Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)

[blixie]

OMG Japanese Trailer, with lots more footage. I like it better than the American cut trailer.

 

This allays some fears I have about Rey being a Han/Leia daughter yet apart from them. Also is she our first English accented good guy? That shot of the Tie Fighters against the giant desert sun is amazing.

[Ronin Jackson]

International trailer with new footage.... including LUKE OMG!!! OMG!!! (Sorry couldn't resist needling those who are fretting about that...  there is new footage though!)

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdAUiyeJMFQ

[blixie]

 

including LUKE OMG!!! OMG!!!

Uh where? I was looking for him and didn't see him.

[wingster55]

I didn't see him either.

[VCRTracking]

Ronin Jackson said he was kidding.

 

Lots of amazing new imagery. I love the TIE fighters against the sunset/sunrise!

Edited November 6, 2015 by VCRTracking

[Ronin Jackson]

Yeah I was kidding... as Yoda might say... "Accept you will not see Luke until watching the film, you must."

 

The visuals in these trailers are impressive. I'm still concerned about the lack of a clear creative leader with the new trilogy and generally do not think a Hollywood committee style vision leads to good results... but I can't help it.... I'm geeked to see the thing.

Edited November 6, 2015 by Ronin Jackson

[VCRTracking]

 

This allays some fears I have about Rey being a Han/Leia daughter yet apart from them.

 

I have a different accent from my parents because I was raised in a different country from them.

 

In  the closeup shot of Leia you can see Ken Leung from LOST int he background.

 

The internet is fast:

Edited November 6, 2015 by VCRTracking

[blixie]

 

I have a different accent from my parents because I was raised in a different country from them.

I wasn't critquing her accent being different from Han/Leia. 

[VCRTracking]

Sorry I didn't get what you were saying.

 

Also is she our first English accented good guy?

 

Um...

 

Edited November 6, 2015 by VCRTracking

[Ronin Jackson]

VCRTracking the pic isn't showing up.... I assume it's a picture of Obi-Wan?

[blixie]

Hee. Okay point!  

 

My fears were about Han/Leia or Luke intentionally separating Rey from her parents, this trailer cut  made me feel like maybe they thinks she's unequivocally dead while she thinks they are still looking for her.  IDK she could still of course not be their kid, but if she is maybe she "died" as an infant, so even when Han is reunited with her he doesn't per se recognize her. I have to stop myself from being so invested in the idea she's a Solo-Skywalker-Organa.

[VCRTracking]

The shot of Leia crying and Han holding made me think they were grieving parents.

Edited November 6, 2015 by VCRTracking

[Kromm]

Well we get to see Rey get Lightsaber-in-the-face.

[bunnyblue]

My favorite part of the new trailer is the music. The new stuff that starts at :50 is gorgeously epic. At least I think it's new music and not from the prequel trilogy.

 

And BB8 gets better with each trailer. I can practically hear him thinking "oh no" at 1:07 as he watches the explosion. I love that he's so mobile and is in the middle of a lot of the action. And his beeps and boops? Adorable.

 

Also, if that conversation between Rey and BB8 is real, then I wonder, how did Rey learn to understand droids? Hmm.

[ybrik]

I am getting so anxious for the movie to come out.

 

Liked the new trailer. Trying to not speculate too much on what is going on so I can just experience the movie with no preconcieved notions.

 

Wonder if we'll see more about Poe before the movie comes out as it seems like Finn, somewhat, in the US trailer and Rey in the Japanese trailer have been featured.

 

Really trying not to draw too many parallels between Rey and the droid on a desert planet with Luke.

[Kromm]

Really trying not to draw too many parallels between Rey and the droid on a desert planet with Luke.

Why not? No matter who's daughter she is, we're clearly intended to draw those parallels.

[ybrik]

It's not about who she might be related to. It's about where her story might go.

 

Luke is my favorite character from the original trilogy. I have always loved the hero's journey and I don't want to expect Rey to be going on a similar journey only to see her not.

 

As I mentioned in my previous post, I really don't want to come into the movie with expectations. Less chance for disappointment. I learned my lesson from the prequels.

[BetterButter]

[VCRTracking]

Awesome new footage. I like grizzled Han. There definitely setting up Maz Kanata(Lupita Nyong'o) as the new Yoda with the use of his theme.

[Kromm]

Well I think it's clear what that commercial WANTS people to think about the relationship between Rey and Han Solo. They couldn't have communicated it clearer without actually saying it outright.

 

Of course it could be a trick.  But it also might not be.

[TVSpectator]

Vox.com did a piece on JJ Abrams and the new Star War movie:

 

http://www.vox.com/2015/11/9/9700118/star-wars-force-awakens-interview-jj-abrams

[VCRTracking]

The full interview is at Wired.com.

 

I like finding out how they made the transfer to Rian Johnson directing Episode VIII:

 

The script for VIII is written. I’m sure rewrites are going to be endless, like they always are. But what [Kasdan] and I did was set up certain key relationships, certain key questions, conflicts. And we knew where certain things were going. We had meetings with Rian and Ram Bergman, the producer of VIII. They were watching dailies when we were shooting our movie. We wanted them to be part of the process, to make the transition to their film as seamless as possible. I showed Rian an early cut of the movie, because I knew he was doing his rewrite and prepping.

 

[Danny Franks]

Well I think it's clear what that commercial WANTS people to think about the relationship between Rey and Han Solo. They couldn't have communicated it clearer without actually saying it outright.

 

Of course it could be a trick.  But it also might not be.

 

I think they'd be missing an opportunity if they didn't have her be their kid, to be honest. It already gives you an emotional bond to the character, and an investment in her storyline. It gives her a connection to all three of the original trilogy characters, as well as to the likes of Chewie and R2 by extension.

 

Is it the most predictable route? Sure. But predictable isn't always bad. For something to be predictable, at least you know it's going to make sense. At the moment, it looks like Finn is caught up in something bigger than him and beyond his immediate understanding, so it's a bit weak to have Rey also be caught up in it. I prefer the idea of her having a secret knowledge of these things, from Han and Leia. It gives the two main characters different trajectories, and helps avoid their journeys being too similar.

 

They can both still be on the hero's journey, but just at different stages. I'm completely unspoilered, but it looks like Finn is going to be Called to Adventure in this movie, whereas it might be that Rey already was, but Refused the Call and ran away. I don't think she's going to be short-changed or made a damsel in distress for Finn to be the hero. At least, I hope she's not.

[blixie]

 

Well I think it's clear what that commercial WANTS people to think about the relationship between Rey and Han Solo. They couldn't have communicated it clearer without actually saying it outright.

 

Oh I agree, I'm just trying not to get attached to the idea, because I was VERY invested in the idea that the prequels would be rooted in the Arthurian Legend, and then they cast Anakin as an 8 year old. Obviously Rey being a Skywalker is based on actual trailer evidence, so it's far more likely to pan out. I agree it gives some contrast to the two hero journeys of Finn/Rey.

[Kromm]

Well the other part of the Han/Rey thing would be another echo of the original trilogy. A lot of info about the movie, and many of the more credible theories, are about parallels. Luke is some kind of parallel to Ben Kenobi. Ren is not only the obvious Vader parallel, but also a potential parallel to the Anakin part of him (I still think there's juice in the idea of him being some kind of genetically engineered child of either Anakin or Luke, taken from DNA samples and raised by the Evil Guys--a theory that works mostly because this is a series that already resorted to outright clones).  Leia is now Mon Mothma. So Han having just that bit of being the hidden father?  Well he's not otherwise Vader-like, but since Han is hard to use for parallels otherwise, that makes sense. Clearly they have to explain how Rey got where she was, who with a Space-British accent raised her, etc. and of course she's even more obviously Leia's daughter too, since she actually LOOKS like Leia, but I'm sure it's all there to be poked at.

[Ronin Jackson]

I doubt they will spend too much time explaining accents... they never did that in the previous films. Why did Obi-Wan have a British accent? Why did Anakin have an American accent while Shmi Skywalker had a Swedish one? I don't think these are questions we're supposed to be asking and if they start explaining them now with new characters, we might start asking them for old ones. If Rey is the daughter of Han and Leia her growing up apart will be a sufficient enough explanation.

Edited November 10, 2015 by Ronin Jackson

[VCRTracking]

Now this is Han Solo:

 

[blixie]

I think Rey is most likely Han's daughter because she shot first in the trailer. Heh.

[Danny Franks]

I doubt they will spend too much time explaining accents... they never did that in the previous films. Why did Obi-Wan have a British accent? Why did Anakin have an American accent while Shmi Skywalker had a Swedish one? I don't think these are questions we're supposed to be asking and if they start explaining them now with new characters, we might start asking them for old ones. If Rey is the daughter of Han and Leia her growing up apart will be a sufficient enough explanation.

 

The only thing that ever bugged me about Star Wars accents was that Carrie Fisher did a sort of not-quite-English accent in Star Wars and Empire, but then abandoned it completely and turned into a California girl in Jedi. It's always been jarring to me.

 

They're in a galaxy far, far away, so it doesn't matter to me what accents they have, as long as they don't change for no reason. 

 

Clearly they have to explain how Rey got where she was, who with a Space-British accent raised her, etc. and of course she's even more obviously Leia's daughter too, since she actually LOOKS like Leia, but I'm sure it's all there to be poked at.

 

 

It could all be trailer editing trickery, but there is that bit where she looks yearningly at a ship taking off, which made me think that she wishes she could do the same. It will require a damned good reason to explain why she is seemingly alone, fending for herself, if her parents are Han and Leia, but it can be done. Especially if they're still fighting and wanted to keep her safe. Which is yet another parallel, as you say, to Luke and Leia.

 

The theory of Ren and Rey being siblings works there too (though I'm not sure I can for that idea). Luke and Leia grew up apart, had very different lives at opposite ends of the social and galactic spectrum. So say Ren was taken and raised by the bad guys to idolise his grandfather, hiding Rey from them would be a very good reason for where she ends up.

Edited November 11, 2015 by Danny Franks

[Kromm]

The theory of Ren and Rey being siblings works there too (though I'm not sure I can for that idea). Luke and Leia grew up apart, had very different lives at opposite ends of the social and galactic spectrum. So say Ren was taken and raised by the bad guys to idolise his grandfather, hiding Rey from them would be a very good reason for where she ends up.

Brother/Sister is the obvious original trilogy parallel, but might be too on the nose of stuff they ditched from the Expanded Universe books. So my own idea is perhaps cousins. A few ways to do that (and at least one might explain why Rey might need to be hidden and Luke is off on his own too). My earlier theory of Ren being some kind of gen-mod from Luke or Vader is not the best theory for that. More in line might be this sequence:

Luke has a kid. The kid is kidnapped by the kidnappers (these Knights of Ren).

Han and Leia, also with a kid, fear the same will happen to their kid, so have to place her in some kind of deep cover/hiding. Perhaps the ultimate level of protection, if she was young enough, is that she's completely fostered and doesn't even know who her parents are. This perhaps even breaks up Han and Leia, which might explain why some of what we've seen of them almost seems like a reunion.

Luke decamps, in some decades long struggle to find and extract his kid. Clearly he fails. Perhaps he settles in depression into some Yoda-like existence on his own, or perhaps he's distantly overlooking Rey in a Ben Kenobi manner. Alternately, perhaps all evidence suggested Skywalker Generation III was dead, so that's why Luke stopped looking and went on to his isolated life to grieve.

[Ronin Jackson]

The only thing that ever bugged me about Star Wars accents was that Carrie Fisher did a sort of not-quite-English accent in Star Wars and Empire, but then abandoned it completely and turned into a California girl in Jedi. It's always been jarring to me.

 

They're in a galaxy far, far away, so it doesn't matter to me what accents they have, as long as they don't change for no reason. 

 

Did she have that fake accent in Empire? I only remember it at the beginning of Star Wars when she's talking to Darth Vader... and it kind of drops away by the time Luke and Han come to rescue her. That way you can kinda sorta justify it as Leia trying to sound regal talking to Vader, though that's admittedly a stretch.

[VCRTracking]

Did she have that fake accent in Empire? I only remember it at the beginning of Star Wars when she's talking to Darth Vader... and it kind of drops away by the time Luke and Han come to rescue her. That way you can kinda sorta justify it as Leia trying to sound regal talking to Vader, though that's admittedly a stretch.

 

Yeah, by the time she's rescued by Han and Luke she sounds American. I read it was because she filmed the scenes with Tarkin first and the British accent was the only way Carrie could say those lines. Then when they filmed the scenes with Luke and Han it sounded better as an American.

 

She doesn't have a British accent at all in EMPIRE. The only thing different in JEDI about her voice was that it was huskier, probably from too much smoking.

Edited November 12, 2015 by VCRTracking

[Ronin Jackson]

If someone moves to a different country after they learn to speak but before they reach puberty, it's actually not uncommon for their accent to change as an adult depending on whom they are talking to. Not that this would make a lick of sense for Leia, but...

[Danny Franks]

Yeah, by the time she's rescued by Han and Luke she sounds American. I read it was because she filmed the scenes with Tarkin first and the British accent was the only way Carrie could say those lines. Then when they filmed the scenes with Luke and Han it sounded better as an American.

 

She doesn't have a British accent at all in EMPIRE. The only thing different in JEDI about her voice was that it was huskier, probably from too much smoking.

 

Maybe that's it, then. I found her voice noticeably different in Jedi, as though she'd forgotten the character. It always brings me out of the movie, especially in the scenes on Endor. Of course, given Carrie Fisher's lifestyle at the time, it's entirely possible she had forgotten it.

[VCRTracking]

Well I read in an old interview with Carrie Fisher that fans were saying she was too bitchy in EMPIRE(which I can see their point) so they decided to soften her in JEDI. I think they might have went too far in that regard.

[Ronin Jackson]

Han and Leia lost a lot of personality in Jedi... both Ford and Fisher seemed to be mailing it in. Empire was the high note of the franchise (hopefully "so far", but I'm not counting on that changing) and I thought every character hit the right notes in that film. Gary Kurtz had some interesting comments about how things started to change by the time Jedi was being produced,,, one man's informed opinion of course but certainly the way Jedi and the prequels turned out seems to correlate with what he says... that toy sales began to drive the creative decision making.

[Danny Franks]

Well I read in an old interview with Carrie Fisher that fans were saying she was too bitchy in EMPIRE(which I can see their point) so they decided to soften her in JEDI. I think they might have went too far in that regard.

 

I can see how they might have thought that, in hindsight. Leia was kind of bitchy for a lot of Empire, but there was reason behind it, and she made up for it in the end with her declaration of love for Han, and her determination to save him. I mean, Han was fairly bitchy too, for much of it. I always saw it as a combination of their underlying sexual tension and the stresses of being in the situation they were in, hiding and on the run from the Empire. Even Luke was a dick to Yoda, when he first arrived.

 

In Jedi Leia felt too... contemporary? Too American, not just in terms of accent, but in terms of mannerisms and attitudes. Perhaps she's changing in the opposite way to Han and Luke, by that point. Han is becoming a responsible leader and investing emotionally in the Rebel cause, Luke has become this mystical Jedi, with poise and confidence and Leia is becoming softer and abdicating her position as leader a little. She still has badass moments, like killing Jabba and the speeder bike chase, but they're in a narrative that has her a provocatively dressed slave, a damsel needing to be saved by the manly men and the mother figure to a tribe of teddy bears.

 

Han and Leia lost a lot of personality in Jedi... both Ford and Fisher seemed to be mailing it in. Empire was the high note of the franchise (hopefully "so far", but I'm not counting on that changing) and I thought every character hit the right notes in that film. Gary Kurtz had some interesting comments about how things started to change by the time Jedi was being produced,,, one man's informed opinion of course but certainly the way Jedi and the prequels turned out seems to correlate with what he says... that toy sales began to drive the creative decision making.

 

 

I can see this as well. I know there are endless essays and documentaries critiquing every aspect of Star Wars, but you can see the attempts in Jedi to appeal more to certain demographics rather than just making a great movie. We already know that Harrison Ford wanted Han to die in Jedi, so I guess that points to how he felt about the franchise at that point.

[Dandesun]

Harrison Ford was also branching out into a full on movie star career between Empire and Jedi. He did Raiders of the Lost Ark and Blade Runner between the two Star Wars movies and right after Jedi, he did a second Indy movie followed by Witness. I can see how he was more than ready to shed Han and work on other things. Initially, his talk of wanting Han killed off did seem like 'I want that character dead so I don't have to deal with it anymore' rather than his talk these days of how he thought it would have been a more complete story arc to have the guy who was in it for the money do the full on heroic sacrifice to show just how much he had grown. Maybe he felt that way all along but there was definitely always a feel, at least to me, that he had already started to feel that Star Wars and Han Solo were a burden more than anything.

 

Meanwhile, he absolutely loves the character of Indiana Jones. (Not that I blame him... I love Han and Indy both.)

 

Jedi does have a bit of the pandering/silliness in it but it's also got the final confrontation between Luke and Vader so, as far as I'm concerned, that makes the whole movie. Well, that and Leia killing Jabba with the chains he used to bind her. I've never been particularly amenable to any guy I've met who goes on about how hot she was in the metal bikini and it's gotten worse over the years. It's a slave outfit. A slave outfit. It wasn't her choice to wear it and she flat out killed the creature who forced it on her. And then she helped blow up the ship she was chained to. Leia was and still remains such a vitally important figure to me. She was the absolute pinnacle to me as a child, a role model in every sense of the word... smart, tough, capable and she never pretended to be weaker than or lesser than any man in the room. There are many who see the slave outfit as subjugation and pandering to the fanboys... and there is that element to it. But I feel that it's also important that she was the one that killed Jabba and she did it in a very personal manner, too. It was her hands on that chain while chaos raged around them. That's what I remember.

 

And I have always liked the idea that Han never saw her in that outfit. Given how he and Chewie met and became partners, I don't think Han would have gotten a huge charge out of Leia in a slave outfit that Jabba forced on her.

[Danny Franks]

And I have always liked the idea that Han never saw her in that outfit. Given how he and Chewie met and became partners, I don't think Han would have gotten a huge charge out of Leia in a slave outfit that Jabba forced on her.

 

The thing is though, there is no in-movie titillation regarding the outfit. No one really gets a charge from it. Luke doesn't react to it other than to look concerned, Lando doesn't react to it, Han obviously doesn't. Not even Jabba's henchmen do, apart from Salacious Crumb (who reacts to everything). So to me, it was all about the impact it has on the audience to see Carrie Fisher in that skimpy outfit. And she did look good, which is what I think people choose to focus on when they talk about it.

 

That's why I consider it more of a demographic grab than anything else. There was no story reason at all to put her in that bikini, and especially no reason to have the first shot of her wearing it be one where she's reclining in a seemingly languorous, provocative position. It's curious in being really the only sexually overt part of the entire trilogy. Though I think that's another reason that people find it easy to disassociate from the 'slave' part of the outfit.

 

The 'sexual awakening' that many fans attribute to that moment makes sense to me, because there is this sudden, blindingly obvious change from the Leia of the first two movies, who wore flowing dresses and quasi-military gear, to being dressed so provocatively. I say this from an observational point of view, because I was far too young when I first saw Jedi to have any sort of awakening.

[Rick Kitchen]

Leia is going to be known as General Leia instead of Princess Leia.  Though I would think General Organa would have been more likely.

[BizBuzz]

Please help me ... I have pretty much kept up with this thread since it was created ... but don't remember if this has come up and couldn't find if it did.

 

My daughter (16) and an avid Star Wars fan (the original trilogy more than the newer ones) comes to tell me today that there is a theory running around the Jar Jar Binks is a Sith Lord.

 

Have any of you heard of this?

 

I am just your typical fan of Star Wars, I am not the deep research kind of fan ... so don't know if this is canon or not.  But I said I would get to the bottom of it.

 

Please don't think me naive.  ::giggle::

[VCRTracking]

Eh it's one of those bonkers theories that's more of a joke among fans.

[Dandesun]

Jar Jar as a Sith Lord is one of those Internet things that has developed a life of its own. I don't believe it has any basis in reality or what may come at all. It was basically borne from many fans believing that Jar Jar is the ultimate evil in the Star Wars Universe.

[Danny Franks]

Leia is going to be known as General Leia instead of Princess Leia.  Though I would think General Organa would have been more likely.

 

It should be General Organa, really. 'General Leia' just sounds a little juvenile. But it doesn't bother me that she's no longer Princess Leia. The planet she was princess of got blown up, after all. I mean, was Ackbar the legendary admiral's first name? (Wookiepedia tells me it was not)

[TVSpectator]

Please help me ... I have pretty much kept up with this thread since it was created ... but don't remember if this has come up and couldn't find if it did.

 

My daughter (16) and an avid Star Wars fan (the original trilogy more than the newer ones) comes to tell me today that there is a theory running around the Jar Jar Binks is a Sith Lord.

 

Have any of you heard of this?

 

I am just your typical fan of Star Wars, I am not the deep research kind of fan ... so don't know if this is canon or not.  But I said I would get to the bottom of it.

 

Please don't think me naive.  ::giggle::

 

I think this came from a Reddit forum, which is a link to it here, but Cracked.com did a video on it:

 

[VCRTracking]

The TV preview that showed during "How To Get Away With Murder" on ABC:

 

[Danny Franks]

Okay, I'm on the verge of over-speculating here, but that clip of Han saying, "you might need this" to Rey seems to confirm that Han knows her very well, and knows she can handle herself, as well as use a blaster. Or he could just be typically Han and assume this random girl can handle herself... I doubt it though.

 

But I really need to stop watching all these TV spots and trailers, because they're not going to make the 38 days until I see the movie pass any more quickly.

Edited November 13, 2015 by Danny Franks

[Ronin Jackson]

The music in that commercial features a new theme... could be the first new theme unveiled. It definitely sounds very John Williams. We see Rey twice before anyone else so it perhaps it's her theme.... sounds like a more somber variation on the main Star Wars theme (i.e. Luke's theme).

[blixie]

 

Han saying, "you might need this" to Rey seems to confirm that Han knows her very well,

 

Hmm I just took it in context with the other trailers that this is after Mas Kanata has identified her eyes contain midichorians! Hehe. Like they visited her and know Rey's force-ified so he give her a weapon (I thought it was that double saber thingy). But if it was a blaster, and their heading into trouble not surprising he's giving her something to protect herself/contribute to a fight.

 

Re: Leia, where did it say she would be General *Leia*, in EW they just said "General" and that one character would slip up and call her Princess. I wonder if it will be one of Han's sweet Princess comments or one of his smart assy ones.

[VCRTracking]

It's a blaster. It's the same one she's shooting with in the other trailers: