Disney Star Wars General Discussion

[Oscar Lindberg]

I’m kind of in the same spot, it’s a little overload in terms of Star Wars content but Disney needs original programming for Disney+ so I get it.

Apparently there’s even more content that wasn’t announced yesterday. Allegedly there’s 2 animated and 3-5 live action shows they didn’t mention yesterday.

What would be interesting and I wonder if Disney would be bold enough to do it, is doing a live action show with the characters from Fallen Order. They’re going to continue to make the games, but doing live actions stories following Cal would be kinda dope.

I also wouldn’t be opposed to an animated thing instead tbh

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

A little off topic from Star Wars, but I just discovered from reading about all these new Lucasfilm dumps that Willow was done by Lucas.

That’s really a great movie from my childhood that I loved, so it was pretty exciting to read about the new Willow series in development.

I had no clue about this and it should be bad ass if they do it right.

 

[MadDevil]

A little off topic from Star Wars, but I just discovered from reading about all these new Lucasfilm dumps that Willow was done by Lucas.

That’s really a great movie from my childhood that I loved, so it was pretty exciting to read about the new Willow series in development.

I had no clue about this and it should be bad ass if they do it right.

Not sure if you would have any interest, but there is a trilogy of books out there from I think the 90's that continues the story after the movie. It's been so long since I've read them I don't remember if they were any good though.

 

[Osprey]

A little off topic from Star Wars, but I just discovered from reading about all these new Lucasfilm dumps that Willow was done by Lucas.

That’s really a great movie from my childhood that I loved, so it was pretty exciting to read about the new Willow series in development.

I had no clue about this and it should be bad ass if they do it right.

Yeah, Lucas conceived the story for Willow before he made Star Wars, even. While he was making Return of the Jedi, he talked to Warwick Davis (who was playing Wicket the Ewok) about starring in it and, 5 years later, it finally happened.

I always wondered why it was standalone and nothing more came from it. I guess that Lucas was disappointed that it wasn't nearly as successful as Star Wars and didn't feel that there was enough demand for a sequel or spinoffs. It's a bit strange to see something 32 years later, but, then again, the Dark Crystal series came 37 years after its one-and-done film, and I really liked that, so maybe this'll be similarly pleasant and nostalgic.

 

[x Tame Impala]

 

[MadDevil]

Rey? Wasn't she a supporting character in the Kylo Ren trilogy?

 

[Baby Punisher]

Rey? Wasn't she a supporting character in the Kylo Ren trilogy?

I believe she had a bit part.

 

[Mount Suribachi]

I don't see the issue with having multiple Star Wars shows. If a specific premise doesn't interest me or I don't enjoy a specific show/movie, I just won't watch it. There being some bad Star Wars media doesn't negatively impact my life enough for me to care about it for more than a minute.

Of course we all have the right to watch or not watch whatever we like. As a consumer, I'd rather watch 1 or 2 high quality shows than 5 or 6 mediocre shows. My concern is that by going for 5 or 6 shows, Disney will spread the talent too thin. Of course, they're more concerned with continuing to make gobs of $$$$$ than they are with the quality of their output. Unless I'm wrong, and they really have learned the lesson of ST vs Mandalorian.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

Not sure if you would have any interest, but there is a trilogy of books out there from I think the 90's that continues the story after the movie. It's been so long since I've read them I don't remember if they were any good though.

I was an avid reader as a kid, so I’m surprised I didn’t know about the books.

Apparently the series is suppose to take place after the events of the movie, so perhaps they will use these books as some source material.

Yeah, Lucas conceived the story for Willow before he made Star Wars, even. While he was making Return of the Jedi, he talked to Warwick Davis (who was playing Wicket the Ewok) about starring in it and, 5 years later, it finally happened.

I always wondered why it was standalone and nothing more came from it. I guess that Lucas was disappointed that it wasn't nearly as successful as Star Wars and didn't feel that there was enough demand for a sequel or spinoffs. It's a bit strange to see something 32 years later, but, then again, the Dark Crystal series came 37 years after its one-and-done film, and I really liked that, so maybe this'll be similarly pleasant and nostalgic.

This rings a bell for me, so I must have known about all of this at some point, but simply forgot.

Dark Crystal was weird as shit to me when I was a kid... they had a lot of creepy ass stuff “for kids” then like Secret of NIMH... Don Bluth sure loved his straight up nightmare fuel for kids.

Lots of cool series on Disney+ coming out though from my childhood... Mighty Ducks, Vader/Obi Wan and Willow.

Pretty stoked.

 

[Hasbro]

Star Wars: A Droid Story finally R5-D4 gets the star vehicle he deserves!

I haven't given any of the sequels a second viewing except for the Rifftrax. Much preferred R1 and Mando.

 

[Shockmaster]

That Ahsoka title card looks a lot like the Veil of the Force from Rebels.

 

[Cole Caulifield]

The problem with disney star wars is that it does not have a Kevin Feige to oversee the creative direction the IP is headed in. Kathleen Kennedy is an exec with not a single creative bone in her body. Here are a few examples

Example #1 : Sequel trilogy

The way that the ST was handled was a travesty. Changing directors is not inherently wrong in the middle of the trilogy, but if you're just going to let them loose without guidelines, and not even an outline of a story, especially a guy like Rian Johnson who seems to have an appetite to divide and create controversy, then that's just really dumb. I cannot believe they did that. Especially since they put in JJ Abrams to do the first one. The guy is the epitome of coming up with catchy mysterious stories that will grab people's attention right off the bat but once you see he never knew how to finish what he started (Alias, Lost, etc.) and the story predictably goes nowhere with a gazillion unresolved ''TWIIISTS''... you realize how empty and stupid it all was to begin with. I'm glad this time Abrams had to actually go back to finish the mess he started. Although I'm not sure if he deserved Johnson leaving him with an even worse mess.

Another thing that's really wrong with the ST is the way they treated Luke. It feels like they went out of their way to destroy the character just so Rey could have a chance to become the new face of the franchise. There's two problems with that. One, fans of the OT could not forgive the way they treated Luke in TLJ and two, killing Luke was never going to make Rey a good character on its own. They needed an actual story and a way to make us relate to the character. What we got was the opposite. And the way Luke was treated makes fans of the OT even more resentful of Rey. I actually liked Rey in the first movie even if she was a Mary Sue. But when they dumped on Luke to prop her up.... that killed it for me. There is NO way that someone with a real passion for the IP (a Kevin Feige-esque figure for SW) would have let this happen.

Example #2 : the choice of projects she allowed to be made and making the EU non-canon

There is no plan behind the ST, the solo movie, rogue one... no arch to tie in these movies together. Look at Marvel where all of it was done with the endgame idea in mind.

Some make apologies for KK by saying she did not have the source material to draw from like Marvel... when there's nothing more wrong. The EU is full of pretty cool stories and characters. And it's ok not to make the EU canon, but it's part of the IP they bought. Take what you like from it and leave the rest. But I'm sure KK doesn't know a thing about the EU. She's not a fan of SW like Feige was a fan of the Marvel comics. You need someone with a passion for the IP who understands fans - someone like Filoni - to spearhead the creative decisions and greenlight the right projects. That's what KK's job is. And she's been AWFUL at this. And looking at what they're doing with the new TV shows, I see a lot of the same mistakes being repeated. There is a reason why SW was successful in the first place and you need to understand the recipe and continue to follow it to grow the IP like Feige has done with Marvel Studios. Until they have someone like that at the top.. expect more failures like the ST and solo.

Example #3 : Solo

The way solo was handled was also a travesty, a complete gong show with a revolving door of directors, re-shoots, etc. Again Kathleen Kennedy does not have an outline for what she wants. She hires people and let them loose. This is the result.

When they acquired Star Wars, Bob Iger said that they had had success with all of their previous acquisitions because they let the people who had the success in place to continue handling the business like it was. So they thought Kennedy being president of Lucasfilms was the correct person for this. But Kennedy was never the creative mind or influence behind anything. It was Lucas. And while Lucas had his flaws, he had a vision. Kennedy does not understand star wars and she's more interested in diversifying the fan base than anything else. Which is not a problem in itself but if it should not come at the expanse of the actual fan base. That's the whole reason for buying the IP because it already has a huge fanbase.

 

[RobBrown4PM]

I was an avid reader as a kid, so I’m surprised I didn’t know about the books.

Apparently the series is suppose to take place after the events of the movie, so perhaps they will use these books as some source material.



This rings a bell for me, so I must have known about all of this at some point, but simply forgot.

Dark Crystal was weird as shit to me when I was a kid... they had a lot of creepy ass stuff “for kids” then like Secret of NIMH... Don Bluth sure loved his straight up nightmare fuel for kids.

Lots of cool series on Disney+ coming out though from my childhood... Mighty Ducks, Vader/Obi Wan and Willow.

Pretty stoked.

Zahns Thrawn trilogy is widely considered some of the best SW material ever produced. It's a shame that it was never adapted to the big screen or to TV.

 

[Cole Caulifield]

A little off topic from Star Wars, but I just discovered from reading about all these new Lucasfilm dumps that Willow was done by Lucas.

That’s really a great movie from my childhood that I loved, so it was pretty exciting to read about the new Willow series in development.

I had no clue about this and it should be bad ass if they do it right.

What? A Willow series ? Nice.

While I'm fed up with all the remakes, sequels, etc... I'm only tired of them because most of them are just souless cash grabs. I'm all in if it's done the right way.

 

[MadDevil]

That Ahsoka title card looks a lot like the Veil of the Force from Rebels.

I wonder if that's supposed to hint at some World Between Worlds stuff, or maybe a reference to Ezra? I think it was kind of telling that Filoni mentioned the last scene in Rebels could have taken place after Ahsoka showed up in Mandalorian.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

Zahns Thrawn trilogy is widely considered some of the best SW material ever produced. It's a shame that it was never adapted to the big screen or to TV.

I briefly read about him. Isn’t he supposed to be more powerful than Vader?

What? A Willow series ? Nice.

While I'm fed up with all the remakes, sequels, etc... I'm only tired of them because most of them are just souless cash grabs. I'm all in if it's done the right way.

I figure they make these series to profit from, which only makes sense.

Disney isn’t developing these series because they are a nice, caring corporation.

If a series is dumb, I just won’t watch it.

If the Vader/Obi Wan and Willow series are good, that’s all I can hope for.

I know the Ducks series will be cheesy like the original, but that’s part of what made it fun.

Make those three series enjoyable and I’ll gladly keep my subscription to their service.

 

[RobBrown4PM]

I briefly read about him. Isn’t he supposed to be more powerful than Vader?

No, the Thrawn trilogy is set a couple years after Endor. The Empire has fragmented, but Thrawn, a Grand Admiral of the Imperial Navy, who is a tactical and strategic genius, has woven the remnants back together and is waging war against the fledgling New Republic.

Thrawn has no supernatural powers. He's a Moriarty like villain in that he uses his natural talents in deduction and perception to out think his opponents. Thrawn has a massive fan base within the SW community and is considered one of the most adept and dangerous villains (I say villain, but he's really not) in the SW universe.

One of the things that makes him a fan favorite is that he understands the value of his men and resources. Where Vader and Palps would likely execute a subordinate who fails, Thrawn draws out a training regiment for that person or gives them the chance to come up with a new plan. He also doesn't waste his resources. More than once he retreats knowing full well the futility of throwing his resources against a powerful defence.

 

[Shockmaster]

I wonder if that's supposed to hint at some World Between Worlds stuff, or maybe a reference to Ezra? I think it was kind of telling that Filoni mentioned the last scene in Rebels could have taken place after Ahsoka showed up in Mandalorian.

I'm sure Ezra will be involved somehow, as will Thrawn. But queue the speculation about the Veil being used to de-canonize the sequel trilogy.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

No, the Thrawn trilogy is set a couple years after Endor. The Empire has fragmented, but Thrawn, a Grand Admiral of the Imperial Navy, who is a tactical and strategic genius, has woven the remnants back together and is waging war against the fledgling New Republic.

Thrawn has no supernatural powers. He's a Moriarty like villain in that he uses his natural talents in deduction and perception to out think his opponents. Thrawn has a massive fan base within the SW community and is considered one of the most adept and dangerous villains (I say villain, but he's really not) in the SW universe.

One of the things that makes him a fan favorite is that he understands the value of his men and resources. Where Vader and Palps would likely execute a subordinate who fails, Thrawn draws out a training regiment for that person or gives them the chance to come up with a new plan. He also doesn't waste his resources. More than once he retreats knowing full well the futility of throwing his resources against a powerful defence.

I’ve lightly read about the villains in the Star Wars universe created in the novels and such, but mix them all up.

Everyone seems to argue who was the most powerful... I think Darth Bane and Exar Kun come up a lot.

Vader apparently would have been the most powerful, but he couldn’t wield certain powers because he no longer had his natural hands or something.

Hard to keep it all straight TBTH.

 

[RobBrown4PM]

I’ve lightly read about the villains in the Star Wars universe created in the novels and such, but mix them all up.

Everyone seems to argue who was the most powerful... I think Darth Bane and Exar Kun come up a lot.

Vader apparently would have been the most powerful, but he couldn’t wield certain powers because he no longer had his natural hands or something.

Hard to keep it all straight TBTH.

In terms of sheer 'power' it would likely be someone like Star Killer, at least in the mortal/physical realm.

Outside the physical realm it would be the Father, Daughter and Son by far.

 

[Hasbro]

 

[Bures Elbow]

Porkins was legendary in Family Guy!

I think the premise of a great Star Wars series/movie would be Vader hunting down the few remaining Jedi/Padawans that survived Order 66 one by one, thinking each one could lead him in his investigation towards finding Kenobi. You could throw in a live action version of his fight with Ahsoka

 

[Shockmaster]

No word on Rian Johnson's rumored trilogy. Hopefully that is never happening.

 

[MadDevil]

No word on Rian Johnson's rumored trilogy. Hopefully that is never happening.

I actually wouldn't mind seeing it, as long as it doesn't involve any known characters. He's an excellent filmmaker, but I think he needs to be able to play in his own sandbox. Handing him characters with 30+ years of history and expectations was not a wise decision.

 

[Randy Butternubs]

The problem with disney star wars is that it does not have a Kevin Feige to oversee the creative direction the IP is headed in. Kathleen Kennedy is an exec with not a single creative bone in her body. Here are a few examples

Example #1 : Sequel trilogy

The way that the ST was handled was a travesty. Changing directors is not inherently wrong in the middle of the trilogy, but if you're just going to let them loose without guidelines, and not even an outline of a story, especially a guy like Rian Johnson who seems to have an appetite to divide and create controversy, then that's just really dumb. I cannot believe they did that. Especially since they put in JJ Abrams to do the first one. The guy is the epitome of coming up with catchy mysterious stories that will grab people's attention right off the bat but once you see he never knew how to finish what he started (Alias, Lost, etc.) and the story predictably goes nowhere with a gazillion unresolved ''TWIIISTS''... you realize how empty and stupid it all was to begin with. I'm glad this time Abrams had to actually go back to finish the mess he started. Although I'm not sure if he deserved Johnson leaving him with an even worse mess.

Another thing that's really wrong with the ST is the way they treated Luke. It feels like they went out of their way to destroy the character just so Rey could have a chance to become the new face of the franchise. There's two problems with that. One, fans of the OT could not forgive the way they treated Luke in TLJ and two, killing Luke was never going to make Rey a good character on its own. They needed an actual story and a way to make us relate to the character. What we got was the opposite. And the way Luke was treated makes fans of the OT even more resentful of Rey. I actually liked Rey in the first movie even if she was a Mary Sue. But when they dumped on Luke to prop her up.... that killed it for me. There is NO way that someone with a real passion for the IP (a Kevin Feige-esque figure for SW) would have let this happen.

Example #2 : the choice of projects she allowed to be made and making the EU non-canon

There is no plan behind the ST, the solo movie, rogue one... no arch to tie in these movies together. Look at Marvel where all of it was done with the endgame idea in mind.

Some make apologies for KK by saying she did not have the source material to draw from like Marvel... when there's nothing more wrong. The EU is full of pretty cool stories and characters. And it's ok not to make the EU canon, but it's part of the IP they bought. Take what you like from it and leave the rest. But I'm sure KK doesn't know a thing about the EU. She's not a fan of SW like Feige was a fan of the Marvel comics. You need someone with a passion for the IP who understands fans - someone like Filoni - to spearhead the creative decisions and greenlight the right projects. That's what KK's job is. And she's been AWFUL at this. And looking at what they're doing with the new TV shows, I see a lot of the same mistakes being repeated. There is a reason why SW was successful in the first place and you need to understand the recipe and continue to follow it to grow the IP like Feige has done with Marvel Studios. Until they have someone like that at the top.. expect more failures like the ST and solo.

Example #3 : Solo

The way solo was handled was also a travesty, a complete gong show with a revolving door of directors, re-shoots, etc. Again Kathleen Kennedy does not have an outline for what she wants. She hires people and let them loose. This is the result.

When they acquired Star Wars, Bob Iger said that they had had success with all of their previous acquisitions because they let the people who had the success in place to continue handling the business like it was. So they thought Kennedy being president of Lucasfilms was the correct person for this. But Kennedy was never the creative mind or influence behind anything. It was Lucas. And while Lucas had his flaws, he had a vision. Kennedy does not understand star wars and she's more interested in diversifying the fan base than anything else. Which is not a problem in itself but if it should not come at the expanse of the actual fan base. That's the whole reason for buying the IP because it already has a huge fanbase.

Ugh, I was typing up a larger response but accidentally closed out the tab...

Anyway, I mostly agree with everything you have written. However, George Lucas (a creative mind you reference and wish the sequels had) seemingly always had Luke becoming disillusioned with the Jedi Order. Though I do think his portrayal in TLJ was too harsh.

Regarding the EU, there's no way they could have kept all of it. I don't even think they could have kept a significant amount of it. The EU was always "Legends", unless it came from the mouth of George Lucas. Lucas allowed people to play within his universe (and made money off of it). Whenever Lucas and Lucasfilm decided something in canon needed change in order to meet George's vision, they had no issues with changing it. For example, Boba Fett in his short stories and books, to Shadows of the Empire, and then to the prequels.

For example, imagine if they kept all of the EU and the majority of Star Wars fans go to the new movies expecting to see Chewbacca. Nope, got crushed by a moon. And who is this Luuke?

When I say "majority of Star Wars fans", think of people who aren't us on an internet message board talking about Star Wars.

But I do get what you're saying about pick and choose parts of the EU to keep. That statement from KK about how Marvel had so much material to pick from was such bullshit. Though I do think they're starting to take the good parts from the EU.

Hopefully that gets my point across. Still mad I closed this tab earlier......