!!! Warning Spoiler Alert !!! The Ep. 8 Topic !!! Warning Spoiler Alert !!!

[SITHSLAYER]

Actually, take a closer look.

Ben's                                                                                                                     Kylo's
                   

Not sure if this is official, but I did notice the similar pommels on my second viewing. This concept works for me as it would have been a necessary modification to an already functioning saber, after Kylo did that stupid thing to get a red blade and cracked his crystal.

Duuuuuuude!!!  Good eye!!!!  Dark side point for you!!!

[Darth Tepes]

yea  I pointed that out to my wife in the theater that the pommels were the same.  I agree, when he Bled his crystal it cracked and he had to mod it with the crosshilt...gives reason for that wire to be on the outside.

[Darth Logos]

yea  I pointed that out to my wife in the theater that the pommels were the same.  I agree, when he Bled his crystal it cracked and he had to mod it with the crosshilt...gives reason for that wire to be on the outside.

That too. I hated that wire, but now it makes a bit more sense.

[Darth Tepes]

Ok, I think I'm ready to say what I want to say about TLJ.  I can't say I hated it as a whole,  but found it very disappointing.  So many choices were just.....stupid...to be frank and lack a better word at this time.  Many of the criticisms I have are already out there so I won't go over them...just left the theater...empty.  The worse part is the amount of pretentiousness that has come about from it.  With critics basically calling (thinly veiled) those who didn't like it "alt-right, racist, misogynic idiots"...its Ghostbusters all over again.  Star Wars was at one time a bastion of inclusiveness...but it seems to be trying to alienate.  I've spent the last few years defending many of Lucasfilm under Disney decisions, relying on the payoff to back me up, well..I can't really keep that up.  One of the main points of contention I have is their disregard for the original characters.  I have no issue with passing the torch but we haven't really got to see these characters stories in full yet...and so seeing their ending without seeing the middle just leaves a dissatisfaction and makes me not care as much for new.  Really only Vader and Thrawn are getting their tales fleshed out...which I love.  In the end talking about TLJ will do nothing...its done...its out.  All we can do now is wait on Ep. 9...which unlike this time I will not be chomping at the bit for.  So, that's All I will say on TLJ.

[Darth Logos]

Ok, I think I'm ready to say what I want to say about TLJ.  I can't say I hated it as a whole,  but found it very disappointing.  So many choices were just.....stupid...to be frank and lack a better word at this time.  Many of the criticisms I have are already out there so I won't go over them...just left the theater...empty.  The worse part is the amount of pretentiousness that has come about from it.  With critics basically calling (thinly veiled) those who didn't like it "alt-right, racist, misogynic idiots"...its Ghostbusters all over again.  Star Wars was at one time a bastion of inclusiveness...but it seems to be trying to alienate.  I've spent the last few years defending many of Lucasfilm under Disney decisions, relying on the payoff to back me up, well..I can't really keep that up.  One of the main points of contention I have is their disregard for the original characters.  I have no issue with passing the torch but we haven't really got to see these characters stories in full yet...and so seeing their ending without seeing the middle just leaves a dissatisfaction and makes me not care as much for new.  Really only Vader and Thrawn are getting their tales fleshed out...which I love.  In the end talking about TLJ will do nothing...its done...its out.  All we can do now is wait on Ep. 9...which unlike this time I will not be chomping at the bit for.  So, that's All I will say on TLJ.

Welcome to my hell.

[Darth Tepes]

Welcome to my hell.

Yea, seems we're on the same side now

[Landen Se-Sentien]

Ok, I think I'm ready to say what I want to say about TLJ.  I can't say I hated it as a whole,  but found it very disappointing.  So many choices were just.....stupid...to be frank and lack a better word at this time.  Many of the criticisms I have are already out there so I won't go over them...just left the theater...empty.  The worse part is the amount of pretentiousness that has come about from it.  With critics basically calling (thinly veiled) those who didn't like it "alt-right, racist, misogynic idiots"...its Ghostbusters all over again.  Star Wars was at one time a bastion of inclusiveness...but it seems to be trying to alienate.  I've spent the last few years defending many of Lucasfilm under Disney decisions, relying on the payoff to back me up, well..I can't really keep that up.  One of the main points of contention I have is their disregard for the original characters.  I have no issue with passing the torch but we haven't really got to see these characters stories in full yet...and so seeing their ending without seeing the middle just leaves a dissatisfaction and makes me not care as much for new.  Really only Vader and Thrawn are getting their tales fleshed out...which I love.  In the end talking about TLJ will do nothing...its done...its out.  All we can do now is wait on Ep. 9...which unlike this time I will not be chomping at the bit for.  So, that's All I will say on TLJ.

I feel the same way. I left the theater not wanting to see Ep. 9, too.

-----

And my bad on the saber. I could've sworn it was the Grafles.

[Darth Logos]

I feel the same way. I left the theater not wanting to see Ep. 9, too.

-----

And my bad on the saber. I could've sworn it was the Grafles.

'Salright. I had always looked at your cited quote that he was referring to the Flex as his birth rite. Though, it didn't really establish how he would have known the saber's history.

[Prowl 1701]

I feel the same way. I left the theater not wanting to see Ep. 9, too.

-----

And my bad on the saber. I could've sworn it was the Grafles.

Yeah TLJ has burned me out on Star Wars for a while.

[Lady Agana Kath]

Ok, I think I'm ready to say what I want to say about TLJ.  I can't say I hated it as a whole,  but found it very disappointing.  So many choices were just.....stupid...to be frank and lack a better word at this time.  Many of the criticisms I have are already out there so I won't go over them...just left the theater...empty.  The worse part is the amount of pretentiousness that has come about from it.  With critics basically calling (thinly veiled) those who didn't like it "alt-right, racist, misogynic idiots"...its Ghostbusters all over again.  Star Wars was at one time a bastion of inclusiveness...but it seems to be trying to alienate.  I've spent the last few years defending many of Lucasfilm under Disney decisions, relying on the payoff to back me up, well..I can't really keep that up.  One of the main points of contention I have is their disregard for the original characters.  I have no issue with passing the torch but we haven't really got to see these characters stories in full yet...and so seeing their ending without seeing the middle just leaves a dissatisfaction and makes me not care as much for new.  Really only Vader and Thrawn are getting their tales fleshed out...which I love.  In the end talking about TLJ will do nothing...its done...its out.  All we can do now is wait on Ep. 9...which unlike this time I will not be chomping at the bit for.  So, that's All I will say on TLJ.

I feel your pain. This is about where I'm at as well

[Darth Logos]

I feel your pain. This is about where I'm at as well

I had a fortune cookie last night that said "[My] current plans will succeed."

MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

[Lady Agana Kath]

I had a fortune cookie last night that said "[My] current plans will succeed."

MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Lolol

[Darth Logos]

Lolol

You know what I'm talking about.

[Lady Agana Kath]

You know what I'm talking about.

Oh yeah

[DaddyFlip]

Great op-eds here. Here's my perspective without resorting to a "wall of text" on things that have already been said. (DISCLAIMER - I'm not a Warsie, I don't own a saber, I didn't see the prequels, and I didn't even know there was a VII and VIII until a few days ago. So I didn't have any expectations other than to see some saber play to help me pick out a birthday present. I did have ANH on 33-1/3 LP when I was a kid, which was one of my favorite things. Great way to memorize every line in a movie.)

• The one thing that irked me the most was the Finn and Rose survival and escape sequence after the light speed torpedo blast. A thousand storm troopers around and light axes on the decapitating downswing... everyone is vaporized for 100 yards in all directions except them? That's not 'plot armor'; that's plot WELFARE. (As an aside, I wanted Phasma to take off her helmet for her demise AND IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN BEN DEL TORO IN THE SCOUT INSTEAD OF BB8! So he could have made good on his 'they shoot at you, you shoot at them' quote.)
• In TFA, I thought Finn was going to be a throwaway character, but they developed him rapidly and I ended up really liking him. The only time I teared up in TLJ was during his final run scene into the ram cannon, which would have been an awesome, heroic ending for him. I now know why they couldn't let him do it, but I HATE ROSE! I hate Rose, I hate her sister. Everyone complaining about bombs dropping in space should be more upset that a girl with a broken back could kick at a steel structure to make a detonator fall off the edge and catch it with Jedi reflexes.
• Which leads me to my one social commentary complaint... as in the '70s and '80s, the bad guys are still run by overconfident, underwhelming white guys in a regime resembling the third reich, but where the rebellion was run by men in those days, it's now run by ugly, pointy nosed, craggly faced women. Women whose every motive is noble, whose every action is right, and who surround themselves with trigger happy men they can push around and teach lessons to. A female bomber and her sister save the days, a woman kamikaze mission saves the day (though they wouldn't even let the black man save the day), and a girl lead Jedi. I'm all for inclusion and diversity, but this was too heavy handed for me.
• Rey isn't a nobody. She's Leia's daughter - get ready for it.
• All I could think about Snoke was Ed Harris in The Truman Show.
• I never thought I would like Kylo Ren, but he's as good or better than Vader ever was. His helmet is better, too, even though he really is a 'child behind a mask'. Vader needed his (I think); why does KR wear one? Anyway, makes me want to get the Kylo Ren motorcycle helmet for my bike, even though I don't usually go for 'bad guy' stuff.
• Question for the group:  I loved Luke's Force projection and death at the end - well played. When I was a kid, I never could understand how OWK just disappeared when Vader swung at him in ANH. His robe and saber dropped and he was gone. We know that a saber cuts through what it hits. Was OWK projecting himself all those years ago and we just didn't know it? Or did they not have a good/clean way to portray Jedi saber death in 1977?
• I didn't have a problem with any of the humor or tongue-in-cheek moments. It's what made the original trilogy a spaghetti western set in space and made them so enjoyable (as opposed to the dark, complicated seriousness of the prequel, IMO, which I didn't watch).
• As I already said, I had a single, almost teary-eyed moment in this one. I had at least three full blown tear jerkers in TFA because of the throwback moments and plot developments.
• Leia in space was stupid, but I understand it. I would have given her a suspended, frozen moment of Force talk with Luke and given her a space dust escort into the deep. That's what I thought was about to happen and what would have compelled Luke to rejoin the rebellion.

Overall, I liked it. My step daughter had never seen any Star Wars, so we watched VII and VIII on Tuesday. Friday we are watching IV-V-VI, so it's been a good father-daughter event. She liked it, too.