Episode VIII

Well, Rogue One is out now and it was pretty good. Now the wait begins for episode 8. Thought I'd make this thread for the upcoming Star Wars movie, including thoughts, theories, and general discussion. We've got a little under a year to go!

It was directed and written by Rian Johnson, the man who directed Looper and three episodes of Breaking Bad, including "Fly" and "Ozymandias."

And Benicio del Toro is a villain.

I suddenly have much more confidence in Episode 8 after this:

http://comicbook.com/starwars/2016/12/26/star-wars-episode-viii-director-defends-prequel-trilogy/

Now this hardly makes him a Prequelist starting out with: "Devil's advocate" and using the words "kids story", but it's still far and beyond any kind of positive acknowledgment JJ would have ever given the Prequels when he was making Ep.7, and nice to see Rian can appreciate the good in those movies and probably accept them as an important part of the Canon while making his contribution to the franchise.

Can't wait.. I love Star Wars .. I have enjoyed all 7 films

I want Episode VIII to go a different direction and provide something new to the series. TFA and R1 both hung onto the nostalgia factor a tremendous deal. Can't say I didn't enjoy that tremendously, but I want some growth.

I wonder how Carrie Fisher's passing will affect Episode VIII and IX.

Originally posted by Darth Thor
I suddenly have much more confidence in Episode 8 after this:

http://comicbook.com/starwars/2016/12/26/star-wars-episode-viii-director-defends-prequel-trilogy/

Originally posted by REXXXX
I wonder how Carrie Fisher's passing will affect Episode VIII and IX.

Ep8 finished filming around July.

Ep9, I imagine they'll just CGI her like they did in R1, but obviously as her older self.

edit: Unless her character is killed off in ep8

I hope they do away with the oldies, except maybe for Luke. After all, this trilogy is about the new generation. Not the old. I agree with Rexxxx, we've had enough callback and old characters, for five movies in a row now... Time for a new age for Star Wars,.

Nevertheless, Fisher's demise is a great loss. Guess I will buy her new book now...

Originally posted by REXXXX
I want Episode VIII to go a different direction and provide something new to the series. TFA and R1 both hung onto the nostalgia factor a tremendous deal. Can't say I didn't enjoy that tremendously, but I want some growth.

I wonder how Carrie Fisher's passing will affect Episode VIII and IX.

I like the nostalgia as long as they do something different, and the main characters are new characters. Then when someone like Vader or Tarkin shows up it's just a bonus nostalgic gift. Which is why I really enjoyed R1 and the first season of Rebels.

As for Carrie, Ep.8 was already finished filming. If Leia survived that film, then I'm sure they can just write her off in a respectful way. She didn't actually have a particularly large role in Ep.7.

True, her role in TFA wasn't massive, but since her son is a main villain and Luke is returning, I thought it might increase. I guess we'll see how they choose to handle it.

I definitely enjoy the nostalgia, though. Really enjoyed slipping Tarkin into R1.

I've had enough of the nostalgia. By now it makes the SW universe very small.

And Leia kinda serves the purpose of OB1 in the second half of ANH: there's nothing really for her to do. So I think with TFA and Episode VIII we have a very respectful goodbye to the great Carrie Fisher... She deserves it.

To be fair, it is a small universe. It's one family going around being the centre of attention on a handful of planets that all have one environment each.

Well, yeah.... and no. The story can be small... in fact SHOULD be small. Doesn't mean the world they live in should be small.

It was thinking about these (by now) endless references to the OT. We had them in the PT, we had them in TFA and now in R1. In the OT - in every movie we did not only see new worlds/planets, but we also ran into new characters (that were more than just a face and a suit) and into new creatures and new situations.

Basically from TPM we run into new worlds, new creatures, but mosltly the same people. So new make-up, no really new content.

Major new characters (TFA excluded though):
- Padme Amidala - boring, flat
- Maul - looks great, but no more
- Neimodians - meh
- QGJ - boring, emotionless guy with dubious morals
- Mace Windu - boring
- Ki Adi Mundi - boring
- Jango Fett - not really a new character, he's Boba Fett
- Dex Dexter, let's skip that
- Dooku - interesting, but heavily underused
- most of the R1 cast: bland, boring, flat, irrelevant (Saw Gerrara), uninteresting plus they all die but we didn't care very much anyway.

In the OT we had really great additions, new characters with development:

ESB
- Lando Calrissian
- Yoda
- even the Imperial commanders were interesting (Ozzel, Piett, Needa)

ROTJ
- Jabba the Hutt
- Ewoks - childish but had more to them than Neimodians IMHO
- Palpatine

TFA is the only non-OT movie that had some interesting characters again. It lacked on story, but hopefully that will come in the next two. If it's all gonna be like R1, then I am losing hope in my beloved franchise.

That is why I am saying: drop the nostalgia act, come up with something new. TFA certainly started something new:
- Rey
- Finn
- BB-8
- Kylo Ren
- Snoke

That's the characters that they should follow, and add some new ones! New characters, new experiences. Not just new designs.

Originally posted by BruceSkywalker
Can't wait.. I love Star Wars .. I have enjoyed all 7 films

Originally posted by juggernaut74
Which one didn't you like?

LOL

Originally posted by Lord Lucien
Uh-oh, suddenly I have a lot less.

Don't worry, he only defended them a little.

Could be due to some Prequel connection in Ep.8. Perhaps Hayden Christenson back as Anakin's ghost 😱

Originally posted by queeq
I hope they do away with the oldies, except maybe for Luke. After all, this trilogy is about the new generation. Not the old. I agree with Rexxxx, we've had enough callback and old characters, for five movies in a row now... Time for a new age for Star Wars,.

Nevertheless, Fisher's demise is a great loss. Guess I will buy her new book now...

Thats why everyone went to see TFA just to see Luke Leia Han and chiew. If it was someone new i wouldet care thats why star wars is special

Star Wars: Episode VIII Already Finished Filming, and Carrie Fisher “Had a Larger Role” as General Organa

http://www.themarysue.com/episode-viii-carrie-fisher/

Originally posted by Darth Thor
LOL

Originally posted by juggernaut74
Well Technically there is 9 Star Wars films released theatrically, he said he only liked 7.

I know. But we generally don't include TCW movie. And he obviously made a mistke saying all 7 films, forgetting R1 makes it 8.

Well Clone Wars was canon and released worldwide theatrically.

I count it.

Originally posted by juggernaut74
Well Clone Wars was canon and released worldwide theatrically.

I count it.

I prefer not to count it Lol

Wasn't marketed anywhere close to the way a live action film would be. I just see it as the first episode of TCW Series.