Originally posted by Astner
To spice this up a bit I'll outline a few questions to spark interest, you don't have to address all or any of them if you don't want to.
Oh Astner, you silly goose.
Originally posted by Astner
Obi-Wan vs Rey: Who did you prefer as the protagonist of the story and why?
This is the weirdest category since OB1 isn't really the main protagonist imo. Qui-Gon and Padme are. As it stands, his arc is perfectly serviceable. Rey is unquestionably the main character but...well she's not a Mary Sue but her ability to do whatever the plot actively needs her to do at the moment gets grating and her arc needed to go through a few rewrites. On the flipside, she gets bonus points for being a lady lead in a blockbuster picture. The biggest upside to TFA doing so well is that maybe Hollywood will finally start letting more actresses take center stage in action stories. Overall...kind of a tie to me, maybe leaning towards Rey.
Originally posted by Astner
Jar-Jar Binks vs Finn: Who did you find more enjoyable?
In theory, both have rather okay character arcs. In practice, Finn is a lot more enjoyable, even if the ending of the film does give you the middle finger for being invested in him.
Originally posted by Astner
Anakin (TPM) vs Poe: As far as piloting was concerned, which of these two characters did you prefer?
Well I mean Poe is obviously the better pilot but that's because Anakin's antics are supposed to be comical to an extent. He accidentally blew up a space station. He also has far more interesting character moments than people give him credit. It's weird how the "Maul is a tool-Kylo Ren is a character" logic doesn't seem to apply here. Anakin is simply a better character due to having material to work with besides being a good pilot.
Originally posted by Astner
Darth Maul vs Kylo Ren: Who did you find more interesting and why? What about their new lightsaber designs, which did you prefer?
Lightsaber's are a tie. Were I in the world of Star Wars, I'd like a sword like Ren's because it feels more knightly and I like it. But Maul's is more over the top awesome and makes for the more fun toy.
As for character, Maul of course. He obviously believes himself to be part of something grand and epic but it is clear by the end that Palpatine was utterly indifferent to what happened to him. It's subtle but it works as a good foil to OB1 and Qui-Gon. Also helps that for being a villain that doesn't get much to do that EU material and even the Clone Wars cartoon kept trying to use him. He's also just iconic looking.
Kylo Ren....well it is obvious what they're doing with him. They're making a villain who is pathetic to show how pathetic falling to the Dark side really is. But...I just don't feel it. He doesn't feel threatening because not a single hero hesitates to back talk/fight him, even one like Finn. Hell even the Stormtroopers just sort of ignore him when he gets pissed. While he is certainly pathetic, he doesn't provide enough of a threat for me to take him seriously as a villain like other pathetic villains(Light Yagami, Zhao, and even Anakin). For the guy who killed Han Solo, I don't really hate him. I just want him to leave.
Originally posted by Astner
Qui-Gon Jinn vs Han Solo (TFA): Who's death had the greater impact?
Qui-Gon rather easily. Without him who knows what would have happened to Naboo. He helped bring peace to two species that didn't like each other and his death makes the dynamic between OB1 and Anakin more tragic. It was OB1's first student and he failed so spectacularly. It worked as a stand alone death and helped make the overall story more fun.
Han's death only has so much impact because Han has 3 movies behind him and honestly I don't miss him. The guy became a loser later on in life and was a garbage parent who put more emphasis on finding an old spaceship than his kid. That's just me though.
Originally posted by Astner
Queen Amidala vs General Leia (TFA): Who seemed to have the greater impact on their respective story?
Padme? For actually being involved in the plot instead of just sending a couple people to do things for her. Leia was more active as a princess than a general, which is hilarious.
Originally posted by Astner
R2D2 (TPM) vs BB-8: Which droid did you prefer?
Artoo kept the cast from dying and is his usual charming Artoo self. BB-8 is fun but can't really affect the plot in really meaningful ways. He's mostly just the droid with the map whenever he's needed to do stuff.
Originally posted by Astner
Story vs Story: How do you compare the two, which did you prefer?
TPM has a more original/interesting story for Star Wars but TFA tells it's story better. Normally I'd give the nod to the one that takes more chances, which would be TPM, but because of the unfortunate implications regarding racial stereotypes in the various aliens. While I personally never saw them as a kid, my experience as a kid doesn't reflect all kids and a movie should never run the risk of making a party seem unwelcome, especially something as nice as Star Wars.
So there's my two cents.