Random Star Wars Thoughts

[Eques Discipulus]

It's funny you mention that line.

Thing is, Poe was conspicuously *wrong* in that, and I think that was intentional.

If you note when Starkiller Base was destroyed, it was after the visible light of the star was completely gone.  I actually checked specifically for that on my subsequent viewings because I noticed it right in the theater the first time.  This observation was confirmed: Poe got it wrong--100%, blatantly so, and to me there is no way it wasn't intended for him to be wrong and for it to be noticed.  Unfortunately it seems that detail HAS slipped past a lot of people.

Me--I think it's foreshadowing that a certain someone who seems to have extinguished all visible light is not as doomed as it seems, and you can't always rush to write someone or something off completely.

I personally think it's nearly impossible to speculate on foreshadowing at that production stage in episode VII.  There was supposedly some high level discussions at LucasFilm about general plot points for the new trilogy, but beyond that there wasn't a script or even a treatment for episode VIII at the time these scenes were filmed.  Although JJ Abrams hinted Rey's parents weren't in episode VII, showing he does know some backstory, he also said in another interview he didn't really know who Rey is and he was leaving that to the writers and director of VIII to flesh out.

George Lucas knew how the whole story went in the original and prequel trilogies, so he could lay out specific story points in earlier episodes and have them come to fruition later.  I'm doubtful the same can be said of the new trilogy, especially with a variety of writers and directors working on each episode rather independently of each other.  Bottom line, foreshadowing just seems like a doubtful prospect to me.  I'm still just hoping the big picture comes together as well as the originals did.

WOW you put a lot of thought into that. The energy still had to pass from the star's location to the capacitor, or whatever. Which is why even though the light from it had been depleted, SKB still wasn't ready to fire. I always interpreted Poe's line as a cheesy attempt to be overly symbolic, because it also lines up with Ren on the precipice of a choice, and then he "makes it" right as the "light dies"? <Spew>

I agree with the basic symbolism of this scene and the light fading or dying at the moment Ren turns from the light and kills Han.  I think something similar was done symbolically in a later episode of the Clone Wars series. Yoda is talking to Chancellor Palpatine in his office and Palpatine's shadow largely falls on Yoda during their conversation, symbolizing the dark side and Palpatine's machinations in particular, clouding the Jedis' attempts at discovering the truth.

The actual physics and engineering of SKB seems to be far different than what Poe or I would believe.  Personally, I would think destroying a capacitor controlling the entire energy contained in a sun would lead to a sudden and catastrophic explosion.  Instead, all that energy just simmers for 10-15 minutes or so while Rey and Ren finish their battle, Chewie gets the Falcon and rescues everyone, and Hux finds Ren to evacuate.  It just feels like one of those necessary movie plot points that is okay on the surface, but doesn't make a lot of sense after thinking some about it.  But what do I know about planetary planet destroying weapons?

[Darth Justicar]

Eques, while Rey's parentage may not be AS critical a plot point, I think that the ultimate fate of Kylo Ren--whether he is redeemed or not, whether he lives or not, is such a major driver (pun intended) for the trajectory of the entire trilogy that I suspect it's known.  I would consider that a major, high-level plot point.  And if there's one thing we know Abrams can do in interviews, it's obfuscate.   I have a feeling that the writers do know if Kylo is going to make it or not, so I do think that is something they likely can foreshadow for.

[Darth Logos]

I personally think it's nearly impossible to speculate on foreshadowing at that production stage in episode VII.  There was supposedly some high level discussions at LucasFilm about general plot points for the new trilogy, but beyond that there wasn't a script or even a treatment for episode VIII at the time these scenes were filmed.  Although JJ Abrams hinted Rey's parents weren't in episode VII, showing he does know some backstory, he also said in another interview he didn't really know who Rey is and he was leaving that to the writers and director of VIII to flesh out.

Might this also then verify that Rey is not a Skywalker? Because if it is....LAME!

I agree with the basic symbolism of this scene and the light fading or dying at the moment Ren turns from the light and kills Han.  I think something similar was done symbolically in a later episode of the Clone Wars series. Yoda is talking to Chancellor Palpatine in his office and Palpatine's shadow largely falls on Yoda during their conversation, symbolizing the dark side and Palpatine's machinations in particular, clouding the Jedis' attempts at discovering the truth.

The actual physics and engineering of SKB seems to be far different than what Poe or I would believe.  Personally, I would think destroying a capacitor controlling the entire energy contained in a sun would lead to a sudden and catastrophic explosion.  Instead, all that energy just simmers for 10-15 minutes or so while Rey and Ren finish their battle, Chewie gets the Falcon and rescues everyone, and Hux finds Ren to evacuate.  It just feels like one of those necessary movie plot points that is okay on the surface, but doesn't make a lot of sense after thinking some about it.  But what do I know about planetary planet destroying weapons?

Thank you. Bad sci-fi for the sake of edgy plot. XÞ Or how military grade torps can't penetrate the armor of.....whatever they call it (DJ, fill in the blank)....but a few scattered bombs manage to blow a single floor to ceiling fissure in it just big enough for an X-Wing to get in.

And was it just me, or were the pilots waaaaaayyyyyy to emotional in that sequence? Red Leader wasn't getting all "What do we do?" when Gold Squadron bit the dust. He was all...

[Darth Justicar]

The thermal oscillator.  And I'm suspecting what got hit by Chewy's bombs was a major power conduit I said said oscillator, which let the energies of an entire star start running around uncontrolled.

Major engineering hubris, not making the thing as sturdy on the inside as on the outside.  Then again before one assumes it's not possible for engineers to be so stupid IRL, just look at the number of engineering sins involved in Fukushima Daiichi.  I watched a documentary where they went through everything wrong with that place's design and...wow.

[Eques Discipulus]

Might this also then verify that Rey is not a Skywalker? Because if it is....LAME!

That's the implication if you take what Abrams said at face value.

Eques, while Rey's parentage may not be AS critical a plot point, I think that the ultimate fate of Kylo Ren--whether he is redeemed or not, whether he lives or not, is such a major driver (pun intended) for the trajectory of the entire trilogy that I suspect it's known.  I would consider that a major, high-level plot point.  And if there's one thing we know Abrams can do in interviews, it's obfuscate.  I have a feeling that the writers do know if Kylo is going to make it or not, so I do think that is something they likely can foreshadow for.

I wish I had your optimism in the storytelling and continuity for this trilogy, foreshadowing included.  I might be cautiously optimistic at best after VII, but story arc and plot by committee tends to worry me.  It feels like the best story driven movies, TV, or books have a creator/writer/producer (i.e. Lucas, Tolkien, Russell Davies, J.M. Straczynski) with a strong and clear vision for the work and how it should go in most, if not all respects.  It's wonderful to see the subtle plot points of a well crafted story come together seamlessly at the end, often when you didn't even realize it initially.

Then you find the opposite as well.  The Terminator franchise comes to mind. The first couple were good movies with a well planned plot and story.  Now it's devolved into a never ending revenue stream with any story the latest writer or director can come up with pushing forward with no real intent, direction or perspective within its universe.

It's critical to have characters we see develop on many levels that we can root and cheer for, but it's equally important to have proper story development.  Just like clichéd characters with little depth and basic motivations annoy us, having a rehashed and familiar plot concluding with simplistic story devices or inane twists that make little sense is even worse.  And while I'm not saying Episode VII suffers from these major plot issues, it doesn't entirely avoid all of them either.

So although I'll be at the opening for Episode VIII hoping for something great, without a strong creative leader for the whole trilogy and franchise, I'll also be nervous to see where the next two movies take us, and more importantly, how we get there.  Maybe if we're lucky there's a new Sith-like leader at LucasFilm pulling all the right creative strings behind the scenes without us readily seeing it like we did with Lucas or Abrams.

[Obese Wan Kenobese]

Maybe if we're lucky there's a new Sith-like leader at LucasFilm pulling all the right creative strings behind the scenes without us readily seeing it like we did with Lucas or Abrams.

Darth Walt...He's still alive. Been pulling the strings all along.

[Darth Logos]

Maybe if we're lucky there's a new Sith-like leader at LucasFilm pulling all the right creative strings behind the scenes without us readily seeing it like we did with Lucas or Abrams.

If he sucks, he shall be usurped.

The thing with Lucas was that despite being a good story teller and man of unparalleled vision, Lucas was not a good director. Little did I know, until recently, that he only has directing credit for movies 1-4. The prevailing word behind the scenes of the prequels was that he wanted it in the can as quick as possible in order to have the most time for all his toys in post production.

From what I've been able to ascertain about Abrams, he sacrifices continuity in order to make the story work (which IMO makes it 'not work') or is just a setup for superfluous action sequences. Kinda like Bay, only not as bad.







I just pray that they have someone with the vision and movie know-how to pull this franchise out of the hole it's going down.

[Xaeyon]

In The Clone Wars S05E18 (The Jedi Who Knew Too Much) Ahsoka is being shot at with stun rounds and they dissipate against her lightsaber. That must mean for live rounds, they also lose energy when deflected. It just wouldn't be enough to break the coherence of the laser. I mean, mirrors aren't perfect and every reflected beam of light is less energetic than the incidental beam. How many times do you think you could deflect a blaster bolt before the integrity is compromised?

[ithekro]

I suppose we could attempt to count how many times the blaster bolt Han Solo fires inside the magnetically sealed trash compactor bounced around the room?

[Xaeyon]

Nice suggestion. I'll be back when I have a count!

[Xaeyon]

There's about 17 deflections before the bolt goes dead, but whether that's from hitting the garbage or actually dissipating is unclear. So at least 16 is a good answer.

Next question would be: how long is a typical tennis rally?

[Obese Wan Kenobese]

Shatterpoint, a non-Disney book about Mace Windu, shows that stun blasts are not entirely stopped.

https://books.google.com/books?id=Fkocf81tO_IC&pg=PA62&lpg=PA62&dq=shatterpoint+stun+lightsaber&source=bl&ots=ReGOGr0lnh&sig=AeaRFpDVpk-AKBY--EJREcUFe_Q&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjIsLHYmfzNAhWI7iYKHSQ3AWsQ6AEIPjAF#v=onepage&q=shatterpoint%20stun%20lightsaber&f=false

When I saw Ahsoka with a scene against stun blasts, I got the feeling it wasn't stopping them completely, which erked me, as I expected it was just a lesser setting of the same blaster energy. But, then that wouldn't stun, it would just burn or be warm. ?? Wiki says stun is a blast of particles that bombard the nervous system. Watched it again, and she is able to stop the stun rings completely.

None of this takes away from your reasonable idea that some percentage of blaster energy would dissipate or destabilize when deflected. Nor does it lessen the awesomeness of Jedi tennis! Point.

[Darth Logos]

In The Clone Wars S05E18 (The Jedi Who Knew Too Much) Ahsoka is being shot at with stun rounds and they dissipate against her lightsaber. That must mean for live rounds, they also lose energy when deflected. It just wouldn't be enough to break the coherence of the laser. I mean, mirrors aren't perfect and every reflected beam of light is less energetic than the incidental beam. How many times do you think you could deflect a blaster bolt before the integrity is compromised?

I would suspect that an energy bolt would lose none of its potency until it has been absorbed by something. Although, now that I think of it.....why would the entire trash compacter chamber be blaster proofed? And just because the door is magnetically sealed shouldn't mean the metal won't burn when you shoot it.

I think this will fall into the category of improperly defined sci-fi physics.

[Darth Justicar]

By magnetic seal, did they mean magnetic BOTTLE instead?

This is a thing, and it traps plasma.  Which would actually explain (sorta kinda) the behavior of the blaster bolt.  But that would be major overkill for security in a garbage pit.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_mirror?wprov=sfsi1

[Obese Wan Kenobese]

Maybe they're planning if a plasma weapon is accidentally thrown away and fires when compacted?

We must put an unshielded vent on the outside of this space station, but the trash compacter must be impenetrable from the inside. Only communication signals and submerged one eyed snake creatures can be allowed to get out. Ventilation shafts in the hall near the holding cells should be large enough for a wookie to slide down safely.