: viper37 on June 01, 2022, 04:11:05 PMQuote from: Barrister on June 01, 2022, 03:43:46 PMQuote from: Tamas on June 01, 2022, 02:49:51 PMANH seemed to be really clear about it was the first Kenobi-Vader meeting since Vader was Kenobi's student.
*Note* I haven't had a chance to watch. Yet.
But the line from Vader goes "I've been waiting for you, Obi-Wan. We meet again at last. The circle is now complete. When I left you I was but the learner. Now, I am the master!"
It seems to me there's still room for a meeting between Obi-Wan and Vader in-between Episodes 3 and 4, just as long as Vader still feels like he was a "learner" at that time. It stretches canon, but doesn't break it.
Tarkin believes him to be dead because they've long been without news. That implies a certain measure of time after some eventful period. 9 years through relatively peaceful times is not enough for me.
What makes you think the times have been peaceful?
We have the events of Rebels, and of Rogue One, which suggest times are not relatively peaceful.
Quote from: Barrister on June 01, 2022, 04:20:29 PMWhat makes you think the times have been peaceful?
We have the events of Rebels, and of Rogue One, which suggest times are not relatively peaceful.
Rogue One is just before ANH, 9 years from this series time.
Rebel was a low key rebel cell activity, not a full scale military operation the likes we have seen in the clone wars. It was a few very localized events, mostly some patrols facing some rebel cells. It's not the Empire Strikes Back or RoTJ with multiple casualties.
QuoteLuke:
Obi-Wan. Why didn't you tell me? You told me Vader betrayed and murdered my father.
Obi-Wan:
Your father was seduced by the dark side of the Force. He ceased to be Anakin Skywalker and became Darth Vader. When that happened, the good man who was your father was destroyed. So what I told you was true, from a certain point of view.
Luke:
[incredulously] A certain point of view?
Even as a child I thought this was retcon bullshit :lol:
Did you ever want to see an alt-right asshole throw a tantrum over Star Wars? Seriously? No, you didn't. Nobody wants to see that. But here it is anyway.
https://twitter.com/RightWingWatch/status/1531652700605140993
Ok, I've seen episode 3. It's not bad, in itself.
However, it seems to break some well established lore.
Minor spoiler:
Obi-Wan did say "He's more machine than man", that implies he saw Darth Vader in his suit at some point. I didn't like the confrontation, though. Not that it wasn't well done, it was extremely well done. I've re-read the original quote and it was "When I left you...". So maybe there's that. I'd still would have preferred if Obi Wan had stayed clear of Vader.
Quote from: crazy canuck on May 31, 2022, 11:19:12 PMThe actor playing the third sister is being attacked by vile online racist scum.
I'll have to agree with that, as I still don't see a problem with her acting with 3 episodes in.
They could use better editing. How did Ben get out of the building with Vader standing right there. How did the rebel lady get out of the tunnel and past the third sister. How did the third sister pass little girl L in the tunnel.
I am not sure what the person is called who needs to worry about making sure the scenes fit together properly but it seems they didn't have one of those people on staff.
Quote from: celedhring on June 01, 2022, 12:52:38 PMQuote from: Tamas on June 01, 2022, 12:30:14 PMQuote from: celedhring on June 01, 2022, 06:03:57 AMThird episode of Kenobi is sadly a clusterfuck.
Yes :( Ready to give up on the series already. This sucked.
I mean I don't know how to begin. There's just no way this squares up with ANH anymore, and it's not like they are sacrificing continuity in exchange of gripping action and storytelling. And it's sad because I honestly dig the idea of "broken Kenobi finding himself again" as the show's throughline. But the execution is mediocre.
Incidentally, I need Syt in this thread.
It's pretty disappointing so far... It feels like a story that didn't need to be told.
The execution is indeed bad. That fight in the quarry or whatever looked like an 80s action sequence. Pretty cringe. Not quite sure how 2 meters of fire stops Vader and a platoon of stormtroopers... Can't he just crush the droid or levitate Kenobi's body to him?
And what's the point of getting Christensen if Vader's in the suit and they're using James Earl Jones' voice?
We're halfway through. Not impressive.
Quote from: celedhring on June 01, 2022, 06:03:57 AMThird episode of Kenobi is sadly a clusterfuck.
I thought it was a nice episode. Vader was terrifying.
Quote from: viper37 on June 01, 2022, 07:10:50 PMQuote from: Barrister on June 01, 2022, 04:20:29 PMWhat makes you think the times have been peaceful?
We have the events of Rebels, and of Rogue One, which suggest times are not relatively peaceful.
Rogue One is just before ANH, 9 years from this series time.
Rebel was a low key rebel cell activity, not a full scale military operation the likes we have seen in the clone wars. It was a few very localized events, mostly some patrols facing some rebel cells. It's not the Empire Strikes Back or RoTJ with multiple casualties.
I dunno, taking out Thrawn does not seem to be low key.
Quote from: crazy canuck on June 01, 2022, 11:18:37 PMThey could use better editing. How did Ben get out of the building with Vader standing right there. How did the rebel lady get out of the tunnel and past the third sister. How did the third sister pass little girl L in the tunnel.
I am not sure what the person is called who needs to worry about making sure the scenes fit together properly but it seems they didn't have one of those people on staff.
The Third Sister went outside and to the other exit of the tunnel, she didn't go through the tunnel at all. She clearly knew where that tunnel goes.
Ok, I have too much nerd rage boiling to bother with spoiler font, so if you do not want to spoil your enjoyment of the terrible delivery of a lame storyline, do not read further.
So, in ANH Vader gloats of turning from student to master while they were away from each other. He gloats in similar fashion in this episode, ruining the whole continuity.
But fine, they can still come up with some Vader-amnesia before the season finale or whatever. But this whole fight... Vader just force-pulling Kenobi through those very flames which 30 seconds later completely stop him from preventing Kenobi's escape, and he is just standing there, probably the directors thought it was a cool reference of him watching as the Millenium Falcon jumps away just before being caught. Well, it wasn't.
What was the point of all this? Have them meet, fine, in some dramatic season-closing final boss fight, whatever. But this lame crap? What the hell?!
I was quite hopeful after the first two episodes, but this third one was terrible.
Quote from: Solmyr on June 02, 2022, 03:35:42 AMQuote from: crazy canuck on June 01, 2022, 11:18:37 PMThey could use better editing. How did Ben get out of the building with Vader standing right there. How did the rebel lady get out of the tunnel and past the third sister. How did the third sister pass little girl L in the tunnel.
I am not sure what the person is called who needs to worry about making sure the scenes fit together properly but it seems they didn't have one of those people on staff.
The Third Sister went outside and to the other exit of the tunnel, she didn't go through the tunnel at all. She clearly knew where that tunnel goes.
So, she knew were a tunnel went even though she had never been to that planet and had never been in that tunnel and then she beat somebody who had a big head start, going the long way around. You really got a love Star Wars to come up with that solution.
Quote from: Tamas on June 02, 2022, 04:38:13 AMOk, I have too much nerd rage boiling to bother with spoiler font, so if you do not want to spoil your enjoyment of the terrible delivery of a lame storyline, do not read further.
So, in ANH Vader gloats of turning from student to master while they were away from each other. He gloats in similar fashion in this episode, ruining the whole continuity.
But fine, they can still come up with some Vader-amnesia before the season finale or whatever. But this whole fight... Vader just force-pulling Kenobi through those very flames which 30 seconds later completely stop him from preventing Kenobi's escape, and he is just standing there, probably the directors thought it was a cool reference of him watching as the Millenium Falcon jumps away just before being caught. Well, it wasn't.
What was the point of all this? Have them meet, fine, in some dramatic season-closing final boss fight, whatever. But this lame crap? What the hell?!
I was quite hopeful after the first two episodes, but this third one was terrible.
Quote from: Solmyr on June 02, 2022, 03:28:00 AMQuote from: celedhring on June 01, 2022, 06:03:57 AMThird episode of Kenobi is sadly a clusterfuck.
I thought it was a nice episode. Vader was terrifying.
They have turned Vader into a comic book villain, randomly killing villagers for no reason.
He could've been truly terrifying, but then they decided to Nerf him just as the fight was ending so that a small fire could stop him.
Also, how is it that Vader can sense Kenobi decks away in the Death Star but does not immediately sense him in the village.
I figured he was killing villagers to draw out obiwan. Like the the inquisitors in the previous episode. Bad episode, but at least that part made sense.
Quote from: HVC on June 02, 2022, 07:00:40 AMI figured he was killing villagers to draw out obiwan. Like the the inquisitors in the previous episode. Bad episode, but at least that part made sense.
Makes no sense when he should have easily sensed where Kenobi was and walk right to him
Quote from: crazy canuck on June 02, 2022, 06:40:28 AMThey have turned Vader into a comic book villain, randomly killing villagers for no reason.
Disagree. He spreads fear among the villagers, maybe hoping to make them betray Kenobi and (more importantly) hopes to draw out Kenobi because he assumes that he will try to stop him. Similar to what the Grand Inquisitor said in his opening speech in the first episode. (And where Reva helps identify the Jedi by throwing the knife at the barkeep.)
Obi-Wan not aiding those in need because he's lost his way is a continued theme - relatively harmlessly at his fish cutting job where he doesn't stand up to the bully foreman, then when the fugitive Jedi asks for his help, and again when the inquisitors threaten the civilians in Mos Eisley.
I expect this episode will be the start of him turning - he knows there's people standing up to the Empire, like the Imperial turncoat, and that there's basically an underground railroad aiding Jedi. And Leia being captured by the inquisitors might impel him to make his way out of the hole he's currently in.
As for Third Sister getting to the spaceport before Leia - not much of a stretch IMO. She sees the refuge, sees the messages on the walls etc. and the tunnel, so it's not much of a stretch to deduce that the place is used to help people escape the Empire and that therefore an exit must lead to the spaceport; also, that it's likely that her prey is headed that way. She can draw information from people's minds, so she might be able to find the exit quickly. As to how she got there so fast, esp. since the spaceport i earlier shots seems to be on a hill? Remember that in canon (as shown in Rebels) inquisitor lightsabers have built in repulsorlifts that let them fly:
(https://i.makeagif.com/media/5-08-2017/wKiCuF.gif)
Does it look stupid? Yes. Is it established in canon? Yes. :P :lol:
Only thing that didn't really work for me was Vader being paralyzed by gazing into the flames - I get that he would have a trauma towards it, but it just felt awkward, esp. since he ignited the flames before himself. I do like that we see that after his cyborgification he's nowhere near as mobile as he used to be, i.e. in Ep. 2 and 3 or during the Clone Wars. He can't even really run, it seems, so he relies on brute power and the force in combat, and scaring opponents into submission.
Can't say I liked Zach Braff's (literal) mole character much, either - more a case of design, because the mouth movements and dialogue don't align well. I'm all for using practical effects, but it felt off. And the ride on his truck was rather drawn out, though it added some nice Obi-Wan/Leia moments. Also, the trooper cut in half? Sheesh. Read somewhere this episode has one of the lowest age ratings for modern Star Wars, and between the bisected trooper and killing civilians left and right that's a bit of a surprise. :D
Liked the look of Fortress Inquisitorus, which still has a weak name, but looks pretty much as known from Jedi: Fallen Order and the comics. Also the infighting between the inquisitors was nice; reminiscent of the Sith of old.
Some eagle eyed viewers pointed out a few nice easter eggs: the kid that fled in episode 2 of the show was named Corran; with Corran Horn being a prominent character in the old expanded universe, starting as the protagonist of the X-Wing series, and then later becoming a Jedi. Apparently the mother in the episode also has the name that Corran's mother has in the book. Plus, some old EU Jedi names show up in the refugee shack, including Neeja Halcyon, which was Corran Horn's dad's name before he went into hiding and took on the name Hal Horn. Maybe just easter eggs, maybe something more.
The Andor trailer looks interesting, but also really weird. There wasn't much recognizable content, but it's intriguing. I always feel the Star Wars galaxy is such a huge and vast place, and I'd like to see more of it (and recently they've very much mostly focused on known characters and locations, throwing in the occasional new content, but instead tying everything more tightly together instead of expanding), which this trailer promises so far.
Not much known about the Acolyte show yet, except that it's set 100 years before Phantom Menace, at the tail end of the High Republic, and is supposed to be more of a thriller, presumably about the Sith starting to set their plans in motion. The timeline would put the show ca. half way between the High Republic content and Episode I.
Jon Watts is working on a Star Wars series that's likened to 80s coming of age features like Stand By Me, and is likened to "Stranger Things in Space." https://collider.com/jon-watts-star-wars-series-details-coming-of-age-story/
Plus more new animated content. Bad Batch Season 2, Young Jedi Adventures (set during the High Republic era) and Tales of the Jedi, animated shorts about various Jedi (e.g. with one episode about young Qui-Gon Jinn training under Count Dooku).
Guys he does not need to draw Kenobi out. The writers just forgot he should know where Kenobi is. And evidently so did the rest of you :P
Quote from: crazy canuck on June 02, 2022, 07:26:42 AMGuys he does not need to draw Kenobi out. The writers just forgot he should know where Kenobi is. And evidently so did the rest of you :P
The Force radar has always been widely inconsistent, but AFAIK it has never been shown as capable of sensing the precise location of somebody, just that "he's around".
Yeah, the Force and Star Trek's shields/holodecks/transporters operate based on plot logic. :P
Besides, Vader was also unable to find Luke hiding behind a column in the Emperor's throne room in Return of the Jedi until he pushed Luke's berserk button. :P
Quote from: Solmyr on June 02, 2022, 03:28:30 AMQuote from: viper37 on June 01, 2022, 07:10:50 PMQuote from: Barrister on June 01, 2022, 04:20:29 PMWhat makes you think the times have been peaceful?
We have the events of Rebels, and of Rogue One, which suggest times are not relatively peaceful.
Rogue One is just before ANH, 9 years from this series time.
Rebel was a low key rebel cell activity, not a full scale military operation the likes we have seen in the clone wars. It was a few very localized events, mostly some patrols facing some rebel cells. It's not the Empire Strikes Back or RoTJ with multiple casualties.
I dunno, taking out Thrawn does not seem to be low key.
But again, that is right before ANH. Lothal was never reconquered because of these events.
Quote from: crazy canuck on June 02, 2022, 07:08:21 AMQuote from: HVC on June 02, 2022, 07:00:40 AMI figured he was killing villagers to draw out obiwan. Like the the inquisitors in the previous episode. Bad episode, but at least that part made sense.
Makes no sense when he should have easily sensed where Kenobi was and walk right to him
Only if Obi Wan uses the Force. Jedi can minimize their presence in the Force to be almost undetectable. Some are even more adept at this, like Palpatine during his time in the Senate, meeting several Jedi and them never figuring out who he was until he chose to reveal himself.
Quote from: celedhring on June 02, 2022, 07:32:15 AMQuote from: crazy canuck on June 02, 2022, 07:26:42 AMGuys he does not need to draw Kenobi out. The writers just forgot he should know where Kenobi is. And evidently so did the rest of you :P
The Force radar has always been widely inconsistent, but AFAIK it has never been shown as capable of sensing the precise location of somebody, just that "he's around".
So how did he find Kenobi in the next scene? And how did he find the villagers behind the other doors but miss the powerful force user just a couple more meters away.
Quote from: crazy canuck on June 02, 2022, 08:58:00 AMQuote from: celedhring on June 02, 2022, 07:32:15 AMQuote from: crazy canuck on June 02, 2022, 07:26:42 AMGuys he does not need to draw Kenobi out. The writers just forgot he should know where Kenobi is. And evidently so did the rest of you :P
The Force radar has always been widely inconsistent, but AFAIK it has never been shown as capable of sensing the precise location of somebody, just that "he's around".
So how did he find Kenobi in the next scene? And how did he find the villagers behind the other doors but miss the powerful force user just a couple more meters away.
How did he miss his force using son hiding in the shadows in the Emperor's throne room? How did he not sense his force sensitive daughter standing in front of him in ANH? :P
Quote from: Syt on June 02, 2022, 09:07:11 AMQuote from: crazy canuck on June 02, 2022, 08:58:00 AMQuote from: celedhring on June 02, 2022, 07:32:15 AMQuote from: crazy canuck on June 02, 2022, 07:26:42 AMGuys he does not need to draw Kenobi out. The writers just forgot he should know where Kenobi is. And evidently so did the rest of you :P
The Force radar has always been widely inconsistent, but AFAIK it has never been shown as capable of sensing the precise location of somebody, just that "he's around".
So how did he find Kenobi in the next scene? And how did he find the villagers behind the other doors but miss the powerful force user just a couple more meters away.
How did he miss his force using son hiding in the shadows in the Emperor's throne room? How did he not sense his force sensitive daughter standing in front of him in ANH? :P
I think you've made my point for me, there is a long terrible tradition of Star Wars not making any sense. I would've hoped that the writers of this new series wouldn't carry on the tradition.
Quote from: FunkMonk on May 27, 2022, 08:25:51 PMI am enjoying the fact that the prequels are no longer shunned.
I guess you have extra time to chat with your friends, since the short bus gets loaded earlier.
Quote from: FunkMonk on June 01, 2022, 07:53:55 PMQuoteLuke:
Obi-Wan. Why didn't you tell me? You told me Vader betrayed and murdered my father.
Obi-Wan:
Your father was seduced by the dark side of the Force. He ceased to be Anakin Skywalker and became Darth Vader. When that happened, the good man who was your father was destroyed. So what I told you was true, from a certain point of view.
Luke:
[incredulously] A certain point of view?
Even as a child I thought this was retcon bullshit :lol:
Yeah, there was an audible groan in the audience, IIRC. Everyone called bullshit on that one.
Anyways, trailer for Bad Batch S2:
The wookiee padawan from the Clone Wars episodes about the younglings seems to have survived. :D There's also a brief glimpse of what looks like a Zillo beast, a creature seen in S2 of Clone Wars in two episodes (basically homages to Gozilla and King Kong). Palpatine took its corpse in for "research". With his interest in cloning, maybe this is the fruit of his labors? :P
The teaser for Andor:
Quote from: crazy canuck on June 02, 2022, 09:17:08 AMQuote from: Syt on June 02, 2022, 09:07:11 AMQuote from: crazy canuck on June 02, 2022, 08:58:00 AMQuote from: celedhring on June 02, 2022, 07:32:15 AMQuote from: crazy canuck on June 02, 2022, 07:26:42 AMGuys he does not need to draw Kenobi out. The writers just forgot he should know where Kenobi is. And evidently so did the rest of you :P
The Force radar has always been widely inconsistent, but AFAIK it has never been shown as capable of sensing the precise location of somebody, just that "he's around".
So how did he find Kenobi in the next scene? And how did he find the villagers behind the other doors but miss the powerful force user just a couple more meters away.
How did he miss his force using son hiding in the shadows in the Emperor's throne room? How did he not sense his force sensitive daughter standing in front of him in ANH? :P
I think you've made my point for me, there is a long terrible tradition of Star Wars not making any sense. I would've hoped that the writers of this new series wouldn't carry on the tradition.
Star Wars is so inconsistent within its massive universe of media that it is best to just understand a single movie or show through its own internal logic and the story it is trying to communicate. I'm fine with that. I just want a decent show that can stand by itself.
I really liked the first half of the episode. The back half I feel was confusing and a missed opportunity, though I would guess this is not the last meeting between Kenobi and his old apprentice in this limited series. Obi Wan will realize that being a coward is bad and that the Force is actually pretty cool, and then run a clinic on the tin man.
One thing I was really miffed about: They didn't play the Imperial March while Vader walked through the village. CMON MAN PLAY IT YOU COWARDS
Kenobi didn't feature any canon horribleness this week, but damn, the action bits in the show remain so lazy and unmemorable. We have had zillions of "infiltrate imperial base" plots over the years, and this one just didn't seem to bother to bring an interesting angle to it.
Didn't recognize any of the Jedi in the tomb. Will check online later.
I thought the new episode was ok.
I thought Obi-Wan went through his transformation a bit fast. Last episode: "All is lost! We're doomed!" This episode: "We can't sit on our asses! We have to save Leia."
Likewise with the proto-Rebels. "We're no soldiers, we can't do this!" - "But the Empire!" - "Ok, let's do this!"
Obi-Wan entering Fortress Inquisitorus was straight from Jedi: Fallen Order where Cal enters the base that way. The game takes place a few years before the show, so I guess they upgraded security in that Obi-Wan's helper had to override some security now. :P
The entombed Jedi was a nice touch. There was a story with Kanan and Ezra Shaak-ti where she's dead in such a pod, used as bait for other Jedi. I guess storage for future use in cloning projects (but then why not at Mt Tantiss ... ? ). At least one was identified as the old sleepy Jedi that Ahsoka does some detective work with in a Clone Wars episode. One guy looked a bit like Quinlan Vos, but since we heard last episode that he's still around ... it does explain, though, the line from Rebels that "the Mustafar System is where Jedi go to die." (Mustafar and Nur, where the inquisitors are stationed, are in the same system.) That, together with the (almost) child torture keeps the tone of the show surprisingly dark.
Had a good laugh when Obi-Wan attacks the final Stormtrooper in the torture chamber, and the trooper gives some weak lines, like "You should surrender! You can't escape!" or whatever it was, which reminded me a lot of the Jedi Knight games or Jedi: Fallen Order where a lone surviving Imperial would still make such barks :lol:
Otherwise pretty straightforward, but: how THE FUCK can the not-yet-Rebels get to the fortress unchallenged, going the last couple miles in T-47s? How is there no defense or whatever? I don't necessarily expect a full fleet, but a Star Destroyer, or fight contingent, just SOMETHING. :rolleyes:
Also Vader: "You effed up, prepare to die!" - "But I managed to put a tracker on them!" - "Good job, carry on!"
Random thought- how come we never see a scene where the ship's anti-gravity system is on the fritz? To remind the audience that they're in space...
It happened a few times in Clone Wars IIRC, and I assume that it's mostly because the weightlessness SFX are a lot cheaper for an animated show. :P
So, one of the things this shows does is explain why Leia 20 years later will name her son "Ben", which never made sense to me. Given that the "Kenobi" movie was under development before The Force Awakens was released, I wonder if that was already the plan? I don't know when the current premise was originated.
Today's Kenobi episode was pretty good, that's the kind of show I wanted to watch. There's still some really lazy dumb stuff, like Vader and the GI leaving Reva for dead just because. Or GI's handwaved resurrection. Also, given the budget they have, and what they have done in other shows, I find it weird that they couldn't manage to make Christensen look more youthful in the flashbacks.
But Reva's character finally took on a life of her own, and there's cool Vader stuff. Plus the prequel-era flashback was nice, and not overdone..
I'm a bit wary of the cliffhanger, though.
Good episode, agreed. Liked the flashbacks despite the mediocre de-aging, but it was a nice throughline for the episode's story. Liked Reva's background though it was kinda what you'd expect after the first four episode (except her motive, maybe). Some nice action (really enjoyed Vader toying with Reva, showing just how much more powerful he is than her; reminded me of old kung fu movies where the hothead tries to challenge the old master who artfully dodges all attacks with minimal effort :P ). Not sure what will happen in Ep. 6 now, and I will probably not be able to watch it before Friday evening thanks to a company event <_< ).
I agree that the show looks surprisingly low budget in many ways, compared to Mando and Boba Fett. There's some stuff that looks great, like the city in Ep. 2, but then you have this episode that gave me flashbacks to the 8v8 mines map in the recent Battlefront.
I did pause when Ben looked at the graffiti wall to see what I could decipher. There's names of three Jedi I didn't know but that were in Legends according to Wookieepedia, like the old RPGs, or the Star Wars Galaxy magazine and stuff. I'm sure it's Pablo Hidalgo adding those (he used to work on the Star Wars RPGs at Westend before joining Lucasfilm's story group and likes to add obscure stuff like that).
There's otherwise scribblings of "May the force be with you" etc., but one line stood out: "There is no death", with my mind immediately adding, "There is only the Force." Too much KotOR. :P
I had a thought for you when Reva began revving up her lightsaber. Fortunately, they didn't have her take off.
Yet. :D
I often use The Empire Strikes Back like a Navage machine. Flush things out, get rid of the impurities.
People see Jedi and Sith flashing their lightsabers around. They see them using the Force. 10 years BBY, there's still an active network to smuggle Jedi out of Imperial reach.
10 years after this, no one really believes in the Force, it's "hockey religion", "old superstitions" and Stormtroopers are so fascinated they leave their post to watch a duel.
Quote from: viper37 on June 16, 2022, 09:28:04 AMPeople see Jedi and Sith flashing their lightsabers around. They see them using the Force. 10 years BBY, there's still an active network to smuggle Jedi out of Imperial reach.
10 years after this, no one really believes in the Force, it's "hockey religion", "old superstitions" and Stormtroopers are so fascinated they leave their post to watch a duel.
That was always going to be an issue, it's rather weird that in ANH Obi Wan talks about the "more civilized times" like it was centuries ago, when he's talking about something he saw 20 years ago (and that time frame is determined by Luke's age). Now, the prequels made Jedi so numerous and prominent that it made it even worse, and this show is throwing salt at that wound.
Rebels at least was sort of smart about it, in the way they use Ashoka Tano and how they ensure she isn't around during the OT. I also appreciate how Mando doesn't know about the Jedi himself, in The Mandalorian, and that's with the New Republic being around.
Quote from: celedhring on June 16, 2022, 10:20:25 AMQuote from: viper37 on June 16, 2022, 09:28:04 AMPeople see Jedi and Sith flashing their lightsabers around. They see them using the Force. 10 years BBY, there's still an active network to smuggle Jedi out of Imperial reach.
10 years after this, no one really believes in the Force, it's "hockey religion", "old superstitions" and Stormtroopers are so fascinated they leave their post to watch a duel.
That was always going to be an issue, it's rather weird that in ANH Obi Wan talks about the "more civilized times" like it was centuries ago, when he's talking about something he saw 20 years ago (and that time frame is determined by Luke's age). Now, the prequels made Jedi so numerous and prominent that it made it even worse, and this show is throwing salt at that wound.
Rebels at least was sort of smart about it, in the way they use Ashoka Tano and how they ensure she isn't around during the OT. I also appreciate how Mando doesn't know about the Jedi himself, in The Mandalorian, and that's with the New Republic being around.
Exactly, the other shows are much much more careful about not breaking the lore.
Star Wars Explained on "How to Survive being stabbed by a Lightsaber" :P
Fennec Shand also survived a gut wound (though from a blaster, not a lightsaber). There's a lot of "fatal" injuries that people seem to survive in the universe. Maul getting chopped in half and falling down a shaft (and surviving on hatred), Gregor getting blown up (though it seems to have made him a bit "special" in the head?), Orn Free Taa being shot in the head by a sniper, Palpatine being thrown down a reactor shaft (though I guess that's technically more a case of the spirit moving to a new body?), Anakin being chopped to pieces and getting BBQ'ed, the Grand Inquisitor stabbed in the gut, Reva getting stabbed in the gut (twice!), Kylo Ren and Rey brought each other back to life after literally dying, Yoda took a pretty big tumble in the senate chamber, and Leia survived being blasted into hard vacuum by force pulling herself back to an airlock. 3PO was blasted to bits in Empire Strikes Back, and R2 had his head blown off by his former master in A New Hope.
And those are just off the top of my head. :P
If you were going to get stabbed in the gut a weapon that self cauterizes would be ideal, would it not? :P
Quote from: HVC on June 20, 2022, 01:24:30 PMIf you were going to get stabbed in the gut a weapon that self cauterizes would be ideal, would it not? :P
That's been a bit inconsistent throughout the series. In New Hope, when Ben cuts off Ponda Baba's arm in the cantina it looks like this:
(https://starwarsblog.starwars.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2017/05/ponda-baba-arm-rip-1.jpg)
Yet Luke's hand (and the Wampa's arm IIRC?) in Empire seems to get cauterized nicely. :P
Maybe Pondas species is naturally flame retardent :D
Quote from: Syt on June 20, 2022, 01:06:07 PM3PO was blasted to bits in Empire Strikes Back, and R2 had his head blown off by his former master in A New Hope.
And those are just off the top of my head. :P
Droids, I can excuse, they are machines that can be rebuilt, as long as their memory core and backups are intact.
Quote from: crazy canuck on May 31, 2022, 11:19:12 PMThe actor playing the third sister is being attacked by vile online racist scum.
Long rant on that:
https://www.thegamer.com/star-wars-fans-expectations-abuse-racism-reva-moses-ingram-obi-wan-kenobi/
QuoteReva seems to address all the "valid complaints" Star Wars fans had about previous female characters, but it's still not enough. What do they want?
The Star Wars sequel trilogy suffered from an identity crisis right out of the gate. Each new instalment seemed to try and make up for the "sins" of its predecessor. And in turn, the portion of the fanbase that screamed the loudest kept moving the goal post.
The Force Awakens premieres, and it's labelled a "New Hope clone". So they make a huge departure from the originals in The Last Jedi, but then it's an "insult to the fans". Then it all culminates in The Rise of Skywalker, an awkward two-and-a-half-hour retcon/apology tour. Towards the end, neither side of the divide was happy with the trilogy.
Even putting that split aside and assuming that the majority opinion is that Rian Johnson's take on the series sucked, I don't even think this crowd knows what it wants anymore. It knows what it doesn't want, but that's about it. And a loud part of this crowd has quickly become one of the worst, most abusive fandoms out there.
First, they were mad that Finn was a Black Stormtrooper. They tried to justify their racism with lore by saying that the Clone Troopers aren't Black, but that didn't work because Finn clearly wasn't a Clone Trooper. Then it was "I'm not racist, it's just forced diversity", whatever that means.
Then in 2017, Kelly Marie Tran and Laura Dern were the targets. The abuse directed at Tran in particular was so horrific that she was driven off social media. Again, it was all "I'm not racist, I just didn't like Rose! Her sister was cool!" Y'know, the one who had no lines and died ten minutes into the movie? That's the appropriate amount of diversity, I guess.
With Disney seemingly caving in to their demands, Rose's role was significantly smaller in The Rise of Skywalker. In her place, we got awkwardly stitched together Leia scenes (either using old footage or bad CGI), and a fuckton of fan service. In other words, this crowd got exactly what they had been asking for - Rey being related to another main character, Palpatine somehow returning, force ghost shenanigans, Chewie getting his goddamn medal, etc - and it still wasn't enough. And in their defence, yeah, it sucked. Because a movie without any vision that is purely made to address every nitpick that Reddit had is a bad idea. But has that stopped fans? Of course it hasn't.
Even the fans that don't use slurs seem to spend a lot of time defending those that do. Consistently, the fanbase has been more outraged with actors disavowing racists than the racists themselves. And the response isn't just an indictment of how disgusting this fandom can be, it also shows that they are happy to move the goal post around if it means they can keep attacking anything they deem "woke". Star Wars, the anti-facist saga where the enemies are literally Stormtroopers, is now woke. Answers on a postcard for what it might have been in the first place.
Recently, Reva actress Moses Ingram shared that she has received hundreds of racist messages and even death threats from Star Wars fans. Since then, numerous actors have backed Ingram, including Ewan McGregor. Much like the last two examples, fans are justifying their hatred of the actress with lore. But that doesn't hold up when the abuse had already started before the show's premiere. It also doesn't work when so many of the comments are about her and the character's skin colour. One YouTube video that made the rounds before the show's premiere called Ingram a "darkie". Ingram herself has received messages that call her a "diversity hire" and the N-word.
moses ingram reva obi-wanvia Disney
One tweet that encapsulates this reads: "The people who believe this narrative that #StarWars fans are racist seem to be forgetting the fact that [there] have been beloved black characters and actors in the franchise for decades with no issues at all." Illustrating their point, the fan attaches images of John Boyega, Samuel L. Jackson, Billy Dee Williams, and Donald Glover. Ignoring the fact that this argument is just "I have Black friends!", it again shows that fans have no idea what a "good" Black character would be by their standards. Mace Windu, for example, is brilliant - but plays a fairly minor role in the original trilogy. The main stars of the three films are all white. The same can be said for Lando in both of his iterations. And we've already been over the fact that Boyega was bombarded with racism as soon as his role was announced.
So, what makes a good Black character? Going by this argument, they either have to have very little screen time, or wait long enough for another Black actor to be the focus of their abuse instead. Then they'll retroactively decide they were fine all along.
For the sake of argument, let's look at the justifications from fans who aren't bringing up Ingram's skin colour. Here's another tweet that bends over backwards to explain the fans' actions.
"One minute she can read minds, next minute she knows Anakin is Vader, she constantly breaks the rules like a child and isn't reprimanded by the GRAND INQUISITOR", comments a fan, adding a laugh crying emoji. "They've taken the leader of the inquisitors and made him also some robotic non imploding bad guy."
Alrighty, let's go through this:
Yes, she can read minds. Force users have been known to do this.
It's true, not many people know Anakin is Vader. But writers don't tend to tell the whole story in the first two episodes. We will have to watch the whole show to know the whole story. (post-episode 5 update: told you so).
"Breaks the rules like a child" is an interesting way to say "is frustrated that the job they're doing for their murderous boss who likes quick results is taking too long and therefore disobeys orders to get things done faster". Also, Sith don't always get along that well.
She was reprimanded by the Grand Inquisitor. In both episodes.
What do these fans even want at this point? They say they're fine with female characters, they just want them to be flawed. But Reva is flawed - she's just also very strong. Sometimes characters are stronger than other characters. It happens.
A still image showing Reva addressing Darth Vader through a hologram in the third episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi
Other points made about her are that she's one-note, one-dimensional and just angry all the time. The exact same thing can be said of Darth Vader up until Return of the Jedi. But it isn't said, because non-white characters, especially women, are held up to a much higher standard and have much more to prove. Rey's overpowered because she can kind of beat Kylo in a fight in The Force Awakens, but Anakin isn't for being a pro pilot at the age of nine. And that makes hyper-focusing on the performance of their actors totally okay, and getting abused is just part of that.
Unless the fandom acknowledges the abuse it has perpetuated, actors will continue to pay the price. Ahmed Best and Jake Lloyd bore the brunt of the abuse over the disappointment towards the prequels. But now, we've all decided that the prequels were good, actually, so they're alright. Doesn't undo all the damage though, does it? And now saying that Finn was a "good minority" doesn't erase all the racism tossed John Boyega's way. It's also racist in itself to act like Finn had to prove himself for Boyega to not be abused.
At the time of the abuse Ingram received, Obi-Wan was only two episodes in, and seemed to already be giving fans what they'd been wanting for years. A dark tone, a gloomy Ewan McGregor (just McGregor at all, really), and if we're being honest, a male lead. But because Obi-Wan is sharing the stage with a Black woman, it's hated. Instead of looking at the product as a whole, we're all hyper-focusing on two-second clips that look kinda silly. When we're nitpicking this much, it's clear we have no idea what we want from Star Wars anymore.
A still image showing the Inquisitors in Episode 1 of Obi-Wan Kenobi
I'll level with you, I think Kenobi is kind of mid too. It's well-acted, well-paced, and has some great scenes, but much like every project stuck in this time period, it feels uninspired. I don't have a grand plan for the franchise that could fix all of its problems. I have some things I'd like to see (new characters, new planets, something not set during the Skywalker-era, etc), but I don't have any story ideas to pitch Disney. And hey, Rogue One went against most of that and ended up being my second favourite film in the whole franchise, so let go of your expectations and just enjoy the ride. Even away from the racially-motivated criticism, The Mandalorian only exists because fans wanted Boba Fett so much, then they kept demanding Boba Fett, only to hate it. Buckle up for Ahsoka, because we might be in for more of the same.
Kathleen Kennedy, Rian Johnson, Kelly Marie Tran, John Boyega, and Moses Ingram are not boogeymen hellbent on destroying your childhood. They are creatives working on movies and TV shows which you might not like. They are also human beings who do not deserve the abuse you're throwing at them under the guise of 'criticism'. Going into each Star Wars outing with a checklist of things it has to do to get your approval just guarantees you're going to hate it.
No one is forcing you to like what they're doing, but as we see yet another figure suffer abuse from the fandom, have a look at yourself. Do you actually know what you want from Star Wars? Because if the last few years have proven anything, the biggest fans are all far more confused and directionless than anyone at Disney.
Obi-Wan finale was really, really good.
Quote from: Solmyr on June 22, 2022, 09:24:08 AMObi-Wan finale was really, really good.
You have given me some hope! I will watch it tonight. :)
The whole series has continuity problems with the movies.
Whoa no way really
Ya rly
Yeah, it was a great finale. There's rumours of season 2 now. Not sure if it's a good idea though.
Entertaining end. Stole the mask thing from the cartoon though :P
Super ending. Also, I laughed out loud when Obi Wan said "Hello there." :lol:
Obi-Wan confronting Vader was among some of the greatest Star Wars scenes ever. The acting was top-notch, especially from Christensen. Also, they addressed that thing where Obi-Wan calls Vader "Darth" in Ep. 4. :D
So, why did he just walk away from Darth Vader when the dialogue made it clear that he realized that Aniken was no longer there? Wouldn't it have been a lot better if the dialogue had indicated that there was still some hope left for Aniken?
Whats the overall consensus on this then?
The buzz seems mostly negative....
Started good, ended good. Middle was meh. Acting was decent. If you're a stickler for canon and consistency of story lines* you won't like it.
*although Star Wars hasn't ever really been that great at keeping a coherent storyline.
Quote from: Berkut on June 23, 2022, 07:49:44 AMWhats the overall consensus on this then?
The buzz seems mostly negative....
Yeah, the start was good and they finished strong but the middle drags. It should have been a 2 and a half hour movie.
Overall, I enjoyed it, especially as someone who has come around to appreciating the prequels. If you still despise them then this is not for you.
I despise the prequels because the story execution sucked (the story itself could have been and should have been amazing), the acting was terrible, and the directing atrocious.
Other then that, they were fine.
Quote from: Berkut on June 23, 2022, 10:27:45 AMI despise the prequels because the story execution sucked (the story itself could have been and should have been amazing), the acting was terrible, and the directing atrocious.
Other then that, they were fine.
Yeah I'd stay away then or just catch the cool parts on YT.
I felt incredibly whelmed by the season finale. Neither overwhelmed nor underwhelmed. Just whelmed, I guess.
It ticked all the boxes that I was expecting to see, and while I thought it was mostly good, it also seemed very by the numbers.
I kind of agree with Star Wars Explained - the story and beats on paper all are awesome and what you'd want from a story like this. But the execution often felt a bit weak, or without much of a budget and maybe revealing some limitations of the Volume at the moment, i.e. restricting the usable live action area? Its production values seemed lower than Book of Boba Fett that only had one moment that really pulled me out of the show, the slow speed chase in Mos Espa between the mods and the mayor's aide.
Maybe I'm just over revisiting main characters from the original movies at this point. Mando is spiraling into its own big story from humble beginnings, and while it keeps bringing up "big names" (well, "big" in the context of Clone Wars and Rebels, at least) it had a whole season to establish itself first. I really hope Andor will follow a similar trajectory. I also have my fingers crossed for The Acolyte, set 100 years before Phantom Menace. Personally, I would like to see more of what happens after Rise of Skywalker. Grogu could be a character to bridge the gap and provide a familiar character if they decide to jump 100 or 200 years into the future.
Looking forward to Star Wars Visions S2 in the meantime. And fingers crossed that Ahsoka won't suck. There's been some rumors of a Reva spin off, potentially about her helping The Way to bring Jedi and force sensitives to safety. I'd be up for that.
Was it ever explained how Reva knew Anakin's children hadn't died?
Quote from: Eddie Teach on June 26, 2022, 01:54:18 PMWas it ever explained how Reva knew Anakin's children hadn't died?
She found the holo recording (sloppy Obiwan)
I simply assumed she thought they were force sensitive kids Obiwan was protecting.
Quote from: Oexmelin on June 26, 2022, 02:09:21 PMI simply assumed she thought they were force sensitive kids Obiwan was protecting.
Agreed. Not sure if she knows Luke is Anakin's kid. She surely didn't seem to know it about Leia. And based on the message from Bail Antilles she only knows that the kid on Tatooine is important enough for an Alderaan senator and viceroy to go and ensure his safety personally. She knows about Owen; chances are she might have learned Luke's last name while figuring out how to find the Lars homestead? Though killing Anakin's kid that was being hidden from him (and he did not know about) would not make much sense in terms of revenge, unless you plan on reporting back to him. Killing Luke to hurt Obi-Wan seems more likely.
I liked Reva's backstory. A youngling who survived Order 66 and joined the inquisitors to gain access to Vader and take revenge is a cool concept (and explains why she seemed super-zealous, constantly feeling like she had to outdo the other inquisitors to hide her intentions while also trying to climb the ranks; and ultimately she became "the very thing she swore to destroy" to borrow a phrase from Obi-Wan :P ).
People have probably caught this by now, but anyways:
In Rebels, Ahsoka cuts Vader's mask on one side:
(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/RttkLgKRqWo/maxresdefault.jpg)
Earlier (in chronology), Kenobi cut the other side:
(https://insidethemagic.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/darth-vader-broken-mask-obi-wan-kenobi-finale-e1656023296789-800x400.jpg)
And only Luke in ROTJ gets him to fully unmask:
(https://www.syfy.com/sites/syfy/files/styles/blog-post-embedded--mobile/public/darth-vader-unmasked.jpg)
Also, Vader really should have gone for beskar armor :P
Quote from: Syt on June 27, 2022, 06:33:14 AMAlso, Vader really should have gone for beskar armor :P
That is not The Way.
Looks dope. I'm cautiously optimistic, as Rogue One is probably my favourite SW film.
I think SW needs a win after the sequels, Boba Fett and Kenobi all being terrible (IMO).
Trailers for this have looked great, but I'm guarded after the last disappointments. That said, those trailers look better than the Boba or Kenobi ones did. I also think that - on first glance - not relying on nostalgia will help.
Happy to see Whitaker back as Guerrera.
Looks like the Empire is getting its excavators from Krupp:
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FZJwsRgWQAIOa9D?format=jpg&name=medium)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagger_288
Also fun to see an old early Star Destroyer design from the 70s by Colin Cantwell come to life. It was supposed to show up in Solo, but its scene was cut.
(https://www.starwarsnewsnet.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Ship.jpg)
Really liked the first episodes of Andor. It's the kind of stories I actually prefer - focusing on characters that haven't been covered by several movies and dozens of episodes of other shows, comics or books.
The plot ticks a lot of classic tropes in these kinds of "rebel" stories, but I don't mind. I enjoyed seeing Cassian trying to juggle his personal relationships and trying to lay low/get out in the wake of what he does in the intro.
I love the gritty retro look they've gone with for this. The corporate security facilities wouldn't look too out of place in the Outland/Alien universes. And the firebrand officer reminds me of a cross between Aliens' Gorman and Agent Cooper in Twin Peaks. Plus he gets a hardass sergeant who would fit in with a 19th century British military story. Shooting mostly in real locations also gives a more "real" look than some of the scenes shot in the volume as seen in the Kenobi show. I assume studios will start figuring out when to use it and when "traditional" CGI or sets (or mix) will be better.
Loved how at the end of ep. 3 the camera lingered on everyone's faces as the reality of what happened sinks in for them.
Also, I liked the flashbacks (handled MUCh better than in Book of Boba Fett), though not sure how I feel about them going full Amazon native tribe with Cassian's backstory.
Acting throughout was good, I thought, and a lovely number of Brit accents. Plus, I have a bit of a crush on Adria Arjona since I saw her on Good Omens. :blush:
(https://www.slashfilm.com/img/gallery/andors-adria-arjona-on-bix-caleen-the-thrill-of-making-big-scale-star-wars-more-exclusive/l-intro-1661279571.jpg)
I really liked it too. And yeah she's gorgeous.
Man, they released 3 episodes right off the bat? Gonna need some time to catch up.
Quote from: celedhring on September 22, 2022, 06:36:05 AMMan, they released 3 episodes right off the bat? Gonna need some time to catch up.
I guess it's because of the delay of the original launch (to avoid clashing with She-Hulk, I think?). However, you can watch all three episodes in one; they function well as a self contained movie IMHO. And if you skip the recaps/end credits it should be about 100-110 minutes.
Okay, I loved this. It's a slow burner for sure, I can see why they released three episodes because there really isn't a "pop" moment until episode 3 (but that's probably the best action scene in Star Wars TV outside of Mandalorian), and the 3 eps are just a pretty long setup. The writing is very solid, one can really see Gilroy's hand here.
James Earl Jones sign over his voice (https://www.theverge.com/2022/9/24/23370097/darth-vader-james-earl-jones-obi-wan-kenobi-star-wars-ai-disney-lucasfilm)
Darth Vader's iconic voice will now be made by an AI.
QuoteJames Earl Jones has been the iconic voice of Darth Vader since the beginning of Star Wars, but at 91 years old, it seems he's ready to have the work done for him. According to a report from Vanity Fair (via Deadline), Jones signed over the rights to his archival voice work, allowing the Ukrainian startup Respeecher to leverage AI technology and recreate the sound of his voice in Disney Plus' Obi-Wan Kenobi.
To do this, Respeecher uses sound bites to "clone" an actor's voice, allowing a studio to record new lines without having the actor present. Matthew Wood, Skywalker Sound's supervising sound editor, told Vanity Fair that he presented Jones with the option once he "mentioned he was looking into winding down" the role of Darth Vader. After Jones gave Lucasfilm permission to use the AI-generated voice, Vanity Fair says the studio tasked Respeecher with making Vader sound like Jones' "dark side villain from 45 years ago" in Disney Plus' Obi-Wan Kenobi.
This is why you might notice that Vader sounds a lot like he did in the earlier films in Obi-Wan, as opposed to Jones' actual voice in 2019's The Rise of Skywalker. Despite the studio's use of AI for Vader's voice, Wood says Jones takes on the role of a "benevolent godfather," and still helps guide the studio's depiction of the villain.
This isn't the first time Respeecher has worked with Lucasfilms, either. The startup also generated a voice for the younger version of Luke Skywalker in Disney Plus' The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. In a press release, Respeecher explains that it used clips from "many early years' worth of radio broadcasts, interviews, ADRs, and dubs" with Mark Hamill to digitally recreate Skywalker's voice.
Other AI speech synthesis tools like Voicemod, Veritone, Descript, and Resemble AI have also emerged as potential ways for celebrities and creators to digitally recreate their voices." As my colleague James Vincent points out, the trend could become popular among celebrities who want to "boost their income with minimal effort by cloning and renting out their voice." Or, in Jones' case, it could help preserve the voice of arguably one of the most famous villains in film.
I did notice Luke sounding much more youthful than current-day Mark Hamill in the tv shows, but I attributed it to Hamill's voiceacting skills and a gente touch of digital editing, not a full blown digital recreation.
Wonder how long it will take for this kind of tech to be used to recreate i.e. dead singers.
Andor episode 4.
Definitely falling in love with the show. Make no mistake, this is a slow-burn show - and I dig its attention to detail and showing so many little moments of different characters (i.e. Mon Mothma's marriage crisis, the relationships between the ISB officers...). Overall it's well written and despite being so different in tone to the other more "fantasy adventure" Star Wars shows we've got so far, it doesn't feel out of place.
ISB internal politics :wub:
Also, they name-checked the Rakata :w00t:
Yes, enjoying it too. The "mission" and the group dynamics reminds me a bit of Guns of Navarone (already wondering who of them will turn out to be the traitor ... ;) ). The ISB stuff was great and gave me flashbacks to the Intelligence Agency in SWTOR and obviously stuff like the SS and the Wannsee conference or B5's Psi Corps, itself obviously modeled after SS and similar organizations.
The Rakata reference made me do a double take, but not nearly as much as the armor on display in the antiques shop. The helmet is 100% a copy of Starkiller's Dark Lord armor in the Force Unleashed games. :lol:
(https://preview.redd.it/01241gv5yf741.jpg?auto=webp&s=01a6fbf82ba527118fcd48b090dba12d0d3602cd)
(https://i.postimg.cc/ZnFkrKB4/image.png)
(The serpent sculpture also looked very familiar, but I couldn't place it.)
I enjoy the slower pace of the show. I was thinking during it that it was nice to have those moments of Mon Mothma sitting in her car and showing her internal struggle, or her walking through her quarters and to the dining room. Or Officer Douchebag arriving on Coruscant and making his way home. It feels nicely quiet and gives room to breathe and be in the universe, something that the more action oriented shows like Mando or Book of Boba Fett - and, tbh, the animated shows - often lack. It feels much more like reading one of the (better) Star Wars novels, actually. It's totally a good thing IMHO.
I also like that - for now - they make the Empire look reasonably competent (something that was sorely missing in Kenobi, IMO - sure, I try to roll with "rule of cool" or Jedi powers etc., but it's nice to see them be reasonably intimidating instead of as cannon fodder for the heroes).
P.S.: I'm sure for the armor the set description said something like "ancient armor" and the set designers threw it together from pieces they had lying around and thought it was fun to put that helmet on top as easter egg.
Yeah, I'm sure that antique shop scene has a bunch of easter eggs.
They like to do that. See Dryden Vos' room in Solo (which was mostly full of references to the Solo and Lando novels from the 80s), or John Williams' cameo in Rise of Skywalker where they had little items that referenced all his Oscar nominated scores - 51 total. Hate on Ep. 9 all you want, but that's just sweet and lovely:
https://www.laughingplace.com/w/articles/2020/03/16/the-john-williams-easter-egg-in-star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-is-actually-pretty-amazing/
QuoteWhile it was certainly cool enough to finally see this legend on screen after hearing his unmistakable genius in the form of Star Wars music over more than four decades, the absolutely mind-blowing thing about this Easter Egg is that it actually contains 51 additional Easter Eggs referencing John Williams' historic career. That's right– according to the new feature-length documentary The Skywalker Legacy (now available thanks to The Rise of Skywalker's early digital release), every item on the shelves behind Mr. Williams in his scene is a nod to one of the films for which he was nominated for an Academy Award.
Confused? Let's get specific. At the time of filming Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, John Williams had been nominated for 51 Academy Awards across his storied career (second only to Walt Disney, who topped out at 59). As a tribute to this monumental achievement, J.J. Abrams and The Rise of Skywalker's production design team decided to include Easter Egg references to all 51 of those nominations on the shelves behind John Williams' character– who happened to be named Oma Tres, an anagram for the word "maestro."
Individual references pointed out in The Skywalker Legacy documentary include Captain Hook's hook from Hook, the yellow barrels from Jaws, E.T.'s spaceship, a czech hedgehog and dog tags from Saving Private Ryan, a corncob pipe from Tom Sawyer, a book from The Book Thief (monogrammed with John Williams' initials in the Star Wars language Aurebesh), Indiana Jones' whip, and the iron from Home Alone.
Quote from: celedhring on September 28, 2022, 04:08:41 AMAndor episode 4.
Definitely falling in love with the show. Make no mistake, this is a slow-burn show - and I dig its attention to detail and showing so many little moments of different characters (i.e. Mon Mothma's marriage crisis, the relationships between the ISB officers...). Overall it's well written and despite being so different in tone to the other more "fantasy adventure" Star Wars shows we've got so far, it doesn't feel out of place.
ISB internal politics :wub:
Also, they name-checked the Rakata :w00t:
I am also really enjoying this.
One odd error in episode 4. The event they are waiting for happens every three years. The person telling them about it has been on planet for seven years. He has seen two of the events. That means the next event cannot happen for at least two more years. But it's going to happen in five days.
Quote from: crazy canuck on September 29, 2022, 09:52:53 AMQuote from: celedhring on September 28, 2022, 04:08:41 AMAndor episode 4.
Definitely falling in love with the show. Make no mistake, this is a slow-burn show - and I dig its attention to detail and showing so many little moments of different characters (i.e. Mon Mothma's marriage crisis, the relationships between the ISB officers...). Overall it's well written and despite being so different in tone to the other more "fantasy adventure" Star Wars shows we've got so far, it doesn't feel out of place.
ISB internal politics :wub:
Also, they name-checked the Rakata :w00t:
I am also really enjoying this.
One odd error in episode 4. The event they are waiting for happens every three years. The person telling them about it has been on planet for seven years. He has seen two of the events. That means the next event cannot happen for at least two more years. But it's going to happen in five days.
Not really. The first time he saw the event it occurred 1 year after he arrived. Second at 4 years, and now the third at 7.
I thought I was safe from math word problems in the Star Wars universe...
Quote from: celedhring on September 29, 2022, 09:55:53 AMQuote from: crazy canuck on September 29, 2022, 09:52:53 AMQuote from: celedhring on September 28, 2022, 04:08:41 AMAndor episode 4.
Definitely falling in love with the show. Make no mistake, this is a slow-burn show - and I dig its attention to detail and showing so many little moments of different characters (i.e. Mon Mothma's marriage crisis, the relationships between the ISB officers...). Overall it's well written and despite being so different in tone to the other more "fantasy adventure" Star Wars shows we've got so far, it doesn't feel out of place.
ISB internal politics :wub:
Also, they name-checked the Rakata :w00t:
I am also really enjoying this.
One odd error in episode 4. The event they are waiting for happens every three years. The person telling them about it has been on planet for seven years. He has seen two of the events. That means the next event cannot happen for at least two more years. But it's going to happen in five days.
Not really. The first time he saw the event it occurred 1 year after he arrived. Second at 4 years, and now the third at 7.
Right you are, I failed grade two math.
:D
Star Wars Explained has a video on the items in Luthan's antiques shop:
And yes, it does partially seem to be a case of, "Pick out some cool stuff from the props archive." (but not just) :D
A lovely Twitter account to follow is Crazy Ass Moments in Star Wars: https://twitter.com/SW_Moment
Usually covers strange and crazy moments across Star Wars media and moichendise, like the Slave Leia Perfume, when Jabba swallowed an entire woman whole, Chewie's dad watching VR porn, or the Ewok suicide bombers in the Empire at War expansion.
Though this one has been one of their funnier ones. :D
(https://i.postimg.cc/XJgby27s/image.png)
Another good episode, slowly building up the tension and adding more layers to the characters. I really hope following this show we will get a bit more character drama in Star Wars shows. :)
I know the show was filmed at a reservoir in Scotland, but it gives me WW2 Norway vibes, a resistance cell trying to take on the nazi base (I guess that makes Coruscant Berlin? :hmm: :P ). Can't help but feel reminded of 633 Squadron (which inspired the Star Wars trench run), except that the target at the end of the valley/fjord is a dam, not a rocket fuel factory, and they're planning a heist, not the destruction of it. Ok, it's just the landscape. :D
Really looking forward the next episode. After that wonderful action scene in ep 3 I'm expecting a peak "infiltrate Imperial base" Star Wars moment.
Eckhard's Ladder had an interesting take - he says it's the "anti-YouTube" Star Wars show. He says it's his favorite Star Wars live action show so far (or on par with S1 of Mando), but that for the SW lore fans there's little of the usual stuff to talk about - few tie ins with existing lore, very limited fan service, no force users or light sabers, and episodes with no action, but still amazing to watch, allowing us to stay with the characters and getting attached to them. This episode was a good example. While the focus was on the resistance cell we checked in with the main characters so far: Syril, Luthen, Mon Mothma, the Imperial turncoat in the base, and the ISB agents, even if it's just one scene.
The only ones missing (notably) are Andor's old friends, but I assume that will be saved for a scene where they reunite and realize they've all changed, in the intervening time; Andor becoming a Rebel agent, his friends suffering under the occupation in the wake of his actions.
Actually reminds me more of something like Better Call Saul or Breaking Bad (though I don't think it's on that level; but a show like those would work well within SW, I think).
It was also funny that Syril's mom calls his uncle for a new job; the day before I had watched the Veep episode where Jonah's mom calls his uncle to get him a new job. :lol:
Quote from: Syt on October 06, 2022, 05:11:57 AMIt was also funny that Syril's mom calls his uncle for a new job; the day before I had watched the Veep episode where Jonah's mom calls his uncle to get him a new job. :lol:
My favorite part of that scene is Syril having blue milk with his cereal :P
Fantastic Andor episode. The heist was great, very tense, yet not too over the top (which would feel out of place in a show with that tone). Also probably the most visually compelling episode so far.
I remain in awe how the show manages to give a personality to so many tertiary characters in the show, like the base commander, or how it managed to make me genuinely care for all the members of the rebel cell that inevitably die during the heist.
Agreed.
What do you think? Did the commander's family live or did Cinta take vengeance for her family? :ph34r:
I think she did. Such a nice detail when they show her at the end.
Quote from: celedhring on October 12, 2022, 04:42:36 AMI remain in awe how the show manages to give a personality to so many tertiary characters in the show
It's because it takes its time instead of jumping from one spectacle to the next. Don't get me wrong, I like the more action focused Star Wars, too, but in Mandalorian or Book'o'Boba the plot so far would probably have been covere in less than half the runtime which ends up creating some more or less interesting characters that you only see briefly and wish you'd see more of (which was one of the things books and comics often thrive on - "you liked this character who only had three scenes? Here's a novel/full six-episode comic about them!").
My boy has gotten into Star Wars now... mostly via Star Wars Lego and the interests of his peer group.
Other than the Lego (of which he has plenty) we got him an R2-D2 Tamagotchi.
The next concession was to sign up for Disney+, even though I'm very anti-Disney. We watched A New Hope last weekend, and will watch The Empire Strikes Back next weekend. It is probably inevitable that we watch all the series and all the new stuff over time.
I also got him this for his upcoming birthday:
(https://images-cdn.fantasyflightgames.com/filer_public/09/ee/09ee4def-efe3-48e9-b0a3-27bd38c744ad/swl44_main.png)
https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/products/star-wars-legion/products/clone-wars-core-set/
:thumbsup:
If he's into Star Wars you have to get him a plastic lightsaber. The kids got so much use and enjoyment out of them when they were really quite cheap toys.
And if you've got Disney+ there are so many cartoons! Sometimes watching a whole movie can be a big commitment, but put on an episode of Clone Wars, Rebels, Bad Batch, or what's that one in the sequel era... (google - Resistance) for a quick Star Wars hit.
Quote from: Syt on October 06, 2022, 05:06:53 AMEckhard's Ladder had an interesting take - he says it's the "anti-YouTube" Star Wars show. He says it's his favorite Star Wars live action show so far (or on par with S1 of Mando), but that for the SW lore fans there's little of the usual stuff to talk about - few tie ins with existing lore, very limited fan service, no force users or light sabers, and episodes with no action, but still amazing to watch, allowing us to stay with the characters and getting attached to them. This episode was a good example. While the focus was on the resistance cell we checked in with the main characters so far: Syril, Luthen, Mon Mothma, the Imperial turncoat in the base, and the ISB agents, even if it's just one scene.
The only ones missing (notably) are Andor's old friends, but I assume that will be saved for a scene where they reunite and realize they've all changed, in the intervening time; Andor becoming a Rebel agent, his friends suffering under the occupation in the wake of his actions.
Actually reminds me more of something like Better Call Saul or Breaking Bad (though I don't think it's on that level; but a show like those would work well within SW, I think).
I like the smaller focus. Don't try to tie everything to Palpatine and all the epic stuff, at least not yet. We get the Star Wars Barney Miller. That's fun.
Quote from: Barrister on October 12, 2022, 12:24:05 PMIf he's into Star Wars you have to get him a plastic lightsaber. The kids got so much use and enjoyment out of them when they were really quite cheap toys.
I still do the occasional lightsaber battle with my brother and we are both in our 40s :blush:
In my family everyone has one. My fault--every nephew's birthday. :P
Ultrasabers, mostly. You can beat the shit out of them against each other like movie props. Sixty bucks range for most of the cheap kid ones, but some have been used underwater and still been revived. I've even used color photo films to change the colors to other stuff like orange, gold or silver.
Mine are from the Disney store. Cheap (30€ I think?), but super sturdy and do all the woosh and clash sounds when you swing them. :P
(https://i.redd.it/q05q7z07b4n91.jpg)
Another nice Andor episode, this time dealing with the aftermath of the heist. The Mon Mothma scene at the party was just delightful, as were the ISB meetings and politickeering. There's so much good dialogue in this show, I'm greatly enjoying it. Also some nice understated details, like the reveal of where the name "Clem" comes from.
My only "but" is that the way Andor was captured was a bit tacky. I get they want to show the Empire as an arbitrary society were no one is safe, but still felt a bit forced.
Actually, I liked the complete randomness of it. You think you are careful and play it safe and lay low but ... yeah, shit happens.
And man, I enjoyed seeing space Florida. It's something I've always been missing in Star Wars visual media - seeing glimpses into the everyday life of the universe, not just the high adventures of Big Damn Heroes(TM). And the vid screen in Syril's apartment gave me some serious Holiday Special flashbacks. The retro look of things in this is just wonderful. :D
Small thing - during the spaceport arrival scene, there was a hologram advertising "TASTY PEEZOS" followed by a message "CARRY YOUR CHAIN CODE FROM THE ISB". I was wondering if I had read "peezos" right, and then they were mentioned at the end of the episode. This series is expanding the list of food items of the Star Wars universe considerably between blue noodles, cereal and now "peezos". :lol:
Btw, the gang stole 80 million credits last episode. According to Wookieepedia, the canon price of a new X-Wing is 150k (new) or 65k (used). That's a lot of X-Wings. :ph34r: (I try not to question too much why the Empire still uses physical currency instead of traceable electronic money, or why something like 500+ million credits are stashed on Aldahni in the middle of nowhere. :D )
That Space Florida scene made me think of something. Have we ever seen KX droids outside of Rogue One?
Quote from: celedhring on October 19, 2022, 06:27:59 AMThat Space Florida scene made me think of something. Have we ever seen KX droids outside of Rogue One?
Yes, in the scourging of Mandalore flashback in BoBF.
Quote from: Syt on October 19, 2022, 06:05:18 AM(I try not to question too much why the Empire still uses physical currency instead of traceable electronic money, or why something like 500+ million credits are stashed on Aldahni in the middle of nowhere. :D )
That's just goes to the retro-futurism of Star Wars.
You'd think a society that masters FTL travel would have advanced bio-security measures that would prevent Rebel troops from routinely sneaking into Imperial bases and stealing Imperial hardware, but there you have it.
Heck-Obi-wan didn't even need a password to turn off the shield generator.
The writing for this show is really good.
When compared to any other Star Wars we've seen on the screen, it's head and shoulders above it.
Quote from: Barrister on October 19, 2022, 10:29:05 AMQuote from: Syt on October 19, 2022, 06:05:18 AM(I try not to question too much why the Empire still uses physical currency instead of traceable electronic money, or why something like 500+ million credits are stashed on Aldahni in the middle of nowhere. :D )
That's just goes to the retro-futurism of Star Wars.
You'd think a society that masters FTL travel would have advanced bio-security measures that would prevent Rebel troops from routinely sneaking into Imperial bases and stealing Imperial hardware, but there you have it.
Heck-Obi-wan didn't even need a password to turn off the shield generator.
That's fair. :)
Btw, the scenes in space Florida were actually filmed in Blackpool, England:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Caf%C3%A9+Cove/@53.884418,-3.0493562,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x487b5ca64aea9f25:0xda63c8126113c88c!8m2!3d53.884418!4d-3.0471675?hl=en
(https://i2-prod.lancs.live/incoming/article20508007.ece/ALTERNATES/s1200d/0_star-wars-1.png)
This, together with the scenes in the brutalist sections of Coruscant (Syril's apartment, where Vel and Luthen's assistant meet) take me back to old 70s sci-fi where then hyper-modern buildings were used as futuristic sets in movies. :)
Big fan of Major Partagaz, btw. Qyburn hits the exact right note for the role. Everytime there's an ISB meeting room scene I giggle in anticipation. The fact Pertagaz is actually a Catalan surname makes me somewhat root for him too, despite being a villain :D
Loved the Yularen cameo, too. Andor doesn't do much fanservice and when it does it's usually understated stuff like that. I appreciate it.
I could watch hours of ISB internal politics with this level of writing and be happy.
This is the first time someone has created a Star Wars world that feels substantial. The Complete lack of the name Skywalker being dropped helps a lot.
Quote from: crazy canuck on October 20, 2022, 09:25:59 AMThis is the first time someone has created a Star Wars world that feels substantial. The Complete lack of the name Skywalker being dropped helps a lot.
You just don't see this degree of character development and attention to detail in most action-fantasy shows. I don't know how successful it is - I'm afraid the general audience may find it just too slow - but I hope it does well enough that Gilroy gets more cracks at the Star Wars universe.
And yeah, I appreciate the lack of established characters in the show - besides Mon Mothma, who's so well fleshed out that I don't care. I love for example how she looks so fragile and always on the defensive in her meetings with Luthen, but then you have that "you may find my politics a bit too strong for your taste" moment at the party and you realize there's much more steel in there than she lets on.
Quote from: Habbaku on October 20, 2022, 09:16:47 AMI could watch hours of ISB internal politics with this level of writing and be happy.
Hopefully they will make a villain protagonist series at some point. Agent Kallus from Rebels is an obvious choice, being a fan favorite character.
Seems to me that, though they're dipping their toes into it with Andor, a Cold War-style spy-games series where the protagonists are ISB and Rebel spies would be great.
Quote from: Habbaku on October 20, 2022, 11:26:27 AMSeems to me that, though they're dipping their toes into it with Andor, a Cold War-style spy-games series where the protagonists are ISB and Rebel spies would be great.
That would be amazing.
Cel, staring making the pitch :D
Quote from: crazy canuck on October 20, 2022, 11:40:11 AMQuote from: Habbaku on October 20, 2022, 11:26:27 AMSeems to me that, though they're dipping their toes into it with Andor, a Cold War-style spy-games series where the protagonists are ISB and Rebel spies would be great.
That would be amazing.
Cel, staring making the pitch :D
:D
Not gonna lie, if I ever worked on a Star Wars show I'd die happy.
From what I've seen, one of the reasons Andor is so well done is because Gilroy is not a huge SW fan. Maybe staffing an IP with people that hate it is a good way to proceed. :D
It is indeed unfortunate as the numbers for Andor are supposedly bad.
I hope that the word of mouth and the second season will pick the numbers up a bit. If Disney concludes that running schlock is the only way to keep people watching, I might just have to bail from the IP altogether.
Quote from: Habbaku on October 20, 2022, 04:06:46 PMI hope that the word of mouth and the second season will pick the numbers up a bit. If Disney concludes that running schlock is the only way to keep people watching, I might just have to bail from the IP altogether.
The first week ratings are just in. It's not great, but not horrible either. Behind Kenobi and Mandalorian's first episodes, but behind Kenobi's (which is Disney+ most watched show ever, heh). It's also in the middle of the pack compared to the Marvel shows.
The trick here is that Andor released 3 episodes in one batch, while most of these shows went out with just 2 (and I think some released later in the week compared to Andor). So it might be masking the numbers. Will see how it holds up.
Quote from: celedhring on October 20, 2022, 04:53:01 PMBehind Kenobi and Mandalorian's first episodes, but behind Kenobi's (which is Disney+ most watched show ever, heh).
:hmm:
I didn't watch all three episodes in the first week :Embarrass:
I'm only 5 episodes in but this show feels like the Star Wars RP sessions I had with friends in the 90s. It's like they pulled this out of the imagination of 13-year-old me and made a TV show from it. And we RPed imperial officers and even had in-character internal bickering and politicking about who commanded what. :lol:
Yes I was a nerd :cry:
I've said it a bit further up, but Andor, overall, feels more in line with some of the better Star Wars books which generally give more room to their characters and also switch up tone a fair bit.
My favorite parts of the old EU were the stories NOT about the "main cast", which is why I gravitated towards stuff like the "Tales" series (short story collections about the characters in the Mos Eisley Cantina and Jabba's Palace, and a novella collection about the bounty hunters from ESB), or the X-Wing series. Mando started out that way but is now firmly looped into the "main plot" of previous shows and movies - I still like it, but I prefer stories that expand the setting.
Andor does that quite well IMHO, showing us new settings, characters, and just giving everything more room to breathe.
I'm not up to date on Star Wars novels, but I can recommend:
Battlefront: Twilight Company
A tie in to the first EA Battlefront, but don't let that put you off. It follows a Rebel infantry soldier around the time of the battle of Hoth, with his backstory told in flashbacks. It's a decent bit of military fiction.
Battlefront: Inferno Squad
The tie in for the second Battlefront game - this one focusing on Iden Versio (the protagonist of the game's main campaign) and her Imperial commando unit after the battle of Yavin.
Lost Stars
Claudia Gray writes some of the best Star Wars stories, IMHO. This one focuses on two characters from disparate backgrounds. They were childhood friends, dreaming of joining the Imperial Navy. The join up, but the guy becomes disillusioned and joins the Rebellion while the gal stays with the Empire - she has her doubts but also feels beholden to her oath and duty. It follows them from pre-Yavin to the Battle of Jakku. Don't let the YA label and love plot put you off; it gives a pretty good ground level view of events and the struggle the characters go through.
The Aftermath Trilogy
These books are quite divisive, primarily because of the style of writing (short sentences, present tense - more like how you would narrate an action movie to a friend). The style calms down a bit in book 2, but I know many many people are put off by it. The story covers events from right after Endor to the Battle of Jakku. Main characters like Wedge appear, but it introduces some great new characters - Temmin Wexley (a young pilot who was abandoned by his mom who joined the Rebellion), his mother Norra, his murderous battle droid Mr Bones, Sinjir Rath Velus (a former/deserted Imperial loyalty officer), Zabrak bounty hunter Jas Emari, Imperial admiral Rae Sloane (trying to hold the remnants together with some remainder of Palpatine's general staff and advisors). The story told throughout the books isn't terrible but also not great. However, it paints in many little details, and sprinkles little (mostly one off) vignettes throughout the books, showing what's happening in various parts of the galaxy.
I haven't read it, but I've heard good things about Alphabet Squadron, about a fighter squadron hunting Imperials after Endor. There's been two sequels in the meantime.
The High Republic goes back to focusing on Jedi - it's set 200 years before Phantom Menace. A lot of people seem to like it, but I've not kept up with it between something like half a dozen books and comic series that all interconnect with each other. The two books I've read (Light of the Jedi and Into the Dark) were definitely more on the pulp side of things, though.
I've only read the first new Thrawn book - I thought it was all right, but I don't like Timothy Zahn's style of writing much, and from what I see it seems to suffer from Genius Thrawn vs. Incompetent Everyone Else a lot (kind of like Cumberbatch's Sherlock once the novelty wears off).
Oh, should probably throw in From A Certain Point of View - an anthology of short stories. There's one for A New Hope and one for Empire Strikes Back. The stories are told about and/or from the view point of background/secondary characters, and canon status is ... disputed and they range in tone from serious to melodramatic to pulp to comedy. But if you want to read about what happened to the officer who didn't shoot on the escape pod at the start of ANH, the last moments in the life of Leia's parents, some stories about the cantina characters, how the dianoga got onto the Death Star, Motti's HR complaint about Vader's behavior at the roundtable meeting, or how a mechanic on Yavin handles the battle from her point of view, it's got you covered.
Quote from: Solmyr on October 20, 2022, 10:14:05 AMQuote from: Habbaku on October 20, 2022, 09:16:47 AMI could watch hours of ISB internal politics with this level of writing and be happy.
Hopefully they will make a villain protagonist series at some point. Agent Kallus from Rebels is an obvious choice, being a fan favorite character.
Wouldn't hold my breath, given that they had to turn Boba Fett into a poorly written good guy for his show...
So we watched the original trilogy and moved on to the Phantom Menace tonight. Jesus Christ is that tedious to watch.
I guess it must be the direction and writing, because the acting seems poor across the board even from people I know are perfectly fine.
Are the next two movies just as tedious or does it get better?
Quote from: Jacob on October 22, 2022, 12:42:16 AMSo we watched the original trilogy and moved on to the Phantom Menace tonight. Jesus Christ is that tedious to watch.
I guess it must be the direction and writing, because the acting seems poor across the board even from people I know are perfectly fine.
Are the next two movies just as tedious or does it get better?
One of the things that jumped out to me the most when I watched TPM again a few years ago, is how overused and obtrusive all the slapstick humor is. Like you'd have Qui Gon and Kenobi discuss something super-tense and you'd have Jar Jar doing stupid shit in the background. It was very jarring.
That said, they toned it down massively in the other prequels and it didn't improve them that much.
One thing I just realized, is that Andor features close to no aliens. Certainly there isn't a single alien main/supporting or even tertiary character, and all the worlds we've visited to far feature mainly human populations. I suppose that - besides bringing down the budget - it makes the world feel closer? It's an interesting choice certainly :hmm:
No shiney swords, no aliens, no space magic (?). Is this even Star Wars?
Droids, blasters, speeders, space-ships, and Imperials as far as the eye can see. Even a few Stormtroopers. So...yes.
The Force is overused in Star Wars as it is.
Plenty of sci fi has hover cars and pew pew sound effects :D
Another good Andor episode. Hobbesian sci-fi jails always work in my book, and Andy Serkis as Kapo is a welcome presence. Is he the first actor to play two different characters in the universe? (excluding voice actors in animated stuff).
Also, Saw Gerrera finally shows up. Didn't like the character in the beginning, but I've grown fond of Whitaker's take on him. Liked the detail about him didn't want to work with the dude Luthen wants him to, because he's a Separatist.
Can't wait for the inevitable prison break episode (which I suppose will happen in episode 9, following their 3-episode arc formula. The Mandalorian prison break episode was already one of my favorite episodes in that show, like heists it's one of those tried-and-true concepts that nearly always works :p
Quote from: celedhring on October 26, 2022, 03:31:33 AMAnother good Andor episode. Hobbesian sci-fi jails always work in my book, and Andy Serkis as Kapo is a welcome presence. Is he the first actor to play two different characters in the universe? (excluding voice actors in animated stuff).
Actually no. There may have been someone on ANH who played two aliens or troopers, but I know for sure that Empire had one. Jeremy Bulloch played both Boba Fett (not the voice, though, IIRC) and the officer who restrains Leia when she shouts at Luke "It's a trap!" He also had a cameo as the pilot of Bail Organa's ship in Revenge of the Sith when they return to Coruscant (if we only want to count separate movies). Warwick Davis was Wicket in ROTJ and had a cameo in Phantom Menace. Anthony Daniel and Ahmed Best had non-mask cameos in Attack of the Clones, and Daniels was also in Solo, I think?
However, if we're talking full non-cameo speaking parts I'm not entirely sure, though. I mean Kenny Baker played R2 and one of the "main" Ewoks? But Silas Carson is the only one who really comes to mind in that regard (Ki-Adi Mundi and Nute Gunray, and the pilot of the Republic ship at the start of Phantom Menace (I recall Star Wars Magazine had an article about him at the time). :hmm:
The episode was quite intense IMHO. And some of those scene transitions were *chef's kiss*. The prison has shades of THX-1138, and Metropolis (workers going to/from shifts). It's beautifully dystopian, with the daily "competition," Andy Serkis is amazing, and I'm guessing they're building frames for KX droids - creating more tools of oppression and, essentially, serving machines.
I wasn't a big fan of Saw Gerrera during Clone Wars, but I liked him better in Rebels (after Forest Whitaker put his stamp on him). Seeing him and Skarsgard together was awesome, and Whitaker's intensity gave me chills. :o
I loved the juxtaposition of Dedra and Syril, a bit of a wannabe meeting "the real deal."
Oh, and loved the Belsavis shout out at the beginning of the episode. :D
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Belsavis/Legends
Also, the amount of world building this show puts in will keep Star Wars writers in employ for many years to come. :P
I also love that Nasty Leia (Luthen's ruthless assistant that looks a lot like young Carrie Fisher) is called... Kleya :P
The names are getting a tad confusing. Leia and Kleya, Biggs and Bix ... :P
It's been a while since I watched Rogue One, but SW Explained pointed out that Melshi in the prison is one of Andor's companions in Rogue One.
And the old guy in prison looked familiar. He was the cloning scientist in Fifth Element.
(https://wl-brightside.cf.tsp.li/resize/728x/jpg/be4/e2f/25803a5afe9e9582b0b97be8fc.jpg)
And speaking of actors, Forest Whitaker has now played Saw Gerrera in movies (Rogue One), live action TV (Andor), animation (Rebels) and video games (Jedi: Fallen Order). Might be the only actor to reprise his role across so many different versions without having a voice actor in his stead (at least not the "adult" version, as opposed to the Clone Wars/Bad Batch young one). I guess either he likes the money or likes the franchise (or both). :)
As I said, never cared much for Saw Gerrera in Clone Wars, but Whitaker manages to make him compelling. And his take on the whole rebelling thing works better in the kind of discourse of a show like Andor than in the animated shows.
Quote from: celedhring on October 27, 2022, 04:44:42 AMthe animated shows.
Funny you should mention it - Tales of the Jedi is out on Disney+.
It's ... ok? A bit of a mixed bag, really. Mostly filling in some gaps for Dooku's and Ahsoka's stories.
It started off with my least favorite episode, but I've never been much for overly romanticized "living in spiritual harmony with nature" tropes. :P I liked the Dooku episodes, though the first two were kinda the same story twice. The Ahsoka flashback was pure nostalgia (and a nice - voiceless - cameo) and it was a bit awkward to see her and Anakin's season 1 personas and bickering again. Final episode was all right (reiterating a bit on a theme from Kenobi , but it had an absolutely awesome soundtrack during its climax. Episodes are between 13 and 19 minutes, so it's a quick watch at least.
It was bittersweet to see Yoda in some scenes, and I was worried they'd give him dialogue - thankfully they didn't. It would be really weird without Tom Kane's excellent performance. :(
Watched them over lunch. They're... okay I guess? They don't really say or show anything groundbreaking of those characters - the fact they are so short doesn't help. The ones chronicling the fall of Dooku feel a bit by the numbers (as you say, the first two are essentially the same story), and the last episode is indeed a Kenobi retread. The one that I enjoyed the most is Ashoka's training - Filoni has always been great at bringing out the humanity inside Anakin's harshness - something the prequels always failed at - and the ending ties it up very well.
Also, why doesn't that other Jedi from Yoda's species not talk with scrambled syntax? Does Yoda have a learning impediment? :hmm:
Quote from: celedhring on October 28, 2022, 02:19:39 AMAlso, why doesn't that other Jedi from Yoda's species not talk with scrambled syntax? Does Yoda have a learning impediment? :hmm:
Yes, it just seems to be his quirk. Yaddle talking normally was already shown in comics and books, I think (she and Yoda show up in High Republic media). I seem to recall, maybe from the ESB novelization I read, that he used his syntax to put more emphasis on words. It would definitely fit his Diogenes of Sinope vibes in that movie. :P
What happened to Yaddle was long time of speculation, since she was shown on the council in Phantom Menace, but not at the end of the movie or in future material. I think it may have been mentioned before that Dooku killed her, but there were also theories/jokes that she left after having an affair with Yoda which led to Grogu being born. :P
Not much to say except that it's another great episode. And we finally learn of Val's family. :o And Syril is starting to give off serious serial killer vibes.
Btw, saw a neat comment about last week's episode re: the prison reminiscent of THX-1138.
There's 7 persons at 7 tables in 7 rooms on 7 levels in 7 complexes in the prison. The budget for THX-1138? $777,777 :nerd:
The whole "what happened on level 2?" mystery is amazingly handled. Man, this show is so great.
Serkis is gonna die, right? I'm taking to his character :(
The unseen horrors that both Andor and Bix are handling are great. Excellently-handled scenes all around. The show has no right being this good.
Quote from: celedhring on November 02, 2022, 04:44:46 PMSerkis is gonna die, right? I'm taking to his character :(
:lol: He's fucking toast.
This is definitely (IMO) the best SW show they've made so far. It might be one of the best shows of the year, period.
Now imagine if they had hired those writers/directors for the sequel trilogy... What a waste.
Wow, that was an amazingly episode. Writing, acting, depth of characters - this has it all.
Really looking forward to this then... just made it through the slog that was I, II, and III. Next weekend we'll start on VII, VIII, and then IX... then on to the other films, then on to the stand alone films (there are stand alone films, right) and THEN the series....
Yeah, there are the two standalones, though arguably you might be better off watching Andor before Rogue One.
Problem is there is a second season of Andor in the works, so Jake might be depriving himself of probably the best SW movie since Empire for a good long while.
Quote from: Zoupa on November 02, 2022, 10:30:19 PMProblem is there is a second season of Andor in the works, so Jake might be depriving himself of probably the best SW movie since Empire for a good long while.
I agree
The solution is to watch Rogue before IV and then by the time they get to watching Andor the details will have faded.
I'm going to have to rewatch Rogue One because I honestly didn't like it when I first saw it.
But now, after Andor, I think I might change mind about that movie.
Quote from: FunkMonk on November 02, 2022, 10:36:15 PMI'm going to have to rewatch Rogue One because I honestly didn't like it when I first saw it.
But now, after Andor, I think I might change mind about that movie.
It has taken years, but we finally detected a small flaw in FM
My plan is to watch everything in chronological order of release, basically.
Quote from: celedhring on November 02, 2022, 04:44:46 PMThe whole "what happened on level 2?" mystery is amazingly handled. Man, this show is so great.
My only complaint is that the "we release someone and put him back on a different level" seems very obviously flawed. It's not something that's going to stay secret, even if they make up new charges that would keep someone there. Might as well keep them where they are and invent new charges. We learned in the last episode that everyone already on the inside had their sentences extended. I mean sure, the Empire is generally shown as uncaring and callous and they believe that they have the perfect slave camp figured out, and dsiregard that the main motivator these people have is not fear of punishment but hope to get back out, but it still seems off.
Of course this could have been a recent change/attempt to extend prisoners' stay at the facility (what with the recent clamp down by the Empire) - but it's implied that with a stronger grip and extension of sentences these facilities are basically overflowing with new arrivals.
Quote from: crazy canuck on November 02, 2022, 10:38:17 PMQuote from: FunkMonk on November 02, 2022, 10:36:15 PMI'm going to have to rewatch Rogue One because I honestly didn't like it when I first saw it.
But now, after Andor, I think I might change mind about that movie.
It has taken years, but we finally detected a small flaw in FM
I'll go and say that I find the first two thirds of Rogue One rather plodding. But the final act is fantastic. Still, it's by far the best Star Wars movie since the OT.
I also think that Solo is a decent action adventure film saddled by all the fanservice.
Quote from: Syt on November 03, 2022, 01:13:30 AMQuote from: celedhring on November 02, 2022, 04:44:46 PMThe whole "what happened on level 2?" mystery is amazingly handled. Man, this show is so great.
My only complaint is that the "we release someone and put him back on a different level" seems very obviously flawed. It's not something that's going to stay secret, even if they make up new charges that would keep someone there. Might as well keep them where they are and invent new charges. We learned in the last episode that everyone already on the inside had their sentences extended. I mean sure, the Empire is generally shown as uncaring and callous and they believe that they have the perfect slave camp figured out, and dsiregard that the main motivator these people have is not fear of punishment but hope to get back out, but it still seems off.
Of course this could have been a recent change/attempt to extend prisoners' stay at the facility (what with the recent clamp down by the Empire) - but it's implied that with a stronger grip and extension of sentences these facilities are basically overflowing with new arrivals.
They said expressly in the episode that this was a recent change, it's all quite neatly tied together in the speech in the Senate where the lights start going out.
Also think about the scene in which and/or tries to explain to everybody that the empire is not actually listening to what they're talking about. Nobody believes him. Not surprising the empire officials thought they could get away with inserting an inmate onto a new level without people talking about.
Quote from: celedhring on November 03, 2022, 01:47:29 AMQuote from: crazy canuck on November 02, 2022, 10:38:17 PMQuote from: FunkMonk on November 02, 2022, 10:36:15 PMI'm going to have to rewatch Rogue One because I honestly didn't like it when I first saw it.
But now, after Andor, I think I might change mind about that movie.
It has taken years, but we finally detected a small flaw in FM
I'll go and say that I find the first two thirds of Rogue One rather plodding. But the final act is fantastic. Still, it's by far the best Star Wars movie since the OT.
I also think that Solo is a decent action adventure film saddled by all the fanservice.
Absolutely agree with this. But I also didn't like that they jammed in Vader and a CGI Princess Leia at the very end. It left a sour taste in my mouth. Like, why add that??
And agree on Solo. I enjoyed it more than Rogue One at the time. It just didn't meet people's expectations of "Star Wars" and it had a lot of bad buzz before it released. Damn shame.
I wonder, if it were released now, would it have a better reception?
Also, the actress playing Mon Mothma is simply fantastic in the role. The mix of frailty and determination is spot on. And it's the same actress they originally cast for Revenge of the Sith, and whose scenes were all cut... She hasn't had much of a career since, which makes the decision to bring her back for Rogue One/Rebels such a stroke of genius in hindsight.
Quote from: FunkMonk on November 03, 2022, 08:50:27 AMQuote from: celedhring on November 03, 2022, 01:47:29 AMQuote from: crazy canuck on November 02, 2022, 10:38:17 PMQuote from: FunkMonk on November 02, 2022, 10:36:15 PMI'm going to have to rewatch Rogue One because I honestly didn't like it when I first saw it.
But now, after Andor, I think I might change mind about that movie.
It has taken years, but we finally detected a small flaw in FM
I'll go and say that I find the first two thirds of Rogue One rather plodding. But the final act is fantastic. Still, it's by far the best Star Wars movie since the OT.
I also think that Solo is a decent action adventure film saddled by all the fanservice.
Absolutely agree with this. But I also didn't like that they jammed in Vader and a CGI Princess Leia at the very end. It left a sour taste in my mouth. Like, why add that??
And agree on Solo. I enjoyed it more than Rogue One at the time. It just didn't meet people's expectations of "Star Wars" and it had a lot of bad buzz before it released. Damn shame.
I wonder, if it were released now, would it have a better reception?
I think they'd probably make it a Disney+ show, much in the way they turned Boba/Kenobi (originally movies) into TV shows. The problem with Solo is that it didn't have the kinda galaxy-threatening plot people expect in these kind of blockbusters, and it also ate all the blowback from The Last Jedi. But I thought once they got all the fanservice checkmarks out of the way (how he meets Chewie, how he gets the Falcon, etc...) it was a nice little frontier story.
Disregarding the fan service it was a fun heist movie with a plot that could have been a Firefly episode - which makes sense because Firefly initially gave me strong Star Wars/Han Solo vibes. :P
Quote from: celedhring on November 03, 2022, 11:22:40 AMAlso, the actress playing Mon Mothma is simply fantastic in the role. The mix of frailty and determination is spot on. And it's the same actress they originally cast for Revenge of the Sith, and whose scenes were all cut... She hasn't had much of a career since, which makes the decision to bring her back for Rogue One/Rebels such a stroke of genius in hindsight.
I am also impressed with the actor playing the ISB director - the twitch of revulsion just as she was turning her "witness" over to doctor was amazing.
There's so many good performances in this. Skarsgard switching from his insurrection persona to his arts trader persona in Ep. 4(?) was great, as was Saw's rant last episode, or Serkis's acting in this one, where his character slowly comes to realize the truth of the situation he's in, mostly told in changes in his demeanor and facial expression. It's a lot of subtlety we're not used to in this setting. :P
Quote from: celedhring on November 03, 2022, 11:29:30 AMI think they'd probably make it a Disney+ show, much in the way they turned Boba/Kenobi (originally movies) into TV shows. The problem with Solo is that it didn't have the kinda galaxy-threatening plot people expect in these kind of blockbusters, and it also ate all the blowback from The Last Jedi. But I thought once they got all the fanservice checkmarks out of the way (how he meets Chewie, how he gets the Falcon, etc...) it was a nice little frontier story.
It's one of those - in hindsight - galaxy brain moves. Just like hiring Temuera Morrison in 2000 to play Jango and him now being old enough to play veteran Boba Fett. :D
Oooh! Which reminds me of last week's discussion about actors playing multiple roles: Temuera Morrison. Duh. :P
Quote from: crazy canuck on November 03, 2022, 12:03:56 PMQuote from: celedhring on November 03, 2022, 11:22:40 AMAlso, the actress playing Mon Mothma is simply fantastic in the role. The mix of frailty and determination is spot on. And it's the same actress they originally cast for Revenge of the Sith, and whose scenes were all cut... She hasn't had much of a career since, which makes the decision to bring her back for Rogue One/Rebels such a stroke of genius in hindsight.
I am also impressed with the actor playing the ISB director - the twitch of revulsion just as she was turning her "witness" over to doctor was amazing.
She's one of those British actors with a million plays in her resumé and multiple stage acting awards. Seems like you find a dozen of those under every stone in the UK :P
Her boss (Pertagaz) is also perfectly cast.
Quote from: celedhring on November 03, 2022, 12:28:05 PMQuote from: crazy canuck on November 03, 2022, 12:03:56 PMQuote from: celedhring on November 03, 2022, 11:22:40 AMAlso, the actress playing Mon Mothma is simply fantastic in the role. The mix of frailty and determination is spot on. And it's the same actress they originally cast for Revenge of the Sith, and whose scenes were all cut... She hasn't had much of a career since, which makes the decision to bring her back for Rogue One/Rebels such a stroke of genius in hindsight.
I am also impressed with the actor playing the ISB director - the twitch of revulsion just as she was turning her "witness" over to doctor was amazing.
She's one of those British actors with a million plays in her resumé and multiple stage acting awards. Seems like you find a dozen of those under every stone in the UK :P
She also voiced Yennefer in Witcher 3.
As expected, today's jailbreak episode was very good. Kino Loy might be Serkis' most remarkable live action character (granted, not much competition, but he was good in this, once more the show has a gift for creating memorable characters with just a few strokes). Luthen's scene with their spy was also a standout, we kinda needed an insight on his mental state and the price he's paying.
Nice to see the Empire is big on using renewables, too. :P
Yeah, the final scene was NOT what I expected, but I liked it a lot. I've seen it remarked that there's too few aliens in Andor, but with this glimpse of the underbelly of Coruscant we see that there's still plenty, just more out of sight and away from "polite company".
Loved the command center. Flashbacks to similar control centers in Dark Forces/Jedi Knight games. :P
Two more things: in hindsight the prisoners could have staged a break at any point. They just needed to be put into a truly hopeless situation to cause them to snap. As long as they had hope they were kept in line.
Secondly, I'm glad that the nouveau riche gaining legitimacy by marrying into old, prestigious families in financial troubles is alive and well in the Star Wars universe. :P
Also, two fun little details.
In Rogue One, K2 tells Cassian to climb.
In the heist episode, Nemik tells Cassian to climb (with the ship).
In this episode ... they climb.
I feel there's a pattern, somehow. :P
In the heist episode, Nemik said he couldn't sleep the night before, while Cassian slept quite well. This week, Cassian isn't able to sleep before their breakout attempt.
Quote from: Syt on October 27, 2022, 05:52:10 AMQuote from: celedhring on October 27, 2022, 04:44:42 AMthe animated shows.
Funny you should mention it - Tales of the Jedi is out on Disney+.
It's ... ok? A bit of a mixed bag, really. Mostly filling in some gaps for Dooku's and Ahsoka's stories.
It started off with my least favorite episode, but I've never been much for overly romanticized "living in spiritual harmony with nature" tropes. :P I liked the Dooku episodes, though the first two were kinda the same story twice. The Ahsoka flashback was pure nostalgia (and a nice - voiceless - cameo) and it was a bit awkward to see her and Anakin's season 1 personas and bickering again. Final episode was all right (reiterating a bit on a theme from Kenobi , but it had an absolutely awesome soundtrack during its climax. Episodes are between 13 and 19 minutes, so it's a quick watch at least.
It was bittersweet to see Yoda in some scenes, and I was worried they'd give him dialogue - thankfully they didn't. It would be really weird without Tom Kane's excellent performance. :(
Quote from: Syt on November 02, 2022, 12:45:33 PMNot much to say except that it's another great episode. And we finally learn of Val's family. :o And Syril is starting to give off serious serial killer vibes.
Btw, saw a neat comment about last week's episode re: the prison reminiscent of THX-1138.
There's 7 persons at 7 tables in 7 rooms on 7 levels in 7 complexes in the prison. The budget for THX-1138? $777,777 :nerd:
Is that 7 persons, total, or 7 ^ 5? :ph34r:
Quote from: Syt on November 09, 2022, 03:13:52 PMAlso, two fun little details.
In Rogue One, K2 tells Cassian to climb.
In the heist episode, Nemik tells Cassian to climb (with the ship).
In this episode ... they climb.
I feel there's a pattern, somehow. :P
My favorite callout was in episode 9 when they are torturing Bix and they use the same exact shot as when Vader is torturing Leia in ANH.
Quote from: Eddie Teach on November 10, 2022, 02:07:40 AMIs that 7 persons, total, or 7 ^ 5? :ph34r:
7 per table, 7 tables per room etc.
Just finished Rise of Skywalker. VII, IIX, and IX were significantly better than I, II, and III.
Yeah, I disliked the sequels but I won't have any of that "know what? The prequels were actually better" revisionist BS :P
The one good thing the sequels did is bringing back the old Star Wars look, too.
Quote from: Jacob on November 11, 2022, 03:16:17 AMJust finished Rise of Skywalker. VII, IIX, and IX were significantly better than I, II, and III.
As entertainment/kids movies, sure. Story wise? Disagree.
Quote from: Zoupa on November 11, 2022, 03:41:37 AMQuote from: Jacob on November 11, 2022, 03:16:17 AMJust finished Rise of Skywalker. VII, IIX, and IX were significantly better than I, II, and III.
As entertainment/kids movies, sure. Story wise? Disagree.
In what ways were Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith better storywise than the Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and the Rise of Skywalker? I found the whole Rey - Kylo Ren remote connection thing significantly more interesting (not to mention fresher) than the Anakin - Amidala doomed romance, f. ex.
If you were to sum up the plot of the prequels in a single paragraph it looks better on paper. It's the only thing they have over the sequels - an actual direction that makes sense within the saga - but the execution is so awful at nearly every singe level, that I find them nearly unwatchable.
The sequels are completely aimless and derivative, but they are more competent as movies. I don't like them, but if somebody forced me to watch a Star Wars saga movie that's not the OT... I would probably chose The Last Jedi.
I think the prequels were indeed terrible in terms of acting/dialogue. But the plot was interesting, with Palpatine pulling the strings of both sides, showing the Jedi were not saints.
I see the main movies as the story of Anakin Skywalker. fall from grace and redemption. The sequels were aimless, contradictory and the last movie undid the whole point of the OT, being the sacrifice of Anakin in order to end Palpatine.
When I heard "Somehow, Palpatine survived" I just burst out laughing. It was a terrible choice.
The overall story of the prequels is far superior to the sequels. As movies, though, they do indeed suck a lot of ass. Poor writing, poor direction, and actors who obviously had trouble digesting what they were being given by Lucas. And the CGI was terrible.
That said, I still prefer them to the sequels. I will gladly watch Phantom Menace or Revenge of the Sith over any of the three sequels EXCEPT The Last Jedi.
The prequel movies have a stupid charm that the sequels generally lack, with certain exceptions, like Han, Chewbacca, and Finn in Episode VII, or Luke and Yoda in Episode VIII.
The sequels would have been fine if they followed up on TLJ instead of frantically trying to cancel it.
I think the prequels have been elevated a fair bit by having their stories expanded by the Clone Wars show.
Quote from: Jacob on November 11, 2022, 03:16:17 AMJust finished Rise of Skywalker. VII, IIX, and IX were significantly better than I, II, and III.
(https://wwwcache.wralsportsfan.com/asset/voices/2019/01/23/18143337/hahaha_no-DMID1-5hknzuv6k-480x263.gif)
Quote from: Syt on November 12, 2022, 02:27:40 AMI think the prequels have been elevated a fair bit by having their stories expanded by the Clone Wars show.
I suspect that's the case - and I haven't watched to Clone Wars show, so it hasn't affected my impression.
IMO, the prequels were grating pretty much every minute due to bad direction (I don't believe it was bad acting, because many of those actors are known to be excellent). That makes them pretty much unwatchable for me. Maybe from an overall "advancing the plot of the franchise" point of view they were "better", but I'm unable to get through to that.
Conversely the sequels were competently executed (which makes them massively more enjoyable than the prequels for me), and I thought the Kylo Ren - Rey connection thing was interesting. Palpatine coming back and mostly negating Anakin's sacrifice didn't bother me, but fair play if you found it awful.x
I mean, all six films had their fair share of dumb-ass Star Wars elements, but for me quality of direction (and thus quality of acting) makes all the difference.
Anyways, we started watching the Boba Fett series (boy's choice). Two episodes in.
Of course Boba Fett survived. Of course. Because that's how Disney treats this franchise. Every character is an asset that needs to be monetized as much as possible, and killing them makes that harder. So of course he's not actually dead. And a Western series with Science-Fantasy trappings seems like something that could survive pitch meetings and focus group tests, so that makes sense as well.
Okay. Done with being cynical for the moment.
It was not what I expected at all. Not that I knew what to expect.
The whole crime lord thing is... pretty pedestrian so far.
The before-times thing is okay I guess. Turning the Tusken Raiders into an oppressed noble indigenous population makes sense, I guess, given our age and zeitgeist.
Do people generally like the Boba Fett series?
For my part, I'm enjoying it because I'm watching it with a 9-year old who's really into Star Wars things. But if I'd never watched it I certainly wouldn't feel like I missed anything.
No, I think Boba Fett was pretty well slagged from all angles. There's very little redeeming about the series at all.
Quote from: Habbaku on November 14, 2022, 02:02:41 PMNo, I think Boba Fett was pretty well slagged from all angles. There's very little redeeming about the series at all.
Yeah, I kept hoping it would get better but it's just bad. I suppose the two backdoor Mando S3 episodes are ok (although I didn't like the Luke scenes at all).
The Mandalorian season 2.5 first episode (with the building of his new ship and the fight scene in the butcher's) is the best part of the season. :lol:
It's like the showrunner of Boba realized that they had a trashfire on their hands.
Quote from: Jacob on November 14, 2022, 01:03:59 PMQuote from: Syt on November 12, 2022, 02:27:40 AMI think the prequels have been elevated a fair bit by having their stories expanded by the Clone Wars show.
I suspect that's the case - and I haven't watched to Clone Wars show, so it hasn't affected my impression.
IMO, the prequels were grating pretty much every minute due to bad direction (I don't believe it was bad acting, because many of those actors are known to be excellent). That makes them pretty much unwatchable for me. Maybe from an overall "advancing the plot of the franchise" point of view they were "better", but I'm unable to get through to that.
Conversely the sequels were competently executed (which makes them massively more enjoyable than the prequels for me), and I thought the Kylo Ren - Rey connection thing was interesting. Palpatine coming back and mostly negating Anakin's sacrifice didn't bother me, but fair play if you found it awful.x
I mean, all six films had their fair share of dumb-ass Star Wars elements, but for me quality of direction (and thus quality of acting) makes all the difference.
I watched the clone wars and I thought it made the prequels look just as bad.
The prequels seems to have a much better focus and a consistent story in mind from start to finish. Alas, they also had Lucas' direction, script, and obsession with the latest tech. Those parts were bad at the time and have only gotten worse with age looking back. The sequel trilogy had great acting, some fantastic moments in the scripts, yet were disjointed, lacked a cohesive narrative throughout, and also suffered from some dreadful "Somehow, Palpatine has returned" choices in their stories. Neither will ever hold a candle to the original trilogy and both are deeply flawed, but I'm not sure either is unwatchably bad. They just aren't good. They do make for some mindless enjoyment on occasion though. I'd say the sequel trilogy is still above the prequel trilogy for me ultimately.
Poor B2. :weep:
After the most recent ep., I'm like 50/50 on Luthen being former Jedi, or at least one who's sealed himself off to the Force. I think we saw his lightsaber and didn't realize it. I also think a couple of characters (at least Cinta) have been cryptically suggestive in their language about knowing he is/was one.
Should be a very wild finale, either way. 54 minutes!
Quote from: Habbaku on November 18, 2022, 02:48:40 PMAfter the most recent ep., I'm like 50/50 on Luthen being former Jedi, or at least one who's sealed himself off to the Force. I think we saw his lightsaber and didn't realize it. I also think a couple of characters (at least Cinta) have been cryptically suggestive in their language about knowing he is/was one.
Should be a very wild finale, either way. 54 minutes!
Yeah, I started suspecting he had at least a connection to the Jedi the moment he gave that Kyber crystal to Cassian.
What are the bets on Vel offering to marry into the shady money guy's family? :ph34r:
Quote from: Syt on November 18, 2022, 03:04:24 PMWhat are the bets on Vel offering to marry into the shady money guy's family? :ph34r:
I love that we are having an Old Money vs New Money story arc in Star Wars :lol:
Quote from: Habbaku on November 18, 2022, 02:48:40 PMAfter the most recent ep., I'm like 50/50 on Luthen being former Jedi, or at least one who's sealed himself off to the Force. I think we saw his lightsaber and didn't realize it. I also think a couple of characters (at least Cinta) have been cryptically suggestive in their language about knowing he is/was one.
Didn't realize it? I thought it was pretty obviously a lightsaber the way he commented on it.
I also think this show is far more successful than The Last Jedi (which remains my least disliked post-1983 saga film despite its multiple flaws) in questioning the traditional Star Wars epic narratives. I.e., I "loved" the attention they are paying to Bix succumbing to torture and giving up Cassian, and how emotionally scarred she is about that experience - as opposed to Leia shrugging off Vader's torture in Ep4 (which they directly call back to), and how nearly every single character fails at remaining "pure" during the struggle.
I'm not sure a former Jedi could run an upscale antiques shop that caters to the rich and famous in the middle of Coruscant unmolested.
What I could see, though, is that Luthen was closely connected to the Jedi and perhaps (naively?) aided in or profited from their downfall, which is why he has a whole bunch of artifacts (Jedi Temple Guard mask, holocrons, ... ), and now trying to atone for his mistake.
Quote from: Syt on November 19, 2022, 02:21:50 AMI'm not sure a former Jedi could run an upscale antiques shop that caters to the rich and famous in the middle of Coruscant unmolested.
What I could see, though, is that Luthen was closely connected to the Jedi and perhaps (naively?) aided in or profited from their downfall, which is why he has a whole bunch of artifacts (Jedi Temple Guard mask, holocrons, ... ), and now trying to atone for his mistake.
This was my personal theory, that the kyber crystal belonged to a Jedi he was attached to, and that some artifacts he has can be traced to them. But I admit that last episode they highlighted his "staff" so much that it makes me doubt.
Also I loved the "release kinetic projectiles that are naturally drawn to tractor beam emitters" tactic he used in last episode. And I swear I had seen that in some old EU book or comic. Does it ring a bell to you, Syt?
I never stayed up to date with the old EU so can't tell :D Most commenters I saw called it "something new" and I think Star Wars Explained would have recalled something like this, but it's of course possible.
Agreed on the lightsaber - but it could also be a keepsake, not his own.
Quote from: Solmyr on November 19, 2022, 02:05:51 AMQuote from: Habbaku on November 18, 2022, 02:48:40 PMAfter the most recent ep., I'm like 50/50 on Luthen being former Jedi, or at least one who's sealed himself off to the Force. I think we saw his lightsaber and didn't realize it. I also think a couple of characters (at least Cinta) have been cryptically suggestive in their language about knowing he is/was one.
Didn't realize it? I thought it was pretty obviously a lightsaber the way he commented on it.
What I mean is it wasn't heavy-handed. Any other SW show would have had a close-up shot of it, Luthen looking paranoid at it, no one noticing, and then Saw's guards wondering what's inside it for the next 30 seconds before randomly cutting back to them not caring or Luthen having to chop his way through them all just to speak to Saw.
Quote from: Syt on November 19, 2022, 02:21:50 AMI'm not sure a former Jedi could run an upscale antiques shop that caters to the rich and famous in the middle of Coruscant unmolested.
What I could see, though, is that Luthen was closely connected to the Jedi and perhaps (naively?) aided in or profited from their downfall, which is why he has a whole bunch of artifacts (Jedi Temple Guard mask, holocrons, ... ), and now trying to atone for his mistake.
Which would be way cooler than him actually being a Jedi.
Quote from: celedhring on November 19, 2022, 02:26:38 AMAlso I loved the "release kinetic projectiles that are naturally drawn to tractor beam emitters" tactic he used in last episode. And I swear I had seen that in some old EU book or comic. Does it ring a bell to you, Syt?
I'm pretty sure it happened in one of the comics, and is considered canon, but obviously this is the first time we've seen it on screen.
Quote from: celedhring on November 19, 2022, 02:26:38 AMAlso I loved the "release kinetic projectiles that are naturally drawn to tractor beam emitters" tactic he used in last episode. And I swear I had seen that in some old EU book or comic. Does it ring a bell to you, Syt?
It was not in any post ANH book for sure. I do not know about comics. Don't know about the prequel books, or other eras.
Boba Fett continues to be pretty weaksauce (just watched episode 3).
Quote from: Jacob on November 19, 2022, 01:24:21 PMBoba Fett continues to be pretty weaksauce (just watched episode 3).
You should press on just for the episodes near the end that have nothing to do with Boba Fett.
Problem there is that they probably don't make much sense without having seen Mando S1 & 2.
Quote from: Syt on November 19, 2022, 04:52:57 PMProblem there is that they probably don't make much sense without having seen Mando S1 & 2.
True, which makes them weaker coming in fresh. And was another reason not to make them in the context of Book of Boba.
What a mess. :D
Just heard the other day that Andor will only have 2 seasons. Originally, it was to be 5 seasons (starting at 5 before ANH, and then covering one year each), but apparently the makers said they can't dedicate about 10 years to the project. (fair :D ). It was then cut to 3 (with time jumps), and is now down to 2. :(
How are the ratings? If they were good wouldn't hey just throw money at them?
Quote from: HVC on November 20, 2022, 03:01:16 AMHow are the ratings? If they were good wouldn't hey just throw money at them?
Ratings are rather poor for a Marvel/Star Wars show (it's still the most watched show on Disney+ every week), but the decision to cut it down to 2 seasons had already been taken before the show's debut. It's a pity, because it's simply superb.
It's disappointing, but ultimately I feel like the people calling an end to it before they start phoning it in is far preferable. It also gives them the ability to do what they want and how they want for the story they're passionate about with a set time allotment in place. Much better a True Detective Season 1 or HBO's Watchmen than the tail end of GoT.
Andor as a 1970s show.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9Pccq0DZVc&t=83s&ab_channel=Auralnauts
Pretty well done :lol:
Auralnauts is great. :D
Obi Wan Kenobi was good and explains some things from the original series.
The inquisitors are a weird inconsistency though. And luke not having a clue what a light sabre is later on seems weird.
Not getting how inquisitor lady survives and obi wan just peace out and leaves vader. He could have solved so much...
Quote from: Josquius on November 22, 2022, 12:08:53 PMObi Wan Kenobi was good and explains some things from the original series.
The inquisitors are a weird inconsistency though. And luke not having a clue what a light sabre is later on seems weird.
Not getting how inquisitor lady survives and obi wan just peace out and leaves vader. He could have solved so much...
I thought Kenobi was... not good. Which is kinda sad because I thought they found a good angle for the series (Kenobi being broken after ROTS and having to find himself again in order to be a good tutor for Luke in the future).
The execution felt so rushed/lazy. Two main characters get stabbed by a lightsaber just to miraculously shrug it off later, no explanations given.
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Enver_Hoxha
QuoteEnver Hoxha was a male Jedi Padawan during the Clone Wars, stationed at the Jedi Temple. During the Jedi Temple Apprentice Tournament he was pitted against Pirt Neer in the eighth round. While their duel in the refectory drew a lot of attention, it was cut short when Tallisibeth Enwandung-Esterhazy took his lightsaber. He tapped out when Neer held her lightsaber to his neck.
:hmm: :hmm: :hmm:
Andor finale. This may have been some of the most intense 45 minutes of Star Wars I've ever seen. :ph34r: Basically like watching a pressure cooker ramping up to explode.
And that post credits scene ... :o :wub:
Quote from: Syt on November 23, 2022, 01:15:21 PMAndor finale. This may have been some of the most intense 45 minutes of Star Wars I've ever seen. :ph34r: Basically like watching a pressure cooker ramping up to explode.
And that post credits scene ... :o :wub:
Just finished it. :) I want more! :)
That funeral procession... When they change tune and pace, just so great!
I wasn't the only one thinking the final shot was an homage to 2001, right?
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FiTuSe4XkAElR67?format=jpg&name=medium)
Yep, it clearly was. Always love it when Star Wars homages other movies/movie genres (like all the stuff in the Mandalorian and the Terminator callback in Book of Boba Fett).
Anyway, it was a good ending - the funeral-then-riot was another action highlight in a show that doesn't do that much action, but always manages to make those bits stick. Still feel my favorite part of the show is the heist-prison break stretch, which is some of the best Star Wars we've had since the 1980s, imho, while being a totally different kind of Star Wars. Such attention to detail, so many memorable characters created with just a few scenes, such a complex theme... Can't wait for the second (and sadly last) season. In 2024. Sigh.
Only thing I didn't understand is the Mon Mothma bit. It seems she's setting Perrin up to take the fall for the missing money, but then at the end she's still bethroting her daughter to the son of the criminal?
I assume she's setting it up to look like her husband's idea due to his gambling debts. So that potentially that criminal also goes down, if the Empire investigates.
Actually I think she
Can we just appreciate what a good lad Brasso has been the whole show? :wub:
(https://static.next-episode.net/actor-images/roles/35/andor.brasso.jpg)
Good friend, good pallbearer, good alibi-haver/inventor, good droid-consoler. Good guy Brasso.
... and ready to headbutt stormtroopers and bash Imperial brains in with the brick-y-fied remains of his friend if they touch poor B2. :D (He's basically a human Wookiee :D )
In hindsight I find the parallels between Syril and Dedra quite interesting.
When we meet Syril, he's struggling against the inertia/slack of his corpo security force, and follows up on leads to get to the bottom of an incident that everyone else wants to brush off. He traces down Andor, but the attempt to capture him turns violent with several dead, him very shaken, and more or less saved by Mosk.
Dedra fights against the inertia/rigidity of the ISB, following up on and connecting leads that others want to brush off. She traces it all back to Andor, but the attempt to capture him turns violent with many dead, her very shaken, and saved by Syril.
Obviously, Syril was presented from the start as a bit of a laughable blowhard (amplified by the scenes with his mother), and Dedra comes across a lot more professional - it's the difference between playing in the pros and playing in a weekend league. But ultimately, their arcs (hers across the season, Syril's in the first three episodes) are remarkably similar.
With Syril becoming "her Mosk" in the riot, I wonder if Mosk is foreshadowing his (or their) trajectory. He was a hardass corpo security guy, then relegated to working a smelter. He seemed quite impressed with Maarva's speech, and the last we see of him is just sitting down dejectedly and getting drunk. I'm unsure if he had a change of heart, or just tries to come to terms with his own irrelevance. But considering how deliberate everything else seems, I could see this be a foreshadowing for Syril at least. He's an incel fascist, but he wants to believe in something greater than himself (the Empire, order, "justice"), which he sees personified in Dedra (whose motivations remain hidden for now). I could see him coming around to getting invested in a different great idea (e.g. the Rebellion, maybe after being tossed aside by the ISB/Dedra). Or he goes full suicide shooter/bomber at the ISB. Who knows. :P
He may be a bit of a loser, but incel is too strong.
Well, at minimum he's an obsessed creep towards Dedra. :P
ScreenCrush had a good video about the theory that Luthen is a Jedi, with all (possible) hints/clues:
Quote from: Syt on November 27, 2022, 07:10:32 AMWell, at minimum he's an obsessed creep towards Dedra. :P
I don't think it's about her in particular nor in that kind of way.
He desperately want to rejoin the Empire and get a position in the ISB. He may have been a lowly corporate investigator doing the Empire's work in an unruly sector, but he sees the Empire as
good. And frankly, with that kind of mother and that kind of job, I think I'd want to be out somewhere, anywhere. :P
Anyway. I think he sees Dedra as his stepping stone, his only chance to sort of rejoin the Empire in a meaningful way.
If she dies, all his hopes dies with her. Only her knows him and the help he provided and he absolutely want to show her that he can make a good ISB agent. No one else will believe in him, she's all he has left, so yeah, he's obsessed with her, but not in a romantic or sexual way.
Quote from: Syt on November 22, 2022, 05:07:53 PMhttps://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Enver_Hoxha
QuoteEnver Hoxha was a male Jedi Padawan during the Clone Wars, stationed at the Jedi Temple. During the Jedi Temple Apprentice Tournament he was pitted against Pirt Neer in the eighth round. While their duel in the refectory drew a lot of attention, it was cut short when Tallisibeth Enwandung-Esterhazy took his lightsaber. He tapped out when Neer held her lightsaber to his neck.
:hmm: :hmm: :hmm:
.... :ph34r:
How very odd
I guess it's like when old Japanese anime randomly feature Hitler in a decent light.
On episode 6 of Boba Fett. It continues to be a massive mess of dissatisfying acting, random cliches and tropes mixed together, and complete digressions unrelated to the apparent point of the show.
Quote from: Jacob on November 28, 2022, 12:38:53 PMOn episode 6 of Boba Fett. It continues to be a massive mess of dissatisfying acting, random cliches and tropes mixed together, and complete digressions unrelated to the apparent point of the show.
There are two Star Wars products I haven't watch, Boba Fett and Resistance. There's also Visions, but I shall watch it soon enough. But the other two, nope, not gonna do it.
Resistance is very much a kids show. It's more in line with something like the old Droids show in terms of tone. I don't think it's terrible, but if you look like character stories like the last few seasons of Clone Wars or Rebels you will not really find it there.
Boba Fett and Kenobi were "ok" - not great. I feel the Filoniverse has a strong feeling of the Star Wars comic books (later Dark Horse esp.). Some are good, some not so much, and pacing and tone feels similar.
Quote from: viper37 on November 29, 2022, 12:51:27 AMQuote from: Jacob on November 28, 2022, 12:38:53 PMOn episode 6 of Boba Fett. It continues to be a massive mess of dissatisfying acting, random cliches and tropes mixed together, and complete digressions unrelated to the apparent point of the show.
There are two Star Wars products I haven't watch, Boba Fett and Resistance. There's also Visions, but I shall watch it soon enough. But the other two, nope, not gonna do it.
Visions is great. I mean, it's an anthology so there are high and lows, but there are several strong episodes and the vision is pretty unique - unless you really hate anime :lol:
FWIW season 2 will feature work from non-anime studios.
I decided to watch this show called 'Andor'. I haven't really been paying attention to the Star Wars media churn, but I thought I'd give it a try.
Andor is an excellent work. It goes back to the good old days of content, in the Eighties, when you could use the Star Wars universe for all kinds of stories. I appreciate that part of what makes Star Wars unique is the Force, the Jedi and the lightsabres, but those elements aren't required to tell a good story in the Star Wars universe. I'm loving the cloak and dagger stories of the early Rebellion. Also, I've been really impressed that they've managed to tell pretty much the entire story without going hardcore on the nostalgia-bait. And they've created a number of new characters that are genuinely interesting. Rael. Kino. Mon Mothma's whole family situation. Meero. Karn. I can't get enough of watching the Major 'Weakest Link' the ISB people. This is good sci-fi.
Andor has no business being this good. I'm used to schlocky nonsense and fan service.
I hope Disney gives the showrunner more to do after the second season. It would be a huge lost opportunity if they don't.
Also fuck that guy who pushed over the little droid. What a dick.
Quote from: FunkMonk on November 29, 2022, 11:39:50 PMAndor has no business being this good. I'm used to schlocky nonsense and fan service.
I hope Disney gives the showrunner more to do after the second season. It would be a huge lost opportunity if they don't.
I mentioned before that it reminds me more of the (better) Star Wars novels (old EU or new canon), and admittedly I have a preference for stories focused away from the Skywalker saga and "big name" characters (hence why I liked the X-Wing books, or the tie ins for the two EA Battlefront games with the first one esp. being more military fiction, or Lost Stars which follows two childhood friends on opposite sides of the Empire/Rebellion conflict, or Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina/Jabba's Palace, or the two From A Certain Point of View books with short stories written from the POV of (mostly) "small" characters in ANH and ESB). The other shows (Mando, Boba, Kenobi) feel a lot more like reading comic books or watching the better episodes of Clone Wars or Rebels.
Quote from: Syt on November 30, 2022, 01:55:22 AMI mentioned before that it reminds me more of the (better) Star Wars novels (old EU or new canon), and admittedly I have a preference for stories focused away from the Skywalker saga and "big name" characters (hence why I liked the X-Wing books, or the tie ins for the two EA Battlefront games with the first one esp. being more military fiction, or Lost Stars which follows two childhood friends on opposite sides of the Empire/Rebellion conflict, or Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina/Jabba's Palace, or the two From A Certain Point of View books with short stories written from the POV of (mostly) "small" characters in ANH and ESB). The other shows (Mando, Boba, Kenobi) feel a lot more like reading comic books or watching the better episodes of Clone Wars or Rebels.
Yup! I totally agree. Those little side character and non-super hero-esque main character stories were always my favorite, too. The Traviss books were personal favorites back in the day. It's one of the reasons that Rose Tico is my favorite character from the new trilogy. She's the most relatable character in my opinion. Just trying to do her job and do a good one at that and being totally starstruck when she runs into one of the heroes.
Agreed, the backlash against Rose and her actress was extremely painful to watch, and undeserved IMO; and relegating her to background character in TROS (like Jar Jar in Ep. 2 and 3) was a misstep IMO.
Totally agreed. I would love to see a series following her and the Resistance during the war and after. Maybe something like the old Black Sheep Squadron tv show but with Star Wars concepts.
Quote from: Syt on November 30, 2022, 01:55:22 AMQuote from: FunkMonk on November 29, 2022, 11:39:50 PMAndor has no business being this good. I'm used to schlocky nonsense and fan service.
I hope Disney gives the showrunner more to do after the second season. It would be a huge lost opportunity if they don't.
I mentioned before that it reminds me more of the (better) Star Wars novels (old EU or new canon), and admittedly I have a preference for stories focused away from the Skywalker saga and "big name" characters (hence why I liked the X-Wing books, or the tie ins for the two EA Battlefront games with the first one esp. being more military fiction, or Lost Stars which follows two childhood friends on opposite sides of the Empire/Rebellion conflict, or Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina/Jabba's Palace, or the two From A Certain Point of View books with short stories written from the POV of (mostly) "small" characters in ANH and ESB). The other shows (Mando, Boba, Kenobi) feel a lot more like reading comic books or watching the better episodes of Clone Wars or Rebels.
Mando also had that "fringe story" feel until they started throwing in Luke Skywalker...
That's true. At first it was exciting to see e.g. the Darksaber at the end of S1. But it lost some of that charm in S2 in hindsight. It was cool to see live action Ahsok and Bo-Katan, but now I kinda wish they'd left it as a "smaller" story.
Though I guess kudos to them for getting us invested in Din and Grogu before expanding the scale of the story.
Quote from: Syt on November 30, 2022, 02:41:34 AMThat's true. At first it was exciting to see e.g. the Darksaber at the end of S1. But it lost some of that charm in S2 in hindsight. It was cool to see live action Ahsok and Bo-Katan, but now I kinda wish they'd left it as a "smaller" story.
Though I guess kudos to them for getting us invested in Din and Grogu before expanding the scale of the story.
I'm willing to bet Ashoka and Bo Katan were complete unknowns to the majority of people watching the show. Those were fine to me. But the doubling down on Skywalker during the Book of Boba Mandalorian episodes makes me worry.
Still, Mando had a knack for creating fun characters on the fringe of the galaxy's big stories: Cobb Vanth, Fennec Shand, Peli Motto, Mayfield, Kuill...
Tbf, Cobb Vanth was technically not new either, but even more niche than Bo-Katan. :D
Quote from: FunkMonk on November 29, 2022, 11:58:23 PMAlso fuck that guy who pushed over the little droid. What a dick.
Elsewhere it's been said that this is the moment that started the Rebellion. :D
Considering how they made B2 very much like a (talking) pet dog, even with his little dog (charging) bed, I loved how this was literally a Kick The Dog moment: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/KickTheDog
:D
Jesus that article has a lot of blue text.
I think the Dave Filoni is going to do to Luke Skywalker in the Mandoverse what he did to Anakin Skywalker into the Cloneverse, only without him being the main character this time.
I have 1 episode left of Andor to watch but wow. What a show. I don't remember many SW properties that are not from Dave Filoni that I've actually like.
Quote from: Syt on November 30, 2022, 01:55:22 AMQuote from: FunkMonk on November 29, 2022, 11:39:50 PMAndor has no business being this good. I'm used to schlocky nonsense and fan service.
I hope Disney gives the showrunner more to do after the second season. It would be a huge lost opportunity if they don't.
I mentioned before that it reminds me more of the (better) Star Wars novels (old EU or new canon), and admittedly I have a preference for stories focused away from the Skywalker saga and "big name" characters (hence why I liked the X-Wing books, or the tie ins for the two EA Battlefront games with the first one esp. being more military fiction, or Lost Stars which follows two childhood friends on opposite sides of the Empire/Rebellion conflict, or Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina/Jabba's Palace, or the two From A Certain Point of View books with short stories written from the POV of (mostly) "small" characters in ANH and ESB). The other shows (Mando, Boba, Kenobi) feel a lot more like reading comic books or watching the better episodes of Clone Wars or Rebels.
Absolutely. I think I mentioned this earlier in the thread but after I watched the first few episodes I felt like I was watching the RP sessions with friends that I had as a kid :lol:
I did a lot of online simming (on AOL and through IRC and newsgroups/forums and play-by-email) in the 90s and this show channeled everything from my young imagination.
Quote from: celedhring on November 30, 2022, 02:36:24 AMQuote from: Syt on November 30, 2022, 01:55:22 AMQuote from: FunkMonk on November 29, 2022, 11:39:50 PMAndor has no business being this good. I'm used to schlocky nonsense and fan service.
I hope Disney gives the showrunner more to do after the second season. It would be a huge lost opportunity if they don't.
I mentioned before that it reminds me more of the (better) Star Wars novels (old EU or new canon), and admittedly I have a preference for stories focused away from the Skywalker saga and "big name" characters (hence why I liked the X-Wing books, or the tie ins for the two EA Battlefront games with the first one esp. being more military fiction, or Lost Stars which follows two childhood friends on opposite sides of the Empire/Rebellion conflict, or Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina/Jabba's Palace, or the two From A Certain Point of View books with short stories written from the POV of (mostly) "small" characters in ANH and ESB). The other shows (Mando, Boba, Kenobi) feel a lot more like reading comic books or watching the better episodes of Clone Wars or Rebels.
Mando also had that "fringe story" feel until they started throwing in Luke Skywalker...
He's been in Mando only once, for a few minutes.
At least twice, there was a scene where he collected Grogu and one where he was training him.
Quote from: Eddie Teach on December 01, 2022, 03:35:25 AMAt least twice, there was a scene where he collected Grogu and one where he was training him.
Hmm, no. Only once, where he collected Grogu, that was the season finale. Season 3 has not started yet.
I guess you are referring to the Book of Boba Fett? I have not watched this, but it is a different show.
Possibly.
They may have different titles but Boba does continue Mando's storyline.
One or two episodes are basically Mando S2.5
I also quite disliked that they used those two episodes to - besides setting up the Mandalore storyline - essentially undo the Mandalorian second season finale. That felt like a classic "we're afraid of changing the base dynamic of the show" TV moment.
Quote from: viper37 on December 01, 2022, 10:48:27 PMQuote from: Eddie Teach on December 01, 2022, 03:35:25 AMAt least twice, there was a scene where he collected Grogu and one where he was training him.
Hmm, no. Only once, where he collected Grogu, that was the season finale. Season 3 has not started yet.
I guess you are referring to the Book of Boba Fett? I have not watched this, but it is a different show.
It's really not. You should watch it even if it isn't that good.
(https://i.postimg.cc/bJMtG8ZL/image.png)
Quote from: Syt on December 06, 2022, 03:31:39 PM(https://i.postimg.cc/bJMtG8ZL/image.png)
:lmfao:
Yes, definately, people with a hardon for law & order are the Democrats :P
Quote from: Grey Fox on December 02, 2022, 09:22:59 AMIt's really not. You should watch it even if it isn't that good.
Ok, I have seen it.
The scooter gang was ridiculous. That 40km/h high speed chase through the streets of Mos Espa was totally ridiculous. Boba Fett not anticipating that a bunch of criminals would betray him to the most powerful cartel was ridiculous. Everything feels wrong in this show.
Ah. Well. Hopefully Mando S3 is much better.
So the Mandalorian is basically Lone Wolf & Cub in the Star Wars universe, it seems. Pretty decent, though.
About half way through Andor now. So far so good. A labour of love.
So, Bad Batch Season 2.
It was all right. It's certainly weird going back to pure action adventure after Andor. Though it's also a nice change of pace after the constant tension and character hardships of that show. :D
Setup was very much the setup for a D&D session. "There's treasure in the old castle, and you have to rush before it's all gone!" Some interesting action set pieces, plus a big callback to Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and a good way to settle back in with the characters, but no huge new developments. Final scene of the second episode went a fair bit darker than I expected, though. :P
Just caught up with it. It was fine I guess, if a bit unsubstantial.
Also, Filoni should make his mind up whether Dooku is a fallen idealist or corrupt and power hungry :P
He became the very thing he swore to destroy :P
Quote from: celedhring on January 10, 2023, 09:06:07 AMAlso, Filoni should make his mind up whether Dooku is a fallen idealist or corrupt and power hungry :P
Why can't he be both? :)
A fallen idealist who is corrupt and power hungry to achieve his objectives in a ruthless world were evil will certainly triumph.
Hey, this was actually a quite good episode. Very dark (in a good way), with Cody finding itself trapped as a moral individual still loyal to an evil organization. The action was also much better and even brutal for an animated show. Flamethrowers, CCQ combat, etc... Using droids as enemies always allowed Clone Wars to be far more brutal than it could if the enemies were humanoids.
Might be my favorite episode of the show so far, even.
A commenter said that the fight droids/clones was a quite deliberate callback (and yeah, the action was fun). During the engagement, Cody was still in his element, doing what is familiar. It's when faced with a person that he changes gears and realizes how different things are now.
Quote from: celedhring on January 12, 2023, 03:21:43 AMHey, this was actually a quite good episode. Very dark (in a good way), with Cody finding itself trapped as a moral individual still loyal to an evil organization. The action was also much better and even brutal for an animated show. Flamethrowers, CCQ combat, etc... Using droids as enemies always allowed Clone Wars to be far more brutal than it could if the enemies were humanoids.
Might be my favorite episode of the show so far, even.
That was a really good episode, I have to say. I quite enjoyed it.
Not going to lie. When I saw the episode description I cringed a bit, because this kind of stuff is such a tired trope in cartoons.
But it turned out to be surprisingly fun. Nice throwback to futuristic combat racing games (and Episode One Racer, obvs) of the 00s (including the pumping soundtrack). :D Also really enjoyed Ben Schwartz and Ernie Hudson in their guest spots. :)
And I laughed far too hard at the announcer introducing Tech. :lol:
Seems like they want to go for some kind of falling out between Sid and Clone Force 99. It'll be interesting to see how that plays out.
It was a whatever episode for me - at least they didn't get Omega to race, I'd hated that utterly. :lol:
The most interesting bit, as viper points out, is that they're telegraphing Cid is going to fuck them over at some point.
Quote from: celedhring on January 20, 2023, 08:54:45 AMIt was a whatever episode for me - at least they didn't get Omega to race, I'd hated that utterly. :lol:
The most interesting bit, as viper points out, is that they're telegraphing Cid is going to fuck them over at some point.
I mean it was an homage to pod racing - and it felt just as forced as it did in Phantom Menace.
Cid has always been a dubious character, so any screw job won't be that much of a swerve. But yeah that's what they're hinting at.
Quote from: celedhring on January 20, 2023, 08:54:45 AMIt was a whatever episode for me - at least they didn't get Omega to race, I'd hated that utterly. :lol:
The most interesting bit, as viper points out, is that they're telegraphing Cid is going to fuck them over at some point.
Telegraphing? They are hitting us with a cudgel. This episode had no purpose - why go to the race? Why make the bet? Why follow a stupid plot line from episode 1 - you need to win a race to gain freedom, really? All just to show some dialogue with someone from her past to show she is untrustworthy. Well, we already knew that.
This episode was terrible, if it had been amongst the first, I would have stopped watching. I hope it is a momentary dip and not a trend.
Probably needed to explain myself better. That Cid is shady is no surprise, what I mean is that the writers are hinting that it will be one of the arcs of the season. That is good imho because the whole "do odd jobs for Cid" setup is getting stale and needs a shakeup.
Quote from: crazy canuck on January 20, 2023, 11:19:39 AMQuote from: celedhring on January 20, 2023, 08:54:45 AMIt was a whatever episode for me - at least they didn't get Omega to race, I'd hated that utterly. :lol:
The most interesting bit, as viper points out, is that they're telegraphing Cid is going to fuck them over at some point.
Telegraphing? They are hitting us with a cudgel. This episode had no purpose - why go to the race? Why make the bet? Why follow a stupid plot line from episode 1 - you need to win a race to gain freedom, really? All just to show some dialogue with someone from her past to show she is untrustworthy. Well, we already knew that.
This episode was terrible, if it had been amongst the first, I would have stopped watching. I hope it is a momentary dip and not a trend.
I don't think it was that bad. I mean it wasn't good - after I enjoyed last week's episode so much it was a disappointment, and it felt like a filler kind of episode. But it wasn't that bad.
I thought the droid racer, TAY-0, was amusing, and the racing sequences were entertaining. It just didn't otherwise move the story forward.
I don't mind filler, as I've said before. After the serious first three episodes I appreciated something a lot more lighthearted and fun. And I don't think it's filler. As you said, it looks like Cid will have to make a tough decision somewhere down the line, and this episode might have a big influence on how she'll call it - she seemed genuinely surprised that the Batch and Omega would go to such lengths for her. And I imagine we might not have seen the last of her old "friend."
I'm also not sure how this whole "laying low" is working out with Tech having a whole stadium of people shouting his name. :hmm:
And the writers might bring back stuff back at any time. The Purrgil showed up in a "filler" episode of Star Wars Rebels in Season 2, and then played a critical role in the finale of Season 4.
Additionally, I think the episodes so far show a shift of the Bad Batch, with them becoming less one-note and more rounded than they were in S1 - Tech going beyond just cold analysis and numbers, Wrecker getting fairly sophisticated with his plan for the tank gun and guiding Hunter through the process, Echo ... having screen time :P
Quote from: Syt on January 20, 2023, 12:00:27 PMEcho ... having screen time :P
Not this episode :P
Normally, I'd chalk up having two major characters from a Tv show be missing from an episode for no reason to "they were shooting something else at the time", but that doesn't apply to BB since they are all voiced by the same guy :lol:
Anyway, I don't mind filler, but this was pretty average filler. I.e. the Baby Rancor episode from S1 was much better "fun filler".
Quote from: celedhring on January 20, 2023, 12:16:45 PMNormally, I'd chalk up having two major characters from a Tv show be missing from an episode for now reason to "they were shooting something else at the time", but that doesn't apply to BB since they are all voiced by the same guy :lol:
:o
I had no idea!
Googling - apparently this guy Dee Bradley Baker voiced all the clones in the Clone Wars, as well as all of the voices of the Bad Batch!
Not sure if serious ... :unsure:
Quote from: Syt on January 20, 2023, 12:54:33 PMNot sure if serious ... :unsure:
Serious. I didn't know that.
Quote from: celedhring on January 20, 2023, 12:16:45 PMNormally, I'd chalk up having two major characters from a Tv show be missing from an episode for no reason to "they were shooting something else at the time"
My favorite of these was Robert Foxworth. He had portrayed General Hague on Babylon 5 (Sheridan's contact in Earthforce who believed Pres. Clarke was up to no good after Pres. Santiago died in an "accident".) He was supposed to reprise his role in a later episode, but he was already booked for DS9, which led to this amazing outtake ft. Bruce McGill who replaced him:
Quote from: Barrister on January 20, 2023, 12:58:54 PMQuote from: Syt on January 20, 2023, 12:54:33 PMNot sure if serious ... :unsure:
Serious. I didn't know that.
I didn't either.
I think the reason they had Hunter on a mission is because if the whole team was together it would have been even more ridiculous that they needed to win a race to get out of trouble.
Quote from: celedhring on January 20, 2023, 11:30:52 AMProbably needed to explain myself better. That Cid is shady is no surprise, what I mean is that the writers are hinting that it will be one of the arcs of the season. That is good imho because the whole "do odd jobs for Cid" setup is getting stale and needs a shakeup.
Sure, nothing with foreshadowing. But that was a clunky way of doing it. It really brought back bad memories of how silly the race in the first prequal was.
Star Wars Celebration is this year in London.
If you want photos/autographs from some of your favorites at the event, here's the latest price list. :P
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FnzH2gFXEAA6mgY?format=jpg&name=medium)
Who are these people?
Anthony Daniels = C-3PO in everything since first movie
Ashley Eckstein = Ahsoka (animated shows)
Dee Bradley Baker = voice actor on animated shows, primarily voicing every clone
Denis Lawson = Wedge
Giancarlo Esposito = Moff Gideon from Mandalorian (and Gus Fring on Breaking Bad :P )
Hayden Christense = Anakin from Ep. 2/3 and Obi-Wan Kenobi
Indira Varma = the Imperial officer who helped Obi-Wan
James Arnold Taylor = voice of Obi-Wan on Clone Wars
Katee Sackhoff = Starbuck on new Galactica, Bo-Katan Kryze on Clone Wars, Rebels, and Mandalorian
Mads Mikkelsen = Galen Erso in Rogue One and tons of other movies
Matt Lanter = Anakin on Clone Wars
Vivien Lyra Blair = Leia on Obi-Wan
My 9.5 years old son loved the Pod racing episode and didn't mind Hunter not being there. You know, the target audience of the show.
Quote from: Tamas on February 01, 2023, 08:13:20 AMWho are these people?
Some actors with an overinflated sense of their value?
I would not be paying 200$ for some signature on top of the access fee to the event. Then again, I wouldn't be going to such an event...
Bad Batch's treasure hunt episode was rather flat, imho. Pirates and buried treasures should be a home run for me (they seem to want to go for a bit of Goonies/Indy vibe), but the episode wasn't really that fun or creative. The trials felt a bit perfunctory.
It only got interesting when they reveal that the treasure was actually some kind of super-walker from a dead civilization, I wish they ellaborated a bit more on the lore surrounding it. Has this thingie shown up in other Star Wars media? I have to check if Star Wars Explained has touched on it.
Some seem to argue that the prices are so high because otherwise the queues would be insane and they wouldn't be able to accommodate everyone who wants to get a pic/autograph.
Dunno what the going rate is these days. Around 2000 I went with a friend to a semi-annual toy/movie/comic convention a few times and got one time an autograph of Michael Sheard (Admiral Ozzel) and one from Claudia Christian (Ivanova on Babylon 5). I think I paid around €15 at the time?
Quote from: celedhring on February 01, 2023, 01:27:46 PMBad Batch's treasure hunt episode was rather flat, imho. Pirates and buried treasures should be a home run for me (they seem to want to go for a bit of Goonies/Indy vibe), but the episode wasn't really that fun or creative. The trials felt a bit perfunctory.
It only got interesting when they reveal that the treasure was actually some kind of super-walker from a dead civilization, I wish they ellaborated a bit more on the lore surrounding it. Has this thingie shown up in other Star Wars media? I have to check if Star Wars Explained has touched on it.
I thought the treasure hunt was fine, albeit a bit by the numbers (Kevin Kiner's soundtrack was, again, awesome). The reveal was a big "wait what??" moment, though. :D People speculate that it may relate to the Zeffo, the ancient alien race from the Jedi: Fallen Order game - there's some notable design similarities. With a new game coming soon, I wouldn't be surprised if this was a "sneak preview" of sorts. I assume the episode mostly served to establish Wanda Sykes' character - i.e. a brash adventurer, but ultimately one of the "good guys." Was a bit shocked at the fate of the little droid, though. :D
New episode was good. Loved seeing the Kinrath, originally from KotOR. And it was surprisingly brutal for the show - no stun shots by the Batch, the Trandoshan accidentally setting his ally on fire, and ultimately getting taken by the Kinrath. :ph34r: I assume messing up the job at the start will not be entirely without consequence, and there seems to be slowly mounting evidence that Omega might have at least some light force sensitivity (like when she "sensed" that something was off, and then seemed to "feel" Gungi using his force abilities and looking over to him. This would tie in with the whole "Empire looking for force users/maintaining a cloning program" and the episode titles for the season seem to hint that we will see Mount Tantiss again ...
Yeah, this episode was better. As you say, the action is more creative with some mild gruesomeness baked in. Also Gungi is awesome. One of my favorite episodes of Clone Wars is the younglings getting their kyber crystals one, which is bittersweet to watch knowing that they will all die to Order 66. Well, at least Gungi survived.
Quote from: celedhring on February 01, 2023, 03:48:01 PMYeah, this episode was better. As you say, the action is more creative with some mild gruesomeness baked in. Also Gungi is awesome. One of my favorite episodes of Clone Wars is the younglings getting their kyber crystals one, which is bittersweet to watch knowing that they will all die to Order 66. Well, at least Gungi survived.
Also, knowing that the Empire strip-mined Ilum for kyber crystals for the Death Star. And that the First Order then converted the planet into Starkiller base.
Just saw a twitter post with all the animation studios doing the second season of Star Wars Visions.
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Fn93_KmaAAMccDk?format=jpg&name=900x900)
Aardman Star Wars is a thing I just realized I need in my life :w00t:
Quote from: celedhring on February 01, 2023, 01:27:46 PMHas this thingie shown up in other Star Wars media? I have to check if Star Wars Explained has touched on it.
None that I am aware of.
QuoteWas a bit shocked at the fate of the little droid, though.
Well, rewatch the end of the episode ;)
Aardman Star Wars :lol: :wub:
Quote from: viper37 on February 02, 2023, 01:03:00 PMQuoteWas a bit shocked at the fate of the little droid, though.
Well, rewatch the end of the episode ;)
I know, but still :P
Quote from: Jacob on February 02, 2023, 01:04:31 PMAardman Star Wars :lol: :wub:
I didn't know the name and had to google...
:lol:
Yes I do want to see this!
Quote from: Barrister on February 02, 2023, 03:38:41 PMI didn't know the name and had to google...
:lol:
Yes I do want to see this!
Same and same :D
Well, those were two excellent episodes.
And Kevin Kiner keeps knocking them out of the park in terms of soundtrack. :wub:
Run of the mill episode, but not entirely bad. Got to wait for the conclusion next week for final judgement.
I liked Tech's portrayal in the last episode. He always seemed to be characterized as somewhat on the autistic spectrum, and his line "I may be experiencing and processing moments differently, but that doesn't mean I care less" seems to confirm that.
I liked it.
My perspective is always a little different since I watch the show with my 9 years old son & in french.
Showing a young child experiencing the changing tides of adults in her life and than learning a) to deal with it on her own, b) that others will deal with it in their own ways too and c) that almost nothing is brand new to adults compare to a child.
The outside story was this time just to frame the emotional story of the characters after Echo leaving (and the ship getting stolen!); it was also an "it gets worse" type of plot, which I like - and it took them to literally hit rock bottom to sort out their conflicts (and a shimmer of light at the end of the tunnel). Not subtle, but quite appropriate.
First episode of Mando was a bit of a nothingburger - just Mando going around meeting old pals and failing to recruit them :P. Too many superfluous action scenes (the sea monster, the pirates, etc...) that weren't that interesting.
Favorite bits were the scene with Bo-Katan, and the Children of the Watch initiation rite (again, I didn't like they felt they had to insert an action scene there, it was interesting by itself).
It's already out? I thought it'd be later today. :o
Reading some stuff in preparation for this new season I just learned that both Mando and Grogu appeared in the Boba fett show in the 2nd half of the season, which I couldn't be arsed to finish back in the day. Now I wonder if I should watch it before this Mandalorian new season.
Quote from: The Larch on March 01, 2023, 07:23:24 AMIt's already out? I thought it'd be later today. :o
Reading some stuff in preparation for this new season I just learned that both Mando and Grogu appeared in the Boba fett show in the 2nd half of the season, which I couldn't be arsed to finish back in the day. Now I wonder if I should watch it before this Mandalorian new season.
Just watch when they were in it. That was best part of that show and in my opinion only part worth watching.
Quote from: garbon on March 01, 2023, 07:31:12 AMQuote from: The Larch on March 01, 2023, 07:23:24 AMIt's already out? I thought it'd be later today. :o
Reading some stuff in preparation for this new season I just learned that both Mando and Grogu appeared in the Boba fett show in the 2nd half of the season, which I couldn't be arsed to finish back in the day. Now I wonder if I should watch it before this Mandalorian new season.
Just watch when they were in it. That was best part of that show and in my opinion only part worth watching.
How many episodes were they in?
Quote from: The Larch on March 01, 2023, 07:23:24 AMIt's already out? I thought it'd be later today. :o
Reading some stuff in preparation for this new season I just learned that both Mando and Grogu appeared in the Boba fett show in the 2nd half of the season, which I couldn't be arsed to finish back in the day. Now I wonder if I should watch it before this Mandalorian new season.
It's pretty much required viewing - they make a passing reference to the events of those two episodes, but it will feel weird if you haven't watched them.
Kinda odd how they insterted those episodes there, but garbon is right that they were the best part of that show :lol:
Quote from: The Larch on March 01, 2023, 07:42:21 AMQuote from: garbon on March 01, 2023, 07:31:12 AMQuote from: The Larch on March 01, 2023, 07:23:24 AMIt's already out? I thought it'd be later today. :o
Reading some stuff in preparation for this new season I just learned that both Mando and Grogu appeared in the Boba fett show in the 2nd half of the season, which I couldn't be arsed to finish back in the day. Now I wonder if I should watch it before this Mandalorian new season.
Just watch when they were in it. That was best part of that show and in my opinion only part worth watching.
How many episodes were they in?
They appear in episodes 5,6,7 - but I'd say you only need to watch 5 and 6. Those are essentially a prequel to season 3 of Mandalorian.
Quote from: celedhring on March 01, 2023, 07:44:26 AMQuote from: The Larch on March 01, 2023, 07:42:21 AMQuote from: garbon on March 01, 2023, 07:31:12 AMQuote from: The Larch on March 01, 2023, 07:23:24 AMIt's already out? I thought it'd be later today. :o
Reading some stuff in preparation for this new season I just learned that both Mando and Grogu appeared in the Boba fett show in the 2nd half of the season, which I couldn't be arsed to finish back in the day. Now I wonder if I should watch it before this Mandalorian new season.
Just watch when they were in it. That was best part of that show and in my opinion only part worth watching.
How many episodes were they in?
They appear in episodes 5,6,7 - but I'd say you only need to watch 5 and 6. Those are essentially a prequel to season 3 of Mandalorian.
Damn, I think I quit the show afer episode 4. :lol:
Quote from: The Larch on March 01, 2023, 07:47:43 AMQuote from: celedhring on March 01, 2023, 07:44:26 AMQuote from: The Larch on March 01, 2023, 07:42:21 AMQuote from: garbon on March 01, 2023, 07:31:12 AMQuote from: The Larch on March 01, 2023, 07:23:24 AMIt's already out? I thought it'd be later today. :o
Reading some stuff in preparation for this new season I just learned that both Mando and Grogu appeared in the Boba fett show in the 2nd half of the season, which I couldn't be arsed to finish back in the day. Now I wonder if I should watch it before this Mandalorian new season.
Just watch when they were in it. That was best part of that show and in my opinion only part worth watching.
How many episodes were they in?
They appear in episodes 5,6,7 - but I'd say you only need to watch 5 and 6. Those are essentially a prequel to season 3 of Mandalorian.
Damn, I think I quit the show afer episode 4. :lol:
I think I was about the same! :lol:
OK - will go back and watch ep 5 and 6 before checking out Mando Season 3.
It's kinda tough for me to care about Mando's quest of the week after having seen Andor.
Also Pedro Pascal's acting is almost irrelevant when a show has you covered head to toe the whole time. Btw how come baby Yoda doesn't talk? He was a jedi apprentice then trained with Luke but he can't talk? I don't get it.
Quote from: Zoupa on March 02, 2023, 12:55:31 PMIt's kinda tough for me to care about Mando's quest of the week after having seen Andor.
Also Pedro Pascal's acting is almost irrelevant when a show has you covered head to toe the whole time. Btw how come baby Yoda doesn't talk? He was a jedi apprentice then trained with Luke but he can't talk? I don't get it.
He's a baby.
That his species has highly developed Force skills does not change the rest. He had to be trained to protect himself and others, or at least Luke tried to. Yoda was 900 years old and still couldn't talk correctly. The kid's only 50. Give him a break!
Yaddle was 477 years and spoke normally. Yoda was just weird.
Grogu is ~50, talking is probably an other 100 years off.
Quote from: Zoupa on March 02, 2023, 12:55:31 PMIt's kinda tough for me to care about Mando's quest of the week after having seen Andor.
Fair enough. To me, both shows scratch two totally different itches. The first two seasons of Mando are imho the best version of Star Wars as a pulpy adventure fantasy since the OT.
Andor was a great show but the Star Wars setting was essentially incidental. Mando may be not as good as TV, but it's solid and has the Old School Star Wars feel, updated and translated into serial format.
Quote from: Grey Fox on March 02, 2023, 02:14:35 PMYaddle was 477 years and spoke normally. Yoda was just weird.
Grogu is ~50, talking is probably an other 100 years off.
Yaddle was a female, doesn't count, for all we know, they are more advanced :P
Quote from: The Minsky Moment on March 02, 2023, 05:03:20 PMAndor was a great show but the Star Wars setting was essentially incidental.
You are an amazing realization of the Johnsonian ideal of choosing the one right word to convey the meaning intended.
Incidental. Love it.
Quote from: viper37 on March 02, 2023, 05:20:57 PMQuote from: Grey Fox on March 02, 2023, 02:14:35 PMYaddle was 477 years and spoke normally. Yoda was just weird.
Grogu is ~50, talking is probably an other 100 years off.
Yaddle was a female, doesn't count, for all we know, they are more advanced :P
It'd be funny if for her species Yaddle was the one with a speech impediment :D
Quote from: The Minsky Moment on March 02, 2023, 05:03:20 PMAndor was a great show but the Star Wars setting was essentially incidental. Mando may be not as good as TV, but it's solid and has the Old School Star Wars feel, updated and translated into serial format.
And while andor is probably the superior show overall, it just doesn't do anything for me. I stopped watching it, not because it was bad, but because I just didn't really care about it.
Quote from: The Minsky Moment on March 02, 2023, 05:03:20 PMAndor was a great show but the Star Wars setting was essentially incidental. Mando may be not as good as TV, but it's solid and has the Old School Star Wars feel, updated and translated into serial format.
The Mandalorian feels a bit like Knight Rider. A knight and his companion going on adventures and meeting their friends along the way.
Quote from: viper37 on March 02, 2023, 05:47:51 PMThe Mandalorian feels a bit like Knight Rider.
You say that like it's a bad thing :(
Quote from: The Minsky Moment on March 08, 2023, 02:10:43 AMQuote from: viper37 on March 02, 2023, 05:47:51 PMThe Mandalorian feels a bit like Knight Rider.
You say that like it's a bad thing :(
No, I have fond memories of that show. But it's an 80s show, we're in 2023. :P
Seems like they're doing some reorganising to the Star Wars content pipeline.
QuoteStar Wars films by Kevin Feige and Patty Jenkins shelved
Taika Waititi is looking to direct and act in the first live action Star Wars film since The Rise of Skywalker in 2019, according to a report in Variety
New films in the Star Wars series from Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige and Black Widow director Patty Jenkins appear to have been permanently shelved, with another project from actor-director Taika Waititi now looking more likely, according to a report in Variety.
Jenkins' project, known as Rogue Squadron, was first announced by Disney in December 2020 as a standalone film about "a new generation of starfighter pilots ... in a boundary-pushing, high-speed thrill-ride"; it was intended for release in 2023 but has since encountered a series of delays. In November 2021, it was reported that production was delayed due to Jenkins' commitments elsewhere, and removed from Disney's release schedule in September 2022.
In December 2022, Jenkins said on social media that, after the cancellation of Wonder Woman 3, Rogue Squadron was "in active development". However Variety quotes "sources with knowledge of the production" that the film is no longer in active development at the studio.
A projected Star Wars film from Feige is also no longer on the cards. Reports first emerged in 2019 that the president of the Disney-owned Marvel Studios was working on a project with Kathleen Kennedy, president of Star Wars producers Lucasfilm. In 2021 Variety reported that Loki writer Michael Waldron had been hired to produced a script, with Waldron saying in June 2022 that he was "into it in earnest".
However, Variety now reports that Feige and Waldron's commitment to Marvel and the Avengers: Secret Wars movie (projected for release in 2026) has meant their Star Wars film is, like Rogue Squadron, no longer in active development.
With no live action Star Wars films since The Rise of Skywalker in 2019, Waititi's project, first announced in 2020, is a strong contender to be the next in the series to go before the camera. Having worked as a director on the successful TV series The Mandalorian, Waititi was announced to be working on a script with 1917 co-writer Krysty Wilson-Cairns. Few details of the project have emerged, but in June 2022 Kennedy said Lucasfilm were looking to release it in "late 2023".
A "secret" Star Wars film, directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and written by Damon Lindelof and Justin Britt-Gibson, is also in the works.
Liked this Mando episode far more than the first. The whole "getting a droid to explore Mandalore" business is so clunky and pointless that I don't know why they spend so much time with it. They could have perfectly started the season with this episode.
Bo Katan and Djarin have some great rapport together, I loved their scene together exploring the mines of Mandalore and contrasting their views of what it is to be Mandalorian - there was some pretty good dialogue there and Sackoff pulls it off perfectly with her dismissive-yet-longing remembrance of times past. I hope that's the heart of the season.
Quote from: The Larch on March 08, 2023, 08:39:06 AMSeems like they're doing some reorganising to the Star Wars content pipeline.
QuoteStar Wars films by Kevin Feige and Patty Jenkins shelved
Taika Waititi is looking to direct and act in the first live action Star Wars film since The Rise of Skywalker in 2019, according to a report in Variety
New films in the Star Wars series from Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige and Black Widow director Patty Jenkins appear to have been permanently shelved, with another project from actor-director Taika Waititi now looking more likely, according to a report in Variety.
Jenkins' project, known as Rogue Squadron, was first announced by Disney in December 2020 as a standalone film about "a new generation of starfighter pilots ... in a boundary-pushing, high-speed thrill-ride"; it was intended for release in 2023 but has since encountered a series of delays. In November 2021, it was reported that production was delayed due to Jenkins' commitments elsewhere, and removed from Disney's release schedule in September 2022.
In December 2022, Jenkins said on social media that, after the cancellation of Wonder Woman 3, Rogue Squadron was "in active development". However Variety quotes "sources with knowledge of the production" that the film is no longer in active development at the studio.
A projected Star Wars film from Feige is also no longer on the cards. Reports first emerged in 2019 that the president of the Disney-owned Marvel Studios was working on a project with Kathleen Kennedy, president of Star Wars producers Lucasfilm. In 2021 Variety reported that Loki writer Michael Waldron had been hired to produced a script, with Waldron saying in June 2022 that he was "into it in earnest".
However, Variety now reports that Feige and Waldron's commitment to Marvel and the Avengers: Secret Wars movie (projected for release in 2026) has meant their Star Wars film is, like Rogue Squadron, no longer in active development.
With no live action Star Wars films since The Rise of Skywalker in 2019, Waititi's project, first announced in 2020, is a strong contender to be the next in the series to go before the camera. Having worked as a director on the successful TV series The Mandalorian, Waititi was announced to be working on a script with 1917 co-writer Krysty Wilson-Cairns. Few details of the project have emerged, but in June 2022 Kennedy said Lucasfilm were looking to release it in "late 2023".
A "secret" Star Wars film, directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and written by Damon Lindelof and Justin Britt-Gibson, is also in the works.
It's been known for a while that the Rogue Squadrons movie wasn't happening. Kevin Feige one, I could guess as there was no news for a while.
Book of Boba Fett spliced in episodes from Mandalorian, so I guess it's fair that Mandalorian is having a quasi-Andor episode during its season. :P
It's funny. Last week, Bad Batch's Crosshair episode was incredibly bleak and depressing (a necessary breaking point for him), while Mandalorian did its usual pulp adventure stuff.
This week, Bad Batch was back to its more lighthearted ways, while Mando gave us a rather skeptical look at the New Republic - disinterested elites (like in Andor), slapping on a "We're the good guys" veneer on questionable practices, like the rehab of ex-Imperials. :D
For Bad Batch, I'm curious about the next few episodes. Much of the season was showing how the galaxy was a shitty place, often shittier than before the war, how the Empire disdains and wants to get rid of the Clones, and - most frustratingly - the Bad Batch basically trying to stay out of it best they can (I guess, they try to be simple people, making their way in the galaxy). It got to the point where Echo straight up left to join a bigger cause, and Omega is clearly edging to do the same, but the rest of the batch (well, Hunter - Wrecker will go wherever his mates go, and Tech will likely join, ebeit grumbling) can't make up their minds, really.
I feel this episode served as a little breather before the final three episodes - I'm sure next episode "Tipping Point" will end on a dramatic cliffhanger (Omega abducted and taken to Mt. Tantiss?) and close with an action filled two parter the week after. Maybe a reunion with Crosshair? It also dangled again the promise of "Hey just stay here and chill" in front of the crew before they're finally making fighting for the Clones and/or against the Empire their cause. Maybe the island is where most Clones go to retire. :P
Sidenote: I watched the S1 Clone Wars episode "The Hidden Enemy" recently in which the Clones need to find a traitor in their midst. The traitor, a Clone named Slick had a few lines that hit differently after seeing the treatment the Clones got after the war. "I'm not the traitor. You are! All of you just blindly following orders, for what? At least I got something out of all this suffering." It was kinda echoed in Mayday's line in the recent Crosshair episode: "We were good soldiers. We followed orders. And for what?" The Clones are one of the biggest tragedies in Star Wars - created as mere obedient tools of war but developing their own identity, executing Order 66 (mostly) against their will, and then tossed aside as "used equipment" as Lt. Nolan put it. (Tbf, most droids suffer a very similar fate on a daily basis, but it's easier to empathize with humans, of course :P )
As for Mando - I enjoy this season of Mandalorian Game of Thrones and Bo-Katan joining the Covert (no doubt with designs of her own after seeing there's a Mythosaur alive, and might help her regain her position as leader as "foretold in the prophecies" - per the Armorer's narrative) will be an interesting shake up. :P
Yeah, I got Andor vibes too with this week's Mando episode. Not as well written though, Favreau/Filoni can't pull off the same tone. Still, an interesting departure.
But I agree that so far Bo-Katan has been the most interesting part of this season.
Quote from: celedhring on March 16, 2023, 01:42:07 AMYeah, I got Andor vibes too with this week's Mando episode. Not as well written though, Favreau/Filoni can't pull off the same tone. Still, an interesting departure.
True. For me, Mandalorian/Boba Fett are more reminiscent of the Star Wars comics (and I generally approach them with that kind of expectation - action, melodrama, some eye-rollying nonsense), while Andor is closer to some of the better novels.
Though I'm currently listening to the audio book of Heir to the Jedi, where Luke goes off on a special mission for the Rebellion after A New Hope. The story isn't great (very pulp - again, more like the 1970s Marvel comics), but the narrator puts his all into the voices. He does serviceable impressions of 1977's Luke (the book is told in first person from his POV) and Ackbar, his female characters aren't as great, but the highlight is him voicing an industrialist with a booming voice and theatrical mannerisms for which he goes with an amazing Brian Blessed impersonation/parody that had me actually laugh out loud. :lol:
Btw, the Bad Batch had tons of callbacks to Indiana Jones this season. So the opening of this episode had me raise my eyebrow because it was quite similar to Temple of Doom. Then, when they leave the club, the sign in Aurebesh saysm "Club Lao Che" - beautiful hommage to "Club Obi-Wan" where Indy meets Lao Che. :lol:
Hello Syt :)
We're about a week behind in Bad Batch and Mandalorian. I feel like Mando is just finding its way, but really digging Bad Batch.
Up to date with Mando. Found the Pershing half hour to be interesting for it's implications (especially since we had just watch last week's Bad Batch episode) but it was such a change of pace that I almost felt asleep. CM (that's my son) did not enjoy it too much, thought it took much time. He said he longed for Grogu.
Quote from: Grey Fox on March 16, 2023, 01:20:49 PMUp to date with Mando. Found the Pershing half hour to be interesting for it's implications (especially since we had just watch last week's Bad Batch episode) but it was such a change of pace that I almost felt asleep. CM (that's my son) did not enjoy it too much, thought it took much time. He said he longed for Grogu.
At first we wondered if they had spliced in the wrong bits into the episode.
Quote from: Grey Fox on March 16, 2023, 01:20:49 PMUp to date with Mando. Found the Pershing half hour to be interesting for it's implications (especially since we had just watch last week's Bad Batch episode) but it was such a change of pace that I almost felt asleep. CM (that's my son) did not enjoy it too much, thought it took much time. He said he longed for Grogu.
It's certainly a change of pace, but I liked it.
I think Elia Kane is still working for the Empire and didn't want to take any chances of his scientific knowledge falling into the hands of the Republic. I can't see any other reason for her to go to that level of entrapment for Pershing. It goes way beyond some lingering loyalty for the Empire.
I can't wait to see who's pulling the strings though.
Quote from: viper37 on March 17, 2023, 12:11:27 PMQuote from: Grey Fox on March 16, 2023, 01:20:49 PMUp to date with Mando. Found the Pershing half hour to be interesting for it's implications (especially since we had just watch last week's Bad Batch episode) but it was such a change of pace that I almost felt asleep. CM (that's my son) did not enjoy it too much, thought it took much time. He said he longed for Grogu.
It's certainly a change of pace, but I liked it.
I think Elia Kane is still working for the Empire and didn't want to take any chances of his scientific knowledge falling into the hands of the Republic. I can't see any other reason for her to go to that level of entrapment for Pershing. It goes way beyond some lingering loyalty for the Empire.
I can't wait to see who's pulling the strings though.
My guess is she is deconditioning him so he will be ready willing and able to restart his research for the character played by Esposito.
Quote from: viper37 on March 17, 2023, 12:11:27 PMQuote from: Grey Fox on March 16, 2023, 01:20:49 PMUp to date with Mando. Found the Pershing half hour to be interesting for it's implications (especially since we had just watch last week's Bad Batch episode) but it was such a change of pace that I almost felt asleep. CM (that's my son) did not enjoy it too much, thought it took much time. He said he longed for Grogu.
It's certainly a change of pace, but I liked it.
I think Elia Kane is still working for the Empire and didn't want to take any chances of his scientific knowledge falling into the hands of the Republic. I can't see any other reason for her to go to that level of entrapment for Pershing. It goes way beyond some lingering loyalty for the Empire.
I can't wait to see who's pulling the strings though.
I agree. We know what the end game of this is (A Palpatine clone fathering Rey, Clone Snokes and The Clone Emperor of episode 9) so it makes sense that Muff Gideon will continue to push forward with that agenda.
Cloning technology seems to be what the Star Wars caretakers have decided was the lingering motivation behind Darth Sidious acts thru out his life, well lifes.
Quote from: crazy canuck on March 17, 2023, 12:14:15 PMMy guess is she is deconditioning him so he will be ready willing and able to restart his research for the character played by Esposito.
Esposito is in custody. They need to break him out of his jail. Not an easy task for an Empire remnant and some warlord.
The way she cranked that button seemed more like she totally erased his memory, which was Pershing's fears when he was strapped on the table.
It's also a very sloppy way to work for the New Republic, all the doctors leave the room during the procedure and there is no one left to supervise the machine's controls. Plot holes...
Yeah, it is lazy writing for sure. I guess they didnt want to portray the New Republic guys as corruptible, but instead the writers made them stupid.
I feel the New Republic is quite complacent and bumbling (if well-meaning). And with Elia having gone through the rehab program and being perceived as fully redeemed/loyal (and doing undercover work) she might be afforded more leeway (at least that's my head canon). My question is rather: if the New Republic says that the machine is fine if used at low levels... why does the dial still go to max? To me this all points to the New Republic struggling to keep things together (IIRC this fits well with the books set in this time).
I think it's also quite telling how much the New Republic relies on droids - the prison ship in S1 was crewed by droids, in this episode the "parole officer" and the ticket inspectors ... feels like their resources are stretched thin.
Loved this episode of Mando. Much more reminiscent of the first two seasons, with a self-contained quest, some nice scenes with Bo-Katan coming into her own inside the Children of the Watch community, homage to the Ray Harryhausen Sinbad movies, and a very nice parallel between the episode's quest and Grogu's past.
I'm gonna page Syt on this. Is the Jedi on Grogu's Order 66 flashbacks "somebody", or did they make him up for this?
Anyway, easily my favorite episode of the season. Also, during the episode I thought that the action scenes were all nicely handled... and to my surprise the director credit comes up and it's Carl Weathers! Checking IMDB, I've discovered that he has a sizeable resumé as TV director (Sheena :D)
The Jedi is played by Ahmed Best (aka Jar Jar) and is Kelleran Beq who hosted the 10 episode kids gameshow "Jedi Temple Challenge" in 2020. In a series full of unexpected cameos it's one of the most unexpected IMO :lol:
I thought the new episode was ok. It was a bit by the numbers (the new arrival/the redeemed outcast bonding with the group), but I'm actually surprised by how by the book the covert (or at least the Armorer) is. Grogu is a foundling and Din wants him to be trained as a Mandalorian? Cool, let me make you some armor and tell you about our ways. Oh, you saw a Mythosaur? Neat, that's really cool. She seems very literalist in her views. If you follow the code, things are cool.
Oh, and we finally got an answer to, "How do you guys eat?" Though it seems quite impractical. :lol: Reminds me of an absurdist French comedy (forget the name) food/bathroom taboos are switched and a family sits on toilets around a dinner table and discuss sewage, waste treatment while doing their business, etc., and go to the bathroom to eat in private because of the associated stigma.
And really, Paz Vizsla's son is called "Ragnar"?? :lol:
Bad Batch was quite good. Though with Dr. Hemlock supposed to present a plan to deal with the Clones at "The Summit" (also the title of next week's penultimate episode of the season), in combination with his gas ... are we getting a Star Wars version of the Wannsee Conference in an animated show? :blink:
Speaking of "for kids!"
I finished re-watching Season 1 of Clone Wars. Man, the animation was great in 2008, but compared to the one we get in Bad Batch these days ... :lol:
There's good and bad episodes in this. I remember that "Innocents of Ryloth" (in which Waxer and Boil meet the little Twi'lek girl; she's Numa, we meet her again in Rebels) was the one during my first watch that caught me off guard a bit in how it humanized (and Twi'lek-ized :P ) the conflict. Also, Clones calling the Twi'lek "tailheads" as derogatory term, yikes. :D (Of course, if you know how Waxer dies ... :cry: )
What I had forgotten, though, was how in the episode "Liberty on Ryloth" the Separatists just casually bomb a civilian village moments after clones discuss how the folks will be happy to see them bringing food and supplies.
Actually, it calls to mind the bombing of Eindhoven as seen in Band of Brothers:
(https://www.starwars-holonet.com/holonet/images/3/31/12793/event_ryloth_7.jpg)
(https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/marymary/10211172/11157/11157_original.jpg)
See: https://youtu.be/Yc3N6CsAsaw?t=161
And this is followed by the season finale that introduced Cad Bane who racks up a quite notable bodycount (killing a bunch of senate guards, including snapping one guy's neck and shooting an unarmed senator in the back).
(https://img1.starwars-holonet.com/holonet/dictionnaire/photos/perso_philo_1.jpg)
(https://i.postimg.cc/L4BZG0HK/image.png)
And don't get me started on Anaking obnoxiously trying to get Padme's attention and saying, "I would like to do something else with you right now," while pulling her into an embrace/kiss before being interrupted. :perv:
Quote from: Syt on March 22, 2023, 07:18:03 AMI thought the new episode was ok. It was a bit by the numbers (the new arrival/the redeemed outcast bonding with the group), but I'm actually surprised by how by the book the covert (or at least the Armorer) is.
You say "by the numbers", I say "classically executed" :P
The way they nonchalantly accept Grogu as a fully functional Mandalorian foundling is indeed a bit weird. He can't speak yet he's ready to practice fighting? The issue here, however, is Grogu's extremely vague mental age. The show often treats him more as an overly intelligent pet than as an actual child.
Regarding the conversation with Bo-Katan, the impression I got is that the Armorer doesn't literally believe her, just that what she saw is a product of her longing.
Steve Knight to write new Star Wars movie (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/star-wars-steven-knight-write-movie-damon-lindelof-1235253364/)
So, since The Rise of Skywalker he would be the... 7th? 8th? director attached to a SW movie project?
He seems to have good credentials. Just can't wait until his departure his announced due to creative differences...
Btw, on the Children of the Watch helmet rule - I feel getting rid of it will be a major thing some point down the line. And with shared meals being such a cultural staple that we will see a Mando feast at some point. (Probably before all goes to shit again shortly after :P )
It's really interesting - when the Mandalorians were introduced as pacifists in Clone Wars there was a lot of fan concern/hate, but what they've done with this in terms of story and lore going forward is quite impressive. The current situation also parallels the Mandalorians in Knights of the Old Republic - Mandalorians being scattered into a diaspora, working as mercs and bandits, with Canderous trying to re-unite them under the old virtues.
The only thing I'm missing is they have never addressed the fact that Bo-Katan was already in a "go back to our roots" splinter mandalorian faction.
Are the Children of the Watch supposed to be related to the Death Watch in some fashion, btw? Their beliefs are much more fleshed out, though.
Well, Deathwatch was, I think, not as fundamentalist as the Children of the Watch. Sure, they wanted Mandalorians to go back to the "old" ways, but essentially I think that meant going back to the old status quo - house politics, infighting, warrior culture on the surface, but with little substance. I feel for Bo-Katan it was mostly about getting her "rightful" place on the throne (or up in the hierarchy) which I guess is why she kept switching factions, mostyl going with what seemed opportunistic for her goals. (I'd have to re-watch all her Clone Wars/Rebels episodes to be sure, though :P )
The Children of the Watch, IMHO, really wanted to go back to basics - filling the creed with meaning again instead of it being a rite that people recite because it's a tradition, not because they believe in it. Kind of how people might go to church because it's a cultural tradition instead of something they truly believe in.
Article about the parallels between Judaism and Mandalorians, from last year:
https://www.communityreviewhbg.org/voices/rabbis/jewish-parallels-guide-the-mandalorian
QuoteBy Rabbi Sam Yolen, Congregation Beth Israel, Lebanon
After seeing too many "Baby Yoda" plushies to count, and hearing many rave reviews of Disney Plus' The Mandalorian, I decided to watch the first two seasons of the hit show. I found the mythology of the "Mandalore," to be parallel to Judaism, if not identical in structure to the historical origins of Judaism. For those who haven't yet watched this show, there are spoilers below, so proceed at your own caution.
To those who may be unfamiliar with the "Star Wars Universe," there are a number of characters to which the main movies follow. These movies articulate the plight of Jedis (good guys) against the Sith (bad guys), most notoriously represented by Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader.
The television show The Mandalorian does away with the major characters and Jedi plots, and instead focuses on a new group of characters, specifically a new humanoid group of people known through their creed as "Mandalorians." Mandalorians, as we learn, come from a destroyed planet called Mandalore, and have their own religious customs that are revealed with each passing episode.
Din Djarin, the Mandalorian we follow, is introduced in the first season as a bounty hunter. He pilots an old ship, The Razorcrest, to be kept off the radar of The First Republic, and is hired as a fighter to bring justice to recalcitrant fugitives at the edge of the galaxy.
Even though Din's primary motivation is money (in the form of "beskar" metal), his overarching code allows him to deny a mission, refuse payment, or even call off the terms of the arrangement if he feels ethically challenged. He does this when expected to traffic the "Baby Yoda'' character, Groku, into the hands of The Empire. As part of their ethics, Mandalorians do not traffic children, and we learn from the approval of his co-religionists when they support Din in a battle, stating succinctly the tagline of his people, "This is the way."
In Judaism, "The Way," is literally translated as "Halakha," and it arbitrates the practice of Jews in terms of mitzvot and one's ability to do teshuvah (repentance). It codifies behavior into a standard that allows Jews to be part of a community, and more realistically allowed to partake in the cultural rituals and celebrations unique to our people.
Judaism is both an ethnicity and a belief, so you can be a cultural Jew without regard to halakha, yet those who choose to identify religiously are eerily mirrored in the ways of Mandalore. This spectrum includes those who are zealous in their practice of religion, like some Mandalorians, to those who have grown apostate like Boba Fett, the beskar-armor-wearing character who could easily be mistaken for an apostate Jew.
Of the examples that link Mandalorians to religiously-practicing Jews, whenever the show's protagonist, Din Djarin, completes a mission for payment in Beskar metal, he gives a sizable portion away to charity. This is a direct corollary to tzedakah which, as tithing stipulates, should be one tenth of one's earnings.
With each mission, a Mandalorian's armory increases - similarly, Jews who practice in community receive more Judaica with each coming-of-age ceremony. First you receive a circumcision, then a Bible, a siddur, a Kiddush cup, Shabbat candlesticks, a tzedakah box, a talit, tefillin, a wedding ring, and more. Each item is a visible representative of mitzvot, just as the Mandalorians' garb is a visible representative of successful missions in providing to their own people.
When it comes to "The Way," some Mandalorians are never allowed to publicly remove their helmet. This infers that eating, sleeping, and intimacy are reserved for relationships beyond the colloquial acquaintance.
In Judaism, a man's yarmulke, or a woman's head covering is similarly reserved for intimate relations. Kosher food prevents religious Jews from sharing meals in unsupervised kitchens. Jewish laws of decorum mean you should never be alone in a room with a stranger. These enforce hard boundaries between the inner and outer limits of a faith-based group, and another indication that Boba Fett could be looked at as a wayward Mandalorian.
Beyond learning that the people of Mandalore are united by creed, and not by ethnicity, and that they follow "The Way," we also learn that their creation story is connected to a massive destruction at the hands of The Empire. Din Djarin's own Mandalorian people survived because they were a zealous religious sect stationed on a satellite Moon of planet Mandalore.
In Judaism, the reason why we have Rabbinic Judaism, and not Priestly Judaism, is because the Roman Persecution destroyed Jerusalem. Only the scholars, saved by Rabbi Yochannan ben Zakkai at Yavneh, avoided the mass culling of the competing Jewish sects. Rabbinic Judaism is thus a response to the massive persecution, and an adaptation to crisis. The plotline of The Mandalorian concurs that religious extremism within sects descending from Mandalore are a direct result of a similar existential crisis.
Lastly, when Din Djarin finally reveals to his sect of Mandalorians that he has (*gasp*) removed his helmet from his head and showed his face to other sentients, he was kicked out of his zealous group.
"How can I repent?" he asks his superior in Episode 5 of The Book of Boba Fett. His authority figure tells him something to the effect of, "Only by submerging yourself in the living waters below the mines of Mandalore." Din Djarin replies, "But Mandalore has been destroyed," thereby removing from Din the chance of ever being restored to his fringe sect.
In Biblical Judaism, repentance is only received once a sacrifice has been made in the Temple. Since the Temple has been destroyed, Rabbinic Judaism has adapted to use prayer, tzedakah, and personal apologies to facilitate repentance. More telling though, the concept of ritual purity is only restored to someone after they submerge in the "living waters" of the mikveh.
Surely the living waters that facilitate the Mandalorians' repentance and the "mayim chayim" (living waters) of Jewish Ritual purity share the same mythic essence in the mind of the show's Jewish creator, Jon Favreau!
Which adds some spice to the fact that Bo-Katan's and Satine's father was Adonai Kryze.
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/adonai
Oh, and the shard that Din brought to the Armorer in Ep. 1 of the season? Nerds have transcribed the Mandoa alphabet and determined it's a passage from the book of Exodus:
https://www.reddit.com/r/TheMandalorianTV/comments/11ezt3d/the_mandoa_text_from_s3_ep_1/
(https://i.imgur.com/rpSNhlg.png)
:Joos
Yeah, Filoni has put on several references to Judaism in his Star Wars stuff.
What I like about the Children of the Watch is the fact that unlike most fantasy movie cults, it makes sense as a real world religion. In the sense that a lot of religious tenets were born as ways to ensure the survival of the community that were sacralized over time. The Way makes sense in that regard.
So, we go from the fall of Lucifer to the Jewish mysticism now? Interesting! :D
Very cool. Thanks Syt.
Proof that the internet is literally infinite monkeys on infinite typewriters - someone actually guessed correctly who it was that saved Grogu. :lol:
(https://i.postimg.cc/qqmbf3WW/image.png)
Ok episode. Not great, but ok. Some decent action involving the Mandalorians, but the show has done better "we need to save this helpless community from villains" episodes in the past.
I feel like they rushed the whole angle of the Armorer being more open to other creeds. Not sure hearing Bo-Katan talking about the mythosaur was quite enough, particularly since she's been such a stickler for the whole helmet thing in the past. - I like the general idea of the season being about Mandalorians finding their place - both as individuals and as a community, I just feel they're rushing this particular point. Maybe there will be some pushback, particularly given the reveal at the end of the episode (I hope they don't cheap out and make it that the Remnant is using beskar armor themselves, which would make sense given they had so much of it)
Also, I know I shouldn't fall for fanservice but Zeb cameo :w00t:
Also, I'm probably being slow, but this episode made me realize that one of the reasons the show feels wonkier this season is that Mando is no longer the protagonist - it's Bo Katan - and the writers haven't been completely able to pilot that successfully. Mando has no arc, which makes the show feel flat when it's centered on him, which is still most of the time. But in fact, he's just there as a catalyst for Bo-Katan to take on the role of unifier.
Bad Batch finale went roughly as I expected it to, though didn't expect to see Eriadu (and Krennic :D ). Even with AZI-3 being their main hope (because of its knowledge about clones) it seemed a tad stupid to go to Cid's. I liked the cable car sequences. Sorry to see Tech die, but we've so many people in Star Wars "die" only to come back (Gregor, Echo, Maul, Palpatine ....), so without a body I expect him to still show up (maybe as a mangled experiment, à la Echo, or re-cloned). :P There were rumblings that the female clone tech's NZ accent wasn't an accident, good to see it confirmed. This will be a long wait till S3, though.
I thought Mando was all right. It's good to see the "tribe" come together. Though I'm still not sure what the Armorer's gamble is. I feel she's playing her own game and pulling people's strings to get them to do what she wants them to do. I'm not quite sure how much of her traditions are genuinely felt and how much they are a means to an end. I keep switching between, "She's a cultist, but a true believer" and "She sure is a manipulative schemer" every week.
When she said she thinks Bo-Katan is the one to unite all Mandalorians I half expected her to make her challenge Din for the Darksaber (sure this is coming?), but instead she sent her on a recruiting mission. :hmm:
The action scene was quite good IMO, good mix of aerial and ground combat. And I loved the little Ugnaught first mate, basically Mr Smee from Peter Pan - that's the kind of pulp I sometimes need in my Star War (and I chuckled at the curse that referenced "Puffer Pigs" from the extremely silly (but canon) appearance of Lando in Star Wars Rebels :lol:
I kinda liked the New Republic bits (Zeb! Tim Meadows! :w00t: ), but it was also a bit "eh" - I liked the scene with Carson Teva showing up at the covert, saying he fought with one of them in the Rebellion. *pause* - me thinking ... "Ok, who? Bo-Katan, maybe? Someone else?" Only to have R5-D4 roll out :lol: The spooky scene at the end was good. Though I'm wondering if someone's trying to frame Mandalorians, or if there's still loyal Mandalorians serving the Imperial remnant - Clan Saxon and his Supercommandos, maybe?)
I agree the direction of the show seems a bit weird and aimless at the moment. Of course "The Mandalorian" is fairly ambiguous as a title - is it Din? Grogu? Bo-Katan? The title of Mandalore itself? But Din has been very passive this season - his quests from S1 and 2 are resolved, even visiting Mandalore was quickly wrapped up (and he needed plenty help there, needing to be rescued by Bo-Katan not once but twice). Sure he pushes the plot forward a bit ("Hey, let's help these guys"), but the scope of the show becomes a lot wider and I'm not sure it's a good thing yet? Also, and I've seen this come up in various online comments - it's diving into some characters and history where you almost have to read up on what their deal is - not sure how the whole Bo-Katan, Darksaber and Mandalore stuff comes across if you haven't watched Clone Wars and Rebels where both played major roles in the plot ... I get that they hope to draw people towards watching those shows (or at least the relevant episodes - they do have play lists for those on Disney+, I think), but stuff like that should enhance your experience, not be fundamental in understanding a character's history and motivation. Andor worked much better in that regard - I thought you could probably enjoy those with no or only very basic knowledge of Star Wars lore.
I don't think understanding the backstory is much of a problem. It's pretty basic stuff - "the Empire devastated our planet, we're now scattered and divided, Bo-Katan tried to take it back before but failed and has lost all hope". They have given all the needed bits when necessary. Actually the biggest sin on thar regard is putting the two Mando episodes in Book of Boba Fett - there's plenty of backstory there.
Also, I don't think there's any duplicity in the Armorer, she's just erratically written <_<
I agree that the show has gone big and it feels off sometimes. I keep feeling they should just have closed "The Mandalorian" after season 2, and just started a new show "Rise of Mandalore" or whatever to tell this story, and do it with more freedom (i.e. not centering it around Din Djarin when he has little to do). I feel the writers are trying to navigate two different shows in one, and it feels wonky.
I wish there was a Star Wars "adventure of the week" show at the moment, but I also fear that long form storytelling is so much the norm (and expected by viewers) that having a show like that might be ill received. "But how does it connect to the lore/bigger picture?" Some people were quite unhappy with the perceived "filler" episodes on Bad Batch this season. I shudder to think how X-Files would be received these days, alternating between "monster of the week" and "mythos arc" episodes. :D
Quote from: Syt on March 30, 2023, 03:22:40 AMI wish there was a Star Wars "adventure of the week" show at the moment, but I also fear that long form storytelling is so much the norm (and expected by viewers) that having a show like that might be ill received. "But how does it connect to the lore/bigger picture?" Some people were quite unhappy with the perceived "filler" episodes on Bad Batch this season. I shudder to think how X-Files would be received these days, alternating between "monster of the week" and "mythos arc" episodes. :D
I thought the first two seasons of Mando threaded that needle very well - although there were also a few complains about "when's the main arc going to progress?".
I also thought the way Andor built its season around 3-episode minisagas was pretty nice, too.
It's kinda like what Clone Wars did. It was very much an anthology show, featuring a wide range of viewpoints, and a mix of standalones and small arcs (2-4 episodes).
Quote from: Syt on March 30, 2023, 01:41:44 AMThe Mandalorian" is fairly ambiguous as a title - is it Din? Grogu? Bo-Katan? The title of Mandalore itself?
Regarding the spooky scene, I think someone is framing the Mandalorians, and that's the (partial) work of that ISB agent on Coruscant. Remember that look when the Rebel officer made the connection between the pirates, Moff Gideon disapearance and the Imperials presence in the outer rim?
N
Now, regarding the Mandalorian, it maybe a hint, or not, but I checked IMDB, because I wanted to know who was playing the big Mandalorian with the heavy gun, the one who had a fight with Din Djarin before, and most Mandos are referenced as "The Mandalorian" there for their characters. So... Make of that what you will.
Quote from: viper37 on March 31, 2023, 03:08:55 PMQuote from: Syt on March 30, 2023, 01:41:44 AMThe Mandalorian" is fairly ambiguous as a title - is it Din? Grogu? Bo-Katan? The title of Mandalore itself?
Regarding the spooky scene, I think someone is framing the Mandalorians, and that's the (partial) work of that ISB agent on Coruscant. Remember that look when the Rebel officer made the connection between the pirates, Moff Gideon disapearance and the Imperials presence in the outer rim?
N
Now, regarding the Mandalore, it maybe a hint, or not, but I checked IMDB, because I wanted to know who was playing the big Mandalorian with the heavy gun, the one who had a fight with Din Djarin before, and most Mandos are referenced as "The Mandalorian" there for their characters. So... Make of that what you will.
Paz Vizsla is voiced by Jon Favreau himself, although played onscreen by somebody else. I wonder if - when he inevitably takes his helmet off at some point - he will be played by Favreau or the stunt double. Or just an entirely new guy like Darth Vader in ROTJ :lol:
Favreau also voiced Pre Vizsla in Clone Wars. There's recently been an action figure of Paz, I think Star Wars Explained showed an image of it - you can remove the helmet, and it's Favreau's face underneath.
I don't mind Star Wars characters being an "ensemble effort" - Even OG Boba Fett was played on screen by Jeremy Bullock (loved the "Bullock Canyon" homage in latest Mando :cry: ), but his voice was provided by someone else. And as you say, Vader was portrayed by David Prowse (who was pissed they didn't use his voice), a stunt guy in most fight scenes in ESB and ROTJ IIRC, voiced by James Earl Jones, and Sebastian Shaw in the ROTJ unmasking. So while I can understand when people whine about Pedro Pascal often not being in the Mando suit I'm not too bothered by it if the performance is consistent.
Well ... that was an episode. :D
During the opening I thought, "Ok, totally not what I expected, but cool." Then continued into "WTF am I watching? :D "
I like when Star Wars goes a bit weird/pulp/silly at times, and this was a weird mix of the whimsical (Jack Black, Christopher Lloyd, Lizzo, the Ugnaughts, the B1 Battle Droid :wub: :lol: ), plus some noir. Felt at times very 70s sci-fi (Logan's Run, maybe), but also reminded me of the existentialist anime Ergo:Proxy (domed city with people reliant on (an)droids that start to malfunction, though the anime has a different backstory).
The ending made me think, "Ok, how many times have we seen this Mandalorian dueling stuff over the course of this show, Clone Wars and Rebels ... ?" :D And while the saber handover made sense, from a "legal" standpoint - why does Din only NOW think of that? We know he's a bit slow at times ("Does this look Jedi to you?" "Is that a bench?" :P ), but come on. :rolleyes:
Of course it raises even more the question: what's Din's role on the show going forward? I liked how both he and Bo-Katan worked together this week, and both got their chance to shine, but where does he go now, besides raising Sir Grogu? :hmm:
Oh, two more things: a droid morgue? :lol:
And, more interestingly (I guess this is not a spoiler) - we see that chain codes (basically personal ID) were introduced by the Empire when they took over after the Clone Wars. It's years after the fall of the Empire, and chain codes are still in use (heck, we saw Boba Fett show his in Season 2).
Quote from: Syt on March 30, 2023, 01:41:44 AM... not sure how the whole Bo-Katan, Darksaber and Mandalore stuff comes across if you haven't watched Clone Wars and Rebels where both played major roles in the plot ... I get that they hope to draw people towards watching those shows (or at least the relevant episodes - they do have play lists for those on Disney+, I think), but stuff like that should enhance your experience, not be fundamental in understanding a character's history and motivation. Andor worked much better in that regard - I thought you could probably enjoy those with no or only very basic knowledge of Star Wars lore.
I haven't seen either of those shows and the Mandalore and dark saber stuff functions just fine in my eyes.
Mandalore = destroyed planet they're all from and want to go back to. The Empire did it, the jerks.
Dark Saber = cool weapon that also an plot device for leadership of the Mandalorian people.
There may be other subtleties and implications that I'm unaware of, but fundamentally it's fine plot- and lore-wise from my POV.
Thanks for the feedback, Jake. :)
God, this was a no-good episode :lol:
I mean, I'm all for them making a pulpy procedural, and the idea of a society that has become completely overreliant on droids is a decent scifi trope, but it was poorly written and the tone was all over the place. The procedural bits felt more a parody of CSI than anything else.
The bit with the darksaber was anticlimatic. I really dislike how they have unceremoniously walked back so many of the twists of season 2 finale - Grogu returned within a couple of episodes, Gideon escapes offscreen, and now the Darksaber gets passed over to Bo-Katan without conflict of any kind.
I'm with Celed on this. And the actress playing the Queen was horrific.
Droid bar, droid morgue, wtf?
Trailer for Ahsoka:
:w00t:
Now, that's exciting.
The empire wasn't as good at getting rid of force sensitive people as the original trilogy implied. Seems they're still everywhere.
Quote from: Syt on April 07, 2023, 07:42:19 AMTrailer for Ahsoka:
:w00t:
If this ends up becoming a backdoor adaptation of the Zahn books I won't need anything else in life.
I need to find the youtube savants that break down every single frame.
Quote from: HVC on April 07, 2023, 07:51:57 AMThe empire wasn't as good at getting rid of force sensitive people as the original trilogy implied. Seems they're still everywhere.
Well, if there's 10k Jedi in the galaxy at the start and the war + Order 66 kill 99%, then there's still 100 or so of them running around. Not counting other force sensitives - I don't feel the guys with the orange blades are Jedi, per se? And one of the fights kinda looked like it might take place in the World Between Worlds which would explain Ahsoka going to what looks like an ancient temple. The writing on the collapsed arch looks similar to what we see in Rebels:
(https://preview.redd.it/hy4w8y68k9q71.png?width=1265&format=png&auto=webp&v=enabled&s=df9ba45f2ec5e604c80f9b0601c1ff4692d5b904)
Which is also repeated in the show's logo:
(https://starwarsthoughts.files.wordpress.com/2020/12/ahsoka-logo.jpg)
We still don't know how Ahsoka got off of Malachor after Ezra saved her from the Duel with Vader via the World Between Worlds, so this might be a flashback? And who knows where (and when :P ) the two orange blade wielders come from. :D
(Though Titus Pollo has grown old :( )
Just some quick notes: Sabine! Hera! Chopper! Huyang! The Ghost! Loth Cat! Lothal! :o
Oh, and Thrawn, I guess.
Quote from: celedhring on April 07, 2023, 08:08:08 AMIf this ends up becoming a backdoor adaptation of the Zahn books I won't need anything else in life.
I need to find the youtube savants that break down every single frame.
I would normally count on Star Wars Explained, but Alex and Mollie are at Star Wars Celebration in London right now. :lol:
Ugh, am I going to have to watch Rebels now?
Quote from: Habbaku on April 07, 2023, 08:21:19 AMUgh, am I going to have to watch Rebels now?
It starts a bit meh, but after the season 2 finale it's great Star Wars.
My only "but" is that sadly it has the worst animation of all the 3D Star Wars shows (I guess because of budget).
looks nice, too bad it still leads to that junk of a sequel trilogy
Stills from the trailer.
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FtHn8A8WcAEzCRl?format=jpg&name=large)
World Between World intensifies (though it might of course be something completely different).
I secretly wish that the two with the orange sabers are the father and daughter from the Mortis arc in Clone Wars, just to weird out everyone. :lol: (The owl-thing that symbolizes the daughter is accompanying Ahsoka a lot ... )
Also, new movies announced:
https://www.starwars.com/news/swce-2023-new-star-wars-films
QuoteToday during Lucasfilm's Studio Showcase at Star Wars Celebration Europe 2023, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy announced that three new live-action Star Wars films are on the way. Helming the movies are James Mangold (Logan, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny), Dave Filoni (The Mandalorian, Ahsoka), and Academy Award- and Emmy Award-winning director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy (Ms. Marvel, Saving Face).
James Mangold's movie will go back to the dawn of the Jedi, while Dave Filoni's will focus on the New Republic, and close out the interconnected stories told in The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, and other Disney+ series. Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy's film will be set after the events of Rise of Skywalker, and feature Daisy Ridley back as Rey as she builds a new Jedi Order.
Stay tuned to StarWars.com for more on these films and get ready to pass the popcorn.
Tweets from people at Celebration say that Mangold's movie supposedly is going to be kind of like a Biblical epic about the first Force users. :unsure:
Too bad they have to use Skywalker bs again but the rumors were that the executives really want to get Rey and Grogu together.
Quote from: Grey Fox on April 07, 2023, 01:05:11 PMToo bad they have to use Skywalker bs again but the rumors were that the executives really want to get Rey and Grogu together.
Rule 34? :unsure:
No, Grogu will still be a child.
Quote from: HVC on April 07, 2023, 07:51:57 AMThe empire wasn't as good at getting rid of force sensitive people as the original trilogy implied. Seems they're still everywhere.
The Star Wars franchise is not very good at getting rid of named characters. None of them die, and they show up again and again.
Letting executives drive the ship is working so well, why not keep doing it?!
QuoteSharmeen Obaid-Chinoy's film will be set after the events of Rise of Skywalker, and feature Daisy Ridley back as Rey as she builds a new Jedi Order.
unlikely that this is not going to suck monkeyballs.
A James Mangold Star Wars movie :w00t:
Quote from: Crazy_Ivan80 on April 07, 2023, 03:00:42 PMQuoteSharmeen Obaid-Chinoy's film will be set after the events of Rise of Skywalker, and feature Daisy Ridley back as Rey as she builds a new Jedi Order.
unlikely that this is not going to suck monkeyballs.
QuoteSharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is a Canadian journalist, filmmaker and activist known for her work in films that highlight the inequality for women
M'kay... that's a weird jump in genre. Looks like she also directed a Ms. Marvel TV show.
It's going to be a complete tire fire.
Quote from: FunkMonk on April 07, 2023, 03:10:07 PMA James Mangold Star Wars movie :w00t:
Might be some hope, yet.
It could either be Logan, or The Wolverine :P
It says he's writing this one! :P
Quote from: Habbaku on April 07, 2023, 03:47:14 PMIt's going to be a complete tire fire.
Only if it gets to be released.
So far, there's been half a dozen announced Star Wars movies that haven't seen the light of the day.
Oh, ye of little faith! Dumb and Dumber's trilogy is on the way any day now!
Screen Crush have a decent video about the Ahsoka trailer - primarily summarizing the events of the appearing characters from Clone Wars and Rebels (i.e. major spoilers for those shows if you haven't seen them):
Incidentally, I loved the music for the trailer, sounded like a trailerized version of Mike Richter's soundtracks. I presume there's no chance they are going with that for the show.
Btw, Lars Mikkelsen will play Thrawn in Ahsoka (he also voiced him in Rebels).
Quote from: Syt on April 08, 2023, 07:42:04 AMBtw, Lars Mikkelsen will play Thrawn in Ahsoka (he also voiced him in Rebels).
Yeah, just saw the announcement. Excellent choice, he was great in Rebels.
Quote from: celedhring on April 08, 2023, 06:15:24 AMIncidentally, I loved the music for the trailer, sounded like a trailerized version of Mike Richter's soundtracks. I presume there's no chance they are going with that for the show.
Seems Kevin Kiner is going to do the soundtrack for Ahsoka - his work on S2 of Bad Batch (regardless of what you think of the Season itself) was stellar, so looking forward to this. :)
Quote from: Syt on April 08, 2023, 09:11:22 AMQuote from: celedhring on April 08, 2023, 06:15:24 AMIncidentally, I loved the music for the trailer, sounded like a trailerized version of Mike Richter's soundtracks. I presume there's no chance they are going with that for the show.
Seems Kevin Kiner is going to do the soundtrack for Ahsoka - his work on S2 of Bad Batch (regardless of what you think of the Season itself) was stellar, so looking forward to this. :)
I really need to pick up Bad Batch again. I was just bored halfway season 2 - but I've heard it improves later on.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FP_Krltqpxc&ab_channel=Midnight%27sEdgeLiveArchives
make of it what you want but it's hardly news that the Star Wars brand has taken quite a few punches the last few years
Quote from: Crazy_Ivan80 on April 08, 2023, 11:14:25 AMhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FP_Krltqpxc&ab_channel=Midnight%27sEdgeLiveArchives
make of it what you want but it's hardly news that the Star Wars brand has taken quite a few punches the last few years
Is it one of those channels were they believe diversity and political correctness has destroyed Star Wars instead of terrible scripts and aimless storytelling?
Quote from: celedhring on April 08, 2023, 11:30:13 AMQuote from: Crazy_Ivan80 on April 08, 2023, 11:14:25 AMhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FP_Krltqpxc&ab_channel=Midnight%27sEdgeLiveArchives
make of it what you want but it's hardly news that the Star Wars brand has taken quite a few punches the last few years
Is it one of those channels were they believe diversity and political correctness has destroyed Star Wars instead of terrible scripts and aimless storytelling?
Have a look, decide for yourself.
as an aside:
maybe it should be considered that the terrible scrips and aimless storytelling are caused, among other things, by political correctness.
Quote from: celedhring on April 08, 2023, 11:30:13 AMQuote from: Crazy_Ivan80 on April 08, 2023, 11:14:25 AMhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FP_Krltqpxc&ab_channel=Midnight%27sEdgeLiveArchives
make of it what you want but it's hardly news that the Star Wars brand has taken quite a few punches the last few years
Is it one of those channels were they believe diversity and political correctness has destroyed Star Wars instead of terrible scripts and aimless storytelling?
They use the term "StarGirls" multiple times. You decide. :P
Quote from: Crazy_Ivan80 on April 08, 2023, 11:44:10 AMas an aside:
maybe it should be considered that the terrible scrips and aimless storytelling are caused, among other things, by political correctness.
No need to consider it, given there are plenty of counter-examples. Mad Max Fury Road is a pretty woke movie before the term even existed (still remember all the complaining about Furiosa given the spotlight instead of Max) and it's imho the best action flick of the 2010s.
Prey? The best Predator sequel (low bar, admittedly, but it beat it)
Annihilation? My favorite sci-fi horror in many years. All protagonists are women.
And I could go on. It's not the what, it's the how.
I took a quick look at that YouTubers most popular videos and they are indeed cringe worthy.
Today's Mandalorian was decent, sets up a pretty exciting finale. The first sequence alone will drive youtubers crazy :P
Besides Pellaeon and Hux, are the other imperial warlords somebodies? From that scene, besides all the foreshadowing I liked that it seems to imply that Pershing's demise was due to Imperial infighting - removing him from the picture so the Necromancer project is hampered (that's why Snoke will look so shitty I guess ) and Gideon's faction gets the upper hand.
Also, not Paz Vyzsla. I hate heroic deaths of characters I like :(
I still hate that the Armorer went from "You're Mandalorian no more" to throwing feasts to uncovered mandalorians at the drop of a hat helmet. They rushed the whole "unite the clans" too much, imho. I think it would have made the whole thing more satisfying.
Well, that was a ride. :blink:
Loved the Shadow Council. And it's interesting how it sets up possibly two very disparate factions: on one side Thrawn (Cpt. Pellaeon :w00t: ) and whatever his project is - in Rebels he already ran counter to "mainstream" Imperial plans - where Tarkin championed the Death Star, he suggested creating a fleet of TIE Defenders to secure the regime. On the other we have what will become the First Order, represented by Brendol Hux (the father of Armitage Hux from the sequel movies - amusingly Brendol is played by Brian Gleeson, brother of Domhnall Gleeson who played Hux the Younger in the sequels; I suppose Brendan Gleeson may have been a tad too old for the role?). In the books, Hux was part of the "Contingency", i.e. the Emperor's plan to leave as much scorched earth (space?) as possible, culminating in the Battle of Jakku, with the zealous core of Imperial survivors around Admiral Rae Sloane making off into the Unknown Regions to rebuild (becoming the First Order in the end). Plus, I guess, we have the third faction with Moff Gideon ("What, cloning? ME??? Assuredly not!" Bit of a reprisal of his Braking Bad/Better Call Saul character. "What? No, we're friends, and I'm totally not starting my own meth operation North of the border ... " :D ). Not sure about the other, minor warlords - they didn't have names in the credits, but I'd be surprised if they weren't at least partially based on book/comics/legends characters.
Anyways, enjoyed the (predictable) interplay of the tribes. Did NOT expect to see Charles Baker aka Skinny Pete from Breaking Bad. :D
I do love Grogu's new mode of transportation, though. :o :wub: "YES! YES!" "NO!"
Dramatic finale, but while they give Paz Viszla a nice Boromir moment, I feel it wasn't really necessary? He would have had ample time to make it out. I guess he's just a stubborn bastard.
Still, good cliffhanger, with a bit of a reversal from last season (Din captured by Gideon instead of Grogu).
I'm still championing the idea of Grogu becoming Mandalore - the way he stepped into the infighting today just reinforces my expectation, and we have a big Kaiju that he can "tame" to help in next week's battle. :P
When they first showed all the holograms of the imperial warlords, and you see the old-school dude with the 'tache I was like "this has to be Pellaeon" and he of course is. They captured his traditional legends look perfectly :P
Also, as cool as the scene was, I think having an Imperial Probe Droid deliver your secret messages in the middle of Coruscant is not particularly inconspicuous.
In a previous episode we had Mando and the women who would be queen in the waters by the forge, and there was nothing there. Now, they have trouble finding the forge AND there is a secret Imperial base there?
You gotta be a real fan to love this stuff.
Well, actually ... :nerd: :P
Previously we were in the ruins of Sundari and went into the mines underneath where the Living Waters are (and the Great Forge was not mentioned at all during Bo-Katan's/Din't visit there).
My impression was that the Great Forge was in a different location, though underground ruins all look a bit alike (and it would make sense to have such a pivotal location be in the capital, but cultural and political capitals/centers don't have to be identical all the time, I suppose).
Yeah, I didn't understand it as being the same location, at all.
They have had far worse issues than that this season. I.e. If I mention that in this episode there's a big monster that comes out of nowhere and randomly attacks the protagonists, that's not even a spoiler because they have done it so much this season. It's a poor way to generate spectacle and they have abused it an hilarious amount of times.
But, sometimes, they still get so many little things right. For example, in this episode I loved the little detail of having Pellaeon being the only one wearing a proper Imperial Navy uniform, while all the other warlords are more or less freestilyn'. It fits the picture I have of the character to a T.
Quote from: celedhring on April 13, 2023, 02:12:29 PMYeah, I didn't understand it as being the same location, at all.
They have had far worse issues than that this season. I.e. If I mention that in this episode there's a big monster that comes out of nowhere and randomly attacks the protagonists, that's not even a spoiler because they have done it so much this season. It's a poor way to generate spectacle and they have abused it an hilarious amount of times.
Yeah, I'm getting tired of that too.
Quote from: Syt on April 13, 2023, 01:38:34 PMWell, actually ... :nerd: :P
Previously we were in the ruins of Sundari and went into the mines underneath where the Living Waters are (and the Great Forge was not mentioned at all during Bo-Katan's/Din't visit there).
My impression was that the Great Forge was in a different location, though underground ruins all look a bit alike (and it would make sense to have such a pivotal location be in the capital, but cultural and political capitals/centers don't have to be identical all the time, I suppose).
Ok, let me rephrase, she knew exactly where the mines where, and the living waters below that. But she had no idea where the great forge was?
Regardless of what you think of Jack Black's cameo on Star Wars, I do appreciate that if I should ever get talked into a Star Wars cosplay, there's now an option for middle aged portly guys like me (will need a wig, though). :P
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FtxhHIiacAAEqGo?format=png&name=900x900)
Quote from: Crazy_Ivan80 on April 08, 2023, 11:14:25 AMhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FP_Krltqpxc&ab_channel=Midnight%27sEdgeLiveArchives
make of it what you want but it's hardly news that the Star Wars brand has taken quite a few punches the last few years
That was hilarious.
"We are going to show how much we don't care about Star Wars by spending a half an hour video talking how much we don't care about Star Wars."
Why all the hate for Kennedy?
Quote from: crazy canuck on April 17, 2023, 04:43:42 PMWhy all the hate for Kennedy?
Makes sense she would take some flak from people over the sequel trilogy - buck stops there.
Beyond that, don't quite get it. Her production career hardly screams extreme wokeness.
My general feelings after the season finale ... action maybe "a bit" overdone and stretched out though decent, but also, "What, that's it?"
It was really, really mild of an ending. All that for what amounts to a gauntlet run and then a boss fight at the end. Woo. :wacko:
Quote from: Habbaku on April 19, 2023, 11:52:09 AMIt was really, really mild of an ending. All that for what amounts to a gauntlet run and then a boss fight at the end. Woo. :wacko:
It felt really video gamey at times.
Quote from: Syt on April 19, 2023, 11:53:57 AMQuote from: Habbaku on April 19, 2023, 11:52:09 AMIt was really, really mild of an ending. All that for what amounts to a gauntlet run and then a boss fight at the end. Woo. :wacko:
It felt really video gamey at times.
Complete with various power-ups, equipment upgrades, and switching attacks against different enemies.
I felt thrown back quite a bit to Jedi: Fallen Order.
Yeah, the finale was middling at best.
Sums up the season, imho. Lots of potential dramatic material that's just not well ellaborated on - or flat out ignored - in favor of action and spectacle and just moving through the plot at frantic pace and hitting the fanservice bits (Grogu being cute! Mandalorians being awesome warriors!). As result, nothing that happens to the characters really feels big or earned. Dunno, like how the Children of the Watch dropped their zealotry at the drop of a hat, how Bo-Katan becomes a leader but everything just happens to her (the Armorer just goes "oh, you should be the leader", then she gets handed the saber once again...)... there was enough stuff to make a compelling story but they just didn't bother.
I mean, the conclusion to Djarin's arc is that... he adopts Grogu, like, duh?
Disappointed too. I really thought we'd see Thrawn in person as a lead up to Ashoka.
What frustrates me a bit is how they set up interesting premises that then either don't go anywhere or are dropped quickly.
End of Season 2: Grogu and Din are separated! Oh no, how will they cope? Never mind, they're reunited quickly in another show (it's implied that some time has passed - see the change of Nevarrao throughout the show, but still ... )
Din has the Darksaber! But Bo-Katan wants it! And Din can't really wield it yet! Will he overcome the mental block? Will Bo-Katan challenge him for it? Never mind, he ends it over on a technicality (and then it's destroyed - I'm ok with it, because it had become a bit too much of a focus for everything Mandalore, overall ... )
Previous episode, titled "The Spies" - titles in the show usually had some meaning, or were at least open for interpretation. But after the finale ... uhm, what now? Who was that referring to (besides the opening scene with Elia Kane and the probe droid?). They made the Armorer and Axe Woves looks super suspicious last episode, and then there were the survivors ... but nope. No betrayal, no hidden motives (at least none revealed). I don't mind subverting expectations, but having that title and (seemingly) zero pay off?
Some positives from tbe episode: the fights, while a bit video gamey, were overall good fun. I liked R5 vs. the mouse droids. It was silly and cute. :D
I liked the irony that Gideon apparently figured out how to make clones force sensitive and that knowledge is now gone. Oops, sorry Palpatine. No force capable clones for you (yet).
I'm ok with the Darksaber being broken. With all the history attached to it, it marks a new start. Ties in with the little green oasis, hinting that Mandalore is ready to start over from scratch.
More hints of Grogu being able to commune with the Mythosaur - still rooting for him to become Mandalore. But with all the set ups that were then dropped or resolved suddenly, with little satisfying result, I'm not sure anymore. :P
I'm fine with the season tying up various ends - Mandalorians back on Mandalore, ready to rebuild (though skeptical if that goes without a hitch - the conflict between "modern" and "orthodox" Mandalorians seemed a bit too easily resolved. Din and Grogu going on their own voyage for the apprenticeship - leaves them wide open to do whatever. Do a time skip, have them show up in other shows as needed, have a season of standalone episodes, tying them into the overarching New Republic/Thrawn/Rise of the First Order ... very much a reset button.
And even though it was cheesy in its Wester hommage, I did kinda enjoy the final shots of Din and Grogu on their little homestead. :D (Though this usually ends with the farm being destroyed and the reluctant hero getting pulled back into the fight :P )
Overall, I think S2 had the better overall arc and structure - Din trying to figure out where Grogu should go:
- meeting Bo-Katan who points him to Ahsoka
- Ahsoka pointing him to Tython
- Grogu getting abducted
- Din having to find the location where he's held
- Din assembling a team to rescue Grogu
- The Rescue and handing Grogu over to Luke for training
Sure, it was very much an RPG questline with sidequests to further advance of the main plot, but it largely built in a (for me) satisfying way.
Season 3, while I generally liked each episode itself, I think the arc was far less focused, and looking back I can't say it had the same single drive and focus that Season 2 had.
Quote from: celedhring on April 19, 2023, 12:27:38 PMYeah, the finale was middling at best.
Sums up the season, imho. Lots of potential dramatic material that's just not well ellaborated on - or flat out ignored - in favor of action and spectacle and just moving through the plot at frantic pace and hitting the fanservice bits (Grogu being cute! Mandalorians being awesome warriors!). As result, nothing that happens to the characters really feels big or earned. Dunno, like how the Children of the Watch dropped their zealotry at the drop of a hat, how Bo-Katan becomes a leader but everything just happens to her (the Armorer just goes "oh, you should be the leader", then she gets handed the saber once again...)... there was enough stuff to make a compelling story but they just didn't bother.
I mean, the conclusion to Djarin's arc is that... he adopts Grogu, like, duh?
I wonder if the plan was to have more episodes but then that got changed mid stream. So many bits of foreshadowing and story lines that just went nowhere.
With a sprawling "extended universe" type narrative it's fine to throw hooks out all over the place. They'll resolve a bunch of them in random other shows, games, and books over the next 20 years.
Quote from: Jacob on April 20, 2023, 12:41:27 PMWith a sprawling "extended universe" type narrative it's fine to throw hooks out all over the place. They'll resolve a bunch of them in random other shows, games, and books over the next 20 years.
I have more in mind story lines that were started, never developed, and are now seemingly resolved. Take for example the revelation that a Mandalorian armour fragment was found in the prison ship the big baddy escaped from. That story line was completely ignored. The next time we see the guy from
kim's Convenience Store he is all smiles for Mando. We as the viewers know the bascar, or whatever the material is called, was used by troops of the big Baddie and at some point, in some way, that information was shared with the New Republic guys and so is now resolved.
But why have that revelation if it was not going to be used as a story line within the season episodes before the big reveal that the big baddie was on the Mandolorean homeworld all along.
But it an example of a whole story line left completely undeveloped, and is now resolved
Fair.
QuoteTake for example the revelation that a Mandalorian armour fragment was found in the prison ship the big baddy escaped from. That story line was completely ignored.
I was going to say that. They went nowhere with that. Sure, that information could have gotten back to the New Republic, but only after Dinn left Mandalore, once Gideon was defeated.
The Mandalorian armor was probably one of Gideon's soldier look a like. Add that to the lists of hints resolved off screen.
So, people online have suggested that the previous episode title "The Spies" was again a biblical reference - before the Israelites returned to their homeland from Egypt they apparently sent out spies to check out the enemies who had settled there in the meantime.
Seems fitting, but I wonder how many watchers would have gotten that. :D
Can we just put the spoiler warning in the title and dispense with the white text?
Quote from: Eddie Teach on April 22, 2023, 12:44:45 AMCan we just put the spoiler warning in the title and dispense with the white text?
I'd be ok to do away with the white text 24hrs after the episode is aired.
It's just Syt's fault :P for posting during the day (my time zone), here and in Trek's thread as soon as the episode is released.
:blush:
Personally I prefer at least a week's grace for spoilers. Not everyone watches everything the moment it comes out. And I definitely appreciate the use of spoiler text in general.
Quote from: Jacob on April 23, 2023, 10:34:14 AMPersonally I prefer at least a week's grace for spoilers. Not everyone watches everything the moment it comes out. And I definitely appreciate the use of spoiler text in general.
This is the way.
Quote from: Jacob on April 23, 2023, 10:34:14 AMPersonally I prefer at least a week's grace for spoilers. Not everyone watches everything the moment it comes out. And I definitely appreciate the use of spoiler text in general.
It's a reasonable request. I didn't want to be a burden on anyone, but if I'm not alone... :) :hug:
I was hoping the Darksaber issue would get resolved by marriage :wub:
Quote from: chipwich on April 23, 2023, 08:52:26 PMI was hoping the Darksaber issue would get resolved by marriage :wub:
:lol:
Typical CK3 player move.
Quote from: viper37 on April 20, 2023, 06:16:13 PMQuote from: Syt on April 20, 2023, 12:57:29 AMTake for example the revelation that a Mandalorian armour fragment was found in the prison ship the big baddy escaped from. That story line was completely ignored.
I was going to say that. They went nowhere with that. Sure, that information could have gotten back to the New Republic, but only after Dinn left Mandalore, once Gideon was defeated.
Curious, how did my post end up as a Syt quote?
Quote from: chipwich on April 23, 2023, 08:52:26 PMI was hoping the Darksaber issue would get resolved by marriage :wub:
Love is a battlefield
Quote from: crazy canuck on April 24, 2023, 03:07:56 PMQuote from: viper37 on April 20, 2023, 06:16:13 PMQuote from: Syt on April 20, 2023, 12:57:29 AMTake for example the revelation that a Mandalorian armour fragment was found in the prison ship the big baddy escaped from. That story line was completely ignored.
I was going to say that. They went nowhere with that. Sure, that information could have gotten back to the New Republic, but only after Dinn left Mandalore, once Gideon was defeated.
Curious, how did my post end up as a Syt quote?
Ah, I must have been quoting you after I quoted Syt and made a mistake in the edit instead of starting over.
(https://preview.redd.it/gtv9okgbxsxa1.png?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&v=enabled&s=4d6a47eb9045452fd23512ff392ba5915f6453af)
:lol:
(https://i.postimg.cc/85n5Pbtp/image.png)
:nerd:
Quote from: Syt on May 05, 2023, 03:17:23 AM(https://preview.redd.it/gtv9okgbxsxa1.png?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&v=enabled&s=4d6a47eb9045452fd23512ff392ba5915f6453af)
:lol:
:lol:
I finished andor.
It's a very good show.
I've got Bobba Fett and Mandalorian s3 to watch at some point. I've heard bad things. Witcher s2 and 3 bad
You can skip those. Boba Fett was terrible, I think I gave up after 2 episodes. Mando season 3 was pretty bad too.
Ashoka is out. My son and I watched the first episode. My fanboyism for Rebels is no secret and I wasn't disappointed.
It dawned on me that Ezra was born on day 1 of the Empire and was presumed dead on the last of day it.
Didn't like the first episode too much, but I'm willing to cut it some slack because it's hard to nail an episode 1 with all the introduction work and such. Second was more fun.
Ray Stevenson has such a screen presence. I feel that he should have had a better career than he had. What a tragedy :(
Quote from: Grey Fox on August 23, 2023, 09:54:20 PMAshoka is out. My son and I watched the first episode. My fanboyism for Rebels is no secret and I wasn't disappointed.
It dawned on me that Ezra was born on day 1 of the Empire and was presumed dead on the last of day it.
The Rebels series finale takes place several years before the fall of the Empire.
Quote from: celedhring on August 24, 2023, 05:04:32 AMQuote from: Grey Fox on August 23, 2023, 09:54:20 PMAshoka is out. My son and I watched the first episode. My fanboyism for Rebels is no secret and I wasn't disappointed.
It dawned on me that Ezra was born on day 1 of the Empire and was presumed dead on the last of day it.
The Rebels series finale takes place several years before the fall of the Empire.
:mad: :(
Quote from: Zoupa on August 23, 2023, 03:09:55 PMYou can skip those. Boba Fett was terrible, I think I gave up after 2 episodes. Mando season 3 was pretty bad too.
:yes: Absolute trash.
Quote from: celedhring on August 24, 2023, 04:12:49 AMDidn't like the first episode too much, but I'm willing to cut it some slack because it's hard to nail an episode 1 with all the introduction work and such. Second was more fun.
Ray Stevenson has such a screen presence. I feel that he should have had a better career than he had. What a tragedy :(
The first two were...okay? Ray Stevenson and his apprentice are the most interesting things happening.
The direction for most of the dialogue scenes is pretty rough. Did they deliberately tell them to avoid doing more than blandly delivering their lines?
Quote from: Grey Fox on August 24, 2023, 05:28:42 AMQuote from: celedhring on August 24, 2023, 05:04:32 AMQuote from: Grey Fox on August 23, 2023, 09:54:20 PMAshoka is out. My son and I watched the first episode. My fanboyism for Rebels is no secret and I wasn't disappointed.
It dawned on me that Ezra was born on day 1 of the Empire and was presumed dead on the last of day it.
The Rebels series finale takes place several years before the fall of the Empire.
:mad: :(
Just before
ANH, IIRC.
I like the series so far.
The actress playing Sabin Wren is so good. I'm really seeing an older Sabine on screen. The same character I saw on rebels. The same manners, the same voice, the same tone.
Rosario Dawson is obviously an excellent Ahsoka. She trained a lot for the fight choregraphy and it shows. She's not the Snips of Clone Wars, but she's the elder Jedi general of Rebels.
I guess Rex has died of old age by now. Too bad. :(
Not so sure about Mary Elizabeth Winstead's portrayal of Hera Syndulla. It doesn't look or sound like the character in Rebels. A little too stiff.
But I really like the series so far. Ray Stevenson is great as a Sith with his own agenda, quietely bidding his time.
Quote from: Habbaku on August 24, 2023, 08:33:37 AMThe direction for most of the dialogue scenes is pretty rough. Did they deliberately tell them to avoid doing more than blandly delivering their lines?
The transition from anime to live-action is rough for Filoni. The Sith, especially, don't have a lot of expression when delivering their lines.
Hera's portrayal is weird, I agree. It's like they forgot to tell Winstead that her character use to be in a romantic relationship with a Jedi.
maybe Hera needs something to motivate her that is
better than Ezra
Quote from: Oexmelin on August 26, 2023, 08:26:19 PMmaybe Hera needs something to motivate her that is
better than Ezra
:shutup:
Someone on Reddit made a fan art of Shin Hati. Pretty impressive:
Source link (https://www.reddit.com/r/StarWars/comments/162fsl2/shin_hati_fan_art_ive_drawn/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)
(https://i.redd.it/o3iquasbskkb1.jpg)
I thought the first two episodes were fine. Some catching up for people who didn't watch Rebels, and adding new characters. I liked all the Clone Wars/Rebels nostalgia bait. Lothal! Ryder Azadi! Jai! Huyang! Also, the scene of Ahsoka landing on Home One gave me flashbacks to the cutscenes in X-Wing.
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FLa8psdX0AEF0E0.png)
(https://i.postimg.cc/9QjjZX4J/image.png)
Also liked how the starmap on that the baddies looked at opened very similar to the ones in KotOR. :D
Not super hyped about SW at the moment. While I did mostly enjoy Obi-Wan, Book of Boba Fett and Mando S3 they also left me a bit underwhelmed. Maybe Mando S3 more so than others, what with returning to status quo after the S2 finale so quickly. It didn't help that they set up a bunch of interesting conflicts only to resolve them incredibly quickly and painlessly. I'm all for subverting expectations, but it seemed to fizzle a fair bit in an effort to wrap things up for Ahsoka (which I assume may be the new "big story" (they are planning a climactic movie, I think?).
Kind of curious what the new galaxy will hold. Speculation is running wild with all kinds of possible legends connections, and my main worry is that it will be something completely mundane. :P However, it might also be a way to have a big, epic conflict that takes place far away from the "main plot" of the Star Wars galaxy.
Fun action episode .... except way too short. :P
Forgot to mention in the previous post that I loved Ep. 1's 70s b-movie style scroll text at the start. :D And that Huyang was clearly inspired by certain droid models in Star Wars The Old Republic (he first appeared about a year after the game launched). :nerd:
(https://i.postimg.cc/T14KY5xZ/image.png)
Though with Huyang said to be 26k years old having been created around the founding of the Jedi order, I wonder what that means for the mini series scheduled to be set around that time period.
So yeah, fun action episode.
Random thoughts:
- liked the training sequence
- overall felt like a live action Rebels episode :P
- fairly straightforward theme of "Sabine and Ahsoka need to learn to work together again"
- some clear tension between Shin and Elspeth
- yay Jacen :D
- Senator Xiono - the dad of Kazuda Xiono (the main character of Star Wars Resistance)
- loved Shin wearing the old Jedi headsets (seen on Anakin/Obi-Wan at the start of Ep. 3)
- Purrgil! :w00t:
- the turret section gave me KotOR 1 flashbacks
- the ship adrift gave me KotOR 2 flashbacks (the start of the game when the Ebon Hawk is adrift)
- who are the mooks working for the baddies?
- Marrok in his old rusty armor almost looks like a dude from a Dark Souls game
- the little fighters reminded me of planes like the Polykarpov I-16:
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d4/Polikarpov_I-16_AN1713961.jpg)
I feel like the issue for me is that I know in the back of my mind that none of this really matters (Ahsoka, Mando etc), since we know that in this period, the sequels are right around the corner and are pure shit.
Quote from: Zoupa on August 30, 2023, 03:46:02 PMI feel like the issue for me is that I know in the back of my mind that none of this really matters (Ahsoka, Mando etc), since we know that in this period, the sequels are right around the corner and are pure shit.
Disagree with that stance, Clone Wars managed to tell some good (even great) Star Wars stories in spite of the calamitous prequels. You should try to enjoy (or not enjoy) each movie/show on its own.
Anyway, today's episode was enjoyable, but ultimately a bit of a nothingburger. Still, liking it better than Mando 3 so far.
Thrawn definitely won't show up until the second half of the season, though. They're taking their sweet time.
Quote from: Syt on August 30, 2023, 01:27:04 PMthe turret section gave me KotOR 1 flashbacks
It's the same sound, isn't it? :)
Quote from: Zoupa on August 30, 2023, 03:46:02 PMI feel like the issue for me is that I know in the back of my mind that none of this really matters (Ahsoka, Mando etc), since we know that in this period, the sequels are right around the corner and are pure shit.
Yeah. that sucks.
Why do the writers need to redo the rear gunner routine, and recycle the same dialogue? At least the response this time wasn't don't get cocky.
Quote from: celedhring on August 30, 2023, 04:04:05 PMQuote from: Zoupa on August 30, 2023, 03:46:02 PMI feel like the issue for me is that I know in the back of my mind that none of this really matters (Ahsoka, Mando etc), since we know that in this period, the sequels are right around the corner and are pure shit.
Disagree with that stance, Clone Wars managed to tell some good (even great) Star Wars stories in spite of the calamitous prequels. You should try to enjoy (or not enjoy) each movie/show on its own.
I greatly enjoyed Clone Wars, not only because of the show itself but because the original trilogy was coming up in the timeline, the fall of the Republic was interseting etc. Rogue One and especially Andor were IMO very very good. I'm even one of the few people who enjoyed Solo.
The time period from New Republic to First Order is not interesting to me, mainly because the sequels are coming up and the whole First Order/Palpatine returns is lame, nonsensical and cheapens the original trilogy in many ways.
The 1st season of Mando was great nonetheless, because it was self-contained stories, and had nothing to do with the Skywalker stuff. But then they brought Luke in for season 2 and uggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
Ahsoka (the show) is not very impressive so far. But I like the characters, so it's enjoyable enough so far.
I liked today's episode. In fact, it's the first non-Andor Star Wars stuff that I have thoroughly enjoyed since the Mando 2 finale. It helped that it was quite sparse in dialogue, which I feel is when Filoni live action scripts always work best :D
Liked the lightsaber duels a lot, with Sabine mixing up Jedi and Mandalorian techniques, and all the references and styles brought from Japanese swordplay flicks. Stevenson manages to give a great presence to a villain that, for once, isn't written to chew scenery.
The only "but" is that I don't buy Sabine's choice in the episode. I think they are forcing the character too much, making her behave like an idiot too often in order to advance the arcs.
Also, why is Hera bringing her own child to a space battle? Now that's quite the take on parenting :D
And the ending cliffhanger is what I hoped the show would attempt when it was first announced - I trust Filoni will get that relationship right, he's the person that has written that particular character the best.
Quote from: Syt on August 30, 2023, 01:27:04 PM- Marrok in his old rusty armor almost looks like a dude from a Dark Souls game
Still standing by this after today's episode. :D
Kinda similar to the sound of the Black and Silver Knights when they die. :P
Also ...
(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/85/b0/5d/85b05d95987d5e0cfffa51897a07a538.jpg)
Some fan theories are that the "race from another galaxy" might be the Kwa (or an equivalent): https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Kwa. In Legends they came from another galaxy - check - spent time on Dathomir - check - and created hyperspace gates. The Rakata were uplifted by the Kwa because of their force affinity. However, the Rakata then overthrew the Kwa and created their Infnite Empire which we see in KotOR and which lasted about 11,000 years - which would lead us back to the familiar star map design. :tinfoil:
(The overthrow of the Rakata was name dropped in Andor.)
Btw, the Legends timeline has the Infinite Empire fall around the time the Jedi Order was founded, over 25,000 years BBY. Keep in mind that supposedly a show is in the works that looks at the founding of the Jedi order. ... Might we see the fall of the Infinite Empire of the Rakata and the rise of the Jedi? A nerd can dream, right? :P
For now I love that they actually put the World Between Worlds into live action. :lol:
Less crazy speculation: Ahsoka uses the Purgill to follow the others into the other galaxy. ;)
This is seriously making me want to rewatch The Clone Wars and Rebels. :D
Quote from: celedhring on September 06, 2023, 03:41:13 AMAlso, why is Hera bringing her own child to a space battle? Now that's quite the take on parenting :D
The Republic does not have free daycare for its officers outside of school time. :(
Holy shit, this was certainly an episode. :o
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW!
Clone Wars flashbacks (Ryloth, I think?)! :o
Live action clones! :o (In the movies they were all CGI.)
Captain Rex and the Siege of Mandalore! :o
Lightsaber action and "one last lesson." :o
Really enjoyed this one.
Random notes:
Nice to see Ahsoka the Gray becoming Ahsoka the White. It's been a common thing to compare her to Gandalf ever since this doodle by Filoni (there was speculation during the Clone Wars run that surely Ahsoka would die, because how would she not be mentioned in Ep. III?). https://i.postimg.cc/3wtxCSd8/image.png And of course in the epilogue of Rebels S4 we saw her in white robes with a staff, looking very Gandalf the White (minus beard ... I was going to say minus hat, but IIRC in the movies he loses the hat when he's reborn?)
In the story structure of the Hero's Journey (usually near the middle) you often have the Hero undergoing an ordeal in the belly of the beast to be reborn. Metaphorically, that's Ahsoka being in the World Between Worlds(TM) and the being saved from this near death appearance and switching into a "purified" white outfit with her character s having learned important wisdom. But they also, literally, enter the belly of a beast at the end of the episode ... I loved it, but I admit I rolled my eyes a bit when I realized this was a visual pun. :lol:
In a similar vein, I laughed that they brought an Ishi Tib (often called "Starfish" alien) to meet the space whales ... we all saw what you did there. :P
Kevin Kiner's soundtrack is awesome and deserves all the awards. Always loved his work, and I thought he hit it out of the park esp. with Bad Batch S2, but on Ahsoka he's ramping it up even more. :wub:
Generally the sound design was amazing. As a lover of spaceship porn the engine sounds of the New Republic ships arriving was *chef's kiss*
If there's a downside, I'd say it was Hera's still stiff performance, and Jacen is starting to grate a little bit. :D
Hera and Jacen should be out of the picture after this episode (what's there for them to do?) which is probably a good thing. Gonna miss Chopper though...
I thought the Anakin-Ashoka scenes were a bit lacking... some great callbacks but for being the first time they see each other since the Rebels S2 finale it felt... light.
Also, surprised that Zeb hasn't been involved in this so far, given that in Mando they went all the way of showing that him and Teva worked together.
This episode is written for people who know a lot about Star Wars. Most of this episode was either meaningless, confusing or boring.
I watched Clone wars years ago and I watched Rebels. I enjoyed them both.
But this show is being written for the people who are true believers.
Quote from: Syt on September 13, 2023, 12:38:56 AMIf there's a downside, I'd say it was Hera's still stiff performance, and Jacen is starting to grate a little bit.
Jacen is okayish. I am disappointed Hera hasn't entrusted him to Luke's Jedi school though. I understand Ahsoka's reluctance to train another padawan, but Luke?
I agree about Hera. I'm still not seeing her on screen.
Quote from: crazy canuck on September 13, 2023, 07:16:09 AMBut this show is being written for the people who are true believers.
I agree, and that's the reason I like the show.
Finally, something that is not trying to reinvent everything and is going forward with the story. After all the bad movies and the so-so Kenobi series, I'm all in on this one, despite some wooden performances here and there. :)
I was surprised by Hayden's voice. I always thought it was weird that all voice actors on Clone Wars/Rebels largely sounded like (or very similar to) the live action actors in their performances - except Matt Lanter as Anakin who I thought sounded a lot more "mature" and "grown up" than . It seemed that Hayden's performance was matching up much closer to the Clone Wars show (which he watched in prep for Obi-Wan) than the movies IMO.
Oh, and the flashback was a good reminder how young Ahsoka was during the war. "Sure, let the 14 year old command troops in battle!" (Though I guess she should have looked 3 years older in the Siege of Mandalore scene :P )
The whole "let's bring children to war" aspect of Star Wars (it happens many times) is lowkey terrifying :lol:
The episode left me a little cold, I have to be said. The recreation of live action Clone Wars was great, but I was expecting more - dramatic wise - from the Anakin/Ahsoka reunion. The "lesson" felt pretty by the numbers.
That said, Christensen was more compelling in these few scenes than he was in the entire prequel trilogy. I know he's older and savvier as an actor, but sometimes it's just a matter of having actual writing.
... and direction. :P
Quote from: viper37 on September 13, 2023, 10:21:22 PMQuote from: crazy canuck on September 13, 2023, 07:16:09 AMBut this show is being written for the people who are true believers.
I agree, and that's the reason I like the show.
Finally, something that is not trying to reinvent everything and is going forward with the story. After all the bad movies and the so-so Kenobi series, I'm all in on this one, despite some wooden performances here and there. :)
They don't have to reinvent anything. But if they want to appeal to viewers who lack an encyclopedic knowledge of their lore, they should avoid being entirely self referential.
Quote from: celedhring on September 14, 2023, 02:33:25 AMThe episode left me a little cold, I have to be said. The recreation of live action Clone Wars was great, but I was expecting more - dramatic wise - from the Anakin/Ahsoka reunion. The "lesson" felt pretty by the numbers.
Same. Some good snippets, but the stakes -of the whole show- seem pretty meh. I thought Ashoka seemed to have more passion, more soul, in her two episodes in the Mandalorian 2 than in the five episodes of her own show so far.
And it's a show that relies intensely not simple on the spectator' prior knowledge, but spectator bringing much of the emotional stakes to the action itself. It's not a really compelling watch so far. I find myself more interested in the vilains, about whom we know nothing.
Is this show before or after the Mandalorian?
Quote from: Zoupa on September 14, 2023, 10:15:59 AMIs this show before or after the Mandalorian?
During/after.
Quote from: Oexmelin on September 14, 2023, 09:21:55 AMI thought Ashoka seemed to have more passion, more soul, in her two episodes in the Mandalorian 2 than in the five episodes of her own show so far.
1 episode in The Mandalorian.
Quote from: Oexmelin on September 14, 2023, 09:21:55 AMAnd it's a show that relies intensely not simple on the spectator' prior knowledge, but spectator bringing much of the emotional stakes to the action itself. It's not a really compelling watch so far. I find myself more interested in the vilains, about whom we know nothing.
Yes, the villains are interesting. But wasn't it the case with Star Wars too? Darth Vader was much more compelling to watch than Luke Skywalker, yet we knew nothing about him. The Emperor was much more interesting to watch in The Return of the Jedi than the hero.
Senator Palpatine was a more interesting character than Jar Jar Binks, imo. :P
Quote from: crazy canuck on September 14, 2023, 09:19:05 AMQuote from: viper37 on September 13, 2023, 10:21:22 PMQuote from: crazy canuck on September 13, 2023, 07:16:09 AMBut this show is being written for the people who are true believers.
I agree, and that's the reason I like the show.
Finally, something that is not trying to reinvent everything and is going forward with the story. After all the bad movies and the so-so Kenobi series, I'm all in on this one, despite some wooden performances here and there. :)
They don't have to reinvent anything. But if they want to appeal to viewers who lack an encyclopedic knowledge of their lore, they should avoid being entirely self referential.
Well, I'll just disagree. It's a live-action continuation of Rebels and Clone Wars, and I'm enjoying it that way.
It could be deeper, but I was spoiled by how good Andor was.
Quote from: celedhring on September 14, 2023, 08:16:06 AMThat said, Christensen was more compelling in these few scenes than he was in the entire prequel trilogy. I know he's older and savvier as an actor, but sometimes it's just a matter of having actual writing.
He's definitely been one of the high points of both this show and Kenobi. Also, he's apparently been practicing his signature lightsaber moves for 20 years ever since RotS, hoping to return to his role as Anakin.
I feel like if this is successful enough, there might be a live-action Clone Wars movie in the cards.
Quote from: Solmyr on September 16, 2023, 11:59:56 AMI feel like if this is successful enough, there might be a live-action Clone Wars movie in the cards.
There's three of those already :P
Greatly enjoyed this one. After all these years finally seeing live action Thrawn is a treat, and Mikkelsen - even if he seems to have eaten his own stormtroopers to survive :P - just slays the role.
Again, this show has the most striking visuals of all live action Star Wars. Chimera's approach to the dathomiri tower is a breathtaking scene. Also, they manage to convey the mysteriousness of the planet with very little. Also, Stevenson is just great and his character is well written, once more with little but well delivered and precise dialogue. I'm hoping his character gets a decent closure, I'd hate it if they have to improvise it in the upcoming movie because of Stevenson's death. But I suspect they're setting up Shin as the one of the pair that will survive the show.
All the "red tape" in the stoormtroper's armor makes me think there's magick at play. Maybe they're all like that smoky inquisitor (who didn't have anything similar on his armor, though).
Lastly, the actor playing Ezra is immensely likeable. They're probably setting up some fallout with Sabine when he learns what she's done to rescue him.
Right now, my biggest fear of the show is that with two episodes remaining there's still many arcs and setups to get resolved, I fear this will finish with a cliffhanger and leave most of the stuff for the upcoming Filoni movie. I'd really prefer if this show could stand on its own.
Your observation that this series is really just a set up for another movie explains a lot of why I find it so empty. The only compelling character in the show is Stevenson's character I'm not sure I would want to watch a movie that only has the other characters based on this.
Liked the episode. Kevin Kiner's soundtrack remains wonderful, adding a lot to the mood of the show. Chills, in some scenes.
Seems some of the Stormtroopers are into Kintsugi (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kintsugi) in how they mend their armor. Like the flair of the red bindings, though I assume it's not just ornamental.
I love that planet Scotland comes with the three witches from Macbeth. Though according to the credits they're called Lakesis, Kolothow, and Aktropaw, and Wookieepedia points out that they names match the names of the Fates from Greek mythology (Clotho, Lachesis, Atropos). And of course they keep talking about threads. :D
Side note: the Fates in Greek mythology are called Moirai ... with the little owl like convor (embodiment(??) of the Daughter of the Mortis force users) that follows Ahsoka a lot having the name Morai.
Speaking of not so subtle character names ... It's been pointed out that Baylan Skoll and Shin Hati share the names of wolves (because Filoni) who chase the sun and moon in Norse mythology (Sköll and Hati, sp?). And their (now slain) comrade Marrok shares a name with an Arthurian knight who was turned into a wereWOLF by his wife who learned the craft from Morgan Elspeth le Fay.
Liked the look of the bandits, reminded me of some of the Sith armor in SWTOR. Loved the reunion scene and good casting. :)
Mikkelsen as Thrawn is unsurprisingly quite excellent. :wub:
I didn't notice two quite well known actors till the credits rolled, though:
- Wes Chatham as Enoch (with the lovely roman style face plate on his stormtrooper armor)
- Claudia Black as one of the Witch Mothers ... surprised they didn't name her character anything closer to "Morrigan" :P
Quote from: celedhring on September 20, 2023, 08:03:51 AMChimera's approach to the dathomiri tower is a breathtaking scene.
The scene in the prison reminded me of the Volkswagen commercial :lol:
Quote from: celedhring on September 20, 2023, 08:03:51 AMRight now, my biggest fear of the show is that with two episodes remaining there's still many arcs and setups to get resolved, I fear this will finish with a cliffhanger and leave most of the stuff for the upcoming Filoni movie. I'd really prefer if this show could stand on its own.
They have neither confirmed nor denied that they will stop at only one season. I'm still hoping for a second season. The fan reaction is certainly there.
Quote from: celedhring on September 20, 2023, 08:03:51 AM Chimera's approach to the dathomiri tower is a breathtaking scene. Also, they manage to convey the mysteriousness of the planet with very little.
That scene was indeed something. I kept thinking, "That's some serious precision piloting there. :D "
I'd be lying if the planet's landscape didn't give me more Dark Souls (or maybe Elden Ring) vibes, which is more a reflection of the desolation, dark fantasy mood, and sense of ancient long forgotten history.
I liked Baylan a lot in this episode - and that he has a "new" motivation. Hints of Kreia from KotOR2 in that, but we'll see how he wants to achieve his goal.
Also: CRAB PEOPLE! :wub: (Though them showing off the cute little village in much detail has me worried for their safety in the next two episodes - feels like trying to build an emotional connection to make something bad happening later more impactful :P )
And Sabine's doggie is adorable, and I fawned way too much over it. :blush:
I share your concern about the final two episodes. Mando 3, overall, wasn't bad IMO, but they really, really rushed to resolve sevearl plot points VERY fast, and though the ending was cool, it felt still anticlimactic and sudden.
I'm guessing: Sabine/Ezra meet Baylan/Shin for a big ass confrontation, Ahsoka joins the fray, allegiances will be redrawn, and there's a "final fight" with the two squads of stormtroopers that Thrawn felt he could spare. I'm guessing that Sabine and Ahsoka settle their argument, Baylan dies (at Shin Hati's hands, who stops him from doing something really really bad?), and Shin becomes Ahsoka's new padawan?
Meanwhile Thrawn returns with Elspeth and despite having only a broke ass old ISD still knocks out easily the three Rebel ships we saw previously (establishing him as a major threat for viewers not familiar with him yet).
EDIT: I rolled my eyes a bit at Huyang's story starting "A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away ..." :P
Also, what's the "cargo" they brought up fromt he "catacombs" in human sized crates ... :hmm:
I assume the Nightsisters are looking to make a comeback after Dooku's genocidal attack?
Quote from: Syt on September 21, 2023, 12:30:14 AMAlso, what's the "cargo" they brought up fromt he "catacombs" in human sized crates ... :hmm:
I assume the Nightsisters are looking to make a comeback after Dooku's genocidal attack?
Something like that, I suppose.
I hope not, but it's obvious this is where they are going. We already had one reversed genocide in Mandalorian. I wish that tragedy had a bit more permanency in Star Wars, next step will be rebuilding Alderaan.
ALDERAAN STRIKES BACK / SOMEHOW ALDERAAN RETURNED.
Star Wars has long been skirting with the comics illness of having to raise the stakes without really raising them. It was always inspired by serials, but the worse traits were kept in check by only having three movies for the longest time. And then, Lucas being more or less protective of certain eras or characters also succeeded in keeping those in check.
Now that there are dozens of simultaneous products, it's falling prey to all the most ridiculous comic book tropes - dead-but-not-really heroes and vilains, interpersonal drama taking over heroics, etc. Which is silly, because there is an entire galaxy's worth of different stories you could be telling using the variety of tropes that composed Staw Wars - Western, Samurai, Space Nazis, Flying Aces in their Wondrous Machines, etc.
I do like the visuals of this one, but since the story feels flat, I find myself reflecting back to the visuals of Andor much more - for there, they really tied intimately with the story - the asteroid fantasia, the immaculate prison, the mining town, bureaucratic Coruscant, etc. I
Spoiler: I do appreciate that Big Baddy seems to be a variation of Kreia, perhaps one of the most interesting Star Wars characters.
One thing Filoni has going for him that most modern Star Wars authors don't is that he steps his stories in mythology and symbology, like the old films were. Here in Ahsoka you have the three weavers of fate, water as an agent of death and rebirth, Thrawn as a man reigning in hell... - it doesn't completely make up for its weak storytelling, but it gives the show the mythic quality that that i.e. the new movies lacked.
And then there's all the movie references to Japanese swordplay cinema, etc...
Sometimes he's a bit too obvious about it, but then again "Darth Vader" wasn't the most subtle name either :D
There's of course also the stories of the "lost legion," i.e. the IX Legion that "disappeared" in Britain and has been the subject of various works of fiction (often associated with Scotland) which also probably inspired the setting for Thrawn's exile.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legio_IX_Hispana
Someone on Reddit said that Thrawn looks like blue Elon Musk and now I can't unsee it. :bleeding:
That was my 1st reaction too. It's Evil Blue Musk. :lol:
I'll admit that Thrawn's look was not my fave.
Here's a bit of :tinfoil: speculation that's going around on the internet.:lol: Read at your own peril. :P
Some folks early on pointed out that some of the temple in the first episode seemed to have designs of Zeffo (an ancient force wielder race from the Jedi: Fallen Order game; you explore a bunch of Zeffo ruins and tombs in the game) in the temple at the start. Below - Ahsoka (left), J:FO (right):
(https://i.imgur.com/MByIegw.png)
Next, the map had a certain similarity to the giant spheres you often manipulate in those Zeffo ruins to solve puzzles:
(https://i.imgur.com/vd6w435.png)
(https://www.gamerguides.com/assets/media/17/183/Tomb_of_Eilram_Start_Star_Wars_Jedi_Fallen_Order.jpg)
Ok, the surface detail is different, not a big deal, right?
But then again, there's Sith writing pretty much everywhere in Zeffo ruins - like on the ruins of Dathomir and other places we've seen. No big deal, just the Sith writing that's by this point as ubiquitous as Aurebesh in modern Star Wars on screen texts. :P
Well, the Zeffo also use some glyphs:
(https://i.imgur.com/NYK6U3S.jpg)
And on the ancient structure on Dathomir we have:
(https://i.imgur.com/KlwHlfQ.png)
Not quite identical, but very similar ...
Oh, and there's some Sith script over the gate of the structure:
(https://i.imgur.com/y2ntM8w.png)
But that might be just some copy/paste job, esp. if it's upside down?
And (and now we're really reaching), in SW: Rebels, one of the portals in the World Between Worlds (where each portal has symbols according their "destination") looks like this:
(https://i.imgur.com/3MmvGGL.png)
Some have theorized that it might be the Zeffo at the top, and the howlers (Sabine's mount in Ep. 6) on the sides - meaning it might lead to Peridia.
Oh, and the Zeffo have a temple/ruins on Dathomir, of course. :D
It's all a bit wild, and I'm sure it's going to be something a lot less (or more?) crazy. :D
Haven't seen it, but from syt's pic Thrawn look like blue Elon.
Hey, I don't know if this has been asked but is that Musk playing Thrawn?
Quote from: garbon on September 25, 2023, 06:16:28 AMHey, I don't know if this has been asked but is that Musk playing Thrawn?
I'm guess I made a dumb/obvious observation? :lol:
Quote from: HVC on September 25, 2023, 06:22:37 AMQuote from: garbon on September 25, 2023, 06:16:28 AMHey, I don't know if this has been asked but is that Musk playing Thrawn?
I'm guess I made a dumb/obvious observation? :lol:
Go back a page.:P
Quote from: garbon on September 25, 2023, 06:25:41 AMQuote from: HVC on September 25, 2023, 06:22:37 AMQuote from: garbon on September 25, 2023, 06:16:28 AMHey, I don't know if this has been asked but is that Musk playing Thrawn?
I'm guess I made a dumb/obvious observation? :lol:
Go back a page.:P
:blush:
I don't read this thread much
Thrawn is played by Lars Mikkelsen (who also voiced him in Rebels). He also plays Stregobor in The Witcher.
Quote from: Solmyr on September 26, 2023, 02:54:15 AMThrawn is played by Lars Mikkelsen (who also voiced him in Rebels). He also plays Stregobor in The Witcher.
He played Putin in House of Cards, too. :lol:
Quote from: Solmyr on September 26, 2023, 02:54:15 AMThrawn is played by Lars Mikkelsen (who also voiced him in Rebels). He also plays Stregobor in The Witcher.
He's also a shoe in for the Elon Bio pic :D
Quote from: HVC on September 26, 2023, 03:35:09 AMQuote from: Solmyr on September 26, 2023, 02:54:15 AMThrawn is played by Lars Mikkelsen (who also voiced him in Rebels). He also plays Stregobor in The Witcher.
He's also a shoe in for the Elon Bio pic :D
Elon will probably wave an antique gun around and demand to play himself.
Good fun action episode, with some light banter. And senate hearings! :w00t: :P
Loved all the Sabine/Ezra bickering. :D
I thought it was a bit weak for a preseason finale. The scenes taken by themselves were ok/fun, but ultimately felt very lightweight.
Also, despite all speculation, the nighttroopers look like regular human stormtroopers afterall.
Yeah, but I'm ok with that. Not everything needs to do something super special.
Agreed that it leaves seemingly a lot to wrap up next week. Maybe we get a 90 minute episode? :P
This episode, more than any other previously, very much captured the tone and feel of Clone Wars and Rebels (having a deliberate callback to Tales of the Jedi obviously helped :D ). If that's a pro or a con depends on the beholder.
I did like showing off that Thrawn is a bit more meticulous and thoughtful with his tactics instead of just throwing bodies at problems without regard for the bigger picture.
Quote from: Syt on September 27, 2023, 12:21:13 PMYeah, but I'm ok with that. Not everything needs to do something super special.
You're right, but I'll contend that the penultimate episode of a show is one of those occasions where I would like special things to happen :P
Compare this to, i.e. "The Believer"
I think that's a problem with the series structure vs release schedule. Heavily serialized shows like Ahsoka (or Obi-Wan) would probably be better released in one go so you can just binge then. They're essentially über-long movies where each episode can rarely stand on its own.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds or Lower Decks with their more self-contained stories (overarching story, uhm, arcs notwithstanding).
That was pretty rough. Yet another example of what happens when not-very-smart people write super-geniuses without assistance.
How did Thrawn "win"? Because he flung bodies at the problem. So smart!
How did the good guys manage to almost "win"? Bravery!
All the pulp with none of the wit.
I'm ok with that. In hindsight, the last two episodes could have been merged into one. Thrawn throwing people at the problem - well, what's his option? He needs time. I don't think he does it for no good reason. I would have preferred if it had been Baylan who threw a spanner into his machinations, though (the variable he couldn't control).
I also would have preferred what was frequent speculation in recent weeks - that they return to the planet with the star map and with his beat up ISD takes out the three modern New Republic ships to show his acumen, but alas.
But I'm mostly annoyed by the serious plot blue balls Baylan leaves me with, not helped by Ray Stevenson's untimely death.
I thought the show was fine - I saw it mostly as a continuation of Clone Wars/Rebels in live action, and I think it delivered on that. I will admit it was hugely helped by being familiar with most of the moving parts (Thrawn, Sabine, Ahsoka, the Witches of Dathomir, Ezra, Hera, Jacen, Huyang, Purgill etc.), and they added new fun stuff (Peridia, Night Troopers, etc.). On personal level it focused very much on the relationship between Ahsoka and Sabine which was a bit weird, considering their "history" happened completely off screen. :hmm:
Bit surprised that Ezra hasn't changed much in 10 years among the crab people?
At any rate, my personal ranking of live action Star Wars shows in this moment:
Andor
Mando S1
Ahsoka
Mando S2
Mando S3
Book of Boba Fett & Obi-Wan Kenobi
I generally enjoyed BoBF and OWK, but thought they were quite messy (e.g. BoBF told out of order with unnecessary flashbacks, taking a detour to Mando S2.5 and not giving enough room to the main character; OWK seemingly unsure what kind of story to tell, rushed and not making very good use of the Volume). They had compelling components, assembled very awkwardly.
My main concern with the end of this season is that it sets up again high stakes (Baylan's mysterious quest! Shin as chief of the raiders! Sabine and Ahsoka ... ? Thrawn and the Witches!) that will then suddenly be resolved within an episode or two, like in Mando S3.
Random thoughts:
- Baylan standing on that statue at the end ... 1. Foundation had a very similar scene this season :D 2. More LotR homages - https://lotr.fandom.com/wiki/Argonath ). Also, basically Mt. Doom in the distance. :P (Also, the statue was The Father from the Mortis arc, with the Son next to him)
- The good guys were not in much of a hurry to get to Thrawn at the start. Ok, you want to make sure the crab dudes are safe, but come on ...
- Not a huge fan of the Witches in general (since Clone Wars), but it was still fun seeing their stuff in action ... and just in time for Halloween month :P I guess I'm not a fan of having literal witches in my stories about space wizards :D
- Ezra ... why didn't you take off your stormtrooper armor (at least the helmet!!) before exiting the shuttle? Do you like to get shot? Because this is how you get shot. :rolleyes: :P Though it was a nice bookend to the Season start - people looking like Jedi coming on board a Republic ship turning out to be hostile, and now a Stormtrooper coming on board turning out to be friendly. "It's like poetry ... it rhymes." (George Lucas) :D
- Episode titles. I like me a good pun or reference episode title, but it feels weirdly out of place for Star Wars. Ep. 2 was "Toil and Trouble," taken from Macbeth's three witches:
Quote"Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and caldron bubble.
Fillet of a fenny snake,
In the caldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt and toe of frog,
Wool of bat and tongue of dog,
Adder's fork and blind-worm's sting,
Lizard's leg and howlet's wing,
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.
Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and caldron bubble.
Cool it with a baboon's blood,
Then the charm is firm and good."
Though Ep. 8 takes it a bit too far IMO: "The Jedi, The Witch, and The Warlord" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lion,_the_Witch_and_the_Wardrobe) .... really, Filoni? Really? We know you like your very unsubtle references, but come on. :rolleyes:
Yeah, the episode title was a bit "eh what? Really"?
Regarding Thrawn, the show did need some actual proof of him being a military genius. Just not being incompetent and using his forces to fight delaying actions doesn't cut it. You need to establish why he's such a huge threat.
And yeah, was surprised they didn't advance the Shin/Baylan storyline. But, if this sets up a new show with Sabine/AT/Shin/Baylan with weird force gods in another galaxy, heh, I'll watch that. Problem is Ray Stevenson though :( - I guess they'll recast him?
Overal, I enjoyed the show, but I don't think it offers much to those who have not bought in already. I found myself basking more at the technical artistry of it (the visuals, the lightsaber coreography, the acting from several members of the cast, the soundtrack) than being drawn by its storytelling.
Dumb question. How did Huyang know Kanan Jarrus? That was an assumed name to hide from the Empire. He was Caleb Dume when he trained as a Jedi. I guess we don't know what Huyang has been doing all these years though.
He did refer to him as Caleb while Ezra called him Kanan ... I guess Ahsoka/Sabine might have talked to him about it at some point?
He wasn't aware that he was Ezra's master though, weird to forget that bit if they discussed Jarrus with him.
The passable explanation is that Yuhang was involved in that Jedi underground railroad at some point, and he learnt that Caleb was now using the Kanan identity.
I don't expect there will be a season 2, so your fear are unwarranted Syt.
We'll get many movies.
Well, we have Acolyte coming, but that's set at the end of the High Republic Era and IIRC ca., 100 years before Phantom Menace? There's also Skeleton Crew, a show about kids on a starship (Jacen?). Lando has been switched from show to movie. Bad Batch S3 is still out. There's the show set at "the dawn of the Jedi order" 25,000 or so years ago, and the Ahsoka "event movie", but not sure if they throw in another season first? Of course the writers strike will have thrown off all kinds of planning, I'd assume.
Quote from: Syt on October 05, 2023, 12:25:00 AMWell, we have Acolyte coming, but that's set at the end of the High Republic Era and IIRC ca., 100 years before Phantom Menace? There's also Skeleton Crew, a show about kids on a starship (Jacen?). Lando has been switched from show to movie. Bad Batch S3 is still out. There's the show set at "the dawn of the Jedi order" 25,000 or so years ago, and the Ahsoka "event movie", but not sure if they throw in another season first? Of course the writers strike will have thrown off all kinds of planning, I'd assume.
There's also the SAG strike still running. I don't expect meaningful announcements until that is resolved.
Quote from: Habbaku on October 03, 2023, 09:16:47 PMThat was pretty rough. Yet another example of what happens when not-very-smart people write super-geniuses without assistance.
How did Thrawn "win"? Because he flung bodies at the problem. So smart!
How did the good guys manage to almost "win"? Bravery!
All the pulp with none of the wit.
Thrawn also seemed to forget about his best option, recall his mercenaries to lead the delaying action.
A show built around Ashoka had a lot of promise. They made a poor live action postscript for rebels instead.
Andor proved they can make a good show. But I guess only when they don't get bogged down trying to do fan servicing.
I seemed to remember reading that Andor was basically made despite Disney, they had attempted to find other show runners, but the sheer amount of content pour out had thinned pool of available acceptable (i.e., writers dedicated to the brand) writers.
Quote from: Oexmelin on October 07, 2023, 10:45:48 AMI seemed to remember reading that Andor was basically made despite Disney, they had attempted to find other show runners, but the sheer amount of content pour out had thinned pool of available acceptable (i.e., writers dedicated to the brand) writers.
That's not really true. Disney was happy to fire the showrunner they already had in place when Gilroy showed interest. Gilroy has (had?) lot of clout at Disney, Rogue One made a ton of money for them and Gilroy is always credited for "saving" that film with his rewrites/reshoots.
I'm on a bit of a Star Wars kick after wearing my old Rebel Alliance Pilot outfit for Halloween. As such, I'm trying to read some of the early Rebellion things like the (so far really fun) Leia book, the Rogue One prequel novel Rebel Rising, the Leia comic, and the Battlefront book Twilight Company.
Now comes my question for all of you who kept/keep up with things:
I have been wanting to watch Andor since it came out but, due to mental health issues, haven't yet. Is there anything I should *really* read or watch prior? I've seen all of the theatrically released movies, most of The Clone Wars series, and none of the other things book, comic, tv show, or game related. Oh! Except Dr. Aphra. Plus the now "Legends" stuff like older books, the Ewoks movies/cartoons/comics, High Republic era material, and the KotOR games.
(For entertainment, here's a selfie I took while on my way to a Halloween party in my costume)
368074358_6716852358395651_7620518149934963543_n.jpg
I have never read any new canon Star Wars comic or book and I enjoyed Andor thoroughly. Honestly, I think it's a show that even a non-Star Wars fan can understand and enjoy. Precious little callbacks to anything outside of the show's universe. Not even Rogue One is required viewing, imho (it's a prequel afterall).
So.. I started watching Obi-Wan. The kidnappers hunting Leia in the forest was cringeworthy and more like a small kids show. My kid, age 10, happened to watch with me and I asked him how far he would have got if I chased him, "not far" he said. Would have been ok in a film targeted to the 5-7 demographic, not in a tv show that adults are supposed to watch...
But it made me realize that kid has never watched star wars proper, so we started watching episode IV instead. The burned corpses of uncle and aunt hits different in light of what happened in Israel. Lots of weird changes since I last watched it, small ratlike rodents going around, skeletons in the background and so on, apparently the guy Han murdered shoots back and so on.
But he liked it and want to watch the next one.
I've found this edit to be absolutely amazing and well worth downloading and watching over anything Disney or Lucas have released since the early VHS era:
https://swrevisited.wordpress.com/
Great costume, Sophie. :)
Quote from: Syt on November 07, 2023, 02:09:42 AMGreat costume, Sophie. :)
Thank you! I was going for a bit of an Evaan Verlaine look. Any suggestions on modern Star Wars things to check out? If memory serves, you're one of the big fans here. :)
I'm not keeping up much anymore. Every once in a while I look into the comics or books, but then I give up because there's just so much. :D I love Dr Aphra, though I'm nowhere near up to date on her stories.
On the books I have read, I've enjoyed a lot (you mentioned some of them above, not sure if you read them?):
- Twilight Company (a military fiction book about a Rebel unit following the retreat from Hoth)
- The Aftermath Trilogy has a VERY divisive writing style - its the strongest in the first book and calms down a bit in book 2 and 3. It looks at, well, the Aftermath of the Battle of Endor up to the Battle of Jakku. It's focused on new characters, mostly, but a few familiar faces have cameos. It has some "cut away" scenes where it details short scenes across the galaxy of how people deal with the change, some of which introduced a guy called Cobb Vanth. ;) It also added some of my favorite characters in the expanded universe: Sinjir Rath Velus (a former Imperial Commissar Loyalty Officer who throws in with the New Republic), Jas Emari (a female Zabrak bounty hunter), Mr Bones (a B1 battle droid turned into a like singing, dancing murder machine with the personality of a loyal puppy), and features Grand Admiral Rae Sloane as one of the main characters on the Imperial side.
- Catalyst: the Rogue One prequel novel. Gives a lot of backstory to Galen Erso and Orson Krennic and leads nicely into their animosity at the start of the movie and Krennic's hatred for Galen's wife.
- Lost Stars: story about star crossed lovers of different social backgrounds from a backwater planet joining the Rebellion. One of them then defects to the Rebels. They're (a bit implausibly :P ) involved in all major turning points of the original trilogy, but tells a quite good story from the "ground level" of both Rebels and Empire and one character torn between loyalty and morality. It also tries to give a face to the Imperials and how some of them rationalize their being part of the regime.
- Dark Disciple: a story between Quinlan Vos and Asajj Ventress who are tasked with assassinating Count Dooku during the Clone Wars. Was supposed to be a Clone Wars arc to giev them a conclusion within the show, but was then turned into a novel after series cancelation.
- The High Republic. I've only read the first two books (and some comics), but mean to go back to it, as it reviews very well. Set about 200 years before the original trilogy, it shows the old Jedi Order dealing with threats. I've read Light of the Jedi (Jeremy Soule) and Into the Dark (Claudia Gray) and enjoyed both a lot. The former is a fast paced action adventure showing the Jedi being faced with what's basically a 9/11 style disaster that threatens multiple worlds and their immediate response and trying to find the culprits (it's across multiple books). Into the Dark has a few Jedi and a motley crew of characters (Geode being a standout :D ). Bit spooky, bit light hearted. And some comics that dealt with some Lovecraftian plant horror on a remote planet. Overall enjoyed what I read of it, and it introduces a whole host of characters. Fan reaction is quite positive, there's twists and turns and the setting gets a lot of praise for its diverse range of characters, including good queer representation that's still not quite there in live action (the Aftermath books also were quite good on that ... in this cis white male's opinion, at least :P ).
I only read the first Thrawn book, but haven't read the others. I don't think it was a bad story, but I can't stand Zahn's style of writing (but I liked Aftermath which many hate for its style, so your mileage may vary A LOT).
I really enjoyed the first "From a Certain Point of View" book, a book with short stories (mostly) about the secondary/background characters in A New Hope. It has some hilarious stories, some really weird ones (e.g. if you ever wanted to know what was going through the Dianoga's "head" when she met Luke in the trash compactor), some very emotional ones. "Of MSE-6 and Men" is *chef's kiss* :lol: There's the same for Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, but I haven't read those yet. The canon status of these stories is ... shaky. I suppose they are the truth ... from a certain point of view. ;)
Haven't read too many comics. It does the Marvel thing where you will have plenty crossover events, or series re-starting at #1 after a few years. The initial Darth Vader run was quite good, though. I really liked what I've read of Doctor Aphra.
As for authors - I've read two books by Claudia Gray and enjoyed both a lot (Lost Stars, Into the Dark). Her books are labeled "Young Adult" but don't let that put you off. I haven't read her other books, but based on those two I wouldn't hesitate giving them a try.
Thank you so much! :hug:
Twilight Company is in my stack I nabbed from the library and I'm excited to dive into it. I love Hoth and ground level/non-primary characters stories.
Aftermath sounds amazing! I saw the ratings were all over the map, but it definitely sounds like something I'd love.
I'm sad I missed Catalyst in my reading efforts as I recall a friend of mine liking it when he told me about it when it first released. Maybe I'll try to sneak it in soon.
Lost Stars sounds interesting... minus the being shoehorned into all of the major events. That type of thing has always kind of annoyed me.
I've read a lot of the first phase of High Republic books of every reading level and love them all. They really helped to breath new life into my love of Star Wars after years spent struggling to find enjoyment in the universe with all of the negativity, disappointment, and horribly toxic fanboys. I plan on finishing things off at some point, though the Age of Rebellion has kind of jumped into the hotseat of my interest at the moment.
I've never really cared for Zahn or Thrawn outside of when the books first released. I was a kid who was starved for Star Wars content and didn't mind his plots. Now? Eh... last time I tried to read Heir to the Empire I couldn't finish it due to annoyance with things.
From a Certain Point of View sounds a lot like the "Tales from..." books in the, now, Legends/EU era. I recall loving the Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina book in particular.
Dr. Aphra is amazing! I read the first run of her series and definitely plan on reading the ensuing ones as well. I have a total crush on Magna Tolvan. Sloppy! :lol:
Thank you again for the rundowns and recommendations! :cheers:
Quote from: Sophie Scholl on November 07, 2023, 05:04:38 PMThank you so much! :hug:
No worries. :)
QuoteFrom a Certain Point of View sounds a lot like the "Tales from..." books in the, now, Legends/EU era. I recall loving the Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina book in particular.
Those were by far my favorite EU books. I've always been more interested in new characters in the setting and less in the strong focus on the main trio of Han/Luke/Leia (which is understandable commercially, but I preferred the setting to become wider).
I haven't read the Alphabet Squadron books yet - they're set after ROTJ, but they're supposedly also really good.
So, my kid made me watch episode 1. That is a horrible movie. It has not in any sense of the word aged well. The effects are horrible and the acting and story atrocious.
The original movies have all aged well, except the modern digital additions, but this crap fest is horrible in every way. If it wasn't a Star Wars movie it would be a laughing stock like Battlefield Earth, but that movie at least had some qualities so perhaps it would just be forgotten.
Quote from: Threviel on November 16, 2023, 04:13:58 AMSo, my kid made me watch episode 1. That is a horrible movie. It has not in any sense of the word aged well. The effects are horrible and the acting and story atrocious.
The original movies have all aged well, except the modern digital additions, but this crap fest is horrible in every way. If it wasn't a Star Wars movie it would be a laughing stock like Battlefield Earth, but that movie at least had some qualities so perhaps it would just be forgotten.
I mean I will agree that the digital effects of the late 90s have aged more poorly than the practical effects of the late 70s.
It's also not a great movie for sure.
But it is an interesting movie.
The problem is slapping an "Episode I" title on it. This movie should absolutely not be your first introduction to Star Wars. You're much better watching in the order of release. Because if that's what you're doing you already know the characters of Anakin Skywalker, of Obi-Wan, and C-3PO and R2-D2. And it's interesting then to see these much younger characters in such a different position of their life.
Most of the action set-pieces are lame, although kids might like the pod-racing. The Qui-Gon / Obi-Wan /Darth Maul battle however (together with the excellent Dual of the Fates song) is very well done.
As a first appearance villain (without subsequent revamping and recharacterization) Maul is a better/cooler villain than Vader. Come at me!
Are you guys saying we need a Prequel Trilogy Special Edition? :o :w00t:
If you think Phantom Menace's computer effects aged badly, don't watch Attack of the Clones...
Quote from: celedhring on November 17, 2023, 02:19:07 AMIf you think Phantom Menace's computer effects aged badly, don't watch Attack of the Clones...
I think it's mostly the Battle of Geonosis and the final shot of the clones boarding the ships etc. I think later seasons of Clone Wars and episodes of Bad Batch look a lot better. :D
Is Ahsoka the first time we got actual live action clone troopers in an action scene? I'm not rewatching Revenge of the Sith to clear it up :D
I think it is. I believe in ROTS they were still CGI/mo-capped
Quote from: celedhring on November 17, 2023, 02:19:07 AMIf you think Phantom Menace's computer effects aged badly, don't watch Attack of the Clones...
The kid will be watching the rest of the prequels alone... They truly deeply suck.
I will join back in when we jump to episode 7 after 3. Perhaps I can finally watch 8 and 9.
Quote from: celedhring on November 17, 2023, 04:02:27 AMIs Ahsoka the first time we got actual live action clone troopers in an action scene? I'm not rewatching Revenge of the Sith to clear it up :D
You need to watch the last part of Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith to clear it up, yes.
I'm busy right now. It seems I have missed parts of
The Last Kingdom when it aired...
Ok, I'll be nice:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZnL4mcU5dg
Parts of the fighting scenes seem live action, but most of it look CGI.
Order 66 seem mostly live action in RotS:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wa9gRCSFptQ
Quote from: viper37 on November 17, 2023, 07:26:43 PMOrder 66 seem mostly live action in RotS:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wa9gRCSFptQ
Clone troopers look CGI'd to me.
Quote from: Threviel on November 17, 2023, 04:49:41 AMQuote from: celedhring on November 17, 2023, 02:19:07 AMIf you think Phantom Menace's computer effects aged badly, don't watch Attack of the Clones...
The kid will be watching the rest of the prequels alone... They truly deeply suck.
I will join back in when we jump to episode 7 after 3. Perhaps I can finally watch 8 and 9.
Ep 7 is a fun nostalgia-fest.
Ep-8 is deeply divisive in the Star Wars community. I think it's one of the best - others deeply disagree.
Ep09 is worse than any of the prequels. Come fight me.
7 is inoffensive. 8 sucks. 9 makes 8 look like a cinematic and story telling masterpiece.
The prequels are better than the sequels. Woe to you in watching them if your dislike the prequels.
According to Wookieepedia:
QuoteThe Prequel trilogy clone troopers were created through computer-generated imagery. In Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones, the school-aged clones were played by Daniel Logan, the young adult versions by Bodie Taylor, and the mature versions by Temuera Morrison.[3]
For Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith, Morrison wore a blue bodysuit to play troopers Cody, Odd Ball, and Jag. The suit was later digitally replaced with computer-generated clone armor.
I think the first live action clone armor would be the begging veteran in Obi-Wan. I'm not sure the ones in one of the Andor flashbacks were cgi? Ahsoka was definitely the first time we saw them in live action in combat using real people/armor
Relive some Mythbusters shenanigans with this Adam Savage video with the creator of the first live action Clone Armor utilized in a series (Obi and Andor).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XafNCiLgmTs&ab_channel=AdamSavage%E2%80%99sTested
Watched Star Wars (aka episode 4) with out exchange student today. She'd never seen it before.
Damn - that movie still slaps 40+ years later. You can't get a more perfect action/adventure movie.
What did she think of it? Do you plan on continuing with the other originals?
Quote from: Barrister on November 19, 2023, 01:47:49 AMWatched Star Wars (aka episode 4) with out exchange student today. She'd never seen it before.
Damn - that movie still slaps 40+ years later. You can't get a more perfect action/adventure movie.
The Death Star trench run is still a fantastic action scene 40 years later imho.
Quote from: HVC on November 17, 2023, 11:53:19 PM7 is inoffensive. 8 sucks. 9 makes 8 look like a cinematic and story telling masterpiece.
The prequels are better than the sequels. Woe to you in watching them if your dislike the prequels.
7 is decent. Though basically 3/4 a remake of the first film.
8 on its own merits is... Soso. A small scale bottle episode of a film. But as episode 8 it's ridiculous. It totally trashes what 7 setup and leaves 9 an impossible task to finish up.
9...it was a difficult to make film. But very forgettable. I deduce possibly the poorest of the 3 though much of this was 8s fault.
The prequels are weird. I found them poor and only enjoyable in their relation to the originals.
Though speaking to people a decade or more younger than me for whom the prequels have always been things that existed, some of them only know star wars as the prequels... And some like it nonetheless.
The new films are stuck between being a complete reboot for a new generation and still winking at the dad's and being something for established fans. Which leads to not really suceding at either.
Looking at listed apartments in Vienna and checking the surroundings of some of them. Ran into the "Anton-Krieger-Gasse", named after a village mayor from the early 1900s when that area wasn't part of Vienna yet.
Thought, "that name rings a bell, but don't know why." Googled it. One of the top results:
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Anto_Kreegyr
:lol: :nerd:
The Star Wars Visions shorts are absolutely amazing. I'm almost through the second season and really, really hope there is a third (and many more) to come!
Quote from: Sophie Scholl on November 19, 2023, 07:28:47 AMWhat did she think of it? Do you plan on continuing with the other originals?
She liked it, and proceeded to watch Empire right after.
Star Wars Undertakes Universe-Shaking Changes After
Ahsoka (https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2023/11/star-wars-ahsoka-dave-filoni)
QuoteDave Filoni has a new mission in the Star Wars universe after guiding Rosario Dawson's Force-wielding hero to distant celestial realms in the first season of Ahsoka. The writer-producer-director, who started out working alongside George Lucas on the animated Clone Wars show nearly two decades ago, has ascended to a new position at Lucasfilm—one that will give him input into all the galactic storytelling going forward.
"Now I'm what's called chief creative officer of Lucasfilm," Filoni tells Vanity Fair, which places him into the development process much earlier and in a much more expansive capacity than his previous advisory duties. "In the past, in a lot of projects I would be brought into it, I would see it after it had already developed a good ways."
Filoni will now work more directly with Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and alongside Carrie Beck, a veteran producer turned head of development, to originate and shepherd the next generation of Star Wars shows and movies. After spending many years involved in the creation of Star Wars animation, including the Rebels series, he became increasingly involved in live-action as a producer with Jon Favreau on the The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. "In this new role, it's opened up to basically everything that's going on," Filoni says. "When we're planning the future of what we're doing now, I'm involved at the inception phase."
[...]Might not be a bad move. I think Filoni is like Lucas, good at the big picture, not so good at the details of the story.
Kathleen Kennedy being edged out the door?
Quote from: HVC on November 21, 2023, 05:28:31 PMKathleen Kennedy being edged out the door?
Maybe?
Kennedy might be preparing her departure, she might move up the ladder. She has taken a lot of flack, but SW ain't the only franchise of Disney that's under performing. She's only in charge of LF. Besides, WB isn't doing any better with their super heroes.
They really don't like Kathleen Kennedy
A lot of the flak could have been avoided by bringing the old gang back together and giving them a good send-off.
And the virtue-signalling combined with bad writing didn't help either.
I find it funny how parts of the fandom are attributing all successes to Filoni and all failures to Kennedy :lol:
Quote from: Syt on November 22, 2023, 02:09:08 AMI find it funny how parts of the fandom are attributing all successes to Filoni and all failures to Kennedy :lol:
Filoni has his issues too, let there be no mistake.
Who was most responsible for the sequels? They'll get my scorn
Filoni's certainly no failproof - Ahsoka's writing was surprisingly weak - but he's been part of all the best Star Wars stories since the OT not made by Tony Gilroy. More than willing to see what he comes up with.
Quote from: HVC on November 22, 2023, 02:57:49 AMWho was most responsible for the sequels? They'll get my scorn
I think the problem is that the answer is "nobody". There was absolutely no plan to them.
Quote from: celedhring on November 22, 2023, 03:04:47 AMQuote from: HVC on November 22, 2023, 02:57:49 AMWho was most responsible for the sequels? They'll get my scorn
I think the problem is that the answer is "nobody". There was absolutely no plan to them.
A lack of plan falls to the top person, so Kennedy it is! Boo Kennedy, boo! :P
I've read that it was the woke mobs who are ultimately responsible for ruining the sequels. Is this true?
How were the sequels supposed to be woke?
Quote from: celedhring on November 22, 2023, 03:04:47 AMQuote from: HVC on November 22, 2023, 02:57:49 AMWho was most responsible for the sequels? They'll get my scorn
I think the problem is that the answer is "nobody". There was absolutely no plan to them.
I guess the thinking was that there was no plan for the original trilogy and that turned out fine, so...
But absolutely - you know you're going to make three of these things - how can you not sketch out the story in advance?
Quote from: Jacob on November 22, 2023, 11:03:17 AMHow were the sequels supposed to be woke?
Too many women and POC.
No, really. I believe that's it. There was no white male protagonist.
Quote from: Jacob on November 22, 2023, 11:03:17 AMHow were the sequels supposed to be woke?
The hero was a female. There was also a subtle hint that Poe was gay.
Young straight males everywhere are left heroless. Not a single example left to follow anywhere. ;)
Quote from: Jacob on November 22, 2023, 11:03:17 AMHow were the sequels supposed to be woke?
FunkMonk has been making a number of witty tongue in cheek comments in a number of threads over the last while.
Quote from: crazy canuck on November 22, 2023, 05:41:26 PMQuote from: Jacob on November 22, 2023, 11:03:17 AMHow were the sequels supposed to be woke?
FunkMonk has been making a number of witty tongue in cheek comments in a number of threads over the last while.
The sequels weren't woke by any means, but if you do search from the usual suspects, you will find complaints that they were, for the reasons BB cited: a non white male lead and the inclusion of poc in the movies.
Actress Kelly Marie Tran was subject to verbal abuse online (https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/kelly-marie-tran-star-wars-embarassing-breakup-1234621164/) by so called SW fans.
And more about the controversies of the manbabies. (https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/a21205523/star-wars-kelly-marie-tran-harassment-controversy/)
I'm not a fan of the sequels, but it has nothing to do the gender or color of the characters. And I don't care about Kathleen Kennedy, I just thought the South Park video was funny because of the obsession some people have with her as if she somehow ruined SW. Bad storytelling in Hollywood was hardly invented by this lady.
Yeah the whole business has been ruined. She's only a part of it.
I finished the Queen's trilogy (Shadow, Peril, and Hope) by E.K. Johnston about Padmé and to a slightly lesser extent all of her Handmaidens with a focus on Sabé. I absolutely *loved* all of them. I am now excited about watching the Prequels again. I *never* thought that would happen, yet here we are! I'm not sure how well liked they'd be from the Languish community as almost every POV character is a woman and there is a lot of discussion of wardrobe choices and development as well as just teen to adult girls being girls. It really clicked with what I was looking for, though. If you have any women friends/significant others or daughters who would be interested, I definitely recommend them! Also, I really do not care for Anakin. At all. :lol:
I plan on reading Master & Apprentice by Claudia Gray about Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan and then starting my re-watch. Having already read the Leia book and one of the Rogue One prequels, and Twilight Company, I think I should be good to go with I, II, Clone Wars, III, Rebels, Andor, Rogue One, IV, V, VI. After that, I'll try to read the Aftermath and Alphabet Squadron books and see if they can get me excited for the sequels. We shall see...
Season 2 of Ahsoka now confirmed. Didn't think the first one was great, but didn't hate it either.
Also *another* movie announcement - a Mandalorian & Grogu vehicle directed by Favreau. :sleep: - that grogu merch won't move itself!
Even Star Wars Explained is cynical about the whole thing :D
They're both gonna be awful and I'm going to watch them anyway. I hate it.
Quote from: celedhring on January 09, 2024, 04:21:09 PMSeason 2 of Ahsoka now confirmed. Didn't think the first one was great, but didn't hate it either.
Also *another* movie announcement - a Mandalorian & Grogu vehicle directed by Favreau. :sleep: - that grogu merch won't move itself!
Even Star Wars Explained is cynical about the whole thing :D
mmm'kay. :mellow:
First two seasons of Mandalorian were awesome.
But then you had to go watch the Boba Fett series, which we didn't finish.
Then started Season 3 of Mandalorian, which felt confusing (because we hadn't watched Boba Fett), and stopped watching that as well. Plus the story seemed to well concluded after season 2, it was hard to tell why we were back to step 1.
I'm sure it's quite possible to tell an amazing Mandalorian and Grogu story. I'm just not confident they can pull it off.
Although if I were looking to put the best spin on this... John Favreau as director? He has a pretty decent record as a director. A little movie called Elf, plus Iron Man (and Iron Man 2), plus Chef?
Quote from: Habbaku on January 09, 2024, 04:35:00 PMThey're both gonna be awful and I'm going to watch them anyway. I hate it.
I blame you personally for this loop.
I'm looking forward to Ahsoka. Meh about Mando. Loved seasons 1&2, and 3 had its moments, but ultimately seemed too "fast" in how it resolved its conflicts. "Here's a big potential conflict!" - "Never mind, all good." Meh.
I wish they'd do more "new", like really new stuff instead of filling it all possible blanks for characters. Sure, a character like Mando or Ahsoka were new at soe point, but they'll get inevitably dragged into the "big story" all the time.
Give me a story about a plucky smuggler staying one step ahead of the law. Give me more Andor. Give me something about a Jedi 1000 years ago (or into th future) who just goes from planet to planet solving problems. (Tbf, I was already getting tired of all the Mandalorian stories in Clone Wars and Rebels by the end, even if those stories were great.)
There's this huge playground of a galaxy, and it keeps going back to the old and familiar. I've said it before - my favorite old EU books were Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina and Tales from Jabba's Palace, because it focused on different characters and backstories as opposed to yet another story about Luke & Co. fighting another Imperial Warlord, or Palpatine clone, or rogue Force user of some kind.
I guess that's why so many fans have glommed onto the High Republic content, because with it being set 200 years before Phantom Menace it provides a blank slate, blank canvas, etc. (kind of like the Tales of the Sith/Jedi comics did in the 90s by going back 5000 and 4000 years, same with the KotOR games that were - very loosely - based on the same setting).
Will I watch the new stuff? Sure. And I will probably have some fun with it. But I wish they could finally wave some of the "main" characers good bye, or at least "re-invent" them in a way that Star Trek seems to manage a lot better.
QuoteThere's this huge playground of a galaxy, and it keeps going back to the old and familiar. I've said it before - my favorite old EU books were Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina and Tales from Jabba's Palace, because it focused on different characters and backstories as opposed to yet another story about Luke & Co. fighting another Imperial Warlord, or Palpatine clone, or rogue Force user of some kind.
Yes.
Why is it always fucking Tattooine. That planet should be forbidden.
I've still yet to see Bobba Fett, Ashoka, or Mando series 3. Too much bad buzz.
I still haven't watched any of the shows outside of like... 1 or 2 episodes of Mando when it released. I'm getting there, though! I'm still on my Star Wars hyper fixation with some SWTOR playing, book and comic reading, and soon the long awaited rewatch/watching of movies and shows!
I agree that the main characters and era are waaaaay too heavily used. I've thought that since the Thrawn Trilogy. :lol: Apparently a big issue now is that the comics and other events being put out are all in-between Empire and Jedi which is only like a 9 month span. Not ideal. Especially when there is sooooo much else out there in terms of characters, eras, and concepts. They really need to start exploring that. Especially the post-Jedi and sequel trilogy era. It seems so barren to me and really in need of love and coherence. High Republic's final phase is kicking off and I still need to finish the first! Ugh! One day! :sleep:
We cancelled our Disney+ subscription after Ashoka. There's just no content worth watching and certainly not worth paying for.
I just watched the trailer for the 3rd season of Bad Batch, and I see that Ventress is featured in it. Now I'll have to take up the show again...
I didn't watch the second season past the first few episodes - didn't hate it, didn't love it, it kinda got lost in the shuffle of so many things to check out.
Quote from: Barrister on November 22, 2023, 11:05:32 AMQuote from: Jacob on November 22, 2023, 11:03:17 AMHow were the sequels supposed to be woke?
Too many women and POC.
No, really. I believe that's it. There was no white male protagonist.
Yeah, as if the sequels were not bad enough on their own, there's this incel QQ-ing to poison things as well.
Quote from: celedhring on January 23, 2024, 05:34:44 AMI just watched the trailer for the 3rd season of Bad Batch, and I see that Ventress is featured in it. Now I'll have to take up the show again...
I didn't watch the second season past the first few episodes - didn't hate it, didn't love it, it kinda got lost in the shuffle of so many things to check out.
Apparently it builds on her development in Dark Disciple, a newer book that features her and Quinlan Vos.
Quote from: Sophie Scholl on January 23, 2024, 11:10:12 AMQuote from: celedhring on January 23, 2024, 05:34:44 AMI just watched the trailer for the 3rd season of Bad Batch, and I see that Ventress is featured in it. Now I'll have to take up the show again...
I didn't watch the second season past the first few episodes - didn't hate it, didn't love it, it kinda got lost in the shuffle of so many things to check out.
Apparently it builds on her development in Dark Disciple, a newer book that features her and Quinlan Vos.
That Dark Disciple story was a canceled Clone Wars arc IIRC. The first half of S2 of Bad Batch was a bit all over the place. The second half picked up a fair bit IMO. That said, I don't mind stand-alone episodes. YMMV.
Yeah, I'm not super familiar with the Dark Disciple stuff, except that she's supposed to die in it. But I guess books/comics are canon until they aren't.
Anyway, I always liked Ventress because even with the inevitable "popular baddie undergoes a redemption arc" Star Wars malaise, she didn't become a 100% good guy (girl), she became a small-time criminal that just wanted to be left alone.
Ok, three episodes of Bad Batch already make this season IMO better than Mando S3 (RIP Greef Karga :( ). The emotional engagement is better, the action is better, and the pacing seems better. (And of course Kevin Kiner's score keeps being excellent.)
Quote from: Syt on January 10, 2024, 01:27:08 AMor Palpatine clone
He appeared in one comic book series only. Must have left an impression. :P
Quote from: Sophie Scholl on December 13, 2023, 03:14:14 AMI'm not sure how well liked they'd be from the Languish community as almost every POV character is a woman and there is a lot of discussion of wardrobe choices and development as well as just teen to adult girls being girls.
I don't mind POV characters being women. :)
But discussions about wardrobe choices... I'll give it a pass. :P
Quote from: Josquius on January 10, 2024, 04:59:56 AMWhy is it always fucking Tattooine. That planet should be forbidden.
I see you are a fan of Jakku.
I decided to go back and finish Phase I of The High Republic while I'm still in a Star Wars focus. I nabbed 7 different comics/YA books/books from the library and plan to add a few more when I finish these. The diversity in style and presentation is really great. :)
Quote from: Syt on February 21, 2024, 12:44:29 PMOk, three episodes of Bad Batch already make this season IMO better than Mando S3 (RIP Greef Karga :( ). The emotional engagement is better, the action is better, and the pacing seems better. (And of course Kevin Kiner's score keeps being excellent.)
Only seen Ep 1, but quite impressed. Ep 2 tonight with my boys.
Watched the first 3 with the son. I do wonder when did Star Wars became a universe about cloning.
Quote from: Grey Fox on February 26, 2024, 01:37:42 PMWatched the first 3 with the son. I do wonder when did Star Wars became a universe about cloning.
It's a story about a bunch of clones who escaped the Empire's control. Plus Omega is our macguffin clone that drives the story in part.
Other stories, set at other times, have little to nothing to do with cloning.
Quote from: Barrister on February 26, 2024, 01:46:55 PMQuote from: Grey Fox on February 26, 2024, 01:37:42 PMWatched the first 3 with the son. I do wonder when did Star Wars became a universe about cloning.
It's a story about a bunch of clones who escaped the Empire's control. Plus Omega is our macguffin clone that drives the story in part.
Other stories, set at other times, have little to nothing to do with cloning.
Everything the emperor, therefore the Empire, does is about cloning. Darth Sidious entire deal is about strand casting himself into immortality building on the works of Darth Plagueis.
At least GF will be happy.
Until Yoda shows up at least.
I am concern that the show might be too violent for me to watch it my 11 year old.
I'm so excited for this! I absolutely *love* The High Republic and this will have a few carryover characters from that series in it. Also, the distance from the usual movie characters and organizations, minus the Republic, is always fun. There is a lot more room for surprises, fun, and shedding light on new things in the galaxy.
I'm a simple person. Star Wars with wuxia gets my stamp of approval.
I'm out the moment they introduce the Juke Skywalker character and mention a prophecy.
Quote from: Habbaku on March 21, 2024, 01:04:46 PMI'm out the moment they introduce the Juke Skywalker character and mention a prophecy.
Fair.
I'm still quite enjoying Bad Batch though. The espisode that dropped yesterday, Ep 8 Bad Territory seemed like a bit of a filler, but the scene of Omega trying to teach Crosshair Wookie meditation was pretty amusing (while probably forming part of Crosshair's character arc).
Well, I'm glad these two episodes of Bad Batch were so light and cheerful. :ph34r:
Ok, now I have to hurry and watch? :ph34r:
No spoilers please. I have to wait until Saturday.
So a Morgan Elsbeth backstory and Barris post-story? I'll watch that.
Quote from: celedhring on April 04, 2024, 02:02:49 PMSo a Morgan Elsbeth backstory and Barris post-story? I'll watch that.
Yes, it seems like it's pretty good. Didn't really follow anything about it before this trailer. Comes about as a nice surprise. :)
Nice they bring back Jason Isaacs as grand inquisitor. :) Wish they had brought him in for Kenobi. <_<
Just watched these two episodes of The Bad Batch. Woah. I'm impressed.
Will wait for spoilers.
SPOILERS
I think we know where this is going. A certain character will have a serious crisis of identity now, and our hero will escape, likely will the remaining clones. The next episodes will be the buildup to that.