Star Wars: Discussion Thread =[ SPOILERS! ]=

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Perhaps it’s just two expansive and passionate of a topic to put into one thread, but I figured I’d give it a try. @moderators can feel free to rename the topic title if they feel it’s appripriate to do so.

I’ll start with this: I think the prequels need to be seriously re-examined. The criticism is far too harsh and they are far better than the general public gives them credit for

Over the past few days, I watched, as they’re titled, Episodes I, II, and III. There was quite a bit of dialogue and “set up” scenes that I had forgotten about which were well done. The actings isn’t awful, it’s just not good; average. In an earlier topic, a few members broke down their rankings of the movies, and I blieve I had Revenge of the Sith in the top 5 - I stand by that for sure, and perhaps would even move it up a notch.

The last 45 mintutes of Revenge of the Sith is so beautifully done, that if you’re as much of a SW dork as I am, it can move you to tears. The last breath of Padme, with the first breath of Darth Vader - incredible. The end shot at Tatooine, with his aunt and uncle in the iconic pose we all know Luke for - great. The music - great.

I have long held the belief, as the majority seems to, that the prequels are far inferior to the oringals, and overall “not good”. I take that back. They’re good - IMO, very good. The CGIs and the timing of their release to really hook in a whole new generation of fans can’t be under-appreciated. Will I say they’re better than the original triology? Of course not - but now mainly because it’s like trying to compare sport stars of different eras - the rules have changed.

I wonder, if 15 years from now, if I rewatch the newest releases, if I’ll feel the same way about them? I will say this: I don’t remember feeling as disappointed with the prequels during their time as I do about the FA, TLJ, and RoS - but - time will tell.

Thanks for reading and I look forward to chatting SW with many of you!

P.S. I just never did it, and I wish I had sooner, but I’m on season (edit:) 4 of the Clone Wars series - not bad!

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Although I’m firmly in the “original trilogy >>> all the rest” camp, I find I have trouble watching the first three movies any more because of Lucas’s innumerable edits and incessant tinkering with them. Basically, they’re not the same movies that enthralled me in the theaters back in the late 70s and early 80s, and that’s really a tragedy, imho.

That said, I’m willing to debate the prequels a bit, but don’t think I won’t play the “then there’s Jar Jar” card every time. :gwenrainbowbarf:

Considering the fact that the final trilogy had to wrap up more than 40 years of Star Wars history, it was pretty certain that the movies would fall short of expectations for many fans. However, I think JJ did a great job with FA and RoS. (Rian Johnson’s work on TLJ was pretty average, imo.)

As I said in the other thread, I hugely enjoyed Rogue One. I hope there will be more stories like it that feature new characters and tell tales in the SW universe. Conversely, I think the world could have done without Solo.

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I didn’t say anything last time… but please tell me you made a drinking game out of it, and had shots of something strong every time someone said: “MaY tHe FoRcE bE wItH yOu!” >.>

It may be the least terrible nu-SW stuff (I can’t honestly tell - 'tried watching the others several times, and fell asleep at some point without a fault), but man… I swear the storyboard meeting went something like this:

Uninspired corporate drone 1: I’ve got an idea! Everybody dies at the end! That’s so deep! Critics will go nuts!!

Uninspired corporate drone 2: Yeah, yeah! That’s a great idea! It worked for Game of Ice and Dragons, too! And there won’t be Jedi! Nobody’s going to see that coming! It’ll get so much coverage, we can slash marketing budget by 2.5%!

Someone who heard of Star Wars before: Hmm… we better had really solid characters then, and the story…

Management: Yeah, we really value your contributions, Steve, but we ran out of coffee. Would you mind…? Okay. Drones, this is an amazing concept! But before we move into production, remember we have to sell merchandise. So make sure to include a minimum of 10 random “cool” characters we can sell as action figures.

A critical corporate mind: Wait a moment… without guys in robes, how are people going to know this belongs to the Stellar Wars IP?

Management: Wasn’t there something about Power or Might or Magic? Just make sure the script makes mention of it every 90 seconds.

Uninspired corporate drones (in unison): Excellent idea!

Someone who heard of Star Wars before: I got the coffee - did I miss any…

Management: Meeting is concluded, story arc finalized. Thank you, Steve, I will take mine to go.

Don’t get me wrong - I like the idea of having a different focus, and of things not ending happily ever after. I love it, in fact. That’s what should have happened instead of prequels and sequels and whatever it was that was supposed to sell us space teddy plushies. But I just can’t get over what that conceptually sound approach turned into, because 0 ■■■■■ were given, the whole length of the road.

I won’t get started on Abrams. But I guess after he turned Star Trek into completely unrecognizable, generic action movie bullshit, it was only consequent to let him have a go at the other major Sci-Fi IP, too.
Ironically, he does a great job as long as he isn’t involved in the creative process in any way. Almost Human was terribly underrated, and still ranks among my favourite Sci-Fi shows, even with just one season to its name.

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I completely disagree. I think the story is fine and really brings a huge gravity and realization to just how much was sacrified to get the Death Star plans. If you think about the Star Wars original films, major characters with whom the audience connects mostly live and you don’t feel as much of a loss during the film. Yes, Alderaan is destroyed, but at the time of the release of the movie and for most fans, it doesn’t really impact the viewer. It’s just a display of the might of the Death Star. Obi Wan’s death also isn’t a big deal, because he clearly is willing to die, and he ends up staying a part of the story as a force Ghost. Yoda simply dies of age. Luke, Leia, Han, and Chewy all make it through - even side characters like Lando and Wedge make it through. Vader’s death is a “happy ending”.

Rogue One shows that the good guys maying it scot free t is most certainly not the case and there were several main players and characters responsible for the acquisition of the Death Star plans that ALL lost their lives. I liked Rogue One a lot!

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Oh, and season two of the Mandalorian is scheduled for an October 2020 release! pew pew!

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Sorry. In hindsight, I shouldn’t have posted that. I’m glad you finally got an addition to a franchise you’ve been following for so long, which you can enjoy.

It’s just that it didn’t meet my bar - and I’m sour. That may have drowned in my negativity, but I do think the premise had a lot of potential. However, people dying does not equal gravitas. Otherwise a slasher b-movie and a classical tragedy would be equally meaningful.

The Mandalorian looks vaguely more promising, but around here it’s limited to a Mickey Mouse pay-TV channel - and I’d rather join Luke’s Involuntary Lefty Club than hand them any money.
I’m mostly pissed they even pulled Clone Wars from the channel it used to air on, as that was pretty good. Oh well.

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So I just finished watching all the episodes of season 7 of the Clone Wars series. The last couple of episodes are well worth watching the entire season. Non-plot, but to get you hyped spoiler: George Lucas and Lucas Films directed and created the last couple of episodes. Dave Filoni, who did a great job with the series after having it handed down to him by Lucas, still must have been pumped to hand over the reigns for the final few episodes. Really, an epic ending to a great series - found myself having chills those last couple of episodes.

Check it out if you haven’t yet, and if you’ve never given the Clone Wars series a chance, I recommend you do! Far better than the prequel movies.

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Is Clone Wars on Disney+?

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Yes! I had never watched it before. Never gave it a chance, don’t know why. Watched all 7 seasons over the last 3 months. I’m sad I’m done! Onto Star Wars Rebels (I’ve heard it’s not as good as Clone Wars, but I’ll give it a shot)

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When you’ve finished the season/series, this article is a fun read. Overall, season 7 is great, specifically the last 4 episodes.

Enjoy!

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I just want to add, that imo, that the soundtrack from about the 5 minute mark of s7e11 through the ene of s7e12 is epic. It filled me with suspense (even though you already know the fate of the characters), sadness, curiosity, and excitement. I definitely couldn’t give the last 2 episodes more praise.

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I’ve made it far into season 2 of Star Wars Rebels, and I can certainly see why it doesn’t have the same gusto, reviews, and following of Clone Wars (and also why it was so awesome that they came out with a 7th season for Clone Wars!)

Rebels is still a pretty fun show to watch and the missions they go on are thought out and enjoyable enough to watch. Where I think Rebels went wrong is the entire cast is characters most Star Wars fans did not know about. There isn’t any connection. With Clone Wars, it’s a cast of characters with whom we’re all familiar. Ashoka was a bit of a gamble, as admited by the show creators, but she was familial to a cast we were familial with, giving it a chance to work (and boy did it). I think Rebels would have been a better show if it centered around Obi Wan and Yoda’s trainings after their exiles, a young Luke, and Leia, and then incorporating the cast they have into it. It’s suprising they didn’t follow a similar formula that worked so well for Clone Wars.

With that said, I’ll continue watching Rebls and finish the series.

@hazeleyes - have you had a chance to watch any of season 7 Clone Wars?

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Not yet! I haven’t watched TV in about 2 months – spring arrived, and I’ve been consumed with trying to improve the lawn/landscaping at my house :tractor: :sunflower: :house: :deciduous_tree:

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:star_struck::star_struck::star_struck:

I had no idea season 2 was starting tonight. The rumors alone of having a live-action Ashoka is enough to make me watch this, let alone the success I think the first season was.

Pew-pew!

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Yah, I’m hoping I am awake enough to watch this – otherwise I’ll catch up when I’m off work next week.

Did you know about the virtual red carpet event prior to the premiere? :point_down: