The Star Wars Saga

[Kromm]

Walk don't run to watch the Star Wars Celebration livestreams. There's so much fan goodness that they can't be missed especially the interviews with Carrie, Mark, Billy Dee, Peter and Anthony.

Shock and surprise that Harrison isn't on that list.

 

Oh.  Not really.  Sarcasm is our friend.

 

They'll coax him into one or two eventually.  Grudgingly.

I'm sure the excuse being used (if anyone's asked) is he's all plane-crashy now.  :-)  But I'm sure he'll have some other mishap sooner or later by the time the next round of interviews comes up.  But maybe right before the film comes out they'll pin him down.

[VCRTracking]

 

 

Answering myself: Turns out it is a new recording by Mark Hamill. Color me impressed that he was able to duplicate the delivery from 32 years ago.

 

Rewatching the ROTJ scene and then listening to the trailer voiceover, the line "My father has it." is definitely different in each. It sounds faster in Jedi while in the trailer it's more sombre. I'm impressed too because seeing Mark in recent interviews he just doesn't sound like like he did back then.

[Joe]

 

Rewatching the ROTJ scene and then listening to the trailer voiceover, the line "My father has it." is definitely different in each. It sounds faster in Jedi while in the trailer it's more sombre. I'm impressed too because seeing Mark in recent interviews he just doesn't sound like like he did back then.

Yes, but he's known for his voice acting. He's essentially immitating himself, and has a lot of audio to go on. It can't be that hard.

[JessePinkman]

There have been 4 major trailers (BVS, Terminator: Geneseieses, Fantastic Three, and of course SW) released within the past week and The Force Awakens stands head and shoulders above the rest. So score one for Abrams and team.

[Joe]

I was just thinking that! And there was Ant-Man last week too, which is in the runner-up position.

[JessePinkman]

I was just thinking that! And there was Ant-Man last week too, which is in the runner-up position.

 

Oh yeah! I'd forgotten that the Ant-Man trailer was even released so that tells you how I feel about that film so far...lol.

[Joe]

In other news, pictures! Actual promo pics, not just screencaps. Costume and prop pictures. But let's have a closer look at one of those stormtroopers. Does anyone else see nipples? On a breastplate? The originals have pectorals, but there's a point where it starts looking ridiculous. You should never take costume advice from Joel Schumacher.

[Kromm]

 

 

Sith alert, eh?

Then again we've got stormtroopers too. So clearly this is a "remnant of The Empire" storyline.

Also, The Falcon is clearly chasing  a Tie Fighter here...

 

In a way I think depending on SO much of the old iconography is playing it a bit safe.  Look at our real world vehicles and uniforms now and compare them to what was around in 1977.  Do they look the same?  Not really.  It's weird that with the same time period passing in the Star Wars universe that the "look" of stuff would be so similar.  Necessary I guess, to optimize fan nostalgia boners, but the storytelling part of my mind thinks it's also a tiny bit of a copout.

[Danny Franks]

In a way I think depending on SO much of the old iconography is playing it a bit safe.  Look at our real world vehicles and uniforms now and compare them to what was around in 1977.  Do they look the same?  Not really.  It's weird that with the same time period passing in the Star Wars universe that the "look" of stuff would be so similar.  Necessary I guess, to optimize fan nostalgia boners, but the storytelling part of my mind thinks it's also a tiny bit of a copout.

 

Well, when you talk about military vehicles, mostly they do look the same. The F-15 Eagle, for example, has been in service in the USAF since the early 70s, as has the F-16 Falcon. The RAF have used versions of the Panavia Tornado since the mid-70s. The B-52 bomber has been in service since the 1950s, and it still used today. The M16 is the standard issue rifle for the US Army today, as it was in the Vietnam War. All of them have gone through a series of upgrades that have increased their capabilities and perhaps slightly changed their appearances, but they haven't been replaced. And one of the main reasons is that it costs so much to develop a prototype, win a government contract and then turn that prototype into a reliable, serviceable tool, that no company wants to keep churning out new models, and no government wants to keep paying for them. So as I see it, Sienar Fleet Systems developed a great fighter, and rather than going back to the drawing board, they just kept updating it until we see the TIE Fighter in this teaser trailer. There may be newer models, like there are in our world with the Typhoon and Raptor, but replacing all the old kit with brand spanking new stuff would take a long time.

 

In other news, pictures! Actual promo pics, not just screencaps. Costume and prop pictures. But let's have a closer look at one of those stormtroopers. Does anyone else see nipples? On a breastplate? The originals have pectorals, but there's a point where it starts looking ridiculous. You should never take costume advice from Joel Schumacher.

Hmm. I'm not sure they're meant to be nipples, they look a little too wide-set for that. But yeah, there's definitely a nipple-esque quality to them. They look like they could be used to hold some sort of harness in place, so perhaps there is a practical quality to them.

 

From another of those pictures, is that TIE Fighter shooting up the Stormtroopers? Civil War between Empire remnant factions? Are one side or the other actually the former Rebels? Perhaps John Boyega's character is already on the right side at the start of the movie.... Also, I notice that Boyega looks far more handsome in real life than he has in these teasers. That Stormtrooper rubber neckline really doesn't do him any favours, it seems.

Edited April 20, 2015 by Danny Franks

[Joe]

 

Look at our real world vehicles and uniforms now and compare them to what was around in 1977.  Do they look the same?  Not really.

Someone did a comparison of the X-Wing cockpit from the OT and TFA. There are some differences, and the S-Foils are different too. The TIEs have had their colours reversed, the stormtrooper armour has changed. SW technology has always been evolutionary rather than revolutionary. Progress is slow, but it does happen.

[VCRTracking]

In a way I think depending on SO much of the old iconography is playing it a bit safe.  Look at our real world vehicles and uniforms now and compare them to what was around in 1977.  Do they look the same?  Not really.  It's weird that with the same time period passing in the Star Wars universe that the "look" of stuff would be so similar.  Necessary I guess, to optimize fan nostalgia boners, but the storytelling part of my mind thinks it's also a tiny bit of a copout.

 

 

Well, when you talk about military vehicles, mostly they do look the same. The F-15 Eagle, for example, has been in service in the USAF since the early 70s, as has the F-16 Falcon. The RAF have used versions of the Panavia Tornado since the mid-70s. The B-52 bomber has been in service since the 1950s, and it still used today. The M16 is the standard issue rifle for the US Army today, as it was in the Vietnam War. All of them have gone through a series of upgrades that have increased their capabilities and perhaps slightly changed their appearances, but they haven't been replaced.

 

 

In terms of uniform, the US army helmet, the M1, worn by soldiers in WWII is pretty much the same worn by soldiers in the Vietnam wore 20 years later.

[Dandesun]

So I showed my eight year old niece the latest trailer. She was suitably impressed with the crashed Star Destroyer... then we get to the end and she pauses... "Was that Han Solo? He's OLD!"

 

I died inside.

 

I'm all "Don't say that about the man I'm going to marry!" I mean, I laughed because it was kind of funny and she's really only seen Harrison Ford as either Han Solo in the movie OR the Lego version of Han Solo so I get it. But still... my soul wept.

[AshleyN]

So I showed my eight year old niece the latest trailer. She was suitably impressed with the crashed Star Destroyer... then we get to the end and she pauses... "Was that Han Solo? He's OLD!"

 

I died inside.

 

I'm all "Don't say that about the man I'm going to marry!" I mean, I laughed because it was kind of funny and she's really only seen Harrison Ford as either Han Solo in the movie OR the Lego version of Han Solo so I get it. But still... my soul wept.

Haha, I have a seven year old nephew who's pretty much the biggest Star Wars fanatic I know, and he had basically the same reaction. I asked him what he thought of the trailer and Han Solo and his first response was "He's SO OLD!"

 

He's still super excited though.

Edited April 20, 2015 by AshleyN

[ribboninthesky1]

There have been 4 major trailers (BVS, Terminator: Geneseieses, Fantastic Three, and of course SW) released within the past week and The Force Awakens stands head and shoulders above the rest. So score one for Abrams and team.

 

BWAH at "Geneseieses." They really need to retire that franchise. 

 

I'm all "Don't say that about the man I'm going to marry!" I mean, I laughed because it was kind of funny and she's really only seen Harrison Ford as either Han Solo in the movie OR the Lego version of Han Solo so I get it. But still... my soul wept.

 

I'm in my 30s, and thought Harrison was showing his age.  I mean, I get it - it's almost 40 years later for Ford.  But standing next to Chewy just makes it all the more glaring.  Nevertheless, Han Solo was every.single.thing and put Ford on the crushworthy map for me (he never did it for me as Indiana Jones).

[Kromm]

So I showed my eight year old niece the latest trailer. She was suitably impressed with the crashed Star Destroyer... then we get to the end and she pauses... "Was that Han Solo? He's OLD!"

 

I died inside.

 

I'm all "Don't say that about the man I'm going to marry!" I mean, I laughed because it was kind of funny and she's really only seen Harrison Ford as either Han Solo in the movie OR the Lego version of Han Solo so I get it. But still... my soul wept.

I think even the most unrealisticly fannish of us probably has to admit that 72 probably IS old.

 

Now if he was still in his 60s maybe we could fake it!!! (I guess like we'll have to with Mark Hamill)

 

One has to recall that Ford was already in his mid 30s in 1977.  

[VCRTracking]

 

I guess I was wrong. Mark Hamill said at Celebration, that he did record voiceover for the teaser but Abrams used it as reverb, for the second delay, but the main dialogue was the original audio pulled from Return of the Jedi.

 

[Treebeard]

I remember "The Phantom Menace" trailer looking pretty good, but they'd have to intentionally try to be worse then the prequels.

Still...

Please be good, please be good, please be good.

[Joe]

On the subject of the prequels, Lucas really does get a lot of hate. Many people say that he should have gotten other people to write and direct them. But Star Wars is his thing. He created it. All those years when people talked up ESB as the best one, it must have stung. "Other people are better at your creation than you are." I can understand why he did the prequels himself. Of course he wanted to prove to everyone that he was still the man. Who wouldn't? He failed, but I don't hate him for trying. I feel sad that he didn't succeed, not angry.

[ribboninthesky1]

I think the prequels demonstrated just how important the right cast mix can be when making these kind of films.  I'm not convinced the writing was necessarily worse in the later films, save Jar Jar, but Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman were AWFUL. Ewan McGregor was satisfactory, but not particularly memorable (for me at least). Other than Samuel Jackson, I can't even remember who else was in the films without looking it up. I can't speak for all fans, but the actors had a lot to do with why I enjoyed the original films.     

[absnow54]

I can't speak for all fans, but the actors had a lot to do with why I enjoyed the original films.

I agree. The original cast had an amazing chemistry while the prequel cast never really gelled. The only time I can recall the actors working well together was in the opening scene of Revenge of the Sith when Anakin, Obi Wan, and R2 go to rescue Palpetine, and it made me so excited to finally see Star Wars be fun again, but then it was quickly back to business as usual. 

[Dandesun]

The prequels are a mixed bag. The love story was horrible. Just awful. There was no Han Solo type to offset Anakin. Unless Anakin was meant to be the Han to Obi-Wan's Luke type which... FAIL.

 

If you skip everything from when Padme and Anakin go into hiding in Episode Two up to where Obi-Wan gets chained up with them towards the end, then it's actually a pretty good movie. Obi-Wan finding the 'missing' system and the clones and all of that. That's like a fun spy movie... it's the abominable love story that really fucks it up. Also having to buy Anakin as any kind of hero after he slaughters the Sand People. Or to accept Padme as having any kind of working brain when she excuses his ass for it. 

 

Plus, throughout the last two movies you've got Palpatine just tossing around forbidden knowledge at Anakin and he doesn't even blink? I'm supposed to believe he's The Chosen One when everything about him screams MORON!

 

Luke's determination to salvage Anakin from Darth Vader was foolhardy but, ultimately, it was Luke's battle and not Anakin's. Also, I didn't need the prequels to tell me that Luke's motivation was somewhat understandable. Actually, the prequels made me less inclined to sympathize with Luke in that regard. "Luke... he's a whiny douche-nozzle. You're really better off not trying."

 

Basically, the prequels all had the stench of failure about them because it was the story about the Emperor's rise and Anakin's descent into the Dark Side but, man, Padme was the poster child for 'Smart Women Who Make Bad Choices' -- Anakin sucked and Obi-Wan was off doing other things for the most part. The Clone Wars series, I thought, did a much better job of fleshing out Anakin, as well as Anakin and Padme's love story, but the movies themselves did not do any of them any favors.

[GHScorpiosRule]

Basically, the prequels all had the stench of failure about them because it was the story about the Emperor's rise and Anakin's descent into the Dark Side but, man, Padme was the poster child for 'Smart Women Who Make Bad Choices' -- Anakin sucked and Obi-Wan was off doing other things for the most part. 

 

You know, I think I saw the first two prequels, but my brain thankfully bleached them from memory, they were that bad, or had that much of an impact on me.

 

And the last one? For all those years, and watching Episodes IV, V and VI, you heard how Anakin was seduced to the Dark Side, how it was this temptation, this Darkness...and when I watch the story to show me this? A whole bunch a nothin'. Horrible. Horrid. I think the only thing I liked was hearing James Earl Jones' voice at the end. Or did I dream that up?

[Dandesun]

Yeah, Ben spins quite a tale about Anakin's being seduced by the Dark Side. That's so clearly not what happened. At least, that's not what I call a seduction. Anakin's fall was a spoiled brat not getting what he wants. Not the same thing at all. And it kind of negates the 'what I told you was the truth... from a certain point of view.'

 

Anakin's fall was basically 'I'm having bad dreams about my secret wife dying! Wah!' The thing is, I think they did a good job of making Palpatine someone seductive in a sense. His voice is lovely and he always came off seeming so reasonable. I just think that Anakin's struggle wasn't portrayed or written very well. When you had Anakin storming about claiming that the other Jedi were jealous of his power and that's why he wasn't a Master... that came off as teenaged wangst more than anything else. Palpatine was manipulative and you saw that throughout in the ways he maneuvered others and himself to come to power but the Anakin seduction was not done well from where I sit. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

Yep, that's what I wanted to say, that Anakin's fall was all about him being a whiny spoiled brat, but I wasn't sure how that would come off If I actually stated that. (Yes, I'm a scairty cat, sue me).

 

It came off as one big tantrum and whining.

[stealinghome]

Aside from Hayden Christensen, I don't think the cast for the prequels was the movies' biggest problem. I'm not saying I wouldn't have cast other actors in the roles if I had my druthers, but I found Portman/McGregor/Neeson/etc. at least serviceable, and thought they all could have turned in much better performances with better scripts, better direction, and 70% less CGI. For me, though, not only was Christensen the weakest actor of the lot, he failed to have chemistry with both McGregor and Portman, which was a big problem. He was the figure around whom the cast should've gelled, but he was the acting/chemistry black hole, so....

 

The thing is, I think they did a good job of making Palpatine someone seductive in a sense.... I just think that Anakin's struggle wasn't portrayed or written very well.

ITA. I think what I would say is that, based on what the prequel trilogy showed us, I can totally buy that someone who was already internally conflicted and a little weak would fall prey to Palpatine. What I can't buy is the "internal conflict" they gave Anakin, because it was set up very poorly.

[Dandesun]

I thought Portman/McGregor had way more chemistry. And, yes, I've totally gone looking for Padme/Obi-Wan fanfic.

[Bruinsfan]

I thought McGregor was nigh-perfect in his adoption of Alec Guiness' speaking cadence and mannerisms, so if he'd had halfway decent writing to work with it would have been an awesome performance. And Ian McDiarmid is woefully underrated for how good a job he's done as Palpatine. But even he can't save a scene where his voice work is being played over a frenetic videogame screen.

[Jewlmc]

Shock and surprise that Harrison isn't on that list.

 

Oh.  Not really.  Sarcasm is our friend.

Ok... Not that Ford is much for conventions, but the dude was just in a plane crash.

[JessePinkman]

I never understood why they thought an adorable little cherub was the right choice for young Anakin. He just didn't...fit. And the idea that Natalie Portman's Padme would one day come to find him attractive totally took me out of the movie and their subsequent romance.

[catray]

I thought Portman/McGregor had way more chemistry. And, yes, I've totally gone looking for Padme/Obi-Wan fanfic.

 

Totally agreed. If you haven't stumbled across it yet, I highly recommend One Path.

 

Related to the movie-- the second teaser trailer was amazing; I got chills as they panned over the fallen Star Destroyer. My hopes are pretty high for the new movies, so I hope they don't suck.

[Spartan Girl]

I agree with everything everyone has said about the prequels.  Palpatine and Obi-Wan were great, but Anakin was just a big fat fail.  The only time he ever really channeled Darth Vader was the scene where he killed the younglings at the temple.  That was chilling.  But everything up til that point (and after) could have been done so much better.

 

I'm STILL pissed that George Lucas had Padme dying of a broken heart.  Like seriously?!  Why could it have been caused by Anakin messing up her internal organs while strangling her (it was the first time he ever strangled someone via the force and in his rage he could have done a lot of damage) and they had to get the babies out of her before she died?  That would have made way more sense!  But noooo...I'm sure Luke and Leia would have really appreciated the fact that their mother was so lovesick that she wouldn't even stay alive for her own babies.

 

Oh well.  At least we got Kick-Ass!Yoda.

[absnow54]

I'm STILL pissed that George Lucas had Padme dying of a broken heart.  Like seriously?!  Why could it have been caused by Anakin messing up her internal organs while strangling her (it was the first time he ever strangled someone via the force and in his rage he could have done a lot of damage) and they had to get the babies out of her before she died?

This bothered me so much. I've read theories that the choking did kill her, but because he used the force, there was no bruising, so the robot doctors overlooked the symptom. But, hello, Obi Wan witnessed the strangling and was right there when she was being treated. I didn't understand why they killed her and why she didn't just go into hiding on Alderaan as was originally implied in Jedi. If they could send Luke to live at Anakin's step brother's house with the Skywalker surname still attached(!!!!!) they could easily hide Padme too.

Edited May 1, 2015 by absnow54

[Dandesun]

Yeah... Padme "losing the will to live" enraged me. Fuck you, Padme! Not to mention it totally negates Leia actually remembering her mother.

 

I mean, dying of a broken heart?! Is that shit supposed to be romantic? What a load of crap! Leia sneaking a gun at the ready when the Imperials have them on Endor and Han totally recognizing her awesome? THAT'S romantic! You can put all the flowing gowns and hair adornments on Padme you want, that doesn't make her fucked up relationship with Anakin romantic. (Like I said, The Clone Wars series did a much better job at fleshing out their relationship as well as their characters but if you just go by the movies...)

[Joe]

So, this is interesting. Josh Trank leaves his movie. No real reason given. On another site, someone suggested that the execs didn't like what they'd seen from Fantastic Four, and fired him. Maybe, or maybe he didn't like what they wanted him to do. We may never know the real story.

 

Update! According to this, the FF producers didn't like his style on set. The SW producers heard about this and lost faith in him. Is this the truth? There's always three sides to the story, I'm not going to say this is the whole truth.

Edited May 2, 2015 by Joe

[bunnyblue]

Yeah... Padme "losing the will to live" enraged me. Fuck you, Padme! Not to mention it totally negates Leia actually remembering her mother.

 

I mean, dying of a broken heart?! Is that shit supposed to be romantic? What a load of crap! Leia sneaking a gun at the ready when the Imperials have them on Endor and Han totally recognizing her awesome? THAT'S romantic! 

 

It was just such a complete WTF decision by Lucas. One would think she'd want to live for her soon to be orphaned babies. Or even if there was no stopping her dying the least they could have said was she died from complications of labor and/or the choking. But a broken heart?! That's something a 10 year old girl comes up with. So freaking stupid and weak. 

 

And then totally negating Leia's memories of her mother who died when she was "very young"?! I never bought theories that it was just Leia feeling her mother through the force (why wouldn't Luke have the same memories?) or that she was confusing memories of Mrs. Organa. 

 

I'm surprised Lucas was able to create a somewhat strong romance between Han & Leia considering the crap he came up with for Anakin & Padme. God, those prequels were just a mess.

[stealinghome]

I'm surprised Lucas was able to create a somewhat strong romance between Han & Leia considering the crap he came up with for Anakin & Padme. God, those prequels were just a mess.

I don't know that I think the Leia/Han romance is all that great on the page tbh--I think Ford and Fisher just sold the HELL out of it.

[Danny Franks]

Well, even though the writing for it wasn't great, at least Han/Leia hit some reliable tropes. The meet-cute where they can't stand each other, the guy disappointing the girl by being a jerk, the bickering/sexual tension, the brief threat of a third party coming between them. And Ford and Fisher had some good chemistry, which hit on reliable tropes again: The carefree bad boy and the uptight good girl, so they were entertaining to watch.

 

Anakin/Padme didn't even have any of that. It was insipid dreck, with terrible dialogue and lifeless acting. I'm not sure any actors could have saved it, no matter their abilities, but Hayden Christensen sure as hell wasn't capable of it.

 

The stuff about her having lost the will to live is always hilarious to me, because it's about as far from a medical diagnosis as you could get. Turns out the Star Wars universe has whimsical, poetic medical droids. Who knew? But it just stunk of Lucas writing by the numbers and not really thinking beyond, 'I need this to happen for the plot, so what's the easiest way to do it?' The entire prequel trilogy seems governed on that principle really, which is why the characters are cardboard cutouts and the internal logic of the story is just barking mad. He just wanted the writing done, so he could get to work with his greenscreens and his CGI. He seemed to feel the same about the actors themselves: a regrettably necessary burden to the process. Which is why he filmed everything with static cameras, on confined, greenscreen sets, and demanded they just speak the dialogue without really doing anything complicated. Like moving or emoting.

 

Just from these trailers, I feel like JJ Abrams gets what the spirit of Star Wars has always been. Something that Lucas sadly forgot, over the years. I'm really looking forward to the new movie, in a way I thought I never would.

[absnow54]

Also, the bulk of Han and Leia's love story was in Empire, which Lucas had little part in. I think it helps that Irvin Kirshnir wasn't out to make a kid's movie, and was able to capture a natural relationship progression without being blinded by the Lego opportunities. That's not to take away from Ford and Fisher's contribution, Han and Leia would be nothing without their sparking chemistry, but Hayden Christensen's chemistry void wasn't much competition. 

[Spartan Girl]

Leia sneaking a gun at the ready when the Imperials have them on Endor and Han totally recognizing her awesome? THAT'S romantic!

 

 

It really was!  Not to mention the fact that she was probably just waiting for him to actually say "I love you" to her just so that she could throw "I know" right back at him.  Hee.

[JessePinkman]

Vanity Fair The Force Awakens photos

 

I'm perfectly...whelmed.

Why is Lupita Nyong'o playing a CGI character? Why hire HER for a role where you can't see her face? She's so beautiful and talented and huge right now...seems like a weird decision.

 

I don't get it. But I'm trying to not jump the gun. Because I hate when people do that.

Edited May 4, 2015 by JessePinkman

[Kromm]

I get the possible criticism of the above casting thing, but... I'd still think any actor worth their salt would still rather be involved at ALL than even under those conditions.

I'm surprised Lucas was able to create a somewhat strong romance between Han & Leia considering the crap he came up with for Anakin & Padme. God, those prequels were just a mess.

Lawrence Kasdan did, not George Lucas.

 

Guess who co-wrote The Force Awakens?

[VCRTracking]

I like seeing Han in the cockpit again.

[Kromm]

Boba Fett is again rumored to be the focus of second Star Wars spinoff movie

[Dandesun]

Unless it's a full on Mandalorian movie I don't know how interested I'm going to be. Boba Fett looked cool, sure, but that doesn't mean he's got a story worth delving into. And didn't we already see wee Boba in Episode 2? Oy.

 

I think there's a lot in the Star Wars Universe that could be a hell of a movie. I just don't know if Boba Fett is that subject. I think a lot of his appeal is his mystery.

[Danny Franks]

I don't get the Boba Fett love at all. Sure, he looked kinda cool, but he ended up being pretty shit. Vader catches his prey for him, then hands him over while Fett whines that "he's no good to me dead". Then the only other things he ever does are to nod approvingly at bounty hunter Leia's thermal detonator gambit, and get comically swiped into the Sarlacc Pit, complete with clanging off the side of Jabba's barge.

 

Where on earth did his cult following come from?

[Dandesun]

The Rule of Cool.

 

That's what it ultimately comes down to. Bounty Hunter! Looks cool! Jet pack!

 

He got eaten by a Sarlacc. Come on.

[VCRTracking]

An article in the Atlantic quoting the Vanity Fair cover story.

 

The Star Wars Sequel Lucas Didn't Get to Make

According to a new Vanity Fair article, the director envisioned an Episode VII driven by teenage characters. But J.J. Abrams had different ideas.

 

I wouldn't have minded teenage main characters. Luke and Leia were supposed to be teens and John Boyega and Daisy Ridley are still fairly young. There's a difference between centering a film on a 9 year old like in Episode 1 and teenagers.

[FormerMod-a1]

FX SPECIALIST RUINS THE FORCE AWAKENS TRAILER BY ADDING JAR JAR BINKS TO EVERY SCENE  

 

I actually enjoyed it.

[Kromm]

Meesa not think that funny at all!!!

[Joe]

With the reveal of Andy Serkis' character, there's something that's been on my mind. This is sort of the final straw. The character names. Some of them strike me as awfully silly. Poe Dameron, Kylo Ren, Phasma, Snoke. Is it just me? Are these perfectly reasonable Star Wars names? Are they the same as Luke Skywalker or Darth Vader? I just can't tell.

 

On another note, they have three members of the GOT cast. Gwendoline Christie, Jessica Henwick, and Miltos Yerolemou. Is that another odd thing? Yeah, I know they're good at what they do, and they all have fight training. But three is a pattern. Is JJ a big fan?

 

Finally, Clem Barstow pointed out that while Lupita Nyong'o is in this, it seems a shame that an Oscar-winning WOC is all Serkised up. However, IMDB tells me there are at least three other WOCs. Crystal Clarke, Christina Chong, Maisie Richardson-Sellers. Maybe they're Serkised too, or wearing armour. Still, four is a good number on that front. It's more than BSG had in its entire run.