Will Return of the Jedi Be Rendered Meaningless?

We are a little over two months away from The Force Awakens. Given that it has been months since we've seen any new footage, six months since the last trailer, and an awfully long time since any real news, I actually haven't been thinking about it all that much. I'm not spending any time worrying or looking over web sites searching for news. I would guess we will get a new trailer in the very near future, and surely that will ignite my interest once again and cause another wave of excitement. But for now, mostly I'm just kind of sitting here noticing it getting colder and colder outside and realizing that December 18th (or 17th now I guess) actually isn't all that far away anymore.

That said, of course I do think about it sometimes, and I only caught a piece of an article that sparked this question in my mind. Let's remember first that I am not reading spoilers, I would prefer not to discuss them, but like most of us I have at least been trying to piece together some things about this movie based on the official information we have been given, and of course in spite of not reading spoilers, I still speculate in my own head. One of the things I've been speculating on of course is Han and Leia's relationship. Now, when this whole thing was first announced, them being together seemed like a given. The more time that passes, the less sure I am of that, to the point where basically I'm just expecting them not to be. What happened, and for how long they have or haven't been together, I really have no idea. I just have a bad feeling that they will not be together when this movie takes place.

That is bad enough, of course. But another thing that seems inevitable based on what we've been seeing, is that things aren't going so well for our heroes, whether they are the Rebels or Resistance or whatever the not-Empire people are calling themselves these days. Clearly, things are not good there. That of course brings another question, being how bad is it, and how long has it been bad? And has it basically been this bad all along? Did destroying the second Death Star do nothing?

Which brings me to the point of my post. If, in fact, destroying the second Death Star did not actually defeat the Empire, or even come close to it, doesn't that basically mean that the entire movie Return of the Jedi is completely meaningless? I mean, seriously. Think about it. 80% of the movie focuses on this big epic battle and the destruction of the Death Star. At the end of the movie, we're looking at them all smiling and happy, like they truly accomplished something and this long nightmare is over. But what if it isn't? What if they're just going to tell us that everything still sucked and the Empire was still basically in control of the galaxy? Then we just spent a whole movie focusing on a minor battle but then failing to tell us that they lost the war. It'd be like doing a sports movie and focusing on one mid-season game that was ultimately meaningless, but treating it like the win was a HUGE deal, but then coming back later and telling us that that team didn't even wind up making it to the playoffs.

It'd really make me sad if they render that movie meaningless. I mean, it is not completely without purpose. Luke goes through a lot, Anakin comes back to the light in the end, Leia learns of her parentage and connection to Luke, Han and Leia are finally truly together (or are they? I guess this is another thing that might become meaningless.)  But, still. Can you ever watch that movie the same way again if you knew that the "win" meant nothing? That the morning after the above photo they all woke up and things still sucked? If the prequels had come first, and we came back to Episode IV after the end of Episode III and after seeing the bad guys win and the Empire being in control and most of the Jedi dead it wouldn't make any sense to come back and suddenly have the Republic be in power and the Jedi be totally fine, would it?

I guess I'm just worrying more and more that they are going to further destroy the original trilogy. Even more annoying is that there is simply no reason to. I can almost guarantee you that whatever craziness they have going on in the universe when we get back to Episode VII could've been accomplished equally successfully without rendering Return of the Jedi meaningless. These movies are set thirty years apart. That is a very long time during which an awful lot can happen. And there would seem to me to be no reason why they couldn't have enjoyed several years or more of "winning" after that whole Death Star battle and everything, before things turned back around.

It has been nearly three years since they announced we'd be getting this movie. I just need to see it already and stop wondering and worrying and knowing for sure what I have to be enraged over!

The Force Awakens.... A Few Hours Earlier For Some of Us

It's been pretty quiet lately. Force Friday came and went. It's been two months(!) since the behind the scenes footage at Comic-Con. A whopping five months since the last trailer was released. And several weeks since that random little tease of footage that showed nothing but footage we had already seen plus like four extra seconds we hadn't, that included Finn holding a lightsaber.

Personally, I am enjoying the quiet. It allows me to not think too much about what may or may not happen in the movie, and less worrying about potentially bad things. I will surely watch the next trailer when it comes out (likely next month) but I'd be just as happy at this point to know nothing more, and simply sit down and watch the movie. I know I said I wanted to know some stuff to mentally prepare myself, but I'm not sure that is true anymore.

The good news is, apparently we may not have to wait quite as long as we originally thought. For those of you who are unaware, apparently there will be screenings in the US at 7pm on December 17th. I guess this has been a trend for some of the larger releases (this would count, since it is probably the largest release in the history of cinema) rather than midnight shows on the release date, to have 1 show at 7pm the day before the official release. This, of course makes me happy because not only does it mean that I will get to see the movie 5 hours earlier, it also means that I don't have to stay up all through the night. Not that I wouldn't have, it's just nice not to have to. I don't know how widely available these 7pm shows are, but I do know that locally for me we've gotten these early shows for things like Hunger Games, so I have no reason to believe it'll be different.

Also, for our non-US based readers, apparently several countries are getting it in the days prior to the 18th (or 17th now, as the case may be.)  As early as December 15th. I know the UK is getting it on the 17th. I don't quite understand this, because given that it is the biggest movie EVER it makes more sense to me to release it all on one day. And really, the US is behind everyone else anyway when we are talking time zones, so even if we all get it the same day, we're still last, so why do so many other people get it earlier?  Also, for several days before the release this means I will have to be extremely careful on the internet so that my overseas friends don't spoil it all for me.

Which reminds me, and I'll remind you all later, but when the time comes, I've decided that the rules for posting about Episode 7 on the blog will be that nobody can post anything on here about having seen it until I see it and post. I know that may not be fair to some of you who might not see it right away, but it's my blog and it is easier for you to not look here than for me to not look here!

I'm also curious: which format are you planning on seeing it in first? This movie was shot in IMAX 3D. The trailer, for those of you who have not seen it, looks pretty darn cool in IMAX 3D. That said, I think the first time I see it will be in regular, 2D format. I will absolutely be seeing it in IMAX, but sometimes the 3D can be distracting or make me miss something on screen, so the first time, I'm thinking I'm just going to see it "normal." Or, really, whichever possible way I can see it the soonest.

Anyway, now I know what I'm doing at 7pm on December 17th, just a little earlier than I thought. Now I just have to have the anxiety about getting tickets on top of the anxiety over what they are going to do to my Star Wars.

Happy Force Friday!

In case you hadn't heard, today is Force Friday. I honestly don't entirely know why, or when they decided to start calling it that, or if this will become a "thing" every year like May the Fourth or whatever, but for some reason someone in the marketing department decided that this would be a cool idea. So, here we are on Force Friday. And what does it mean? Mostly, the opportunity to spend money. Lots and lots of money. Most of your usual retailers have set aside special Star Wars sections, at least for now. Also the first wave of the "new" EU reading material was released today. I have still not yet decided whether or not I'm going to get into that stuff. Most likely I'll await further review. 

Did anyone go check anything out? At this point in my life, while a lot of the stuff looks fun and cool, it is unlikely I'll be buying much. It's all fun to look at and everything, but once I buy it and take it home it's just like, there. So it's tough for me to justify spending money on it. Maybe if I had more room at home. 

Oh, except for the remote controlled BB-8. Have you seen that? It is so adorably cute and looks like a lot of fun. I would actually love to play with one of those. 

Let me know if any of you have checked anything out or are planning on getting anything. Even if I don't buy anything I think it will still be fun to peruse the merchandise in the stores. It's cool to see so much Star Wars stuff out there again.

The Return of Some Legendary Han and Leia Writers

Clearly more recently we have mostly been discussing the new movie, coming movies, and comic books. At the heart of it all, this blog was about writing Han and Leia specifically, or Han and Leia fans in general. We've had an excellent mix of older fans, young fans, new fans, people who saw the original trilogy in the theater and people who weren't born until years after it came out.

I'm not sure how much of the "history" of Han and Leia fanfic you all know or what kinds of fans you all are. I'm certainly no expert myself but have been around the fandom since a little before the turn of the century (come on, it wasn't THAT long ago) and can remember the online debates about Chewie dying and Han's reaction as well as the whole Bria fiasco with the release of the Han Solo trilogy.

It was around the same time that I discovered fanfic online. I'm sure I had the same reaction you all had, like suddenly you didn't feel so weird and alone because other people shared this quirky little obsession. I believe fanfix.com was the first site I discovered, which had some good stories on it. There were some Han and Leia specific fan sites that I remember reading, most of which, sadly, are no longer online. Lots of good stories and discussions.

Over the years it became clear that there were a few "legends" that had earned their status among Han and Leia fans as having written some of the most universally loved and lauded stories on our favorite couple. Most of these people had seemingly disappeared. I can certainly understand that, as even my own interest level wanes from time to time, and what once used to take up tons of your time and thoughts, suddenly doesn't anymore. Personally, while I'm still thinking about the upcoming movie, admittedly I don't really look to read fanfic much anymore, let alone writing it. Not saying I never will again, just that at this moment, it isn't really something I'm seeking out.

That said, for those of you who will recognize these authors and appreciate the return, and also for those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, I feel you must be informed. Recently two of the most cited authors when talking about favorite Han and Leia stories ever have returned. I have no idea whether it was coincidence or if they had been talking or if someone somehow went and convinced them both to come back to us and repost their stories, but I would urge any Han and Leia fan to go check them out immediately if you haven't already. Or, if you already did a long time ago, do it again anyway. 

The first to return was Cindy Olsen, who is posting under the name Corellian Blue on fanfiction.net.  She has written multiple excellent Han and Leia stories of all kinds. Some canon, some not so much. All very well written and very in character. The other is Leela Starsky who wrote what is arguably the most recognized and acclaimed Han and Leia story there is, 40 Days to Bespin which she has just reposted over there, as it had been previously absent from the internet (though somewhat available through PDF trading) for quite a while now. If you have not read it, go do so. Like, right now. She also has several other great Han and Leia stories, including one that she had left unfinished for years and maybe we can all hope she finishes up now. Same with Cindy Olsen, apparently she will be sharing some new stuff, so be on the lookout! 

I think it is fantastic that some of these people are coming back. Makes me wonder if it is the new movie or what, but it has always seemed so tragic that some of these great stories had disappeared so that nobody new could read them. It will also be interesting to see if anyone else from the old days comes back. In the mean time, happy reading!

Marketing, Spoilers*, and How Much to Reveal About Episode VII (*There are no spoilers in this post)

First let me say up front that this post will not reveal any spoilers. I was reading something the other day that sparked what I thought could be an interesting discussion. There were some complaints about how the lead-up to this movie is way too secretive, and could ultimately be detrimental to the movie in general. There were also comparisons to how apparently at Comic-Con in San Diego there was quite a bit shown of Batman vs. Superman and we have barely been shown anything at all about Star Wars aside from scant few images and a mere three words of dialogue. They called it the most secretive movie, ever, and that even with the prequels we were shown more than this.

I thought this was an interesting discussion. First of all, as far as marketing goes, I'm probably not the only person who is fairly certain that they can do no wrong in marketing this film. They could show us everything, and they could show us nothing, and it would still make at least a billion dollars. So in terms of that, and in terms of "hype" created by whatever snippets we are shown, I just don't think that is something that the promoters of the film are the least bit concerned about. I'm probably not the only one who was thrilled with every tiny little bit that we've been shown of the movie so far.

Personally I don't feel cheated by this. I don't want to see too much before I actually see the movie. I think we need to remember what a unique opportunity this is, and how this is very different from the prequels, or even a Batman vs. Superman movie. I mean, let's start with hyped movies in general. These days, most of the movies with the biggest hype are based on characters or comics or something else that we have seen before. There isn't much surprise there. The characters are all well established, and sure, maybe they'll take them in a different direction or have something unprecedented happen to them, but the characters like in, say, comic book films we are looking at situationally, rather than focusing on their lives and character development. I mean, often times there is almost no character development, but in the case of the types of films these are, it can often work anyway. I mean, I guess Tony Stark softened a little and settled down (sort of) with Pepper Potts, but that isn't really why we watch those movies. It adds a human element, but nobody watches Iron Man for the character development or the story to see where it goes. We just want a cool movie.

Harry Potter and The Hunger Games were based on books. Anyone who wants to know what is going to happen can just go and read the book. They can show us whatever they want because anyone who wants to can go see how it ends long before the movie comes out. I guess people complained about JJ being all secretive about the new Star Trek movies too (which I watched and enjoyed, but I know almost nothing about Star Trek and paid basically zero attention to the hype for those before they came out) but they were based on characters and situations people had already seen before anyway.

Or, look at Batman vs. Superman. I mean, we know what the movie is about, because the title says it all. Interesting concept, for sure, two supposed "good guys" battling, which you don't usually see. But it's based on previous material. I'm sure it has been changed somewhat, but you can show a lot of that and I don't think it could "ruin" the movie, because we already know what it's about anyway.

Then there are the prequels. I don't specifically recall how much of the prequels we really saw before the movies came out, though I'm sure it was more than we're getting now. I'm sure there was dialogue and a bigger glimpse at the characters. Here's the thing, though: we already knew the story we were going to be told. We knew Anakin was going to be trained as a Jedi and be a great pilot and have twin Jedi babies and eventually turn into Darth Vader. We knew in the end that the Jedi would be destroyed and the bad guys were going to win. There was no way, after seeing the original trilogy, to not know that that was how the movie was going to end. They could've shown us the Vader mask, or Anakin starting to go dark (they probably did; again, I don't remember exactly) and it wouldn't have been a spoiler or ruined the movie for us, because we knew it was going to happen anyway. We got that moment of, "Wow, that looks cool, can't wait to see the rest!" without feeling like, well, now I don't really need to see it, because I already know what is going to happen.

I was actually discussing this just last week with some Star Wars obsessed family members, and how the incredible thing here is that we have absolutely no idea what is going to happen. I mean, sure, some of you have maybe gone and read the spoilers, but for the rest of us who want to be surprised, really all we know is that everyone grew up and now there are some new people and it looks like things aren't going so well now that they have crazy lightsabers. There are no books or source material out there (yet) that can tell us where this is headed. They are actually giving us the opportunity to go into this movie "fresh" and not just going to see something where we know what is going to happen, and I think that is pretty amazing and I want to keep it that way. How often does this happen? Pretty much never, and it might never happen again.

I have no idea whether or not this was the case when the original trilogy came out, if we knew what was going to happen. I think actually that the novelizations came out before the movies did. Probably nobody was paying that much attention until after A New Hope came out, but at least for ESB and ROTJ we were coming off the heels of the last movie. We had some sense of where everyone and everything stood. Vader was still doing pretty well, the Rebels were still, well, rebelling, Luke was becoming more of a Jedi and the Empire still had the upper hand. Thirty years later a whole lot of other things could've happened, so we don't even really know where things are going to stand to begin with. It's amazing and scary at the same time.

So, people complain about not being shown enough, but I think this is an excellent strategy and I really do hope that they don't show us much more. I'd honestly be happy if they didn't show us anything else until the movie comes out. Yes, I know that sounds crazy, but it's true. That said, when the next trailer comes out, I'm sure I'll cry again and feel my heart beating in my throat and will be just as excited as the rest of you. But I also secretly hope that it doesn't tell us too much. Like I said, when is this opportunity going to come up again where we will know so little about a franchise we are so incredibly well versed in? Even with Episode VIII and IX and beyond, just like with the original trilogy, we're going to have a much better idea of where things are going to stand when the movie starts. This could be almost anything. And I would prefer that "almost anything" to be revealed to me on December 18th, not months before while I sit and wait to see the movie that shows me all the stuff I already read was going to happen.

What do you guys think? I just thought it was interesting that people were complaining about the lack of information, and how these other movies have more hype and are showing more. And it just feels as though those other movies have nothing to lose really by showing more because everyone knows what to expect. You could probably show us the end and tell us who wins but it won't even really matter because that isn't what those movies are about.

I'm not trying to stop anyone from reading spoilers who is into spoilers, just making a point based on what I was reading about hype and secrecy, and sort of saying like, why not, when given this incredibly unique set of circumstances, say as little about it as possible? It really sets us up (or those of us who were able to stay away from spoilers) for a movie-watching experience of such a well known franchise that we will probably never get again. And I think that is pretty cool. So, JJ, as far as I'm concerned, don't tell us or show us another damn thing! Although if you do, I'll totally watch anyway. Just don't tell us too much.

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.

Han Solo Spin-off Movie Officially Announced

This sort of falls under the category of "not really news" to me, since I'd fully expected this for a long time, but now it has become "official."  http://www.starwars.com/news/christopher-miller-and-phil-lord-to-helm-han-solo-anthology-film?linkId=15374280

What does everyone think of this?  Personally, my first thoughts are that I really don't even want to think about any further Star Wars movies until I find out what happens in Episode VII, at which point I can more adequately decide how much thought or consideration I need to put into these other films. If Episode VII is terrible or takes things in a direction I'm not happy with, I will be a lot less inclined to give much mental energy to any other movies, because I'm going to expect to be woefully disappointed. Of course there is the possibility, however remote, that I get fully engaged and sucked right back in, at which point I can go back to worrying about all these new movies.

If I do give myself the opportunity to think about this, again I'm, sadly, left with mostly negative thoughts on the idea. First and foremost: NOBODY wants to see anyone but Harrison Ford playing Han Solo. I honestly think that even whatever actor gets cast in this role, no matter how good for his career it might be, will still kind of secretly wish that Harrison could somehow go back to 25 and play this role himself. This is one of the most iconic roles in cinema history, and much of that is because Harrison Ford completely embodied that role. He WAS Han Solo in such a way that I don't think anyone can duplicate. And would we want him to? I'm wondering even how it will be approached. Whether we'll be left watching some young actor spending 2 hours doing his best Harrison-as-Han impression, or if he will try to make the role his own. I almost hope for the latter, but at the same time, then do we really accept him as Han? This just seems like a no-win situation.

Another thing I don't like about it is that I've actually always kind of preferred that Han's past be left shrouded in a bit of mystery. I don't necessarily want to know exactly what happened in his youth, how he grew up, what happened to his parents. While I enjoyed reading those things in the AC Crispin Han Solo trilogy (mostly enjoyed - Bria excepted) I actually feel like something is taken away from the character a little bit if we know everything about his past. Sure, little things like how he got the Falcon, or how he met Chewie might be fun to watch, but I don't know if I want them to try and work backwards and fit all of the puzzle pieces into what made him what we saw in the original trilogy.

Lastly, similar to my worries about the new movies furthering the story compared to the now-discarded EU, I worry that they will give him a back story that I don't like and would rather not see. To explain further, it is sort of like how I worry they might change Han and Leia's relationship in the new movies. We have all spent years complaining about COPL and how we wished it didn't exist, but it's quite possible we will wind up hoping that we could go back to a time in which that is exactly what happened to Han and Leia, because at least at the end of that horrendous book, they did, in fact, get married. And then they stayed married. And in this case, for years we also complained about Bria Tharen and how much we hated her. It is entirely possible that this new movie might give us a new background (random wife from the comic, anyone?) that will make us very much wish we could have Bria back. At least Bria had the decency to die before Han met Leia! 

I'd be really curious to hear everyone's thoughts on this. I fully admit it makes me sad that I'm not simply jumping for joy at every Star Wars announcement, but I am only left worrying for all of the worst possibilities. You would think that I would be excited about all of these Star Wars movies coming out, but I really haven't been at all. You can even go back to the first mention on the blog of Episode VII nearly 3 years ago, I wasn't excited then, either!  And I'm still not sure if I should be. 

In brighter news, apparently there will be some Episode VII fun at Comic Con this weekend, so let's hope that brings some good news.