Star Wars: Only Sith Deal in Absolutes

My feelings on Star Wars are often complicated. So much of my love for the series is tied up in what we don’t strictly have any longer in canon. Like the rest of us, I started with this series in the films but I did so in the early 90s. This was at a time before the remastered editions in 1995, before the special editions in 1997. Star Wars was something that I watched on television, typically about once a year around Thanksgiving. They were shown in marathons and I remember them being hosted by Billy Dee Williams.

All that is to say that Star Wars was one of those films that I appreciated in the same kind of way you enjoy holiday films. As I got older and the films became more available, they came to mean different things to me. When I was very young, I enjoyed them because they were just cool! Laser swords! Blaster pistols!

I was eight when the THX editions were released, and this is where I really got my connection to the series. I saved every penny I could find to scrape together the $30 it cost to buy the box set. Here, it began to mean something different to me. Instead of just being entranced by the spectacle of it, I enjoyed the story: a young man achieves a destiny he never knew about growing up, fulfilling the same kind of dream that many have at that age.

As a teenager and adult, I still enjoy the films but, again, in a different way. They’re fun and served as a wonderful base from which to build a deep setting with so much potential that was capitalized on by authors like Timothy Zahn and Mike Stackpole.  All that having been said, I have developed some nit-picky things over time about it that I will soundly admit are very particular. Twenty years of MST3K will do that to a guy.

There is one issue I have with the films, though, that I think is truly legitimate.

So, coming to the theme that all of us are pursuing in the time up to the release of The Force Awakens, what do I hope for in the new films?

Star Wars, especially the original trilogy, watches like an anti-Imperial piece of propaganda. Everything in those films is portrayed in black and white, all good or all evil and the only in-between is really Han in the first film and he still manages to overcome his mercenary nature and become a permanent fixture of the good side.

What I want is nuance.

The lower down the scale of power someone is, the closer to their communities they will be. Leadership of the Empire is oppressive and evil, but the employees of the Empire are people. There were accountants and cooks and maintenance workers on the Death Star who likely had no idea that there was a plan to fire on Alderaan. In a setting where the market is at least partially a command economy, the best work that many people will be able to hope for is with the government. People are what make up the parts of the Empire that civilians are going to interact with every day, and individual people will be good or bad. It can’t have been all evil or the Alliance to Restore the Republic would have been made up of more than a handful of worlds.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; The Empire was an oppressive regime, but it kept the lights on, the economy was stable, and trade was safe from pirates. Some people have to have been content with it. The universe as we knew it in the prequel films was one that showed us a setting where things worked, but honestly, not well. The Republic was trapped in gridlock, the will of the government was carried out by a non-governmental, quasi-religious order based on a group of people with a genetic quirk and no civilian oversight. At some point, I will have a whole rant about the ridiculously poor management and rule of the Old Republic, but now isn’t the time for that. The important thing here is that any organization that is looking to restore the Republic exactly as it was is looking through the rosiest of tinted glasses.

We’re going into a whole new series here. The expanded universe may have been relegated to a wholly separate canon, but instead of seeing it as a loss, we should look at it as an opportunity for more shades of gray in the primary continuity, where we have heroes that are more torn over their actions and have to question the methods or motivations of their leaders.

Nuance, subtlety, depth. That’s what I hope for. Star Wars has been a film series meant for younger demographics, not solely, but it’s always been a focus. I want a more adult series. Not to say that I don’t want there to also be films that are fairly lighthearted like what we have had before, but Disney is making more than just numbered films and I hope that they take advantage of it. They’ve proven that they can have a variety of tones across a single setting with the Marvel Cinematic Universe; now, I just want that applied here, also.  At the risk of being accused of advocating for gritty, grim-dark realism, some entries could use some grime.

I got into Star Wars as a child, but I grew up. I just want to see Star Wars do the same.

Star Wars: Industry Prophet

My hopes for The Force Awakens are somewhat broader than simply hoping the film is entertaining, or that it ushers in a new era of quality Star Wars live-action content the likes of which hasn’t been seen since 1980. Each Star Wars film, good or bad, has had a considerable impact on not only the pop culture conversation, but on the disposition and direction of the film industry itself. The idea that The Force Awakens will be no different seems a foregone conclusion. My hope, then, is that the resulting shift is a positive one.

Look out New Hollywood, the Stormtroopers are coming!

New Hollywood was NOT trampled under the jackboots of the Stormtroopers, despite what some critics and historians claim.

Even claiming the Star Wars films were responsible for those shifts in the industry is an oversimplification. The first Star Wars film, in 1977, is often cited as the death knell of the “New Hollywood” era, a period auterists tend to look on as a golden age of cinema, when filmmakers were given the creative freedom to realize their artistic visions without much, if any, studio oversight. Easy Rider, The French Connection, Taxi Driver — even films such as The Exorcist and The Godfather are considered part of this wave of unbridled creativity and artistic freedom. And then, if you believe certain critics, Star Wars came along — a big-budget, crowd-pleasing “popcorn” film of dubious artistic merit — made a ton of money, and ruined everything for the “serious” filmmakers.

Films like William Friedkin's The French Connection were an example of studios' "hands off" policy during the '70s. [20th Century Fox]

Films like William Friedkin’s The French Connection were an example of studios’ “hands off” policy during the ’70s. [20th Century Fox]

This is, of course, not precisely fair. The shift away from “New Hollywood” and complete creative control from filmmakers was already well under way by the time Star Wars came along. Disastrous productions like Apocalypse Now, and self-indulgent bloated flops like Heaven’s Gate were the primary catalysts for a re-establishment of studio control. Huge moneymakers like Jaws, Grease, even Rocky, helped pave the way for the era of the “blockbuster”. And the then-unheard of practice of wide-release — that is, releasing a film simultaneously in theatres across the county — standard practice today, of course, was not pioneered by Star Wars or even Jaws, but by The Godfather.

Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather pioneered the now-standard practice of wide release. [Paramount]

Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather pioneered the now-standard practice of wide release. [Paramount]

It may be more fair, then, to look at a new Star Wars film (or, perhaps more practically, a new Star Wars trilogy) as less the direct catalyst for a shift in the industry, but more as a signpost, an indication of which way the wind is blowing. Computer-generated special effects were not exactly new when The Phantom Menace came along; morphing effects had long been used in films like Terminator 2 and Star Trek VI; Jurassic Park, Jumanji, and Dragonheart all featured computer-generated creatures; and even Independence Day, praised for it’s realistic practical effects, utilized computers to generate the F-18 Hornets, missiles, debris, and other elements. Indeed, digital effects had already been introduced into the Star Wars universe by way of the Special Editions. The CGI effects in The Phantom Menace were undoubtedly more numerous (and more noticeable) than in any film that had come before, but films like Titanic, The Matrix, and The Mummy were already proving that more complicated effects could be created using computers. If The Phantom Menace hadn’t pushed the proliferation of CGI forward, something else would have.

We

We have Jar-Jar to thank for The Lord of the Rings. Kinda.

So, what are my hopes for The Force Awakens? My hope for The Force Awakens is that it gives me hope for the industry as a whole. Studio films are becoming larger and more unwieldy as time goes on. Blockbusters are all the studios are producing nowadays, at the expense of low or even medium-budget films. Most key, quality has been replaced by spectacle, nuance by noise, character by destruction. Now, a shift away from this is an unrealistic expectation to place on a well-known, highly-anticipated franchise film with a huge special effects budget and owned by one of the largest companies on the planet.

Films like Man of Steel and Star Trek Into Darkness (pictured) proved that bigger isn't always better. [Paramount]

Films like Man of Steel and Star Trek Into Darkness (pictured) proved that bigger isn’t always better. [Paramount]

But what if Kasdan and Abrams bring nuance and character back to the blockbuster? What if the change in the air predicted by and reflected in this film is of a smaller and more manageable scale for big-budget studio extravaganzas? I’m not expecting Star Wars to make studio heads suddenly start pouring their resources into smaller films — how could I, since Star Wars is, at this point, as big as it gets (and is primed to make truckloads of money)? If anything, The Force Awakens would seem primed to reinforce what studio heads already believe — that bigger is better, and original scripts are a loser’s game.

IS an awakening coming?

IS an awakening coming?

But what if there’s a sign, a hint woven into the fabric of the film, a quality to the movie’s texture — something, anything that might indicate this industry is stepping back from the abyss it finds itself teetering at the edge of? I’m grasping at straws, I’m well aware. But the industry can’t sustain this “bigger is better” business model for much longer. The bubble is going to pop. I’m not claiming the “death of cinema” is on it’s way, but a change is coming. Realistically, it has to be. And what if The Force Awakens is, in some small way, a harbinger of that change?

Star Wars has always been a signpost of things to come. My hope for this film, in a nutshell, is that the signs are good ones.

I’m Terrified to Watch The Force Awakens

star-wars-force-awakens-official-posterI love Star Wars. I really really really love Star Wars. And I love a lot of Star Wars. I may have some kneejerk bad reactions to some aspects of it but I’m really easy to please when it comes to reading a new book or experiencing something new. If it’s Star Wars, if it feels like Star Wars, and if I enjoy it, I’m happy. I also unabashedly love the Prequels. If you want to see me go from 0 to 100, just suggest in my presence that they should be skipped when showing someone the movies for the first time. Those movies, just like the Original Trilogy, were a huge part of my childhood and I can’t imagine loving Star Wars without them.

And that’s where the fear comes in. I am terrified to watch The Force Awakens because of the very slim chance that I won’t love it.

Yoda kinda nailed it with his whole “truly wonderful the mind of a child” comment in Attack of the Clones. Kids don’t overanalyze films like Star Wars and they probably don’t spend months and months before the release hearing little tidbits and piecing together parts in their minds. I was 9, 12, and 15 years old respectively when the Prequel films came out and I instantly fell in love with each of them. Part of that had to do with being so young and having zero expectations about what I’d see in each movie. (Well, I knew that Anakin was going to fall to the Dark Side and I was pretty sure that everyone was going to die in Revenge of the Sith. Went two-for-two on those revolutionary predictions.) As so many others before me have noted, none of us know what to expect from these films. For the first time since 1977, we’re all going in blind for a brand new Star Wars story that could take us anywhere.

But what if I don’t like it? What if I have to change my standard “I love all of the Star Wars movies!” to “I love most of the Star Wars movies!”? What if I fall to the dark side and become the thing in fandom I hate most: someone who focuses more energy on something they don’t like instead of what they love?

Okay so that last one’s never going to happen. I can at least take solace in the fact that the chances of me becoming one of those people are approximately 3720 to 1. I’ll probably at least somewhat like it. Probably. Hopefully. Is this what a preemptive crisis of faith feels like? I think this is what one feels like. I don’t like this feeling. Someone take it away. And take this fear I have of not loving The Force Awakens with it!

But I digress because, as our editors here are sure to soon tell me, that’s not the point of this series. We’re supposed to be talking about what our hopes are for The Force Awakens and not our somewhat irrational fears. The good news is that the movie is already delivering from the trailers alone. We’re getting kickass female leads, X-Wing battles, blazing lightsabers, and the return of Leia Organa. In fact, they’ve already gone one further and given me Jessika Pava who shall now be referred to as the Hapa Pilot Queen of My Heart. Add in a very impressive cast and crew and all the signs point towards this being another awesome peace of the Star Wars puzzle. So, at the end of the day, what’s my hope for Episode VII?

Please, sweet baby Yoda, just let me love this Star Wars movie as much as the rest.

The Force Awakens Character Posters Revealed!

Oh hey, were you looking for some The Force Awakens pretties to tide you over until December 18? You’re in luck! Feast your eyes on five character posters featuring Rey, Finn, Kylo Ren, Han, and Leia. (No Poe Dameron, sadly.)

Leia’s sporting her look from the Official Poster, not the trailer, which has me intrigued. One is very political-looking while the other looks like a military uniform; do we get to see both sides of Leia in The Force Awakens? I would not complain.

#LukeWatch, the successor to #beardwatch, continues.

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Luke Skywalker and the Secret Ninja Jedi Order

R2D2-and-Luke-Skywalker-in-The-Force-Awakens

This post contains spoilers for the “Journey to the Force Awakens” books and comics. 

Regular readers and listeners of Tosche Station already know my feelings about Luke Skywalker. He’s by far my favorite character in the Star Wars universe, and the reason I got invested in the Expanded Universe and read tons of books set after Return of the Jedi, even when I soured on certain events. I needed to know what happened to Luke after he became a Jedi. I wanted to know if he trained other Jedi, got married, and had children. We got answers in the form of books and comics: Luke started a Jedi Academy on Yavin 4, married Mara Jade, and had a son named Ben. He rose to the rank of General, resigned his commission after the Battle of Mindor, and dedicated his life to rebuilding the Jedi Order. His life wasn’t all roses, however. He had a brief dabble with the dark side about six years after the Battle of Endor, and many years later his own nephew/apprentice became a Sith and killed his wife.

luke-skywalker mindorBut the Expanded Universe is now Legends, and we have a new canon. New films, depicting the events 30 years after Jedi. We never thought this day would come. Now everything we once knew about the Galaxy Far, Far Away has been altered, and we’re left to wonder about the events that happened between Jedi and The Force Awakens. We’re just now getting some answers in the form of AftermathShattered Empire, and other books in the “Journey to The Force Awakens” line. But they’re just drops in the bucket, and only succeed in creating more questions. Then you add in the marketing for TFA, which has been very light on story but high on visuals and Force themes. We’ve seen Han, we’ve seen a tiny bit of Leia, but no Luke whatsoever (at least from the front).

Which leads to the most common question echoed about the internet: “Where is Luke Skywalker?” Or, better yet: “What the hell has Luke been doing in the galaxy?”

I don’t know what Luke’s been doing for the past 30 years, but I’m pretty certain he’s up to something hugely important during the events of TFA. And my favorite theory, the one I’ll cling to until December 17 (and probably even after that, even if I’m proven wrong) is that Luke is off the grid, training a group of secret ninja-like Jedi Knights.

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Tosche Station Radio #132: Just Let It In

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This week we’re talking about–you guessed it–the final Force Awakens trailer!

Kicking off the show the hosts highlight What’s New on the Blog. Brian live-tweeted The Lost CommandersBria reviewed Chewbacca #1Bria also wrote about 10 things she learned while working the Del Rey booth at NYCC. And of course we posted our off-the-cuff reactions to the trailer. Be sure to catch out Nanci’s appearance in the “Trailer Council” organized by Bobby Roberts from the Full of Sith podcast.

Fixer’s Flash covers the latest geek things Nanci and Brian have been up to, including catching up on movie watching from the past year and devouring the Shattered Empire comic. Yes, Nanci’s actually reading a comic!

From there we discuss the latest news in Deak’s Dirt, which is basically news that Season 2 of Rebels is back! In Biggs’ Bull$@!* Nanci and Brian discuss The Force Awakens poster reveal and the special Opening Night event at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

This week on Camie’s Concerns, we dive into the trailer and analyze it shot by shot, highlighting our own theories and desires for the film.

Tosche Station Radio is the official podcast of Tosche-Station.net and a part of Majestic Giraffe Productions. If you like what you hear, please leave a review on the iTunes Music Store. We can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.

Nanci and Brian are the co-founders and writers of Tosche-Station.net. You can find Nanci on Twitter with the handle @Nancipants and you can find Brian with @LaneWinree.

This podcast has been brought to you in part by Her Universe and your support on Patreon!

The Force Awakens Trailer: Our Reactions

The first (and last) full-length Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer was released last night. WE’RE STILL REALLY SUPER PUMPED AND ARE HAVING A HARD TIME FORMING COHERENT SENTENCES BUT WE WILL TRY NOW.

Brian: But. How. Who? Why?

Okay, off the bat it’s pretty clear this is Rey’s film and she’s the lead. That makes me happy for so many reasons. I really need to know, though, how out of order the scenes in this trailer are. I’ve got my theories on why Leia’s so upset at the end, but it’s going to be dependent on what happens in Shattered Empire #4 and what order these scenes are ultimately in when the film finally comes out.

This was a masterclass in constructing a trailer. We get some things answered, but ultimately are left with even more questions than we had before. I’m in. I’m all in. Just put me in a coma and wake up up on December 17th.

Nanci: “There are stories about what happened.” “It’s true. All of it. The dark side. The Jedi. They’re real.” I JUST. I CANNOT EVEN. HAN SOLO, GALACTIC CYNIC, IS TEACHING THE NEXT GENERATION ABOUT THE FORCE.  *hyperventilates*

I love that we still have so many questions. It gave us lots of cool shots (X-WINGS! TIE FIGHTERS! OMG), but we still have no idea what’s going on, when things will happen in the movie, etc. etc. Why is Kylo Ren torturing Poe Dameron? Why do Rey and Finn know nothing about the Jedi and the Force? Why are Rey and Leia crying? HAN AND LEIA ARE HUGGING. I DON’T EVEN SHIP IT BUT I SHIP IT.

And of course, the big question is still, “Where’s Luke?” Cue my secret ninja Jedi theory….

Bria: I didn’t cry or scream.  I just sorta… squeaked and curled up into a little ball.  This trailer made me so happy.  I don’t care that we don’t know anything about the plot or anything super definitive about the characters. I care about this movie.  Right now, Rey is the one that I want to know everything about. You know… she who climbs around in crashed Star Destroyers.  Between “I’m nobody” and the Han/Leia theme playing while Rey’s standing on a ship talking to Han, I’m more intrigued by her than I have been in ages.  And Finn not having anything left to fight for! And poor Poe being tortured by Kylo!  And that Han/Leia moment! And how the Jedi seem to be a legend! And the space battles and x-wings!  AND OH GOD NO WHY IS REY CRYING AND WHY IS LEIA CRYING?!?

Star Wars? You have me. After this trailer, I’m good. I don’t need to see or know anything else until December 17th. Do I have burning questions left? Absolutely. Do I want them answered? Not until we see the movie. Which should be right now. I don’t want to analyze every last frame of the trailer. I just want to experience this galaxy.

Shoshana: Okay, let’s see if I can make this more coherent/less capslock-y than my first draft: REY. I want to know everything about Rey. I am so psyched about the start of the trailer being all Rey. It is so, so good. What’s that that she’s exploring at the start? Could it be…the Star Destroyer husk? Maybe? And Finn. Gosh, it seems like he really was a full-fledged New Order stormtrooper there, huh? I want to know how he got to where he is. And everything about him, also. And WHY DOES KYLO HAVE A COOL VOICE?? It’s not fair. Ugh, I might have to get his action figure after all. Jerk. And POE, NO, WHAT IS THAT MEANIE DOING TO YOU?? NANCI AND BRIAN WILL BE SO SAD. And the music. The music is making me tear up. Excuse me as I sob for a moment or three.

So, it really seems like the Force/Jedi aren’t super well known at this point. I wonder what common knowledge about Luke is? And what the state of the Jedi Order is? And what absolutely everything to do with this movie is? And I just really want to watch this movie now, okay? I love Star Wars SO MUCH.

Matthew: There’s a new Star Wars movie coming out?

Emily: EPIC SQUEALS IN WHICH I TRY DESPERATELY NOT TO WAKE THE BABY.  Reactions follow in no particular order: I want all the Rey stuff right now.  Who is she?  Why is she so important? What is she up to?  How did she get BB-8?  Does she like blue milk?  I want to know EVERYTHING.  And Poe, my poor baby, I will beat up Kylo Ren for you, but I think Finn might do it for me.  And good God, is Oscar Isaac good looking.

Leia getting the hug – fantastic.  Han telling Rey that it’s all real?  I’m now running in circles wondering how the Empire spun the destruction of the second Death Star.  Kylo Ren looking at Vader’s helmet?  Is there a connection?   I see R2-D2, where is C-3PO?  The scenery looks beautiful, and I’ve loved the cinematography since the first teaser where you follow the Falcon through a loop.

At this very moment, December cannot come soon enough.

If you want more trailer reaction and analysis, check out the Full of Sith Trailer Council, featuring Nanci and a bunch of other Star Wars podcasters/bloggers. Thanks to Bobby Roberts for organizing it! 

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Hold on to yer butts, we’re getting a trailer.

star-wars-force-awakens-official-posterYesterday afternoon starwars.com graced us with the official poster for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, along with confirmation that, yes, we’ll be getting a new trailer (the first full-length trailer, and the last one, apparently), tonight during Monday Night Football. The trailer will air during halftime, which should be around 10 pm eastern time.

Around the same time yesterday afternoon, three short teasers started airing on TV and were released on the internet. You can see them combined into one video below.

Tickets will go on sale immediately after the trailer airs. If you’re lucky enough to live near Disney World, there will be a special opening night event at Hollywood Studios. Brian and I will be there with bells on!

Last but not least, after the trailer drops I’ll be taking part in a special “Trailer Council” organized by Bobby Roberts from the Full of Sith podcast, and featuring voices from other Star Wars podcasts. You’ll be able to catch the recording on our feed within the next few days. And of course, we’ll have our own trailer analysis on this week’s episode of Tosche Station Radio and a reaction post tomorrow on the blog.

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