Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Pre-release)

[Wolfsburg]

I'm not sure about their speculations but I do like the idea that the "superweapon" has been built into an existing planet/moon/whatever as a means to keep it hidden. That had not occurred to me. Sadly, if that is the case, the poster has already spoiled that, at least as far as the audience is concerned.

 

[Bryancd]

I'm not sure about their speculations but I do like the idea that the "superweapon" has been built into an existing planet/moon/whatever as a means to keep it hidden. That had not occurred to me. Sadly, if that is the case, the poster has already spoiled that, at least as far as the audience is concerned.

The official Star Wars Wiki already spoiled that. They said the Starkiller base was built into a planet, or along those lines, so if you assume the poster image depicts that, there you go.

 

[JD]

http://www.starwars.com/databank/starkiller-base

 

[Wolfsburg]

The official Star Wars Wiki already spoiled that. They said the Starkiller base was built into a planet, or along those lines, so if you assume the poster image depicts that, there you go.

Good point! I had forgotten about that. I am going off the assumption Starkiller base and the poster's planetoid are one and the same, but I guess it's possible they aren't.

 

[astroboy]

So that means they can drive the planet?

It's one thing for a spacestation to be able to move, it's another thing for a planet with people standing around on the surface.

Why don't they add red matter into this?

:facepalm:

 

[Bryancd]

So that means they can drive the planet?

It's one thing for a spacestation to be able to move, it's another thing for a planet with people standing around on the surface.

Why don't they add red matter into this?

:facepalm:

I don't think that is the case and haven't seen anything, even in spoiler world, that would suggest they fly it.

 

[astroboy]

I don't think that is the case and haven't seen anything, even in spoiler world, that would suggest they fly it.

What good is a stationary planet destroying weapon?

 

[Bryancd]

What good is a stationary planet destroying weapon?

It's good question and one I don't have an answer for. Based on the name Starkiller, I am assuming the weapon can destroy entire stars at a great distance. Perhaps they have a means of "aiming" it so it not dependent on line of site. Planets do rotate around their axis and orbit around their star.

 

[Wolfsburg]

Yeah, that SW wiki entry above says it can destroy entire star systems, and I presume it does so by "killing" the star. I don't necessarily think "driving" this planet thing is (much) more silly than "driving" the Death Star was. If it is movable, I assume they just move underground into bunkers and safe areas during transit. I don't have any insight into the movie in that regard, but I don't really see that happening though.

 

[PantheraGem]

I feel the same about a few of their assumptions (though I didn't watch the whole thing). For me, it's not really a good thing. I don't know if they touched on it, but it feels like Jakku is a place on Tatooine, or a new name for some reason. Another desert planet with scavengers, etc. feels too lazy. I think killing Han is too obvious. It will probably be some other death played out for nothing but shock value. Hell, why not kill Leia and really galvanize Luke? JJ really loves his sweaty-faced-people-crying gag.

(Edit: Chewie valiantly defends Leia from a Kylo attack, loses his arm in the process and Kylo commits matricide/kills leader of the resistance, Chewie fights back and crushes Kylo's throat. Audience cries/cheers. Luke receives his saber and learns of Leia's fate. His eyes begin to glow red. "Directed by JJ Abrams")

With Kasdan writing, I feel as though Luke might be on the dark side as well. Makes Vader's redemption pointless. Another trench run possibly. Feels more and more like a bad fan movie all the time.

"That's no moon or a battle station that blows up planets, it's a planet with a battle station that blows up stars."

 

[Inquisitor Peregrinus]

^ You don't have to watch it.

More and more I wonder why folks spend the time and energy writing negative-vibes posts on the subject. I am guardedly optimistic. In a bit over a month, I'll find out whether that optimism will be borne out or not. Until then, I'm not praising this as the Second Coming, nor am I decrying it as a waste of film stock.

I see lots of downer speculations based on pretty much nothing. Aftermath and Battlefront establish Jakku as its own planet, that is not Tatooine. Its significance is gradually coming out in the ancillary material, but I also expect a couple seconds of screen time explaining why the Empire and New Republic were fighting over it, so one doesn't have to read the books or play the games to know what's going on. I see not even the remotest hint that Luke has gone Dark Side. And we still don't know enough about Starkiller Base, who runs it, who's fighting over it, or how. We don't know if it gets destroyed, taken, or whether it remains for the entire trilogy -- but there's no "trench" in evidence on which for there to be a "run". A rift valley several orders of magnitude larger than Valles Marinaris on Mars doesn't count as a trench in my book.

--Jonah

 

[Bryancd]

^ You don't have to watch it.

More and more I wonder why folks spend the time and energy writing negative-vibes posts on the subject. I am guardedly optimistic. In a bit over a month, I'll find out whether that optimism will be borne out or not. Until then, I'm not praising this as the Second Coming, nor am I decrying it as a waste of film stock.

I see lots of downer speculations based on pretty much nothing. Aftermath and Battlefront establish Jakku as its own planet, that is not Tatooine. Its significance is gradually coming out in the ancillary material, but I also expect a couple seconds of screen time explaining why the Empire and New Republic were fighting over it, so one doesn't have to read the books or play the games to know what's going on. I see not even the remotest hint that Luke has gone Dark Side. And we still don't know enough about Starkiller Base, who runs it, who's fighting over it, or how. We don't know if it gets destroyed, taken, or whether it remains for the entire trilogy -- but there's no "trench" in evidence on which for there to be a "run". A rift valley several orders of magnitude larger than Valles Marinaris on Mars doesn't count as a trench in my book.

--Jonah

There is what appears to be a trench opening up in one of the scenes from the trailer during the X-wing battle.

 

[glunark]

If you are going to destroy a solar system, you probably don't want to be in that system when it happens.

 

[Wolfsburg]

I've seen arguments both ways about the whole Jakku/Tatooine thing. Some say it's silly to return to Tatooine yet again and there must be other sandy, desert planets in the galaxy and others say it's just lazy/pointless to introduce a sandy, desert planet that isn't Tatooine. Damned if they do, damned if they don't.

Personally, I don't have a problem with a sandy, desert planet that isn't Tatooine.

 

[glunark]

Maybe its just a regular planet that has a desert in it.

They don't all have to be one thing all over.

 

[Wolfsburg]

Well from space it appears to be all desert...

 

[Laspector]

I think in Star Wars they do....

 

[AnubisGuard]

Yeah, single-biome planets are a Star Wars staple. (Makes me wonder if Kashyyyk in ROTS somehow is all beaches, and how that would even be possible....)

 

[JD]

^ You don't have to watch it.

More and more I wonder why folks spend the time and energy writing negative-vibes posts on the subject. I am guardedly optimistic. In a bit over a month, I'll find out whether that optimism will be borne out or not. Until then, I'm not praising this as the Second Coming, nor am I decrying it as a waste of film stock.

I see lots of downer speculations based on pretty much nothing. Aftermath and Battlefront establish Jakku as its own planet, that is not Tatooine. Its significance is gradually coming out in the ancillary material, but I also expect a couple seconds of screen time explaining why the Empire and New Republic were fighting over it, so one doesn't have to read the books or play the games to know what's going on. I see not even the remotest hint that Luke has gone Dark Side. And we still don't know enough about Starkiller Base, who runs it, who's fighting over it, or how. We don't know if it gets destroyed, taken, or whether it remains for the entire trilogy -- but there's no "trench" in evidence on which for there to be a "run". A rift valley several orders of magnitude larger than Valles Marinaris on Mars doesn't count as a trench in my book.

--Jonah

That's funny... because while I also consider myself cautiously optimistic I can't help but feel that a lot of what's been presented, rumored and/or spoiled, and with JJ's track record (I'm not a huge Trek fan, but I recognize what he's done to that franchise - love it or hate it, it's a very different animal since JJ and crew took over) I can't help but feel a little insecure and worried about what we might get next month.

It's not spending "time and energy writing negative-vibes post" - it's a love of the source material and (to some extent) how some feel about what's happening to our beloved Star Wars. There are parts of what I've seen and read about that I think are downright idiotic, there are parts that give me hope - overall, I hope the good outweighs the bad and that I get something amazing on December 17th. That's one of the reasons I'm trying to stay (more) spoiler free - I don't want to dwell on what I feel might be bad parts and I want to stunned by the what should be a great ride.

I do find it odd that some buy every little bit that's been thrown at them without putting much (if any) rational thought behind it. If that's what makes you happy - great.

 

[AnubisGuard]

On the other hand, JJ actually cares about Star Wars as it originally was, and his usual coterie of hack writers are nowhere near this film (coughOrciandKurtzmancoughcough). Plus he's partnered with Kasdan and I'm sure they're receiving tight oversight from Disney -- it's hard to argue that this is in any way analogous to the Star Trek situation.