ST Lupita Nyong'o (Maz Kanata) in Episode VII

This is old concept art? I feel like I saw this months ago- but I guess Maz Kanata looks similar to a character or creature we all probably thought was just background noise.

 

we knew this was important.

 

Is Maz holding a knife in that concept art or does she literally have a blade for a hand, like a pirate having a hook?

 

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It is rather old but what we have here is Rey finding Maz, who looks to be preparing food in some type of Cantina kitchen. Wouldn't it be strange if it's Rey that asks Han if he knows the whereabouts of a Force user called Maz Kanata?

Because quite frankly Han should recognise Luke's lightsabre, Finn should tell him that it's vitally important to the Resistance and Han (whatever his relationship with Leia) would do the right thing and take Finn and the lightsabre to the Resistance base, not to some Pirate Jedi Queen.

 

I suspect Maz Kanata's entrance in TFA will be similar to Yoda's in ESB. Maybe less comic relief, but a lot more "THIS is a great Jedi warrior!?" kind of thing.

 

I get the impression that Han doesn't know there is a resistance base there. Thus the whole secrecy with the Emissary and the awkward Leia reunion. I think maybe Poe points Finn in that direction without outright telling him the rebels are there just in case. Maybe he just gives him a clue that someone like Han could figure out easy enough. Fortunately Han knows Maz. Will of the Force and all...


Though it wouldn't surprise me if Rey knows Maz too and just doesn't realize it. There was that concept art with the alien teaching the youngsters and one of them was a little human girl. Naka is just the way Rey members Kanata's name. Like calling your grandma, nana.

Naka.... nana....Peter Pan.... Pirates Cove... Kanata!

 

I don't know where I heard this maybe on here or someplace else but Are they mixing a Puppet with CGI and if so where was that revealed I don't remember reading that in the Vanity Fair Article???

 

I do wonder, if Maz' castle is on Yavin, is it possible the whole reason the Rebels have a base there in the first place is because of a deal struck between the Rebels and her band of pirates some time before ANH. Queen and castle suggest she could have control of the planet in much the same way Jabba has control of Tatooine and any Rebel presence would only be with her say so.

If she was there pre ANH and in contact with Bail Organna and the rebels this would also lend credibility to her being an order 66 survivor (that is if she is indeed a Jedi at all and not just a powerful force user) Alternatively if the Rebels were there first, Bail could have been the one helping her hide and offering her protection with their forces.

What if (and still just wildly spitballing here) she was the Obi-Wan to Leia quietly watching over her as part of Bail and Yodas plan and the intention was to one day train her which may have been derailed with the events of ANH (As a side note I would love Maz to be Leias instructor)

My personal feeling is the pirates are involved somehow pre ANH and we'll see them in Rogue 1. I believe because of time restraints they've crafted a story partly around what assets they have as remember the rumour about repurposed TFA sets for the first spin off (likely the Pirate castle and the Rebel base) Also ILM will now have a nice bank of Yavin models to play with (my guess is that R1 tease was built with TFA digital assets)

Sorry that post was a bit disjointed, kinda typing it as it comes to me.

 

Last One, pretty interesting and sounds cool.

 

Man, I can't wait to get a clear shot of Kanata.

 

Not a bad theory, and could make for a very strong story. Explains why Rey seems to be an orphan on Jakku, and why she was never returned to her parents. One issue with it involves some concept art from a while back (never released publicly), that shows a character that looks like Maz Kanata (very similar to the concept above) teaching a bunch of young children in what seems to be the Jedi Academy. Yes, that could be a scene in the Jedi Temple from the PT era, but I doubt that.

 

Maz went through different incarnations in different art. The little blue alien that we've seen in some pictures is her, as is the orange one, closer to what we will actually get.

Whilst she may have been conceived originally as one of Luke's students, I think she's really old in this movie. I've stuck my neck out before and said that I think she may be an Order 66 survivor, but who knows? That's my prediction anyway...

I like your earlier hypothesis, but as DarthLightlyBruise pointed out, that concept art may be a dent in that idea; which is a shame because it does sound quite plausible, concept art aside.

 

If we take all the concept art as being ideas at the time then it seems this movie has been created by a committee rather than one or two individuals. It seems to me as though they have been shuffling round different characters, plots and backstories until they got a story 'that worked'.

 

I hope we will get someday a Maz novel or comic explaining her backstory. If she is a survivor from Order 66, there's much potential about storys with her set in the Clone Wars, the Dark Times, and the period inbetween ROTJ and TFA.

 

It is rather old but what we have here is Rey finding Maz, who looks to be preparing food in some type of Cantina kitchen. Wouldn't it be strange if it's Rey that asks Han if he knows the whereabouts of a Force user called Maz Kanata?

Because quite frankly Han should recognise Luke's lightsabre, Finn should tell him that it's vitally important to the Resistance and Han (whatever his relationship with Leia) would do the right thing and take Finn and the lightsabre to the Resistance base, not to some Pirate Jedi Queen.[/quote]


I think in this stage of development, maybe Maz was in the Old Ben role. So Rey knows her on Jakku because Maz is watching over her (assuming Maz fulfilled the same kind of role she appears to now). Maybe she got killed like the Vicar does now.

I think at another stage she was someone / a mystic or someone they took the saber to to be decoded, before the pirate angle came in to play.

 

It's from the Arndt development. Back then, Maz accompanied Rey/Finn on their quest. So when they rescue Rey from the fortress, it's Finn, BB-8, and Maz who go in.

When Abrams and Kasdan re-wrote it, Han was given a bigger part so Maz doesn't go with them on the rescue mission.

 

Luke has always had little screen in two scripts?

 

So is Maz going to go with them to the Resistance base and then stay there with Leia?

 

I still think that Ford wasn't 100% signed on until much later in pre-production than is being let on, and because of that Arndt's orders were basically to write an Episode 7 that would work without Han Solo at all. But not long after Abrams came aboard they redirected the story and convinced Ford to be in it with a larger role and so we have Maz in a smaller appearance than Arndt (and perhaps Lucas) planned, and Solo being basically the third lead behind Rey and Finn.

Regardless, I do think Maz is a character we will see much more of in 8 and 9.

 

Good question.

Also, in that Arndt draft cycle, I think that castle they went to was Bast Castle both exteriors and interiors match. Now was that just a recycling of a design they liked, or was it actually Vader's castle which might suggest his saber led back there somehow, and would indicate Kylo Ren's Vader obsession was always part of his hunt (as if the Vader mask wasn't evidence enough). Also, I wonder if Kylo Ren's injuries and cybernetics at that stage of development were supposed to be as a result of the injuries he suffered in the event that led everyone to believe he was dead? If he was a Solo at all at that stage. It feels like one reason to being Han more into the story would be if they switched Kylo to being his son.

Oh well, way too many variables to pin any of this down I reckon.

 

Is it though? None of us know enough about the Arndt draft to place this particular scene. Seems to me that the artists were just throwing out ideas left, right and centre based on several different ideas. Nearly all the concept art (both seen by forum members here and that only described by MSW and others) has no direct connection to the movie as we believe it plays out.

 

I think it's possible the art shows the way the story was developing. I don't think that was just artists spitballing.