Official Star Wars Thread

[ShyViolet]

After the fact, though.

There were no prequels before Star Wars. Star Wars itself wasn't "Episode IV" until a 1981 reissue after Empire came out in 1980. Empire was shot as "Chapter II" (not even "episode") back in 1979. It was after SW success that Lucas retrofitted the backstory — hence the inconsistency in the SW dialogue — and made up the stuff about 7, 8 and 9, then it was a six-story arc, then back to nine, etc.

When it was shot and first released. Star Wars was Star Wars, plain and simple.

Yeah, you can definitely see that in the spectacular ending of Star Wars (AKA “A New Hope” ). I LOVE how this ending works both as a “more to come” teaser (which it wasn’t at all intended to be) as well as just a great ending to a great movie.

https://youtu.be/yixG8pfncOs?si=N41z_r5Rb9NSZirG

(BTW, I do agree that the prequels, despite all their weaknesses, are a definite cut above TST.)

[Ben]

Yes, the sequel trilogy (soon to have a fourth?) was a totally squandered opportunity, not only in hindsight but as it was actually happening!

[ShyViolet]

Yeah, and to think, they ACTUALLY got the original cast to act (not just appear) in it, and all three movies are still an absolute mess! How is that even possible?

To be completely honest, though, there are some parts of Rise of Skywalker that I enjoy, mostly because so much of it is a mishmash of Empire and Jedi (that’s Return Of!). Yes, JJ had no actual story to work with (just like with Force Awakens) but his direction wasn’t all bad. I really liked Rey turning out to be a Palpatine (although it felt completely unearned and very, VERY much “out of nowhere.”)

Second teaser for TFA:


https://youtu.be/wCc2v7izk8w?si=pyU9ESGtRw_aEW0E


So much potential!

[Ben]

Fixed Skywalker for ya.

The problem wasn’t TFA, aside from not introing Luke until the last 30 seconds, it was the misdirection that Johnson took The Last Jedi in. If Rise was the endgame — and we now know there WAS no endgame — then seeds could and should have been sown there, but in the end the things set up in Last Jedi didn't get paid off and we felt like we were missing at least a movie, or maybe *a whole trilogy*, between Last Jedi and Rise.

No planning whatsoever. Why didn’t Kasdan write at least an outline for all three? Why was it a pass the torch endeavor, only for the torch to be passed back when Colin Trevorrow's third bottomed out? Exactly why *was* Johnson allowed to upset the cart the way he did without Kennedy knowing what the direction was, especially with only a two year gap between releases? So many questions, such incompetence…

[ShyViolet]

If Rise was the endgame — and we now know there WAS no endgame — then seeds could and should have been sown there, but in the end the things set up in Last Jedi didn't get paid off and we felt like we were missing at least a movie, or maybe *a whole trilogy*, between Last Jedi and Rise.

Yes exactly! We’re just suddenly supposed to accept that Palpatine is alive even after the they teased that possibility in TLJ and then abandoned it just as quickly. Also, Luke goes from not caring about the Force/his friends anymore to sort of caring and then suddenly re-embracing everything towards the end of ROS…this might not have been THAT bad if only we had gotten some true insight into his character and WHY he was acting like this!

And Rey…not knowing or even having the slightest suspicion that she was “different”; in other words a potential Sith, throughout the first two films and apparently her entire life. (Why would she only think that she was “no one”?) On the one hand I really liked this plot twist, but on the other hand, it was executed SO awfully. It would have been so much better if Rey began training with Luke in TLJ, only to find out that there are dark sides of her nature, eventually realizing whose granddaughter she actually is. Maybe Luke realizes it first but doesn’t tell her? Maybe he struggles with having to decide whether or not to keep training her and risk unleashing further evil?

I also still can’t fathom why the heck Han was introduced in TFA only to be killed by his son three-quarters of the way through. He was hands down the best part of that film. And wonderful in the dream sequences. Why couldn’t they have had Luke help Han to use the Force for good and save his son from evil?

Anyway, TST films aren’t just bad SW films, but bad films, period.

[Ben]

Han dying was Ford's request and the only reason he’d come back at all, so it was always to be, the idea being that they’d reintro Luke and Leia and they would take the trilogy forward…but then they forgot to intro Luke, at least for any meaningful length of the film.

If Luke had sensed Rey had a dark side, he probably would have tried to kill her too!

But then Rey, in all her 20-odd years before TFA, had never exhibited any single Force sensibility, which I also find hard to believe given who she supposedly/apparently/conveniently turned out to be…