Battle Damage - Unofficial Star Wars Hype Thread

[tthurman]

10 hours ago, RIP-Felix said:

Ouch, that's something I would have preferred be in spoiler quotes.

Thanks for the warning!  I'll leave it be with the silly decision Lucas made to kill him off like a pansy so early in ROTJ.

[hansolo77]

It's an official publication, yes, but it was published YEARS before Disney's decision to "Legendize" all previous productions.  So that, by itself, indicates it's not Canon.  Another indication is that the story line takes place in the "Tag & Bink" stories.  Those were written with levity in mind.  It was a joke when it was first published.  So no worries, that's not how he survived.

[RIP-Felix]

On 6/4/2020 at 2:30 AM, Draco1962 said:

I get it free for the first year as a Verizon mobile sub. We'll see when the sub is up if we'll continue. 

If you don't own or haven't seen EVERY Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, or any other IP that Disney's tentacles have embraced, then Disney+ is probably a good value for families and enthusiasts at $6.99 p/m or $69.99 p/y (two months free!). They also have a $12.99 p/m bundle of Disney+, ESPN+, and Hulu.

As for the Fett spoiler, I think that was a parody.

Wait...I have verizon. So what's this R thang U B wording on my screen? I may have to look into this!

Okay, so the Fett thing isn't "officially" related to the Mandalorian (which I didn't think was Fett, but wasn't sure).

[Draco1962]

How to get Disney+ with Verizon unlimited or 5G Home Internet

[tthurman]

The Culture of Star Wars: How Fans Ruined the Franchise, Not Disney

Obviously I'm not a fan of the Disney movies, but this is an interesting take on things.

I recall vividly the day EP 1 came out, I took that day off just to go see it with my wife.  I dropped my truck stereo off for service, and shot off to the theater.  I'm not going to lie, I was disappointed with it, as I was with the entire prequel trilogy.   A combination of longing for more big screen pictures, combined with huge amounts of hype set the perfect stage for unreasonable expectations.   Looking at EP 1 alone today, it's a solid entry in the series and has aged well.

 

In fact It's not that they any of them were bad (minus some stiff acting), just that they had lost that edge the first three had (especially 4 & 5) by not taking themselves to seriously.  ROTJ flashed moments of the what the future would be like, but still managed to hang on to the things that made the story click.

The prequels were serious Star Wars Universe stories, whose content very much ticked all the boxes, they just weren't necessarily amazing movies, IMO, but not worthy of the criticism they got either.

There is no doubt in my mind that 1, 2 and 3 are better movies than this most recent collection, but none will touch the first trilogy and Star Wars will always be the hallmark of the series with TESB being the best in series.

 

I would like to see George back at the helm, as at the very least his stories represent new material.

[RIP-Felix]

On 6/5/2020 at 2:58 PM, Draco1962 said:

How to get Disney+ with Verizon unlimited or 5G Home Internet

Ah, nutz! I don't have either, so I guess I have to pay for it. It's not bad yet, so I should probably sign up and watch what I want before they raise the price.

23 hours ago, tthurman said:

...A combination of longing for more big screen pictures, combined with huge amounts of hype set the perfect stage for unreasonable expectations.   Looking at EP 1 alone today, it's a solid entry in the series and has aged well.

In fact It's not that they any of them were bad (minus some stiff acting), just that they had lost that edge the first three had (especially 4 & 5) by not taking themselves to seriously.  ROTJ flashed moments of the what the future would be like, but still managed to hang on to the things that made the story click.

The prequels were serious Star Wars Universe stories, whose content very much ticked all the boxes, they just weren't necessarily amazing movies, IMO, but not worthy of the criticism they got either.

There is no doubt in my mind that 1, 2 and 3 are better movies than this most recent collection, but none will touch the first trilogy and Star Wars will always be the hallmark of the series with TESB being the best in series.

I recently added ep 2 to complete our collection of prequels, and suffered through it to verify the DVD was good during the return window. I'm going to have to disagree about it aging well. There are some blaring problems that strike at current affairs. Namely, Anakin Skywalkers inappropriate relationship with Padmé Amidala. While the age difference felt weird, they're not actually that far apart. Even if they were, its not something I'm particularly opposed to. 2 adults falling in love is their business. It just adds to the discomfort of watching my main concerns. First, he continues to pursue her, even after she asks him not to - multiple times! He's constantly saying "I'm sorry my lady" with a flirtatious look on his face. It's like he thinks its a game. He's not really listening or taking her serious. He's being selfish. This might be forgivable if it were just normal adolescent ignorance about proper relationship etiquette. However, he's in her employ as personal security. He is supposed to be making her feel safe from a credible threat to her life, not hit on her! His actions in this case rise to the level of workplace sexual harassment, undermine trust in the position he's been privileged with, and he's taking advantage of a situation that brings them in close proximity with one another by necessity. She needs him for protection, so it's not like she can tell him to 'take a hike'. She has legitimate concerns about the relationship and tells him to stop, He dismisses her with that smug look on his face and even guilt trips her with a profession of love. I felt uncomfortable by it...and I'm a guy! It feels like a wholly inappropriate, one sided, sap fest written by a man. A man with the same tired old fashioned belief that women don't know what they want and need to be convinced. That's demeaning, and it doesn't play well in a 'Me too' era.

My other issue is the skin tight white garment they had Padmé wearing in a the latter half of the movie. It's too sexy. There's a reason women do and don't wear sexually appealing attire. And those reasons are usually subverted by Hollyewood's desire to put butts in seats. This is a common practice and it often is done at the expense of the character. I'm not saying she shouldn't dress sexy, but I find it unlikely that she would do so given her position as a senator representing an entire planet. People in these positions try to dress modestly, as a courtesy. It shows respect for the sensibilities of those with strict moral codes. You loose nothing by respecting others in this case, and this is why politicians choose to dress in tasteful attire...not skin tight garb designed to elicit sexual desires (it's an ounce of prevention against perverts who might fixate and act on those desires). Take Princess Leia, for example. She dresses herself practically or diplomatically. This is as you would expect for someone in her position. The only time we saw her in skimpy clothing, it was because she was enslave by Jaba the Hut. He put her in skimpy garb for his own perverted reasons, She did not choose to! The audience seeing her in that sexy slave girl outfit added to the dramatic vilification of Jaba the Hut, so when he was killed the hero's were seen as freeing her from His oppression. It complements the story, fits with her character, and we forgive the out of character garb. Not to mention that we get to see Carrie Fisher scantly clad, which put's butts in seats, like Holley-wood wants. The point is, theres a way to achieve the same goal, without sacrificing the character to do it. It takes great writing to accomplish. Return of the Jedi got that formula right, Attack of the clones did not!

 

[tthurman]

I was talking about the story of Ep 1, not 2.  I don't personally get to hung up on the details of the "love story", but the stiff acting and dialogue in those scenes (across all three prequels) are what I found most annoying about that trilogy.  Lucas seems to have a history of mis-matched ages that aren't necessarily far apart, but uncomfortable never the less.  He seems to get a pass on this for some reason, mostly!  Marion and Indy ring any bells?

I also can't say that I have a problem with this.

 

[tthurman]

[RIP-Felix]

It shines a light on a bigger social issue about objectifying women in general. It presents, to men at least, something that will catch our eye and elicit desire, drawing momentary attention away from character traits that bear larger importance to the person and her story. It's a diversionary tactic. As I said, there are reasons women choose to dress provocatively. There are times it's beneficial to evoke this response. It's a power move.

On the other hand, when men force women to dress provocatively, it's about having power over them. It's demeaning, like the comic above. As a man, I would also like to point out that when a women uses our desires against us for the purposes of power, it's demeaning to us and undermines our trust in the relationship. If it's done in agreement for the purposes of fun, that's another story. Agreement is the key. Using desire as a manipulative tool is the problem.

[Draco1962]

Star Wars: Squadrons!

 

[Draco1962]

Star Wars: Squadrons Will Support Flight Sim Controllers on PC

Hopefully the Xbox One version will also support the Thrustmaster HOTAS I have that works for both PC and Xbox One. Stay tuned!

[hansolo77]

I'm still sitting on my Force Feedback stick from before the fire.  Still don't have that required power cable lol.

[Draco1962]

I still have mine as well. I need to find a way to clean it. It has that rubberized coating that degrades and gets sticky over time.

[tthurman]

I've so far found nothing to fix this sticky feeling.  Thrown many a mice away because of it, not to suggest I'd pitch a FF stick!

 

Anyone that finds a solution, please post it here!

 

[Draco1962]

So far the safest solution is IPA - Isopropyl Alcohol 80-99%, a soft cloth, elbow grease and time.

Other references vary from axe oil to acetone. Personally I would recommend avoiding due to potential damage to the plastic.

I haven't attempted it yet but will likely try the higher strength IPA. Likely will have to source from a drug or hardware store as the OTC IPA is usually 70% strength.

⚠️ A word of caution to use nitrile or other fluid proof non-reactive gloves as it can be absorbed by the skin and make you really sick over time.

[tthurman]

Building a full-size Star Wars Cockpit Arcade Machine!

 

 

[RIP-Felix]

I saw that one. He did a good job...much better than I did on my cab. Custom bent acrylic? I didn't even route slots for rubber edging...lol!

[RIP-Felix]

First time I'd seen this. Old news, but still good!

[tthurman]

Well, as a huge Star Wars fan, I suppose it speaks volumes as to my opinion of Disney that I never bothered seeing IX.

This article serves to confirm I didn't miss anything?

https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2020/02/19/the-damage-done-to-star-wars-by-rise-of-skywalker-cant-be-undone/#19f410842dff

 

I actually know some people who liked it, but based on the first two Disney attempts, I didn't bother!

[Draco1962]

I liked it, sorta, but there were so many better other directions the last trilogy could've and should've gone than how they did.

[hansolo77]

There is so much controversy surrounding the Disney 7-9 movies and #9 in particular.  There was a mad scramble to get the movie made and out.  There were different angles of story they had available to go with, and over 4 hours of footage shot on film, including a massive lightsaber battle between Rey and Kylo and Palpatine (reminiscent of the battle between Ob-Wan, Qui-Gonn and Maul only better) that Daisy Ridley spent MONTHS training for.  Ultimately though it was cut and hacked and mangled into the mess it turned out to be all thanks to Kathleen Kennedy.  Out of no where, the movie starts with Palpatine back, and the movie is ripe with all kinds of new Jedi powers never before existing.  Nope, once Disney finally got their greedy hands on the entire Lucasfilm franchise, things just flopped.  And hiring in Kathleen Kennedy to rule over everything Star Wars was just the worst possible decision they could have made.  She had her own agenda going into it, with plans to completely erase George Lucas' approved expanded universe to set into motion what she felt was a better way to go.  She's a feminist and tried her best to get that message across, to the point of including completely unnecessary female bonding (nobody said anything about LESBIANS, just FEMINISM).  And she went and purposely killed off all the original characters even though there is video footage of her talking with Lucas about the plans and promising him she won't do anything to the originals.  So, she kills Han in the 1st, Luke and most of the Rebels in the 2nd, and everybody else in the 3rd.  I could go on and on about how KK is such a "wolf in sheep's clothing".  She prompted that crap  "Forces of Destiny", and "Galaxy of Adventures" and claims to have created the "Baby Yoda" shit but it's not what she had in mind (saying it was supposed to be a female alien, not of Yoda species... so she's just pissed and trying to take credit for it).  Last I heard, Disney flat out FIRED Kathleen Kennedy and REHIRED George Lucas.  That might be just a rumor, but Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau are desperately trying to bring Star Wars back to where it needs to be, and have George Lucas right there in the middle of it.  There's talk of a George Lucas cut of Rise of Skywalker, which will have only like 20% of already seen footage, and 80% previously unseen, basically remaking the entire movie.  The idea is that if Star Wars is to continue past Episode 9, they need to do some serious retcon work.  KK went to the extreme creating new force powers that should not exist.. like the whole force heal bit.  So that all has to be cut out.  The Jedi Master Trio is working on it, and rumors are now that we might get to see this retcon'd George Lucas cut OFFICIALLY on Disney+ in the next year or so.

All that said.  I still love Daisy Ridley.  Even though KK fucked her in the ass, excuse my language.

[RIP-Felix]

I really think that Star wars is so beloved that any attempt to add into the main story line is doomed. Side stories are a different thing entirely, because they don't tread upon the characters of the originals and only flesh out the story already told in those films. I think this is why Rogue One did well, and Solo didn't. Fans are fine with new branches, but there is only one main trunk. Basically fans want this:

Lucas and Disney wanted this:

It's a difference in philosophy. I actually think Lucas and Disney's metaphorical Oak tree makes more sense in the complicated context of the force and galactic politics, than does the fans desire for symmetry and continuity with the original film...I said it didn't I (oh, dear)! It's really just a matter of adjusting my expectation to the reality of where the story actually went, then accepting it for what it is. I think that's a battle everyone fights when a new entry into their beloved story comes along. And it's really just our resistance to change that we're fighting. I wanted a confer tree, and Star Wars was destined to be an Oak. I just have to accept that!

This is probably the best take I've seen. I actually don't disagree from a narrative and movie story development standpoint.

 

[tthurman]

Engineers Have Made A Real-Life Lightsaber That Can Cut Through Steel

 

 

 

 

 

[tthurman]

 

 

[tthurman]

It may be the best "Star Wars" holiday present since Obi-Wan Kenobi gifted Luke Skywalker his first lightsaber.

A collection of rare and never-before-seen outtakes, behind-the-scenes footage and bloopers from the making of “Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back," has been delivered to "Good Morning America" by Lucasfilm elves to help celebrate the film’s 40th anniversary.

A majority of the clips are being seen publicly for the first time, and include many lighthearted moments shot during production featuring lead actors Mark Hamill (Skywalker), Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia) and Harrison Ford (Han Solo).

In 1979, cameras captured Hamill and the crew on location in Finse, Norway,—doubling as the planet Hoth— during a major snowstorm that hampered the production. Wearing a blue crew jacket with a name tag that reads “HEY YOU," Hamill jokingly invents the Tautaun Dance, named after the planet’s furry lizards.

“Three steps like this, and then you fall over,” Hamill says with a laugh.

Fisher, looking almost like a tourist with a camera around her neck, came to hang out in Norway even though she didn’t appear in any of the outdoor scenes.

“I’m only up here to irritate the crew,” she quips.

In an unused scene set inside the Rebel hangar on Hoth, Princess Leia asks Han Solo if the Millennium Falcon is having problems.

“Thanks for your concern,” Solo says sarcastically, giving her a playful smack on the shoulder.

The footage includes a mix of new and archival interviews with "Star Wars" creator George Lucas, Hamill, Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian) and co-screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan.

“Everybody is more enthusiastic than they were the first time,” Lucas says of coming back to shoot the sequel to his 1977 blockbuster. “The first time, everyone was very confused by the whole thing and didn’t know what they were up against. Now they had a better picture of what it was we were making. It was fun to get started again.”

The film has become a fan favorite partly because of what Hamill says was a darker tone, where the good guys didn’t win.

“It was so unexpected. Usually when you do a sequel, they just want to repeat the experience,” Hamill says. “It was so daring. I don’t think we were ever able to be that surprising again, because it was deeper, more cerebral, it was more spiritual.”

Lucasfilm produced a pair of new “featurettes” for "Empire"'s 40th anniversary. Part Two will debut tomorrow on “The Star Wars Show,” featuring new interviews with Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, “The Mandalorian” executive producer Dave Filoni, directors Bryce Dallas Howard, Deborah Chow, Leslye Headland and Taika Waititi and actors Pedro Pascal (“The Mandalorian”) and Diego Luna (“Andor,” “Rogue One”).