The Star Wars Thread

[Ronnie]

I think I was too harsh on the episode, watching it again it was much more enjoyable than first viewing and there were some fantastic bits throughout. I think one thing that's pretty clear is this season is a big step up from last year.

Spoiler

On 14/11/2020 at 6:13 PM, Julius said:

Though, I'm not crazy, right? Bo-Katan - in appearance - has aged insanely well for someone who has to be into her fifties at this point. I really was expecting to see a grey hair or too! Thought they might have aged Katee up a bit, but guess not!

Star Wars Explained jokingly suggested that because a big reason for skin aging is sun exposure, that since Bo-Katan is usually in her helmet, well...  pleased you enjoyed her showing up though, from what little I've seen of the character on Rebels, the transition seemed seamless.

On 14/11/2020 at 6:13 PM, Julius said:

but that's going to be such a weird adjustment. She really needs to nail it when she shows up. 

I know I'm not in a position to speak too much on Ahsoka, but to me acting ability comes first, and I have to assume Rosario Dawson is the winner there. Looks wise she's probably there as well. Anyway, fingers crossed.

On 14/11/2020 at 6:13 PM, Julius said:

My exact reaction was Hey, it's not Sabine! Oh wait, is that Sasha Banks?

I wonder if she was meant to be but then they saw her acting and was like... nah, just some random Mandalorian. Or maybe they just hired a feisty blue/purple haired woman to mess with the fans.

On 14/11/2020 at 6:13 PM, Julius said:

also really enjoyed The Passenger, but I don't know if I agree with the second part outright. Yes, a big part of this episode was the introduction of Bo-Katan, by far the biggest, but it wasn't just a simple case of her being introduced, pointing Mando towards Ahsoka, and that being that. I think there are some larger implications about the direction of the show which we can take from this episode and Bo-Katan being introduced, and it's probably the most we can extrapolate from an episode of the show so far. 

Fair enough, I guess I just meant the heist of the random weapons on the random Imperial ship. But yeah, obviously it's a huge set-up for the rest of the series, so I take it back.

Some random thoughts:

Love this guy. Love his jumper even more.

Terrible quality gif but this shot was absolutely incredible:

Just perfect.

They're certainly going through the usual biomes quickly on this show: urban, desert, ice, water and next week sounds like a forested planet.

 

[Julius]

Just finished Chapter 12, really enjoyed it! 

Spoiler

The interactions between The Child and Mando are always the highlight for me, and that opening with the little guy doing some wiring work was hilarious. And then he stole that kid's snack. And then he puked. Best character development confirmed 

Though the action was really well done in this episode, one or two cuts when escaping the base seemed a bit unnecessary (we don't need to see their every move when escaping), but other than that, really solidly handled throughout.

Seeing the Imperial troop transport in live-action again, this time in a chase sequence, was great, and that (and the Razor Crest turning up to finish them off the TIEs after) might be my favourite chase sequence in the series so far? Again, super well handled. 

Some nice Easter eggs in this episode, such as IG-11 in the square, which I thought was awesome. Music was great as always, think we got another new variation of the main theme when Mando lands and starts talking to Cara and Greef? Really liked how the episode rounded out with that New Republic officer talking to Cara a bit about Alderaan, music certainly helped with the scene, but I thought it was emotionally poignant, and not at all forced. 

Pretty sure everyone is going to be talking about that ending and what we saw in the Imperial base, though.

Pretty sure the troops we see at the very end are going to be Dark Troopers or some variation on them, as we already have Phase II as being canon from the Star Wars Commander mobile game (spoiler: I played it for a few hours, it was not fun) who are pretty much a dead ringer for what we see here with the Vader-esque helmet design (also reminds me a bit of some of the Kylo concept art for TFA). From the tubes, I'm guessing maybe cyborg? And maybe Force sensitive ones - to some extent - at that? 

I say that because I think it's pretty clear Gideon is trying to become a new Vader of sorts, and it wouldn't surprise me if he tried to make himself Force sensitive too, but at the very least, I think he wants a Force sensitive army. Hence the mention of M-Count....midichlorians are back, and they are here to stay! 

Lastly, the tanks. No, I don't think these are Snoke or Palpatine cloning attempts (I think it'd be silly if they were, honestly, for what the show is trying to achieve), I think they're just failed attempts at making these super soldiers. Though, I do think it gives us a nice parallel to what the Sith Eternal had going on at the time, too. 

Roll on Chapter 13! 

[Ronnie]

Spoiler

Either there's something wrong with me, or there's something wrong with everyone else, because reading up on the reaction to each episode every week I seem to be the only one who thinks the dialogue and performances continue to be stiff af. This episode in particular.

I'm finding it tought to really fall in love with this series when there's such a total lack of personality on show at times. Not so much Mando and the Child, more the side characters. It's very hard to care about Greef and Cara during the action sequences when they barely say two words to each other during them. Show us why we're supposed to care about these guys! Maybe I'm just coming off of Rebels which was dripping with personality, but everything is so incredibly stiff here. Even Cobb Vanth and Bo Katan were so straight-faced.

I dunno, no one else seems to be picking up on it so I guess it can't be a big deal. I just find it really grating. Carl Weathers needs to loosen up a bit and I'm sorry as much as I want to love Gina Carano, her acting ability really needs a ton of work. Greef was better than season 1 to be fair, and he had a good final scene with the New Republic.

Anyway, putting all that aside, this episode ended up a lot more enjoyable than I thought it would after the first third. A surprising amount of reveals to the main storyline, which should keep a lot of people happy.

Can't say I was a fan of the direction, thought it was pretty ropey at times. The Child interacting with that kid in the school felt like it lasted 5 minutes too long. The TIE fighter action was great though, and I appreciated the slower pace character building with Cara re: Alderaan. 

Think this was the first episode we've not been 100% of the time with Mando.

Need to watch it again. 

 

Edited November 21, 2020 by Ronnie

[Ronnie]

I think I need to watch these episodes twice before posting on here  The wooden acting is still an issue I have but I was able to enjoy the episode a ton more this time.

Also that Imperial cruiser at the end looks absolutely stunning. Inside and out. 

[Julius]

59 minutes ago, Ronnie said:

I think I need to watch these episodes twice before posting on here  The wooden acting is still an issue I have but I was able to enjoy the episode a ton more this time.

Also that Imperial cruiser at the end looks absolutely stunning. Inside and out. 

Glad to hear you've come around to it!

Agree that the acting can be a bit wooden at times with this show (though I do still think it's finding its feet a bit, it took The Clone Wars and Rebels a few seasons to really dial it in, at least for me), but I tend to look past that where I can when it comes to Star Wars, because while there are some wonderfully acted moments in Star Wars, there are at least just as many awful ones! As long as it's serviceable for me when it comes to Star Wars, I'll gladly take it, so long as the story is interesting and well told, the characters are well written, special effects are up to snuff for what we expect from Star Wars, etc. 

Something I really need to get off my chest, though...

Spoiler

...four years of Snoke speculation and rumours put to bed by The Rise of Skywalker last December, aaaaaaand it's been less than a year and the Snoke speculation is back everywhere I look, because everyone's heard Snoke's Theme in the most recent episode. I cannot take another four years of Snoke speculation for nothing - they literally did the worst thing they could have done with that character. 

In much the same way that Snoke's Theme was reminiscent of Palpatine's Teachings from Episode III, giving that potential direct connection to Plagueis (again: what a waste), so is this track playing when the tanks appear with the deformed Snoke lookalike reminiscent of Snoke's Theme. I feel the episode made it pretty clear that these test subjects received a blood transfusion with The Child's blood, and while cloning may still well be on the agenda and the methodology similar to how Snoke was likely formed, I hate this notion going around on websites with clickbait laden titles that Moff Gideon is creating Snoke.

I think it's pretty clear that he wants an army of Force sensitive soldiers by how the episode ended. I really don't get it, and it's frustrating, because these are the same people who were complaining about Snoke being Palpatine 2.0 in The Force Awakens, when fans probably speculated some hundred or so different potentially awesome outcomes for who and how Snoke was.

Where were all of these people when I was freaking out in the cinema when The Emperor's Theme played as Snoke used the Force on Rey in The Last Jedi? Yeah, sure, there was a connection in the end so I guess I was right, but that's only because of shoddy writing forcing Palpatine back into play in the way he was, there's practically no chance that Rian made that choice for that reason (unfortunately). 

If anything, all this really tells us is that no matter who the composer is, in Star Wars, menacing male choir = Sith Magic of Sorts™.

Alright, rant over. 

With that out of the way though, we're only half way through with four episodes left, and - if I'm not mistaken - all of the footage from trailers and TV spots has already been used, meaning that we're pretty much completely in the dark from here until the end.

Sure, some names slipped out before the season started about who would be turning up (well before the season started, actually), but otherwise, it still amazes me just how good a job they've done of keeping a lid on things.

Something Abrams should be envious of, that's for sure. 

[Ronnie]

19 minutes ago, Julius said:

With that out of the way though, we're only half way through with four episodes left, and - if I'm not mistaken - all of the footage from trailers and TV spots has already been used, meaning that we're pretty much completely in the dark from here until the end.

Funny I was just thinking that too! Crazy to be going into the last four episodes completely blind. At least visually. It speaks to how popular the show is when they only needed to show the bare minimum in trailers because they knew people would tune in.

Agree with you about the Snoke speculation. Fans just like to read into everything to insane levels, helped along by social media. 

Spoiler

Starting to think that the Dark Troopers are separate to why Gideon wants the Child though. I think the former is just a small army he's creating and the latter could be something as simple as he wants to be force sensitive himself and thinks that a transfusion would be enough. A podcast I listened to mentioned that the scientist working on the Death troopers had the same jacket as Galen Erso's team (weaponry) but the scientists earlier had the Kamino patch on theirs. Guess we'll have to wait and see...

As an aside, I'm loving the moves we've seen the Razor Crest do. Some lovely shots in The Siege.

Edited November 22, 2020 by Ronnie

[Cube]

Spoiler

The base was cool and the action was good. I don't really care about the other characters, though, so I wouldn't mind if we never see them again (perhaps push them to a New Republic comic or something), although Blue Neelix was entertaining. 

 

[Ronnie]

Spoiler

Blue Neelix actually had a personality, which helped! Characters definitely need work, especially given they're supposedly main show regulars.

 

[Cube]

Oh, something I forgot to mention

Spoiler

Something about the school scene felt a lot like the start of Serenity. 

The Razorcrest's flying also felt like Firefly...even looks a bit like Serenity from some angles.

Nathan Fillion should totally play a smuggler next season. 

 

[Ronnie]

Whoa. So, Chapter 13 hapened! Really fantastic, I haven't read the reaction online yet but I can imagine it'll be glowing. 

Spoiler

For what it's worth as someone who isn't too familiar with Ahsoka, from what little I've seen of her, it feels like they nailed the character. Sooo glad Rosario Dawson has the charisma to pull off the role. It's so interesting how they didn't mess around with her either, giving people a heads up she'd be in the show, then going straight into an action scene with her in the opening teaser. If you'd asked me a couple of months back I'd have assumed it'd be a drawn out reveal out of nowhere at the end of the episode or something. I wonder if they assumed the casting would leak and just planned accordingly.

Another stunning looking episode, I can't believe how much better this season looks. Just incredible. Everything from the landscape, the city, lightsaber action, fight choreography, pure Star Wars eye candy. 

The Thrawn reveal!! Think I woke the neighbours with my reaction. I do wonder if it'll actually be followed up in this show or whether it's a tease for a spin-off series, either live action or the Rebels sequel show. I have a bad feeling (heh) that the latter has been cancelled in favour of a live action Ahsoka show.

It's great to find out more about the Child (Grogu!), loved the scene in the forest. I'm starting to think not every episode needs some big action sequence in it, I'd have loved to spend more time with Mando, the kid and Ahsoka. Really great stuff.

I still wish characters on the show would show a bit more personality and loosen up a bit, same with the dialogue. Ahsoka wasn't quite as stiff as I feared she might be though.

Anyway, brilliant stuff, can't wait to re-watch it. The series continues to be like a video game, Mando thinks he's at his quest's end, but no, still plenty more to go 

 

Edited November 28, 2020 by Ronnie

[Cube]

Spoiler

I was pleased with Ahsoka. She wasn't as jokey as previously, but she's been through a lot and it was a pretty grim situation. She pulled her cunning smiles off perfectly, though. She didn't use her usual fighting style until right near the end - she was just casually fighting, it was only right at the end that she encountered someone who actually had some skill that she started using her favoured stance (also she wanted information, so trying not to kill an opponent you are fighting is much more difficult).

There was a Loth-cat prowling around, with her looking for Thrawn it also seems likely that she's on the hunt for Ezra as well. Also amusing to see Din point out the unlikeness of a Jedi and a Mandalorian when Ahsoka has been working with another Mandalorian for 5 or so years (Sabine must be following another lead).

Now the next target is Tython - the starting planet for Jedi classes in The Old Republic. It would probably be very different, but I'm curious if this is the first nod to the MMO specially (there has been stuff from the KoToR games before in the new canon).  

As for Jedi that could respond:

- Ezra. He is indirectly referenced in this episode, but I feel like his story will be part of another show, so it seems unlikely.

- Luke. Ending the show with Grogu going off with Luke would be a very sad end to the show considering what happens - although if the decision is to not train him as a jedi there's a possibility.

- Leia. She may be training at this point, but it would be under Luke. Same for another one of Luke's new Padawans, similar fate to if he trained with Luke.

- Cal. From Jedi: Fallen Order. I haven't played the game yet so I don't know much about him, but he seems to me the most likely out of the ones we know.

- Quinlan Vos. Someone I don't know much about, but was trained in both the light side and dark side of the force, and was confirmed to have survived Order 66. Could be a good fit for the show.

- A previously-thought-dead Jedi. I feel like this would be cheap, most likely candidate would be Mace Windu.

- Someone completely new.

 

[Happenstance]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-55117704
 

Dave Prowse died  

[Cube]

Spoiler

Very poor episode this week. Return of a dreadful character (probably one of the worst in the franchise), and even worse news is that he's here to stay for a bit. He looked utterly stupid after getting what he wanted, too.

 

Extremely weak excuse for Mando to take off his jetpack so the episode could work, and they had to just make him just stand around like a fool so they could attempt to give another character a cool moment (which failed spectacularly). Then Gideon was a moron and got rid of the tracker. 

 

Definitely the worst Disney Star Wars content so far. Shame, this season was pretty amazing up to this point. 

 

[Ronnie]

That's probably the finest Star Wars has been in a very long time, and easily the best episode of season 2 so far imo. Wow. Absolutely floored, and I say that as someone who isn't that big a fan of *spoiler*.

Spoiler

With no footage and no leaks or info, I expected this to be a more low-key bottle episode before a big two part finale, and fully assumed Mando would take his sweet time to get to Tython. Nope! Straight there.

The balls of the production team to just show Slave I flying around just like that, no fanfare, no huge build up like so many other big franchises do these days. Nah, just show it, and push the plot along, it worked so well. I thought the scene of the three of them having a chat on the mountain was a bit ropey, full of the same stiff dialog I've always had a problem with, but it got much, much better. Even Gina Carano was decent! 

I'm no fan of Fett (at all) but I liked him a lot here, more so as time went on. Loved his "they're back." line, especially with that gorgeous shot of the cruiser coming into view.

Action sequences were superbly executed, no surprise given the Director. but... HOW DARE THEY DESTROY THE RAZOR CREST  wtf?!?

Visuals continue to be gorgeous. The last scene on Gideon's ship was brilliant too. 

Seriously impressed, this season has knocked it out of the park. 

Gobsmacked by your reaction @Cube, but sorry to hear it didn't work for you 

Edited December 5, 2020 by Ronnie

[Julius]

Chapter 13 and 14 thoughts! Music, sets, et al all up to par as usual, though again, a few instances where it looked a little rough from a CG perspective. 

Spoiler

Still not the biggest fan of Rosario Dawson's voice for Ahsoka, but otherwise, generally looked much better than I expected. Definitely a Filoni episode from how some of the shots were framed, and there were so many wide shots, that I couldn't help but feel they were purposely trying to hide her tendrils and eyes a bit - but hey, it worked, it visually looked much more like an episode of The Clone Wars than it did The Mandalorian at times. Dialogue was a bit stilted at times in this episode, but it is what it is. Setting and story being told, and the characters too, definitely seemed heavily inspired by Princess Mononoke, so much so that it hurts more people haven't noticed it. The town was a dead ringer for Iron Town, and seeing deforestation certainly goes with that film's messages too. And then there are the character parallels and similarities too...

But damn, what a dream the episode was for fans. Thrawn mention? Tython?! Was a bit surprised the spear didn't stay with Ahsoka, thought it might be hers from the end of Rebels, but still, a lot of fan service which I really liked. Also: Grogu. Yes.

Though it did leave me worried that the season was just being spent tracking things down...

Spoiler

...and, I mean, I guess we're tracking Grogu down now, but still, so glad we skipped ahead to Tython. When we first heard Tython I had thought there was a chance we'd see Luke - I mean, we still might? - because of him tracking down the first Jedi Temple, but then this was so much earlier than TFA and he wouldn't have been on his travels with Ben yet...but then again, I guess he probably travelled solo for a while, so it's still not impossible. 

DARK TROOPERS. BOBA IS BACK. HECK YEAHHHHHHHHHH!

Really liked this episode, sucked it was so short, but felt much longer than it actually was, which is a sign of most Star Wars content I enjoy. 

Wonder if someone will turn up to help Grogu after he sat on the seeking stone...

Solid pair of episodes, though I'll admit, Favreau and Filoni seem unhinged when it comes to fan service and character returns this time around, and does at times feel like its own beast when compared with how insulated Season 1's plot and characters were. Either way, can't wait until Chapter 15!  

[Ronnie]

Spoiler

Instead of Fennic saying (in the middle of a tense action scene) "The outer rim is under the jurisdiction of the New Republic", why not have her say "The New Republic runs the show out here!" or something like that. Stiff dialogue is still my only major criticism with this show, but it's a somewhat minor gripe. At least Mayfeld talks like a normal person, so maybe that'll help next episode.

The cameo-fest is getting a little distracting for sure though. It's one of the reasons I love Chapters 2 and 10, pretty simple stories without any major story ramifications, but I seem to be in the minority on that.

Would they really re-cast Luke? It's possible I guess but very risky. Ezra is possible but I can't see them spoiling the end of the rumoured Rebels sequel series by having him pop up now. As long as it isn't Samuel L Jackson ffs 

 

Edited December 7, 2020 by Ronnie

[bob]

I've just caught up with everything that's been released of Season 2.

Spoiler

It started off well - I really liked the first few episodes. The CGI and the visuals are absolutely incredible. The details in the background are insane! Everything is so crisp and sharp - it makes every scene pop. The music too is worth the watch alone. 

I have to agree with Ronnie about all the cameos. Can Star Wars fans not go 20 mins without needing to see a character from the films? I thought the Mandalorian could be some nice, self-contained stories, set in the Star Wars universe, with all-new characters. But they can't seem to go two episodes without dragging in some previously seen characters.

There are a few trillion beings in the galaxy, and we keep bumping into the same 20-30 people?! 

Anyway, I'm hoping they keep it to just cameos, and don't start drawing in plots from other series (like the whole Mandalorian dark sabre plot, which was the worst plot in Rebels; or Thrawn). I'd like Mandalorian to have it's own story arcs, without you needing to have seen other series for all of it to make sense.

Fat Boba Fett looked ridiculous - although at least he'll provide some easy cosplay opportunities for the larger Star Wars fan at conventions. 

 

[Ronnie]

Big news coming tonight it seems...

 

[Julius]

1 hour ago, Ronnie said:

Big news coming tonight it seems...

 

Realised there was one coming up a few weeks and read about this yesterday. Expectations are high, so, naturally, I'm expecting to be disappointed 

At a minimum though, I'm expecting: some news on Bad Batch, Mando S3 confirmed and production starting soon, and then maybe an update on Kenobi (starts shooting next month of I'm remembering right?) and Cassian. 

But there's so much more they could reveal.

We're still waiting on the Rebels sequel show, with whatever form that will take (personally I'd want it animated, I think the ideas of what we'll get might translate better to animation and The Clone Wars S7 shows what that team can do with a solid budget; at the same time, though, would understand wanting to go live-action as it typically draws in larger crowds); there are rumours of Boba and Ahsoka live-action shows (eh...); we've got all of the current projects in the works which we could get updated on (those mentioned above and then the Feige film, Waititi film, Rian's trilogy, J.D. Dillard's rumoured to have a project, and the Leslye Headland Disney+ show); and then there's always the potential for curveballs (potential for a High Republic show perhaps?). 

Not expecting any game announcements here (I mean The Game Awards are tonight so that's also a possibility, but still, they don't like to talk about those things here generally), but man, I just want to see some more risks taken. Feels like we've been waiting for reveals of older announcements for such a long time now that it's difficult to expect news on new projects we haven't heard of yet, though. 

[Ronnie]

Title reveals for the Kenobi and Cassian shows are pretty much guaranteed. The latter just started filming so unlikely they have anything to show but maybe some teaser artwork or something.

Film news would be very welcome. I really hope Rian's trilogy is still a thing, but I wouldn't be surprised if that never got off the ground. Is this the place to talk about the three films in 2023, '25 and '27? Are those a trilogy? Standalones etc. As a curveball I'd love to see another A Star Wars Story type standalone film announced.

Crossing my fingers for (animated) Rebels sequel, but don't think it'll show up here.

Also a Marvel-like timeline of films/series coming up over the next 5 years would be fun. (Maybe not with the OTT cadence of Marvel properties though *ducks* ).

I'm keeping expectations in check but at the same time, it's a 4 hour broadcast...

Edited December 10, 2020 by Ronnie

[Cube]

https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/disney-investor-day-2020/

Quote

Information in this presentation, including financial estimates and statements such as those regarding expected results, growth, profitability, losses, expenses and performance metrics; expectations about general markets, markets we may serve and our potential consumer or subscriber base, including size, growth, composition, geography, consumption and other information; statements regarding the future of our offerings (including our direct-to-consumer offerings) including content, launch dates and timing, availability, investment, expense, pricing, technical performance and capabilities, advertising, marketing and other expectations and plans regarding our products; our plans for the structure or financial reporting of our businesses; and other statements that are not historical facts may constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are made on the basis of management’s views and assumptions regarding future events and business performance as of the time the statements are made. 

It's four hours for the whole of Disney, with lots and lots of financial gubbins and stuff. Main focus seems to be Disney+ and Hulu.

[Julius]

52 minutes ago, Cube said:

https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/disney-investor-day-2020/

It's four hours for the whole of Disney, with lots and lots of financial gubbins and stuff. Main focus seems to be Disney+ and Hulu.

Yep, they're also not all that fun to listen to at all for non-shareholders (all the content stuff will likely be saved for them, as well as any footage), at least going off the public ones I've listened in to. Though it was really interesting to just listen to Bob Iger take questions! 

Star Wars will probably be 30 - 60 minutes of that with a whole lot of preamble and probably praise for TCW S7/Mando S2 and their streaming numbers on Disney+. Fully expecting them to skim over the performance of the parks considering the closures due to COVID, though 

Edited December 10, 2020 by Julius

[Julius]

Disney are hyping up some major announcements here, which they haven't done before from what I can remember of previous Investor Days, so it just got much more difficult to maintain low expectations. 

And Matt Martin from the Lucasfilm Story Group is too, even saying to tune in. 

Starts at 21:30, so...I guess I might find myself paying some attention to this and leaving The Game Awards highlights for tomorrow still? They've never hyped these things up before...

Fingers crossed the actual Star Wars part isn't too late, because that's the only part I'll be staying up for! 

[Mr-Paul]

FWIW, I work for Disney, they haven't given us advance knowledge of what's coming but have really been encouraging us to watch tonight as there's good stuff coming! Not sure how much footage will be blocked to the public/only available to investors.

Dunno if I'll stay up the four hours tonight, but it should be available to catch up on tomorrow.

[Mr-Paul]

Sounds like the creative content announcements starts in an hour. Before that it's all businessy stuff!