ST Your dream opening to Episode VIII

The problem with any opening to VIII is answering the Rey/Luke 'what happened next' question. Either you pick up directly from the end of TFA or somehow get around a gap between TFA and VIII. With Finn apparently fully recovered in VIII then it appears we are looking at least a week if not more between the two movies. So possible opening scenes;

Rey 'facing her fears' and Luke saying her training is complete.

Rey and Luke return to a devastated and deserted Resistance Base and the search for Leia, Finn and Poe is on.

The remnants of the Resistance Fleet is under attack from the First Order and Lando's ships comes to the rescue.

When Rey eventually meets up with Finn she tells him exactly who she is and explains any possible link to Luke.

 

I like the idea of a significant time jump, and an answering of the Luke/ Rey question via the bad guys (as in my suggested opening in the OP). Adjusted target for the FO: Luke. And his daughter.

Mystery solved. Now let's jump into the story.

 

Long flashback regarding Ben's past and the purge of the young Jedis.

 

Yes please. That really is my dream opening.

 

After the crawl we return to Luke and Rey.

He looks to speak, but instead his face grows dark, the lightsaber is ripped from Rey's hand and smashes into the grave stone behind him. He takes two agressive steps forward, Rey stumbles back suddenly afraid. She trips. But Luke catches her still outstretched arm. At his touch her memories come flying back.

Painful memories.

Cue extended backstory in flashback as Rey's screams fade in the background.

As the sequence ends the screen goes dark and becomes the sillouette of Kylo's capital ship. It approaches an even larger ship. Kylo wakes screaming. He calls for his lightsaber, it flies across the room as he catches it it ignites, but he is weak from his injuries and it buries itself in the bedhead inches from his face. Close up of his eyes bathed in red light. A look of determination and rage comes across his face.

Hux is in the room and sneers at the sight of it, then says, "The Master is here".

 

This made me laugh. Hux creepily standing in the corner of Kylo's bedroom, sneering, and saying "The Master is here," is just too funny.

 

Hmm. Perhaps I shouldn't bother paying a fee to join the writers guild.

I just like the idea of Hux enjoying seeing Kylo brought low.

 

Sure - that makes sense, especially given their characterizations thus far. I just find it hilariously creepy to have Hux standing in Kylo's bedroom while he's sleeping. But in a good way!

 

I thought you were laughing at me. But that would have been okay too. I do it all the time.

 

I do think Star Wars has some darkl/ morbid humor (the frightened flag officers in ESB, similar dynamics in TFA, etc), and this fits right in. Even if you didn't intend for it to be funny.

 

Indeed. 'The Master is awake' would have been too blatent. I see Hux mocking Kylo openly but being too smart to get caught. Either way it would be a good build on the interplay we've already seen hinted at with the sideways smirks we've already seen him throw Kylo's way.

 

I was wondering, every Star Wars movie so far has started in space, and I don't expect Ep. VIII to start differently.

BUT, on the other hand, we HAVE to see what happens immediately after Rey meets Luke.

It would be kind of weird to start the movie with a space scene in other part of the galaxy, maybe showcasing Kylo or The Resistance, and then cut to Rey and Luke. EVERYONE on the cinema will be expecting to start the movie with Luke.

We know Rian Johnson has shot again the scene of Rey meeting Luke, so how do you think they will handle this?

 

Na, It'll be Outer Space. And I hope it is and wish even more for it to be a view of the planet Snoke is on training Kylo.

The scene with Rey and Luke can pick up in scene 2 or 3 of ACT-1.

 

I doubt this will be the one film that doesn't start in space. I'm sure it will pan down, up, side or wherever to some ship or planet. IMO I would love for it to start with a scene involving the villains. The only one that didn't focus on the heroes in the opening scene is ROTJ. And I quite liked that. I suppose they could pan down to Ahch-To, then show the Millenium Falcon leaving the atmosphere or something, and then cut to Rey meeting with Luke if they must go with that as the first scene...I guess that could work.

...Just an idea.

 

It will be a shot of space. 7 films have started that way, so way would they chance it.

 

I think it will start in space maybe with a scene with Leia, Poe or Finn, simultaneous to the time Rey was traveling to get Luke. After all that wasnt the only thing going on. The other characters were doing things too. Then after the opening scene we'll get back to Luke and Rey.

 

Well, the ending of TFA already broke a SW tradition, didn't it? I wouldn't be surprised VIII starts with a different opening as well. I get the feeling that the movie is going to immediately follow the ending scene of TFA.

 

What tradition did it brake?

 

Think he means the sweeping helicopter shot.

 

The teaser/cliffhanger scene. All the other movies were closed with a “group picture” or “family portrait” type of scene. TFA kinda…stopped in the middle of a scene and left Rey hanging in there with the lightsaber.

 

This is just rumour so take it literally with a mountain of salt...

We start with a shot of space and the camera pans down to the planet Ahch-To, a spec seemingly on the surface gets bigger and bigger until we recognize the Falcon flying towards camera. As the Falcon passes the camera the camera zooms in on the planet, cut to the surface and the camera pans around Luke and Ren in a reverse of the final shot of TFA. Rey stands there with the lightsaber outstretched in her hand as Luke stares back somberly. we get a brief bit of dialogue between the two before a screen wipe and the Falcon approaches a fleet of star ships.

 

pan down to snoke's ship.

inside the ship we see a room with a pit of black, volcanic sand. the frail, white body of snoke emerges from it (ala the concept art of luke emerging from regular sand). this is how he heals his body and keeps himself alive.

he has cronies/nurses that help lift him from the sand and put his robe on. we barely see him (like vader in his chamber). snoke really is frail like a dying man who can't ambulate on his own. although he can stand he is helped to his floating throne. he and kylo have gathered the knights of ren and he gives them advice before sending them to ahch-to.

 

That's exactly what I was imagining – just as I wrote myself a few posts above! (Apart from that last bit.)

 

As one poster here commented in 2005, the openings and closings of I-VI rhyme with each other. And VIi with anything before it? Mike Klimo, you post here?