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

Saga The Mundane Question?

Discussion in 'Star Wars Saga In-Depth' started by YodasNewPadawan, Aug 2, 2013.

  1. YodasNewPadawan

    YodasNewPadawan Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Aug 2, 2013
    Sorry if any of my spelling sux, i cant seam to find a spell checker in this thing.

    This may seem like a stupid question, however i would love to hear feed back on why we never see people, ANY people, (including non huminoid people), not even side line or minor or even back ground charicters doing really boring mundane earth things such as watching TV or playing video games such as Playstation or Xbox, ect. ect.(or even something similar to a PS or Xbox with out using the actual name to avoid trademark or copy right violations) or any other boring earth bound things or objects like this?

    About the closest i have ever seen to any of this is in the Origonal Star Wars where Luke is eating dinner with his family and you see them doing the normal boring every day things earth people do. like preparing food and sitting at the table talking, or in Lukes case it turns in to a bitter argument similar to how alot of familys have similar agruments on a day to day basis.

    And even this part seamed more like something from the Origional Wizard of OZ feeling of 1920s Dust bowl era Kansas than anything else. maybe with some advanced tech like Lukes Speeder and the farming Tech they use, but even with all this futureistic like items all around some how still feels like it was in a time before even the Star Wars Universe time line of modern television and such.

    Even they way they talked not including mention of things like The space port felt more like they were back in the 1920s earth or something?

    Like they were talking about dusting crops with a WW 1 Bi plane or something.

    Actually i personaly liked that kind of feeling at the start of the film.
    Maybe it was done that way deliberatly to make the audience feel like the could much more closely relate to luke and his family?

    Then suddenly, (much like Dorthy) gets sucked up in to a more sureal world than what we currently live in.

    Did any one else get that feeling?

    And this is about the ONLY time i have ever seen anything in the entire Star Wars Saga that had anything like this that lasted for more than half a second?
    At least anything that i can remember right off the top of my head.
    Please understand i have not watched any of the Star Wars movies for at least 4 years.

    However this first part of the film, at least to me has an almost 180 degree polar oposite feel to the rest of the entire saga.


    And i am refering ONLY to the movies and not anything else star wars related.
    Only the Six feature films.

    so?

    What is it?
    Couch potoatos dont exist in the SWU?
    Is it to borning and every day like for a film saga such as this?
    Takes up too much of the films time to have things like this?
    Not Sci Fi enough and too mundane for something like this?

    I could go on and on however i would love to hear feed back on this from others, or maybe even some one who has actual verifiable facts as for the reasons why?

    Love to see what replys i get, this may get some very interesting replys.
     
  2. The Supreme Chancellor

    The Supreme Chancellor Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 4, 2012
    I don't really understand where your coming from, if your argument is that you don't see people doing regular everyday things in Star Wars then here is some feedback:

    During the OT the main characters are freedom fighters in the midst of a civil war, this is why there isn't much focus on them just hanging around watching TV or having Seinfeld-esque conversations.

    In TPM which mirrors ANH as the beginning of a trilogy we see Anakin and Shmi, who lead a fairly normal life, Shmi cooks and cleans while Anakin works during the day and has time later on to hangout with his friends. Even earlier when Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan drop into the Gungan city we see the Gungans roaming around living pretty simple lives.

    Then when things heat up in AOTC and ROTS our main characters are once more embroiled in a civil war and therefore there is no reason for the film to focus on regular everyday life, because the galaxy isn't functioning as it usually does.
     
    kainee likes this.
  3. Placeholder

    Placeholder Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 30, 2013
    We see people doing mundane things in the backround. We see robot football being played on a TV, people hanging out in bars. It's not in the forefront, but it's obvious that there are people living their lives
     
  4. YodasNewPadawan

    YodasNewPadawan Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Aug 2, 2013
    Interesting point, i see there are very intellegent people on this site.
    And yes now that you mention it that dose make sense.
    This is good, this is the kind of feed back i was looking for.
     
  5. Deputy Rick Grimes

    Deputy Rick Grimes Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Sep 3, 2012
  6. YodasNewPadawan

    YodasNewPadawan Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Aug 2, 2013
    Yes, that is true too, so far i have now gotten two good replies on this.
    I think it may be that there is more than one answer to the questions i asked and that more than one answer fits, it may be sort of an all of the above type thing, meaning that there is several reasons why you see very little of the average guy or family things going on in these movies.
     
  7. _Catherine_

    _Catherine_ Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 16, 2007
    Why would any of those things be in the movie?
     
  8. Ken Obi

    Ken Obi Jedi Padawan

    Registered:
    Jul 18, 2013
    We'll get to see this in Detours if it ever comes to fruition.
     
  9. Lt.Cmdr.Thrawn

    Lt.Cmdr.Thrawn Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 23, 1999
    YodasNewPadawan Unlike the rest of these people, I agree with you. I think life in the galaxy far, far away is deliberately simplified. This may be partially because it's based on things like The Hidden Fortress or the Lensman books; that is to say, media from times before there were any video games and in some cases before there were any electronics at all. Even in 2001: A Space Odyssey, where they have tablet computers and stuff, that sort of tech is very backgrounded. I'd imagine Luke on Tatooine is supposed to be on that same type of level. It's a combination of harkening back to Edo period Japan or Lucas's own formative years (1950s/60s), and the fact that when the film was made, there weren't really video games anyway (not the way they are now - though I would point out that in the film, they do play holo-chess). For fun, Luke flies his T-16 around in the canyons (street racing/offroading) and goes down to Anchorhead (arcade/general place to hang out).

    The prequels are a bit different, because when they were made those new technologies did exist in the real world so they could have been emulated in the films. And they are - sometimes (as has been mentioned above). But in those films you're also following a bunch of warrior monks and royals. Both because of the intended tone and also because of the character choice, recreational activities aren't really part of the plot.
     
    kainee likes this.
  10. TX-20

    TX-20 Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 21, 2013
    I hoping that the sequel trilogy will have a scene in a cantina where two background characters are having a very meta conversation about the PT vs OT. Extra points if they're played by Mike Stoklasa and Kyle Newman.
     
  11. Lt.Cmdr.Thrawn

    Lt.Cmdr.Thrawn Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 23, 1999
    2001 being what it is, this might sound silly, because it's also clearly showing off a vision of the then-future. But I think what I meant is that it's done in a semi-documentary style. It's presented as just part of the world. Same with SW. I could picture Luke or Han (I specifically think of them because we see some of where they live in the films) with similar tablet computers, and they just never happen to use them onscreen. Or maybe they have other methods of getting their information, like, you know, conversation.

    [​IMG]
     
  12. Darth Nerdling

    Darth Nerdling Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 20, 2013
    Actually, I think Star Wars has much more of the mundane little things than most similar movies do. You see people having meals (ANH, TPM); you see Luke working on the moisture farm; Little Ani working for Watto; Chewie playing chess vs. R2; Han hanging out in a seedy bar; the inside of a Jedi library; Yoda training children; a sports bar; people watching pod racing; Padme and Anakin having a picnic in a flowery meadow; little Ani putting together a droid; Vader sitting in his hyperberic chamber; Yoda making a stew; Stormtroopers making small talk.

    I think all this stuff does a great job of giving Star Wars a sense of reality and a sense that this whole other galaxy could exist out there, and I think that those little details are sorely lacking in most recent films.
     
    kainee, Alexrd and Pensivia like this.
  13. YodasNewPadawan

    YodasNewPadawan Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Aug 2, 2013
    Now i am starting to see more clearly, Yes, that also makes sense, alot.
    I remember the 3D chess thing now, yeah that was good.

    And i can now see how the since the story mostly follows the Jedi who are really busy fighting evil and all that would have little time for much of anything eles.

    And i also was thinking the other day there is a huge differnece between Anikin and Lukes family life before they got involved with becoming Jedi.

    Luke was more like a bored farm boy in the middle of a Kansas like desert.
    Anikin and his Mom were slaves and lived more like they were in a thrid world country.

    Or something like that.

    Any way excellent reply. thank you so very much.
    This is definately the feed back i was looking for.
     
  14. YodasNewPadawan

    YodasNewPadawan Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Aug 2, 2013
    I agree, i think the Jedi Library was filmed in a Real world library some place and then they added FX to make it look more like it was totally computerized.

    Yes all you said is true.
    And i felt that the Part when luke was with his family at the dinner table was the closest i have seen to feeling connected to the charicters as real world people.

    Maybe that is not the right way to word it however for me that part made me feel like it could very much be my own family or the family next door.

    Most of the other parts felt more distant, like those parts take place in some place that even if it has a real world equivilant, most of us will never get to see something like that or go to a place like that.

    Like being in the Falcon was more like being a crew member on an old frieghter, most people will never ever see the insides of a ship, at least not a work horse like a container ship or something similar.

    Maybe the point i was trying to make was yes they are seen doing real world things, however maybe what i ment to say was that the locations PLUS the things they were doing at the time felt less like something an average person would see or experiance in every day life here on earth.

    Maybe what i should say is that the part where luke was with his family felt more like something almost ANY human in the United States or another similar country could relate too?

    Maybe because most people in the US have had that kind of experiance.
    where as every thing that happened after that is extrodinary or amazing or out of this worldish.
    something most people will never experiance.

    And maybe that is the point of why the movies are so sucsessful.

    The person gets a feeling as if they too could be taken from there every day boring lifes and suddenly find them selfs in many sureal situations like we see in the saga.


    Any way, i am just guessing at all this, however i think that may be closer to the point i was trying to make.
    What do you think?
     
    darth ladnar likes this.
  15. YodasNewPadawan

    YodasNewPadawan Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Aug 2, 2013
    I think that is true too.
     
  16. YodasNewPadawan

    YodasNewPadawan Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Aug 2, 2013
    Kind of like an Easter Egg hidden in video games, its there for ever one to see, but not so obvious to every one unless you are really paying attention?
     
    TX-20 likes this.
  17. YodasNewPadawan

    YodasNewPadawan Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Aug 2, 2013
    Sounds interesting, that would be nice if it did ^_^
     
  18. YodasNewPadawan

    YodasNewPadawan Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Aug 2, 2013
    I think the latest replies may help answer that question.

    Please read them if you wish, i found every thing i read very interesting and made some replies as well
     
  19. Darth Nerdling

    Darth Nerdling Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 20, 2013
    Yeah, I agree with you. I think it adds a lot to the story to have Luke just living like a regular Joe and having regular problems with his family and being unhappy with his life. People identify with that, and he starts from this very low beginning and enters into this huge galactic conflict involving other planets and a planet-destroying weapon and he's exposed to tons of things he's never known: the Force, the cantina, smugglers, the inside-world of the empire, the rebellion, etc. I think a lot of people, especially young people, can identify with where Luke started off, and so, when he goes into this new world, it feels like we are experiencing it too.

    I think GL tried to do the same thing with Anakin in TPM. I don't think he achieved it as well since Anakin was a slave and did child labor, but it would have been kind of weird to see Anakin's troubles in elementary school and I also think GL didn't want to simply copy the formula he did with Luke. With young Anakin, we aren't as much able to identify with his situation, but I think we do see that he lives a normal mundane life for Tatooine that he wants to escape for obvious reasons. So, with Anakin, we can't identify as much, but we can certainly understand why he wants out of there.

    I think the other films don't have as much of this normal average Joe type stuff because ANH and TPM are the films that introduce the heroes we want to follow. The other films we're still watching the progress of Luke and Anakin, and the other characters are secondary, so we don't see their back stories. We only hear about them or get an impression of them, like for instance, that Han is a smuggler who works with the underworld and who has debts or that Leia is a princess who comes from Alderaan who is secretly working with the Rebel alliance.
     
  20. Loupgarou

    Loupgarou Jedi Knight star 3

    Registered:
    Jan 19, 2010
    One thing to remember about Star Wars is the majority of people in the GFFA never set foot on a space ship. We see the lives of soldiers and outcasts because they're the ones hopping from planet to planet for the most part. these people do less 'mundane' things than those stuck on-planet, although as many have said, star wars has more mundane things than most Sci-Fi shows.
     
  21. YodasNewPadawan

    YodasNewPadawan Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Aug 2, 2013

    Excellent point, thank you so much for the feedback, and that means every one, this has really helped me understand more clearly my feelings about the enitre saga.

    Even more interesting is i saw the origional series when it was still in movie theaters, and was amazed when i read news paper advertisments about how many weeks it was in the box office and how people stood in massivley long lines to watch this movie, maybe i was about 10 or 11 years old when it first came out, and thought it was one of the most amazing movies i ever saw.

    Some people watched the movie while it was still in the box office more than once, i think 10 or 20 times because at the time it was really high tech FX.

    Any way thanks to ever one, this has helpe me understand it all alot better.
    All the best.
     
  22. YodasNewPadawan

    YodasNewPadawan Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Aug 2, 2013
    very very true
    I am very pleased to have gotten so many many good replies.
    this is a really good site and forum.
    I am really impressed with it.

    Thank you very much
     
  23. Yunners

    Yunners Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Mar 30, 2006


    The library scene is all green screen. The layout is based heavily on Trinity College in Dublin. Lucas tried to get permission to film there, but was turned down. I think there was talks of a lawsuit after the film was released because he didn't get permission to use the likeness either.
     
  24. Alexrd

    Alexrd Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Jul 7, 2009
    Exactly what I was going to say.

    It's actually a miniature.
     
  25. Revanfan1

    Revanfan1 Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 3, 2013
    Pretty much everything in this post, plus Luke, bored in the workshop, playing with his model speeder, Anakin buying fruit from a vendor in TPM (a vendor he knows personally, making it seem that much more real), clone troopers sitting down to dinner, not to mention multiple scenes of Senate meetings which, except for the fact that there are way more Senators than in the U.S. and...you know...the U.S. Senators don't have...floating pods...

    But, still, point made.