It’s amazing that there are so many opinions about 1/120th of a single film.
Yes, it’s Star Wars, but it’s distressing to see so much anguish erupt over our very first taste on the big screen in a decade. A lot of bile and ridiculous overstating in the works—so I thought I’d get to the bottom of why most of this weird nay-saying is unfounded at best and detrimental/depressing at worst.
And then talk about what the trailer actually reveals. Because that is exciting.
So, the teaser trailer was released, and I don’t think I’ve every seen so many resolute opinions land in such a short period of time. Even knowing that this is the internet and that’s what it does, I was not prepared. There are three camps: the SQUEE CHILDHOOD RESTORED, the Cautiously Optimistic, and the This is Utter Garbage.
That middle camp was few and far between, though. And what gets me is pretty simple here; we still have no idea what this movie is. We are a whole year from finding out. And nothing that we saw was an indication of quality one way or another. Period. I know we like to make assumptions and throw hats in the ring, we want to be right or to just get out there and talk with fans, but all we saw was a lot of quick cuts and one lovely swoop from the Falcon. That’s it.
That said, it was made to get us talking, and that clearly worked out.
Here are some of the more common reactions going around. Proof of why everyone needs to take a break and go sit in some internet-less corners:
1) There’s no Luke, Han, or Leia in it (or 3PO or R2 or Chewie…), so it’s lame.
This is the first teaser. They don’t want to lay out all the trump cards in one go. Also, it’s kind of rude to make a bunch of young people the stars of the new franchise, and then let the old crew completely upstage them in the very first bits of footage the public sees. Also, as was pointed out succinctly on Twitter:
That’s amazing. That changes the face of Star Wars. That is important.
2) There’s a black stormtrooper! Stormtroopers can’t be black. Haha, it’s like that guy from Spaceballs!
Aaahahahahahahahahahaaaaaa:
I’m serious.
Fine, I’ll try to be articulate. Taking issue with the existence of a black stormtrooper is racist, full stop. It also proves that you don’t know anything about Star Wars. It also proves that you don’t understand that this is a new trilogy set in a different era altogether, which is not actually important to the issue, but now I am grumpy so I will make all the points.
Okay, first off, there is absolutely no indication that all stormtroopers are white dudes in the original trilogy. (They are in full body armor—all you can know is that they are vaguely human-shaped.) The idea that they must be because “all the Imperial officers that we see are white” is laughable in every sense because those guys are high-ups and stormtroopers are grunts, gee, it’s almost like racism might exist in the Star Wars universe—how weird when we totally see prejudice everywhere! Against droids, against Twi’lek women, against clones… wait…
Oh, there was that entire army of clones in the prequels, who were precursors to stormtroopers. Who were not white. (If you actually think Jango Fett is white, we need to have a serious talk. Also, that means Boba Fett is not white either. You’re welcome.) That army of clones who were ordered up like fast food take out by a standing government, and expected to die at the behest of whomever had command of them. They were an army of people of color, and they were born, bred, and trained to be canon fodder to save the glorious Republic. And no one bats a single eyelash. If you think that we should be avoiding that uncomfortable truth because Star Wars is fantasy and you don’t want politics or social commentary in your fantasy, well, you’re too late. It’s been there since the prequels.
Then the Empire set up recruitment once the clones were gone (the clone troopers were designed with shorter lifespans, in case you forgot that lovely part). The only record we have of the Empire’s prejudices tells us that they were xenophobic. The ranks of the Empire were filled out with every kind of human you can think of, provided they were able-bodied and willing to be indoctrinated. The fact that you can’t see who’s behind the stormtrooper armor is kind of the point. They could be any human being at all. That’s what makes the Empire terrifying.
If you honestly think that Star Wars is a universe full of robots and aliens but only white people, or that people of color have a very specific Lando-shaped place in this universe, well… I am so glad that these films are coming out. For the express purpose of proving you wrong. Again.
Also, this film takes place long after the original trilogy. Decades after. Which means that this isn’t even the Empire that we saw in Episodes IV-VI (if it truly is the Empire at all). So your point is even less valid.
And please stop making the comparison to the Spaceballs guy. (It’s Tim Russ, by the way, better known as Tuvok on Star Trek: Voyager. They are so far apart, they are in opposite sides of the “Star Fill-in-the-blank” chasm.) It is a joke that literally relies on the fact that there are two black people in a desert. That is where the entire joke sits. It is actively unfunny because there is no joke there. There is nothing to laugh at, unless you’re just laughing because you were reminded of Spaceballs, which you can laugh at independently of John Boyega in stormtrooper armor. In the meantime, Mel Brooks is probably busy laughing at all of you for reviving his “A black stormtrooper sheriff?!?” joke. This is the exact same mob reaction he poked fun at in Blazing Saddles. And he did it forty damn years ago.
You are also overlooking the fact that Boyega is an incredible actor, and such a welcome addition to the Star Wars universe. And the experience is already being soured for him by making #BlackStormtrooper a hashtag. Thankfully, he has chosen to take the detractors with good humor. Here was his response:
Look at that smiley face. That’s how it’s done.
3) Lens Flare. Ugh, J.J. Abrams ruins everything he touches with lens flare.
THERE WAS ONE. And it was pretty darned subtle. And… it’s just a visual trademark? Who cares? Why is this the hill we die on? Fine, it was overused in Star Trek, that doesn’t change the fact that the use of lens flare has no bearing on whether the movie will be good. Seriously. It’s an effect. It is so unimportant. Heck, I’m not a fan of George Lucas’ penchant for wipes as scene transitions, but that still has no bearing on how good a Star Wars film is.
4) The hell is that voiceover about?
Yeah… I’m kinda with you on this one. It sort of sounds like Andy Serkis spent too much time listening to Smaug when they filmed the Hobbits? (Excited to see him in the movie no matter what.) Eh. Still nothing to do with the film’s quality in the end.
5) THAT LIGHTSABER GUARD IS SO DUMB
Why?
Look, it’s okay to fear change. We all do it. But come on—the lightsaber is basically a laser broadsword. Broadswords need crossguards. And the entire crossguard is not made from the energy blade, so no, it’s not a danger to the user. I kinda always wondered why they didn’t have them. It looks cooler not to have them, maybe, but it doesn’t change the fact that it makes sense to have one.
Also, lightsabers are allowed to change. They are a weapon, and weaponry is always modified and redesigned to suit new and different users. We’ve seen double-bladed ones, and spinny ones, and lightwhips, and there will probably be others down the line. This is not a big deal.
(FYI, it was a thing that someone already conceived in the EU, too. Different schematic, but same idea. And this was created by a cool person/sword designer as an improvement over what he saw, but ultimately the point still stands: crossguards are cool.)
6) It’s too sparse.
YOU SAW LESS THAN TWO MINUTES OF FOOTAGE. Less than two minutes that were chosen to give you the least amount of info possible. Also, sparse might not be a bad thing. They’ve got an entire trilogy to build up the space battles and sundry. Of course, if you’re really hurting, here’s the “George Lucas Edition” of the trailer:
So… now that we’ve gotten all that out of the way, let’s talk about what we saw, and what we can infer from it:
We are seeing modified Imperial gear, which means one of two things—either the Empire is still around in some form, or another group has adapted their equipment to their purpose. Before anyone says that’s unlikely: when the Empire fell, there was a lot of stuff left lying around. Weaponry, ships, armor, an entire infrastructure. Something or someone was bound to recycle it, or reappropriate it for a cause. The prequels gave an excellent example of this already, showing the Republic ships morph into more Imperial-looking configurations by Episode III. So it’ll be interesting to see what this all means.
On the other hand, we get that shot of the Falcon evading some TIE fighters. Which means we can easily bet that whoever these people are, they’re not the good guys by and large. What does that mean for John Boyega’s character? Is he a defector? Is he using the armor as a disguise? Something even more complex?
Rolly droid! This gets a big thumbs up for me in terms of technological advancement in the series. It makes sense that new astromech droids would be smaller, and the rolling helps them bounce over your average landscape obstacles, making them more mobile than our dear old R2. Though I’m sure he’ll have a few choice words about the new models on film.
Daisy Ridley really does look like Han and Leia’s daughter, still. We have zero confirmation on that end, but it does seem weird to cast someone who looks so at home in the Skywalker line, and then make her entirely unrelated to the original crew.
It is relevant that the X-Wing pilot we see (Oscar Isaac) has a uniform that bears the Rebel Alliance insignia. Whether it is still a symbol being used by rebels, or it has been appropriated by a new government (a la the New Republic in the Expanded Universe) is still a mystery.
If they keep with Lucas’ rules on lightsaber colors, the person wielding the fancy new one would have to be a Sith, or at least a Dark Side user. What I like about the cross guard is that it gives us a window into what we might expect from this character’s fighting style. Possibly a less martial arts-influenced technique?
So what little we got here is properly intriguing! And I can’t wait for more. But more importantly, I’m not willing to decide whether or not it’s going to be good yet. Because there is no possible way to tell.
I guess that puts me in the Cautiously Optimistic camp? Either way, it’s Star Wars. I can’t imagine I will give up my lightsaber any time soon.
Emmet Asher-Perrin just already loves this new stormtrooper guy, and really needs everyone to calm down. You can bug her on Twitter and Tumblr. Read more of her work here and elsewhere.
the lightsaber is basically a laser broadsword
I alweays saw it as more of a katana.
The only thing that I’m wary of with the crossguard lightsaber (if it is indeed a crossguard and not, say, an exhaust due to a poorly constructed and/or overclocked lightsaber) is that if it caught the blade of another saber, it would travel down the blade until it cut off one of the T’s and then sliced the user’s hand off. The side blades would never catch another lightsaber if it traveled along the main path.
But I’m firmly in the “cautiously optimistic” group, with this teaser having increased my optimism for the movie. Abrams has directed some of my favorite movies (Star Trek, Mission Impossible 3) and one of the worst movies of the past decade (Star Trek Into Darkness)…so this one could go either way. But I’m going to keep my hope up until proved otherwise.
I read an article saying “The lightsaber crossguard makes sense/is long overdue because it would prevent an enemy’s blade from sliding down and cutting the wielder’s hand,” and I thought, “What?” Lightsabers cut through pretty much anything. Surely a lightsaber blade could cut through the material of a lightsaber hilt quite easily. So a physical crossbar or guard would provide no protection at all. (I think we have at least once seen a scene where one person’s lightsaber was cut in two by another saber’s blade, but I’m not SW-savvy enough to recall for sure.)
I’m more concerned about the risk that those little energy blades sticking out on the sides could impale the wielder if he brings it in too close to his body.
SITH KURGEN
I have to agree with hihosilver28 above. The problem with the crossguard lightsaber isn’t that it changes the lightsaber (though, admittedly, why change what is arguably the most iconic thing from the series?), but that it just wouldn’t work. If it was meant to catch a lightsaber traveling down the blade (are there any instances in which lightsabers slide along the blade of another saber? Seems to me the immediately lock up) the lightsaber part of the crossguard would have to emit directly from the hilt…in which case it probably WOULD just cut off your hand. The crossguard is just entirely useless. It’s just there for eye-candy, to look cool, and THAT is disappointing.
I can’t say I’m in the cautiously optimistic group. I was in that group before the trailer. Now I’m in the, “Oh god, I need another trailer. Please convince me you haven’t ruined this with additional silly things like a useless crossguard on a lightsaber.” I just feels so like Star Trek Into Darkness that I’m a little nervous now.
There are seriously, SERIOUSLY people saying a Stormtrooper can’t be black? What in the world…?? Even then, we don’t know he’s a Stormtrooper. Honestly, just that one clip makes me really interested in learning more about him. So, good job JJ.
The saber is stupid, I’m sorry. I get that he’s trying to get the reaction that Maul’s or Grievous’ multiples got, but it’s a bit too far from reality for me. The cross guard has a specific and non-lethal purpose. How are you NOT going to gore yourself on your own cross “guards” on this? How are you not going to accidentally stab yourself in your thigh or cut holes in your cloak? So ultimately it comes across as trying too hard instead of a natural evolution of the saber. If they were supposed to just stop another saber, why are they not mini force fields? No way you’re doing legitimate lethal damage to someone else with those weeny sabers.
I honestly don’t feel one way or another about this yet. Not really enough info to know.
@3: Do you mean the scene in The Phantom Menace where Darth Maul’s double-bladed saber is cut in half? (Around four minutes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQxrJBNQg4A) Because that saber was yet another part of Star Wars that looked cool but made no real sense…
@wiredog – Eh, In terms of fight choreography, it definitely lends itself more to a broadsword discipline in the original trilogy. We get martial arts influence in the prequels, but that’s just blended into everything else. Katanas tend to have a slight curve to the blade as well, which makes them different.
…also, katanas have crossguards too.
@hihosilver28 – You know, this is definitely one of the major arguments against, and I almost went with it too–but then I was thinking about it, and lightsabers practically never “slide” like that. It might have something to do with the energy aspect of the saber? They sort of bounce off each other or lock together rather than sliding. Which would make the lightsaber crossguard more a safety measure to prevent people from getting to your shoulders/arms without getting into an awkward position.
@3: That would have been Obi-Wan splitting Darth-Maul’s double-sword in The Phantom Menace.
@2: You can’t really compare this movie to Abrams’s Star Trek films. On those, Abrams and his collaborators Burk, Lindelof, Kurtzman, and Orci were in charge of the whole project, responsible for the producing, writing, and directing. But here, Abrams is working alongside different collaborators. He’s directing the film; he’s written it alongside Lawrence Kasdan (co-writer of The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, and Raiders of the Lost Ark); and he, Burk, and Kasdan are producing it alongside Kathleen Kennedy (current Lucasfilm head and producer or executive producer of most of Spielberg’s films). There’s no involvement at all from Lindelof, Kurtzman, or Orci.
And, of course, Abrams is only directing this one SW film and has no involvement with the others that are in the works. Episodes VIII & IX are slated to be written and directed by Looper‘s Rian Johnson, and the spinoff films are slated to be directed by Gareth Edwards and Josh Trank. Kennedy is the only name attached to all the upcoming films at this point.
So I think the main creative vision behind the new generation of Star Wars films is going to be Kathleen Kennedy’s, not J.J. Abrams’s. Abrams will certainly contribute a lot to The Force Awakens, but collaborating with Kasdan and Kennedy is bound to bring a different alchemy than his collaboration with Lindelof and K/O on the Trek films.
Not to mention that Abrams’s job is different here. On Trek, he was given free rein to reinvent the universe from the ground up and make it his own. Here, he’s charged with making a faithful continuation of the universe as it already exists.
@7: Star Wars has never been about making sense. Frankly, I think people overthink it when they try to take it seriously as a plausible universe. The whole thing was never meant to be anything more than an homage to Flash Gordon and the other fantasy-adventure serials that George Lucas watched as a kid. It was never even remotely intended to be a plausible science-fiction universe. The opening line of every movie, “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away,” is telling us up front that it’s a fairy tale, and fairy tales aren’t meant to hold up to detailed scientific analysis.
All due apologies to Ms. Asher-Perrin, but the new lightsaber is bad for all of the reasons already mentioned. I loved everything else in the teaser, though, and I can’t wait for the new film.
I’m with everyone else on the lightsaber. The crossguard has a non-bladey bit so that is a point of weakness as that can be chopped off by the other guy’s blade.
The way to explain it is go get a sword (or use a garden cane, and a lot of imagination, if you don’t have one lying around for some reason). Now construct your cross guard of two bowie knives attached with a lump of soggy bread to the handle. Not only is the other guy going to be able to slah through your doughy attachments, but the knives are at risk of stabbing you everytime you take a swing. It seriously limits mobility.
Apart from that; given the overuse of lens flare in his previous productions, and how hypersensitive everyone is to it, maybe JJ ought to have just left it out entirely. He has plenty of other signature tricks he can use that are not so immediatly offputting.
The black stormtrooper? Uh, I don’t care. I care more about the fact his neck armor looks so ill fitting for the size of his head. Looks like it is going to pop his head right off.
Everything else? Well, while I do want more context, I’m well aware that this is just a teaser and the more spoilerific trailers are some way down the road. I will be upset if we get to release date without a trailer that gives out the meat of the conflict and set up, but not right now.
I am in the cautiously optomistic, or at least the only reluctantly pessimistic, camp. To quote Fox Mulder “I want to believe!“. I am ready to be sold on it. Really, the only thing yanking my unsuspending my disbelief is that self-stabbing lightsaber. If the crossguard didn’t have little protruding mounts for the sideblades, I might even be willing to give up that. Make the crossguard blade-emitter an internal part of the hilt (something that could be done in post) and I’ll call it good enough.
@10: I agree. Star Wars is supposed to light and entertaining and improbable. The only one of those that isn’t really negotiable is “entertaining”. The trailer has not, to me, depicted “entertainment” but shows events which may be linked to something fun. Put me down as true neutral.
I’m firmly in the cautiously optimistic camp based on that trailer. Is the “international trailer” with a brief shot of a bearded Mark Hamill in an Obi-Wan-like robe real or fanmade ?
Also, I am clearly not the only person to see that initial shot of the fellow in the Stormtrooper-like armour in the desert looking deeply stressed and mentally dub in “Oh no, those were the droids we were looking for!”
Well, to the 10-year old primary demographic of this movie, the crossguard popping out of the hilt had the intended effect. I can validate this, since I watched the trailer with 3 9-11 year olds.
But yes,its dumb and makes no sense from a physics standpoint. The energy beams don’t slide, for starters. Ever. Not in one shot on screen. And obviously, if there are two more crystals encased in the hilt of the saber at the crossguard then it wouldn’t stop a lightsaber anyway, only the beams would. Not to mention it would throw off the balance of the saber in all of the forms we have seen. Which leads me to:
Its not a crossguard. It serves a different purpose. And the lightsaber is weighted more like a broadsword, which means the fighting style will be chopping and stabbing, less elegant. Less civilized. This is a character-building design. The Inquistor is going to be a sneaky brute.
Yay for cautiously optimistic. That lightsaber….it’s very clear right now they’re just going for a “cool” factor. Let’s reserve judgement until we see it in action. It’s all about the action.
@12: I don’t think “everyone” is oversensitive to Abrams’s use of lens flare, just a small, vocal bunch on the Internet and a bunch of other people who’ve kept the joke alive because they think repeating a tired gag for the fifty millionth time is funny. Personally, I hardly notice it when I watch his Trek films. Hopefully Abrams is smart enough not to change his approach just because of some petty griping on the Internet. No matter what you do creatively, someone’s going to dislike it, so being hypersensitive to criticism is a recipe for disaster.
Also, of course, his use of lens flare in Trek was meant specifically as a visual pun on Trek’s “bright future.” So there’s no reason to expect him to use it anywhere near as much in Star Wars.
As for Boyega’s collar size, could that be a clue that he’s not really a Stormtrooper but is disguised in someone else’s uniform?
My question with the crossguard is what happens if it gets to near your body during a fight. Normal metal, that’s a non issue, energy based I could see it causing periperal cuts. I’d like to see one that projects a miniature shield along the front of a hilt t0 form a basket hilt, like a rapier or claybeg. A rapier would also open up posibilities of fighting with a smaller blade and open up espada y’ daga techniques.
To everyone who said that the opponent could slice right through the cross guard: Someone somewhere (unfortunately, I can’t remember who or where) already pointed out that there are materials in the Star Wars universe that can at least offer some resistance to lightsabers. I’d assume that the mid-part of the cross guards is made of something like that and serves the purpose of “bouncing” the blade over to the lightsaber-y parts, which can withstand it indefinitely.
Also, the whole point of lightsabers is that they’re far too dangerous for anyone without Jedi training and force powers to handle. So “stabbing yourself” really shouldn’t be an issue.
Of course, we’ll all find out eventually. I shall remain firmly in the “carefully optimistic” camp until then.
I don’t get why you would conflate the fact that people say “stormtroopers look a certain way because they’re clones” with racism. It would be racism if someone said, “stormtroopers can’t be black because black people are dumb” or something. It’s not racism. It’s just people who don’t know their Star Wars lore. It wasn’t that long ago that I learned that not all storm troopers are clones either. It’s not a crime to not know everything about the Star Wars universe.
Nothing that has been established in a movie or the Clone Wars cartoon. Mandalorian armor was established as resistant to lightsabers and other energy weapons in the EU, but the Clone Wars cartoon trampled all over what had been established in the EU regarding Mandalorians long before Lucasfilm/Disney announced that nothing established int he EU would be considered canon moving forward.
5) THAT LIGHTSABER GUARD IS SO DUMB
Why?
Because it’s more a danger to the user, and a master bladesmith agrees with me. Maybe it will look COOL AS HELL, and really that’s what matters, but from a practical standpoint, it’s ignorant.
Daisy Ridley really does look like Han and Leia’s daughter, still.
To quote someone elsewhere, she looks like you put Natalie Portman and Carrie Fisher in a blender. She’s absolutely Leia’s daughter. And considering the Falcon is also seen on Tatooine here, yeah, I’m guessing Han’s too.
My issue with this movie, was spelled out perfectly in your article on the problems with NuTrek. Abrams exclusion of McCoy demonstrates that he gets SHIPPING, not RELATIONSHIPS. And the character relationships are why the OT had such staying power, the effects were cool, but so were the ones in original Clash of the Titans and it never had the impact Star Wars had.
@19, That material is cortosis ore, and it triggers a feedback loop in the circuitry that causes the lightsaber to shut down.
Colbert had thing, where he says it’s all one blade, that the side vents are just that, vents, and if the blade chops through the protective piece, the vent blade still exists to stop the blade’s travel.
So there’s that.
Of course, like I said, what really matters, is whether it looks cool when in use.
Wouldn’t it be great though if this is a giant lampshade? And this guy gets cut down in seconds because of his ignorant blade?
@20, It’s the same reasoning that led people to believe that Rue couldn’t possibly be black.
It’s a reflexive refusal to allow POC room to exist, without demanding special explanation for their existence, that is the very backbone upon which our modern systems of racism are built.
The racism of today is not the overt racism of decades past, with burning crosses and open expressions of bigotry. It’s a more insidious racism, that slyly equates POC with criminality, that repeatedly demands special explanation for their inclusion, that complains about attempts to increase diverse representation, that perpetuates “joke stereotypes” about the diets, appearance and activities predominantly done by POC.
You know what would look really cool? If those two side blades started spinning around the hilt and creating some kind of laser cup guard.
And what gets me is pretty simple here; we still have no idea what this movie is. We are a whole year from finding out.
It’s even better than that. With more than a year to go before release date, it would be fair to say that the movie isn’t anything yet.
Let me repeat that: the finished movie does not exist yet.
They have not made a whole movie, then boiled it down to a trailer.
They have built a trailer from bits of a work in progress. Regardless of what the trailer looks like, the movie as a whole is still a work in progress. You can’t say if the movie is good or bad yet because the movie isn’t anything yet.
Regarding the lightsaber crossbar:
A better design would be a U-shaped crossbar, bent towards the tip of the blade, with cross-blades projecting *inward* so they meet the main blade.
@24
Except the simple expectation of clones in star wars to look a certain way has nothing to do with that. People have expectations, and when reality doesn’t conform to those expectations, they react. No need to start slapping racist labels on people simply because they had the wrong idea about something.
@22: Again, the screenplay for this film is not by J.J. Abrams — it’s by J.J. Abrams and Lawrence freaking Kasdan. It is so bizarre to me that every Star Wars fan seems to be ignoring the fact that the co-writer of the best Star Wars film ever (and the best Indiana Jones film ever) is also co-writing this one.
Honestly, fans today are so frustrating. They seem to have forgotten that fandom is supposed to be about enjoying stuff and being excited about stuff. All anyone wants to do anymore is look for things to complain about. Whatever happened to fun?
@24: You’re right about this. The modern approach to racism is to try to pretend that racism does not exist and has never existed, as a way of trying to hide the fact that it does and did. When I commented on another board about the progress this trailer represents in its inclusion, some people replied “What progress?” as if they’d forgotten that the original 1977 film had an all-white cast (aside from voiceovers).
@25: The Inquisitor in Star Wars Rebels has a double-bladed spinning lightsaber with a ring-shaped hilt, and it’s the stupidest weapon I’ve ever seen. It’s so obvious that it was just designed to be a toy. The Inquisitor’s supposed to be this utter badass, but any amateur could do damage with a lightsaber spinning like a propeller in front of him. (Although, granted, you’d probably need a fair amount of training to keep it from flying out of control and slicing your own head off. But then, that’s another reason why it’s a really, really stupid design.) Compared to that monstrosity, a crossbar lightsaber is nothing.
I was cautiously optimistic prior to this trailer, though I like Abrams A LOT more than most people who post here, faults and all. This trailer made me giddy because:
a) It got me nostalgizing Star Wars and wanting to pop it back in, or at least play the soundtrack
b) It made me want to know what was going on, and who these new characters were (and yes, Very Cool that none of them are white guys)
c) What was shown, had a sense of urgency to it. Well, I dunno about the rolling astromech. But the other shots? Definitely. And that shot of the Falcon just left me dizzy with glee
(I’m well aware that when I first saw the Phantom Menace preview I flipped for it too.)
@26: to be fair, that’s many a movie these days. Although I admit I was surprised we got this one so far in advance.
@28: Surely not every SW fan feels that way :) I’m stoked Kasdan is co-writing. (Hope I can read the abandoned script by Michael Arndt one day.)
@27
Except the simple expectation of clones in star wars to look a certain way has nothing to do with that.
It has EVERYTHING to do with that, and your inability to understand that, means you aren’t GETTING that.
The automatic assumption of white as the default IS racist.
@28, If they Kennedy didn’t WANT a JJ Abrams movie, she would not have hired JJ Abrams. Fans being trepidatious about SEEING a JJ Abrams movie, is the price you pay when you make the decision to hire JJ Abrams.
It’s that simple.
Yes, he’s not writing the screenplay. But I find your attempt to convey that, into some statement that he has NO creative control over HOW the characters will come across on screen, laughable.
Whatever happened to fun?
JJ killed it with lens flare(I kid)
@27 can’t you see that the very fact of having an expectation that Stormtroopers are white, without ever having seen a Stormtroopers face (in the original trilogy) is significant? And that’s even before we saw Jango Fett.
The only argument I can think of in your favour is the name Stormtrooper itself.
@27
Not to deny that there are racists out there, but…
The fact that the stormtroopers are no longer clones has (as far as I know) never been confirmed outside of the EU – so the fact that it seems like the movies are confirming that is still noteworthy, and would be equally noteworthy if it was a white or Hispanic or anything person who clearly is not a Jango clone.
The fact that the stormtroopers are no longer clones has (as far as I know) never been confirmed outside of the EU
Except Clone Wars and Rebels. Or the fact that NONE of the Stormtrooper voices sound similar to one another, nor too Tem Morrison, who’s voice was used to redub Boba Fett’s lines in the OT.
The fact that the stormtroopers are no longer clones could explain why the supposed clones of Jango Fett, one of the greatest mercenaries in the galaxy, in the OT couldn’t shoot the broad side of a barn from the inside of the barn…
Until they re-dub every Stormtrooper with Temuera Morrison’s voice, I don’t assume that they are all still clones (please let me know if they already did that, I don’t own the Blu-Rays yet), or for that matter Maori-Scottish-Irish as Temuera Morrison is. Until anything is definitively established on-screen, the only assumption that can be drawn is that they are human.
Thank you for the excellent article! Perfect for the occasional SW watcher like me. Just enough to explain.
but, but,
Wait, no Leia, Han, or Luke? Phooey. Can they at least do a cameo? please?
Other than that, looks interesting, I’m not a major fan, so idk much anyway XD Looks neat. Hope it is good. Cautiously Optomistic here.
on a side note :)
@24 I didn’t picture Rue as ANY ethnicity, mainly because I read the series rather quickly the first time, and paid minimal attention to the description of the characters’ coloring, other than that Katniss was brunette, Prim blonde, and I had the vague idea that Peeta was blonde as well, but not until I saw the movie, went, “AH! Perfect for Katniss, Prim, Peeta (I was either way about Gale, I don’t think the books made him look that good ;) ) and when Rue finally came on scene, I said “YAY! perfect!”I don’t think the book ever specifically describes her as “Black” but it fits very well, and the actress was perfect. :D
No matter what ethnicity, unless it is a really jarring situation, like a specific description (in the above metioned example, yes, it would have been odd to have, say, Prim and Katniss be black. Prim is blonde.) just insert the actor who fits.
@38: Han, Leia, and Luke ARE in the film. Just not this teaser.
On the lightsaber: If the illogicality of a lightsaber feature is what makes you not want to see a movie, you might be overthinking things.
I may be wrong about this, but not all identical twins have the same voice. Some do, but most don’t. Since identical twins are natural clones, isn’t it possible that clones wouldn’t necessarily share the same voices and voice patterns? We can’t be sure about that, since there are no artificial human clones around, but our experience with identical twins would imply that it’s possible to have clones with different voices.
Also, if they still used clones as stormtroopers in the original trilogy, the part where Leia remarks that Luke is too short to be a stormtrooper would be retro-fridge-brilliance. But I still think there’s something in Attack of the Clones that says that their lifespan would be shorter than a normal human.
That many words on stormtrooper racism are a waste of time. I don’t believe there was any intelligent criticism leveled at the race of the character, so why bother to retort intelligently?
And Spaceballs was missing a real joke in almost every other scene too.
The saber clip had me shaking my head a little. I couldn’t place it at first, but it’s the actor’s exaggerated gesticulation that bothered me, not the design of the blade. On that note – we’re talking about a darksider here – both the unstable blade and unorthodox design fit well with a reckless trickster intent on instilling fear and confusion in an enemy – it looks mean, it’s iconic, and assuming the blades have height adjusters, it’s an unpredictable weapon.
So what if kendo swords/lightsabers don’t traditionally have crossguards? Darksiders aren’t bound by tradition, and it seems a good idea to tack one on, what with all the forearms force users tend to misplace. I hope it’s Leia inside that costume, rocking her Boushh vocoder.
@15 “Well, to the 10-year old primary demographic of this movie, the crossguard popping out of the hilt had the intended effect. I can validate this, since I watched the trailer with 3 9-11 year olds.”
YES, YOU ARE CORRECT, SIR! [/EdMcMahon]
I happen to stay away from nerds*-giving-themselves-piles straining to think of things to complain about, but THIS is the exact point. Star Wars isn’t about you, folks. Watch any small child having a blast with the toys for the prequels that you disdained – then talk to boomer parents/grandparents who find the “Holy Trilogy” to be flimsy trash to this day – and you’ll find that this kvetching (like everything else genre-scenesters do around here and elsewhere on the Internet) is meaningless.
Congratulations, you found two or three Twitter comments to disagree with on a teaser trailer and have decided on a hill to die on in the name of Che-Tee shirt Rebellion. I foresee this leading to another argument of navel gazing “fans” trying to argue how they want to control their children’s access to the material made for them (since they, as adults, couldn’t understand the appeal of the likes of the prequels, while Mos Eisley’s “Halloween Discount Rack” cantina still blows their minds) out of Dark Side-style hatred alone for not being able to control the universe of media…
Sorry, the crossguard is a little silly. Beacause (1): when two lightsabers connect, they stick to each other rather than being able to slide up each other’s blade, which is where you would want a crossguard, and (2), even if this is a new lightsaber technology that does allow blades to slide up each other, when the other person’s blade does slide up it won’t hit the lightsaber crossguard at all but rather the short handle that generates it. Oops.
@31 “The automatic assumption of white as the default IS racist.”
No. Not if you think all storm troopers are clones of a white guy. (Who, as the article itself points out, isn’t even that white. Just not “black”.) Because if they were, a black actor, or any other actor who doesn’t look similar to Jango Fett, couldn’t have played the role convincingly at all.
You’re just way too trigger-happy with the R-word.
Its been really fascinating to see everyone’s varying reactions to this. Before the trailer, my mentality was that expecting anything Star Wars to be any good ever again was akin to having the so-called “battered wife syndrome”; expecting things to be different THIS time just felt like setting myself up for more profound disappointment.
The trailer grew my Star Wars Grinch-heart three sizes though. I’m cautiously optimisitic now, even acknowledging that the lightsaber crossguard is impractical.
@40
Since identical twins are natural clones, isn’t it possible that clones
wouldn’t necessarily share the same voices and voice patterns?
But the movie already established that they did share that, so no.
@45 No. Not if you think all storm troopers are clones of a white guy. (Who, as the article itself points out, isn’t even that white. Just not
“black”.)
Except that it’s well established that storm troopers have NEVER been clones. The assumption that they must be means you a) aren’t paying attention(which isn’t a crime, but strange that you’d be commenting otherwise) or b) racist to assume they must be white.
isn’t even that white.
I’m just highlighting this for the wrongness. Instead of telling everyone else that they are too sensitive to racism, maybe consider, with statements like that, that perhaps you aren’t sensitive enough.
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There is a difference, in-universe, between Clone Troopers and Storm Troopers. Not interchangeable terms.
First of all – trailer = awesomeness. At least to me. I saw it on Friday on youtube with my sisters and parents…did not disappoint. Saw it again in cinema on Sunday, even better!!
Secondly…I’ve come to a couple of conclusions. Firstly, I’m apparently too much of a SW nerd, as the “not-cloneness” of Boyega’s character didn’t even phase me. Of course stormtroopers aren’t clones. I thought everyone knew that. The very first(i.e., EP III era troopers) were, but they very quickly had to be supplemented by actual recruits. And I never thought the OT presented the stormtroopers as clones. So – a bit confused by that whole point. Secondly…I apparently have too much optimism in humanity. One of my roommates mentioned a few days ago there was a backlash against a “black stormtrooper”. I didn’t even believe him until I started reading some online reviews and comments about the trailer. I don’t…I don’t understand. And it makes me sad. (Side-note…I *loved* the opening with startled Boyega. So so perfect to make us all think, “What exactly is going on??”)
Also – I’m super glad they didn’t show the original characters…they can save them for later trailers, but for now…this was perfect. This is new SW. And from the tone of the trailer…gosh, it’s getting me excited. I had such low expectations and…well, this did not help with keeping them low. Those X-Wings. :) That lightsaber. :) Rebel-insignia helmeted pilot. :) That music. :) That Falcon. :D I can’t wait, y’all.
Based on the Godzilla trailers, I thought that:
A. Bryan Cranston was actually in the film.
B. That the movie was going to be good.
You just can’t judge a film by a trailer alone. By the end of the Episode VII trailer, I was excited.
It was fantastic seeing non-white actors as the centerpiece.
I think that the film will be enjoyable. If nothing else, it’ll be fun.
It will not, despite everyone’s hopes and dreams, do what Episode IV did when it came out. Nothing can be what the original was, and nothing can fulfill the hope sprung from nostalgia.
Just sit back and enjoy it. Or not. You don’t have to buy a ticket. You just have to get out of my way.
@47
“Except that it’s well established that storm troopers have NEVER
been clones. The assumption that they must be means you a) aren’t
paying attention”
Which is really all that needs to be said. The assumption of racism is simply your own.
Even though the idea that it’s been “well established” is debateable. Just because it seems obvious to you doesn’t mean it does to everyone else.
@52, But if you are jumping into a discussion of a topic that you haven’t been paying attention to, to only complain about the race of a character, it’s not an assumption to say you’re engaging in racism. That’s observable fact.
Even though the idea that it’s been “well established” is debateable.
If having a completely different name that clone troopers isn’t enough to establish it for you, I really don’t see a point in continuing a conversation with you.
Cautiously optimistic.
I didn’t even notice the lens flare in the trailer, haha. But there was lens flare in Phantom Menace too, so I am not opposed to it. I think it can be a good effect.
Honestly, I thought the lightsaber was cool. I don’t care that it’s not practical. For all I know, that’s the point, and the wielder is just being showy and ‘edgy’.
It didn’t even cross my mind that the black stormtrooper was a Thing to be noticed or to be complained about/mentioned aside from the fact that I really want to know what his deal is! But I suppose it depends on the context. Do the people making a fuss about it even know that stormtroopers are clones of Jango in the first place and are just reacting reflexively to their default assumption of white troopers? Or are they saying, “I thought all the stormtroopers were clones of Jango” which, depending on your level of familiarity with the series, may be a reasonable assumption. Although considering how long after the Clone Wars all these movies (or even the originals) take place, it’s not that much of a leap to realize they would have found other stock or started recruiting, or that practices could change. At at any rate, to COMPLAIN or find fault with the fact that that this has happened IS an issue, I think.
I really want to see Gwendolyn Christie.
Okay I browsed through the comments, but has no one mentioned the fact that there is material in the Star Wars universe that’s lightsaber resistant? Also if you don’t think that’s the case with the hilt, then maybe take a look at Stephen Colbert’s explination, because it’s pretty perfect.
@55 Yep, both things were commented by Aeryl back in @23
And reading a bit more I saw somebody else explained both points :-)
@57, As I said, the issue with cortosis ore, is that from what I understand about it, it would deactivate the lightsaber using it as a crossguard.
@54,
I really want to see Gwendolyn Christie.
YES PLEASE. I’m holding out hope that was her with the saber(I know it was likely Adam Driver, but let me have my hope!)
@54
“If having a completely different name that clone troopers isn’t
enough to establish it for you, I really don’t see a point in continuing
a conversation with you.”
So, what? Just because two things have different names they can’t be made up of the same thing?
The clone troopers were the predecessors to the Storm Troopers. It seemed pretty likely to think that those who were clone troopers eventually became storm troopers. It’s not a very unreasonable connection to make. It’s one I know I made, and appearently a lot of others did too. I had understood that this was indeed a false assumption, since the empire appearantly started recruiting people who weren’t clones afterwards. And knowing this, I wasn’t at all surprised to see Boyega as a storm trooper.
I’d probably not have reacted to it otherwise either. Because i’d just assumed that, “well, maybe they aren’t all clones anymore, then.” But other people aren’t as thoughtful. And not thinking before you speak is not the same as being a racist.
“But if you are jumping into a discussion of a topic that you haven’t
been paying attention to, to only complain about the race of a
character, it’s not an assumption to say you’re engaging in racism”
If you have made an erronous assumption about something, not initially related to race, and then act on that assumption in a context where race is a factor, it’s not racism.
@39
Not illogicality, the impracticality! Different thing entirely. I’m quite prepared to accept illogical things, but they have to be practical to make up for that.
I can make an argument for a lightsaber with a metal crossbar, because it actually could help get a better grip on the handle and stop your own hands slipping up the blade (although it would do nothing to stop another blade coming down).
I can make an argument for a smaller blade coming directly out (although I think that would mean Jedi and Sith having to haul a bag full of replacement hands around…..oooh, cool thought. Can we not have a Jedi who has had his or her lightsaber implanted directly into their prosthetic hand/arm) to be an actual functional block. Although it would have to be short to avoid being a hindrance in a fight otherwise you’d lop bits out of your own thighs, shoulders, and possibly give yourself a disembowelling.
What we have with this is the worst aspects of both designs. In this case, we have long jutting sideblades, and teeny tiny little projections that will protect nothing. One or the other, less is more.
The clone army was necessary in order to build an army in secret. Clone Troopers were the core of the Army of the Republic.
Once the Republic was declared a Galactic Empire ( an act in which Yoda was complicit- he immediately legitimized the Empire by referring to Palpatine as “The Emperor,” setting the Rebellion back 20 years ), the need for secret recruitment was ended. By Episode IV, Stormtroopers formed the core of the Imperial Army. It is likely that Stormtroopers were a mix of clones and recruits. It’s also likely that the Empire found additional candidates for clone source material.
As far as the lightsaber goes, Jedi and Sith traditionally build their own weapons. For the Sith, intimidation might be a design choice. Or, an untutored warrior may very well be an incompetent weaponsmith.
@59, And not thinking before you speak is not the same as being a racist.
We are all indoctrinated into a racist culture, so yes, speaking before we think through the racist implications of what we say, IS RACIST.
Secondly, you are conflating acting racist with being racist, which is not an argument anyone has made. We aren’t talking about people, we are talking about actions and behaviors, which means we aren’t attacking people, but the things they do.
You are also doing the thing a lot of people do in these discussions, acting as if the accusation of racism, is as bad as being the victim of it.
So stop doing that, okay? Stating that what someone did “was racist” is not passing judgement on them. It’s stating “Hey wow, you didn’t think about what you said and the implications people who’ve had different life experiences could take from it”. That’s it.
But you, sitting here acting like being informed about acting racist is the worst thing you could say about a person, that’s problematic as hell. It’s prioritizing the feelings of those who perpetuate oppression, over the feelings of those that suffer from it.
And ALL of us have to do this, white people, people of color, everyone. We have to engage critically about the things we think “without thinking” because those things reveal the biases we haven’t yet examined.
If you have made an erronous assumption about something, not initially related to race, and then act on that assumption in a context where race is a factor, it’s not racism.
But the entire reason the “erroneous assumptions” even got brought up, was racism. People were outraged about the black stormtrooper, and went seeking erroneous assumptions to justify that outrage. You keep putting one in front of the other, but that’s not how it works.
But you’ve continued to demonstrate a great deal of insensitivity to this topic, and refused to examine your own problematic statements and how they indicate your insensitivity, so I’m going to stop right here. The past few weeks have been pretty tough ones in regards to race here in the US, and I’m not getting myself worked up over something this trivial(and obvious).
But the person being discusses here, John Boyega, the young man of color who’s life experience surely makes him a better expert on racism than you or I, saw the racism for exactly what it was, perhaps THAT is something you would consider?
The whole trailer is just a commercial for Good Humor Ice Cream.
The Good Humor man hears the ice cream truck and pops into frame realizing he is late for work. Then soccerball droid runs for ice cream. Then a transport of armored Good Humor men ready to deploy.
Then the local fudgcicle distributer speeds away. Then a trio of ice cream having pilots doing rooster tails across a lake with joy.
Then the villain of ice cream in a vanilla bean forest swatting at floating blots of ice cream with a red stir paddle. Then the Millenum Falcon doing some evasive manovers to deliver premium ice cream treats through an embargo set up by the rival ice cream company using tie fighters.
it is so obvious.
It’s odd that no one has brought up the “black Vulcan” arguments — maybe because that was pre-Twitter. (Was that the USENET days? I’m getting old.) A lot of people were upset that Tim Russ was playing Tuvok in Voyager, not because POC shouldn’t be on TV, but because black skin was a genetic adaptation unique to Earth and even if equatorial Vulcans had some kind of adaptation, it would be unique to Vulcan, and not look like an African human. My view, looking back now, is that even if the in-universe argument makes some sense, it should be (and was) overridden by the real-world need to embrace diverse casting.
Now, my gut feeling is that George Lucas did not deliberately exclude POC from the cast of the first 3 Star Wars movies*, but that they were simply not present in the pool of actors and extras offered up by the casting directors, A) because this was 1975, and people generally know other people like them**, so the white casting directors mostly knew white agents who mostly knew white actors, and B) most of the casting was done in England, which is way more white than the US.
(*This does not explain putting a Step-n-Fetchit charicature in Episode One.
**I think it was Pauline Kael who said, writing about Nixon’s re-election, “that’s impossible — I don’t know anyone who voted for him.”)
But even if Lucas did not deliberately exclude POC, they were excluded and it is good to rectify that ASAP. So I think that, even if Storm Troopers were still all clones in the IV/V/VI era, it’s darn well time that the Empire diversify, because the real world needs it to do so.
(Likewise, Lucas did not deliberately set out to make the Empire xenophobic and prejudiced against non-humans. It’s just that makeup is expensive and time-consuming and hard to do convincingly. So the majority of characters are humans. The authors of the EU apparently turned this accident of casting into a storytelling virtue–that the Empire was speciesist. However, that does not mean that another accident of real-world-1975 industry practices– all white–needs to be similarly embraced.)
I thought the trailer was pretty good for what little there was to see. But yes, Abrams has in the past been too reliant on the old lens flare effect. He’s admitted as much in interviews. Hopefully he’ll dial it back for Star Wars.
Nothing wrong with an occasional flare, but with the amount he placed them in Star Trek… well, it reminds me of a teacher I had in design school. He banned us from using the effect in our projects. He said it was too often used as a crutch, a sign the designer wasn’t quite professional. And I agree.
As for the black stormtrooper, I don’t think ALL the reactions against it are racist but rather unimaginative. It’s something fans have never seen before and doesn’t compute for every one of them. It did for me however. Because it’s a different era, and the Empire, which was strongly implied as a racist, Nazi-like empire (“Where are you taking this… thing?”) could be experiencing a manpower shortage after decades of defeats at the hands of the Rebels. Thus, they may be desperate and not as picky as they once were. Now the other “things” may make good soldiers. (Think Germany 1945.)
@64 Well said. Thank you.
Any chance this can be the last word on this argument?
I can’t find any racist comments relating to this on twitter, or in any articles which reference this issue. I can’t even find anyone tweeting at another person who wrote a racist tweet.
What I did find was people complaining about a “black stormtrooper” from a bogus Star Wars trailer, which featured a CGI Jedi stormtrooper in black armor, essentially a TIE pilot without insignia or a helmet rebreather, wielding a lightsaber – did people mistake the comments directed at the fake trailer as being related to Boyega’s character? Haha! That would be hilarious.
If anyone knows of any actual racist comments out there (erroneous beliefs that all troopers are supposed to be Jango clones is not racist), please link me to an article, or something.
Here’s the bogus trailer, for those who haven’t seen it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51l2e7GlyNg
EDIT: Ok, I found one racist guy chiming in – Reactionary Radec, whose tweet was pasted into an MTV article – but his comment got 2 retweets, 5 likes, and no replies. “Unlikeable Racist Tweets Another Racist Tweet: No One Listens” is not headline news, nor is it a controversial storm of opinion.
Also, there’s a very small percentage of ineloquent trolls on the youtube comment thread for the official trailer – again, not surprising, or particularly noteworthy. If we had an article for every time an idiot of no consequence had an opinion, well, I suppose we’d have an internet.
I do understand the confusion regarding the stormtrooper not looking like Jango Fett, since the 6 core movies never clearly stated that the difference between “clone trooper” and “storm trooper”, not to mention that even in Expanded Universe and other media, it’s said that the remaining “clone troopers” were incorporated into Stormtrooper Corps. Since we never saw how most of the stormtroopers in episodes IV-VI looked like, we never got a firm basis of what the ratio of clones to non-clone humanoids was. We did see how the other imperial officers and soldiers looked like, and they were mostly white, but still, that didn’t show how the troopers looked like.
What I don’t understand is how could one think that the stormtroopers should also be white, since the only true troopers we saw without their helmets looked like Jango Fett, whose actor (Temuera Morisson) is part Maori.
Also, @64, George Lucas didn’t exclude POC from the first three star wars movies. Lando Calrissian is black, as far as I can tell. And in the prequel trilogy, I’m pretty sure I saw Samuel L. Jackson playing the role of a Jedi. His name was Mace Windu, in case you forgot.
This is pretty great too.
http://youtu.be/v93Jh6JNBng
Emily, you are my very favorite writer on this whole website.
That’s all I really wanted to say, and then I read the comments. But then I read even more comments and now I feel to tired to respond to even those comments.
But–as far as lightsabers sliding, I’m pretty sure Obi-Wan slid his blade down one of Grievous’ lightsabers and that’s how he cut off one of his hands.
How does the ball droid’s head stay on? I don’t care, it’s still cute. And I still think its beeping sounds vaguely Jar Jar-esque.
@68,
Check out the throne room scene at the end of ANH. Or the cantina scene–lots of aliens, not a single non-caucasian human. Any POC rebel pilots in the briefing room on Yavin IV? Or on Hoth when Leia was explaining the escape plan? Or when Mon Mothma explains the plan of attack? Any POC in Cloud City (OK, 2 security guards, it seems). Any Imperial officers on either Death Star, or any Star Destroyer ever?
So not all stormtroopers are clones? Bummer.
That puts paid to my theory that maoris are the most populous ethnic group in the universe:
– all of the stormtroopers in Star Wars
– most of the thuggish extras in Xena
– many of the orcs in LOTR
I’m glad the internet didn’t exist when the first trilogy came out…
I’m just going to enjoy the film for whatever it is, and hope that with Kasdan involved it gets the characters right. Star Wars is space opera that doesn’t care about science; it’s just for fun. You’d think people would remember that but maybe too many parsecs have passed since they first saw it. ;)
@67:
Please stop fact checking things. Its ruining the narrative.
@67, Go read the comments at The MarySue article that broke that tweet, and you’ll see plenty more examples.
@73, I just read the wikipedia article on the orginal SW–there was enough other input from friends, “interference” from the studio, etc., that I am convinced that Lucas just got incredibly lucky, and never knew what he had done to capture lightning in a bottle even the first time. The new trilogy is not an aberration, it’s what the original movies would have been like too if Lucas had been rich enough to tell everyone else with an opinion to f*off.
Why does the clone/storm issue even matter when it’s at least 90% that this guy isn’t any more a stormtrooper than Luke and Han were when they wore the armor, anyhow?
And even if the generator part of the crossbar is made from saber-proof metal (which raises the question of why Maul’s staff’s middle wasn’t as well), why not just make the entire crossbar from that rather than having the saber spurs? What possible good is it ever going to do the wielder to have short energy spikes at right angles to the blade? They’re not going to make deflecting blasterfire any easier; that’s something that nobody with any kind of force ablities ever has much of a problem with.
Unless they actually shoot out little lightsaber-javelins. Now that could be cool.
@77, I think following a stormtrooper who defects as the main character is much more compelling than the argument that he’s in disguise, but that’s just me.
@74 – Haha.
@75 – I see one guy opining that a multi racial cast feels like “pandering,” and a couple of commenters (who do not appear to be overtly racist) arguing about canon. The remainder of the commments are positive, and openly supportive of Boyega. In fact, every cited tweet (besides the one by Reactionary Radec) is positive and supportive (or a joke made by a person of color).
To be clear – I’m in no way suggesting that racism is an acceptable practice, or that instances of racism should be ignored. I’m certain that some people out there hate Boyega simply because he is black, because I’m certain that racists exist, but I’m also suspicious that in this case, the media at large bit down hard on a very, very slight shred of troll bait, and presented it as a full course dinner.
@76 – Spot on. Though, perhaps a little cynical – I’d say his initial success hinged on a directorial style forced by technological limitations, and on the limited assertions of a young director.
what might make sense is to have a metal crossbar directly behind a lightsabre crossbar. The lightsabre part stops your opponents lightsabre from reaching the hilt, while the metal part stops your hands from sliding up the hilt. The base of the metal part might be a tube that has to be replaced fairly frequently as it is likely to be damaged in use. However by fully enclosing the lightsabre it minimises the chance of injuring yourself if your hand slips during combat, for example if your opponent blocks you. If you stab someone with a kitchen knife your hand tends to slide up onto the blade when it hits bone resulting in cuts to the fingers, which is why combat knives have crossguards.
It could also be a Parierhaken “parrying hooks” a sort of pair of short blades sticking out a little up the sword blade at the top of the Ricasso (an unshapened section at the base of the blade). This is a feature mainly seen in very large two handed longswords such as
Zweihänder and flame bladed swords. Basically they are designed to catch the opponent’s blade.
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I very firmly believe that asking whether Star Wars tech makes sense is about as worthwhile as asking whether a particular brand of capricola can support 1040p resolution. That is not what it is for. It hasn’t been about making sense since the Empire built a massive battlestation that could be destroyed by a single torpedo, filled it with bottomless pits without handrails, and revenged its destruction with assault troop transports that would have difficulty with mild inclines. Star Wars tech is about how it makes you feel, not how it makes you think. It’s about making the space wizards look cool.
That said.
Y’all seem to be forgetting that there is a canonical lightsaber-proof metal in the Star Wars universe. We saw General Grievous’s Magnaguards wielding electrostaffs made from it in both Episode III and the Clone Wars. Its name (phrik) is extracanonical, but its presence is firmly established. Wookieepedia saith, “Electrostaffs were weapons created for Revenge of the Sith out of George Lucas’s desire for a non-lightsaber melee weapon that could combat a lightsaber.” I don’t think the weapon needs an explanation, but if it wants one it has it, and if phrik entered into wider use it could have interesting implications for the rest of the universe. (Stormtroopers in phrik armor? Hmmm.)
As for the danger to the wielder, remember that the wielder is a Jedi (or a close cousin). Jedi are preternaturally aware of their bodies, their weapons, and the space around them. The lightclaymore isn’t going to chop through its wielder’s wrists simply because the wielder isn’t going to move it in a way that would bring that into question, any more than someone would cut off their fingers with a flying guillotine in a wuxia film. The lightsaber is an extension of the Jedi’s body, and just as Jedi don’t stick their fingers in their eyes Jedi don’t impale themselves on their lightsabers. A lot of tools are awkward to use, but a supernaturally skilled user can make them look elegant.
@@@@@ 62
“Secondly, you are conflating acting racist with being racist, which is not an argument anyone has made. We aren’t talking about people, we are talking about actions and behaviors, which means we aren’t attacking people, but the things they do. ”
Yet the intention behind the actions gets lost. And not everyone is going to think it’s just the “actions” that are the issue rather than the person who does it. In the real world, many people don’t make much of distinction between the two.
“You are also doing the thing a lot of people do in these discussions, acting as if the accusation of racism, is as bad as being the victim of it. ”
That’s a straw man. I never said anything was as bad (or worse) than anything else. But falsely accusing someone of racism is an issue. It cheapens the word, and it puts unnecessary pressure on people who don’t deserve it.
Something doesn’t have to be worse than something else to be bad. The end doesn’t justify the means. And what I’m questioning here is the logic behind the accusations. I believe honesty is allways important, and if you’re not honest about a situation, all sort of nasty shit can happen.
“But the entire reason the “erroneous assumptions” even got brought up, was racism. People were outraged about the black stormtrooper, and went seeking erroneous assumptions to justify that outrage. You keep putting one in front of the other, but that’s not how it works. ”
No. Again. This is your interpretation. YOU keep putting one in front of the other. Maybe somewhere, there was outrage about a black storm trooper being in the movie. But most, and pretty much all comments I’ve read myself, simply questioned the logic of having a black stormtrooper in the movie when they believed they were all clones of a guy who wasn’t as obviously black as John Boyega, after which they were immediately lectured about the Star Wars lore that said it wasn’t so. These are the comments I’ve seen people call racist. And it makes no sense.
And for the record, I found Boyegas reply to the whole thing pretty classy. Writing “To whom it may concern:” made a lot of sense.
All I want to say is that I REALLY hope that’s Adam Driver wielding the new hated-lightsaber because I went to school with that guy and I’m super excited to see him in this movie.
Actually, if you can spend some time (even on the internet) outside of circles such as TOR (and yes, I know, I know – this IS a Science Fiction and Fantasy site), you’ll realize that there’s a whole swath of the planet this past week that wouldn’t conceive of a trailer for this as one for the most anticipated movie of the coming decade (I suspect at this moment, for good or bad reasons, that would BvS:DOJ, although I suspect that for people who prefer the ‘excitedly waiting for’ definiton of anticipate might disagree) and who really haven’t given much thought to this teaser.
The only thing that matters to me about Boyega’s turn in this trailer is that he injected more real emotion into that one appearance than certain other we-shall-not-name-them-but-almost-everyone actors were able to muster in all their Star Wars scenes put together. Other than Hamill, I’m not sure any other actor in SW history has demonstrated the chops to convey that much real panic. That plus Kasdan on board puts me in the Cautious Optimism camp.
People say it’s J.J.’s movie. He may be directing, but oddly enough, everyone’s overlooking the most important name on the credits: Kathleen Kennedy. She’s the producer, she’s the showrunner for Lucasfilm. If there’s a word of god in these films, it’s hers. She’s the one Lucas picked to run this particular empire.
Sure, Kershner directed Empire Strikes Back and Kasdan helped write it, but it was still a George Lucas movie, true to the visual and story template he put together in the original film. This is the same situation as before. The way I see it, there’s nothing in this trailer to indicate it will deviate from the past six films.
If anything, I’m surprised there isn’t more backlash against the Fifa Soccer droid. I thought people despised the use of goofy battle droids in the prequels (even though they served a vital purpose).
@84,
In the real world, many people don’t make much of distinction between the two.
They may not, but they should and here most commenters do make these distinctions, so what are you complaining about?
I never said anything was as bad (or worse) than anything else.
You have repeatedly stated that the author and I are too sensitive to the issue of potential racism, instead of expressing concern over the racism itself. You didn’t have to say anything, your action speaks for itself.
I believe honesty is allways important, and if you’re not honest about a situation, all sort of nasty shit can happen.
If this were the case, you would not be on a crusade to disavow the common racism in the reactions to the trailer. This gentlemen highlights some more examples of this here.
This is your interpretation.
No, this is the reasoned evaluation of the situation from people who have spent a great deal more time than you educating themselves about how covert and overt racism manifests in our society, and how practiced racists are at attempting to couch their racism in acceptable terms, therefore getting well meaning, yet uneducated white people to defend them. The initial responses, as the video I linked above, were very racist, it was only AFTER that was called out, that they began grasping at whatever straws they could to couch their racism in concerns over “canon”.
It is identical to the reactions to the casting of Idris Elba as Heimdall, Tadanobu Asano as Hogun, Michael B Jordan as Johnny Storm, and Donald Glover’s suggestion that he could be Peter Parker.
of a guy who wasn’t as obviously black as
And I’m highlighting this statement, to again demonstrate the problem here is not that people are OVER sensitive to racism, but that you aren’t sensitive enough. There are ways to make statements about the ethnicity of actors that doesn’t attempt to only place ethnicity along a black-white spectrum, yet you’ve repeatedly ignored that. You refer to people as “not as white” or “not as black”. Tem Morrison, is a biracial Maori-Irish man. He is a Person of Color, not “isn’t even that white”, he is not white at all. He is also, not “not as obviously as black”, because he is not black.
You repeatedly reject people classifying statements as racist, yet demonstrate a great deal of ignorance about how very racist your own statements are(and this is not a statement that I feel you have racial animus, just noting that you have unthinkingly perpetuated racist thought). This failure to examine your biases is exactly the behavior being called out by the author of this article.
@89, As pointed out, the droid is an improvement over the Artoo models, mobile enough on terrain that hindered Artoo once his rockets were removed(and how long do you think it to Captain Antilles to do THAT), while staying portable enough that you don’t have to be a Force User to take an X-Wing on a jaunt, because you can’t put the astromech back in it’s socket without a hydraulic lift.
The beachball droid is goofy but practical (wildlife cameramen have been using variants of the camera-in-a-ball drone for a while now, so this is just a slight variant on that). The battle droid troopers were just plain goofy looking (the droid-dekkas {spelling?} were cool, but under used, though) and horrendously impractical for the purpose of being a battle droid. I suppose recent history has done them no favours either, I’ll admit, we now all have a good idea what battle droids (drones) look like and it isn’t a Disney character. It is all about the context something is put in.
@90 – “The initial responses, as the video I linked above, were very racist, it was only AFTER that was called out, that they began grasping at whatever straws they could to couch their racism in concerns over “canon”.”
Who are “they?”
The 4 or 5 insignificant racist trolls on the youtube comment thread (and one twitter user) didn’t try to backtrack or grasp for any straws, and they aren’t members of a unified racist coalition intent on causing widespread online news outlet controversy over the trailer – they’re just dime a dozen sadistic morons who feed off of online anonymity and frequent youtube comment sections.
A separate group of non-overtly racist Star Wars fans have calmly debated and edified each other on canon in separate forums (like this one) – we can’t say for certain that all of these individuals aren’t racist, but neither do we have any evidence to the contrary. In short, public racist reactions to the trailer were anything but common.
Just relax, man. Yes, racism exists, but TobbA’s first comment (#20) is clear, and not at all racist (just like the vast majority of comments on this issue), and the remainder of his comments are not racist. He is not one of the people posting hateful comments elsewhere. Conflating him (and others discussing clone troopers) with a very small handful of racist trolls is what distorted this whole thing in the first place.
I assume the ball droid “transforms” (dirty word) into a more conventional shape and uses ball-mode for movement on rough surfaces.
Yeah, the Destroyer Droids were pretty awesome, too bad the Trade Federation only had two otherwise they might have actually beat the Jedi and conquered Naboo. The roger-roger battle droids were pathetic, and obviously come from the same mind as “meesa no like” Jar Jar.
@92
we can’t say for certain that all of these individuals aren’t racist,
Good thing NOBODY here called any individual a racist, but instead only cited their behavior as racist.
and the remainder of his comments are not racist.
Several of his comments are racist, and I’ve illustrated clearly WHY they are, so instead of just responding “Nuh-uh” why don’t you address what I’ve said.
Conflating him (and others discussing clone troopers) with a very smallhandful of racist trolls is what distorted this whole thing in the first place.
And where did I(or anyone) do that? All of the comments about the racist reactions have been about just that, actions, not people, and everything I’ve said to him has been in response to his actions or the actions of others.
That you can’t make the distinction between judging an individual as A racist, or critiquing behavior as racist, doesn’t mean I’m wrong.
And again, the assumption, that a black man CAN’T be a stromtrooper because of some piece of canon that happens 60 years prior, whether or not it sunk in for you that the OT stormtroopers were never clones, is still racist. Things change, no matter the galaxy. 60 years ago here in the US a black man couldn’t be president. To make the assumption that because of the past things were like THIS, that means the present can’t be like THAT, is to be hampered by the prejudices of the past.
It doesn’t make you a hateful bigot, it means you have not examined your own internalized racism, but people who cannot or will not make this distinction are the problem in this situation, NOT the people who are observing that this reaction is racist.
Yeah, the Destroyer Droids were pretty awesome, too bad the Trade Federation only had two otherwise they might have actually beat the Jedi and conquered Naboo. The roger-roger battle droids were pathetic, and obviously come from the same mind as “meesa no like” Jar Jar.
@93: That’s how you escalate the threat over several movies. You always start with the weak line up.
First you have the clumsy battle droids, which the Jedi can easily dispatch (Episode I).
Then you have the rolling destroyer droids, which give the Jedi and Gungans at least some trouble (Episode I).
Then you have the gladiator droids with rapid fire blaster turrets. Those ones actually managed to kill some Jedi during the Geonosis arena battle (Episode II).
Then you have the clones, far superior to any droid. They are the ones that finally wipe out the Jedi without mercy (Episode III).
Okay folks, your friendly Tor.com moderator here. I think it’s time we try to move this discussion away from “what constitutes racism” and get back to the actual trailer/movie. This is not the place for a heated argument about this topic, and since this particular sub-discussion doesn’t seem to be heading any closer to resolution, let’s agree to disagree and get back on topic? Thanks.
I bet 100 peggats that there will be (hopefully) at least one female X-Wing pilot in this film…
@97: There was a female pilot in Episode I, who flew for Naboo’s Bravo Squadron.
Better late to the party than never:
I always assumed that lightsaber combat in the OT was based on Kendo, which would be a modification of Katana techniques. Given the lack of lightsaber-resistant armor for most people in the galaxy during both the OT and the PT, the Katana actually makes a whole lot of sense as the basis for lightsaber technique, since it’s designed to combat people with little or no effective armor, and its usefulness drops significantly once you throw in some real protection. European swords, in contrast, developed in response to the ready availability of iron/steel, and the rapid development of highly effective armor. That’s where swords of the type that the teaser-saber would have developed from.
As for the hilt/crossguard, it mostly makes sense only if you allow that the hilt is made from some kind of cortosis alloy or mandalorian iron (or other comparable saber-resistant material). Sith alchemy would work as an explanation as well, especially given the rather unfocused look to the blade (the beams are not clean like the lightsabers you see in the current films).
My favorite theory is that the weapon is actually a relic from the old Sith Wars. Saber-resistant armor was common back then, making a saber pattern designed to defeat it far more likely to be developed, and the Sith were dabbling in all manner of interesting alchemical experiments, making it more likely that a metalic hilt/crossguard would have been practical as a defensive measure, while the aggressive nature of Sith combat techniques, modified to allow for superior performance against armored Jedi (or rival Sith), might make the inclusion of small blades at the points of the crossguard a useful addition. It’s relative primitiveness would help explain the more chaotic plasma field in the blades, too.
Throwing in my 2 bits on SW racism:
Regarding Stormtroopers, you could easily have had an effectively infinite variety of people under those helmets. Not just humans (black, white, brown, yellow, blue, whatever), either, but near-humans and even humanoids, assuming they passed whatever loyalty tests the empire used.
The officer corps, though, was a reflection of the entirely racist and classist society that the empire promoted. The officers pretty much all had vaguely aristocratic accents of one kind or another, all were white males, all were generally older. The EU added plenty of exceptions, but they were generally noted as being exceptions (Ysane Isard, for one; Thrawn, for another).
The really odd thing is that the Sith are not racist generally speaking (though there are always exceptions). They’re about as meritocratic as it is possible to be. I suspect the racism of the New Order under Palpatine was either a tool meant to help him control things more effectively as far as the bureaucracy goes, or was a reflection of his own personal beliefs (though his choice of Darth Maul as an apprentice suggests the latter might not be the case).
I would guess that Palpatine probably had some motivation for fostering or playing up divisiveness and harnessing that power. Plus, it’s possible for people to do contradictory things if it suits them (such as, hold general beliefs about the superiority of humans, but still have a non human apprentice if he could make use of him).
You often can’t tell if most movies are going to be good or bad from their full trailers. But, hey, that’s the internet for you.
Three comments on the lightsaber from someone who is still cautiously optimistic: 1) The emitter crystals for the quillions are probably not contained at the end of the metal cross section, but rather, closer to the emitter crystal of the base blade. The metal cross section is most likely a housing shaft designed to keep the user from cutting his/her hand on the plasma quillions. Should the cross section be hit by a saber blade, it would shear through the cross section into the laser quillion housed within, thus stopping the blade from going into the hand. 2) The design is still dangerous to the user. Having studied and performed martial combat in historical recreations, I have almost never run into someone who, while training or fighting, hasn’t hit themselves with their quillions, or gotten their wrist/forearm caught up on one. Unless the “sith” has developed saber-resistant armor, those extra plasma beams pose as much a threat to him/her as the opponent. 3) Back in the days of the prequel many considered the saber-staff weilded by Maul to be impractical and dangerous to the user too.
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Forgive if this has already been restated, but why are we assuming that just because we see someone dressed as a Stormtrooper they MUST be a Stormtrooper? Are we all Leias now? Like Emily says, Boyega could be disguised (like Han and Luke in Ep. 3) or a deserter. I’m hoping for the latter. Give those fellas the capacity for independent thought. It’s not unlikely that some would question their direction in life since Vader’s and Palpy’s exits.
The crossguard made me go “Huh”…
But the x-wings flying over water made me grin like a 5 year old.
Then the Falcon swooping made me squeel like a 5 year old girl.
Yeh… I’m in the first group. Bring it on!
The red cross guard is a red herring. I predict it won’t even be in the movie. Recall that Abrams outright lied to us about Cumberbatch being Khan.
If it’s possible to make a comment not related to stormtrooper ethnicity, I’m cautiously hopeful that the new film will FINALLY explain why Jedi traditionally dress like Tatooine moisture farmers (or is it the other way around?).
@110: Ha ha, so I’m not the only one who noticed that about Owen’s wardrobe. Maybe it’s because the Jedi, similar to monks, decided to adopt the simple clothing of the people, except that their Jedi habits did not change as Coruscant fashion changed. Tatooine is a backwater world and still holds to ancient forms of dress.
Regarding Palpatine’s New Order and racism:
That is purely a result of casting in the 70s and early 80s. Lucas never meant for it to be interpreted that way as any kind of statement. The EU then sort of used it as a pretty cool plot point, starting with Zahn’s original Heir to the Empire. But it wasn’t intentional.
That’s going to become really, really obvious now. There has already been three female commanders/captains between the Rebels TV show, the Rebels prequel book, and the book Tarkin that just came out. Also, there is a young black skinned human training to be a storm trooper in the Rebels TV show. Specist at the higher command levels? Jury is still out, but definitely not racist or mysogynistic.
@98 — That wasn’t just a female fighter pilot, that was Celia Imrie!
(a.k.a. Kate MacLeod, a.k.a. Lady Gertrude from Gormenghast, a.k.a. etc., etc.)
I wanted to say some stuff but there’s already over a hundred comments so it’s probably all been said already
Just wanted to point out that by broadsword, most people mean longsword. As a practitioner of Historic European Martial Arts, that was really annoying me.
The cross guard on longswords is used to stop the blade from sliding, it protects the hands, but in close quarters, can also be used to punch with. It’s probably just added to a lightsaber as a variation, to excite the more nerdish into unending discussion. Although if Obi-Wan had crossguards on his lightsaber, Count Dooku wouldn’t have be able to take off high from the bind and slice his arm in their duel in Episode II.
Also a ‘less martial-arts influenced technique’ doesn’t make sense. The prequel style was closer to gymnastics than sword-play, as Nic Gillard described it and the Original Trilogy lightsbaers were basically a mix of Kendo and European Longsword. As Luke probably trained the next generation of Force-users, I’d expect more of them to have an Original Trilogy style.
As an aside, people impose racial opinions far too much into Star Wars. Oh gosh, there were no white people in that trailer! – Who cares? Its a mythos, a space opera, not a Benetton advert. So tired of people complaining about the lack of diversity in some films. Go complain about the lack of racial diversity of Garfield 2.
To iterate, I’ve read literally all of the Star Wars EU, and I appreciate the more thoughtful and researched opinions on the thread. I have no credentials like #115, but knowing more exotic lightsabers (like the Corran Horn variety (2 size settings)) actually exist, I’ll try to toss out a couple possible uses of a “cross-guard”. For film examples of “exotic”: I would reference Darth Maul (double-bladed), Count Dooku (bent), and the new Sith (cross-guard).
1. I assume the cross-guard is actually a pair of shortblades, and not some kind of exhaust vent. As per #102, the focusing crystals could be in the hilt, not the cross guard, so the cross-guard itself could be scored, but not cut clean through, and it would protect against hand sliding.
That said, #83’s comment is applicable. Force-users know how to handle their weapons. They wouldn’t ‘accidentally’ cut themselves once they were mostly, if not fully, trained (which is generally when you build your lightsaber).
2. #61 “Jedi and Sith traditionally build their own weapons. For the Sith, intimidation might be a design choice. Or, an untutored warrior may very well be an incompetent weaponsmith.” – Or the Sith might have been an adolescent that thought at the time, ‘Oh that would be so cool!’ And built a lightsaber with a cross-guard. Obviously, there are some people that think it looks cool, why not a Sith?
3. It makes this lightsaber not only a functional defense (if the blades for whatever reason decided not to stick to each other in Episode VII), but also an offense.
Situation 1: Suppose you are locked with another dualist, staring each other in the eyes over your interlocking blades, when you decide to extend-a-blade perpendicular to the lock and straight into them. Considering that the Sith doesn’t ‘appear’ to move his/her hand/thumb between the primary blade extension and the secondary cross-guard extension, this seems slightly less likely. More likely there is just a delayed ignition of the secondary crosspiece.
Situation 2: You catch an enemy’s blade with one of your side blades. If they are striking at you straight-on, this allows you to thrust at block at the same time. More likely, it takes away their option of an overhead strike.
Need I go on?
So yes, it does seem silly and there are disadvantages in mobility, but there are some possible advantages too… Just like with the double-bladed saber (sword vs. quarterstaff). Thusfar, I think too little has been showcased in regard to its strengths/weaknesses (though that will depend on the wielder too). More importantly, there are a bunch of people saying, “that looks so cool!” If one of their personalities ended up in a Sith Apprentice, then in spite of all the logic against it, this sword would be built.
Whether Boyega’s character is a renegrade, imposter, or real trooper – for the New Republic or Empire’s remnants (if they even are called ‘stormtroopers’ by this point), stormtroopers in the OT varied in height (i.e. diversity – remember the guy that hit his helmet passing through a bulkhead?), and we never saw one without armor, AND this is some 40 years in the future; so anything we have is pure speculation or dependent on the non-applicable EU. Please, before you post, read the original article. I’d be more interested in why there are stormtroopers on dewbacks on Luke’s homeworld after 40 years, whose side they are fighting for, and how Luke feels about that.
Finally, to put my opinion out there, I liked the OT. It was incredible for it’s time, and I enjoyed it the first time I saw it as a kid in the 90s. They aren’t my favorite movies of all time, but they inspired me to pick up the EU (Expanded Universe if you don’t know). Episodes 1-3 built the back story in a more entertaining way, but they were of a different style and aimed at a different audience. I liked them for what they were: a separate series with a similar theme. I’ll watch Episode 7 with the same attitude; a separate movie with its own style, and I’ll probably really enjoy it. So put me down for optimistic without caution, and enjoying the show for what it is, not what I want it to be.
@116: That’s the way I’d like to let myself approach the new movie as well–each trilogy should have its own style and feel. Otherwise, they are just rehashes of each other. I’d like to think that each trilogy could complete a separate chapter that is part of a larger, connected narrative, sort of like in The Once and Future King. I’m interested to see what the new movies could present us with that will unveil what the “true” larger, connected narrative is–beyond “The Fall and Redemption of Anakin Skywalker” which it reads as currently.
I love it. Everybody is talking about lightsabers!
I guess I have been in some alt- Verse ,as I have never seen this Boyega Fellow at all. Don’t know who he is. Don’t know if he is “Fantastic” or not. Just figured he is a a Young Character actor & must have some sort of following to be included in the Film & featured in the Trailer. I am trying to avoid the other Racist notion mentioned by so many others as to the motives for his Prominent Inclusion in such a High Profile Vehicle.
Although I really take issue with the practice nowadays of declaring relative unknowns with Little Experience (Instant) “STARS”. I doubt if I am the only one ,But I assumed his character was hiding out as a Stormtrooper.
What really bugged me was seeing a Intertellar Space Vehicle cruising 20′ off the Desert floor and then doing Aerobatics like a Blue Angel. I realize the Falcon is a fairly small Vehicle But Really . Come on – Stupid ! Almost as Bad as seeing the Enterprise enter the Earth’s atmosphere & Manuever. Instead of Collapsing (As it would in Reality).
But all in All ,not Holding my Breath for the Flic anyway so – Big Deal is what I think.
The Falcon didn’t do anything in this teaser it didn’t already do in the original trilogy, be it low-altitude maneuvers over an asteroid or loop-de-loops in the atmosphere of Bespin. Remember: space fantasy!
Boyega was compelling as heck in Attack the Block. I recommend checking it out; it’s one of the best low-budget SF flicks of the last decade.
Its not the Falcon I’m worried about in that scene, its the TIEs… they would maneuver like bricks in atmosphere. It bothered me in a recent episode of Rebels as well. Which I realize is just crazy, its not really science fiction.
This is one area where the EU will probably stay with me and I’ll voice complaints addressed byt he Sci Fi writers’ over the last 30 years.
@121 – So far, the TIEs simply fly in a straight line in the trailer (not the sort of maneuver that pushes the design). I imagine that they’ll fare pretty poorly in the fight – they always do. Why, we’ll probably get to see one fail to thread the Stone Needle.
It worries me, because they are flying around in atmosphere in the Rebels cartoon, and doing maneuvers, and are actually being used to so in-atmoshpere policing patrols. And since Lucasfilm made a big deal about Rebels being canon… makes me nervous to see TIEs in-atmosphere in the trailer.
@@@@@ 123 – Gotcha. EU issues (I read everything published before 1999/2000, 40+ novels which I happily forgot most of. In hindsight, even the best novels were just not that good). You must unlearn what you have learned! Haha.
If I’m not mistaken, we see a few TIEs blasting the Millenium Falcon in atmosphere on Bespin (just after collecting Luke from the weather vane). I think there are also a couple escorting a shuttle tydirium planetside in either episode V or VI.
The Empire had vast resources and a lot of specialized toys – while they seemed to favor ground units for planetary fighting, commanding officers never really valued the lives of soldiers, regardless of station – it stands to reason that standard TIEs would be employed quite indiscriminately, as they often were, even if they weren’t particularly suited for the task. I always thought of TIE pilots, and their flimsy vehicles, as completely expendable – little more than Stormtroopers with wings, worth too little to justify fitting TIEs with shield generators, hyperdrives, or basic life support – throw enough of them at a problem and something might actually get shot. (See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsubishi_A6M_Zero)
I’m fine with them appearing in atmosphere – just as ground forces were out of the question on Bespin, perhaps the Empire had no time to deploy anything besides TIE fighters in this instance, or maybe plodding walkers just don’t make sense against a small, airborne rebel force. Either way – force chokes for everyone in charge! It has a questionable effect on morale! Perhaps there’s a real question here though – why are both forces using the same craft 30 years later? Look at the technological leaps from WWI to WWII.
As for Disney’s Rebels, I think the usage of TIEs has been similarly justified (I mean, what else are they going to use for air patrols? Shuttles? Other fighters haven’t been invented yet), and if I’m not mistaken, they featured an advanced/interceptor prototype in one episode, so I’d expect to see a couple of those in the near future of the series.
Ok, New Lightsaber Haters, Steven Colbert has your rebuttal right here:
http://thecolbertreport.cc.com/videos/umsrnb/lightsaber-controversy
It’s incredibly bizarre that the article writer thinks that the soccer ball droid makes any practical sense.
@126. It does make practical sense. It’s mobile over any terrain, it’s portable for the pilot that needs it to pilot their ship. In the EU Luke is the only person for year who can take his XWing anywhere because he could use the Force to get Artoo in and out of the ship.
In addition a recent interview with Hamill reveals its actually a practical effect.
@127 It’s practical for maneuvering, but like 70 commented, how does the head stay attached and on top? The bottom looks like a solid ball without axles or anything, and it needs to be able to rotate in all directions. Maybe magnets?
@128 – my husband and I were suggesting that very thing last night, and I had the same thoughts – magnets.
The only question I’d have about maneurvering is how to deal with something like going up stairs (not that R-2 could handle those well either but he did seem to be able to his third leg a little bit to pull himself over rough terrain). Maybe it can hover, or has little extendible legs?
@128 – I imagine that it’s a got an internal gyroscope to keep it balanced and upright, with a tractor-beam-style tether to maintain the connection between the head and the body.
There doesn’t need to be any physical, or even magnetic connection between the top and bottom. As others have said, a simple gyroscope coupled with some sort of technology to hover can keep the droid oriented on the ball, and the droid could control the ball via bluetooth for all we know.
As to WHY that would be necessary… the ball provided propulsion. I guess that would require some sort of tether after all. Some sort of field that keeps the two connected, or the ball would move forward and the droid on top would not move with it. Still, its hardly as impractical as a TIE fighter maneuvering in atmosphere.
What if the “crossguard” beams are the result of needing to release excess energy from a lightsaber that was constructed to be way over-powered? When it’s activated, the sound almost seems explosive. All of that fits into the character of Sith, whose very existential premise is excess. My only complaint if this is the case is that the haft of the weapon should be twice as long (as that of all broadswords I’ve ever seen). The main blade clearly is abnormally long for a standard lightsaber.
We’ve already been told he’s not a Sith, but they could be exhaust ports, as they’ve also said the saber is more “homemade” than the ones we’ve seen before.
@133, In the trailer where he’s holding it close to Rey’s face, you can see the heat distortion, and from the lore, that’s bad, as they aren’t supposed to give off any heat
@132-4: See
That still doesn’t confirm the quillons aren’t on purpose.