Saturday, July 11, 2015

The Big 3 at Comic Con!

No matter what else happens, we will at least still have this kiss. So in case you didn't realize, last night was the Star Wars panel at Comic Con in San Diego. There was some talk about what might be shown, though my feeling had always been that nothing major would be revealed, nor would we be getting that new trailer that had been discussed, and I was correct about that. There was enough talk though about an appearance from Harrison that I actually did believe that would happen, but it is just awesome that he finally was there. First, that he looks great (he'll look even better once his hair has a chance to grow back, but at least you can barely notice the new scar on his forehead) and second, Harrison Ford was just on stage talking about Star Wars. Not only that, but in what appeared to be a genuinely favorable light. When is the last time Harrison Ford really talked about Star Wars? And not in a jokey way like arguing with fake Chewbacca on Jimmy Kimmel. And when was the last time he appeared somewhere with Carrie? This is just amazing.

The thing I think most of us here will be interested in will be this behind the scenes reel that they showed. For those of you being careful, it does not seem spoiler-y at all, but if you would rather not see any visuals of the characters, including seeing Han and Leia (separately) in full costume, do not watch. But for the rest of you:

It's Leia! It's Han in the Falcon! It's... mostly nothing super interesting we haven't seen before, but still!  Also, it is suddenly dawning on me, does anyone else find it weird that with all of the big reveals and everything, we haven't heard from Threepio yet?

And here is the video of the complete panel from last night. I honestly haven't even watched the whole thing yet, I only skipped ahead to when Carrie shows up, followed by Mark and then Harrison.

I'm sure I'll watch the rest later but I had to skip to the important stuff first. Harrison even expresses gratitude that he did not again have to say anything about navicomputers again. I remember reading a long time ago how much he hated that line, and I can't say I blame him.

All in all, nothing really new here, just giddy excitement, which is kind of what I needed right now.  It really is just incredible that we are seeing this happening. Even the actors seem excited about it, not that you'd expect different from Mark and Carrie, but still. I did like how Harrison said about returning to the role, "It should've felt ridiculous." And he's right, it probably should've. Yeah, let's go back to a role you first played nearly 40 years ago and dress up in a similar outfit and fly the same ship and hang out with the same Wookiee. Even as a huge Star Wars fan, that does, in fact, sound pretty ridiculous. He assures us it's not, though.

Just as the final dagger to my heart as far as showing me just how much I missed out on by not being there last night, after bringing together Han Solo, Princess Leia, and Luke Skywalker for the first time in a bazillion years, they then took all of the panel attendees to an outdoor concert of Star Wars music and fireworks, also providing every one of them with a lightsaber. The evening also included the stars again, and Harrison walking out using a toy lightsaber as a cane as he pretended to limp across the stage. Seriously, typing that sentence made me feel like I had entered some sort of parallel universe, but I have video evidence that proves this is true:

Seriously, much of this just feels like it was a dream. If you had told me before all of this Disney stuff was announced that this kind of thing would be happening, I would've bet you every dime I had and every bit of future income I might earn (which, I guess admittedly isn't really that much money, but still) that there was no way in the world we would possibly see things like that. I've never been so happy to be wrong.  Well, maybe, for now, because later if we find out the movie sucks I might wish for the time before this happened. But for now at least I'm excited.

What do you guys think? Of course I love how happy they all seem to be hanging out again, and who doesn't just absolutely love the fact that Harrison kissed Carrie. Also notable was Harrison apologizing to Mark for the fact that it turned out Carrie was his sister. It's just so fun to see them all getting into it again. Damn it, now I want them to be in Episode VIII as well just so we can see more of this stuff.

Okay, enough fan gushing. I'll just lave you with one last picture of Han and Leia.


EDIT: One more photo, because this one made me so happy.


65 comments:

  1. Such great stuff. I was so pleasantly surprised to see Harrison there and to hear his wonderful words about his character and the new film. I just selfishly wish we got a hint or spoiler about the Han/Leia relationship status. Has anyone heard if anything juicy came out from any of the Big 3 ?

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  2. I have to admit that having the big 3 back together again (well me actually seeing them) made my day. It made me forget and not care about recent news (Han's wife, another actor playing a young Han Solo, …) The great thing is to see a smiling Harrison Ford who looks genuinely happy to be there among die hard fans in costumes, stormtroopers and lightsabers. I've been upset with him for years with his "Han Solo bashing" (especially now that surveys said that Han Solo is the favorite of all Star Wars' characters). Glad to see him coming around (I sure hope it not just for the big paycheck!). The kiss was the icing on the cake and like Zyra said, if they don't kiss in the movie at least we got one! Even that little peck on the lips looked better than the infamous Marion and Indy kiss ;) Now I'm back being just plain excited about TFA!

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    1. I totally agree that this, at least temporarily, makes me forget about all the worries I had about potential bad stuff. You're not the first person I have heard lament being mad at him for his past Han Solo bashing. For me, I can kind of put that in perspective. I think if he had ended on ESB, he would've had a much more favorable view of the character. Even the biggest fans among us can say that Han Solo in ROTJ is not exactly the best version of Han Solo. I do not at all place the blame for that on Harrison though, his character simply isn't given a whole lot to do. He is more utilitarian (running the mission - a job that character-wise could've been done by anyone) or comic relief. Or, at his worst, uncharacteristic whiny jealousy. I remember reading that after he read the script he said something to George about how it was clear that Luke was more important in that story. Really, why shouldn't he have been? The story truly is about Luke, and Han really overshadowed that a lot, so almost by necessity they had to really focus on Luke's struggles. ROTJ is definitely Luke Skywalker's movie. Anyway, the point I'm trying to make, is that when your last taste of a character is mostly just running around and blowing things up, silly moments with Threepio and a few less-than-stellar moments with the love interest, I can see why you might walk away thinking that there wasn't much character there. He has been quoted as saying that Han was "dumb as a post." There are parts of ROTJ where I might have to agree with him.

      Don't misinterpret that though as me not liking ROTJ, because for the most part I can and do put my "fan-blinders" on and enjoy it, and there are a few actually good quality moments there. It's just that when I really take a good look at it, I can understand the point. I also tend to think that maybe for a while in spite of the incredible opportunities it gave him as an actor, he maybe has a little bit of resentment that Star Wars ruined his anonymity, which I don't care how much money you are compensated with, has to be kind of tough to deal with. I do think he seems genuinely glad to be back in that seat and playing that role, and I do think that a lot of times he is a little unfairly judged for certain things.

      Lastly, yes, that was definitely better than the Indy and Marion kiss. I know they were old, but come on, Spielberg, you had to have asked them to do better than that.

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    2. I totally agree with you regarding Han's role in ROTJ and why Harrison might felt the way he did. He is known for looking forward in his career and not reminiscing to much about the past (something that is difficult to avoid with all the Star Wars questions and references coming up over the years when he was promoting his latest film). I understood his frustration but at the same time, I just wished he stop saying that Han was not an interesting character (in Jedi maybe a little but still)

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    3. Yeah, I do agree that nobody should be arguing that Han is not an interesting character. He went through more of a character arc than Leia did. And Luke's arc could be more classified as simply growing up rather than actual character growth or change. Luke went from young, naive farmboy to Jedi hero, but he already had aspirations to be that hero. Han didn't really want to have anything to do with it all, and then by the end he is volunteering for missions and being incredibly selfless considering he is the same guy who wouldn't even try to save a princess without the promise of financial gain.

      This is one of the other reasons that the possibility that Han and Leia aren't together bugs me. Depending on how it potentially goes it seems like it sort of negates all of the entire character arc from the OT. Afterward is Han just going to be like, haha, just kidding, I never changed and I'm going back to smuggling and being a scoundrel! Wait, what? I could maybe, almost, kinda get on board with it if whatever rift they might suffer (and I hate talking about this because honestly, I don't even know if there is a rift, they could very well be happily married) if it was fairly recent and not something that has been going on for, like, decades or even years. Like, maybe a couple of months ago they had a bad fight over something and it happened to coincide with them both going their separate ways just for the sake of whatever mission or battle is happening, and they hadn't talked much, and then when they came back they reconciled after a short-lived separation. But that's about it. I don't want to start this movie and find that Han basically hasn't changed. And I don't want to learn that the big 3 have basically lived in tragedy this whole time, either. Sure, maybe more recently things got real, but at the end of ROTJ they looked pretty happy. I don't think you can discount that, either.

      Can you tell I'm worked up about everything? I could seriously go on all day. A little over 5 more months...

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  3. Those of us worried about Han and Leia's relationship status should perhaps bare in mind what Harrison said at that panel. He said that what was happening in the movie is a "natural progression" from where the characters were in the OT. So to me, natural progression means only one thing, that our fav couple got wed and had a couple of kids, right? It's the only thing that makes sense.

    But OMG, I totally geeked out over that kiss. Just pure awesomeness.

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    1. That "natural progression" comment gave me some warm fuzzy feelings too. And yes, I almost cried when they kissed...i'm really quite easy to please, I guess ;)

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  4. it took me about three viewings to get past JJ saying they wanted to "break with what had come before" because that scared me that he meant, the end of ROTJ. and I might have stopped breathing for a moment at Harrison's serious tone when saying he was proud and honored, it sounded like he was about to say "one last time". I'm terrified the reason Harrison is so happy is because he finally got his wish and knows he's done playing this character.

    so then I watched Carrie and Mark bantering and watched Harrison's entrance a couple of times and stared at them kissing and thought, at least we'll have comic-con. and then I came here and you'd pretty much led with exactly that thought. great minds. :-)

    so then I went back and watched the behind the scenes thing again and watched Carrie being Leia again and looking exactly like I pictured her and Harrison sitting in the cockpit of the Falcon and I told myself that all would be right with the galaxy.

    5 months.and how many days?

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    1. 7 days. 5 months and 7 days.

      It's funny, from the very beginning I've felt like I'd be ok with Han dying, as long as it was done well. But then now we're seeing him there at these things, we know we get to see him on screen again, and I'm like, how can I be ok with this being the last time we get to see this? But I'll reserve judgment for now, because I really don't know what will happen, and oddly I actually do not want to be spoiled about whether or not Han dies in this. I would really rather find out when it comes out. I do believe I'll cry the rest of the night after that happens, if it happens, though.

      Yes, great minds. That is the thing I love over here, we all tend to agree on a lot of stuff. I guess that can sometimes make it more boring but I hate confrontation ;)

      It was amazing to see them, wasn't it? But now I do also have to point out, after watching some of this stuff and seeing some pictures... is anyone else noticing that maybe they stitched Harrison's forehead a little too tight after that accident? His right eyebrow seems to be... perkier than the left one.

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    2. I noticed that too. Definitly something wrong with the eyebrow! 😊

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    3. Glad I'm not the only one who noticed that. Perhaps in another couple of months it will sort of settle back down and be more like the other one, but I kept looking like... yeah, his eyes have always been a little uneven (part of his charm) but this definitely seems a little off. I don't want to bash the poor guy though after surviving a major plane crash so recently!

      At least my fears that the plane crash would damage him irreparably and send him into a downward spiral that would finally turn him into the old man his age says he should be (his birthday is in 2 days) it is nice to see that is not the case. Especially confirmed by Carrie, who shook her head in adamant disagreement when Harrison mentioned that "I grew up."

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  5. PS love, love, love Harrison using a toy lightsaber as a cane. and SMILING. he's freaking smiling the ENTIRE TIME. I'm good.

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  6. Zyra,

    Regarding ROTJ, I have to disagree. I loved him in that film. I actually think the whole film displayed how much Han has grown since Star Wars. He was fully with the rebellion. He accepted a commission as a general in the rebellion and led a mission. All he kept thinking about throughout the movie was where was Leia and how was she doing (Jabba scene and the 2 scenes on Endor). He obviously, and Leia with him, couldn't wait to be reunited with her on Endor after they got separated with those huge kisses. They were all over each other after that. Han loved her so much that he wanted to desperately know what was going on between her and Luke, and at the end, he was willing to let her go to go be with Luke if that's what she wanted. I know that everyone here knows that, but I just don't see it that way. Harrison, I think, got cocky after he became a star. I act too, and a plot is a plot.

    Regarding TFC, I still hope that they're together. The natural progression from the OT sounds like they're together, but who knows? I loved the banter between Mark and Carrie, and they really sound like they're siblings in real life. The Big 3 really have a love for each other. It's obvious and so cool.

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    1. I should clarify, it's not his performance I don't like as much. I just think there were missed opportunities there. I think he could've been more in that movie. Yes, I am totally on board with all of those great moments you mention. But to balance out those, there are more moments of him arguing with Threepio, stumbling blindly on a sand skiff and not helping much, sitting around and waiting while Leia and Luke are off having fun on speeder bikes, shooting at stuff and running from explosions. It would've been nice to have maybe added more there somewhere, like a little more of that scene on the bridge, but also him taking a different approach because his petty jealousy of Luke at that point seemed out of character. When did Han become so insecure?

      You've typed "TFC" a few times, do you mean TFA? I want them to be together, too. And honestly, I don't even care as much about physically together, sharing lots of scenes, so much as them being "together" in the relationship sense. You know another reason I don't want them split up? I'm so tired lately of seeing broken relationships everywhere. I know like 10 couples right now who have recently or are about to get divorced. Nothing seems to mean anything anymore. So I'd selfishly like my little fairy tale to keep at least this one little happy ending.

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    2. Oh sorry, I meant TFA. I don't know where my mind was. Oh yeah, I was listening to and watching the video.

      I'll really admit that I'm selfish in wanting them to be together. I'm adamant that I don't want Han to die. I'd rather see him written out.

      Do I think that Han was out of character in the bridge scene? Not really...I think that he was so madly in love with Leia that his jealousy and insecurity came out in reference to him thinking that he could lose her to someone one. It's kind of strongly implied, in my opinion, that she's his first true love (and of course, one and only). ;

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    3. That's what I thought. I wouldn't have mentioned it, but you did it more than once and I was like, did they change the name of the movie or is she talking about something else?

      I'm selfish about it but I also just think that it makes sense for so many reasons. And anything they did to break that just to add "drama" is unnecessary given all of the other potential for drama within the story. Give someone else a love story arc and leave my Han and Leia alone!

      I would like to agree with your assessment that Leia is his first (and subsequently only) real love. Potential ex-wives from comic books, be damned. I can understand him maybe being jealous and having a reaction to something like that, but to me anyway his reaction in that scene, how he expresses that jealousy, just doesn't seem very... Han. It just seemed very immature, something Han is very much not. At least he turned around quickly and came to his senses, even though the final thing that bothers me about that scene is that the hug he does give her seems kind of half-hearted. Or at the very least way too loose!

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    4. Omg, I've always thought the same about that hug! It seems really awkward and he's doesn't seem into it at all. But at least we can take comfort from the fact that by the time of the Ewok party he has learnt to hug her properly...see my avatar ;)

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    5. Yeah, that hug is kinda loose and weird, but I always thought it was because he felt kinda awkward (fighting with her, now she's crying…), so it sorta worked for me.

      Which is weird, because I actually totally hate that scene. And it's uncharacteristic of me to defend it in any way.

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    6. Lol to you defending the scene even though you hate it. I agree that probably he was instructed to be a little awkward with that hug because he doesn't really know what the heck is going on. But I still would rather that scene have been played differently. And it's just such a terrible hug. It's like I can feel myself if I were Leia having these loose, barely touching me spaghetti arms and then this awkward back patting and thinking, what are you doing? HUG me for real, damn it!

      As Claire pointed out though, he is much better at hugging by the end of the movie.

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  7. Who is that guy in the Leia scene in the behind the scenes footage?

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    1. The one whose face she's touching? That's the director, JJ Abrams.

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    2. The guy that Leia is looking at with her arms folded.

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    3. Oh, huh. No idea. I honestly was so fixated on Carrie there that I didn't realize that there was someone else in the picture or that there was a slate so this is the start of some scene! I thought she was just hanging out with her arms folded. I kind of like that that is how Leia would hang out and talk to people instead of being all formal.

      I also, for now at least, choose to believe that her HUSBAND in all of their years together has convinced her of the fashion possibilities of vests ;)

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    4. Yep, although he's now into leather jackets. ;

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    5. I watched that scene with Carrie like six times trying to figure out who else was in it. no clue. sigh.

      didn't think of that about the vests, Z. good theory though!

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    6. Yes, I thought that was a good theory, myself ;)

      There are gifs of that shot of Leia and the unidentified man so you can stare at it and watch it indefinitely. I can't figure out who it is, which makes me think it is probably nobody important. Dark hair with a beard, from what I can tell, which does not fit the description of anyone we know already out there. He looks relatively young, like Oscar Isaac age I'd guess.

      Also, if you think about it, it only makes sense to show her talking to nobody important if they want to show us stuff without REALLY showing stuff. Apparently people are complaining that we haven't been told much about the story yet. Personally, I'm relieved. I just want to see the movie without knowing everything that is going to happen.

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  8. You know what was really cute? Carrie was crying a lot throughout the panel. She put her arm around Mark and leaned on him a few times.

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    1. She did often seem to be gazing at him adoringly, didn't she? I also liked how when that one question was asked, they both just immediately deferred to Harrison.

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    2. I love Carrie's twitter where she posted a pic of she and Harrison and said, "Prom Date 1977-2015". It's great that she's friendly with Mark, but nobody compares to Harrison. :-)

      What was Carrie crying during the panel?

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    3. That was very cute. She tweeted a lot. I'm not really that active on Twitter, and I swear a large percentage of my interest when I visit is what Carrie might be tweeting about.

      I don't think she was crying, she mostly just looked like she was enjoying it.

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    4. I think that Carrie's eye teared a lot. She was really enjoying herself and being sentimental. So sweet.

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    5. When did Carrie twitter the "Prom date 1977 - 2015"? I'd like to see the pic she posted...

      there is a really cute one of the two of them, probably at the SW premiere or an 1977/1978 awards ceremony(?) or something because they are dressed in formalwear; Carrie is holding Harrison's arm and looking up at him like she is totally in love...it is soooo adorable...

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    6. The photo she posted is the last one I have in the blog post and she tweeted it that night. If you google her right now and look at "news" probably any number of the articles that pop up will include that.

      I know exactly what photo you're talking about. He's in a tux, it was the Star Wars premiere. If you google image search Harrison Ford Carrie Fisher premiere it is one of the first images that pops up.

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  9. The Star Wars cast may be on tonight (Saturday) episode of Conan (11 pm Eastern on TBS). He has been doing shows from San Diego this week and has had casts of Game of Thrones, Hunger Games and Walking Dead. Tonight's show is a top secret guest cast. What else would need to be secret?

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  10. No Star Wars on Conan. His website now says tonight is cast of X Men

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    1. Well, that was some short-lived excitement, wasn't it? Oh, well. I'm sure we will see more of them later. Just think how amazing the behind the scenes footage and interviews will be after we finally see it, and now that they know that there is a huge market for that stuff with blu rays and such. In 1977 if you wanted to see a movie you had to either GO to the theater or wait for when it might be on TV sometime, at which point you would have to stay home and be there to watch it.

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    2. Conan had R2-D2, R5-D4, Dr. Who Peter Capaldi and some of the X Men on the Saturday show

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  11. It's been 12 hours since I watched the panel and I'm just...replete. That sweet kiss (though Hamill got got one too!), and just Ford's evident happiness and good humor. The smile ratio was absolutely unprecedented! I was sort of imagining Ford would show up: oddly what tipped the balance for me was the fact that his wife is also there to promote Supergirl. That seemed like something that might have made the difference for him. But honest to God, he looked like he cared!

    Ford even gave us a great story prompt! Take that awesome set up: "How many times can I say I'm sorry?" and run with it! I'm a sucker for ROTJ fallout fics, but come on, this is begging for it!

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    1. It was kind of wonderful, wasn't it? He was smiling and laughing an awful lot and even seemed to enjoy being there. With the exception of the very beginning answering the "How are you?" questions, he seemed to really enjoy responding and talking about the whole experience. Even his co stars looked like they could've sat back and listened to him talk all day.

      I wonder what it is like to just be that adored by like, everyone on Earth. I know there are some people who are vocal about disliking him, but I think that is all talk for most of them. I do agree he looked like he cared. Hadn't realized Calista was also there for her show, that's kind of cool, actually.

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  12. Okay, this is funny. At the end of the video, watch Gwendolyn Christie standing next to Carrie. Gwendolyn is taller than Harrison. What is she, like 7'5? And we thought Carrie looked tiny next Harrison?

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    1. She is listed at 6'3" and likely wearing heels. Also, since Harrison is about to turn 73, my guess is that he is a couple of inches shorter than the 6'1" he used to be. I have a relative who saw him (and could only stare at his back, frozen in fear) at a coffee shop a couple of years ago and thinks he is probably more like 5'11" now. Sadly, people really do shrink!

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  13. I have another comment. I'm just very wordy today, aren't I? Anyway, did you notice the comment that Carrie said about the 3 of them being together during filming? I hope that means...

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  14. Unrelated to this, but today is Harrison Ford's 73rd birthday. That is just amazing, isn't it? I really can't believe he's that old, but at least for a little while longer it makes me feel a little younger by still being less than half his age. Last year on his birthday we were talking about him healing from his accident on set, and this year he is finally appearing after a lengthy absence due to his plane crash. Let's hope he gets to celebrate his 74th birthday (and every other one beyond that - hopefully at least 104 because I'm going to cry my eyes out when he dies) without any new scars or broken bones!

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  15. And happy birthday, Mr. Ford! You have lived long and prospered!

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  16. I added one more photo to this post, because it just made me so happy.

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  17. Zyra,

    I've been posting on another forum, and please allow me to repost another post from there. It's quite good. Whether it'll happen or now, who knows?:

    Han has been through a lot and has powerful enemies. He survives the best way he can. The bounty on him and the Wookie are very high. He flies into Jakku to find the Vicar, runs into trouble, Leia sends Poe. Leia still frustrated Han is mixed up with bounties, pirates and the curse of living a life where you murder one of the most powerful Hutt in the galaxy.

    And why won't Han leave it all? Because as long as they are chasing him, they aren't chasing Rey maybe? Because the Resistance needs smugglers and supplies to fuel their effort to liberate Yavin IV? Because he's distraught that he can't have a relationship with his own children and his wife is obsessed with winning a way that's now 30 years old?

    We judge too quickly to call it regression or progression. What we know is, its different, the "happily ever after" is a little more real for Leia and Han, but of course, the love between them will be exposed...just like every film ever. That's the beauty of Han and Leia they are not Prince and Princess Charming. He's a pirate and she's a dedicated, violent freedom fighter. Their relationship is always going to work off that fun dynamic.


    Also, regarding the Han/Leia scene in Jedi where Leia is crying....I think that Han just wasn't expecting Leia to be upset. He wasn't used to seeing her that way. And also, since he didn't know what was going on, he was like, "What the heck? I don't even know what's going on. But it'll be okay, babe."

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    1. I don't really get what that is, started reading and it started sounding spoiler-y so I skimmed to the end, where you talk about ROTJ and that's fine. But you mentioned a few things up there that I have no idea what you're talking about and I'm not sure if they are spoilers or what.

      I can appreciate trying to find ways to make it clearer whether or not Han and Leia are together but I'd rather leave the speculation and plot-piecing out of it for now. Eventually we will know for sure what is going on there, and I don't really want to know the specifics on it going in, just maybe whether or not I should prepare myself to be upset over it.

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  18. Hi there.

    It's not a spoiler. It was fan speculation. I liked the post. Nice and cheerful. It made me feel good about them.

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    1. Oh, ok. I didn't really know what it was. I saw something about a Vicar, as though apparently something about a Vicar is common knowledge in spoiler-ville, and I stopped because I had no idea where it was going from there. Speculation can be fine, but I think in some cases it tries to piece together too many things, some of which we don't really know. And I could myself come up with a random synopsis that made everything awesome and good for us. But, well, we just don't know. I don't need anything clarified now, I didn't know it was just someone else's speculation.

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    2. I don't even concern myself without anything Vicar related, honestly. All I concern myself with is Han and Leia and any of their possible kids.

      To quote a twitter poster whose quote I stole:

      "Episode VII can play with dark sides and light sides however it wants...Just don't mess with Han and Leia..."

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    3. Despite the fact that I don't buy some stuff that that spoiler guy says, and I keep an open mind about everything that is supposed to happen in the film, I still can't look away completely from them. I have an interesting topic, though. Maybe something that you can blog about. If we don't like what happens between them in the movie-not judging the whole movie, just them-would you see the next movie? How do you think that you'd react? Do you think that non-diehard Star Wars fan would care? How about non-diehards who happened to like Han and Leia back in the day and are casual fans? Do you think that they'd come to see a 2nd movie?

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    4. This is a great question and one I've given some thought to, for sure. I really can't say definitively that there is any one thing that will make me be like, nope, I'm done! Because there are things they could do that I'd absolutely hate, but I have to think that even if they do things I hate, there will be some good things to balance it out, that will make me come back for more later. I can certainly imagine myself being less excited about it, and not feeling nearly as compelled to see it ASAP, to avoid spoilers, etc. But so bad that I wouldn't want to see it at all? I honestly can't even imagine how badly they'd have to destroy things to make me do that. I can see myself being disappointed and then being a lot less invested in future movies, but not completely turned away. In spite of what some of my more dramatic moments and reactions may imply!

      I think that even the more casual Star Wars fans, or the ones who love Star Wars just because it's Star Wars, and less because of Han and Leia, would find it off putting and strange if they didn't wind up together. Also, I've said before, their relationship really shouldn't be a major plot point of the movie. So it just makes sense to have them be together and focus on other things.

      I really do wonder how excited I'll be for like, Rogue One or other stand-alone movies. At the moment I feel like my reaction to those will be more like, oh, cool, more Star Wars. I'll get to that maybe when I'm bored. Sort of like how I feel about the Clone Wars and Rebels cartoons. But we'll see if I change my mind on that.

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    5. Yeah, I'm with you, Zyra. They would *really* have to f*** up this movie in order to turn me off for the next ones. I mean, look at TPM and AOTC. Those were awful, yet I still went to ROTS opening night.

      So, yeah. It'd have to be pretty bad. Like "Han strangling Leia with his bare hands" bad. (Jeez, where'd that come from, SR? I dunno--shuddup.). And even then…well, that'd be pretty messed up, so maybe I'd have to stay tuned….

      But as for the Anthology films? Eh, as of right now, I kinda couldn't care less about them. But who knows. Maybe the first trailer will drop, it will look awesome, and I'll get psyched.

      Except the Han movie. I can't imagine feeling anything but dread over the Han movie.

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    6. in response to your question, Zyra - whether or not one would go see the next movie if they didn't like what they do to Han and Leia in episode 7 - just for me, it would taint the the whole SW thing and I wouldn't go...it would seem to be such a huge downer/f**k you to the folks who grew up with the ideological OT...again, that's just me ...

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    7. sorry , Iluvkoalas - that was your question - and it was a good one!

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    8. Stoned Rose, I'm glad I'm not alone on not being all that excited about the anthology films. It seems like the beginning of the watering down of the franchise. I really do feel exactly the same way about that announcement as I do about the next season of Rebels. Sure, I'll probably watch it eventually but I'm not paying close attention and am not really thinking much about what they're actually going to do with it. That said, as I was typing that, I realized that there is potential to see Darth Vader and/or Tarkin again. Or the Emperor. And now I just got myself excited about it. Damn it! I reserve judgment on those though until I see a trailer.

      Ok, Han strangling Leia would probably be a little off-putting. That isn't the next chapter of your story, is it? ;) And see, that is exactly it. I know from past experience that after other crappy Star Wars movies I was still right there for the next ones, and in those I knew I wasn't going to get to see my old favorite characters. Because Obi Wan, Artoo and Threepio are not my favorite characters. (PS: what is up with Threepio's red arm? And why have we not heard from him?) Granted, I was younger and dumber, but still. I'm always going to be curious about it. And I am probably always going to be roped in by the glimmer of hope of seeing something great. Or at least sort of cool. I can act all indignant now about how I won't go see it if they do... whatever. But the truth is, I am like 99% sure that I'll still want to see the next one, no matter what happens. I can see myself being less invested and not agonizing over plot details and stuff, but I'll still see it. Maybe not at midnight, maybe not even opening weekend (except yeah, probably opening weekend at least) but I'll see it. And it's sort of crazy how short the wait is going to be between this and Episode VIII. 18 months! I do dread the Han movie too, and unless the trailer looks amazing, I'm not sure I'll rush to see that one.

      JeanMarie, I do agree that there are things that they could do that would really taint the whole thing for me. And I absolutely do not want them to do anything that will make me look at the OT differently. Don't retcon all kinds of things, don't tell us things were going on that we didn't realize. Leave those movies alone and just tell us things changed in the future. That would really upset me. But like I said, even if it taints things, I can see myself still wanting to see future films.

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    9. I love the above posts.

      Zyra, I think that you make good points about the "balancing things out" scenario. It is really hard for me to believe that they'll "toy" with us Han and Leia fans too much. On the other hand, it seems with the male fans, and since J.J. Abrams/L. Kasdan are male, they don't care about whether Han and Leia are still together/remain together too much. I get the feeling that they'll give us Han/Leia fans something to make us feel better, but I honestly don't think that the male perspective is as much interested in the romance aspect of things as we females are. I'm a little worried, myself. And then I come back here, get "my head on straight" and be optimistic. There are plenty of trolls spreading wrong rumors, too.

      For me, if they ruin Han and Leia, I probably won't see the next 2 and 3 films. After 30 years, I have some expectation of seeing them happy if they have taken the time to bring them back to the screen. I'm not going to go into the Luke rumors certainly, but if they're not on screen together in the film...However, something Carrie Fisher said at SDCC contradicted that.

      As far as other fans are concerned, I know some casual Star Wars fans who like Han and Leia. They're not diehards-and I'm not one myself-but I think that that would be a letdown for them as well.

      The other thing that I've pointed out on other forums is that Harrison Ford said something about the storyline being a natural progression of the story. A natural progression to me doesn't sound like things that have been posted on the internet. Food for thought.

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    10. Ha ha, I don't know where that "strangling" thing came from, just that I was trying to think of one of the WORST things they could do to turn me off, and yeah, that came out. Ignore me. Oh, and Zyra, *spoiler alert* I have no intention of doing anything like that in my story. ;P

      I have to be honest, despite the handful of rumors I've heard that might discourage me, I'm still really optimistic about TFA. Really optimistic. (So much so that I'm worried I might be setting myself up for disappointment, and have decided I might watch the prequels in the week leading up to it in order to dampen my expectations).

      Anyway, despite these rumors (and admittedly I'm trying to avoid them), I still don't think we have too much to worry about regarding H/L. I mean, things might not be exactly how wed'd want them to be, but I'm still thinking it won't be so bad as to turn us off completely.

      In short: we'll get over it. It will NOT be COPL come to life.

      We'll be good guys. I really believe that. Again, I've made a point of avoiding most spoilers, so take from that what you will.

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    11. Lol, ok so then maybe Leia strangles Han? ;) For realz, though, Han has been dying in your story for like 11 years now, I think it's time to help him out a little ;)

      Thinking about this earlier today, I realized that when the time comes to actually walk into the theater and sit in that seat, I don't think I'm going to be feeling anything outside of giddy excitement. Like, seriously more excited for anything ever in my entire life. (Yes, I know, I've led sort of a sad existence) Regardless of anything I hear between now and then, and at this point I am probably going to try to avoid hearing absolutely anything, I don't think there is any way I'm not going to be basically jumping out of my chair. The only thing that is going to slightly ruin it when it first starts is the lack of the 20th Century Fox fanfare, that will be a bit offputting. I do agree that this is potentially setting myself up for disappointment, and it's not like I expect it to be the greatest movie ever, or to live up to the OT, but whatever else happens, Han and Leia and Luke! I was in pre-school the last time I saw them on screen together! Chewie! The Falcon! How can I not be excited about that? I do also firmly believe that whatever else happens, by the END of the movie, Han and Leia will be on good terms, or will have been on good terms.

      I love your plan on watching the prequels to dampen expectations. I have plans to re-watch all 6 movies leading up with my Star Wars buddies who I'll also go to the movie with (the group of us have watched the OT together probably at LEAST 10 times total while we were growing up, and went to the prequels together) so maybe it will help some. But Han Solo wasn't in the prequels. Whatever they do with him in this movie, he will make it way better.

      COPL come to life? Yikes, that'd be bad. I still do hope very much that they don't do something to them that makes me wish that stupid book were canon!

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  19. Zyra,

    Do you need me to clarify something I wrote?

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