ST The Interrogation Room -- 7SA Member Interview Thread -- Current: EHT

Oh, gosh. Looking it over I can't believe how nebulous and unfocused my thoughts were. *Cue inner editor going on a rampage*

 

You were fine... you're probably just being your own worst critic.

 

ATTENTION ALL LITERATURE AND/OR TORTURE ENTHUSIASTS

Imperial technology continues to advance at a stunning pace and new discoveries are being made every day! We bring to your attention the new feature on the very first page of this glorious bastion of the Imperial Education System. Next to the name of each participant and the date of their interview is now a LINK button that will, through the near-magical technology of modern communications, lead you directly to the desired Interview Record. As the boundaries of our knowledge (and the morgue) continue to expand, the ISSF Command feels that such a feature will save you, our loyal readers, from stumbling through the dark corridors of our Archive Center. One click and you are at your desired destination!

The Empire thanks you for your continued support and the steady influx of recruits in our savage war against the vile Leeks!

Star Destroyer Impulsive -- End transmission.

 

Good call... I'd been meaning to do something like that!

 

Agreed, great interview!

The point you raised here about Luke is interesting. It's curious that he wasn't offered the carrot by Palpatine but he was by Vader. "Luke, give yourself to the Dark Side. It is the only way to save your friends".

It's hard to know exactly what agenda Vader had during this whole encounter & whether his goal differed from the Emperor's. Anyway, a conversation for another thread

 

Ridley Solo

LOL:.

Great interview! I recall having to use zip drives and cd's to store napster stuff and had to wipe out several "collections" to make room on the computer for more data from the PT images and trailer. It took all day to download like TROOPS and another hour to burn it to cd. Today we had the trailer instantly as a streaming option. Its incredible to actually look back and see the evolution of electronics/Internet in this age as it was for our grandparents to witness the evolution of electrical grids, automobile, and flight.

Thank you for sharing your place in the larger universe...and of course to Hellhammer for his unpaid patriotic duty to the Empire in faciliting this interview.

 

Ah, that good old TROOPS thing. I remember downloading it for days to enjoy it in it's glorious fourteen-pixel quality.

 

Ridley Solo : Hell, yes!

And at the end of each episode...

 

Dude wants a full time job? Psh!

What field are you in?

 

>> AUTHORIZATION CODE AUREK-37 <<

>> STAND BY <<

>> CONFIRMED <<

>> LEVEL 10 ACCESS --- GRANTED <<

>> WELCOME, JUDICATOR <<

ATTENTION ALL HANDS

Even though the unofficial information has by now been relayed to the entire Imperial Spoiler Surveillance Fleet and the vast lawless spaces of the Spoiler Rim Territories... let me be the first to officially announce... there has been a change. By the authority invested in them by His Imperial Majesty Emperor Palpatine Himself, the Grand Moffs of the Spoiler Rim have granted official recognition and exclusive executive power to the ISSF.


The unrelenting indiscriminatory planetary bombardment had nothing to do with this decision.

As is often the case with such uncertain, turbulent times, a newcomer must cement his position and look at all the assets at his disposal. Unfortunately, as our circumstances change, so too do fortunes of individuals shift and turn, much like the gears of our Dismembr-O-Matic 3000. A once loyal servant can now become a potential liability, a threat... a rival.


It's your last shift for this week. And any week.

It is with great regret that we have been forced to depose our dear friend and loyal servant of the Empire. It broke our heart to seize all of his movable assets, rip from the floor and take away the immovables and confiscate all his funds. Such is the Emperor's Will... as we loosely interpret it way out here in deep space. But... he is not without mercy. Once... only once... we shall allow the crew to decide the guilt or innocence of our guest.

Please welcome our Senior Keeping-Things-Updated Expert-on-Trial -- EHT !!

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1. How did you first come across the Jedi Council forums?

I had just stumbled out of a wampa’s cave and was laying down in the snow. My former mentor appeared to me in a vision and said, “You will go to theforce.net. There you will post on the Jedi Council Forums.”
Or, alternatively, I don’t remember how I came across them. I was posting on the boards at starwars.com (which got taken down later) first, and I started lurking here for a while before stopping there and registering here.

2. What is your fondest Star Wars related memory?

This is tough; I have so many. I was three years old when SW (ANH) came out, so I’ve essentially been a fan my whole life. But I guess I will go with the following story.
When I was a kid, my parents and I lived in England for a few years, in a small country village outside of London. It turned out that Alec Guinness and his wife were our neighbors just down the street. This was in 1980, and I had just seen TESB before we moved there. So the first time I met him in the neighborhood, my mind was blown. I was old enough to understand what an actor was, but still, my thinking basically amounted to “our neighbor is Obi-Wan Kenobi!”. He and his wife were quiet and kept to themselves, but we did get to see and talk to them from time to time. For the record, he never once seemed to mind at all that I wanted to talk about SW with him.

3. I gotta say, that's quite cool. What did Mr. Guinness have to say about Star Wars?

It sounds bad, but I don’t remember anything we talked about in much detail. I do remember discussing both “in-universe” topics such as Obi-Wan and his views of the Force, and “out-of-universe” topics such as what it was like being on the set and stuff. Again, this was after TESB so he had two movies finished at that point. And just to be clear… most of these conversations, which occurred every now and then, were probably no more than five or ten minutes long.

4. What is your favorite Star Wars possession? (toy, poster, costume, books, comics, various merchandise, etc.)

I actually have very little SW merchandise currently. Over the years, I’ve had a lot of toys, action figures, posters, etc., but they mostly disappeared somewhere along the way. I have a few SW reference books (not novels). My son has a decent collection now of some toys, action figures, and books, so I enjoy those with him. But honestly, as far as what SW object I possess that I value the most, it would be the DVDs of the six movies.

5. So. A Sequel Trilogy, who would’ve thought. Before the announcement, did you actually expect this to ever happen?

I knew it would make sense story-wise, but I didn’t expect it to happen. Even though Lucas had changed his position before, I thought his most recent statements essentially saying “no more movies, ever” would stand.

6. What was your initial reaction to the news of the Disney sale and the upcoming Sequel Trilogy?

As I mentioned, I didn’t expect more movies. But the Disney sale part didn’t actually surprise me very much. I had thought for a while that Disney would actually make sense as a company that had the money to be able to afford to buy LucasFilm, and the legal clout to protect the rights of the franchise once they did. Plus, I thought Lucas would be most comfortable with them, based on the history of things like Star Tours.

7. Were you around for the PT speculation? If so, what’s your favorite moment from that period?

I was around, but I wasn’t actively posting for all of that timeframe. I was lurking here and posting on starwars.com, as I mentioned earlier, and I think I started posting there and lurking here sometime around the release of AOTC. The speculation was crazy, but I don’t really know what specific part of it would be my favorite.

8. Just how spoiled do you plan to be for Episode 7?

Since I read all the threads here, I guess I’ll be pretty spoiled. However, I have perfected the art of reading threads from a moderating perspective, while not necessarily absorbing all of the details I’m reading.

9. Favorite repressed memory, in that case?

When I talk about not absorbing all of the details, I’m mostly talking about really specific stuff or really (IMO) outlandish rumors. So I guess I would say that my subconscious didn’t necessarily retain any particular favorites out of most of that.

10. What is your favorite theory concerning Episode 7 from these boards?

Honestly, I tend not to have favorite theories about stuff like this. I like to go into it more open-minded. Having said that, though, I’m liking the general themes we’re hearing about Boyega’s and Ridley’s characters.

11. And the least favorite?

I try to stay open-minded on this too, but… dark side Luke / evil cyborg Luke type stuff doesn’t sit too well with me.

12. We now know (probably) all of the most important cast members. What are your thoughts on these new faces? Who do you think will play who?

I haven’t seen much previous work by most of the new cast members, but I still think they’ll all do great. I have faith in the casting process for these movies. And I especially think that Boyega and Ridley just seem like they are going to hit this out of the park.

13. Describe your ideal Villain in the ST?

I don’t really think I have an ideal villain in mind. Having said that, I really liked Palpatine, but trying to bring him back in some form could be a bad idea if they’re not really careful. I think using Plagueis may be safer and also offer more for them to work with. He’s also an interesting possibility because he can be both new and returning depending on the fan; to most viewers, he’ll just be new. To us, we remember him being discussed in ROTS so it could be a cool connection. But they may just as likely surprise us with someone new. I guess either way, we’ll possibly have a pair of villains played by Adam Driver and Max von Sydow, which sounds cool.

14. And the Hero?

As I mentioned, I’m excited to see Boyega and Ridley. I think they’ll be the main heroes, together with support from the Big Three (yes, including Luke).

15. Every Star Wars movie needs awesome supporting characters. Any ideas for those?

R2-D2, C-3PO, Ball Droid, and Bob. Obviously.

16. Any special cameos or easter eggs you’d like to see in Episode 7?

Lucas as Baron Papanoida again.

17. This one’s a bit tougher than it seems at first glance. We don’t have any facts so let’s just go by gut feeling. How good do you think Episode 7 will be? Are you optimistic? Pessimistic? Reserved? Will it be great? Abominable? Average?

I think it will be great. Probably not better than the best of the existing movies, but I’m definitely optimistic about what the ST has in store for us. I’ve always liked Lucas, but I think the structure that’s been set up for LFL going forward (and the team for this movie) will really deliver good stuff.

18. Is there a particular, weirdly specific scene that you’ve come up with in great detail that you’d love to see in the ST, regardless of how plausible that is?

R2-D2, C-3PO, and Ball Droid try to go to the cantina together, but they still don’t let droids in.

19. “The Force Awakens” has been confirmed as the title of Episode 7. What are your thoughts on that?

At first I was surprised by how vague it was, but I wasn’t surprised that the title referenced the Force. I quickly warmed up to its vagueness, though, and decided that I really like how open it leaves things. And I like that reference to the Force for the first time in a title, too.

20. Of course, we have now seen the first official footage from Episode 7 as well, in the Teaser. What are your thoughts on that?

I really like it. Even the black parts are cool. I must have watched it 50 times the day it came out. I like how they show us the new leads, not the Big Three yet. I love the opening shot of Boyega in the stormtrooper armor, looking scared and apparently on the run. I also loved the shot of the new X-wings over water, and of course seeing the Falcon and some TIEs at the end.

21. We just got the official list of a few character names for TFA. What are your thoughts on these?

I really like them... they just feel like SW to me.
First, I love the name BB-8. So simple, but perfect. He/she just looks like "BB-8" already.
Poe Dameron - really sounds like a hero hotshot kind of pilot name to me. I'm not really thinking the name is supposed to hint at anything dark just because of the author's name, but I did like the post recently where someone said his X-Wing should be named The Raven.
Kylo Ren - this just has this great villainous sound to it, but it's also cool because it could have been the name of someone who was not always bad.
Rey - really like it, and happy that it's not Kira or Fawn. And I like how they're not giving the last name yet...
Finn - I really like this too. And as above, I like how they're not giving the last name yet...
Stormtroopers - we now have confirmation that they will actually be called "stormtroopers", not ______ troopers or something.
X-Wings - this is also confirmation that the "new X-Wing" is still called an X-Wing, despite the design updates.
Millennium Falcon - new radar dish, same great ship.

22. We also know that Rian Johnson is directing Episode 8. What are your thoughts on that?

I’m pretty neutral. I thought Looper was just so-so. The episodes of Breaking Bad that he directed were good, but honestly there’s a lot of existing ongoing narrative and stylistic structure for a show like that. But again, I am confident in the choices being made by LFL for these new movies, so I’m sure he’ll be just fine.

23. Who would you like to see direct Episode 9?

I really don’t have a specific desire for this. For me it comes down to what I said above; I am confident in the choices being made by LFL for these new movies, so I’m sure whoever they choose will be fine.

24. What do you think will be Abrams’ level of involvement with the franchise as a whole?

It’s hard to tell, but I don’t think he’ll just be done with it all once TFA comes out. I can really see him staying on in some sort of producer, consultant, and/or writer role.

25. What about Lucas? How big is his "consultant" role, in your opinion?

This is a tougher one, I think. I’m sure they used his story treatments at some level, and I would be pretty surprised if Abrams and Kennedy have not continued to at least have occasional meetings with him, even informally, just to bounce things off of him and get his input. He’s not the final decision maker anymore, but he was called a consultant for a reason. Also, I don’t think we should be thrown off when he gives short answers to brush off reporters who are bugging him about this stuff.

26. The Spin Offs are quite an unknown at this point. What are your thoughts on those? Anything specific you’d like to see? Something you hope NOT to see?

I’m interested to see what they do with the Spin-Offs. I don’t have too many specific wants, but I would love to see a Kenobi movie set between ROTS and ANH, starring Ewan McGregor. It could start by overlapping with the scene at the end of ROTS when he hands Luke to the Lars and then rides off into the desert, and it could end by overlapping with the scene near the beginning of ANH when he pulls off his hood, looks at R2 (really the camera), and says “Hello there.” It would cover his life on Tatooine, including his day to day stuff… watching over Luke, bartering with jawas, fighting off sandpeople, drinking at the cantina, etc. Also communing with Yoda and Qui-Gon, and maybe going off-world a few times to do what he can to help the rebels without drawing attention to himself.

27. The big EU reboot. It has been a somewhat divisive issue among fans, quite understandably so. What are your thoughts on this? Do you plan to follow the new EU?

My official position is the same as what we described in the canon policy. Personally, I have read five SW EU novels, including Episode novelizations: Labyrinth of Evil, Revenge of the Sith, Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader, Star Wars: A New Hope, and Darth Plagueis. Honestly, those were enough for me. And even though the new ones are within the new canon (and even though I like Rebels), I don't really feel like reading them either.

28. Episodes X, XI and XII - yea or nay? Why?

My initial response to this is Nay… I want the ST and good Spin-Offs. I don’t want a brand new ongoing storyline after the storyline from the current Saga is complete. So the only way I would be happy with a new trilogy is if this current Saga storyline actually ends up NOT being resolved by the end of Ep. 9.

29. Congratulations. You’ve been contacted by The Powers That Be to create a ten episode Star Wars series. Live action, animated, CGI… it’s up to you. Give us a short synopsis.

This would be a ten episode series version of the Kenobi storyline that I described above for the Spin-Offs question, but if it were for TV it could also be animated or CGI instead of just live action.
So again… it could start by overlapping with the scene at the end of ROTS when he hands Luke to the Lars and then rides off into the desert, and it could end by overlapping with the scene near the beginning of ANH when he pulls off his hood, looks at R2 (really the camera), and says “Hello there.” It would cover his life on Tatooine, including his day to day stuff… watching over Luke, bartering with jawas, fighting off sandpeople, drinking at the cantina, etc. Also communing with Yoda and Qui-Gon, and maybe going off-world a few times to do what he can to help the rebels without drawing attention to himself.

30. Let’s talk about the Saga in general a bit. A classic question - favorite movie?

I love all six movies, but my favorites are a tie between ANH and TESB.

31. Which scene from the Saga did have the strongest emotional impact on you?

There are so many great, emotional scenes in the Saga. But for me, the winner would have to be Luke and Anakin/Vader on the DSII in ROTJ. Everything on from the point where we almost literally “see” Anakin “return”, and he picks up Palpatine… killing Palpatine to (primarily) save Luke, even though he must know he will almost certainly die in the process. And then what he tells Luke before dying… “You were right about me.” That scene was always powerful for me, but now that I’m a father it’s even more so.

32. If there was one thing you could change about anything in the Saga - what would it be?

I really like the Saga itself the way it is. But I guess I would say that I don’t really like the number of changes that have been made to the movies over time, or the import of some of those changes. That is not to say that I’m an O-OT purist, because I do like some of the changes, especially the ones related to cleaning up the effects (like the matte boxes, for example). I think the 2004 DVDs are probably the happiest medium; they have the cleaned up special effects, but with some of the bigger changes from the 1997 Special Editions reversed back… and without some of the newer unnecessary changes that came with the Blu-rays.

33. What was your least appropriate use of a Star Wars quote in real life?

I don’t think I’ve ever said “I know” in response to my wife, so that’s good. Probably nothing too inappropriate really, just pretty random stuff that gets missed by my audience. Like saying “Utinni” in a team meeting at work, and getting blank stares back.

34. If you lived in GFFA, what would be your ideal occupation?

Probably something for a tech company on Coruscant, with occasional business travel and vacations to other planets. Hopefully I could be secretly Force sensitive.

35. Favorite Force ability?

Telekinesis… especially push, pull, lifting and moving things, etc.

36. Let’s move away from Star Wars for a bit. Have any hobbies or interesting pastimes?

I love music (especially rock from the 60’s through current). I play the drums (I was in bands in high school and college, now I just play occasionally for fun / practice at home). Also love watching movies. I guess I would say I’ve had long-lasting interests in animals, art, literature, cars, history, and languages. A weird mix maybe, haha. I also like playing and watching sports (especially soccer and tennis). And I really enjoy travel and just hanging out with my family.

37. Any other favorite franchises, besides Star Wars?

SW is by far my favorite franchise. But I also really enjoy the James Bond movies, especially the current (Daniel Craig) era. I really like the Godfather, Bourne (the first three), Jurassic Park, and Indiana Jones movie series. I’ve recently (over the past year) been enjoying the Harry Potter series of books and movies; my son and I started reading the books together about a year ago. I also like the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies (but I haven’t read the books and I’m not really an expert), although I’m honestly glad that the Middle-earth movies will be all done once the final Hobbit movie comes out in a week. And although it isn’t a franchise (because the so-called sequels should never have been made), Jaws is definitely a favorite movie of mine.

38. Any specific goals you hope to achieve in the near future?

Actually nothing concrete at this point… just kind of staying on this path. Many prior goals have already been met, so that’s a good thing.



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In light of his former services, this court suggest that the defendand be released and reinstated on duty... although we're not giving any of the cash back. Or that villa on Carida.

Thank you all for following and supporting us and special thanks to EHT for taking the time to participate!

Star Destroyer Impulsive -- End transmission.

 

Thanks The Hellhammer ! It was fun.

 

I was offended by it! I'm reporting you to the mo-



Oh...

 

So you're dissolving the JCC? You monster.

 

Yeah, I know, but doesn't it just seem different when you're reading it?

 

EHT

Great interview, i disagreed with everything you said(just kidding- no you were spot on!).

Now that ObiWan tv series..you failed to mention that you were going to start writing the fan fic for this show so it can be picked up by the holo net for transmission. I hope to see the first episode air in 2 years galactic standard time. Failure to do so will displease the Emperor, he finds your short synopsis lacking in details - expected Imperial length of documentation is no less than 260 pages..

 

OK, I'll get right on that. Thanks, by the way.

 

I do the exact same thing! I know I read all kinds of ideas, but the majority of them don't stick with me and if they happened, I'd probably be surprised.

Awesome that Alec Guinness was your neighbor! And I'm so happy to hear he didn't seem to mind talking to a kid about SW.

Great interview!

 

EHT How awesome to have had Alex Gunniess as a neighbor!; I couldn't agree more concerning the '04 OT DVD release.

 

Now I envision the fellow in your avatar taking a bath while talking on the phone.

 

Thanks mavjade and Darth Tunes !

 

You know I came in here to be all sarcastic and going boo you suck and all that EHT

But I can't do it. You lived on the same street as Obi-Wan.

Great interview!!!!

 

Thanks!