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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Speculation the political crisis in Episode VII?

Discussion in 'Archive: Disney Era Films' started by Poli-Sci Jedi, Jan 27, 2013.

  1. Poli-Sci Jedi

    Poli-Sci Jedi Jedi Youngling star 1

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    Jan 27, 2013
    I've been thinking a lot about what political issues could come up in the Sequel Trilogy and here's what I've come up with thus far...

    The Prequel Trilogy followed the descent of a democracy into authoritarianism. The Original Trilogy showed segments of society attempting to regain control of government from a dictator. Thus, I think in the Sequel Trilogy Lucas will probably want to explore the theme of rebuilding and sustaining a moral society. How can a democracy accommodate super beings such as Jedi (remember, the "people" turned on the Jedi during the Clone Wars)? Can the Original Trilogy heroes build a new government that doesn't get bogged down in corruption? How will the government handle ethnic and alien diversity?

    The Star Wars Expanded Universe has only dealt with these themes tangentially. Some of the books show the strains of democratic governance in which ethnic divisions threaten to tear the New Republic apart. Timothy Zahn's Hand of Thrawn Duology and the Legacy of the Force series both dealt with internal threats to the galaxy's stability due to ethnic/political differences. However, we still haven't had the Maker tell his story.

    For more discussion of this subject, see: http://poliscijedi.blogspot.com/2013/01/jj-abrams-to-direct-episode-vii-whats.html
     
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  2. Episode Swag

    Episode Swag Jedi Knight star 1

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    Jan 9, 2013
    I think the war needs to have the Jedi as a central point to it. If I was in charge, I'd do it this way.

    It would be copl to have a Jedi civil war in which some of the new Jedi disagree with Luke's leading of the order when compared to Yoda's leadership. Maybe the rogue Jedi could have help from mercenary armies and such from Hutts or something to make it even. Perhaps even the Mandalorians? Who knows?
     
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  3. Tan-Wessel

    Tan-Wessel Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    May 31, 2001
    I love the political atmosphere and aspects of the movies.​
    That said, the PT did a horrible job of conveying the significance and made it about as interesting as any random flipping to C-SPAN and seeing senators playing solitaire on their Dell laptops from 1995.​
     
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  4. Poli-Sci Jedi

    Poli-Sci Jedi Jedi Youngling star 1

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    Jan 27, 2013
    Tan, I agree, to an extent. I actually think the Senate scene in TPM was supposed to be boring. I think it was supposed to show that the Galactic Senate was dysfunctional. However, I think the prequels should have done a better job with the dialogue and speeches and make them more exciting at least. More like Bill Clinton, less like Al Gore.

    I have a short article about the problem of politics and Jar Jar here: http://poliscijedi.blogspot.com/2013/01/why-i-want-book-about-jar-jar-binks.html
     
  5. LawJedi

    LawJedi Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 11, 2009
    Dude, how do you even know what they play on C-SPAN? What, are you like one of them boring type persons? o_O

    I'd love to get involved in this topic (especially since I was a Poli-Sci-Jedi before I graduated to Lawjedi), but I fear this will be part of an impending thread merge with other political discussions.
     
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  6. Poli-Sci Jedi

    Poli-Sci Jedi Jedi Youngling star 1

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    Jan 27, 2013
    That could be interesting. However, I don't want the movies just to have Sith again as the villains. I think rogue Jedi could be cool, but I'd want villains who aren't just black & white evil and maybe just disagree with Luke.
     
  7. Poli-Sci Jedi

    Poli-Sci Jedi Jedi Youngling star 1

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    Jan 27, 2013
    LawJedi, nice name! I presume that means you're a lawyer? I don't know what the merger policy is here, so we'll see what happens. I do have a Facebook page where I'll be posting more: https://www.facebook.com/poliscijedi?ref=stream
     
  8. Tan-Wessel

    Tan-Wessel Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    May 31, 2001
    Chalk it up to time spent with my other half while she too was still in training as a Lawpadawan...resparked an interest in me that runs in the family.
     
  9. Episode Swag

    Episode Swag Jedi Knight star 1

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    Jan 9, 2013
    That's what I meant. I interpret that having balance to the force means that there aren't any more sith. But, you've gotta have lightsaber wielding villains in order to have duels ya know? So I think having rogue Jedi like this would be a nice way to have saber wielding villains that aren't sith.
     
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  10. Tan-Wessel

    Tan-Wessel Force Ghost star 4

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    May 31, 2001
    Ever seen Rome? Now THAT's how to do senate scenes.
     
  11. Poli-Sci Jedi

    Poli-Sci Jedi Jedi Youngling star 1

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    Jan 27, 2013
    Tan-Wessel, I love Rome! That's actually a great example of how to do a political scene right. If you don't mind, I might post that example on my Facebook page. I've been saying all this time that politics in movies isn't necessarily boring, but it has to be done right. It's important to have rich dialogue and dynamic blocking so the characters aren't just standing still.
     
  12. Allana_Rey

    Allana_Rey Jedi Master star 4

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    Sep 2, 2012
    I was thinking something along the lines of several planets are being invaded and the senate votes for a New Jedi Order.
     
  13. LawJedi

    LawJedi Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Jan 11, 2009
    Law student actually. Username inherited from my sister in a Dread Pirate Roberts fashion, long story.

    I don't know, mods tend to like to keep similar topic in one thread, and there's been some politics talk in past threads. Unfortunately, they're hard to hunt down.

    Here's a sampling:

    http://boards.theforce.net/threads/government-or-religious-influence-on-st-storyline.50008108/

    http://boards.theforce.net/threads/the-senate-will-return-after-episode-6.50007581/

    Unfortunately, like all topics in this community, they end up with people needing to reframe the discussion around methods of focusing their dislike of the prequels. Somehow its never offtopic. ;)
     
  14. Poli-Sci Jedi

    Poli-Sci Jedi Jedi Youngling star 1

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    Jan 27, 2013
    Yeah, true - as if we haven't had that debate before. Like I said, I'm relatively new to these forums. I suspect I'll do most of my commenting on the Poli-Sci Jedi Facebook page, but want to partake in the forums as well.
     
  15. Poli-Sci Jedi

    Poli-Sci Jedi Jedi Youngling star 1

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    Jan 27, 2013
    Possibly, but Lucas really hasn't ever done stories about invasion threats. All of the stories have been about internal politics, about civil war or rebellion. The only way I'd see Lucas doing a movie about an invasion is if it led to a storyline about how the invasion ended up tearing the new government apart, like it did in Black Fleet Crisis or New Jedi Order.
     
  16. LawJedi

    LawJedi Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Jan 11, 2009
    Sure. But following the Roman Empire analogy, the next threat is "barbarians at the gate." The Galaxy that was at peace for a 1000 years was fractured by the takeover of the Sith. Can democracy survive after evolving into an Empire? Can it be strong enough to deal with new threats?
     
  17. Poli-Sci Jedi

    Poli-Sci Jedi Jedi Youngling star 1

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    Jan 27, 2013
    Good point. That might be the next step. Moreover, with Han, Luke, and Leia so old already, it might not make sense to show them forming a new government because that would have happened soon after the Battle of Endor. It might make more sense to have the new government already formed, show it doing well, and then throw in an outside threat.

    That said, as much as I enjoyed some of the NJO books, I hope they don't just repeat that storyline. Knowing Lucas, he'll probably pick out some alien design from 1976 and use that as a the basis of the invading species.
     
  18. LawJedi

    LawJedi Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Jan 11, 2009
    I'm not even going to the EU here, but starting a new government in Episode 7 does three things:

    1. It makes our heroes look incompetent.
    2. It diminishes the impact of Vader's triumph.
    3. It takes away their happy ending after ROTJ. I'm not saying the Republic was born overnight, but no one wants to know that Luke, Han and Leia suffered their whole lives to get to the promised land, and then died to make room for their kids' adventures.
     
  19. Poli-Sci Jedi

    Poli-Sci Jedi Jedi Youngling star 1

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    Jan 27, 2013
    True, assuming that Mark Hamil, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford return to play their characters. It's possible that we might get new actors cast as the Big 3 so that the story takes place after ROTJ. (JJ Abrams did something similar for Star Trek). However, what we've heard thus far is that the Sequel Trilogy will take place long after ROTJ. So, in that sense we're less likely to see the Big 3 starting the new government and more likely to see whether they can keep it together.
     
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  20. LordDlow

    LordDlow Jedi Knight star 1

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    Jan 26, 2013
    I could see the problems of Democracy on a Galactic Scale look at out own government, Democracy is mob rule 51% being a majority, The need would be for a Noble Republic with proportional representation. I could see them playing up that the same problems that we saw in the Prequal Trilogy leading up to the Empire, nothing that extreme of course, just the problems of corruption, perhaps using Black Sun or the Hutt cartel to some capacity, I know there EU elements just using them for an example before everyone bounces on me..LOL
     
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  21. Poli-Sci Jedi

    Poli-Sci Jedi Jedi Youngling star 1

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    Jan 27, 2013
    Yeah, the mob rule element is something I could really see Lucas and Abrams play up in the Sequel Trilogy.
     
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  22. LawJedi

    LawJedi Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Jan 11, 2009
    And I think there's definitely some of that contemporary applicability I was talking about to this idea.
     
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  23. laurethiel1138

    laurethiel1138 Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Feb 6, 2003
    Well, in the Title Speculation Thread, I'd already laid out a rough idea of the political crisis which could threaten the GFFA in the new trilogy, and I think it's of interest to this thread, so if you permit me, I'll simply quote my previous post:
    Cheers,
    Lauré :)
     
  24. Poli-Sci Jedi

    Poli-Sci Jedi Jedi Youngling star 1

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    Jan 27, 2013
    Did you steal Lucas' story treatment? Great titles

    I actually like that idea. I like the idea of the new government splitting. But I wonder if terrorism is going to be enough of a threat for a Star Wars movie. Maybe state-sponsored terrorism, where some alien race sponsors terrorism against the government and it takes a while for them to realize the new threat.
     
  25. Echo-07

    Echo-07 Jedi Master star 4

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    Nov 9, 2012
    I've said many times I wouldn't be surprised if Leia is Supreme Chancellor. I also wouldn't be surprised if the New Republic is just a shambles as the "Rebel Alliance" -- now the most influencial political body in the galaxy -- is fighting a civil war with Imperial Loyalists or remnants. (Remember those terms.) Not every alien planet was good willed and open. Alot of them hated other races.

    In this vaccum, this void of a strong leadership, I can see the underworld forces taking advantage -- Black Sun or even the Hutts -- causing even more chaos. Then finally out of this mess I could envision a very strong martial influence, say the Mandalorians, ( a race I'm desperate to see more of on film) rallying the opposing forces to "unite the galaxy."

    I see a battle royale in other words. :p:D
     
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