PDA

View Full Version : The non-toy Star Wars discussion thread



GoktimusPrime
7th October 2010, 05:24 PM
As I'm sure most of you know, when George Lucas was pitching his script for Star Wars during the mid 1970s to movie studios, he was repeatedly knocked back and rejected until he was finally accepted by 20th Century Fox (and even then a lot of execs had their doubts).

So I stumbled across these today - they're letters of rejection for Star Wars!
Rejection letter from United Artists (http://starwarz.com/starkiller/2010/05/united-artists-rejection-letter/)
Rejection letter from Universal Studios (http://starwarz.com/starkiller/2010/05/universal-rejection-letter/)
Man... I bet the people who made those decisions must've been kicking themselves for the last 33 years! :)

"There seems to be too much cost involved for this kind of juvenile story......A risky project — one I would not do." - United Artists (1975)

"The question, in the end, is how much faith we have in Mr Lucas’s ability to pull it all off." - Universal Studios (1975)

Hursticon
7th October 2010, 06:03 PM
Wow!
Personally Goki, if the supposed 'think-tanks' at these particular studios weren't lining up to a homeless shelter after the release of Episode IV, then they should've been! :p:D

IMO United Artists didn't want to pick it up because they were already working on Logan's Run and probably couldn't afford to pick Star Wars up even if they wanted to especially since they followed that up with the original Carrie.

Universal Studios... I don't know why they didn't pick it up if they liked it so much? I mean, considering the garbage they were putting out at the time, the only truly decent, but hell awesome!, movie they put out between 74 and 76 was Jaws - so I guess they wanted to pursue a quote 'more wholesome' brand of entertainment at the time. :rolleyes:

This sort of reminds me of the story John Cleese divulged on the Graham Norton Show with regards to the original pitch (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aB2iubhtFlo) (1:14) for Faulty Towers. :p

SharkyMcShark
7th October 2010, 06:16 PM
There was a lot of skepticism at the time of the release of the first movie - remember, it initially had a very limited release. The movie had gone over budget, taken longer than had been allotted for filming and a lot of the cast (especially Harrison Ford and Alec Guiness) didn't buy into the premise at all, or have much faith in it. Ford basically thought he was just making a kids movie.

Further to that at the time there wasn't really that large a market for movies as fantastical as Star Wars - in the post Vietnam War era gritty grungy dark realistic movies were very much par for the course.

5FDP
7th October 2010, 09:02 PM
How different would our lives have been if these movies were never made... every movie, script, and actor have all been reversed engineered by studying Episode 4 (or rather episode 1- that's what we call it because let's face it, episodes 1 -3 sucked hairy Ewok balls) ;)

Hursticon
7th October 2010, 10:02 PM
How different would our lives have been if these movies were never made... every movie, script, and actor have all been reversed engineered by studying Episode 4 (or rather episode 1- that's what we call it because let's face it, episodes 1 -3 sucked hairy Ewok balls) ;)

Hmm...

In all honesty, I quite liked Phantom Menace, Attack of The Clones & Revenge of The Sith. :o
That being said though, A New Hope, Empire Strikes Back & Return of The Jedi are above and beyond superior movies and I agree 5FDP, our lives would be so dramatically different if Star Wars had never got off the ground. :D

In actuality, if Star Wars had never been made then that would've inadvertently affected the G1 Transformers Cartoon! :eek: - Because a lot of the sound effects were actually drawn from the Star Wars movies. ;)

GoktimusPrime
9th October 2010, 09:43 AM
Sir Alec Guiness always hated Star Wars. Unlike Ewan MacGregor who, after being told by Lucas that he was accepted for the role of Obiwan, hung up the phone and victoriously yelled, "I'M OBI-F***ING-WAN KENOBI!!" :)

GoktimusPrime
3rd January 2012, 05:30 PM
RIP Bob Anderson (http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/force-flickers-out-20120103-1piwt.html) :( :(

GoktimusPrime
25th September 2012, 07:32 AM
From here (http://otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?p=318664#post318664)


- much like Star Wars Episode 3 is actually quite an entertaining movie when you skip all the boring plot and romance bits.
I found Revenge of the Sith to be the best of the Prequel Trilogy; while the movie is long (they all are), I can't think of any scenes that were dragged out too long (like say the Pod Race in Ep 1) or failed to contribute to the plot and was just wasting screen time (like say 90% of Jar Jar Binks' appearances). Attack of the Clones had that really long and awkwardly done romance thing (and romance isn't bad if it's done well, like say the romance between Leia and Han Solo in The Empire Strikes Back; but the romance between Anakin and Padmé was just awkward) -- Hayden Christiansen just can't do romance -- but Lucas came to accept this criticism and the romance in RotS was much shorter than in AotC. Yes, it was just as cringeworthy, but it was important to have it to show that Anakin was still very strongly in love/emotionally attached to Padmé because it's this emotional bond that ultimately leads to his fall to the Dark Side. But the scene was brief -- it served its purpose, then moved on.

I'll give Lucas credit where it's due, yes, he made mistakes in the prequels, but he took the criticism on board and showed signs of improving on them in each successive movie.
e.g.

+ In TPM he was criticised for Jar Jar Binks who just wasted screen time. In AotC Jar Jar Binks appeared very briefly, and his appearances contributed directly to the plot. No more rude table manners, falling about or sniffing farts -- he appeared with Padmé in the beginning and was reunited with Obi-Wan and Anakin, then he was later manipulated by Palpatine and helped him create the Empire (or at least its foundations ;)). In RotS Jar Jar only appears once -- at Padmé's funeral procession. And he had 0 dialogue.

+ AotC was criticised for the badly done romance between Anakin and Padmé - this was significantly reduced in RotS and was more directly relevant to the plot.

+ AotC also had the worst light sabre choreography in all the SW films ... very showy, swingy, fancy... and unrealistically ridiculous. Like Yoda hopping about while barely taking a swipe at Dooku (what a waste of energy/effort!). This was greatly improved in RotS... in Kasshhyyyk (sp?) when Yoda jumps, he beheads the Clone Troopers with one swift cut. When fighting Palpatine, every leap/strike made contact with Palpatine's blade. He wasn't pouncing just for the sake of pouncing like on Geonosis (which was so damn stupid). The fighting form of Obi-Wan and Anakin was much better too -- their showdown on the Invisible Hand was way more enjoyable to watch than the Geonosian showdown. TPM still had the best sabre fights IMO, but that may have been because they had Ray Park (Darth Maul) - a martial arts practitioner - to help.

+ The Pod Race was criticised as being way too long and boring. It would've been better if done as one lap. This was somewhat improved in the Coruscant chase scene (thought parts of that are kinda implausible); but in RotS there are no overtly drawn out and pointless chasing/racing scenes, rather they were incorporated into the story/action which made them more exciting and helped to progress the plot rather than stalling it (e.g. Obiwan/Anakin trying to get aboard the Invisible Hand, Obi-Wan chasing Grievous)

I actually found Revenge of the Sith to be better made than A New Hope, I rate it as my third favourite Star Wars movie after Return of the Jedi and The Empire Strikes Back. :)

VERT
25th September 2012, 07:39 AM
Totally with you on all points Gok. Well said. In My mind all six are just one movie with different chapters. I cant say I hate any cause its all part on the one movie. But I do love certain chapters...Acts more than others :D

GoktimusPrime
25th September 2012, 07:49 AM
Regardless of the flaws in his films, Lucas at least _tries_ to tell a good story with his films (which are Eps 1, 2, 3 and 4 -- eps 5 and 6 were directed by Irvin Kershner and Richard Marquand respectively); and as you said, they're treated as different chapters within the same story. Lucas makes mistakes, but he takes them onboard and makes an effort to improve on some of them. While Lucas uses loads of special effects, he's ultimately still trying to use them as a tool to tell a story, rather than making stories to tell special effects.

...which is more than what I can say for Michael Bay's work on Transformers.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/shortpacked/shortpacked_dotm.png

Demonac
25th September 2012, 08:25 AM
I don't think Lucas can tell a good story. He was lucky enough with Star Wars & TESB to be surrounded by people who could criticise his work. By Jedi, he was just surrounded by 'yes-men'.
The prequels are an over plotted mess that leave me cold.
With no central 'audience relation' character, we are not really invested in the movies.
Star Wars had Luke in that role.

Trent
25th September 2012, 06:55 PM
The People vs George Lucas. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aoc3roT81nU&feature=youtube_gdata_player) Very interesting (and amusing) documentary if you get the chance and a copy.




























Oh, and Han shot first.;)

SkyWarp91
25th September 2012, 08:03 PM
When i look back at it - yes the Phantom Menace might have been bad in some aspects but I was young and impressionable then and I am a big fan of Darth Maul, Qui-Gon Jinn, the Naboo Starfighters and Sebulba's Podracer. Everything else in the movie though is pretty lame.

But boy do I love the imperial vehicles in the original trilogy!

Lord_Zed
25th September 2012, 08:47 PM
Yeah I really can't respect lucas as a good storyteller anymore, while I'm sure it was his intent once to tell a good story about the rise of Darthvader, what we actually go was a huge rather illogical mess, where things are forced to happen to push the story along. Very little about Anakins turn to the darkside feels natural. it all feels like it's being forced by poor script writing. In the same way as many of the conclusions the characters draw during the films like "He went in there to hide" or "I sense a plot to destroy the Jedi" are hard leaps to to accept, even for Jedi.

I'm not sure George Lucas is a better storyteller than Michael Bay anymore, it's just that Bay's movies seem to be blatantly proud of not having a plausible story.


I don't think Lucas can tell a good story. He was lucky enough with Star Wars & TESB to be surrounded by people who could criticise his work. By Jedi, he was just surrounded by 'yes-men'.
The prequels are an over plotted mess that leave me cold.
With no central 'audience relation' character, we are not really invested in the movies.
Star Wars had Luke in that role.

Bingo, that's the biggest problem with the prequels.

That said I will always love how well colour coded the Star Wars prequel universe is.

GoktimusPrime
25th September 2012, 10:35 PM
Okay, I'm not saying that the prequels were fantastic movies or anything, but what I'm saying is that - as Lord_Zed put it - there was the intention and effort to tell a good story about the rise of Darth Vader. And he did try to do that, and at a fundamental level, the prequel movies do succeed in doing this. I'm not saying that Lucas is a great director -- if you ask most people their favourite Star Wars films are typically either The Empire Strikes Back or Return of the Jedi, the two films that Lucas didn't direct! But I'm saying that despite his failings, Lucas at least makes an effort to tell a story -- it's not the best effort -- but it's an effort nonetheless. If you strip away all the fancy bells and whistles explosions, special effects etc., the basic story still stands... for better or worse. You strip away the bells and whistles from Transformers, and what do you have?

To put it simply, if trilogies were toys...
+ Star Wars: The Original Trilogy - this would be a damn fantastic toy. Great value for money, awesome articulation, clever intuitive engineering/transformation, non-intrusive gimmicks... just all round awesomeness. e.g. most Classicsverse figures :)
+ Star Wars: The Prequel Trilogy - it's an okay toy, but not fantastic. Transforms from robot to alt mode well enough... one or both modes looks kinda odd. You'd rather not pay full price for it. e.g. most Movieverse figures (especially larger/boxed ones)
+ Michael Bay's TF Trilogy - loaded with awesome gimmicks that look really impressive on the shelf with a "Try Me!" feature. You buy this toy and bring it home -- for a while the gimmick is actually pretty fun to play with. Then you realise that the rest of the toy is kinda lacking... e.g. Combiner Class Devastator (that was a one month wonder ;p (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?t=5889) (and yeah, I got roped in too - glad I got the toy on sale though (still feel ripped off but)). :o

The Star Wars prequels may have been a less than ideal expansion of the Star Wars universe, but the Transformers Trilogy (esp parts 2 and 3) really felt more like the kind of stories you made up when playing with your toys as a child with your friends.
"Wop wop wop wop wop, here comes Blackout and - BOOOOOM! - he's attacking the humans!"
"Fight back! A-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!! (<--machine gun noise)"
"Ping! Ping! Wa ha ha! Your weapons are useless! KABOOOM!"
etc.

kup
26th September 2012, 07:44 AM
Okay, I'm not saying that the prequels were fantastic movies or anything, but what I'm saying is that - as Lord_Zed put it - there was the intention and effort to tell a good story about the rise of Darth Vader. And he did try to do that, and at a fundamental level, the prequel movies do succeed in doing this. I'm not saying that Lucas is a great director -- if you ask most people their favourite Star Wars films are typically either The Empire Strikes Back or Return of the Jedi, the two films that Lucas didn't direct! But I'm saying that despite his failings, Lucas at least makes an effort to tell a story -- it's not the best effort -- but it's an effort nonetheless. If you strip away all the fancy bells and whistles explosions, special effects etc., the basic story still stands... for better or worse. You strip away the bells and whistles from Transformers, and what do you have?

To put it simply, if trilogies were toys...
+ Star Wars: The Original Trilogy - this would be a damn fantastic toy. Great value for money, awesome articulation, clever intuitive engineering/transformation, non-intrusive gimmicks... just all round awesomeness. e.g. most Classicsverse figures :)
+ Star Wars: The Prequel Trilogy - it's an okay toy, but not fantastic. Transforms from robot to alt mode well enough... one or both modes looks kinda odd. You'd rather not pay full price for it. e.g. most Movieverse figures (especially larger/boxed ones)
+ Michael Bay's TF Trilogy - loaded with awesome gimmicks that look really impressive on the shelf with a "Try Me!" feature. You buy this toy and bring it home -- for a while the gimmick is actually pretty fun to play with. Then you realise that the rest of the toy is kinda lacking... e.g. Combiner Class Devastator (that was a one month wonder ;p (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?t=5889) (and yeah, I got roped in too - glad I got the toy on sale though (still feel ripped off but)). :o

The Star Wars prequels may have been a less than ideal expansion of the Star Wars universe, but the Transformers Trilogy (esp parts 2 and 3) really felt more like the kind of stories you made up when playing with your toys as a child with your friends.
"Wop wop wop wop wop, here comes Blackout and - BOOOOOM! - he's attacking the humans!"
"Fight back! A-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!! (<--machine gun noise)"
"Ping! Ping! Wa ha ha! Your weapons are useless! KABOOOM!"
etc.

What? :confused:

GoktimusPrime
26th September 2012, 02:25 PM
What? :confused:
You know when you're playing a quick campaign with your toys -- and you're ceebs to come up with a proper story/plot (or when you were too young to do so), and so the toy play "story" just revolved around the action? That's what Michael Bay's TF movies feel like to me. It's like the 'stories' I make when I play with my toys when I lack the time or effort to try to make a real story, or when I was a really little kid and I couldn't* (unlike say when I was in high school when I had the time and inclination to play freaking long spanning story arcs! :eek:)

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/collector%20types/th_collectortype_player.jpg
"Whee! Look at me, I'm storyboarding the next TF film for Michael Bay!"

As much as the Star Wars prequels may have its flaws, it's not like _that_. As Lord_Zed said, it still accomplishes the basic task of telling the story of how Anakin became a Jedi and how he became Darth Vader. Could it have been done a lot better? Absolutely. But IMHO the prequels aren't so terrible that they fail to tell a fundamentally coherent story, whereas I find the storylines of ROTF and DOTM to be far more haphazard and just all over the place!

--------------------------------------------------
*Except for all the bum shots, dirty jokes, drug references etc. Oh, and the human interaction was often cooler cos instead of using regular military forces I'd throw them in with G.I. Joe, Voltron, Robotech, Star Wars etc. ;) :D

GoktimusPrime
26th October 2013, 07:00 AM
The writer for The Empire Strikes Back is gonna co-write Episode VII!!!!!! :D
http://furiousfanboys.com/2013/10/michael-arndt-exits-episode-vii-lawrence-kasdan-and-jj-abrams-now-writing/
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/avatars/vaderimpressive.jpg

GoktimusPrime
10th November 2013, 03:24 PM
http://www.newsarama.com/19490-yoda-reveals-obi-wan-secret-in-cut-return-of-the-jedi-clip.html
^A deleted scene from Return of the Jedi explains why Obi-Wan never told Luke the truth about his father.

GoktimusPrime
5th May 2015, 11:26 PM
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Star%20Wars/starwars_hangreedo01_zpsywq47bou.jpg
Going somewhere, Solo?
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Star%20Wars/starwars_hangreedo02_zpsidrpoow4.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Star%20Wars/starwars_hangreedo03_zpstashojw8.jpg
It's too late. You should have paid him when you had the chance.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Star%20Wars/starwars_hangreedo04_zpsioipu4en.jpg
Jabba's put a price on your head, so large that every bounty hunter in the galaxy will be looking for you.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Star%20Wars/starwars_hangreedo05_zps6ckklyha.jpg
I'm lucky I found you first.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Star%20Wars/starwars_hangreedo06_zpsymcbh5b0.jpg
If you give it to me, I might forget I found you.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Star%20Wars/starwars_hangreedo07_zps6qppbsgn.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Star%20Wars/starwars_hangreedo08_zpstfyqokhh.jpg
Jabba's through with you. He has no time for smugglers who...
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Star%20Wars/starwars_hangreedo09_zpsp939pwov.jpg
...drop their shipments at the first sign of an Imperial cruiser.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Star%20Wars/starwars_hangreedo10_zps3s15ouiu.jpg
You can tell that to Jabba. He may only take your ship.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Star%20Wars/starwars_hangreedo11_zpsdxrdczgx.jpg
That's the idea.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Star%20Wars/starwars_hangreedo12_zpsg6r9vcx9.jpg
I've been looking forward to killing you for a long time.

<someone.shoots.first> (http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2011/031/8/2/greedo_shot_first_by_halnarthax87-d38ha8l.jpg) :p

GoktimusPrime
13th May 2015, 10:50 AM
The Prequel Trilogy cops a lot of flak from fans, and sure, a lot of it is warranted. But there are arguably some things that the Prequel Trilogy did better in over the Original, and one of them being greater representative gender equality. One common way to test for gender equality in stories is through what is known as the Bechdel Test, which simply presents 3 conditions:
1. The movie must have at least two women in it
2. Who talk to each other
3. About something besides a man
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/bechdel_starwars_zpsrez1gnqp.jpg

In the Original Trilogy, there are few women in the story, they don't talk to each other, and of course that disqualifies the last condition. In the Prequel Trilogy we do see moments such as:
* Queen Amidala speaking with her servants (including giving cryptic messages to her decoy)
* Senator Amidala speaking with Queen Jamillia about Naboo's support for the Republic (and democracy) and the possibility of reconciliation with the Separatists.
* Senator Amidala with Mon Mothma regarding corruption in the Supreme Chancellor and the Senate.

Lord_Zed
13th May 2015, 06:55 PM
Ok that's one thing, although it is posible that all the women of Naboo may be emotionless robots. :p

Actually most of the people of the Republic, but anyway......

GoktimusPrime
13th May 2015, 10:21 PM
Ok that's one thing, although it is posible that all the women of Naboo may be emotionless robots. :p

Actually most of the people of the Republic, but anyway......
Sounds like a pretty accurate representation of most governments then. ;)

Gutsman Heavy
14th May 2015, 08:17 PM
Debbie does Dallas passes the Bechdel test, it's a meaningless benchmark.

GoktimusPrime
14th May 2015, 09:03 PM
Haven't seen that movie, so I can't comment.

From Limitations and Criticisms of the Bechdel Test (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bechdel_test#Limitations_and_criticism):
FiveThirtyEight* '​s writer Walt Hickey noted that the test does not measure whether a film is a model of gender equality, and that passing it does not ensure the quality of writing, significance or depth of female roles—but, he wrote, "it's the best test on gender equity in film we have — and, perhaps more important ..., the only test we have data on".

Also, the Bechdel Test has inspired other tests for evaluating gender equality in fiction, such as the Finkbeiner Test (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finkbeiner_test), the Mori Mako Test (http://observationdeck.io9.com/the-mako-mori-test-1166387543), and the Sexy Lamp Test (http://sjwiki.org/wiki/Sexy_lamp_test#.VVSONvmqqko) etc.

Sinnertwin
14th May 2015, 09:35 PM
Debbie does Dallas passes the Bechdel test, it's a meaningless benchmark.

i lol'd. loudly.
:D

Starscream77
14th May 2015, 09:43 PM
Debbie does Dallas passes the Bechdel test, it's a meaningless benchmark.

Gold! Bloody gold!

GoktimusPrime
14th May 2015, 11:27 PM
Getting back to the topic of Star Wars...

Thought of the Day: Dealing In Absolutes

The Temptation of Anakin Skywalker
Anakin maimed and killed Mace Windu in an act of rage, which made him then pledge allegiance to Palpatine and the Dark Side of the Force. He suddenly went from being a Jedi hero to becoming the Dark Lord of the Sith, capable of murdering innocents, including children.

The Temptation of Luke Skywalker
Luke maimed and nearly killed Darth Vader in a fit of rage after Vader threatened to turn Leia to the Dark Side if Luke refused. However, Luke was able to calm himself down, cast aside his light sabre and bring himself back to the Light Side of the Force.

Some would argue that Luke's reaction was more realistic. Being angry and even losing your temper doesn't necessarily make you an evil person. Good people can experience bouts of anger, but it doesn't necessarily make them bad people per se. Luke's reaction was one of, "I was really angry before, but I'm better now. Thanks."

Obi-Wan told Vader that only Siths deal in absolutes, and this does appear to be true as the Sith seem to have this view that a single act of rage can permanently damn you to a life dedicated to darkness. But... the Jedi also seem to have the same ideology too (just on the other end of the scale). The Jedi are known for denying negative emotions such as anger (rather than say, accepting that you can be angry and learning to manage one's anger, and that the anger doesn't have to define you). Yoda also explicitly told Luke that if he takes a single step towards the Dark Side, that it would consume him and forevermore control his destiny. This was proven to be false, as Luke did take a step toward the Dark Side, but was able to recoil from it with relative ease. Going nuts against Vader and chopping off his father's hand didn't eternally damn Luke. Luke got over it; he knew that he wasn't a bad person, just a good person who got angry and made a bad choice. Because good people can make bad decisions (and bad people can make good decisions). It's not all about absolute black and white morality, there are shades of grey!

The Prophecy of the Chosen One
So perhaps Anakin was indeed the Chosen One who did finally bring balance of the Force, because he and Luke were able to do something that no other Jedi or Sith (in the films anyway) was able to do -- stop dealing in absolutes! They were able to balance themselves by accepting that good people can make bad decisions. In the end, Anakin realised that although he had done terrible things as Vader, these deeds did not define him. He could still be the good person that he was, and thus chose to kill Palpatine in order to save his son at the cost of his own life. And he saved the galaxy too, as Anakin finally realised that Master Windu was right -- Palpatine was too dangerous to be left alive. His absolute control over the courts would mean that he would never be fairly trialled.

Hopes for the Sequels
Among other things, I'm hoping for...
1) Better gender representation in the films.
2) The new Jedi being much like Luke and post-Vader Anakin, and not dealing in absolutes. The EU stuff hinted at stuff like this, with the New Jedi Order being allowed to indulge in certain emotions that were forbidden to the Jedi of the old Order, such as love. Anakin Skywalker had to marry Padmé Amidala in secret because the monastic Jedi Order forbade it, but in the New Order, Luke married Mara Jade, Leia married Han Solo etc., and they had families. I don't know if the sequel movies will also follow suit with this, but I hope that they do, as IMHO, it makes sense. The Sith that we see may be those who are still clinging onto the old ideas of dealing in absolutes... and it will be interesting to see how the new "emotionally balanced" Jedi deal with them, vs the "emotionally restrained" Jedi of the old Order. The idea is that the Old Jedi and Sith represent two extremes, neither of which is right. Sith being too emotional, and the Old Jedi not being emotional enough. The New Jedi should hopefully be trying to strike that balance.

PROVOST
15th May 2015, 07:19 PM
Debbie does Dallas passes the Bechdel test, it's a meaningless benchmark.

:p:p:p

GoktimusPrime
11th July 2015, 04:15 PM
Apparently they're looking for an actor to play a young Han Solo.
http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/seeking-a-young-harrison-ford-hollywoods-search-for-the-new-han-solo-begins-20150710-gi927f.html

I quite like the idea of either Chris Pratt or even Chris Pine playing the role. Not sure about the others ... definitely not LaBeouf. (-_-) Josh Duhamel might not be so bad. :o

VERT
11th July 2015, 07:25 PM
I think everyone is missing the point of the Han Solo movie. We have seen a young Han Solo in ep 4. What they will be looking for is a YOUNG Han. Adolescent Han who is getting involved with smugglers etc. His young life smuggling well before the events of a New Hope. :)

GoktimusPrime
11th July 2015, 09:38 PM
I hadn't thought about just how far back they were aiming at. :o But that seems legit. :) How about Evan Peters (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evan_Peters)?

VERT
11th July 2015, 11:48 PM
Young Han has to be full of attitude, sarcasm and swagger as well as looking the part.

Its going to be the young Indy deal. Like R.I.P River Phenix and the Patrick fellow from the TV Movies.

philby
13th July 2015, 01:07 AM
Haven't seen that movie, so I can't comment.



that's a shame, you should add it to the top of your 'to watch' list immediately! :p

GoktimusPrime
14th September 2015, 12:11 AM
Force Awakens visual spoiler ahead

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/avatars/spoileralert.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/avatars/meme_spoilers_riversong_zps3g8qve9u.gif

Looking at one part of the newest Force Awakens teaser, I've noticed that they've done something which has never been done properly in previous Star Wars films. Lightsabre back glow! :eek:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Star%20Wars/starwars_7backglow_zpsckypcq61.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/avatars/vaderimpressive.jpg

Megatran
14th September 2015, 10:55 AM
Is that from the light sabre or his teeth :confused::o

Sinnertwin
14th September 2015, 01:46 PM
Is that from the light sabre or his teeth :confused::o

he'd be the perfect ninja if he was able to keep his eyes & mouth shut

On the subject of glow, I didn't mind the duel between Dooku and Anakin in Episode 2 after they sliced the power cable, killing the lights & all you saw were there faces and the blades twirling. I thought that was done very well, but this, this is just on a whole new level.

GoktimusPrime
14th September 2015, 07:03 PM
Yeah, that part of the duel between Anakin and Dooku was the only time where you saw sabre glow. They had both actors swinging lightsabre props that were basically bright fluorescent tubes (IIRC a bit thicker and brighter than the Force FX sabres). But the problem with those props was that we didn't see any scenes where they had back glow and seeing the blades contact on screen. Mind you we still don't know if Force Awakens will do this too -- all we've seen so far is Finn standing still while holding that lightsabre. But I'm guessing (hoping) that Abrams will finally achieve what previous directors have failed to do, and that is to have consistent backglow whenever a lightsabre blade is ignited.

I know that a lot of people won't agree with me on this, but I personally didn't like the lightsabre choreography in Attack of the Clones. A lot of people liked it because it was very 'swingy.' Lots of very wide arcing swings which visually looks impressive, but is ultimately quite impractical in a fight. There's a lot of wasted movement. IMHO The Phantom Menace had the best lightsabre choreography in the saga so far. The fight between Darth Maul, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui Gon Jinn is fantastic. There are a lot of moves thrown into it at rapid speed, but each movement means something. Every movement is attempting to attack or defend, and each attack is actually aiming at an opponent's body, not at the opponent's blade. Each block or parry is thwarting a potentially deadly strike. Missing a single defensive manoeuvre would be fatal, as Qui Gon Jinn and Darth Maul ultimately discovered. There was even a moment where fighters were too close to continue fighting with their sabres, and they had to resort to hand-to-hand combat, e.g. Darth Maul using kicks, Qui Gon Jinn using an elbow-backfist combo etc. I think that one thing that really helped with Episode I was Ray Park (Darth Maul), who is an accomplished martial artist in real life. He helped choreograph action and stunt sequences, and his martial arts expertise really shows, lending the sabre fights a much more realistically deadly flavour that isn't seen in any other Star Wars film. One of my favourite moments is when Obi-Wan charges Maul after Jinn's death; he unleashes a relentless barrage of lightsabre strikes on Maul (and Maul also throwing a volley of counterstrikes). Phwoar!

By comparison, the sabre choreography in Episode II felt more like cheerleading, gymnastics and acrobatics. Very fancy but mostly ineffectual movements -- especially Yoda. A lot of people love how he jumps around like a frog, but he makes little serious attempt at trying to strike Dooku. He's more of nuisance rather than a credible threat. The Clone Troopers weren't much better either, with a lot of strutting around looking fancy, but ultimately really impractical movements (they made themselves massive targets that would get them immediately shot in actual combat). Although to Lucas' credit, he did realise that he had these shortcomings in Episode II and sought to rectify them in Episode III. The lightsabre choreography in Ep3 was a lot better than Episode II; they really tried to cut down on "movement waste" and tried to make it more realistic. It still wasn't as good as Ep1, but it was definitely a marked improvement over Ep2. For the Clone Troopers, Lucas had a former US Navy SEAL advise on the movement/choreography of the clones, and actually had the ex-SEAL wear a motion tracking suit, getting him to simply move as he would in actual combat, and the animation of the Clones was based on the movements of that SEAL. The result was bloody fantastic, as we saw the Clones moving in a far more efficient and realistic manner compared to Ep2. No strutting around with wide open stances, making themselves bigger targets; there was no wasted movement or 'grandstanding,' just simple but effective realism.

Images

Episode 1 lightsabre choreography
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Star%20Wars/starwars_lightsabre_phantommenace_zpsibqrdhei.jpg
Fast & furious with no wasted movements. Each move has an intention. Choreography assisted by experienced martial artist, Ray Park (Darth Maul)

Episode 2 lightsabre choreography
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Star%20Wars/starwars_lightsabre_attackoftheclones_zpsmjwqi4bf. jpg
Pretty twirly movements with loads of meaningless/wasted movements. Characters aren't even in range half the time and end up striking at each other's blades rather than at each other! :rolleyes:

Episode 3 lightsabre choreography
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Star%20Wars/starwars_lightsabre_revengeofthesith_zpsrybgk6cy.j pg
Tried to recapture the effective and more realistic style of Episode 1. Didn't quite get there, but points for effort. :)

Episode 2 Clones
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Star%20Wars/starwars_clones_attackoftheclones_zpsi9opqso7.jpg
Lots of unrealistic strutting around, showing off the look of the Clones, but also leaving them really exposed as open targets. Lots of wasteful and ineffectual movements.

Episode 3 Clones
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Star%20Wars/starwars_clones_revengeofthesith_zpsdiev1ixu.jpg
Far tighter and realistic movements. No grandstanding. Based on motion capture from an actual US Navy SEAL. Compare with photos of real soldiers in right inset.

Megatran
14th September 2015, 08:12 PM
It's...a...movie.

Alternate lightsabre duel scene:
* Jedi thrusts lightsabre through evil guy's heart before he/she/non-gender can block.
* Evil guy drops dead.
* Main fight sequence over.
* Film ends.
** Angry film go-ers start a riot in the movie theatre **

GoktimusPrime
14th September 2015, 10:06 PM
It's...a...movie.
While a level of suspension of disbelief (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suspension_of_disbelief) is required when enjoying any form of fantasy/scifi, there does need to be a certain level of realism in order to make it not too unbelievable for the audience. Blaster guns, lightsabres and Force powers are arguably (http://www.templeofthejediorder.org/) fictitious, but this doesn't mean that there can't be a level of realism within the fantasy. IMO, that level of additional realism helps to make the fantasy more enjoyable, as it helps to ground it and just make it more believable. If you're going to leave yourself open in a fight, then you're making just too easy for the enemy to attack you. Enemies who are trained (or should be trained (http://i3.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/517/977/173.jpg)) to kill you as soon as you make an opening.

Examples of fantasy/scifi genre films with realistic fight choreography include:
* The (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSgeEH-Zwbk) Lord (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyevhryWKHk) of the Rings ([url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsT6OmnXAF4)
* The (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t57AVYNcyBQ) Hobbit (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THu4gwA2GQA)
* The Chronicles of Narnia (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukLsRe2Wnmk)
* The Original ([url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kpHK4YIwY4) Star Wars (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-DeI3ohVbY) Trilogy (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRY5dl_oxvo)!
etc.
All of these fights portray the brutal savagery of combative fighting. There's none of this nonsensical grandstanding or "peacocking" where you're just trying to make the characters strike dashing (but stupidly exposed) poses or fancy acrobatic or gymnastic movements that would just get you killed in a real fight. Many good fiction writers realise the importance of grounding their work in realism. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle even invented a fictitious (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGCMfprPJoA) martial (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjKXFBkNE10) art (https://theanalyticalcouchpotato.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/holmes-vs-moriarty1.jpg) for his titular character (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherlock_Holmes)!


http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/aoe_carpunch_zpsrxmsvvgw.jpg
Tyred of realism?


Alternate lightsabre duel scene:
* Jedi thrusts lightsabre through evil guy's heart before he/she/non-gender can block.
* Evil guy drops dead.
* Main fight sequence over.
* Film ends.
** Angry film go-ers start a riot in the movie theatre **
^That's basically how Jedi & Sith fight. The only reason why some light sabre fights go on longer is because they're up against highly skilled opponents (e.g. other Force users, Bounty Hunters etc.). But you look at the average non Force user against a Force user, and it's typically a quick fight. Look at Palpatine vs the Jedi Masters (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBLcxXR1PMw); he kills Agen Kolar and Saesee Tiin in precisely the same manner that you've just described. Kit Fisto falls shortly after, and only Mace Windu is able to hold up against Palpatine. That's precisely how real combat works.

Raptormesh
24th September 2015, 09:27 AM
I'm with Gok here, because that's the first thing running through my mind as well when I saw the flash swings. I know it's Star Wars for chrissakes and it's make belief dialed to 11, but it's difficult to hush the part of me that does Iaido...

In anycase I hope for better choreography in the new movies, not a deal breaker if it doesn't though.

BigTransformerTrev
24th September 2015, 05:24 PM
It's...a...movie.

Alternate lightsabre duel scene:
* Jedi thrusts lightsabre through evil guy's heart before he/she/non-gender can block.
* Evil guy drops dead.
* Main fight sequence over.
* Film ends.
** Angry film go-ers start a riot in the movie theatre **

Or they just get a sniper to kill the bad guy. Or a suicide droid packed with explosives :p

UltimateGalvatron
24th September 2015, 06:33 PM
Or they just get a sniper to kill the bad guy. Or a suicide droid packed with explosives :p

Seems a much simpler plot lol :p

GoktimusPrime
24th September 2015, 09:15 PM
I know it's Star Wars for chrissakes and it's make belief dialed to 11, but it's difficult to hush the part of me that does Iaido...
:D I think one 'disadvantage' of being a martial artist is that it is much harder (if not impossible) to get ourselves to stop analysing every move as if it were a real fight. :p Although I think the same can be said about anything that an audience member may have studied or have an affinity for (science, geography, languages etc.). Like that 'Australian' Jaeger pilot in Pacific Rim with the really bad attempt at an Australian accent. A lot of Americans might think it sounds "true blue Aussie," but as an Australia, you know that you just can't switch off that part of your brain that keeps on hearing it as an American trying to sound Australian (but not quite succeeding).

I once had this phone conversation with an American TF fan...
"Why don't you sound Australian?"
"I do sound Australian."
"No, I mean, like..."
"Steve Irwin?"
"Yeah!"
"Well wah dun't you tahk lahk For-rest Gurmp?"
"Fair point."


Seems a much simpler plot lol :p
That's why assassin droids are deadly, although Force Sensitives have a better chance of surviving them. Snipers and assassins aren't generally used against Force Sensitives (unless the assassin is another Force adept), because often the Force user will either sense a disturbance in the Force (thus they lose the element of surprise), and/or they can use their Force powers against a Droid. Worse still if the droid is using a living weapon, like the droid that tried to kill Padmé with those worms, presumably the malicious intent of those creatures tipped off Anakin and Obi-Wan who raced into Padmé's room and thwarted them.

This is why Palpatine went through the elaborate effort of building the Clone Army as a means of destroying the Jedi. Through years of fighting together, he allowed the Jedi to form a bond with the Clones. Anakin Skywalker was among the first Jedi to insist on giving the Clones names and treating them more like equal humans, rather than as a sub-class. This is why you see Clones walking around with names in Episode III (Oddball, Cody, Gree etc.), and in the expanded universe content (e.g. Rex, Heavy, Fives etc.); a far cry from the dehumanising codes given to Imperial Stormtroopers (e.g. TK421 etc.). The Jedi grew to implicitly trust their Clone brethren. The Clones were of course, genetically bred to take orders without question or emotion. When Order 66 was enacted, they attacked the Jedi without any malice will, thus they didn't generate any disturbance in the Force. Even when Yoda was able to sense his Clones' betrayal, it may not have been the Clones' fault -- he may have started sensing the suffering of his fellow Jedi from across the galaxy just moments before Gree and his troops entered his hut. One of the reasons why Order 66 had to be executed simultaneously was to reduce the chances of Jedi detecting the suffering of other Jedi, but since Yoda wasn't actually on the front lines at the time, coupled with his probable heightened Force sensitivity, may have given him a slight advantage that most other Jedi didn't have. Even then, Yoda wasn't aware of the full extent of what had happened until after he returned to the Jedi Temple.

So yeah, Force Sensitives can be assassinated, but it's bloody hard!

Sinnertwin
25th September 2015, 06:00 PM
Or they just get a sniper to kill the bad guy. Or a suicide droid packed with explosives :p

It's definitely what I'd do.

"Only a Sith deals in absolutes... While Jedi's deal with .50 cals"

*SWOOSH*
*THUD*

"heh, heh, heh. Shall we, Padme?"

GoktimusPrime
25th September 2015, 09:15 PM
Or just get Han to shoot first. ;)
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/hanshotsword_zpszgsntduu.jpg

Lord_Zed
26th September 2015, 02:04 AM
Given the Empire only employs cross eyed marksmen, I think the good guys can be forgiven for grandstanding given their foes incompetence.

I sort of know what you mean about suspension of disbelief with less realistic fight scenes, but I think it depends on the tone of the film. A unrealistic fight scene can be utterly entertaining in the right circumstances.

Star Wars I do not see as particularly grounded in reality, it follows the big flashy and stupid style and is subject only to it's own nonsensical rules, the lightsaber battles are just one aspect of this. There are also the space battles where lumbering ships fight at point blank range and have ridiculous vulnerabilities, or the so called elite clone/storm troopers who are terrible marksmen and wear useless armour. Star Wars fight scenes are meant to be flashy and entertaining but that's about it.

philby
28th September 2015, 10:12 PM
That's why assassin droids are deadly

Query: you rang, meatbag?
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/59/HK-47-posing.jpg

UltimateGalvatron
12th December 2015, 12:23 PM
I just realised that Kylo Ren a.k.a the bad guy in the Force Awakened trailer looks quite similiar to Starkiller's Sith Stalker Armour in Force Unleashed.

UltimateGalvatron
16th December 2015, 06:30 AM
Holy crap! The actor that plays Brienne of Tarth from Game of Thrones is playing Captain Phasma in The Force Awakens!!!

Lord_Zed
16th December 2015, 08:24 AM
Yup saw that in the casting, though I wonder if it will be a big break out role for her, or just a small one.

I'm kinda more interested to see Oscar Isaac, between Poe Dameron in the new Star Wars, his roles in Inside Llewellyn Davis, Ex Machina and the upcoming X-Men Apocalypse he seems to be a pretty versatile actor.

gamblor916
16th December 2015, 08:27 AM
Disney sure knows how to milk a license. Not my photo.

http://i328.photobucket.com/albums/l356/leducly/56aed92a-8346-4c58-9ef5-5d9509a88a49_zps1oum19oy.jpg

Lord_Zed
16th December 2015, 09:54 PM
Disney sure knows how to milk a license. Not my photo.

http://i328.photobucket.com/albums/l356/leducly/56aed92a-8346-4c58-9ef5-5d9509a88a49_zps1oum19oy.jpg

That's what Star Wars is all about! :D

It's the reason we never got Spaceballs merchandise.

GoktimusPrime
19th December 2015, 09:16 PM
Driving home last night after watching the Force Awakens, I'm sitting behind a car, and check out the first half of the number plate! :eek:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/forceawakensnumberplate_zpsdub9b5rr.jpg

UltimateGalvatron
19th December 2015, 09:22 PM
Driving home last night after watching the Force Awakens, I'm sitting behind a car, and check out the first half of the number plate! :eek:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/forceawakensnumberplate_zpsdub9b5rr.jpg
Did the car have a GPS? :D Anyone...?

GoktimusPrime
22nd December 2015, 08:29 AM
A lot of the George Lucas haters are surfacing atm. Okay, the Prequels were flawed, I get it. But here are some reasons why I think that Lucas doesn't deserve to be hated or to be as widely criticised as some other dubious directors:

1/ Lucas does try to make good films. Article: George Lucas Nearly Wrote a Perfect Prequel Trilogy (http://www.gamesradar.com/george-lucas-nearly-wrote-perfect-prequel-trilogy-he-just-didnt-seem-notice/). Many of the concepts of the Prequels were quite sound, the problem is that they weren't always well executed (as the article points out).

2/ Lucas does listen to feedback and tries to act on them. One of the biggest complaints about Episode 1 was Jar Jar Binks and the Gungans. With the sole exception of Jar Jar, the Gungans make no further appearances in Episodes 2 and 3. Jar Jar's appearance in Episode 2 was significantly reduced; he appeared sparingly and played a far more critical role to the story (re: activating the Clone Army). In Episode 3, Jar Jar only appears at Padmé's funeral and has no dialogue. This is just one example, there are others too -- but Lucas did try and learn from his mistakes and improve. Despite their flaws, Episode 2 is better than Episode 1 and Episode 3 is the best of the lot. Compare this with Transformers where the first movie is the best, and the sequels just got worse. Lucas cares. He's not perfect, but he cares.

And even if you completely disagree with my first two points, consider this...
3/ Lucas gave away almost all of the money that he made from selling Star Wars to Disney to children's education! (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2227949/Star-Wars-creator-George-Lucas-donate-4billion-Disney-deal-charity.html) :eek:

jazzcomp
22nd December 2015, 12:19 PM
Driving home last night after watching the Force Awakens, I'm sitting behind a car, and check out the first half of the number plate! :eek:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/forceawakensnumberplate_zpsdub9b5rr.jpg
What's the second half? C3P? RD2? :D

UltimateGalvatron
22nd December 2015, 10:26 PM
Robot Chicken is Hilarious.
Mon Mothma: I think I'll have the calamari.
Ackbar: Hmm I think I'll have the insolent b***h, with a side of f**k you.

GoktimusPrime
26th December 2015, 09:28 AM
There have been at least two children of the original Star Wars cast who have appeared in the Star Wars films so far (AFAIK). Nathan Hamill (son of Mark Hamill) was an extra in The Phantom Menace, and Billie Lourd (daughter of Carrie Fisher) appears as an extra in The Force Awakens. :cool: Harrison Ford apparently has five kids, so it'll be interesting to see if any of them will appear in the upcoming Star Wars films. :D

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Star%20Wars/starwars_generations_zpsd9eq9zsn.jpg

George Lucas and his children have all had cameo appearances in Star Wars.
George Lucas as Baron Papanoida (http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/starwars/images/f/ff/Baron_Papanoida.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20070417180358).
Katie Lucas as one of Anakin's childhood friends (http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/star-wars-legends/images/3/3d/Amee1.png/revision/latest?cb=20141015143611), a Twi'lek bar patron (http://images2.fanpop.com/images/quiz/243000/243582_1246044802410_144_188.jpg), and as Chi Eekway Papanoida (http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/starwars/images/0/03/Chi_Eekway.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20070502154411).
Amanda Lucas as a background extra (http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/starwars/images/0/05/Amanda_Lucas.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20080418184031).
Jett Lucas as Zett Jukassa (http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/starwars/images/c/c2/Appo_Jukassa.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20080427030528); the Padawan who battled 501st Clone Troopers before being slain in front of Bail Organa.

Are there any other children of the cast and crew of the Original Trilogy who've made cameo appearances? :D

UltimateGalvatron
26th December 2015, 09:42 AM
My Order of Star Wars Movie from favourite to least favourite
1. Empire Strikes Back
2. Return of the Jedi
3. The Force Awakens
4. Revenge of the Sith/A New Hope (tied)
5. Attack of the Clones
6. The Phantom Menace

I think that people automatically hate the prequels, but I quite like ROTS, too the point where I'm not sure whether I like it or one of the originals more. I think TFA was amazing, many just say it's good but even if its plot was similiar to a New Hope it had some aspects which I think gives it an edge (won't discuss here cuz spoilers ;))

What order do you list the Star Wars movies?

GoktimusPrime
26th December 2015, 12:14 PM
1. Return of the Jedi
2. The Empire Strikes Back
3. A New Hope
4. Revenge of the Sith
5. The Force Awakens
6. Attack of the Clones
7. The Phantom Menace
8. Clone Wars (movie)
100. Holiday Special

GoktimusPrime
3rd January 2016, 08:40 PM
I recently came across a series of videos discussing, What if the Star Wars Prequels were good? The presenter talks about how, with a number of key changes, the Prequels could actually be a lot better than they actually were.
What if Episode I was (sic) good? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgICnbC2-_Y)
What if Episode II were good? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAbug3AhYmw)
What if Episode III were good? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wKqH6vlGHU)

I personally find these ideas to be pretty interesting, and I think that it would have improved the Prequels significantly. A lot of what this guy talks about is actually how I personally imagined the prequel events to be before Lucas made them, especially with the character of Anakin Skywalker and his relationship with Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Megatran
3rd January 2016, 09:38 PM
What's Rey's vocal accent?

UltimateGalvatron
3rd January 2016, 09:50 PM
What's Rey's vocal accent?

I was thinking British? Not sure TBH.

VERT
3rd January 2016, 11:29 PM
Both Rey and Fin are from London. So yes English.

GoktimusPrime
4th January 2016, 02:13 AM
Boyega and Ridley are from London, so they do natively speak with English accents. However, only Ridley uses her native accent for her character, Rey. Boyega performs with an American accent when he plays FN-2187. Boyega talks about it here (https://youtu.be/ZmlDzL5ljBw?t=121).

Megatran
4th January 2016, 06:22 AM
London (UK). As in the planet Earth? That's a galaxy not far away. :p

I was wondering how she came to have that British accent, then ended up at Jakku.

UltimateGalvatron
4th January 2016, 06:29 AM
London (UK). As in the planet Earth? That's a galaxy not far away. :p

I was wondering how she came to have that British accent, then ended up at Jakku.

A double decker bus spaceship?

GoktimusPrime
4th January 2016, 10:59 AM
London (UK). As in the planet Earth? That's a galaxy not far away. :p

I was wondering how she came to have that British accent, then ended up at Jakku.
I've read somewhere -- and I don't know if this was ever official canon or just a fan theory (I'm assuming the latter) -- that in Star Wars, British accents represents how Galactic Basic is spoken in the Core worlds (e.g. English accent = Coruscanti accent), and that American accents are more akin to how Basic is spoken in the Outer Rim planets like Tattooine. The problem with this theory is that there seems to be insufficient evidence to really back it up.

Because there are several characters from Core worlds who speak with non-English accents, such as:
* Han Solo (Corellian; American accent)
* Bail Organa (Alderaanian; American accent)
* Leia Organa (Alderaanian; although she was born Polis Massa, she was raised on Alderaan since she was a baby; American accent)
* Qui-Gon Jinn (Coruscanti; Irish accent)

And then you have several people from Outer Rim worlds who speak with non-American accents, such as:
* Cliegg Lars, young Owen Lars & young Beru Whitesun (Tatooinian; Australian accents)
* Jango Fett (Mandalore Sector (Concord Dawnian); New Zealand accent)
* Uncle Owen & Aunt Beru (American & English accents respectively)
* Grand Moff Tarkin (Eriaduin; English accent)
* Rey (Jakku; English accent - even though she may have originally come from a Core world and was abandoned on Jakku as a young girl, it's unlikely that she'd be able to maintain her Core accent after spending most of her life growing up on an Outer Rim planet. She would most likely have an accent shift, same as what happens to people who live in another country for a really long time, especially from a young age)

And then, just to get more confusing, we have a variety of accents from people who are from Mid-Rim planets (e.g. Naboo).
* Padmé Amidala (American accent)
* Queen Jabilla (Indian accent)
* Sio Bibble & Palpatine (English accents)
* Captain Panaka (American accent)
* Captain Typho (Australian accent)

Then you have characters who shift accents! e.g. Leia originally speaks with a Cultivated American accent, but then later shifts to a more General American accent. Padmé uses an English accent when she assumes the role of Queen, but reverts to her native American accent when she's either being the servant girl or just her regular self (e.g. Episodes 2 & 3). I think that her accent shift was deliberate to help maintain the illusion that Padmé Naberrie and Queen Amidala were separate people. Her decoy (Kiera Knightley) spoke with an English accent. Anakin Skywalker speaks with a General Canadian accent (which is phonologically very similar to a General American accent; the Canadian accent that stands oot more from American English is, I think, a broader Canadian accent), but then shifts to a Cultivated American accent when he becomes James Earl Jones^Darth Vader. ;)

There doesn't seem to be any consistency between a character's accent and where in the galaxy that that character comes from. Hence I personally don't subscribe the theory that there's any correlation. Simply put, the English language in Star Wars represents Galactic Basic. I don't think that the accent really bears any canonical significance. See this post (http://otca.com.au/boards/showpost.php?p=504746&postcount=126) regarding the correlation of real-world languages and the languages of Star Wars.

Megatran
4th January 2016, 12:06 PM
Wow, a lot of thought went into that. And some.

My gut feeling is that Ridley (Rey's character) uses her native accent cos it's easier than to fake an accent. Imagine Rey speaking with an Aussie accent. They'd have to write a dingo into the script. ;)

BruiseLee
4th January 2016, 01:05 PM
Wow, a lot of thought went into that. And some.

My gut feeling is that Ridley (Rey's character) uses her native accent cos it's easier than to fake an accent. Imagine Rey speaking with an Aussie accent. They'd have to write a dingo into the script. ;)

"A dingo ate my bb-8" :p

UltimateGalvatron
6th January 2016, 05:34 PM
I know its a bit late, but RIP Jason Wingreen. He passed away on Christmas 2015. :(

Megatran
7th January 2016, 04:25 PM
What's the chance of Mark Hamill being nominated & winning the Best Supporting Actor Award for 2016? Be it the Oscar, Golden Globes, Emmy, BAFTA, Cannes. I say this cos Marlon Brando took home the Oscar for Best Actor in Leading Role in The Godfather. His screen time was short. But we all remembered all those sliced lemon & tissue paper they shoved into his cheeks.

GoktimusPrime
13th January 2016, 08:48 PM
There's an interview that's doing the rounds atm where Ahmed Best talks about how he's often been hurt by a lot of the hatred that he's copped because of Jar Jar Binks. I get that a lot of people hate Jar Jar, but to hate Best because of it?!? That seems silly. It's not Best's fault that George Lucas wrote Jar Jar to be such a freakin' uselessly lame character in Episode I. And to be fair, Jar Jar was a better character in Episodes II and III, and even in the Clone Wars series as they realised that Jar Jar should just stop wasting screen time and actually contribute to the story.

It's sad to think that some fans have taken it so personally and decided to lash out against Best. He was only giving the performance that Lucas wanted from him. That's an actor's job. And Best makes a fair point in that he was one of the pioneers of motion tracked acting. But honestly, a lot of Transformers fans rightfully hate G1 Wheelie, but we don't hate Frank Welker because of it! Actors don't write scripts or direct films! :rolleyes:

GoktimusPrime
17th January 2016, 09:59 PM
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Star%20Wars/starwars_notevenonce_zpsoohfaxcq.jpg
"If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will, as it did Obi-Wan's apprentice."

gamblor916
20th January 2016, 09:25 PM
Prequels worth watching :D (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSCm8yAxBr8)

DELTAprime
15th February 2016, 12:49 PM
I see that Hasbro is making a Black Series Darth Revan figure. Does that mean the Old Republic Era is still canon and hasn't been disavowed by Disney?

Seeing Revan, Kylo Ren and Ashoka's figures from Toy Fair means I'll probably start collecting 6" Black Series figures now instead of 3.75".

Wallet is not going to like me.

UltimateGalvatron
15th February 2016, 01:37 PM
I see that Hasbro is making a Black Series Darth Revan figure. Does that mean the Old Republic Era is still canon and hasn't been disavowed by Disney?

Seeing Revan, Kylo Ren and Ashoka's figures from Toy Fair means I'll probably start collecting 6" Black Series figures now instead of 3.75".

Wallet is not going to like me.

Nah, Old Republic is still Expanded Universe.

philby
15th February 2016, 10:04 PM
I see that Hasbro is making a Black Series Darth Revan figure. Does that mean the Old Republic Era is still canon and hasn't been disavowed by Disney?

Seeing Revan, Kylo Ren and Ashoka's figures from Toy Fair means I'll probably start collecting 6" Black Series figures now instead of 3.75".

Wallet is not going to like me.

it was a "fans choice" poll winner apparently

*edit
http://www.starwars.com/news/poll-vote-for-the-next-star-wars-the-black-series-6-inch-figure

the sabine figure was also due to the poll too

Megatran
18th March 2016, 06:11 PM
George Lucas was in Adelaide yesterday for a guest speaking gig. Superannuation of all things.... not that h'ed have any worries living off the pension.

Trent
27th April 2016, 11:56 AM
Got a spare 8 minutes and wanna see the Empire kick arse anime style?

Here you go (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PN_CP4SuoTU) :)

philby
27th April 2016, 10:03 PM
yeah i've seen that before, it's pretty awesome!

philby
4th May 2016, 09:17 PM
May the 4th be with you today :)

UltimateGalvatron
6th May 2016, 11:39 AM
Happy Revenge of the 5th for yesterday everyone!

GoktimusPrime
9th May 2016, 09:20 PM
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Star%20Wars/meme_starwarsdroid_zps1b7h08xz.jpg

Megatran
8th June 2016, 09:33 PM
Channel 3 (SBS) at 11pm tonight is showing 'Plastic Galaxy: Star Wars Toys'.

GoktimusPrime
14th August 2016, 09:40 AM
Stupid 2016... :mad: :(
http://epicstream.com/news/Star-Wars-Legend-Mark-Hamill-Pays-Tribute-To-Kenny-Baker-aka-R2-D2

GoktimusPrime
5th January 2017, 11:25 PM
Discussion topic: What are some perceptions that you've had or still have in Star Wars for things that weren't or still aren't revealed in official canon? Have any of these perceptions since panned out differently or did they work out the way you imagined years/decades ago?

As a kid growing up watching and re-watching Star Wars over and over again since the 80s, there are many ideas and images that sprang in my mind over what the expanded universe was like, based on what I heard and saw in the Original Trilogy. Here are a few (most of these are ideas I had from childhood).

The Clone Wars
I thought that it was the Jedi who were cloned, not Stormtroopers. I thought that there was a big series of wars where the Jedi Knights were the front line soldiers, not rare officers, and that their number had become so depleted against the enemy (Sith soldiers) that the Jedi were forced to bolster their numbers with clones. I thought that Ben Kenobi was one such clone, and that his clone number was OB-1. Idea of a Sith army was also quickly debunked with the Rule of Two. :p

Jedi garb
I was expecting Jedi to have a completely different uniform from what they have now, and I still think that they should have. Until 1999, I always thought that Obiwan Kenobi's clothes were simply regular civilian clothes. After all, Owen Lars (http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/starwars/images/6/66/Owen_Luke.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20070114030437) wears the same style of clothing, and he's not a Jedi. Even Luke's costume in A New Hope (http://images6.fanpop.com/image/photos/38100000/Luke-Skywalker-luke-skywalker-38118996-320-500.jpg) is a lighter version of this (he's just not wearing a skivvy and hooded cloak). I was honestly expecting the standard Jedi dress to be more similar to what Luke wore in Return of the Jedi (http://cdn.idigitaltimes.com/sites/idigitaltimes.com/files/2016/04/19/jj-abrams-explains-why-luke-skywalker-branded-villain-star-wars-episode-7-luke-718443.jpg) (which is actually more similar to Yoda's costume (http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/disney/images/9/95/Master_Yoda.png/revision/latest?cb=20151112212224)). Why would Obi-Wan Kenobi continue wearing Jedi robes during his time in exile on a populated planet while hiding from the Empire who were explicitly hunting down Jedi Knights?? :confused: I could understand Yoda not bothering since he's living in an uninhabited world... it's not as if a swamp rat is going to report a sighting to the Empire's security hotline. Obi-Wan enters freakin' Mos Eisley wearing that get up while it's crawling with Stormtroopers. And how smelly would that costume be? It's not as if Obi-Wan had time to pack his wardrobe... eewww... :eek: No wonder he was a hermit...

Bothans
As a kid, I misheard "Bothans" as "boffins" and I thought that the Rebel spies who sacrificed themselves to bring the Rebels intelligence about the Second Death Star were a rag tag mixed group of Rebel techies... kinda like what we ended up getting in Rogue One. Turns out they're an alien race (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Bothan/Legends). :o Still, I'd like to see a film in the vein of Rogue One which looks at the plight of these Bothans. And we know that the Empire was better prepared this time, allowing the Bothans to steal false intelligence as bait for the Rebel Fleet.

Anakin Skywalker
I viewed Vader as a fallen angel, and hence Anakin would be angelic; Anakin was the prime example of the Jedi... he was their brightest and their best. Instead we had this whining, greedy, jealous, impatient and angry Anakin Skywalker. But while it's not I expected as a child, as an adult I can see that the Anakin we got made more sense. Because a perfect Jedi wouldn't be corrupted by the Dark Side. We don't see the likes of Yoda or Mace Windu being seduced by the Dark Side because they are too confident and assured in the Light Side. They walk so brightly in the light that the shadow of the dark cannot touch them. Anakin would be like this too if Lucas had portrayed him as I'd imagined him. But thankfully he didn't, and it makes more sense. The Anakin we got was insecure. He walked in the light but never far from the darkness... and at times he would tip into the dark (e.g. slaughtering Tuskens, executing Dooku). While Anakin was still a generally good man, he was a flawed man. And it would be these flaws that would ultimately lead to his downfall. A flawless character on the other hand just wouldn't be believable as a corrupted hero.
"Learn the Dark Side of the Force."
"Okay. It's never tempted me before, but sure. Why not."
This would be stupid. Lucas' version worked out well because Anakin had already tasted the Dark Side before. He's been tempted before and he's given into that temptation before. Anakin was susceptible to becoming morally conflicted. The Emperor saw this and exploited it (so did Luke, but it was for Anakin's own good and motivated by love). The Anakin that I imagined as a child and his transformation to becoming Darth Vader was more similar to Bayformers Optimus Prime... all altruistic one moment, then angry rage-driven vengeance machine the next.

Obi-Wan vs Vader
I thought that Vader would end up falling into a vat of acid, and that his ghastly appearance was a result of those sustained injuries. Nope. Turns out it was lava. :o Oh, and it turns out that Revenge of the Sith is arguably one of the more realistic portrayals of how a person would die in lava. It's slow and painful, not quick like in many other films - e.g. Gollum's fall into Mount Doom. What happened to Gollum and the One Ring should have been the other way around... the Ring should have sunk down pretty quickly while Gollum would be more likely to float and slowly burn.
For a detailed scientific explanation as to why, see this video: Why Death by Lava is Much Worse Than in the Movies (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mW56dMH0T2s)

The_Damned
6th January 2017, 10:36 AM
the ring is magical though

shockNwave
8th January 2017, 03:59 PM
Got a spare 8 minutes and wanna see the Empire kick arse anime style?

Here you go (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PN_CP4SuoTU) :)

Creepy that the main bad guy looks kind of like Wesker from the Resident Evil series.;)

GoktimusPrime
12th January 2017, 01:02 PM
"Lost Rebels": deleted scenes (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CgbGQiMUKo)

Interesting to see that the idea of including female and non-human Rebel pilots was not a new concept with the recent Star Wars movies, but it's just that these scenes ended up on the cutting room floor with the Original Trilogy. I kinda feel sorry for the ILM guys who must've worked on those alien costumes though (as well as the actors who would've had to act inside them!) only to have their scenes be edited out. :o Also interesting to see that General Nadine had a more prominent role. I can understand why these scenes were deleted - as cool as they may have been, they aren't as crucial to the central plot and were probably deleted to save on time. It happens in every movie (except for most of the Jar Jar Binks scene in Episode I which should have been deleted... like his entire presence on Tatooine :rolleyes:).

But it's interesting to note that they had always intended to portray the Rebel Alliance with greater diversity than what we ended up with. And to be fair, RotJ did absolutely give us greater diversity among the Rebels - we had another woman with Mon Mothma (and as the supreme leader of the Rebels no less), and aside from Lando we did have other non-White human Rebels as pilots, commandos etc. during the space battle and on Endor. Jedi also gave us Mon Calamari and at least one Sullustan in the form of Nien Nunb (Lando's co-pilot on the Falcon), and Nien Nunb also gave us greater linguistic diversity as another non-Basic speaking Rebel (aside from Chewbacca).

I've always found it to be interesting idea that the Rebel Alliance would have greater diversity than the Empire. We only ever see White males on the side of the Empire. Okay, granted that we never see a Stormtrooper without their helmet, so there could be Stormies of other diversities or even female Stormtroopers (they wear the same armour), but we never hear or see any of them - whereas in The Force Awakens we see FN-2187 without his helmet, and we can hear the voices of at least two female Stormtroopers (Captain Phasma and one generic Stormtrooper on Starkiller Base). But still, we never see any non-humans on the side of the Empire or First Order, which does visually portray some level of racism on the side of the Empire/First Order. This contrasts with the Rebellion and Resistance who appear to be far more inclusive and accepting of different races, not only humans.

And of course, we know that the Jedi order was also inclusive of different races... although so are the Sith, as Darth Maul was a Zabrak, not a human. And Palpatine did have non-human allies, such as Mas Amedda (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Mas_Amedda). But anyway, the general theme in the films is inclusion & diversity = good, exclusiveness and racism = bad. ;)

SharkyMcShark
12th January 2017, 01:49 PM
"Lost Rebels": deleted scenes (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CgbGQiMUKo)

Interesting to see that the idea of including female and non-human Rebel pilots was not a new concept with the recent Star Wars movies, but it's just that these scenes ended up on the cutting room floor with the Original Trilogy. I kinda feel sorry for the ILM guys who must've worked on those alien costumes though (as well as the actors who would've had to act inside them!) only to have their scenes be edited out. :o Also interesting to see that General Nadine had a more prominent role. I can understand why these scenes were deleted - as cool as they may have been, they aren't as crucial to the central plot and were probably deleted to save on time. It happens in every movie (except for most of the Jar Jar Binks scene in Episode I which should have been deleted... like his entire presence on Tatooine :rolleyes:).

But it's interesting to note that they had always intended to portray the Rebel Alliance with greater diversity than what we ended up with. And to be fair, RotJ did absolutely give us greater diversity among the Rebels - we had another woman with Mon Mothma (and as the supreme leader of the Rebels no less), and aside from Lando we did have other non-White human Rebels as pilots, commandos etc. during the space battle and on Endor. Jedi also gave us Mon Calamari and at least one Sullustan in the form of Nien Nunb (Lando's co-pilot on the Falcon), and Nien Nunb also gave us greater linguistic diversity as another non-Basic speaking Rebel (aside from Chewbacca).

I've always found it to be interesting idea that the Rebel Alliance would have greater diversity than the Empire. We only ever see White males on the side of the Empire. Okay, granted that we never see a Stormtrooper without their helmet, so there could be Stormies of other diversities or even female Stormtroopers (they wear the same armour), but we never hear or see any of them - whereas in The Force Awakens we see FN-2187 without his helmet, and we can hear the voices of at least two female Stormtroopers (Captain Phasma and one generic Stormtrooper on Starkiller Base). But still, we never see any non-humans on the side of the Empire or First Order, which does visually portray some level of racism on the side of the Empire/First Order. This contrasts with the Rebellion and Resistance who appear to be far more inclusive and accepting of different races, not only humans.

And of course, we know that the Jedi order was also inclusive of different races... although so are the Sith, as Darth Maul was a Zabrak, not a human. And Palpatine did have non-human allies, such as Mas Amedda (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Mas_Amedda). But anyway, the general theme in the films is inclusion & diversity = good, exclusiveness and racism = bad. ;)

The female A Wing pilot made it into the film but was dubbed with a male voice, bizarrely.

Sinnertwin
12th January 2017, 04:36 PM
Nah, man. The First Order is where all of the World Champion Athletes hang out. Nothing but the best of the best.

The Rebels are the kids that wanted to join the First Order, but just couldn't cut it due to their lack of skill & physical prowess.
That's why you have an all inclusive Average Joe team with the bookworm, the kid with glasses, the library rat & the kid that thinks he can throw a ball, the braces, zits & pig tail girl. If you're going to form a team and you're short on numbers for cannon fodder, you're not going to be picky about it.

GoktimusPrime
12th January 2017, 07:10 PM
Jek Porkins is my hero.

The female A Wing pilot made it into the film but was dubbed with a male voice, bizarrely.
Perhaps she's transitioned. Or is otherwise just a lady with a deep voice, like ScarJo. ;)

philby
12th January 2017, 09:59 PM
The female A Wing pilot made it into the film but was dubbed with a male voice, bizarrely.

yeah as soon as started watching that clip i thought "wait, she's in the movie isn't she?"

*actually now having watched the whole thing, i can kinda see why the first two were cut...
fried calamari tonight! lol. didn't realise the falcon was so packed either, what were all those soldiers doing and where were they going? i wonder if one them was the 'pressure steady' guy :D

SharkyMcShark
13th January 2017, 01:11 AM
yeah as soon as started watching that clip i thought "wait, she's in the movie isn't she?"

*actually now having watched the whole thing, i can kinda see why the first two were cut...
fried calamari tonight! lol. didn't realise the falcon was so packed either, what were all those soldiers doing and where were they going? i wonder if one them was the 'pressure steady' guy :D

I've never actually watched those in full before. Love the A-Wing targeting computers!

The old bloke on the Falcon cannon is canonically (in Legends anyway) Airen Cracken, who went on to play a large role in the post ROTJ novels.

GoktimusPrime
14th January 2017, 12:33 AM
didn't realise the falcon was so packed either, what were all those soldiers doing and where were they going?
Running repair/maintenance and manning the cannons by the looks of things. We know that the Falcon needs to have separate gunners, and we only ever saw Lando piloting the Falcon with Nien Nunb as his co-pilot, but neither were in a position to man the guns. And without Artoo around, they'd definitely need people to run around affecting repairs as needed.

shockNwave
15th January 2017, 10:20 PM
Nah, man. The First Order is where all of the World Champion Athletes hang out. Nothing but the best of the best.

The Rebels are the kids that wanted to join the First Order, but just couldn't cut it due to their lack of skill & physical prowess.
That's why you have an all inclusive Average Joe team with the bookworm, the kid with glasses, the library rat & the kid that thinks he can throw a ball, the braces, zits & pig tail girl. If you're going to form a team and you're short on numbers for cannon fodder, you're not going to be picky about it.

Well of course the world champion athletes are closed minded and the rebels are open minded. Rebellions are built on hope. Tyrannies (like those that rule schoolyards) are built on taking away hope.

GoktimusPrime
23rd January 2017, 10:36 PM
My theory as to why some Sith sometimes have yellow eyes while others don't

To clarify:
* Darth Maul = always had yellow eyes
* Count Dooku = never had yellow eyes
* Palpatine = only had yellow eyes after his fight with Mace Windu
* Darth Vader = only had yellow eyes when he killed the Separatist leaders on Mustafar and when telling Obi-Wan that he hated him.
* Kylo Ren = never had yellow eyes (yet)

Here's my theory: HATE.

The yellow eyes are a physical by product of a Sith's intense hate. Dooku's eyes never turned yellow because he never felt hate. He felt anger, frustration and disappointment - we know that he left the Jedi order because he felt that it had become corrupted and no longer held to its true ideals (which was pretty much true), but Dooku never hated the Jedi. It was never personal for him. He took no pleasure in executing Anakin, Obi-Wan and Padmé, nor did he take any pleasure in fighting Jedi. Dooku was an honourable Sith because he felt no hatred or rage towards his enemies. He even told Obi-Wan that it was a shame that he'd never had the pleasure to become better acquainted with him, and he spoke to Yoda and Mace Windu with fondness in his voice - referring to both of them as "Master," and to Windu as, "old friend." Vader never had this level of kinship or civility towards Obi-Wan, only anger and rage - even 20 years later when they finally met again on the Death Star. Despite the fact that Obi-Wan had been a father, mentor and brother to him, Vader was still full of rage. Dooku never felt that about anyway. He just wasn't a hateful dude.

When Vader led the 501st on their attack on the Jedi Temple, his eyes were still blue. Even when he slaughtered the Younglings, his eyes hadn't changed colours. While he was full of anger, he wasn't filled with personal hatred. He didn't hate any of the Jedi or the kids that he was killing. When he choked Padmé, he was full of rage - angry over the thought that she had betrayed him, but he did not hate her. Likewise when he fought Obi-Wan, he was even more enraged, but not yet filled with hatred. It was only after his defeat when Vader looked up at Obi-Wan - we see his eyes change from blue to yellow and he cries, "I HATE YOU!" But then later when we see Vader being rebuilt as a cyborg, his eyes have reverted back to their natural colour. He is filled with pain, anguish, sadness... but not hate. Not at that time. And of course when Luke removed Anakin's mask, he was filled with nothing but love for his children. There was no yellow in his eyes. Only a loving smile towards his son and passing on a fond message to his daughter just before perishing.

So why were Darth Maul's and Palpatine's eyes always yellow? More theories...

On Darth Maul
Maul was born on Dathomir, a planet strong in the power of the Dark Side (much like Dagobah). His mother was Talsin, a Nightsister Witch adept in using arcane magicks derived from the powers of the Dark Side. Maul's brothers (Feral and Opress) also had yellow eyes. This suggests that because they were essentially born into the Dark Side that they had inherited physical Sith traits like yellow eyes. Non-Dathomirian Zabraks do not have yellow eyes (e.g. the two renown Jedi Zabraks, Agen Kolar and Eeth Koth), so it does not appear to be a physical trait of their species.

On Palpatine
Palpatine was physically deformed by the power of his own Sith lightning, which he was fully unleashing upon Mace Windu (whereas he seemed to be only partially unleashing it on Luke in order to tortuously kill him slowly and painfully), but Windu was able to reflect the bolts back at Palpatine. We can see that the Dark Side energies that were repelled back onto Palpatine did physically change him. His skin became paler and hideously wrinkled, and indeed his eyes became yellow.

Megatran
24th January 2017, 04:06 PM
A quick Dr Google search on yellow eyes yields:


Your yellow eyes are a sign that you have elevated levels of bilirubin in the blood called jaundice. Jaundice is a sign of many possible liver problems that can cause it to function incorrectly. Alcoholism most commonly causes cirrhosis (scarring of the liver).

So many Siths / Sith Lords have jaundice, apparently.

Staying off the grog will eliminate alcohol-fueled violence & hate.

BigTransformerTrev
10th April 2017, 07:58 AM
There are chocolate R2D2s at Woolworths for $12 - they look awesome!

Megatran
10th April 2017, 11:45 AM
They are geat looking aren't they! I've seen Darth Vader chocolate head as well, by the same company Kinnerton (UK). Could have been Big W(?). Also chocolate Frozen castle too. That's Easter covered.

http://www.kinnerton.com.au/portfolio-posts/starwars/

GoktimusPrime
13th May 2017, 12:23 AM
Can somebody give me an A-men? ;)
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Star%20Wars/meme_starwars_force_zpsnyxbxr9l.jpg

Jetfire in the sky
13th May 2017, 02:48 PM
Can somebody give me an A-men? ;)
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Star%20Wars/meme_starwars_force_zpsnyxbxr9l.jpg

I like the prequels, so no love from here :p

GoktimusPrime
7th April 2018, 12:03 AM
https://image.ibb.co/mtvkEx/starwars_kylorenorigin.jpg

https://image.ibb.co/h8bE7H/starwars_snickers.jpg

Unicran
4th May 2020, 09:18 PM
It's May 4th Be With You day.

Trent
25th May 2020, 10:20 AM
Is there anyone here that identifies with this (https://twitter.com/sw_takes/status/1264665363377041408?s=21)?

If so please let me know so I can point and laugh at you every day for the rest of my life. Take heart in the fact that you are providing so much comedy during these dark days.

XMan
27th May 2020, 03:24 AM
It's a what I can only say a very depressing point in time. I'd like to add the whole Snydercut of Justice League now coming out on HBO Max next year, this toxic fan pandering, and it was the studio that said Zack Synders filmed scene were truly unwatchable, how much of that is true or not I guess we'll find out, or if it was and WB wanted it more colourful as other reports have said, but now that has resulted in #releasetheayercut of Suicide Squad - studios mess up, directors and producers mess, it happened, the movie had aspects of good things, but ultimately failed, and thats ok. Not every MCU movie was good, some are a little cringy, but had aspects good things, but they learnt and moved forward. And hey you know James Gunn is gonna deliver an amazing Suicide Squad movie, Shazam! was great (to me anyway) and Aquaman was a fun ride.

Then there's Star Wars... I truly dont know what to say about the Fandom Menace, but having read a lot of comments, "reviews" (pfft) and some of the down right friggin' disgusting things these 'fans' have to say, whether its attacking a directors sexuality or not being able to accept that a female is in charge (currently) of our beloved Star Wars is beyond me.

Its the 21st Century now, not the 90's or early Naughties. I dont know like I said its just sad.

i_amtrunks
27th May 2020, 12:26 PM
Just finished Clone Wars.

Give me a new animated series just based on Ahsoka and Rex. Please.

XMan
27th May 2020, 02:13 PM
They're in Rebels and will both be in The Mandalorian season two

i_amtrunks
27th May 2020, 06:36 PM
They're in Rebels and will both be in The Mandalorian season two

Yes they are, and yes they will be but after the waste of a series known as ?resistance? We could all do with a cracking show and the last season of clone wars showed that a clone based show with minimal jedi involvement can be done and done well. Also made Ahsokas light Sabre battles at the end even more spectacular.

Unicran
27th May 2020, 08:25 PM
Is there anyone here that identifies with this (https://twitter.com/sw_takes/status/1264665363377041408?s=21)?

If so please let me know so I can point and laugh at you every day for the rest of my life. Take heart in the fact that you are providing so much comedy during these dark days.
I don't even understand what's being said. I'm a simple guy. Perhaps someone can put it in laymans language.

Ralph Wiggum
27th May 2020, 10:17 PM
Please...let?s not bring any attention to this toxic minority. They validate themselves through arguments and baiting. They?re like those advertisement monsters from that Halloween Simpsons episode. Just look away and they?ll just fade away back to whatever dank hole they came from.

griffin
29th August 2020, 07:06 PM
Something random that popped in my head at work (because it is so boring where I work)...

How is the Death Star structured?
If you think of a building or (space)ship, all of the floors or decks are generally horizontally parallel. And every time we have had the Death Star (either of them) on film, it has the appearance of all decks/floors being horizontally parallel, from the bottom of the sphere to the top.
There's no indication that the levels are curved (like the space station in Space Odyssey 2001), or any sign of the lifts changing directions (like in Star Trek)... but we do know that there are towers on the surface (like the Emperor's tower and gun stations), which are clearly sitting on the surface like buildings on the surface of a planet.
As such, those constructs on the surface are not parallel to all of the decks/floors/levels inside the Death Star... if all of the internal levels are parallel (stacked on top of each other like in an office building). So how do people get into the surface buildings, if the rest of the structure is layered like a regular building?
When ships fly into the Death Star to land in one of the hangers (Vader's shuttle, Millennium Falcon, Emperor's shuttle) they all fly into the side of the Death Star, as if the levels are parallel to the equator... and not like an onion, which would be better for gravity, and make more sense for the "buildings" that stick out of the surface of the Death Star.

Too much thought about something fictional?
Or has this already been explained from an official source, like in one of those reference or cut-away books?

GoktimusPrime
29th May 2022, 09:27 PM
Brief thoughts about Eps 1-2 of Obi-Wan Kenobi (SPOILERS).

It is a grimdark world, which makes sense because life is meant to suck under the Empire. A lot of people, especially Obi-Wan Kenobi, have lost hope. Again, this makes sense, because the activation of Luke Skywalker brings forth 'A New Hope.' But in order for hope to exist, you must first have despair - and this series is showing us a galaxy in despair.

Some people have criticised this series as being arguably not dark enough. Um... this isn't The Boys or Invicible... it has to be accessible to kids too. And it is already pretty dark from a kid audience POV. I would argue that it's an even darker tone than The Empire Strikes Back, and that is known for being the darkest of the Original Trilogy films; because as dire as things were for the Rebellion, the main protagonist was not a broken man. If anything, he was over enthusiastic and went against Yoda's advice to stay put; whereas Obi-Wan Kenobi is dispassionate and reluctant to act (as per Yoda's orders). He had to be coaxed by Bail to take action.

Leia has obviously had more screen time than Luke so far. I love the way that little Leia is portrayed; especially with her fearlessness, guile and intelligence; traits that we see 20 year old Leia exhibit even in front of Darth Vader. There's a theory that Leia mildly tapped into the Force when she was able to sense her cousin's feelings and dish out some verbal smackdown.

Some have said that Obi-Wan leaving Tatooine and meeting 10 year old Leia breaks canon; as Obi-Wan is supposed to have remained on Tatooine continuously for 20 years, and that Leia never met Obi-Wan Kenobi. But... I dunno. Admittedly I'm not very familiar with all the stories beyond the films, but AFAIK it wasn't established in the movies that Kenobi never left Tatooine at all. Why can't he have the occasion excursion to other worlds? So long as he spends the bulk of his time near Luke. As for Leia and Kenobi... in Ep 2 he only ever tells her that his name is "Ben." Leia even says that it's "not a very Jedi name," and Obi-Wan insists that that is his name. He also never tells Leia his surname, so she only knows him as "Ben." When Leia records the message for Obi-Wan Kenobi, she doesn't see an image of him; she's just looking at Artoo Detoo. So it's possible that Leia never knew what Obi-Wan Kenobi looked like and never made the connection that Obi-Wan Kenobi was also Ben. She also never really met Obi-Wan either; at best, she caught a glimpse of him from a distance fighting Darth Vader (with his hood up no less), before he sacrificed himself to Vader and became a pile of rags on the floor. Now Leia most likely discovered later on that Obi-Wan Kenobi was also known as Ben Kenobi and made the connection afterwards, but not while she was recording the message for Obi-Wan. So I think it still makes sense for her to say, "Years ago you helped my father in the Clone Wars," as opposed to "Years ago you saved me from kidnappers". She didn't know that they were the same person.

Future episodes may prove me wrong on this, we'll see. :)

And how stupid is Obi-Wan Kenobi for not freaking having a shave while he's in hiding? You know that you're a wanted man and that the Empire are hunting Jedi. Surely you would do more to change your appearance. Frankly, it would have made sense for Obi-Wan Kenobi to have remained clean shavened throughout the entire Prequel Trilogy era, and then only grew a beard after he went into hiding as a deliberate way to change his looks. I've also never really liked how the Prequels established Obi-Wan's costume in A New Hope as the "Jedi uniform." It was never the Jedi uniform in the Original Trilogy; it was just regular Tatooine commoner clothes that Obi-Wan wore because he was in freaking hiding! We see Owen Lars and Luke Skywalker wear pretty much the same style of clothes - Owen even also has a hooded cloak! They're not dressed as Jedi, they're dressed as freaking commoners! One thing I was looking forward to seeing in the Prequels before Episode I came out was how the Jedi dressed. I was mildly disappointed to see them all dressed like peasantry. :/ And it really makes no sense for Obi-Wan to be dressed as a bloody Jedi knight when he's still in hiding... sneaking around Stormtroopers in Mos Eisley... sneaking around the freaking Death Star... how stupid are you to be sneaking around in the galaxy dressed as the very thing that the Empire has been actively hunting down for decades?

"Let me just maintain my beard and later dress like I did during the Clone Wars while I'm a wanted man. Genius!" :p

Tha_Phantom
30th May 2022, 07:34 AM
"Let me just maintain my beard and later dress like I did during the Clone Wars while I'm a wanted man. Genius!" :p

Yeah, George really left it like nothing was supposed to happen during the 19 year interval between eps 3 and 4. :rolleyes:

Anyway, quite enjoyed the first two eps of Kenobi. Young Leia was pretty well written and they didn't go overboard with the hints of force sensitivity.
The part where Obi Wan spoke about her mother to her (without her knowing that's who he was talking about) hit me in the feels too.

Ralph Wiggum
30th May 2022, 04:28 PM
I agree with most of what you said Gok, but disagree on the costumes part and would point out:

1. Jedi Robes looking like they do was established back in the original trilogy; if you recall at the end of Return of the Jedi, the ORIGINAL Anakin Skywalker Force ghost (portrayed by Sebastian Shaw) is wearing the same Jedi Robes. The same could be argued for Yoda?s outfit in ESB, though less obvious.

2. Obi Wan?s costume in the series is definitely not the full Jedi outfit - he has what is probably a generic hooded robe, but the underlayer is definitely different. So there is some attempt to disguise himself. Plus, as you stated yourself, the Jedi outfit is a common looking outfit. Hiding in plain sight especially on Tatooine clearly worked for Obi Wan.

I just watched the opening sequence with Order 66 again and thought it was awesome, though on reflection it doesn?t make sense that the Jedi Master is doing Jedi-Chi completely oblivious to the chaos and death of Order 66 happening at the same time.

I also have questions about the hygiene practices of Obi Wan?s meat processing plant :D

Seraphim Prime
31st May 2022, 03:22 PM
Anyway, quite enjoyed the first two eps of Kenobi. Young Leia was pretty well written and they didn't go overboard with the hints of force sensitivity.
The part where Obi Wan spoke about her mother to her (without her knowing that's who he was talking about) hit me in the feels too.

Loved young Leia - very feisty and self-assured and you get so much of who she will become in both the original and sequel trilogy.

I had read your comment about describing her mother before seeing the second episode, so was ready to hear how he describes Padme. But I thought it could be even more about Duchess Satine from the Clone Wars series - a love that Obi Wan had that he put aside for his commitment to the Jedi order - but it was clever writing to allow it easily seen as either and therefore making sense to people - both who had only seen the movies, and those who have gone deeper.

GoktimusPrime
31st May 2022, 08:45 PM
https://www.porsche.com/usa/aboutporsche/e-performance/magazine/e-performance-star-wars-2/

So apparently Porsche co-designed the Tri-Wing starfighter seen in Obi-Wan Kenobi. Does this mean that Porsche has finally changed their minds on having their brand being affiliated with war (even if it's fantasy war, like the Transformers)? Or is this an exception because the Tri-Wing isn't an actual Porsche vehicle? Part of me hopes that this means that Porsche is changing their stance and that we may finally see them allow Hasbro to use the Porsche licence for Transformers... but I'm most likely being far too optimistic here. :(


1. Jedi Robes looking like they do was established back in the original trilogy; if you recall at the end of Return of the Jedi, the ORIGINAL Anakin Skywalker Force ghost (portrayed by Sebastian Shaw) is wearing the same Jedi Robes. The same could be argued for Yoda?s outfit in ESB, though less obvious.
Hhmmm... that's a good point about Anakin's Force Ghost. I can concede that this illogical retcon was made as early as Return of the Jedi, but I don't see it with Yoda in TESB. Yoda is just wearing a rather bland set of rags, really. Even in ROTS Yoda has to lose his cloak to reveal his unconventional costume underneath.


I just watched the opening sequence with Order 66 again and thought it was awesome, though on reflection it doesn?t make sense that the Jedi Master is doing Jedi-Chi completely oblivious to the chaos and death of Order 66 happening at the same time.
I assume that those Clones were among the first to open fire, thus not causing any disturbance in the Force. I suppose that the attack on the Jedi Temple had to be one where the Clones march into the place and assume key positions before simultaneously attacking multiple places at the same time. Cos sieging the front and working their way in would alert the rest of the Jedi and allow them to mount defences/counterattacks. I know that we see Vader and the Imperial Clones march into the Temple from the entrance, but we don't see them firing until they're inside the building. While seeing them march in might have looked odd, as the Jedi still saw them as friendlies, and being led by a member of the Jedi Council no less, they would have been very much off guard.

I really loved seeing the Jedi practising a form; Star Wars canon has established the Jedi's lightsabre art as containing seven forms. I assume that those Padawans were prasctising Form I (https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Form_I/Legends), which was also the same form that Obi-Wan Kenobi was teaching Luke Skywalker aboard the Millennium Falcon (when Luke was practising against the remote).


I also have questions about the hygiene practices of Obi Wan?s meat processing plant :D
This is a planet that still has slavery... don't think they care too much about hygiene laws! :D Also, Obi-Wan eats bugs. Nicking a piece of giant space-sashimi is probably a real treat for him. :D Although I do like how the bug-eating thing is also a nod at that episode from Clone Wars where Anakin taught Obi-Wan how to eat bugs (when they were stuck in that prolonged siege and their rations were running low).

It was also really cool and sad to see Obi-Wan's reaction when that Inquisitor told him that Darth Vader survived Mustafa. I hadn't thought about it before, but yeah, from Obi-Wan's POV he would have assumed that Vader perished on Mustafa. He never knew that Palpatine rescued him and rebuilt him as a cyborg. And yet, he did know about cyborg Vader in A New Hope, since he tells Luke that Vader is, "More machine now than man. Twisted and evil." ←I expect that the series will lead up to something where Obi-Wan encounters or sees cyborg Vader. This could actually fill in that little continuity gap quite nicely. And the Original Trilogy never said that Obi-Wan and Vader never encountered each other since the fall of the Republic. In A New Hope, Vader simply says, "I presence I haven't felt since..." before storming out of the room. He never finished that sentence, so it's plausible that they could meet in the Obi-Wan series and that Vader's line in ANH was referring to that moment, and not their last encounter on Mustafa.

Seraphim Prime
1st June 2022, 11:08 AM
It was also really cool and sad to see Obi-Wan's reaction when that Inquisitor told him that Darth Vader survived Mustafa. I hadn't thought about it before, but yeah, from Obi-Wan's POV he would have assumed that Vader perished on Mustafa. He never knew that Palpatine rescued him and rebuilt him as a cyborg. And yet, he did know about cyborg Vader in A New Hope, since he tells Luke that Vader is, "More machine now than man. Twisted and evil." ?I expect that the series will lead up to something where Obi-Wan encounters or sees cyborg Vader. This could actually fill in that little continuity gap quite nicely. And the Original Trilogy never said that Obi-Wan and Vader never encountered each other since the fall of the Republic. In A New Hope, Vader simply says, "I presence I haven't felt since..." before storming out of the room. He never finished that sentence, so it's plausible that they could meet in the Obi-Wan series and that Vader's line in ANH was referring to that moment, and not their last encounter on Mustafa.

I also liked this because I was actually thinking about who knows whether Darth Vader is Anakin Skywalker
Tarkin in Episode IV tells Vader that he is all that is left of that old (Jedi) order - and had worked beside Anakin as a Republic general in The Clone Wars.

XMan
3rd June 2022, 12:11 PM
I have enjoyed the first 3 eps very much, I'm waiting to watch the other 3 in one go. ROgue One still, for me, holds the best Vader scene, but watching him walk through Tatooine braking necks was amazing, Then what he did to Ben...

Tha_Phantom
3rd June 2022, 03:20 PM
watching him walk through Tatooine braking necks was amazing, Then what he did to Ben...

Yeah, you could really feel the hatred. I can't wait to see their next encounter, if there is one (and no I don't mean A New Hope).

GoktimusPrime
3rd June 2022, 11:17 PM
It was also interesting to see how utterly inept Ben was at fighting Vader. This is consistent with the idea that Ben is, at this stage, an utterly broken man who has lost his edge as a Jedi. It also means that he has his own personal journey to embark on to get to being the Jedi knight that we saw him as in A New Hope. :) Also interesting to see Quinlan Vos being mentioned.

The scene when Vader arrives at the space port town was interesting as it means that there are now dire consequences for Ben's choices. One problem with prequels is we know that there is no real peril for characters like Ben Kenobi and Leia Organa, for obvious reasons. So instead, other beings are now susceptible to suffering for Ben's choices. Vader gave Ben an impossible choice... expose himself or allow the innocent to die. And his new ally Tala is facing peril in trying to help him and Leia.

It also just dawned on me that Temuera Morrison's cameo as the homeless Clone Trooper was the first time that Morrison has ever worn the Clone Trooper armour!

Sinnertwin
4th June 2022, 01:14 PM
Kenobi vs Vader was a car crash. There are better fan made videos on YouTube. Seriously -check out SC38 reimagined.

My favourite moments of EP3 included Darth Vader running around the mounds faster than Kenobi so that he could cut him off and strike a pose.

What was that business with the fire? I'll use the Force to topple this thing over, set it alight... damn, Obi has some great fire proof robes on... what's that? A sniper.... where did that moving-at-snail-pace droid come from? It's picking up Obi Wan... wait... is he rescuing him? Damn fire. I can't get through it. Should I send my troopers around it? No... if only I was the dark lord of an ancient religion that could manipulate people and objects around me...
Better stand still and look intimidating instead.

Lol stop drinking the coolaid, people

GoktimusPrime
4th June 2022, 06:40 PM
Obi-Wan is supposed to be a crap fighter at this stage. He's a broken man; this is meant to be the lowest point of his life. This is why Episode IV was called "A New Hope," in order for Luke Skywalker to be the New Hope, the others must be in a place where there is no hope. Where there is darkness, to which Luke will be the light *(the name "Luke" means 'light-giver'). So yeah... the fight being a wreck? That's the point. This is similar to how Ahsoka Tano was initially a really annoying character that a lot of viewers complained about; but in hindsight we can see that that was the whole point of the character. In order for Ahsoka to grow, she had to start from a "low" point. Because the opposite of this is a Mary Sue like Rey Palpatine Skywalker.

The fire-proofness was pretty weird, I will give you that. As for why Vader didn't just send his troops through the flames (or charge in himself; he's survived worse... dude lives on a volcano world); I reckon that he was toying with Obi-Wan. He doesn't want to kill Kenobi, at least not straight away. He wants him to suffer. It's of limited consequence if Obi-Wan escapes, because really, he's of no threat to Vader or the Empire (as far as Vader can tell). This is a broken man who isn't hardly even a Jedi anymore. This is similar to how General Grievous used to toy with his prey in the Tatarkovsky Clone Wars series ("Run, Jedi, run.").

I think that a lot of this will make more sense as the series progresses. After all, a lot of fans hated Ahsoka Tano when she first debuted in the Filoni Clone Wars series; but she was meant to be a flawed character so that she could develop. Now she's a widely beloved character who's getting her own series. :)

Sinnertwin
4th June 2022, 08:09 PM
It's not Obi Wan running away repeatedly from Vader I find vexing, it's that there's no emotional gravitas in the scene. Kathleen Kennedy touted this as the "rematch of the century" & what we got IMO was very poor story telling. Not as bad as Obi shooting a laser fence he could have walked around, but you get my point.

We know he's broken - we've seen him mope around for 2 1/2 episodes. My main gripe is that I didn't feel any tension or foreboding when the two finally faced each other, unlike Vader vs Luke in ESB. Even when Vader was strutting through the town square snapping necks... nothing.

The more we see of Vader, the more he loses his sense of mystique and terror. Using him sparingly would have had a much greater impact .

Sinnertwin
8th June 2022, 07:33 PM
EP4

You know what? it wasn't as bad as I anticipated
Good, fast paced episode. Although I chuckled when Vader stormed into the control room.. I thought he was going to clothesline and pin Reva for the 3 count & walk out with the World Heavyweight belt.

Anyways, it's good to see Obi Wan doing Obi Wan things and not shuffling around in his usual sad-songs-for-the-lonely-hearts mode.

GoktimusPrime
9th June 2022, 09:45 AM
As a language geek, something I've enjoyed about Ewan McGregor's portrayal of Obi-Wan Kenobi is how he portrays the character's accent.
In A New Hope, Kenobi, Vader and Leia all speak with a Trans-Atlantic English accent. This is an artificial accent created for Hollywood actors and actresses back when most English speakers had never heard an American accent (early "talkies" from the US required subtitles for other Anglophones to understand). It's why Old Timey American movies have actors sounding sort of British; it's a blend between American and English English. G1 Tracks speaks with this Mid-Atlantic accent, as does Kelsey Grammer, and thus his character Harold Attinger in Age of Extinction (or Sideshow Bob ;)). The weird thing with Leia is that she totally drops this accent and goes full American by the end of the film. Seriously... listen to the way she speaks with Vader and Tarkin - she sounds more British when she says: "Governor Tarkin, I should have expected to find you holding Vader's leash. I recognised your foul stench when I was brought on board."; but then she sounds totally American after she encounters Luke and gets rescued, leads the Rebellion etc. :D And yeah, throughout all of Empire and Jedi - total American accent.

So in ANH, Obi-Wan has a chiefly English accent but with American "twangs" interlaced, particularly in the way that he pronounces certain vowels.
And this was never Sir Alec Guinness' native accent; if you listen to him during interviews, he speaks with a pure English accent; no American twangs. If you listen to Ewan MacGregor's Obi-Wan Kenobi accent, it starts off being purely English in The Phantom Menace. but it very gradually adds more American-like twangs in Attack of the Clones and especially Revenge of the Sith.
e.g. "You were right about one thing, Master. The negotiations were short." ← full English accent
"Anakin, my allegiance is to the Republic! To democracy!" ← "duh-MAH-kra-see" instead of "duh-MOCK-ra-see."
And in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, we hear a slightly thicker American influence in his accent; in other words, it's sounding closer to Alec Guinness' Obi-Wan Kenobi accent! :) Still not totally there, but that's okay, this takes place another decade before the events of ANH. I love how MacGregor pays attention to this level of detail. He's always said that he bases his performance of Obi-Wan Kenobi on Sir Alec Guinness, but there's clearly a lot more to he means by that than meets the eye (or ear)! :)

And I gotta admit, when I first found out that Ewan MacGregor had been cast as Obi-Wan Kenobi for TPM, I was skeptical. Before then, I'd only seen MacGregor in trainspotting and I unsure about casting a Scotsman as Obi-Wan. I was jokingly saying that we can expect Obi-Wan Kenobi to say things like, "Ach, Anakin, use the Force, laddie!" :p :p But as soon as I saw the teaser, I was very glad to be proven wrong. MacGregor's acting as Obi-Wan Kenobi just never ceases to impress me.

Sinnertwin
9th June 2022, 04:49 PM
Speaking of language, Alec Guiness pronounces Obi Wan differently in the scene where he rescues Luke from the Sandpeople
He alternates between the Wan sounding like that of padawan and twang
Always found that a bit odd *shrug*

Bemblebuu
10th June 2022, 07:49 AM
T'was nice to see Obi Wan slowly regain some old Jedi skills (gotta love light saber deflections).

The series so far has been entertaining, but flawed. The pace has been an issue for me. I get the feeling this series would have made an excellent (well...better...perhaps), standalone film. Also, the 'gotta keep saving Leia' trick is getting annoying. I was hoping she'd be returned to her foster parents by now and the story go into another direction...but, oh well. It is what it is.

GoktimusPrime
10th June 2022, 06:52 PM
Speaking of language, Alec Guiness pronounces Obi Wan differently in the scene where he rescues Luke from the Sandpeople
He alternates between the Wan sounding like that of padawan and twang
Always found that a bit odd *shrug*
Exactly. :) It's part of that Mid-Atlantic accent thing; Alec Guinness' Obi-Wan Kenobi has an American-influenced English accent. McGregor's Obi-Wan Kenobi started off by having a pure English accent, but has been gradually shifting towards including more American-like vowel sounds as his character approaches becoming Guinness' Obi-Wan Kenobi. :)

It's well known that McGregor himself was a fan of Star Wars as a kid; and it didn't hurt that his uncle (Denis Lawson) played Wedge Antilles in the Original Trilogy. :) As an aspiring actor, he must have also grown up studying speech patterns of various actors; and McGregor has always admitted that he draws inspiration from Guinness for the way that he portrays Kenobi. I just think it's amazing to see how deep McGregor is willing to dive into becoming Obi-Wan Kenobi; one cool thing about a fan of the original character playing the character. :)

The down-side of McGregor being a fan though is that he often ruined fight scenes while shooting the The Phantom Menace because he kept on making "Voosh voosh!" lightsabre noises like you do when playing as a kid. :D Lucas had to remind McGregor several times that the noises would be added in post and to stop making it himself. McGregor also admits that he does Force hand gestures when approaching automatic doors. :p (who hasn't done this? :D)

Seraphim Prime
14th June 2022, 12:03 PM
The down-side of McGregor being a fan though is that he often ruined fight scenes while shooting the The Phantom Menace because he kept on making "Voosh voosh!" lightsabre noises like you do when playing as a kid. :D Lucas had to remind McGregor several times that the noises would be added in post and to stop making it himself. McGregor also admits that he does Force hand gestures when approaching automatic doors. :p (who hasn't done this? :D)

You can also catch Laura Dern making "pew pew" sounds in The Last Jedi when she retakes the bridge following Poe's insurrection.

GoktimusPrime
19th June 2022, 11:06 AM
Was anyone else a bit disappointed at the digital deageing of Hayden Christensen in the training flashback?
https://i.ibb.co/HpgGv7F/starwars-anakin-deage.jpg

I honestly initially thought that they didn't use any digital deageing at all, but apparently they did; but described as minimal deageing, described as "removing a few wrinkles." My question is... why couldn't they have done more? Was it due to the restrictions of a TV mini-series budget? Because we have seen much better digital deageing from Disney, such as with Robert Downey, Samuel L. Jackson, Stan Lee, Michael Douglas, Clark Gregg etc. Ewan McGregor didn't look so bad, but probably because half of his face is covered with a beard.

Also... am I the only one who wouldn't mind seeing the Prequel and Original Trilogy redone with lightsabre backglows? It was something that always never made sense with the first two trilogies, and I do love how the Sequel Trilogy onwards have put this in. But I'd love to see the pre-Sequel Trilogy stuff get a redo with backglows put in! I know there are people who believe that the originals should never be altered, but I think this is a case where the lightsabre effects were limited by the technology of the times. I would like to see the Prequels and Originals modified just so that lightsabres can be seen emitting a glow; it makes sense, cos ya know... light. Plus it would make them more visually consistent with post-Sequel content.

Sinnertwin
19th June 2022, 03:40 PM
I wasn't even aware that they had done work on Hayden's face. There you go..

Lightsaber glows should also be a thing. When Vader was dance trolling Reva, seeing the crimson reflected off his helmet was beautiful.

Tha_Phantom
20th June 2022, 07:40 AM
Was anyone else a bit disappointed at the digital deageing of Hayden Christensen in the training flashback?

Since you asked... No, I wasn't.
I guess I'm used to looking past that sort of thing since Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul don't use digital deageing for their flashbacks - and they have a lot of flashbacks.

Episode 5 has been my favourite of the series so far, in no small part due to the flashbacks and how they worked with the overall episode. Vader vs third sister was awesome too. :D

Bemblebuu
20th June 2022, 07:46 AM
I'd like to see lightsaber glows put into the older films too.

The de-aging tech on Hayden Christensen could have been better, but faces can change heaps once aging wrecks havoc, and I guess the budget just wasn't there for Hayden's mug.

I'm always amazed how different Alec Baldwin looks now to when he was younger. Middle aged men's faces tend to get significantly wider (whether it's injections or not). Weird.

One other gripe I have with face effects: the change in volume prosthetics and stuff add to a person's head often ruins the effect for me. Like Vader in full post roast make-up just looks weird. Why not hire an actor with a skinny head so the end effect will be in scale with Hayden's bonce?

GoktimusPrime
21st June 2022, 09:34 AM
One other gripe I have with face effects: the change in volume prosthetics and stuff add to a person's head often ruins the effect for me. Like Vader in full post roast make-up just looks weird. Why not hire an actor with a skinny head so the end effect will be in scale with Hayden's bonce?
I imagine that that would be even more expensive to do than digitally deageing on-screen actors. You'd have to pay for both actors for one. Also, the end effect doesn't seem to look as good. Rogue One used body doubles for both Peter Cushing and Carrie Fisher; I think they did a pretty good job, but I also think that examples of direct digital deaging of actors (e.g. RDJ, Sam L Jackson etc.) looked better. I reckon it must be a TV budget thing; these effects aren't cheap.


Like Vader in full post roast make-up just looks weird. Why not hire an actor with a skinny head so the end effect will be in scale with Hayden's bonce?
I don't see any issue with scale. It's Christensen playing both unmasked and masked Vader, so... it's his real-world proportions both inside and outside he suit. If anything, it makes more sense than seeing unmasked Sebastian Shaw (and later as Anakin's ghost) vs the larger and more imposing build of David Prowse; that made less sense! :D

But since we're looking at Vader 10 years after the events of Revenge of the Sith, I don't mind him (or Obi-Wan Kenobi) looking older. It's not a flashback; time has passed, and these men have aged. That's fine. It looked weird to me in the flashback training scene, but I'm totally okay with both actors looking like their current selves in the present day of the TV series. Also, it is a transition towards what they will eventually look like in the Original Trilogy as played by Sebastian Shaw and Sir Alec Guinness, so yeah, they should be looking progressively older.

GoktimusPrime
22nd June 2022, 11:59 PM
Final episode of Obi-Wan...

Ups
+ Links things up with A New Hope quite nicely
+ Showing how much Owen and Beru love Luke to the point that they would risk their lives for him
+ Beru being prepared for a home invasion
+ Leia's farewell to Obi-Wan
+ Obi-Wan vs Darth Vader; first time we've seen Vader's helmet cut open on screen. Story further legitimises Obi-Wan's belief that Vader killed Anakin (I know that it's further legitimising a retcon, but it's awesome, damnit! :D)
+ Reva's choice

Downs
- How exactly did Reva survive, and how did she get to Tatooine so quickly? Assuming that the Grand Inquisitor stabbed her in her mechanical guts... they would still need to be repaired. And then she would still need to get transport to Tatooine without being detected... all in a mad rush, apparently.
- How rubbish are those Star Destroyer gunners?! :D
- Star Destroyers carry multiple squadrons of Imperial T.I.E. fighters... why couldn't they have deployed a squad to pursue the main ship, or just have Vader pursue Obi-Wan by himself aboard his own shuttle or T.I.E. fighter?

https://i.ibb.co/nsJrShT/temp.jpg

Bemblebuu
23rd June 2022, 04:28 PM
...first time we've seen Vader's helmet cut open on screen.

In Star Wars Rebels, Ahsoka Tano gives Vader a similar helmet gash. Rebels is an excellent series.

Thought the season finale was pretty good. Kenobi Vs Vader was cool. Reva's story arc was underwhelming and her inclusion unnecessary. Would much rather have seen her as a committed Inquisitor, with a Starscream-esque backstabby/bootlick persona. The whole presence of the Inquisitors felt meh, and I really don't understand how and why Reva's motivations/ survival/ etc, got the green light.

Sinnertwin
23rd June 2022, 08:02 PM
He said it! He said it!
*fanboy squeal*

GoktimusPrime
24th June 2022, 06:42 PM
WARNING: Episode 6 visual spoiler below


In Star Wars Rebels, Ahsoka Tano gives Vader a similar helmet gash. Rebels is an excellent series.
Ah, yes. I do sit corrected. :)
First time we've seen it in live action then. :cool:


Thought the season finale was pretty good. Kenobi Vs Vader was cool. Reva's story arc was underwhelming and her inclusion unnecessary. Would much rather have seen her as a committed Inquisitor, with a Starscream-esque backstabby/bootlick persona. The whole presence of the Inquisitors felt meh, and I really don't understand how and why Reva's motivations/ survival/ etc, got the green light.
I quite liked it, and it was an unexpected twist for me. It also demonstrates why Vader slaughtered the younglings at the Jedi Temple; because you don't want them growing up and becoming your future enemy. Vader apparently allowed Reva to survive as a means to hunt down Kenobi. But it was also interesting to see more of the hunt for Younglings in this series; including the flashback of Reva hiding among corpses, plus the body of one of her childhood peers as a trophy. It does go to show just how irredeemably low Anakin has fallen... to the point where he is willing to mass murder children and their teachers; the equivalent of a school shooting (school sabring?). Of course, as the audience we know that Anakin has done this before with the Tuskens; but the rest of the galaxy never knew that. Plus Anakin regretted and felt ashamed of his slaughter of the Tuskens (breaking down and crying in the Lars garage in front of Padme). Of course, Anakin does also feel sadness and regret over his actions as Darth Vader; it's just that he's buried those feelings deep inside. It won't be until the end of Return of the Jedi when Luke taps into Vader's inner conflict to win Anakin back to the Light Side.

I also liked the journey that it took Reva on, nearly becoming the very thing that she swore to destroy; just like Anakin. Only that she ultimately chose to spare Luke and avoid sharing Vader's fate. This also forms a sense of closure for Obi-Wan Kenobi... he failed in preventing Anakin from falling to the Dark Side, but he succeeded in repeating this mistake with Reva.

But Obi-Wan is still in 'hide and retreat' mode with Vader at large. We see him tell Reva to forget her life as a Force user and live a normal life, and we then see him retreat into the desert. I was personally hoping to see him move into the house that we see him living in in A New Hope; perhaps even having Qui-Gon Jinn's ghost guide him there. :)

He said it! He said it!
*fanboy squeal*
<knowing.nod> :)

P.S.: Just gonna put this here...
https://i.ibb.co/BK2twc6/starwars-anakin-face.jpg

GoktimusPrime
6th July 2022, 12:28 AM
One fan's attempt at digitally deageing Hayden Christensen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HL-N2ywWhOw

Arguably did a better job than Disney.

Sinnertwin
9th July 2022, 09:02 PM
One fan's attempt at digitally deageing Hayden Christensen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HL-N2ywWhOw

Arguably did a better job than Disney.

Same with the Mandalorian and Luke Skywalker. You'd think that with all of the tools they have at their disposal that they can produce a better end product.

GoktimusPrime
23rd September 2022, 12:30 AM
I don't want to give away any spoilers, but you'll know it when you hear it.

https://i.ibb.co/zfY4m5V/meme-hangedhung.jpg

I'm assuming that the person that was referred to was hanged, not hung. Or if that person was hung then s/he may still be alive! A new personal hope?