Watch Star Wars Episode VII's First Official Trailer Right Here
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(No matter what Disney says, until it is directly contradicted by the movie or another official work, the EU is still canon. With that in mind...)
The Sith are pretty known for using odd or risky designs. That's kind of their thing. A broadsword style like that is right up their alley. As for the crossguard being cut off and the like, there IS a sword that can block lightsaber swings that's called a vibroblade, so I would assume that would prevent the scenario many are talking about. My sole problem is that it's ugly as hell. If you're going to do an interesting/alternate design, it had better look cool.
This isn't to say that I liked the trailer; I'm not very hopeful after seeing it.
The Sith are pretty known for using odd or risky designs. That's kind of their thing. A broadsword style like that is right up their alley. As for the crossguard being cut off and the like, there IS a sword that can block lightsaber swings that's called a vibroblade, so I would assume that would prevent the scenario many are talking about. My sole problem is that it's ugly as hell. If you're going to do an interesting/alternate design, it had better look cool.
This isn't to say that I liked the trailer; I'm not very hopeful after seeing it.
Much like the Jurassic World trailer, feel hesitant but interested. Some of the stuff makes me curious of what is to come, such as:
1) The possible return of the Empire, who are now an equal opportunity employer. Or they already were but, since we never see any storm troopers without their helmets in the original trilogy, its hard to say.
2) A new Sith lord (either Max Von Sydow or someone else, possibly Luke Skywalker?) with a lightsaber longsword. Yes, it looks silly but Sith lords tend to be very ostentatious with their weapons (see Darth Maul and The Inquisitor).
3) So far, the only call backs to the original trilogy is the desert of Tatooine, the Tie-Fighters, the X-Wings, and the Millennium Falcon. No sign of the original cast in this but this is a "teaser trailer". Maybe someone pounded some sense into Abrams and told him to focus more on the new cast instead of making the movie into a nostalgic fan wank.
I need to see more before I can pass judgement. The trailer has made me curious but I just hope Abrams doesn't screw this up like he did with the Star Trek franchise.
1) The possible return of the Empire, who are now an equal opportunity employer. Or they already were but, since we never see any storm troopers without their helmets in the original trilogy, its hard to say.
2) A new Sith lord (either Max Von Sydow or someone else, possibly Luke Skywalker?) with a lightsaber longsword. Yes, it looks silly but Sith lords tend to be very ostentatious with their weapons (see Darth Maul and The Inquisitor).
3) So far, the only call backs to the original trilogy is the desert of Tatooine, the Tie-Fighters, the X-Wings, and the Millennium Falcon. No sign of the original cast in this but this is a "teaser trailer". Maybe someone pounded some sense into Abrams and told him to focus more on the new cast instead of making the movie into a nostalgic fan wank.
I need to see more before I can pass judgement. The trailer has made me curious but I just hope Abrams doesn't screw this up like he did with the Star Trek franchise.
Eh, I dunno. Just looks as weird as I expected it too. I don't even know how to explain it except to say that everything in that shot all just kind of looked like stuff I expected this movie to look like since it was announced. That's not to say that it's a BAD thing, Abrams can shoot a solid action film just fine, but the cynical side of me tells me this is just going to be a mediocre film - a plea from Disney to rally under the banner of Star Wars once again and hoping to recreate the success they found with their Marvel Movie Universe, hoping to make sure their purchase of the franchise was worth it.
And yeah, sadly I found the Falcon's CGI to be extremely distracting. I mean, I'm not like other Original Trilogy fans, silently waiting to see this movie crash and burn, but I'm not getting worked up over it either, despite how much hype they try to put on it.
And yeah, sadly I found the Falcon's CGI to be extremely distracting. I mean, I'm not like other Original Trilogy fans, silently waiting to see this movie crash and burn, but I'm not getting worked up over it either, despite how much hype they try to put on it.
So many people complaining about the lightsaber crossguard. While I can certainly see why people think it would be impractical I'm choosing to look at it like this: While that design may be impractical for your average swordsman, Jedi and Sith are exceptionally well trained warriors. If they can do all the other twirly shit they do with the normal lightsaber design and not accidentally take a butt cheek off, or something, I can easily see them being skilled enough to handle a lightsaber with a crossguard without doing themselves any harm.
So, thoughts...
-Tatoonine...God damnit, we're back on Tatooine. That dirtball's appeared in 5 out of 6 films already and...gah!
-Is that Benedict Cumberbatch talking?
...KHAN!!!!
-Alright, mixed about Stormtroopers. If the original trilogy had Stormtroopers as the de facto villains, and the prequel trilogy had droids with clone troopers taking their place...nup, back to Stormtroopers. Woe betide we try anything new.
Yeah, they look awesome, and I'd entertain the idea of them existing in the RoTE era or a bit beyond, but as this film takes place over 30 years post-Return of the Jedi, well, I'd have preferred to see something new.
-Junkyard on Tatooine...ships in the background...insert 'Firefly' joke here.
-Least aerodynamic speeder bike ever.
-X-Wings...30 plus years and we're still using X-Wings. I mean, yeah, X-Wings are cool and all, but...ugh.
-Lightsaber longsword is cool. There, I said it.
-Millenium Falcon...okay, I admit it, it looks cool.
-TIE fighters...see X-Wing comment.
So, thoughts...well, let's just say my prejudices have been confirmed. I'm going to explain why for a moment, but first, the elephant in the room...
The prequels have flaws. I'm more forgiving to them than most, but I admit, they're flawed. Writing, acting, plot, etc. But one thing I can't fault the prequels for is worldbuilding and the look of the setting. From a visual standpoint, the prequel and original trilogy are distinct works. Tatooine is quintisential of the OT for instance - low tech, rundown, down to earth. Coruscant is quintesential of the PT - high tech, high concept, shiny, a sign of a golden age coming to its twilight years. The only time the PT and OT started to crossover was in Episode III where we see the precursor designs to what would appear in the OT. The clone troopers leading into the Stormtroopers are the main example, but even the ship designs hint at this (see the opening battle - X-Wing precursors, Star Destroyer precursors, etc. But so far, the sequel trilogy seems less on being its own thing and more a "hey, remember how great the OT was? Here's more of it." Yes, I like the OT, but I'd much rather the sequel trilogy try and have its own aesthetics, own technology, own everything (including characters) rather than trying to be something that was released decades ago in the real world, and occured decades ago in canon as well. I'm left to ask why the Empire is even needed at this point, if the plot is based on the Force "awakening" and going by that, affecting both sides of the Force and those who can use said sides. That harkens much more to a Sith vs. Jedi setup than the nature of the conflict between the Rebel Alliance and Empire.
-Tatoonine...God damnit, we're back on Tatooine. That dirtball's appeared in 5 out of 6 films already and...gah!
-Is that Benedict Cumberbatch talking?
...KHAN!!!!
-Alright, mixed about Stormtroopers. If the original trilogy had Stormtroopers as the de facto villains, and the prequel trilogy had droids with clone troopers taking their place...nup, back to Stormtroopers. Woe betide we try anything new.
Yeah, they look awesome, and I'd entertain the idea of them existing in the RoTE era or a bit beyond, but as this film takes place over 30 years post-Return of the Jedi, well, I'd have preferred to see something new.
-Junkyard on Tatooine...ships in the background...insert 'Firefly' joke here.
-Least aerodynamic speeder bike ever.
-X-Wings...30 plus years and we're still using X-Wings. I mean, yeah, X-Wings are cool and all, but...ugh.
-Lightsaber longsword is cool. There, I said it.
-Millenium Falcon...okay, I admit it, it looks cool.
-TIE fighters...see X-Wing comment.
So, thoughts...well, let's just say my prejudices have been confirmed. I'm going to explain why for a moment, but first, the elephant in the room...
The prequels have flaws. I'm more forgiving to them than most, but I admit, they're flawed. Writing, acting, plot, etc. But one thing I can't fault the prequels for is worldbuilding and the look of the setting. From a visual standpoint, the prequel and original trilogy are distinct works. Tatooine is quintisential of the OT for instance - low tech, rundown, down to earth. Coruscant is quintesential of the PT - high tech, high concept, shiny, a sign of a golden age coming to its twilight years. The only time the PT and OT started to crossover was in Episode III where we see the precursor designs to what would appear in the OT. The clone troopers leading into the Stormtroopers are the main example, but even the ship designs hint at this (see the opening battle - X-Wing precursors, Star Destroyer precursors, etc. But so far, the sequel trilogy seems less on being its own thing and more a "hey, remember how great the OT was? Here's more of it." Yes, I like the OT, but I'd much rather the sequel trilogy try and have its own aesthetics, own technology, own everything (including characters) rather than trying to be something that was released decades ago in the real world, and occured decades ago in canon as well. I'm left to ask why the Empire is even needed at this point, if the plot is based on the Force "awakening" and going by that, affecting both sides of the Force and those who can use said sides. That harkens much more to a Sith vs. Jedi setup than the nature of the conflict between the Rebel Alliance and Empire.
I think I'm going to pass on watching this. The screenshot from the video preview looked like it was taken from a video game. If that's what we have to look for, then I'd prefer to not give Abrams the hits.
I know I'm being petty, but if I'm wrong for it, then I'm only hurting myself.
I know I'm being petty, but if I'm wrong for it, then I'm only hurting myself.
I'm not impressed. Like others I thought the lightsaber with crossgaurds looks stupid and impractical. Not that we haven't seen impractical lightsaber designs before, but most of those at least looked cool. Also what the hell do they mean the Force Awakens anyway? I was unaware it was sleeping.
So here's my stream of consciousness reaction to the trailer:
-That desert looks so fake
-Wtf? Is that droid some kind of dreadful cross-promotion with FIFA?
-These thumps and screen blackouts are getting really annoying
-Insanely shaky cam during the Stormtrooper shot is not very consistent with Star Wars cinematography. Ugh.
-That speeder just made me laugh
-X-wings, first actually cool thing in this teaser
-That lightsaber is a really stupid attempt at weapon porn
-Aaaah John Williams music, that's more like it
-And there it is, the first goddamn lens flare.
Thoughts: I really don't like the aesthetic. Old school Star Wars had this distinctive style that Lucas borrowed heavily from Kurosawa, but it really works with the content of the film. Fixed cameras, gentle pans and screen wipes, wide angle shots to show off the alien landscapes of the universe. This is shit. It's that modern action-up-the-arse look where the camera operator has ADD and you feel like you've just come off the Big Dipper after watching it, and everything is shot at really tight focal lengths. Seriously film directors, move on from The Dark Knight already.
But I'll probably see it, like the sheep I am.
Edit: This image is floating around twitter. Fucking lol'd.
-That desert looks so fake
-Wtf? Is that droid some kind of dreadful cross-promotion with FIFA?
-These thumps and screen blackouts are getting really annoying
-Insanely shaky cam during the Stormtrooper shot is not very consistent with Star Wars cinematography. Ugh.
-That speeder just made me laugh
-X-wings, first actually cool thing in this teaser
-That lightsaber is a really stupid attempt at weapon porn
-Aaaah John Williams music, that's more like it
-And there it is, the first goddamn lens flare.
Thoughts: I really don't like the aesthetic. Old school Star Wars had this distinctive style that Lucas borrowed heavily from Kurosawa, but it really works with the content of the film. Fixed cameras, gentle pans and screen wipes, wide angle shots to show off the alien landscapes of the universe. This is shit. It's that modern action-up-the-arse look where the camera operator has ADD and you feel like you've just come off the Big Dipper after watching it, and everything is shot at really tight focal lengths. Seriously film directors, move on from The Dark Knight already.
But I'll probably see it, like the sheep I am.
Edit: This image is floating around twitter. Fucking lol'd.
This is amazing. Thank you internet (this is mostly directed at the Youtube comments section) I am laughing so hard right now. All these people complaining about Disney "ruining" lightsaber lore and they don't know it was already in the canon.
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Crossguard_lightsaber
Again thank you internet your stupidity entertains me.
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Crossguard_lightsaber
Again thank you internet your stupidity entertains me.
There are double-headed glaives and guan dao, which no one uses in real combat, and are really just for show. Also, those glaives have much larger pole sections in the center, which as I mentioned are necessary for them to be wielded properly. All polearm styles from Europe to China and Japan -every last one- uses the entire shaft as necessary for striking and preventing strikes against the hands. Also, they all make use of the leverage of the shaft against the body, either to start striking rotation quickly or to stop it. There are some non-bladed staff Tae Kwon Do styles that use tapered, rotational staves, but again these are for demonstration, practice, and competitive purposes only.ecoho said:ok first off there are double bladed staves in the real world and they have their own unique fighting style as to not hurt themselves I would assume that duel sabers have a similar style.
next the new saber has a lightsaber cross guard which one could see as useful if the hilt has a good grip as it allows you to counter an opponents blade stroke and allow you to strike in one move.(see medieval sword fighting to see how this is done.) btw if your touching the cross guard and not attacking with the hilt when you do it your doing it wrong
The light-sword's cross guard would be pointless in combat, and pose a much greater danger to the wielder than anyone else. Since it is very common for einhander guards to come into contact with the body and hand, particularly when blocking. Also, since virtually all guard-blocks happen at the crux of the blade and guard, an enemy lightsaber would just cut through the small portion of the device there, and would not be stopped. Under all Chinese Broadsword and Tai Chi styles, contact with the guard and blunt sides of the blade is trained and encouraged to increase striking speed. Japanese Kenjuitsu tends towards not using a guard at all, and either draw-striking first or evading strikes all together, then counter-striking. In rare situations calling for sword-to-sword contact, the hand-guard can be useful, though it falls to the same weakness as the einhander techniques. For example, Jigen itto styles are designed only with one strike in mind, overhead, and never really account for guarding, as if the opponent is not defeated in that one strike, you might as well surrender.
The truth is, there are very few texts remaining concerning the martial arts from the medieval European era. Only really two major works -in German at that. The strike you described usually does not require a hand-guard at all, and is done with the blade pointing downward, so the hilt strikes the face or jaw of the opponent. The momentum of the blade-impact is diverted into an upwards motion, driving the hilt like a piston. Then the opponent is either swept from their feet or attacked with a long-knife or dagger. Remember, the majority of close-range medieval combat skills trained by aristocracy were not designed to kill the opponent, but to capture them for ransom. This made many English very wealthy during the Hundred-Years war.
That was a terrible teaser. I know it's been said, but that light saber designed was horrible. Some X-Wings, some Storm Troopers, the Millennium Falcon... that droid was cute I guess. All well, what a let down. I actually got kind of excited after seeing this and it was just a terrible trailer.
Yes. Why can't we leave this one out for at least a couple more movies? Variety is the spice of life. (Hopefully I didn't just doom us to a Abrams re-imagining of Dune.)Hawki said:
Well, that kind of makes sense. The F/A-18 Hornet, and tons of other military planes, has been in service for over 30 years and probably won't be replaced for decades on most militaries it serves. After a 30 year rebellion and the costs that come with one, it's plausible that someone would still have several squadron's worth of X-wings in use, especially in a universe were technological advancement has reached a snail's pace. Or, it could just be Abrams riding the nostalgia train, again.
OT:Oh great. Another teaser that manages to use footage that might be in the final film but doesn't really give one hint to the plot (as teasers are wont to do.) I won't say this will be the worst Star Wars (yet), but I say that it's being directed by the guy who's directorial film career has been nothing but nostalgia riding.
I think I'll close with a song set to the main theme: "Go-ing, this is so go-ing, to ba-ba-ba-blow. J-J Abrams really loves his Nostalg-i-a."
I guessing there are going to be some self-aware inside jokes like Jedi's dont stab or use force lightning depending on how cynical or contemptible of the audience the production is.
Looks like an Abrams and that's not a bad thing. Looks and feels like the original trilogy with extra bits. Very much looking forward to seeing it after Abrams work with Star Trek, (the original ST films which were so entrenched in the tv series, that few could enjoy them unless ST was your thing). Guess he's learned not to add too much of that flare too.
Roll on December 2015. Might have to watch it twice.
Roll on December 2015. Might have to watch it twice.
Hairless Mammoth said:
Its easier and more cost-effective to just repaint old models and sell them again to the suckers who are into the merch. The Storm troopers/Republic Commandos were just given colored stripes and given the warrior genetic clone background to give 'em some extra fluff instead of being just cannon fodder for the movies. Also kids who couldnt afford the merch back in the day will now be buying this stuff in loads since they now have buying power as adults. I'm saying this as someone who saw the toy/merch boom of the the two trilogies.
Presumably. I mean, for all we know the explanation could be that they are encapsulated by the same "energy" that allows the saber to project and contain the light blade, thus making them able to repel another light-saber blade.Ark of the Covetor said:
Why would you need to? The point would be to catch or deflect an opponents blade, should that blade slide down towards the wielder's hands.
And, since the blade itself weighs nothing, you wouldn't need to grasp it by the blade to wield it properly. You'd need only grip the handle.
Which is the very essence of a sword made entirely out of "several-hundred-million-degree-light" that can cut through anything; that also conveniently comes in a rainbow's variety of colors.
Let's face it, the very notion of the light-saber is patently absurd. It's only in the story because it's a flashy, aesthetic choice. So complaining about a new version being "all flash, no logic" doesn't quite make sense to me.
Besides, the weapons are inherently dangerous and unwieldy to the user as is. If anything, having that extra weight on the end of the handle might make it easier to wield.
I never implied you "threw a hissy fit" over Maul's saber. My point was, this new saber would be far less unwieldy and dangerous to the user than Maul's dual-blade saber. As such, with so many fans being fine with Maul's but frowning upon this new one, it just seemed inconsistent to me.
Plus, for all we know this new design isn't for practical purposes. Perhaps it's for the intimidation value. After all, a Sith relies heavily on playing into his or her opponent's fears. And, usefulness aside, it does look intimidating.
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All I was trying to say from my previous post was this: I don't care if people like or hate the new movie. I don't even care how they feel about that damn saber. I just find it odd that so many could be comfortable with Maul's saber (and other, eccentric-looking sabers), but be hung-up on this new one. That's all.
To make some other real life comparisons, the F-35 started as the experimental X-35 aircraft, first flight in 2000. The production model had its first flight in 2006 and is going to enter full military service in 2015 because of the time needed to mass produce the volume of planes. That is 15 years not counting the on paper development time. From a real life perspective 30 year operational life is understandable. However considering Star Wars is fiction anything is possible, so everything I just wrote does not matter at all. I just wanted to mention things I know about planes.Hairless Mammoth said:
IIRC, that was actually a thing in the already-existing EU, which gives me high hopes that these movies might be covering the pre-Yuhzan Vong War EU, which means that Luke and Palpatine are going to be buffed to the level of major gods.Xeorm said:
Also, the Eclipse Class, which would be fucking amazing.
