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

Saga Mega thread: Sequels and spinoff films and the overall saga

Discussion in 'Star Wars Saga In-Depth' started by anakinfansince1983 , Jun 20, 2017.

  1. darkspine10

    darkspine10 Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Dec 7, 2014
    I have to strongly disagree. Beyond Tatooine, a key planet from the OT (but necessary as Anakin's home planet), all the other planets are distinct from what came before in SW.

    Naboo is far from just Earth. Theed and the plains are an idealised blend of fantasy Rennaisance, take one glimpse and you see we're in a more prosperous environment from the OT. Instant visual storytelling without a word of dialogue. There are several distinct biomes, such as the plains, the swamp, the city, the underwater, the lake country. There's more variety of location on this planet than any in the OT. Then there's the Gungan city, a unique location, with buildings based of bubbles, illuminating the lakebed.

    We see more of Coruscant in each movie, keeping it from being stale. In TPM, we get the major landmarks of the Senate and the Jedi Temple. AOTC adds the urban areas, nightclubs, industrial areas, Dex's diner. ROTS shows us the landing areas, and the upper class opera house. Again, more variety than any OT planet. And no, the appearance in the ROTJ SE doesn't count. Generic skyscrapers were all that was seen in 1997, a mere hint of the full planet, like Achh-To at the end of TFA. It was only in 2004 that the recognisable Senate and Temple were added, designed for the PT.

    Then there's Kamino, another new location, with a rainy exterior and sterile, white interior, perfect for the environment in which the clones are born. Geonosis, while on the surface another desert, has a completely different society from Tatooine. There's an army of worker drones, toiling in droid foundries under the surface. There's a gladiatorial arena. There's giant hive spires. Utapau and Kashyyyk are also unique, a world of giant sinkholes and a beach of giant trees, perfect for the Wookiees.

    Compare to the ST.

    Jakku: It's Tatooine. That's it. There's moistue vaporators, deserts, scavengers. The one unique feature it has, the Imperial wreckage, is undercut by the completely fine Empire that exists in the ST.

    Takodana: A castle by a lake, with a forest. Well, we've already seen forests on both Naboo and Endor. The castle is a nice visual, but the interior is little more than the cantina.

    D'Qar: It's Yavin, just without the Mayan temples. Yawn.

    Hosnian: It's Coruscant. At least, all we see of it is indistinguishable, and it fills the role of Coruscant as galactic capital, and the role of Alderaan to be blown up. There's nothing new here.

    Acch-To: The ST's first really unique planet. We get to see the nuns, the wildlife in the porgs, some varied locations. But it just fills the role of Dagobah, down to a tee, and we never really learn anything about the old Jedi Temple, the founding of the Jedi, and we only actually see two rooms (the library, the mosaic pool room). Compare to the PT Jedi Temple, where we see council chambers, the library, grand hallways, training rooms, the hangar. Varied parts, with unique functions. The mosaic pool room could be set outside and it wouldn't make a difference.

    Canto Bight: Another unique location. It's got a simple concept, Casino planet, but it's executed fine. I'm not a fan of the subplot, but at least the backdrop was good.

    Crait: It's Hoth. But with salt. It has the same Walker attack, rebel hangar, colour palette. It has those ice foxes I guess.

    It's not like Disney can't be more original, the new planets managed to be unique, even the desert world Jedha is different from Tatooine in a myriad of ways. It's just uninteresting to me how derivative or shallow most of the worlds in the ST are. No planet in the PT is in any way similar to an OT planet.
     
    Last edited: Jan 27, 2018
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  2. Darth Downunder

    Darth Downunder Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 5, 2001
    Kashyyyk & Endor share some similarities. Timber structures within canopies of green trees, etc.
    Tipoca City on Kamino was deliberately designed to mimic Cloud City.
    Coruscant made its debut in the RotJ SE.
    Naboo is a bit different from an OT world but it's still Earth. Putting aside the inhabitants, pls name a single exotic alien looking geographic feature or element.
    Geonosis is very similar to Tatooine, apart from the alien inhabitants. Maybe it's not identical, but it sure is similar. In fact it's often been mentioned that a cut away from Tatooine to Geonosis in AotC was confusing at first bcs the landscapes looked so similar. Until some people saw the characters they weren't sure where they were.
    ?? IMO the red crystalline surface & caverns made for one one of the best looking environments in all of SW. It looks incredible, esp on the big screen. Ahch-To was filmed in a stunning location. The ST environments feel like real places that exist. It's all so much more tangible. Let's recall that far less location shooting occurred in the Prequels. Resulting in RotS, where not a single shot was filmed on location using actors. Which led Ewan McGregor to complain that he spent 3 months locked in a green room.
    Anyway, my point was that for me at least, the Saga isn't about explaining the political situation, nor is it a travelogue show designed to display weird & kooky environments. Each to their own, as they say.
     
    Last edited: Jan 27, 2018
  3. Jedi Knight Fett

    Jedi Knight Fett Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Feb 18, 2014
    Starkiller base was a unique planet. It was a snow one sure, but it had trees
     
  4. Lulu Mars

    Lulu Mars Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Mar 10, 2005
    ...which gave us the most diverse and imaginative Star Wars film to date, as far as locations go.
    Twelve easily distinguishable worlds that are also quite different from the other worlds we see in GL's saga. A most impressive feat, if you ask me!
     
  5. Snafu55

    Snafu55 Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Oct 19, 2015
    we're only analyzing the two through world building right... and not the self-contain-ness of the ST?
     
  6. Martoto77

    Martoto77 Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    Aug 6, 2016
    I think world building is a vastly overused, misused label that doesn't tell us anything about quality of storytelling. "Setting is not story" - George Lucas. A lot of it amounts to boasting that your daddy's car has more airbags than your freind's daddy has.
     
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  7. Talos of Atmora

    Talos of Atmora Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 3, 2016
    Yeah, that's not true at all. The setting of a story is just as important as the characters within the setting.
     
    Last edited: Jan 28, 2018
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  8. Martoto77

    Martoto77 Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    Aug 6, 2016
    The "world building" that is regularly invoked , i.e." this film shows us more different planets than that film", does NOT indicate the quality of storytelling.
     
  9. Talos of Atmora

    Talos of Atmora Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 3, 2016
    Well, the people with that opinion are also viewing it in about as much of a reductive way as you are. World building doesn't necessarily have to do with a quantity of locations. Sure, quantity may carry a sense of scale but it's also about the dynamics present in a setting, the history of a setting, etc.
     
    Last edited: Jan 28, 2018
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  10. Martoto77

    Martoto77 Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    Aug 6, 2016
    It accounts for nearly all the commentary I've read, particularly in JC forums, where "world building" is used.

    It's like a TOPPS trading card exchange.

    No Star Wars movie has dropped below ANH in its so-called "world building". We wouldn't still be talking about Star Wars if this wasn't the case.

    Dynamics - the contrast from location to location, scene to scene, have been consistent throughout the saga.
     
    Last edited: Jan 28, 2018
  11. {Quantum/MIDI}

    {Quantum/MIDI} Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Dec 21, 2015
    Disney seems to agree with you for the most part. So much in agreement that most of the new movies have non-existent locations that are expressively diverse with the exception of TLJ and R1 in certain places.

    Very mundane and boring looking.

    For the record, I agree this gets missused and yet Darkspine has put his perspective in a better manner than throwing the word around haphazardly.
     
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  12. Darth Downunder

    Darth Downunder Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 5, 2001
    Anyone who finds places like Skellig Michael boring shouldn't bother traveling. They're unlikely to ever be impressed. Most of the other locales look incredible too. Even the much derided Jakku included the awesome visuals of a huge scale starship graveyard. Which I thought worked brilliantly. Within each trilogy I'm impressed with some locations & not so with others. It's all just personal preference.
     
  13. {Quantum/MIDI}

    {Quantum/MIDI} Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Dec 21, 2015
    Obvisouly when judging these films as if they are of an isolated format with previous establishments, yes. They look nice. As locations, it shows you the world of our earthly beauty.

    The Difference here is that the past 6 movies have given you something past “earth-y” like many movies of today. Naboo is in AOTC is a real place yet there are noticeable artistic integrities that break it apart from reality. Those films, are extremely surreal in both psychological, practical and an emotional level. A set of 6 films that are of dreams and ideals, not the crudeness of the cynical earth. Rather, it is of a fairytale.

    The ST as apart of a Saga is by default is unimpressive visuallly when it comes to aesthetics and colors.

    Remember the complex “Zame chase sequence” in Attack Of The Clones? Where each color pops up and meshes with each other as if they were communicating symbiosis?

    “It’s alive...It’s aliveeeee!” Shouted the enthusiastic Dr.Lucastein. His vision was finally realized.. He created life from nothing.
     
    Last edited: Jan 28, 2018
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  14. Darth Downunder

    Darth Downunder Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 5, 2001
    That a fact or are we allowed to disagree?
    Yes, that spacey looking boat did break from reality. Wonder what the local Italians thought of it.

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Jan 28, 2018
  15. {Quantum/MIDI}

    {Quantum/MIDI} Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Dec 21, 2015
    Yes DD, that is a giant big “fact” I gave you. Just compare the color palettes and usages of visual design to the previous films. The pill might be harder to swallow so I suggest to chew it so you can take it in better.
     
  16. Darth Downunder

    Darth Downunder Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 5, 2001
    Didn't like it so I spat it out. The 3 most recent movies are the best looking of all 9 of them. IMO.
     
  17. {Quantum/MIDI}

    {Quantum/MIDI} Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Dec 21, 2015
    [face_tee_hee]
    Then eat it back up.[face_tee_hee]
     
  18. Martoto77

    Martoto77 Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    Aug 6, 2016
    "Non-existent locations?"

    The last few posts kinda support what I was saying to Atmora. Works building is label which is invoked to enhance the stature of people's preferences.
     
    Last edited: Jan 28, 2018
  19. Kronin

    Kronin Jedi Knight

    Registered:
    Nov 3, 2016
    To me its design is always appeared an obvious reference to Venice gondolas, boats generally associated to romantic couples. So in my opninion was an appropriated choice.

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Feb 3, 2018
  20. Snafu55

    Snafu55 Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Oct 19, 2015
    May I say the opening to TLJ is probably one of my favorite openings to a Star Wars movie ever... just beating out ANH's and ROTS's...
    It was better than what the evacuation of Yavin should of looked like, it was perfect meld of comedy, action, and poe dameron fangasms.
     
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  21. Ancient Whills

    Ancient Whills Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 12, 2011
  22. {Quantum/MIDI}

    {Quantum/MIDI} Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Dec 21, 2015
    Where are the female writers and directors KK?:cool:

    I don’t care if I’m being honest. This not only doesnt surprise me but just makes it a bit more disappointed to see these writers shows jumping on for a “MAIN Saga”, with Rian Johnson. Perhaps I lack the understanding of this all? Is Rian really that much perfect for SW that he gets(in KK’s own words) his “own” set of movies? Sounds like candy is just being tossed around in without much bearing.

    At this point, toss in James Franco why don’t you..
     
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  23. Darth Downunder

    Darth Downunder Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 5, 2001
    Pointless baseless negativity. With some people it’s just a reflex to every bit of news or content.
     
  24. Bazinga'd

    Bazinga'd Saga / WNU Manager - Knights of LAJ star 7 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Nov 1, 2012
    Anytime there is an announcement that there is more Star Wars coming, its a usually a good thing. But I think @{Quantum/MIDI} raises an issue that I have long thought about-the point at which so many new Star Wars movies are made, the public get burned out on them and the story line gets diluted.
     
  25. Jedi Knight Fett

    Jedi Knight Fett Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Feb 18, 2014
    Welp soon we will have more Star Wars movie in 7 years then we did in 30