Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

[Daehawk]

Heres a great video. It has the news story for each Star Wars movie opening. I think it would be cool to take the best light sabre from now back in time to those waiting in line and see their reaction. Bet they'd pay a ton of money for one.

[Punisher]

I've chalked it up to slow improvements over time, partially based on the fact that the universe is in almost constant conflict. And while war is a good motivator to grow technology, they are a single country at war, war is spread all over the galaxy and in general, the resources are finite.
After RotJ, the Empire leaves with their scraps and goes to the Outer Rim to become the First Order. You do see some overall improvements during this time with them.
The New Republic, however, goes on to disarm everyone because they have peace and as far as they know the Empire is basically done, so that explains why there aren't too many improvements on their end.
You can see a progression, just not huge leaps through every generation. (Although, the original Death Star could be considered a big leap, as could Starkiller base)

[Daehawk]

Look at the prequels though compare to Star Wars. In the prequels you have flying cars but in Star Wars Luke's little speed just hovers off the ground. granted it may be a poor persons way of travel thing.

[McNutt]

The flying cars was because that planet was incredibly dense and that was the only way. The desert speeders didn't have to worry about crowds.

[Rumpy]

Admittedly, I never even thought about the flying cars! But, I think that can be explained that the prequels spent much more time at the planetary level, and the other movies don't spend as much time in that minutiae. But another thing is that the prequels dealt with were set in large sprawling vertical areas where flying cars made sense. But strangely, the other movies abandon that in favour of things that are more horizontal in their landscaping, so flying cars suddenly don't make a lot of sense. I expect that flying cars are still in use in parts of the galaxy like Coruscant.

[naednek]

Speaking of technology, doesn't anyone find it odd how the technology has more or less stayed the same? For the prequels, Lucas wanted the technology to feel like like it was part of a different era. In that sense, you would think it would have evolved since the end of ROTJ, but aside from a few improvements, everything has stayed the same.

Instead of advancing during that time, they decided hone in their efficiency in building star destroyers. Since Return of the Jedi to Rise of the Skywalker, the emperor was able to build hundreds if not thousands of star destroyers because of their efficient ways.

[morlac]

Why did Kylo need help taking over the galaxy. I thought he had that done by the end of The Last Jedi.

He wasn't. He was looking for a Sith Temple and it's secrets to gain more power.

Unless we're talking about different parts of the movie, Kylo was looking for a Sith Temple only so he could find Palps. He viewed him as the only threat to his power. But then didn't kill him because Palps was able to offer him more power with that giant fleet.

A lot of that was included in the crawl that you Negative Nancy's are hating on.

Yes, he was looking to gain more power...what I said...

I don't want to get into a super nerdy semantics argument. I just don't think it's accurate to say he was searching for more power. He wanted to eliminate a threat to his power. That's different (to me at least).

No lets! none of that was in the crawl either. He was seeking answers to the orgin of an old power. Nothing about eliminating a threat. You inferred that as much as I did.

[msteelers]

Why did Kylo need help taking over the galaxy. I thought he had that done by the end of The Last Jedi.

He wasn't. He was looking for a Sith Temple and it's secrets to gain more power.

Unless we're talking about different parts of the movie, Kylo was looking for a Sith Temple only so he could find Palps. He viewed him as the only threat to his power. But then didn't kill him because Palps was able to offer him more power with that giant fleet.

A lot of that was included in the crawl that you Negative Nancy's are hating on.

Yes, he was looking to gain more power...what I said...

I don't want to get into a super nerdy semantics argument. I just don't think it's accurate to say he was searching for more power. He wanted to eliminate a threat to his power. That's different (to me at least).

No lets! none of that was in the crawl either. He was seeking answers to the orgin of an old power. Nothing about eliminating a threat. You inferred that as much as I did.

Spoiler:

EPISODE IX THE RISE OF SKYWALKER

The dead speak! The galaxy has heard a mysterious broadcast, a threat of REVENGE in the sinister voice of the late EMPEROR PALPATINE.

GENERAL LEIA ORGANA dispatches secret agents to gather intelligence, while REY, the last hope of the Jedi, trains for battle against the diabolical FIRST ORDER.

Meanwhile, Supreme Leader KYLO REN rages in search of the phantom Emperor, determined to destroy any threat to his power….

[McNutt]

Opening crawl text

Spoiler:

The dead speak! The galaxy has heard a mysterious broadcast, a threat of REVENGE in the sinister voice of the late EMPEROR PALPATINE.

GENERAL LEIA ORGANA dispatches secret agents to gather intelligence, while REY, the last hope of the Jedi, trains for battle against the diabolical FIRST ORDER.

Meanwhile, Supreme Leader KYLO REN rages in search of the phantom Emperor, determined to destroy any threat to his power....

Edit: I was too slow.

[morlac]

The Ice Pirates has a better chase sequence...

Man I do love that movie.

[Rumpy]

That makes sense, I guess. Also, it's entirely possible, that just like the theory of WW1 and WW2 being one long war with a break in between, that the Empire/First Order never really considered the war officially over and were secretly building new ships and never slowed down in their production, hoping to eventually catch the resistance by surprise. This would more or less fit with what Mustache twirling Palps said about revenge.

[morlac]

LOL in ny defense I totally googled this before I wrote that because I could not quite remember it. Of course Goggle showed me this fan made one instead...





It was so much better and fitting I got tricked!

[hepcat]

The Ice Pirates has a better chase sequence...

Man I do love that movie.

It's no StarCrash

[El Guapo]

LOL in ny defense I totally googled this before I wrote that because I could not quite remember it. Of course Goggle showed me this fan made one instead...





It was so much better and fitting I got tricked!

That crawl is better.

[morlac]

The Ice Pirates has a better chase sequence...

Man I do love that movie.

It's no StarCrash

Is the head of Bruce Vilanch in that one as well?

[Daehawk]

Ever notice that in the rebels to become a General in rank you simply have to be standing around? "You there, you're a General now Congrats".."Oh and you too"

[Holman]

Ever notice that in the rebels to become a General in rank you simply have to be standing around? "You there, you're a General now Congrats".."Oh and you too"

To become a general you have to be listed on the movie poster.

[Holman]

That makes sense, I guess. Also, it's entirely possible, that just like the theory of WW1 and WW2 being one long war with a break in between, that the Empire/First Order never really considered the war officially over and were secretly building new ships and never slowed down in their production, hoping to eventually catch the resistance by surprise. This would more or less fit with what Mustache twirling Palps said about revenge.

I prefer the view that the Empire were Nazis and the First Order are Neo-Nazis. It's more topical.

[Punisher]

Look at the prequels though compare to Star Wars. In the prequels you have flying cars but in Star Wars Luke's little speed just hovers off the ground. granted it may be a poor persons way of travel thing.

I think the poor persons' thing is accurate in this case. The prequels focused on Coruscant and Naboo for the most part. Coruscant was the Imperial Center of the galaxy and the upper levels were all for the rich people. Plus as someone mentioned, flying cars were the only effective way of travel for the most part. Coruscant is literally one giant city. The ground is FASR, FAR AWAY from what we see. I believe that even when we see Anakin and Kenobi go into the Cantina chasing the shape-shifter, that's still not actual ground level, it's just another lower part of the city.
Naboo was also a very wealthy planet.
Plus for both planets, we really only focused on small sections of them.
Once we get back to Tatooine for the prequels, you see more ground vehicles.

[Punisher]

That makes sense, I guess. Also, it's entirely possible, that just like the theory of WW1 and WW2 being one long war with a break in between, that the Empire/First Order never really considered the war officially over and were secretly building new ships and never slowed down in their production, hoping to eventually catch the resistance by surprise. This would more or less fit with what Mustache twirling Palps said about revenge.

This is somewhat applicable.
The First Order was created by Palpatine prior to his "death". At least them as a contingency plan was.
He had a secret SOP for certain higher-ups in his armies, that if defeat looked inevitable, they were to fall back to the Outer Rim and their bases there, to begin the rebuilding process. They already had plenty of resources out that way. Not as many as in the core systems, but enough to stay alive and rebuild. Even after being defeated they were able to rebuild in a relatively short amount of time and have some military advances.
They NEVER had any plan to just sit back quietly and live in peace, even while discussing peace with the New Republic.

[AWS260]

That crawl is better.

It is bad in different ways.

Comparing the opening crawls from the nine movies is (marginally) interesting. A New Hope and The Last Jedi have the best, in my opinion. Clear and urgent. Empire's is really good too.

But the biggest finding from my rigorous analysis is the growing trend toward CAPITALIZATION of random NOUNS across the movies. In the prequels, only one phrase is capitalized: ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC. In the middle trilogy, we have DEATH STAR and GALACTIC EMPIRE. In the final trilogy, rampant capitalization has overrun the galaxy: REPUBLIC; GENERAL LEIA ORGANA; REVENGE. That last one isn't even a proper noun!

This has been today's episode of Science Fiction Grammar Pedant. Don't forget to like and subscribe.

[Hyena]

I was drinking coffee and I almost did a spit-take at 3:58 when he was talking about who the "children's benefit" was for...

Oh, how times have changed.

[Rumpy]

That makes sense, I guess. Also, it's entirely possible, that just like the theory of WW1 and WW2 being one long war with a break in between, that the Empire/First Order never really considered the war officially over and were secretly building new ships and never slowed down in their production, hoping to eventually catch the resistance by surprise. This would more or less fit with what Mustache twirling Palps said about revenge.

This is somewhat applicable.
The First Order was created by Palpatine prior to his "death". At least them as a contingency plan was.
He had a secret SOP for certain higher-ups in his armies, that if defeat looked inevitable, they were to fall back to the Outer Rim and their bases there, to begin the rebuilding process. They already had plenty of resources out that way. Not as many as in the core systems, but enough to stay alive and rebuild. Even after being defeated they were able to rebuild in a relatively short amount of time and have some military advances.
They NEVER had any plan to just sit back quietly and live in peace, even while discussing peace with the New Republic.

Yep, that at least makes it easier for me to accept what they did in RoS. It still is rather sudden though in terms of development, and it shows that had the trilogy been properly done, they'd have planted seeds of foreshadowing that this was in fact happening. Hell, can you imagine just how impactful this would have been if Palp's message was heard in the final moments of TLJ? In that respect, it would have been fun to see the characters react to finding out about this plan. In any case, I think Kylo's mad dash to find the transcoder to help him find Exogol makes more sense when including the message.

[McNutt]

It's hard to foreshadow if you don't plan it out.

[Rumpy]

That crawl is better.

It is bad in different ways.

Comparing the opening crawls from the nine movies is (marginally) interesting. A New Hope and The Last Jedi have the best, in my opinion. Clear and urgent. Empire's is really good too.

But the biggest finding from my rigorous analysis is the growing trend toward CAPITALIZATION of random NOUNS across the movies. In the prequels, only one phrase is capitalized: ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC. In the middle trilogy, we have DEATH STAR and GALACTIC EMPIRE. In the final trilogy, rampant capitalization has overrun the galaxy: REPUBLIC; GENERAL LEIA ORGANA; REVENGE. That last one isn't even a proper noun!

This has been today's episode of Science Fiction Grammar Pedant. Don't forget to like and subscribe.

The one I love is the 'Diabolical First Order'. Who the heck speaks that way anymore?

It's hard to foreshadow if you don't plan it out.

Well yeah, it makes it plainly evident that it wasn't.

[McNutt]

The one I love is the 'Diabolical First Order'. Who the heck speaks that way anymore?

It's how they spoke a long time ago.

[Rumpy]

In a galaxy far far away?

[hepcat]

I especially like how Palpatine refers to women as "dames" in Rise of Skywalker.

[Rumpy]

Oh, does he? I must have missed that particular detail. I mean, what does he think he is? Charming? That charming charlatan....

[stessier]

Saw it last night and went in cold having not seen a trailer or any reactions or ratings. I really, really like it. There were some plot holes and dialogue issues, but it was a great ending to the children's fairytale of knights and wizards in space.

[hitbyambulance]

saw this last night (last showing of the last day of the theater run). most everything about that plot was effin' stupid. best things about this trilogy were the Rey/Ren interactions and seal-owls. JJ Abrams is still a hack, the end.

[McNutt]

I had a great moment with my 9-year-old son when we left the theater. I asked him if he liked it and he said it wasn't as good as some of the other ones, but it was good. Then he started to slowly go off the rails thinking about story elements that made no sense.

"And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon. . ."

[Rumpy]

Saw it last night and went in cold having not seen a trailer or any reactions or ratings. I really, really like it. There were some plot holes and dialogue issues, but it was a great ending to the children's fairytale of knights and wizards in space.

saw this last night (last showing of the last day of the theater run). most everything about that plot was effin' stupid. best things about this trilogy were the Rey/Ren interactions and seal-owls. JJ Abrams is still a hack, the end.

And even here on this board, this movie is quite polarizing

[hepcat]

”That new intern’s Kylo Ren, right?“

[Lordnine]

Saw it last night and went in cold having not seen a trailer or any reactions or ratings. I really, really like it. There were some plot holes and dialogue issues, but it was a great ending to the children's fairytale of knights and wizards in space.

saw this last night (last showing of the last day of the theater run). most everything about that plot was effin' stupid. best things about this trilogy were the Rey/Ren interactions and seal-owls. JJ Abrams is still a hack, the end.

And even here on this board, this movie is quite polarizing

I mean, just looking at the way both these were written should say a lot. People who put Starwars on a pedestal and want an epic interconnected narrative with the originals movies...probably disappointed. People who who see them as silly entertainment with space wizards...probably ok with it!

[Rumpy]

Well, I think most of the expectations are based on experiences with the past movies, so I don't think they're unrealistic expectations. I mean, put it this way. You follow a well-respected movie series that has followed a formula that has up to now been set in stone. The next movies are announced, everyone is excited but it's clearly missing the narrative and structural elements the other movies set in place to the point that they're hard to ignore. And keep in mind, that many of us are disappointed because we love the series, and disappointed in them dropping the ball at a time when it should be more important than ever to have structure for closing out a 40 year old series.

If say, the studio behind James Bond decided they'd make no more, and the last movie released ended on a sour note in ways that doesn't respect the legacy, you can bet people would be upset. Ultimately, there might be a fun movie in there somewhere, but it wouldn't ignore the fact of there being huge flaws.

[Pyperkub]

Ok, finally saw this over the weekend and we enjoyed it.

Things we liked:

Spoiler:

Loved the return to the 2nd Death Star on Endor idea
Rey and Kylo's relationship was well done
Didn't see previews so the Emperor's return was interesting. Didn't really like him as a villain in RotJ/prequels however, but better than Snoke
The sith planet contrasted with the jedi temple planet wasn't bad - would have been really interesting with a "Light side" cave to mirror Jedi training
Cameos and Leia.
The hints of Poe's backstory

Things which were disappointing:

Spoiler:

Dear lord the dialog was awful throughout. Cut 5 minutes of special effects and fix the damn dialog.
The maguffins were so obviously maguffins
The "genetics" of the Dark force electricity was stupid. Surprised they didn't go with some idiotic midichlorian BS to go with it.
This episode (and the whole new trilogy) needed a lot more Obi Wan/Yoda Force mysticism, and less - gotta do this, gotta do that rails for obvious maguffins.
Poe and Finn aren't General material - that was plain stupid
Poe's backstory went nowhere, effectively
The kids playing Luke Skywalker at the end of TLJ and the whole people's rebellion could have been much better integrated.

Ultimately, it was a fun popcorn ending to the saga for now, but could have been so much more in so many ways.

[Jaymann]

Finally saw this streaming on Disney, not as bad as I had feared. But damn you, Mandela Effect! I spent the whole movie trying to see if C-3PO had one silver leg. I finally spotted it in one shot.

[Holman]

My 16-y.o. is celebrating May 4th (and 5th) with a personal Star Wars marathon.

After he finished his homework yesterday, he started with Episode I and proceeded chronologically. (This means that Solo and Rogue One come between Eps III and IV.)

Of course it was impossible to watch them all in one day, and he had more schoolwork today. But right now he's down there on The Last Jedi.

He's dedicated. I'll give him that.

[Jaymann]

I imagine the wildly gyrating graphics and production values would make it a hoot.