I don't CARE for the origin stories of ANY of the characters from the OT, I prefer they be kept as mysteries.
From what I've heard, this Solo actor can't actually act, there have been reshoots and the movie is in trouble and could make a loss. I SURE HOPE SO!
The franchise will keep going on, and it will keep making money, that's sure.
What's it's not clear anymore is whether it will make enough money to pay back the $4,000 millions they paid for the franchise (plus bank interests).
I agree. It would've been better to create new characters and stories rather then ruin our memory of the characters we enjoy. These new movies are even ruining my enjoyment of the original trilogy because now I think of Luke as a miserable old guy who tried to kill his nephew.
I'm a huge Star Wars fan, but I can see the day when I stop watching them because the quality becomes so bad.
If "Solo" is that bad, then they shouldn't release it.
Jeez, if you don't like the new movies - don't watch them! Re-run the ones you love and ignore the new ones you don't, live in harmony with both yourself and the people who like the new ones.
Personally I like the new ones and to me Luke seemed a monunentally wise old guy, wiser than the Jedi with all their orders and rules and politics and ranks.
Force Awakens was a great movie which I saw 4x in the theater. Rogue One I saw twice and liked a lot - not as much though.
My problem is with the bad writing and lack of continuity with Last Jedi and I did boycott the film by seeing it less and not recommending it to people I know. Too many people felt the way I did about Last Jedi and it's not good if Disney knows that "Solo" is going to be garbage and they have already written it off. Instead of trying to recreate the magic that Lucas created with popular characters which is difficult, it would be easier for Disney to go a new route.
That old wise guy had plenty of fear which leads to the darkside of the Force. jedi don't behave like that for a reason. Even Hamill hated Jake Skywalker. Luke abandoned the Jedi dogma in the original movies and the books which has him married with a child which was fine. Unlike many people, I like JJ Abram and I'm hoping he'll fix the mess Johnson created. Meanwhile, I still can't get the milk-drinking image of Jake out of my head.
I agree with you on some points, including that the backstory films are intrinsically less interesting than films that carry on the story into new generations. I'm extremely dubious about the "Solo" project in particular, because so much of Han Solo's appeal is tied up in Harrison Ford when he was young and mega-hot. Of all the Star Wars projects I've heard about, this one seems the most like a shallow money-grab, and of the least interest to me.
But I do disagree about Luke in TLJ. All his fears and problems were entirely rational, and the realizations he came to about the Force were awesome, because yeah - the Jedi DIDN'T own the Force! And while yes, I hated to see him unhappy, he did get over his fear, hesitation, and detachment, and he did so out of LOVE - the kind of close personal attachment that was forbidden by the damn Jedi. That was his path to opening himself to the Force, to becoming one with it, the sci-fi apotheosis.
Disney is afraid of doing anything new. Obi-wan movie is their next project.
I don't get the impression that Johnson understands Star Wars. Nobody ever said the Jedi owned the Force. Kenobi explained what the Force was in New Hope and it was obviously just a part of nature (energy field) that some individuals (Jedi, but also others) had a sensitivity to and could use. The Jedi limited themselves to the lightside of the Force and certain dogmatic beliefs in order to prevent falling to the darkside which repeatedly happened in their history. Even Yoda mentions how close-minded the Jedi are in Attack of the Clones and seeks answers from young padawans who are still open-minded.The Jedi dogma eventually leads to their own destruction which had already been addressed by Lucas.
In the original trilogy, Luke already became a new type of Jedi. He trained as an adult and obviously loved his friends and stopped his training in order to rescue them in Empire Strikes Back. In the books, he married and had a kid. He wasn't like the former Jedi. It's as if Johnson didn't know this. Lucas already dealt with these concepts in the originals and prequels. Johnson is acting like he's doing something new when he isn't.
Another problem is that a Jedi wouldn't wallow in fear, unhappiness or other negative emotions. Hamill knew this and that was a part of his complaint. In Force Awakens, Luke leaves a map to be found and supposedly is looking for a way to defeat Snoke. In Last Jedi, he doesn't want to be found and doesn't care about his sister, Han or the galaxy. Really?
First, let me say that at the end of RotJ, Luke was basically left with an impossible task - reestablishing an order of knights and a freaking religion he knew almost nothing about, and had minimal training in. If all had gone basically well for him, as it did in those dull fan-fiction books, he would have had the lesiure to study the Jedi history and to rethink some if their stupider ideas. But instead he was given another impossible task, which was figuring out what to do about a worthless idiot nephew who was already in love with the Dark Side.
And IMHO that's one reason the Jedi forbade close attachments, because love, especially familial love, is "the death of duty". And he actually did work it all out after taking a couple of decades to think it through, because while Luke may have become very very wise in the end, he was never the fastest thinker.
Rian Johnson quote:
“The goal is never to divide or make people upset, but I do think the conversations that are happening were going to have to happen at some point if sw is going to grow, move forward, and stay vital.”
Star Wars has been growing, moving forward and staying vital for over 40 years. Parents literally pass on their passion for SW to their children who have grown and passed it on to their own kids. It didn't need to be "saved" by Johnson who has decided to character assassinate Luke and then physically kill him off. Johnson needs a major lesson in humility.
Lucas knew how to keep SW interesting with the various SW games, books and movies/TV series. And fans added podcasts, fanfilms and game mods.
The things that you're saying about Luke is interesting and it would've been great to see it addressed in a well-written movie. I know in the EU books, Luke recreates the Jedi Order and his nephew Jacen Solo becomes a Sith. I'll probably read them to see how the similar story was handled.
I never read many of the fan-fiction books, because I found the ones I read so dull. Not just in terms of writing, which was what you'd expect of fan-fiction, but because none of the writers were willing to risk anything BIG, anything that would upset the fans, and I do give Johnson credit for going where other writers wouldn't dare go. I will agree that "TLJ" could have been better written in some respects, but the fact is I thoroughly enjoyed seeing it don't listen to the fanboys who are out to convince the world that all True Fans hated it.
A lot of fans seem to want to see Luke crowned king of the galaxy or at least Jedi Grand Poobah, but I was happier to see him achieve wisdom and peace of mind, which he did. That's what really matters, in the long run.
Some of the EU saw Luke switch to the Darkside and one of the novels killed Chewbacca.
shareIf you were here in person, I would bet real money that if Luke turned to the Dark Side in the fan-fiction books, he turned back. (I say "if you were here" because of course you'd have to see me not googling anything.)
Am I right?
I wouldn't bet money because I know he turned back. What's your point? Also, this happened in both the novels and in the comics. It wasn't fanfic.
shareJust wondering whether the fan-fiction books were as predictable as I thought they are.
I haven't read them all.
I'm not sure why you keep calling it fanfic but, there is some interesting stuff involving Leia and Han's kids, Luke's Jedi Temple, etc. The Thrawn Trilogy was a decent story that takes the mythos in a different direction. HK-47 was a unique villain for the Star Wars as he was a quirky killer robot. Then there were the Yuuzhan Vong who were anti-technology so all their weapons were biological.
Certainly, they expanded the mythos more than the current movies which retread the same territory.
What's odd is Disney doesn't want the Thrawn Trilogy to be canon anymore, but Star Wars Rebels which is still canon has Grand Admiral Thrawn in it.
If the next few movies turnout to be bad, I'm going to unilaterally restore The Thrawn Trilogy to canon and begin reading them and ignore the new Disney movies.
Lucas = canon. Disney = noncanon.
I heard about poor Chewie. I didn't know about Luke.
In Last Jedi, it wouldn't have bothered me if Luke had temporarily fallen to the darkside since that happens to Jedi. It may have been more interesting if Rey arrived on the island to find a Sith Luke than a grouch.
Solo teaser premieres Monday.
There was never any mystery behind The Force or the origins of the Sith. It was mythology-lite much in the same vein as the Land of Oz or Alice's Wonderland. Shit, I'd even say that DC Comics' origin stories for Batman and Superman have more depth and mystery than anything that George Lucas could come up with.
shareYour wish is granted. As Star Wars is dead to me.
shareAren't these just origin stories like for MCU films?
I guess Disney believes Star Wars fans will flock to them like they do superhero films.
None of the SW movies have been any good since the initial trilogy.
shareI don't.
"My favorite space thing Star Wars is", as Yoda once long ago, in a great galaxy far away, put it.