Plano Skywalker

well, I think he would prefer to make blockbusters that are not SW but, other than Indiana Jones, nothing else even comes close. I think he likes directing just as much as writing and I suspect anything SW will have heavy involvement from him for the next decade or two. I do think there will be more SW on the silver screen. I don't think there is really any question about that.

the bottom line is that GL is a "big picture" guy....the details are best filled in by others...this is evidenced in the superb film know as The Empire Strikes Back. in Ep3, it is obvious that he listened to the groaning of the hard core fans...otherwise, that one wouldn't have been as good. GL likes adolescent, corny dialogue and cliches but his "big picture" ideas are really good (even if he does get them from the newspaper).

eye candy has always been a big part of the SW experience....EP 3 delivers on that front....

>>You are assuming that GL had a detailed script. He didn't. He sketched out an opera of (six or) nine parts, then chose the second three as the interesting series (because that's when the baddies gain an upper hand and threaten to overwelm the goodies in ALL formulaic plots), then fleshed out the first story as a film because it was the most interesting plot. He never expected the first film to be successful, so he only wrote it as a single film.<< right-o. he would have preferred to make his opera as one film but it was way too big so he had to zero in on certain things. in fact, the bit about Mace Windu was probably not even in a rough draft screenplay...it predates even this http://www.godamongdirectors.com/scripts/swd1.shtml >>Afterwards, he added the other two films in the trilogy (with varying success), one at a time. When he poured all his net worth into The Empire Strikes Back, he was betting everything on red in the casino of life: he came away from the roulette table with more money than he could spend.<< for his own betterment and for our betterment. >>The prequel trilogy was just made up on the spot to retro-fit into the existing trilogy. When he wrote Star Wars (later renamed to A New Hope), the "clone wars" were just a neat-sounding name for some historical event.<< I've always wondered about Ep 1, 2, and 3. Obviously, "something" existed all along but when I saw Ep II at the theater, I was thinking "wow, that human cloning thing sounds pretty modern, even by SW standards"....all in all, it was a really good idea for the backstory.

well, I read that one of the early, early drafts from Lucas had Mace Windu as the primary character...he was a spice smuggler....basically, Han and Luke rolled into one. I think the main reason they went with 4,5, and 6 first is that the other ones were so anti-war in the context of when they would be released.

I work with a guy who is really into fantasy and sci fi and gaming who says that Firefly is the best TV show ever made. Mind you, he thinks the new B Galactica is really good but that Firefly is better. Firefly, of course, was cancelled after 1 season and the writers produced the movie Serenity which follows the same story (I guess). I have not seen any episode of Firefly nor have I yet seen Serenity but I hope to remedy that soon enough (I'll probably end up buying Firefly on DVD).

I think the problem you would run into is capturing the "epic feel" of Star Wars. now, maybe that isn't really a problem going forward but it would represent a departure. I think a story based on a merchant (smuggler) who spends 3 movies stuck on a remote planet having to deal with a heretofore unknown race and even help them find a solution to their civil war would be interesting. more localized stories....

I picked up Mystique: Drop Dead Gorgeous TPB the other day. that wasnt' bad at all.

KOTOR is EU. so is anything past the movies or before the movies. I think LFL likes to keep a clear line of demarkation between EU and "canon". that is one reason I suspect any new films would be in (was is now) the movie era. however, that doesn't mean we can't have entire films that take place on one planet or one system....movies don't have to advance the plot in real time to be effective. in other words, film A and film B happen simultaneously in terms of the overaching story.

there is no nice way to put it: companion AI in these games BLOWS!

some people have theorized that the Jack Chick comics/ministry is really just one big satire. guess there is no way to know for sure.

BTW: I thought Ep III was actually pretty good. in fact, I would say it is second only to ESB.

well, I have alot of respect for GL but he turned ROTJ into a kid's movie (i.e. the Ewoks) long before he turned Ep 1 into a kid's movie. the Empire Strikes Back is widely seen as the best SW movie ever made and it was neither directed nor produced by GL, nor was the screenplay written by him. of course, the overarching story was his, but the micromanagement was left to others. with the right mix of writers and producers, I would love to see some more movies on par with the Empire Strikes Back....both only if they are on par with it.

even more hairsplitting: "Knights of the Old Republic" is one story arch (and, hence, trade paperback) for the Tales of the Jedi Era. of course KOTOR since taken on a larger meaning, namely any ancient SW setting. I would say it is any time you have: 1) more than 2 Sith (i.e. before Darth Bane's time) and 2) the Jedi Order is, basically, the FBI in the movie era, you have one of those conditions but not both.

Kreia was a well-written cheap trick that I can excuse once.

interesting idea but wouldn't the Vong invasion interfere with such a setting?

well, ideally, yes...but I don't think they can resist the temptation entirely. a fixed surname, I could live with.

and, if they must give us a "predefined backstory" of some kind, give us a surname, not a first name or a "Darth" name.

it's an analogy. of course Exar Kun and Nomi Sunrider were not in the Mandalorian Wars....my point is that the PC does not have to be one of the principle continuity characters. the PC is someone who, regardless of whether he saves the day or not, he will not get the actual credit for it....he will either fail and not get credit or will succeed and not get credit.....the roleplaying potential is actually much greater that way. we don't have to play a Revan or some such figure everytime....and, if we don't, the other eras (which are already defined) become much more playable that way. PCs in SW RPGs need to leave "zero footprint" on continuity...sure, somebody will get the credit, but it shouldn't be the PC.

I don't know, while a KOTOR flick would be nice, it would also take away my ability to refer to the Galactic Civil War era as, simply, "the movie era" the bottom line is that Star Wars is what we think of when we think of Lucas and I really wouldn't be surprised if he has some more (SW) movies in him.

the point is that the transition from crushing the Trade Federation to crushing the Rebellion is wrought with many logistical and political difficulties. not every stormtrooper is a clone (one would think, anyway) and many stormtroopers would object to crushing the Rebellion. OK, I admit, the movies would not actually be "about" Vader since, as you say, there is little to no character developement for him, but seeing him deal with insurrections during this time and still manage to make trips out to the Outer Rim to hunt Jedi would make for good cinema. It would also allow us to see what Ben and Yoda were up to during this time (and they were not just twiddling their thumbs). I guess a TV show could capture what I am looking for here....it's just that a movie would focus on the main charaters more.

hmmmm, well that does look like it will be quite an undertaking. but, since it focuses entirely on minor characters, it would still leave plenty of room for movies focusing on Vader.

the thread was hijacked from its inception.

getting into *which* higher power is behind it all is a much different question...not that we can't go there but...