Discussion Feel of NOW (ST) compared to Then (PT)

I wasn't around on the boards back when the PT was announced. How does the excitement now, the plot guessing, and the like relate with the breaking news of the ST compared to thens breaking news of the PT?

For example, was it always known Lucas was directing? We're people stunned to know it would be a child Anakin and not an adult Anakin in the first?

Does this news of a continuation trump the news of who anakin/Vader was/came to be?

The PT was promised ever since ROTJ wrapped up, the ST was called off by the late 90s. I'm still in shock it's actually freakin happening!

Well, we definitely has more info then, even at this early stage, since we knew the outcome

It will get fun in 2014, after casting and basic plot are known, and spoilers start coming in.

I feel with my hands.. occasionally with my mouth

it was easier to figure out the plot of the PT, we kinda knew what would happen. Anakin becomes Vader, Republic, Empire, etc, etc.

This, we have NO idea what to expect.

-C

This is both more hyped and less. While the PT had an obvious story as opposed to this one, VII also has a (slight) air of 'cash-grab' around it which kills some of the hype.

There's shock (even when we heard rumors that would happen, I laughed at the possibility, oh how wrong I was), excitement (the onscreen return of the big 3 is a 'really' big deal. Truth be told, ROTJ's ending always left me feeling sad, wanting more. This could fix that), terror (30 years of EU material hangs in the balance, invalidating it all would be quite a shock as well), and mild annoyance (this is a cash grab, though it is hardly the worst. This would've been much easier to accept if Lucas didn't vehemently deny wanting to make these for the last 15 years, though I actually do believe he's had at least some general gist of where he wanted this to go.)

There are a ton of unknowns with this one. Truly 'good' sequels could save the franchise from the negative wrap which the prequels and Lucas edits have left with it. Abrams Trek has been very positive for that franchise, with only a few of the old guard truly hating it. Another JarJar level botchup could leave us worse off than we've ever been, 'and' kill tons of previous canon.

Agreed. Although I'd say Disney's long-term plan of new films every 2-3 years even beyond another trilogy makes the situation seem a bit more than a slight cash-grab feeling.

I was a wee little tot back when Episode 1 came out. Heck I was just exited to see it! However now that I frequent the Internet more often I am so stoked to have heard of this early on! It's gonna be so fun to speculate what happens!

I remember that 20th Century Fox's distribution wasn't automatic, and they had to bid for the rights. I worried this would mean the Fox theme wouldn't be on the movie.
In short, there were the same mysteries then as there are now. We had no way to know the Prequels would open and close the exact same way as the others. Sure, it seems like a given now, but with anything new there are uncertainties. There were casting rumors, like Kenneth Branaugh playing Obi-Wan, and someone else playing "Lady Kenobi".
Being without the internet, I didn't follow all the little details so I just learned some developments from magazines in 1997. By late 1998, I decided to be spoiler-free (it was easier to avoid trailers then) and I didn't start using messageboards until right after the movie came out, my first exposure to people who discussed stuff like how Porkins died and all that.

I wonder if fans will be camping out for 6 weeks to see this one

Ahh, I still remember those great discussions on the Virtual Edition board at TFN (Nat Reed are you still around here?). We discussed every frame when a teaser or trailer was released and speculated away. I was at colledge back then and spend a lot of time on the boards or playing StarWarsGalaxies...
One of the biggest discussions were, how the mysteries from the OT would be solved (Vaders seduction, Force Ghosting, Palpatines Rise) and I am still angry that the force ghosting ( which was promised by GL to be explained) was never truly explained...

PS: For anyone who was around back then, my board name was Rancortick...

I had interney when tpm came out, but did not know about message boards.

He said he would direct the first and then hand the reigns off to someone else.

I don't know why he never did that, as it could have only led to good things.

The build up to the PT was better than the actual movies.

This is my first post here since before Episode I. I did a lot of posting then - don't even remember what my screen name was though. I think one of the major differences is that (at least at first) there were not very many "haters". Everyone was excited and there was no negativity (not debating right or wrong) generated by the prequels.

I kinda always knew the prequels would be coming, even if I was just a kid back then.

This came as a total surprise, out of nowhere. Also, absolutely no idea what's gonna happen.
Looking at spoilers for PT didn't really feel like looking at spoilers, you knew what was gonna happen.

I was excited when I first heard about the PT. After seeing them, I am much more cautious about the ST. In my opinion, having someone other than GL directing gives me hope. I am not slamming GL, I just feel his lack of directing skills is what killed the PT for many people. I'm excited about the ST, but still a little cautious.

Well before Episode 1 no one had the oppurtunity to actually see the movies and therefore form an honest opinion.

I think the excitement and anticipation was a lot more positive in nature than it is now. The only precedent for a subpar quality Star Wars movie was Jedi, and there wasn't an internet to endlessly discuss how much Ewoks sucked to keep that hatred alive. At the time, we only had 1 out of 3 movies that were a (somewhat) negative experience, we fans were pretty much unified in our excitement and anticipation of the coming movies.

My impression about attitudes about Ep. VII today is that casual fans, (the type that will never darken the doorstep of the intensely polarizing JC,) seem to have a reserved hopefulness that the movie will be awesome, while bracing themselves for the possibility that it will be more like the PT again. It also seems like people that aren't fans aren't as excited about Ep. VII the way that they were for Ep. I. In 1999, everyone was a Star Wars fan for at least the last week before the movie came out. This time, I don't think that will so much be the case... unless LFL keeps up the reboot talk and really emphasizes the impression that they are going to get Star Wars back on track.

Agreed - I was just stating the differences in the way it was then and the way it is now. Having so many people jaded by the prequels (not necessarily me) changes the way it feels this time.

I think the excitement approaching episode one was unsurpassed. It was the first SW film in 16 years. Even if this film comes out in 2016 that's just a decade and were more inundated with SW product everyday. It's almost too much sometimes. But I still love it.

But it will be interesting to see what happens as we get closer to see if it approaches the level of Episode One. I kinda doubt it. There's just more SW now.

On a personal level, these are really the stories I wanted to see after ROTJ. I wanted to see what they did after. So this is like a wishful thinking come to pass.

I was pretty small when I saw the PT for the first time. Though by chance I actually saw the OT first. I liked them all of course. Now I realise that the OT were better movies but I didn't feel that til later. I'm excited for these new movies. Like everyone else I can't believe they're actually happening. I fear I will be disappointed though. Obviously we can't get the feeling of the OT back and it's hopeless to yearn for it. What I hope is this. That if you take away the Star Wars brand you are left with good films in their own right. Just good films. You can't ask for more than that really.

The hype did far outweigh the actual films, which are to this day still picked apart for their failings. I think you can definitely ruin the experience by speculating too much, so when the movie comes closer, I'll probably not be discussing it and just waiting, as I don't want to push my expectations in one particular direction. I did this when TPM came out and actually liked it the first couple times watching in the theater. Unfortunately, that film doesn't hold up well with time, and was more like a big commercial than an actual episode of the PT story. Plus the older you get the less it appeals to you.

Let's hope we don't get another TPM. *fingers crossed*

Another big difference: arthritis.