Star Wars VIII: The Last Jedi

[Totenkindly]

...Maybe Luke will tire of all the goody goody and strike everyone down with his anger, kill Rey, kill Kylo and rule the galaxy as the last force user completely uncontested. Huh? Popcorn dropping out of people's mouths on that ending.

"uh... well, here's what happened over the NC17 rating -- the screenwriter was also working on a Ted Bundy biopic and, well, he actually sent us the wrong script..."

 

[Population: 1]

"uh... well, here's what happened over the NC17 rating -- the screenwriter was also working on a Ted Bundy biopic and, well, he actually sent us the wrong script..."

I'd rather Ted than Snoke. Wtf kind of name is that for a villain? Snoke is a henchman's name.

Snoke, fetch the prisoners.

Snoke, scrub the interrogation chamber's floor.

Snoke, get me a Dark Side double chocolate chip brownie!

Honestly, you follow up Vader with the very unimaginative name Maul and then follow up him with a guy named Snoke?

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

I'd rather Ted than Snoke. Wtf kind of name is that for a villain? Snoke is a henchman's name.

Snoke, fetch the prisoners.

Snoke, scrub the interrogation chamber's floor.

Snoke, get me a Dark Side double chocolate chip brownie!

Honestly, you follow up Vader with the very unimaginative name Maul and then follow up him with a guy named Snoke?

It is a silly name, but Star Wars has always been known for silly names. Count Dooku sounds pretty ridiculous too

Even a name like Boba Fett wouldn't sound super intimidating if we didn't have the iconic imagery to associate with the name.

There are fan theories that Snoke was a dark side disciple or even an Inquisitor working for Palpatine, so he may have been little more than a glorified henchman in his youth, in which case the silly henchman name might be even more fitting.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

It is a silly name, but Star Wars has always been known for silly names. Count Dooku sounds pretty ridiculous too

Even a name like Boba Fett wouldn't sound super intimidating if we didn't have the iconic imagery to associate with the name.

There are fan theories that Snoke was a dark side disciple or even an Inquisitor working for Palpatine, so he may have been little more than a glorified henchman in his youth, in which case the silly henchman name might be even more fitting.

I think Snoke is Jar-Jar. His floppy ears were cut off by a lightsaber, and the ravages of the dark side rounded off his face.

Hey, it's better than the Snoke is Mace Windu theory.

 

[Population: 1]

It is a silly name, but Star Wars has always been known for silly names. Count Dooku sounds pretty ridiculous too

Even a name like Boba Fett wouldn't sound super intimidating if we didn't have the iconic imagery to associate with the name.

There are fan theories that Snoke was a dark side disciple or even an Inquisitor working for Palpatine, so he may have been little more than a glorified henchman in his youth, in which case the silly henchman name might be even more fitting.

Well if he was a mail room boy on the Death Star than that's excusable. Still though, it should be like being king. Change your name when you ascend to the throne. Snoke would have to be 100x more vicious than his predecessors just to give that awful name some fear inducing qualities.

 

[Lark]

I cant wait for the bit were Starlord, Rocket, Groot and co. all fly in and rescue the day! Yeeeeehhhhaaaaaa

 

[Totenkindly]

I think Snoke is Jar-Jar. His floppy ears were cut off by a lightsaber, and the ravages of the dark side rounded off his face.

Hey, it's better than the Snoke is Mace Windu theory.

Which reminds me of two alternate theories that would make the prequels far better than they were:

1. Jar-Jar as the Master Dark Sith Lord, whose many mistakes were actually an attempt to undermine the Alliance/Rebels. God, that salvages so much. Maybe this is a retroactive stab....

2. Assume that Obi-Wan and Padme were actually having an affair throughout Revenge of the Sith, as Anakin suspected. Damn, but it makes the movie so much better... and the line readings even work decently. It lends a lot of complexity to the interactions between Anakin and Obi-Wan as well.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

Apparently Ahmed Best said Lucas had bigger plans for Jar Jar. Rumor is Lucas changed his mind about making Jar Jar a sith lord when he saw the backlash. So I think the possibility of that ever coming to fruition in a future SW film dies when Lucas scaled back the character, as Disney seems to be making an effort to ignore the Prequels as much as possible.

I still like the idea of Snoke as a darkside Inquisitor or something, or perhaps even a darkside practitioner from a sect unaffiliated with the Sith, since Rogue One and other media have opened the door to multiple force-based religions. I know it's not as exciting as him being a character we are familiar with, but I think in a ridiculously huge fictional galaxy, not every single new character needs to be a previous character OR somehow related to other characters.

I think the filmmakers want people discussing who Snoke is because it generates more interest in the films, which means more tickets sold, but will likely have him revealed as someone who hasn't been seen before, or at most has only been mentioned in passing at some previous point.

 

[Totenkindly]

Definitely it is better for folks to be talking than ignoring. A decent mystery that allows viewers space to explore and discuss is good for ticket sales.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

Which reminds me of two alternate theories that would make the prequels far better than they were:

1. Jar-Jar as the Master Dark Sith Lord, whose many mistakes were actually an attempt to undermine the Alliance/Rebels. God, that salvages so much. Maybe this is a retroactive stab....

2. Assume that Obi-Wan and Padme were actually having an affair throughout Revenge of the Sith, as Anakin suspected. Damn, but it makes the movie so much better... and the line readings even work decently. It lends a lot of complexity to the interactions between Anakin and Obi-Wan as well.

I think number 2 was actually considered at some point, because an early draft of TPM had Padme showing romantic interest in Obi-wan (who was originally the main character and should have stayed that way, IMO.)

Apparently Ahmed Best said Lucas had bigger plans for Jar Jar. Rumor is Lucas changed his mind about making Jar Jar a sith lord when he saw the backlash. So I think the possibility of that ever coming to fruition in a future SW film dies when Lucas scaled back the character, as Disney seems to be making an effort to ignore the Prequels as much as possible.

Well, Kylo Ren mentioned a clone army at one point, so they haven't totally avoided referencing them, and I don't think they should. It would be cool to see the wreckage of a battle droid in a scrap heap or something, IMO. I'm just a sucker for continuity. It's why I liked things like the clones using brand new shiny Y-wings in the Clone Wars cartoon.

I think the filmmakers want people discussing who Snoke is because it generates more interest in the films, which means more tickets sold, but will likely have him revealed as someone who hasn't been seen before, or at most has only been mentioned in passing at some previous point.

I think this is the most likely.

 

[rav3n]

Another gray jedi vote since to kill the dark side, the jedi have to go as the dark side's equal and opposite balance.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

It could just reflect the fact that Luke is initially reluctant to train Rey because of what happened, but something changes his mind. It would be cool if it was something more than that, though. Some stuff hints that it goes into the history of the Jedi a little, so it's possible that it might, in fact, mean more.

Also, new photo of Snoke. He didn't make much of an impression on me in the last movie, but in the flesh, in full light he seems appropriately creepy and deformed. Kind of matches that gray area with the Emperor were you weren't sure at first if he was a human or something else. Pretty mild spoiler, but I'm enclosing it anyway.

View attachment 18799

 

[Totenkindly]

Honestly, this was good news to me.

Another 'Star Wars' director down: Colin Trevorrow exits 'Episode IX'

I was never thrilled that Trevorrow was tapped to complete the trilogy... mainly on the success of Jurassic World, which sure did draw in money to revitalize the franchise but wasn't actually that great.... it was just a summer blockbuster that didn't fail, versus being excellent. I then tried to be happy that Trevorrow was going to direct off a Rian Johnson script... and then it seemed like THAT wasn't happening either, he was doing his own scripting. Ehhhh.

So while I am not sure where they're going to go for someone to cap the trilogy, I can't say I'm disappointed over Trevorrow's departure.

 

[burningranger]

Yeah...I don't know what criteria they use to see who to cast as directior...but the guy who directed Jurassic World? Really?

Then again why did they pick Rian Johnson? Cause he directed Looper and because Looper can be classified as scifi (when SW is more like a fantasy movie anyway?)? I wasn't a big fan of Looper either...but it tops JW in terms of originality at least.

Just give it to Nolan. He's a huge SW fan. And he's the baws. Or give it to me. My taste is better than anyone else in the world.

 

[Totenkindly]

Well, Johnson's done a few movies of all different genres (Brick; The Brothers Bloom; Looper) and directed a few episodes of Breaking Bad, although one of those was "Ozymandias" (which pretty much is considered the capstone of the series).

So yeah, not a lengthy resume, but he can work cross-genre, writes unique pictures, and probably has the right admirers. If you want a "middle" movie that is off the beaten path to some degree with some psychological complexity/darkness, he's not a bad choice, and unlike some of the folks they were lobbing movies at, his movies all involved established actors and were each well-crafted. I guess that's the thinking. (he also seems amicable to work with, he's articulate and can connect with people.)

I'm kind of curious where he will take the second movie, since it's an established property and they probably don't want it too far off the deep end. How does that play out? I'm still trying to figure out what went so desperately wrong with Han Solo that they kicked The Lego guys off the film...

 

[Totenkindly]

'Star Wars: Episode IX' will be directed by J.J. Abrams

It's only been a week since Colin Trevorrow left (or was forced out of) the director's seat for Star Wars: Episode IX, but a familiar replacement is already lined up. J.J. Abrams, who you may know from such films as the Star Trek reboot, Super 8 and a little film called Star Wars: The Force Awakens will be writing and directing Episode IX. It's a very safe and familiar choice -- Abrams did an admirable job handling The Force Awakens, skillfully reviving the series after George Lucas' reviled prequel trilogy. Of course, there was also criticism that he played it too safe and essentially remade A New Hope, but all but the most jaded fans found his take on the universe to be a solid return for the long-dormant franchise.

...The choice of Abrams makes sense given the that Disney seems to want to play it safe with its investment in the Star Wars universe.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

'Star Wars: Episode IX' will be directed by J.J. Abrams

I'm ok with this, but please not another death-star like superweapon. That was really my biggest issue with VII; it really wasn't necessary and seemed like an afterthought, if anything. The climax could have just taken place at a First Order base and it wouldn't have to change that much. I might have been happier with Starkiller base if they had used it to blow up Coruscant instead of some planet we've never heard of before. But as it is.....

I think Episode VII (which I didn't hate, but I preferred Rogue One), would have been better if it had stuck more with the cat and mouse search for Luke Skywalker; throwing in a Super Death Star just muddies everything without adding anything. And I didn't like the way they were so glib about it, like "there's gotta be a way to blow it up." They only blew up the first one because of the weakness (which turned out to be sabotage rather than a design flaw), and the second one wasn't even finished. It shouldn't seem easier to blow up than either of the first two Death Stars.

 

[burningranger]

Hmm why do I feel both new episodes will not leave any lasting emotional impact on audiences? I just don't feel anything significant will actually happen.
They are gonna have to work on the emotional investement we have (or at least i have) with these characters....Luke theoretically would be a really exciting new development by itself...but ....as I tune into the force....I don't feel anything really special is in view.

I feel we'll have two more solid-average SW movies like ep VII. But the unquantifiable spark...might not be there. I fear more blandness.

 

[Totenkindly]

Hmm why do I feel both new episodes will not leave any lasting emotional impact on audiences? I just don't feel anything significant will actually happen.
They are gonna have to work on the emotional investement we have (or at least i have) with these characters....Luke theoretically would be a really exciting new development by itself...but ....as I tune into the force....I don't feel anything really special is in view.

I feel we'll have two more solid-average SW movies like ep VII. But the unquantifiable spark...might not be there. I fear more blandness.

Agreed. Mostly because they are guarding their property like crazy (although they did let Han die in the first installment). I like ballsy films.

Rian Johnson isn't Cary Fukunaga, but in all of his films he's not afraid to do some crazy stuff / kill characters / throw a plot on its head. I really hope they let him do some great stuff in The Last Jedi, at least. I just can't really tell right now where the film is going, especially seeing the heirs to the Ewoks.

Why can't people write some intense dark stuff without having to get all psychopathic and ultra-sick about it? It's pretty bad when a licensee (like the SWTOR property) is more interesting and intense in spots than the source.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

My jaw just dropped. It's going to be a long wait until December.