The Star Wars Thread

[Ashley]

People like cute things. I don't think George Lucas invented that 😋

[Ronnie]

I never claimed he did. My point was BB-8s and Porgs were flying off the shelves and had a cult following without anyone having even seen them in the film. That doesn't happen in a lot of franchises. It also speaks to their creativity in making unique cool things obv.

[Ashley]

I was just pulling your leg. 

Bowsette is another example of where something similar happened. 

[Ronnie]

Seven and a half hours after Anakin started fighting Obi Wan, I've just finished re-watching Revenge of the Sith.

Utter dogshit. It somehow seems to get worse every time I watch it. 

Just a total mess. It's like an amateur directed some of the scenes. 

I love how JJ Abrams is (rightly) talking about how Star Wars is at the end of the day a story about hope. Trouble is he fails to add "except the prequels which are about, erm, the Jedi being wiped out and Anakin going evil, killing kids and burning half to death". Couldn't they of thought of a better more standalone storyline to base the prequels on instead of focusing so heavily on Anakin and such a downer ending?

0/10 

Thank fuck I can finally get onto good SW films from now on...

Also, Ian McDiarmid's acting has me a little worried for IX lol

[Ronnie]

Chapter 5 of the Mandalorian on the other hand, was great. I'm surprised to see it being marked down online for having so much fan-service but it didn't feel that jarring to me. Enjoyed the new characters, though the first female character we meet seemed a little out of place. The sudden tone shift was a bit weird. Again though I'm loving how each episode is it's own mini adventure. Also I continue to be amazed how good the ship looks, hooray for practical models instead of CG.

Some of the editing feels a bit off and dare I say amateur (Filoni?) though, the dogfighting at the beginning in some ways looked great and in others didn't work.

As ever very intrigued to see what happens next!

Edited December 8, 2019 by Ronnie

[Esequiel]

Revenge is my favourite Star Wars movie!

[Ronnie]

Chapter 6 of the Mandalorian, another great episode. Plenty of meat on the bone too for those that found last week's a bit shallow. I'll say it again, I love how each episode is a self-contained story. That said I think it might be time to return to the central plot of the season next week, make it a two parter type thing maybe. It's interesting trying to figure this show out and how it's structured. 

Spoiler

The characters last week seemed really out of place and it was quite jarring, especially the Mos Eisley mechanic, but these were much better. 

The highlights on the New Republic prison ship (so cool to see something like that) were anything with droids and the stand off with the officer on the bridge. Great stuff.

The strobe shot of the Mando walking up to Mayfeld was outstanding.

The only negative for me was that cameo towards the end. I mean, good for him but it yanked me out of the episode. Always a pleasure to see X-wings though  

Also, I continue to be amazed how good the Razor Crest looks. One shot towards the end in particular when it was landing looked incredible. The show's use of practical models is one of the best things about it, so refreshing in a world (and prequels) full of CG.

[Julius]

Been playing a bit of Battlefront II over the last month or so, and I've got to say, it's much improved. Been glad I've been hopping in and out from time to time. DICE just dropped the trailer for the Celebration Edition/The Rise of Skywalker stuff, and I'm putting it here mainly because the music is great  definitely got some chills towards the end

 

[Julius]

Just finished the eighth and final episode of season one of The Mandalorian.

Spoiler

HOLY SMOKES THE DARKSABER, DEATH WATCH (?!) AND REFERENCES TO MANDALORE THE TITLE! Should've figured with Filoni in the mix, definitely getting me excited for some Old Republic stuff at some point down the road. Though Gideon having it means that the Empire must have come down hard on Bo Katan and the other mandalorians after what happened in Rebels, because I can't see anyone taking the darksaber from her unless it's from her cold hands. Going to be interesting to see how we end up getting our answers about the Great Purge - more flashbacks? A film? Another series? 

Loved Yiddle/Yodaling/Baby Yoda using the Force on those flames, that was pretty epic; hate that we still don't have a name for the little guy and are stuck calling him Baby Yoda for another year. 

I found The Mandalorian's face reveal to be...really anticlimactic, but it is what it is. 

Music was once again outstanding. 

On a slightly related tangent, it really is comforting knowing that Deborah Chow, who in my opinion directed the best episodes of this season, will be the sole director of the Obi-Wan series.

So, season two same time next year?  now the wait for The Clone Wars season seven begins! Annoyingly starting in February, so guess I'll be hanging onto my American Disney+ account to watch that.

I haven't seen anyone mention it yet, but if they have just a reminder: Disney+ is coming to the UK on Tuesday 31st March 2020. 

While I'm going to wait until Disney+'s official release over here and another viewing of the show before figuring out exactly where the show lands for me, I do think that it is quite easily some of the best Star Wars content that Disney has put to screen. Great job Filoni and Favreau!

Edited December 27, 2019 by Julius

[Julius]

Hell yeah! 

Wish that Gamorrean would cover up a bit, though...

[Hero-of-Time]

 

[Julius]

36 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

 

It's about time! Been waiting for this trailer for months! A bit over 4 weeks until the 21st!

Also, poster is one of the best we've had since the Disney takeover:

This series means so much to me, I wasn't even 10 years old when it started, so thank Lucas that Filoni gets the chance to finish telling this story, to some degree, on his own terms. This series easily has some of the best storytelling in Star Wars, especially when it comes to fleshing out the prequels. And to call this series "groundbreaking" as stated in the trailer is an understatement: what it's done for CG animation as a whole is barely a footnote in most minds, but with Lucas fronting the cost to develop the technology and produce a series en masse to reduce the costs across the industry is something that only he would strive for. That it just so happened to be where Filoni grew into his own as a storyteller under the master's tutelage is an incredible stroke of luck, and no-one is better positioned than him now to front Lucasfilm's future storytelling endeavours.

He just gets Star Wars.

Got very emotional a few years ago watching the Celebration panel when Dave hinted at what fate would have awaited Ashoka later into the series had it continued (well worth checking out for Ashley Eckstein's reaction to that, as it was the first time she learned of that too and was in tears!), and so seeing the 501st don those helmets and seeing her stand off against Maul makes me misty eyed. Great to finally see Maul's on-screen arc completed too, as Sam Witwer (aka Starkiller) brought such depth to the character (well worth noting that he only had two lines in TPM!).

Also worth bringing up that the Ashoka showdown with Maul has brought Ray Park back into the fold once again, this time for some motion capture work, and it will be the first time the technique has been used in the show (and very possibly perhaps the first use of it in a serialised animated show? Nothing else comes to mind). 

Back to the trailer: Siege of Mandalore hype! Expecting one or two nods to a certain recent show. Also, Yoda's and Windu's lines are from ROTS, so very interested to see if the Siege arc (which I assume will be the finale) will cross over with the timeline of the film, as Filoni hinted a few years ago which was the idea for the show's later seasons. The implications of that being the case are going to be very interesting, and I could see the show ending with the execution of Order 66. 

Also worth bringing up that you can see Caleb Dume (aka Kanan from Rebels) and his master, Depa Billaba, in the shot of the holo-meeting. Nice touch. 

Bad Batch looks good, but still a shame that they decided against adapting the Utapau arc (we already know what happens in both as episodes early into the animation process were shown off in their entirety at SWC a few years ago, fully voiced but only early rigged animation), as the implications of that were much wider reaching for the Saga (it features a massive kyber crystal, so yeah). 

Right, time to sign back up for my US Disney+ subscription after cancelling it just the other day  

[Ronnie]

He might get Star Wars but his The Gunslinger episode of Mandalorian was pretty rough and badly written, so plenty to learn live action wise I think. Big fan though and obviously he does fantastic work.

I think the prequels have soured me on the whole Clone Wars era so I haven't really gotten into the series at all, not even seen one episode. I am looking forward to the last 4-5 episodes of Resistance though, the last couple I've seen in particular have been brilliant.

Pleased for people are excited about season 7 though. Glad they're now able to finish the story properly.

Edited January 22, 2020 by Ronnie

[Julius]

The sequel we've all been waiting for

 

[Julius]

 

[Julius]

New publishing project:

This is just phase one. Got to imagine if it does well enough they have some ideas cooking for a film or two and/or some games. 

Also nice to see that they have an ending which they're working towards from the get-go. 

[Ronnie]

Looking forward to the High Republic stuff, surprised it's only 200 years in the past, but I'm sure they have their reasons. Maybe so that a familiar face like Yoda or Maz Kanata can show up down the line.

Really curious how this fits in with the feature films though, the first is (for now) still scheduled for 2022. I guess we'll see at Celebration, if it happens. They're in a tricky situation because if they make these new films too different it could be another Fantastic Beasts situation where no one ends up caring. I guess it's all about managing expectations, by Disney and the fans. If the next film opens up a new chapter for Star Wars it's not going to do sequel trilogy box office numbers, they'll do well to sell half as many tickets as Force Awakens did.

But yeah, looking forward to the High Republic, I'll definitely be getting Charles Soule's book that kicks things off. Really enjoyed his Poe Dameron comic series and I've got Rise of Kylo Ren to read still.

On a separate note, I just finished the season 3 episode of Rebels where Mon Mothma shows up, that final shot gave me goosebumps. Trying to limit myself to one episode an evening but it's tough not to binge through loads of them. 

A big part of what makes Star Wars special for me are the characters, that's why I hated the prequels but loved 4-9. It's why I loved Solo but was a tad mixed on Rogue One. Looking back now, Resistance's characters were pretty terrible, but the Rebels is just . Love them all.

Edited April 11, 2020 by Ronnie

[Londragon]

Maybe so that a familiar face like Yoda or Maz Kanata can show up down the line.

Baby Chewie.

[Ronnie]

Soooo... the Rebels season 3 finale is a thing.

 

AND WHAT A THING!!! 

[Ronnie]

Fuck me.

Literally shouted out whooooaaaa last night watching this

[Ronnie]

Forget The Mandalorian (excellent), forget the sequel trilogy (love it), I've realised what my favourite part of Disney Star Wars is so far...

Spoiler

I can finally see why people think so highly of Filoni now

 

 

[Julius]

16 minutes ago, Ronnie said:

Forget The Mandalorian (excellent), forget the sequel trilogy (love it), I've realised what my favourite part of Disney Star Wars is so far...

  Reveal hidden contents

I can finally see why people think so highly of Filoni now

Yep, the guy's a genius. He just gets it, and is second only to George Lucas when it comes to worldbuilding and telling compelling stories in the Galaxy Far, Far Away. Him being the head of animation over at Lucasfilm is great, but I selfishly wish he had a larger role over there, so hopefully The Mandalorian can be the platform to get him there.

Glad you loved Rebels! Just dug out my thoughts on the finale from back in March 2018, which I posted over on the first page of this thread from a Star Wars forum I used to frequent...damn, this show's been finished for over 2 years now?!

Spoiler

I’ve been off the forums for a while, and wanted to assess the entire second half of Season 4 before voicing my opinion on how the show closed.

I cannot believe that they did it; they actually pulled it off. For me, I have to admit, Rebels hasn’t been the most consistent of shows, but I’ve watched every episode at least once (been saving my first real rewatching of the show for when the inevitable box set comes out).

I almost always held The Clone Wars in higher regard because of its more consistent quality across all of its seasons, but I have to say that the latter half of Season 4 of Rebels — especially, and particularly, the final five episodes — are, at least to me, just as good as the best that The Clone Wars had to offer, if not better. They very effectively took characters from episodes that might have seemed like “filler” and brought them back in a way that was natural, but also fulfilling.

After watching the Rebels finale, I’ve only now really realised that the void due to a lack of closure on The Clone Wars was left with me for all this time. The show ends on such a high note because it doesn’t just end: it also plants the seed of something new and exciting.

I’m not normally an emotional guy, and like I hinted at, I’m certainly not the most attached person to the Ghost crew. Yet, only a few hours ago, I was openly tearing up and getting misty eyed time and time again throughout the finale, and I think that speaks to the show’s greatest quality: character interaction. I didn’t realise just how attached I clearly was to these characters, which speaks to something I originally found to be something of a fault with these characters: on the surface level, they’re kind of archetypal and whimsical, as you might expect from the channel that the show airs on. As time has gone on, the characters have been fleshed out and given a depth, and whilst they didn’t initially stand out as the deepest of characters, there was ultimately a nuanced depth and maturity added to the show as layers and layers of the beloved crew were peeled back.

The music in this show has always been great, but it really came into its own in the latter few seasons. Sabine’s theme elicited a massive emotional response from me almost every time it was used in the finale, and especially so when she realised that Ezra was going off to surrender himself to Thrawn and an emotional numbness and distraction came into play, brilliantly portrayed in the echoing fuzziness of the voices of the people around her.

Overall, the finale was a massive success to me. I was, admittedly, cautiously optimistic going into the final few episodes of the show, mainly because we hadn’t seen this team end a story that they want to tell the way that they wanted to end it. However, upon reaching the credits, I was filled with a sense of overwhelming confidence in the direction that Dave Filoni and the team are spearheading us towards.

The finality given in the closing moments might seem a bit rushed to some — and I have to admit that I found Sabine’s hair and the wide shot of her on Lothal to look a bit rough — but, to me, knowing where all of these characters ended up after the end of the Galactic Civil War on Endor — and knowing that there was a future for these characters that they want to explore — offers the greatest sense of payoff and a fully realised piece of almost nostalgic fan service by acknowledging a continuity, which I genuinely don’t think we’ve yet seen so effectively in Star Wars, across any of its materials: an ending which doesn’t just hint at, but boldly throws you in the direction of, a future, whilst respecting the audience enough as if to say “Don’t worry, we’ve got this”.

I really cannot wait to watch this show again, and hold my breath in eager anticipation of what Dave Filoni and the crew over at Lucasfilm Animation has in store for us next.

Let’s go find Ezra.

But hey @Ronnie, I think you know what's next...

Edited May 2, 2020 by Julius

[Ronnie]

Haha I know I know, I'm going to take a little break from animated SW but will get into it soon enough!

30 minutes ago, Julius said:

Yep, the guy's a genius. He just gets it, and is second only to George Lucas when it comes to worldbuilding and telling compelling stories in the Galaxy Far, Far Away. Him being the head of animation over at Lucasfilm is great, but I selfishly wish he had a larger role over there, so hopefully The Mandalorian can be the platform to get him there.

I was just reading a quote from him about his live action directing and how he's desperate to improve and gain more experience in that regard.

30 minutes ago, Julius said:

The show ends on such a high note because it doesn’t just end: it also plants the seed of something new and exciting.

That's what made the final scenes so thrilling. I'm a sucker for happy endings but the way they teased the sequel gave me goosebumps. I see what you mean now about what the rumoured sequel series being about. God I hope it's a thing that's happening. I'm still not sold on Ahsoka at all, but I'll keep an open mind, she just seems completely bland and lacking in personality, especially when put next to the Ghost crew. The character seems to take herself way too seriously, from what little I've seen of her admittedly.

30 minutes ago, Julius said:

I think that speaks to the show’s greatest quality: character interaction.

100% that and how the characters matured and got more nuanced as time went on. I'll happily admit I fell in love with the Ghost crew, even Chopper! It's a reason I love the sequels so much, and disliked the prequels, the characters. I rarely tear up for a character death (Leia, apart), but...

Spoiler

when Kanan died it was heartbreaking. An incredibly powerful scene.

I'm far from an audio guy, so I'm sad to tell you I couldn't recognise what Sabine's theme was for instance, but more generally speaking I felt a lot of the action scenes didn't hit as strongly as they might of because of the disappointing audio at times. There were certainly some standout moments, (Zeb leading the way to his homeworld was stunning) but more often than not the music didn't quite hit the same quality as everything else, but again, I'm not really an expert on sound.

30 minutes ago, Julius said:

Spoiler

but, to me, knowing where all of these characters ended up after the end of the Galactic Civil War on Endor — and knowing that there was a future for these characters that they want to explore — offers the greatest sense of payoff and a fully realised piece of almost nostalgic fan service by acknowledging a continuity, which I genuinely don’t think we’ve yet seen so effectively in Star Wars, across any of its materials: an ending which doesn’t just hint at, but boldly throws you in the direction of, a future, whilst respecting the audience enough as if to say “Don’t worry, we’ve got this”.

 

Very well said. You said it far better than I ever could. Great review, thanks for sharing.

Some random thoughts:

Spoiler

- The world between worlds opens up a huge can of worms, I never expected to see Star Wars delve in time travel. It'll be interesting to see how far they lean into that.

- For what it's worth as someone who hasn't seen TCW, I thought Maul's fight with Kenobi was P.E.R.F.E.C.T. I was dreading another Ep 3 10 hour lightsaber fight.

- The Mortis Gods (?) mural coming to life was eerie and cool a f. Brilliant animation.

- Some of the space battle action puts anything JJ has done or will ever do to shame. I adored seeing all the Rebel starfighters, and the Ghost itself is a beauty. It's strangely satisfying looking back at TROS and seeing it there in live action.

- Though I'll agree the story-telling got better and better, season 2 was my favourite, tons of brilliant episodes. 

- Zeb is just amazing. 

 

Edited May 2, 2020 by Ronnie

[Julius]

Just to promote the end of The Clone Wars? Or for the reveal of a new show? 

Edited May 4, 2020 by Julius

[EEVILMURRAY]

On 21/04/2020 at 12:28 PM, Ronnie said:

Fuck me.

Literally shouted out whooooaaaa last night watching this

Whoa as in "whoa impressive" or "whoa that would've done some damage like in Last Jedi?"