The Rise of Skywalker General Star Wars Episode IX News/Speculation Thread - Part 1

[Donner]

 

[Sian]

Wow.
I find your comment regarding Rey's fate a bit of a joke, honestly.
Rey wasn't a young girl subjugated by a patriarchal society. In TFA she was depicted as a lonely young woman desperate for a family. This was why she latched on to Han Solo as a father figure. This was why she cried like a baby after his death, despite metaphorically knowing him for about five minutes. In TROS she is shown staring longingly at children playing as if having kids was something she would like. She began the saga as a young girl scratching out a miserable life on a desert planet without friends or family. TROS chose to end the saga with her......on a desert planet, alone yet again. This was supposed to be what all women dream of achieving?
I know plenty of women who are strong, independent and have great careers, yet also have partners and children. You don't have to commit yourself to the life of a 'space nun' in order to be strong and independent. And please don't start on about 'oh, she'd go back to her friends in the Resistance afterwards'. I'm not interested in what happens after the final credits roll. The film chose to end with Rey essentially back on a dreary desert planet with a robot and two dead people for company. If that isn't a recipe for a mental breakdown I don't know what isn't. Hopeful and satisfying? Not on your life JJ.

 

[Sian]

Reply to PO3, sorry.

 

[Donner]

Wow.
I find your comment regarding Rey's fate a bit of a joke, honestly.
Rey wasn't a young girl subjugated by a patriarchal society. In TFA she was depicted as a lonely young woman desperate for a family. This was why she latched on to Han Solo as a father figure. This was why she cried like a baby after his death, despite metaphorically knowing him for about five minutes. In TROS she is shown staring longingly at children playing as if having kids was something she would like. She began the saga as a young girl scratching out a miserable life on a desert planet without friends or family. TROS chose to end the saga with her......on a desert planet, alone yet again. This was supposed to be what all women dream of achieving?
I know plenty of women who are strong, independent and have great careers, yet also have partners and children. You don't have to commit yourself to the life of a 'space nun' in order to be strong and independent. And please don't start on about 'oh, she'd go back to her friends in the Resistance afterwards'. I'm not interested in what happens after the final credits roll. The film chose to end with Rey essentially back on a dreary desert planet with a robot and two dead people for company. If that isn't a recipe for a mental breakdown I don't know what isn't. Hopeful and satisfying? Not on your life JJ.

It's pretty typical. SW casts a female lead for the first time, Men's Rights groups threaten to boycott the movie (and actually do) and make videos of how SW is pandering to social justice warriors, the female lead is written by a man and she ends up as a vessel for the Jedi, alone and orphaned. Her worth is wrapped up in her heritage of being a Palpatine and the one female friend she could have bonded with (Rose) they cut out of TROS.

Why some fans feel the need for their female leads to be virginal powerhouses with no "girly" feelings is beyond me.

 

[Sian]

They have this idea that women do not need men.
We ladies have spent years trying to be equal to men. But now sadly too many of us have become exactly what we hate.

 

[Schlosser85]

I think the key to writing a true strong female characters (in one respect, anyway), is neither to make her an obligatory love interest nor a "space nun", but to give her her own character and story that exists independently of a relationship with a man. The problem isn't with having one, it's not making her whole existence revolve around it.

There's various examples in recent movies of simplistic failed attempts at writing strong female characters that don't understand what that actually means.

 

[Donner]

And that's my issue with Rey's characterization. She couldn't even have inherent power that she cultivated on her own. Nope, that had to come from Palpatine. She couldn't have female friends like Rose, gotta keep it with the boys like Finn and Poe (and Poe makes zero sense) and Chewie. Forget about her having a love interest, female Jedi need to be virginal.

And this is mainly from TROS. There was potential after TLJ and JJ ruined it.

 

[Sian]

The worst thing they ever did was putting Terrio and JJ together. A match made in hell.

 

[Mani-Man]

And that's my issue with Rey's characterization. She couldn't even have inherent power that she cultivated on her own. Nope, that had to come from Palpatine. She couldn't have female friends like Rose, gotta keep it with the boys like Finn and Poe (and Poe makes zero sense) and Chewie. Forget about her having a love interest, female Jedi need to be virginal.

And this is mainly from TROS. There was potential after TLJ and JJ ruined it.

The Palpatine thing doesnt bother me too much, not the best idea they had but could have had potential.
I dont know if she neccessary needs a female friend...at least when you have a sequel trilogy focused mainly on those three new characters.
Love interest, im either way...i mean everything would have been better than the thing with Kylo...but that is mostly because the whole thing was butchered very fast and hard.
I liked the leaked scripts idea of her and Poe, i liked the idea of her and Finn...but thats either way.

Personally the characterization of Rey is one of my least problems in the sequels.
But then to be fair, they tried 3 different approaches so its hard to really get a feeling for the character.

Problem with everything is just that they didnt committ to one focused characterization for her.
Keeping the characterization from TFA through all 3 would have worked fine, keeping the one from TLJ for the final would have worked...but no they tackled her 3 times differently, and its a mess.

 

[Fincher]

I did want Rey in a relationship...with Finn. Not with Kylo/Ben, and not with Poe in the third movie (and Trevorrow's script did that idea no favors). If RoS wasn't going to put her with Finn, then to me leaving her relationship status unresolved is the best alternative.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

For me I go in and out of the mood for Star Wars. But safe to say The Mandalorian and how good it is gets me right back in the mood.

Even the making/gallery does. I remember last time I watched the prequels I didn't enjoy the first 2 at all. Then there was the gallery episode where Dave Filoni broke down the prequels and especially TPM. And watching them again with that new perspective has given me a bigger appreciation for the first 2 prequels.

I am sure something like that will happen with the sequels one day. Although already Mando has referenced Snoke and even that got me interested in watching the sequels again.

TROS also got a lot better for me once I realised the Palpatine in TROS is a clone and not the original. Which means Anakins sacrifice wasn't in vain, and it set Palpatine back a good few decades from controlling the whole SW universe.

It's just that the heroes didn't know how cunning and devious Palpatine was and that he had plans to come back, which Luke discovered and tried to prevent in between the trilogy's.

 

[BatLobster]

So I just watched the Lego Star Wars Holiday Special and WTF....that was actually a really fun and clever post-TROS story!

Seriously- whether you love or hate the ST, or however you feel about TROS, it's worth checking out. It's very light-hearted and goody of course, packed with tons of references and meta humor about the entire saga-- while at the same time it confirms what I always felt would happen after TROS (Rey training Finn), while showing that Rey does have a character flaw she still needs to work on. Just really well done, made me smile and laugh a lot.

 

[Sian]

I did want Rey in a relationship...with Finn. Not with Kylo/Ben, and not with Poe in the third movie (and Trevorrow's script did that idea no favors). If RoS wasn't going to put her with Finn, then to me leaving her relationship status unresolved is the best alternative.

I think...it's something you might get. The Lego holiday special shows Rey training Finn. Now he's revealed as Force sensitive the fact is, they'll be spending a lot of time together, and after a while I suspect Disney will release spin off comics about their adventures. Fine for Finn fans, I guess.

 

[Mani-Man]

I think...it's something you might get. The Lego holiday special shows Rey training Finn. Now he's revealed as Force sensitive the fact is, they'll be spending a lot of time together, and after a while I suspect Disney will release spin off comics about their adventures. Fine for Finn fans, I guess.

Which begs the question why they couldnt do this in the movies to begin with.
Its more than infuriating that they half assed the long awaited Sequel Trilogy this much that a lego holiday special does a better job at characterization etc.
Even more when you see peoples reaction to the mandalorian etc.
People are so excited for it, a few days ago rogue one trended with people left and right gushing over it, people campaign for solo 2 constantly...and here we are with this, people barely talk about the ST, if then mostly about what they dont like.

And it makes me so sad because it feels like Star Wars just stops with ROS or for most before TFA.

 

[herolee10]

Which begs the question why they couldnt do this in the movies to begin with.
Its more than infuriating that they half assed the long awaited Sequel Trilogy this much that a lego holiday special does a better job at characterization etc.
Even more when you see peoples reaction to the mandalorian etc.
People are so excited for it, a few days ago rogue one trended with people left and right gushing over it, people campaign for solo 2 constantly...and here we are with this, people barely talk about the ST, if then mostly about what they dont like.

And it makes me so sad because it feels like Star Wars just stops with ROS or for most before TFA.

Well Disney's first (and perhaps biggest) mistake was not having a blueprint for the whole sequel trilogy. The second mistake was them relying more on nostalgia than actual good storytelling to keep audiences invested in the story.

 

[GREEN =w= DAY]

I think it’s a good idea that Disney is planning on taking it slow in making Star Wars films after the reception TLJ and TROS got

It’s obvious the sequel trilogy was rushed and there was no clear plan in place. They were more focused on meeting deadlines than coming up with a cohesive arc for all three movies

 

[Gothamsknight]

I gotta say, Its crazy how just when I thought I was burnt out on Star Wars, season 2 of Mandalorian sucked me right back in again. Yesterdays episode was not just the best episode of Mando yet, but it fully made me realize how much I love Star Wars, despite it's fanbase. Seeing Ashoka in live action was absolutely incredible, and it proves that Filoni is the man for Star Wars, if Clone Wars and Rebels hadn't already proved that already haha.

 

[Frodo]

I think what Mando shows is that there is more to Star Wars than just the Skywalker saga.

Disney may have been skeptical to that before Mando, but I think Mando has shown them that there are more stories to tell and that they don't need to lean on the OT as a crutch for new films and shows.

Given all the mythology and un touched EU stuff that they have in their catalog, they've just only scratched the surface of live action story potential imo.

 

[henzINNIT]

I feel like such an oddball but something about Mandalorian just doesn't work for me. It's certainly not bad, I just have no fondness for it at all.

Really hope the Obi Wan series is great so I can enjoy Star Wars again.

 

[Sian]

I like the Mandalorian but as I've said before, I'm a fan - or I was a fan - of the Skywalkers and Solos. Now they're gone Star Wars is actually depressing for me. Even watching Mando I just keep thinking of how all the heroes and their blood heir are gone.
Kylo/Ben was my favourite character. I'm not a big Poe fan, I liked Rey and Finn but never saw any chemistry between them as a romantic couple, more as two good friends, and unfortunately TROS made me dislike them, especially Rey.
If you love Finn, Poe and Rey then there's still much to enjoy about SW, but if you're a Kylo/Ben fan, the magic's gone. I'm sorry.

 

[Iceman]

I think what Mando shows is that there is more to Star Wars than just the Skywalker saga.

Disney may have been skeptical to that before Mando, but I think Mando has shown them that there are more stories to tell and that they don't need to lean on the OT as a crutch for new films and shows.

Given all the mythology and un touched EU stuff that they have in their catalog, they've just only scratched the surface of live action story potential imo.

The Skywalker saga was one of the best ever pop culture creations, but at the same time there was always a world of possibility beyond them within the Star Wars universe. This show has proved that and I’m sure we will see many more shows showcasing different corners of the universe from here on out. It’s great that they saw so much success with their first show as all kinds of things will be getting planned out and budgeted for right now.

 

[Iceman]

I gotta say, Its crazy how just when I thought I was burnt out on Star Wars, season 2 of Mandalorian sucked me right back in again. Yesterdays episode was not just the best episode of Mando yet, but it fully made me realize how much I love Star Wars, despite it's fanbase. Seeing Ashoka in live action was absolutely incredible, and it proves that Filoni is the man for Star Wars, if Clone Wars and Rebels hadn't already proved that already haha.

Lock Filoni in onto a 30 year contract (for starters). The dude is a genius and a huge asset for Star Wars.

 

[Sian]

The Skywalker saga was one of the best ever pop culture creations, but at the same time there was always a world of possibility beyond them within the Star Wars universe. This show has proved that and I’m sure we will see many more shows showcasing different corners of the universe from here on out. It’s great that they saw so much success with their first show as all kinds of things will be getting planned out and budgeted for right now.

Of course. I think it's great that SW is branching out in new directions, it's a huge universe after all. But....did they really have to kill off the Skywalkers and Solos to do this? It was completely unnecessary. They could have had them off on their own adventures while telling separate stories about new characters. JJ's smirk when describing the ending of TROS as 'hopeful and satisfying' says it all, really. I suspect he was laughing behind his back at those of us who loved the OC but particularly those who loved Han and Ben Solo. For JJ and Terrio it was all about the twins, and them handing the baton to their golden child, the perfect, unsullied Rey.

 

[Fincher]

Harrison Ford wanted to be killed off, so...

 

[Frodo]

Of course. I think it's great that SW is branching out in new directions, it's a huge universe after all. But....did they really have to kill off the Skywalkers and Solos to do this? It was completely unnecessary. They could have had them off on their own adventures while telling separate stories about new characters. JJ's smirk when describing the ending of TROS as 'hopeful and satisfying' says it all, really. I suspect he was laughing behind his back at those of us who loved the OC but particularly those who loved Han and Ben Solo. For JJ and Terrio it was all about the twins, and them handing the baton to their golden child, the perfect, unsullied Rey.

Well, I'm of the opinion they shouldn't have returned to the Skywalker saga to begin with and should have just told a new story with new characters.

Alot of fans don't agree with me on that, but creatively , I think they really should have just moved on.

That being said, what's done is done , and they had to learn the hard way , that the way to move forward with SW was not to keep remaking the OT and to not going back to characters who's stories were basically over.

The way to move forward was to introduce new characters in a familiar world.

Now, Lucasfilm would point to the billions of dollars to say that they were right to proceed the way they did.

Fair enough, but its clear they themselves have realized that it's creatively unsustainable to continue to keep going back to the OT as a creative crutch.

Even alot of SW fandom has come to that conclusion at this point.

I think even now , they know that the way forward with the next generation of SW fans, is to give them their own Luke's, Han's , and Leia's.

Give them their own heroes with their own stories, backgrounds, and adventures that are unique to them and aren't homages to stories already told.