Star Wars: Episode VIII predictions

[Myrddin]

8 hours ago, felice said:

But Luke himself plays no role in the film; BB-8 may as well have being carrying a recipe for the best chocolate cake in the galaxy. It's not at all clear why anyone cares about finding him (until the end when Rey presumably needs training), or whether it makes any difference to the First Order's attack on the Republic (building the starkiller obviously wasn't a response to BB-8 escaping). You could substitute any macguffin without changing the rest of the film, which compares unfavourably to the Death Star plans that play a vital role in the original. Or even no macguffin - Finn's defection is enough to drive the plot on its own, since he knows about the starkiller.

That's the very definition of a MacGuffin. It doesn't matter what it is. Only the race/conflict to get it matters. Why was everyone driven to get the Maltese Falcon? The briefcase in Pulp Fiction. The Ark/Stones/Grail/Skull in Indiana Jones. The nuclear codes/secret plans/list of undercover agents/encoder for a spy to chase. Any ancient artifacts or treasure for an adventurer. Rosebud.

It is sometimes explained and tied to the hero's motivation, but often it's just a thing to chase. Luke is the "thing".

[HexMachina]

52 minutes ago, dbunting said:

Since this thread is actually titled predictions for VIII here we go. We spend a good amount of time with Rey being trained by Luke. Chewie, and Finn become Solo-Chewie. There is a feel that the good guys suffer pretty big losses this time. Luke never leaves the island again.

Hmm, I assumed Chewie and the Millenium Falcon would stay on the island with Rey actually. And Finn would interact mostly with Poe and some new characters

[Myrddin]

Yeah, I saw Rey taking over the Falcon too. Finn never showed any ability to pilot anything. That's why he broke out Poe.

"You need a pilot."

"I need a pilot."

[Jaxom 1974]

1 hour ago, Myrddin said:

I read that a few years ago. I love this theory.

It is, for the most part, neatly done.  A stretch here or there, but generally compact in its thesis.  One can generally believe that Lucas was attempting to do this with the movies.  I am a firm believer that meaning and layers of a story, no matter what the director and writers are trying to achieve, always goes deeper.

This of course, doesn't excuse clunky dialog and sketchy acting.  It was still a mistake, in my opinion, to start with Anakin as an eight year old, among other items.

 

 

As the MacGuffin, I can't say I look back on TFA and feel like looking for Luke was really the driving force of what was going on.  Even if it actually was.  It seemed weak.

[dbunting]

1 hour ago, HelenaExMachina said:

Hmm, I assumed Chewie and the Millenium Falcon would stay on the island with Rey actually. And Finn would interact mostly with Poe and some new characters

Hey, I wanted to get out of the ANH-TFA comparison funk the thread was in so I thought about it for 2 seconds and tossed it out there!

[Joe Pesci]

10 hours ago, felice said:

But Luke himself plays no role in the film; BB-8 may as well have being carrying a recipe for the best chocolate cake in the galaxy. It's not at all clear why anyone cares about finding him (until the end when Rey presumably needs training), or whether it makes any difference to the First Order's attack on the Republic (building the starkiller obviously wasn't a response to BB-8 escaping). You could substitute any macguffin without changing the rest of the film, which compares unfavourably to the Death Star plans that play a vital role in the original. Or even no macguffin - Finn's defection is enough to drive the plot on its own, since he knows about the starkiller.

The opening crawl states that the FO "will not rest until Skywalker, the last Jedi, has been destroyed." There's their reason. As for the Resistance, they are looking for him because Leia is "desperate to find her brother Luke and gain his help in restoring peace and justice to the galaxy." I get that isn't a whole lot to go on, but let's not forget we have two more movies to expand on why it's so vital that each side finds him. If Luke had a bigger role in TFA, it would have negatively impacted the establishment of the new characters who are going to drive the trilogy, so it makes sense to keep him out imo.

No, building Starkiller wasn't a response to BB-8 escaping and I think we can agree it was most likely at some point down the line going to be used for the same purpose it was in the film, but the catalyst for its use for the first time was BB-8 escaping and to prevent the Resistance from getting to the last Jedi. Snoke even says that their strategy has changed due to believing the Resistance is about to find Luke. The whole point of destroying the Republic was to weaken the Resistance so the FO could stop them before they reached Luke.

It's not as rock solid as the Death Star plans in ANH, but contained to this film, it works well enough imo.

 

 

[Corvinus85]

2 hours ago, dbunting said:

Since this thread is actually titled predictions for VIII here we go. We spend a good amount of time with Rey being trained by Luke. Chewie, and Finn become Solo-Chewie. There is a feel that the good guys suffer pretty big losses this time. Luke never leaves the island again.

I think one thing that will happen, something that I believe JJ wanted to see happen, is Luke pull a star destroyer from orbit and crash it. I think the First Order will find Rey and Luke, Luke shows his awesome power, and Rey will convince him to leave that planet. 

[Joe Pesci]

2 minutes ago, Corvinus said:

I think one thing that will happen, something that I believe JJ wanted to see happen, is Luke pull a star destroyer from orbit and crash it. I think the First Order will find Rey and Luke, Luke shows his awesome power, and Rey will convince him to leave that planet. 

I want to say there was a SW video game where something like that happened. I'd be all for Luke doing it in TLJ, as we've never really seen a jaw dropping use of the Force on a scale that big.

[Relic]

1 hour ago, Joe Pesci said:

I want to say there was a SW video game where something like that happened. I'd be all for Luke doing it in TLJ, as we've never really seen a jaw dropping use of the Force on a scale that big.

Making it look anything other than incredibly corny would be a big accomplishment tho. The Dark Side looks way cooler on screen. 

[GallowKnight]

3 minutes ago, Joe Pesci said:

I want to say there was a SW video game where something like that happened. I'd be all for Luke doing it in TLJ, as we've never really seen a jaw dropping use of the Force on a scale that big.

There was a trailer for The Force Unleashed  where a a Star Destroyer was pulled from orbit, but in the actual game it was more like you used the force to guide a Star Destroyer as it crashed.

Anyway, I didn't find the trailer very exciting and I normally get pretty excited over most things Star Wars. Of course I wasn't too impressed with first TFA trailer either.

[Joe Pesci]

5 minutes ago, GallowKnight said:

There was a trailer for The Force Unleashed  where a a Star Destroyer was pulled from orbit, but in the actual game it was more like you used the force to guide a Star Destroyer as it crashed.

Thanks, couldn't remember what it was, and it would've bothered me the rest of the day as I'm headed out the door.

10 minutes ago, Relic said:

Making it look anything other than incredibly corny would be a big accomplishment tho. The Dark Side looks way cooler on screen. 

Very true, but it would be fantastic if pulled off properly. Even if something similar on a smaller scale to that is to be done that truly shows the power of the Force, I'd think this is the movie to do it in.

[Relic]

1 hour ago, Joe Pesci said:

Thanks, couldn't remember what it was, and it would've bothered me the rest of the day as I'm headed out the door.

Very true, but it would be fantastic if pulled off properly. Even if something similar on a smaller scale to that is to be done that truly shows the power of the Force, I'd think this is the movie to do it in.

i'm trying to picture it and all i see is Luke standing with a hand outstretched towards a destroyer with either serenity or constipation on his face. Cut to reaction shots on bridge of Star Destroyer. Cut back to Luke, more serene or more constipated. Repeat until explosion. 

[Corvinus85]

Just now, Relic said:

i'm trying to picture it and all i see is Luke standing with a hand outstretched towards a destroyer with either serenity or constipation on his face. Cut to reaction shots on bridge of Star Destroyer. Cut back to Luke, more serene or more constipated. Repeat until explosion. 

You forget the awesome music that will play in the background that would make it worth it.

If they do this, it would probably work as a throwback to Luke disbelieving in his ability to use the force in ESB when Yoda pulls his X-wing out of the swamp. Also, with the new movies having the tendency to show ships not just in space but visibly hanging in the atmosphere, they could have a shot of Luke from behind, with his hands stretched, and the ship just starting to drop. 

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

But I thought Yoda said Luke should use the Force "only for defense".  Isn't taking out a Star Destroyer and everyone on it an "attack"?

[RumHam]

46 minutes ago, Ser Scot A Ellison said:

But I thought Yoda said Luke should use the Force "only for defense".  Isn't taking out a Star Destroyer and everyone on it an "attack"?

Not if the Star Destroyer is about to obliterate you from orbit. Anyway even if it was an attack, that would fit with the speculation about Luke's statement that it's time for the Jedi to end meaning he is rejecting the whole light/dark good/evil thing. 

[Rhom]

41 minutes ago, RumHam said:

Not if the Star Destroyer is about to obliterate you from orbit. Anyway even if it was an attack, that would fit with the speculation about Luke's statement that it's time for the Jedi to end meaning he is rejecting the whole light/dark good/evil thing. 

Which is a major flaw in the plan... why not fire a turbo laser at the one island that seems to have life on it and obliterate the guy pulling you from orbit?

Otherwise, yes I'd love to see it.

[Corvinus85]

4 minutes ago, Rhom said:

Which is a major flaw in the plan... why not fire a turbo laser at the one island that seems to have life on it and obliterate the guy pulling you from orbit?

Otherwise, yes I'd love to see it.

Maybe Luke can scale up what Kylo Ren can do, and stop the turbo laser bolt(s) mid-air, all while the star destroyer still comes crashing down. 

[Howdyphillip]

Here is the scene being described. Sam Witwer plays Starkiller in it. I doubt that Lucasfilm will give us this in film form.

[Relic]

1 hour ago, Howdyphillip said:

Here is the scene being described. Sam Witwer plays Starkiller in it. I doubt that Lucasfilm will give us this in film form.

so bad

[PetyrPunkinhead]

14 hours ago, Ser Scot A Ellison said:

Because, the Jedi and their code are fundamentally broken and have been for decades or longer.  I strongly suspect this is Luke rejecting the false "lightside/darkside" false dichotomy.

You're not talking bout this "gey jedi" theory, are you? I'm not sure how it's a false dichotomy either. Especially in the realm of Star Wars. I mean, Lucas has said numerous times, and even again as recently as SWCO, that Star Wars was meant for 12-year-olds. It's meant to teach good from bad, wrong from right, dark from light. Sith v Jedi. In Rebels they've expanded on the concept of the force with Bendu, who claims to be somewhere "inbetween," neither light or dark. But how can a jedi be that? A jedi is a user of the light side of the force. If you're going into areas of "grey" then you're not really a jedi anymore--you're something else. No?