ST Story narrative of Episode VII and new saga . . .

Episode VII needs to find the same balance that GL found when he made ANH.

 

Oh there'll be battles. But in terms of big, proper space battles? I'm hoping we get 2.

 

Or maybe, like the "as long as I'm here I'm putting you all at risk", he realizes Jedi will always have a target on their back & it's better to be reclusive. They would just be collateral damage.

 

Nevermind

 

Strictly based on the one paragraph I saw Fincher really doesn't know a thing about Star Wars or if he does he isn't saying.

 

One thing I hope for is that each film will have a conclusion or a "semi-conclusion" so that each film can stand on its own. Both the OT and the PT were really good about this. With IV, V, I, and II, there were always unanswered questions and loose ends that weren't tied up, but the "sub plot" of each individual film was wrapped up really well. The closest thing to a cliffhanger was the end of V, but even that wrapped up most of the "happening right now" plot elements and ended with an emotional break before everyone goes to end up where they are in VI. The ending of V was very similar to the endings of the Lord of the Rings films and the first Hobbit movie. The quest is still going on, and not everything is solved, but we leave everyone after they've faced a major climax and they are now slowly going to where they need to go. (I know that doesn't make a lot of sense, but its such a mood/tone thing that I have a hard time describing it.)

The way to NOT do it would be how the last Hobbit movie ended. I was so frustrated that they ended it with an actual cliff-hangar, where Smaug is about to set fire to the entire town. It ends before/in a climax rather than after it, and that to me is an unsatisfactory ending for a film. So I hope Episode 7 stays with its predecessors and makes a film that can stand alone but that is part of a connected trilogy.

 

I feel a good bench mark for both VII and VIII's respective conclusions would be of those of 1 and 2 from the LOTR trilogy. Nothing too heavy, more of a 'and so the story continues' type of thing..

 

Is that a joker or no?

 

Michael Arndt was a big fan of the ending to ANH. Who knows how much, if any, of his script is still being used.

 

No, it wasn't a joke. I watched the Rebels pilot with my 5 year old daughter and we both loved it. The focus was very much on the interactions between characters, at least that's how I saw it.

 

What exactly did you mean by messy?

 

It felt loose and natural, not rigid and forced. And I was paraphrasing the quote from earlier in the week.

 

Personally I'm not in anyway expecting a big celebration with big grins all round at the finale of VII. As has been pointed out, ANH was made as a standalone film. It had to have an ending. Disregarding (IMO) the mess that was TPM, I just can't see any palpable reason for the first episode in a trilogy to end in such a way? You have a story to be told in 3 chapters. Personally I think the ST will break away with what's gone before and be more akin to how each segment ends with that of the LOTR trilogy. And it'll be all the better for it.

 

Personally I hope this saga does break away and leave us with an unknown climax. I will be satisfied with lightsaber duels, space/ground battle, and having a happy ending to mimic TPM, ANH, but hope it will be more like ANH where the main (or other) villain survives for at least another film.
I have a feeling we will get a lot of the big 3 and there will be a much bigger battle that will happen that the Alliance will win, but the cloud of the darkside has fallen again, and will lead into Episode VIII which will be much darker.

 

If it's fun and feels like Star Wars to me, that's all I care about. Of course some new ideas, etc would be nice. Anything else above and beyond having fun and returning this universe, well, great.

 

I fully expect Episode VII to be both a reboot and a remake of Episode IV.

This is what JJ Abrams is good at (see Star Trek the first). Kathleen Kennedy and all the writers know what they have to do here: they are making a new Star Wars movie that has to be many things at once. It begins a new trilogy, but it also continues a story that's already 6 chapters in. It also starts a new era of endless Star Wars movies BUT that only works if people keep paying to see Star Wars movies. So The Force Awakens has to be as popular with audiences as the original Star Wars was, but it has to be that way because of its own merits, and it can't seem like they made up some more story to tack on after the story ended in Jedi just to be able to make lots of money with a sequel trilogy. It's actually quite a challenge for them and I'm still highly skeptical they can pull it off.

The ending of Episode VII will be just like Episode IV: both cliffhanger and satisfying as a complete story (see also: Episode I). They are trying to re-capture lighting in a bottle.

 

Not sure the terms "reboot" and "remake" are being used very accurately there.

 

No I think that's precisely correct. Just like Star Trek was both a reboot and a remake of Star Trek (original series) Episode VII will be both a reboot and a remake of Star Wars (original trilogy) without negating what came before.

It takes place in the same galaxy. It features a trio of main characters who will probably have similar dynamics. It has a droid sidekick who holds vital information. A main character (and a cynical tag-along) will take their "first step into a larger world" as they become a part of the small band of rebels who are up against an Empire. An older but powerful mentor to the main character will probably die in an act of sacrifice. The rebels will find a victory in a minor (but major to them) battle surrounding a super weapon in the climax of the movie. The main villain will escape to continue antagonizing in the sequels.

I think all the rumors and leaks so far back this up.

 

No, that illustrates exactly why TFA / Episode VII is not a remake or a reboot. Remakes are precisely what the name implies... remaking the same story, but with newer actors, newer effects, etc. Reboots are a restart to the continuity of a franchise. TFA / Episode VII is a continuation of the existing franchise, set thirty years after ROTJ. It is not rebooting the franchise, and it is not remaking any of the movies that have already been made.

 

Also, the original cast are 30 years or so older so it can never truly be the same again. In terms of the action. the spectacle, it might be possible to re-capture the feeling of the original movie, but with an older Luke, perhaps a loner, Han and Leia separated, it will feel different. I think the action scenes should have the feel of the orginal trilogy but the characters - the old and new - should carve out new identity. Finn should not be a direct clone of Luke, he should have his own distinct story arc. Same with other new characters. If they can achieve that, it should feel like classic SW but also fresh.

Yep, that's hard to do!

 

Ok, you're correct. Episode VII is not a remake or a reboot.

I am positing that it is, in fact, both a remake and a reboot at the same time. Something that we don't have a word for exactly but that JJ's Star Trek exemplifies.

 

If the movie veers off too much in a new direction, people will complain that it just doesn't feel like SW.

If the movie follows the same pattern as the first six, people will complain that it's just the same thing all over again.

So how do you win?

I'm sure JJ, LK, KK, and BB all had this discussion endlessly. How to make it fresh but still feel like SW? Let's hope this one finds balance.

In all honesty, the latest rumors make it sound like they did find some balance if they are true. There's just too many things going on in the latest rumors to seem coherent at the moment.

 

Well, I don't think TFA is either of those. Those are very specific words with specific meanings (which the media seems to misunderstand at times). On the other hand, I believe JJ's Star Trek would be considered a reboot and a remake.

 

Ok, fair point, but semantics aside, Disney will never say it's anything other than a sequel. What I am saying is that it seems like they are re-telling the story of A New Hope with The Force Awakens, and hoping that in doing so they can spawn not just a new trilogy, but an entire legion of their best Star Wars merchandise and movies.

BB-8 plays Artoo, the plucky droid with the vital information. Whatever form the new planet-destroying weapon takes, it's clearly playing the role of Death Star.

If I had to guess I would say that Rey plays Luke Skywalker, the scavenger who lives on a desert planet but takes her first steps into a larger world and becomes a hero of the rebels.

Again, just guessing on the character dynamics, but I imagine they took Han's cynicism and Leia's tough leadership attitude and split it over Finn and Poe.

It's funny that some of the rumors have Kylo Ren's last name as Tarkin, because it seems likely that's exactly the role he's playing. He may be the main villain in The Force Awakens, but he's not the main villain in the new trilogy.