new star wars film boycott

[Zaune]

Actually, the first new Sith Lord actually being a whiny emo teen who's trying too hard to be cool and edgy instead of just looking like one would be the plot twist that finally won me over.

[Simon_Jester]

Even some of the stupid shit that I've seen really can't turn me away. Mr. Evil McBadguy Sith dude that looks like some kid LARPing a Star Wars game and the lightsaber hilt can't do it. Look, I get Lightsabers not having a guard is dumb. But finally seeing a lightsaber with one shows how fucking terrible it looks.

Good point.

Although honestly, if I were thinking "guard for a lightsaber," I'd be thinking "force field basket hilt" not "secondary lightsaber blades." Among other things, a force field hilt would be less likely to accidentally slice off my own hands if I end up corps-a-corps with an opponent, which happens quite a bit with lightsabers.

[TheFeniX]

Yea, I wouldn't be too excited about Darth Bandon 2.0. The great Sith who's highlights include.... basically what happened in that cutscene: murdering two random dudes to try and look badass, but it comes off as idiotic. He goes down like a bitch in the game and there's only so much satisfaction you can get out of curb-stomping someone who skill doesn't match their arrogance.

Good point.

Although honestly, if I were thinking "guard for a lightsaber," I'd be thinking "force field basket hilt" not "secondary lightsaber blades." Among other things, a force field hilt would be less likely to accidentally slice off my own hands if I end up corps-a-corps with an opponent, which happens quite a bit with lightsabers.

Man, there's just something sexy about the original lightsaber. Certain modifications work, like Dooku's hilt. The Maul double-bladed lightsaber is a dumb concept as is dual wielding them (but if anyone could pull that off, it would be a Force User). But damn it: it just looks cool so I let it go. Shit like force whips, giant lightsabers (that somehow give them weight), some kind of extendo lightsaber like one of my buddies talked about in some stupid EU novel, ugh.

Quit fucking with lightsabers, there's hundreds of ways you can fight with a weightless blade: fuck with that.

[The Romulan Republic]

I like the lightsaber guard. Visually, it works. Practically... well, I don't know much about swordplay, so I'll leave that to those who do, although I would point out that their is no real-world equivalent of a lightsaber really, and that most of those wielding lightsabers have abilities beyond those of ordinary humans.

[Borgholio]

And that new Sith guy looks more like he belongs in the Trench Coat Mafia than leading Imperial Remnants.

I think what we have here are the Jedi and Sith picking up the pieces left over from whatever happened between Endor and now. I mean Palpatine and Vader are both dead, so any dark-siders left over are likely going to be wannabe-Sith (at best). Kylo Ren, having nobody to look to for guidance, is going to be half-assed compared to a true Sith Lord. Same goes for any Jedi, since Obi Wan and Yoda were dead and Luke was all that's left...and he went into hiding for some reason.

So we really shouldn't expect any of the Force-users to look or act as dominating or as confident as any of the ones we've known in the past. They're all still pretty much padawans.

[Elheru Aran]

I'm making a half-assed guess that Luke took a stab at restarting the Jedi, it went bad and Kylo Ren and his followers are the result, and Luke decided to get the hell out of Dodge and navel-gaze for a while. Probably not the first to make that assumption though.

I have seen pictures of Luke in Jedi robes, though light coloured, on some set that resembles a starship, so I'm guessing he gets picked up by the Republic (or Alliance) at some point. Maybe he sets Finn and Rey on their path. Who knows.

I've seen a half-assed theory on Facebook that Kylo Ren and Rey are actually the Solo twins...

[The Romulan Republic]

I'm making a half-assed guess that Luke took a stab at restarting the Jedi, it went bad and Kylo Ren and his followers are the result, and Luke decided to get the hell out of Dodge and navel-gaze for a while. Probably not the first to make that assumption though.

I have seen pictures of Luke in Jedi robes, though light coloured, on some set that resembles a starship, so I'm guessing he gets picked up by the Republic (or Alliance) at some point. Maybe he sets Finn and Rey on their path. Who knows.

I've seen a half-assed theory on Facebook that Kylo Ren and Rey are actually the Solo twins...

That's quite plausible, actually. A bit derivative, but I wouldn't be surprised if it happens.

[Lord Revan]

well the do know that "Kylo Ren" is an alias (or at least an assumed name not his birthname) though I've not heard anything about Rey not being that character's true name (though granted they've not reveal her surname yet)

[Zaune]

Either, until we find out some more about his character, I'm going to call him "Darth Neckbeard".

[Elheru Aran]

I'm making a half-assed guess that Luke took a stab at restarting the Jedi, it went bad and Kylo Ren and his followers are the result, and Luke decided to get the hell out of Dodge and navel-gaze for a while. Probably not the first to make that assumption though.

I have seen pictures of Luke in Jedi robes, though light coloured, on some set that resembles a starship, so I'm guessing he gets picked up by the Republic (or Alliance) at some point. Maybe he sets Finn and Rey on their path. Who knows.

I've seen a half-assed theory on Facebook that Kylo Ren and Rey are actually the Solo twins...

That's quite plausible, actually. A bit derivative, but I wouldn't be surprised if it happens.

Which point exactly is plausible?

[The Romulan Republic]

well the do know that "Kylo Ren" is an alias (or at least an assumed name not his birthname) though I've not heard anything about Rey not being that character's true name (though granted they've not reveal her surname yet)

Even if Rey's her real name, it doesn't mean she isn't a Solo. They might have decided to ditch the names Jacen and Jaina, after all.

Elheru Aran, all of it is plausible, but I was talking about Rey and Ren being the Solo twins.

[Elheru Aran]

I can see 'Ren' and 'Rey' being twin names, but I just find the notion that they might have run with that particular EU concept slightly annoying. I'm not against them adopting stuff from the EU... but that? I don't know.

Still, thematically it does carry a certain parallel. Luke and Leia-- twins separated at birth and raised on different planets. It appears that Rey may have a similar character profile to Luke. If they run with that plot element, perhaps Kylo Ren is her twin raised on a different planet, perhaps under Luke's tutelage, for protecting the children from Imperial capture?

*shrugs* We'll see.

It would be an interesting scene though, we see Rey saying to Finn that they'll meet up with her dad, and then they turn the corner and there's the Millennium Falcon...

[The Romulan Republic]

When was that? I don't recall that from the teasers. But if so, its either blatant deception or pretty much confirmation.

As to Rey and Ren being Solo twins... if so, its a minor thing from the EU, really. They don't seem to be closely following the EU stories. Han and Leia having children is a pretty obvious, plausible thing after Return of the Jedi. Making them twins with alliterative names is more EU-specific, but their's nothing wrong with it and it could be a nice subtle nod for EU fans without being blatant enough to interfere with the film or make it hard to follow for non-EU fans. I wouldn't mind.

Edit: Aside from objecting to it being a bit predictable, anyway.

[Elheru Aran]

It hasn't happened, I'm just guessing But I'm not against Rey being Han and Leia's daughter-- it's a nice and logical transition from 'past' to 'future'. Kylo Ren being her sibling is a bit more of a stretch, especially with the name being specifically a pseudonym. I find it a bit more likely that he's some sort of failed Jedi student/wannabe Sith who used to train with Luke and then Luke pissed him off by not wanting to explore the Dark Side or something.

Anyway, these are minor details... it's just a couple more months left...

[TheFeniX]

So we really shouldn't expect any of the Force-users to look or act as dominating or as confident as any of the ones we've known in the past. They're all still pretty much padawans.

It's not how he acts, it's the costume. Arm socks, the giant cummerbund (took me forever to remember that damn word, I kept thinking of Cumberpatch, or whoever the new Sherlock Holmes is), and the trash hanging off the waist. Compared to the more reserved costumes of Luke in ROTJ or Darth Maul (who, IIRC also had his robe flailing around) just looks..... like a kid at a Star Wars convention, not a Star War character. Really, it's the giant hard-leather cummerbund that throws me off. Can he even bend over to touch his toes? It just looks to damned ramshackle, especially when paired up against two Snow Troopers. Like he rummaged through Space Goodwill and threw everything into a washing machine with black dye.

Adam Driver isn't going to look intimidating, not in a still shot. But neither did a young Mark Hamill. Luke in all black however at least looked like he was wearing clothes, not a costume. Whatever, tastes differ.

[The Romulan Republic]

It hasn't happened, I'm just guessing But I'm not against Rey being Han and Leia's daughter-- it's a nice and logical transition from 'past' to 'future'. Kylo Ren being her sibling is a bit more of a stretch, especially with the name being specifically a pseudonym. I find it a bit more likely that he's some sort of failed Jedi student/wannabe Sith who used to train with Luke and then Luke pissed him off by not wanting to explore the Dark Side or something.

Anyway, these are minor details... it's just a couple more months left...

As to Ren, the trailer seems to show that he's interested in following in Vader's footsteps. I wonder if its just a fixation with an infamous historical figure or ideological fanaticism, or if he has a more personal connection to Vader. Like, say, being Vader's grandson.

Edit: Although truth be told, I'd like it if the main characters weren't centred on the Skywalker family forever.

Guess that's what the stand alone films are for, though. I hope.

[Joun_Lord]

For something like Men's Rights unfortuantely the situation is the opposite, i.e. the 'sane fringe' that don't deserve to be mocked are the minority.

Is it that way though? I think we can agree the most visible MRAs are horrifyingly regressive neckbeards who don't give a shit about mens rights but instead taking way women's rights like a basement dweller version of ISIS. But are those freaks actually the majority or just the loud minority?

The problem with views of a group one dislikes is they see the worst of it, rarely the good. Any bad will be attributed to the entire group and any good will just be dismissed as outliers, I think its called confirmation bias. Bad will most likely be the only thing reported because freaks and clowns and nuts sell papers and page counts far more then well reasoned arguments, good deeds, and people who aren't weirdos.

We see this in the coverage of cops here and in society at general. Go to N&Peepee and take a gander at any law enforcement thread and its probably going to be about a cop shooting a dog or a minority or a minority dog. It makes it seem like most any interaction with cops ends with violence and tragedy. Of course this has been refuted by the fact their are 100s of thousands of coppers in Murica with probably millions of interactions with citizens yearly and these instances are in the hundreds or low thousands at the most.

Go to another more conservative website and look at the view of something like Occupy Wall Street or Planned Parenthood. To them all they see of the former is the rapes and the college educated iPad babies shitting in drains and people chanting eat the rich while the latter all they see is they baby murder and parts selling. The fact their were grannies and veterans at OWS is ignored, the fact they policed their ranks is forgotten, the fact allot of the shit they were spouting wasn't all that different from what conservatives want is given no thought. Same with PP providing women health services to alot of women and abortion being only a tiny portion of what they do, doesn't matter.

Look at the differences in the views of guns between groups. For some people guns are a tool that is sometimes misused but very rarely and gun owners are mostly law abiding citizens who want some protection but for the opposition guns are evil scary murder things that only can be used badly in a epidemic of gun violence that exists and gun owners are drunken religious white old men who sell their weapons to gang bangers and only want to kill people.

I could go on about Christianity, Islam, gamers, atheists, Trekkies, and animal rights activists but I think you get the idea.

[Sidewinder]

Regarding Kylo Ren's name, Wookieepedia says the following:

The individual who came to be known as Kylo Ren was born some time after the Battle of Endor. As an adult, approximately thirty years later, he had become a follower of the dark side of the Force and a member of the Knights of Ren, taking on Ren as a surname.

Kylo Ren, a member of the group, took on the surname Ren as a result of his membership, similar to how Darth became a title used by members of the Sith in the prequel trilogy.

Both articles cite another in the Aug. 12, 2015 issue of Entertainment Weekly as their source. It's possible Ren was born "Kylo Solo," but I hope the writers have more imagination than that.

[Adam Reynolds]

Okay. Maybe if it gets good reviews.

It will. Star Trek Into Darkness got 87% on Rotten Tomatoes.

The only thing that could make me boycott a Star Wars film is no John Williams. He's getting older, so the faster these movies come out, the better. I would also say an animated Star Wars, but Clone Wars was pretty damned good, so that went out the windows years ago.

Apparently, John Williams didn't do the music for this trailer.

Although honestly, if I were thinking "guard for a lightsaber," I'd be thinking "force field basket hilt" not "secondary lightsaber blades." Among other things, a force field hilt would be less likely to accidentally slice off my own hands if I end up corps-a-corps with an opponent, which happens quite a bit with lightsabers.

Depending on the type of force field, it would burn your hands heavily. Theater shields don't have this problem because they touch the ground, your lightsaber hilt would not

Lightsaber's don't have hand guards because they stick together. Unlike swords, they can't slide when they connect with each other. Literal disarming is generally seen as the proper way to engage in a lightsaber duel, a major reason why they lack guards might be a sense of honor. Given that Jedi and Sith wield lightsabers and completely eschew blasters, it is reasonable to conclude that this at least partially a factor as to why. Kylo Ren, without any organized teachings in how to use the Force, is likely

Additionally, given that lightsabers are primarily used against blasters, they likely don't bother to use things like hardguards because it would get in the way when used in this context.

I like the lightsaber guard. Visually, it works. Practically... well, I don't know much about swordplay, so I'll leave that to those who do, although I would point out that their is no real-world equivalent of a lightsaber really, and that most of those wielding lightsabers have abilities beyond those of ordinary humans.

I like the fact that it appears a primative blade, one that is less sophisticated than a conventional lightsaber, despite the apparent improvement of the lightsaber guard. It fits the feeling of two groups that don't really know what they are doing, something that also appears to be the case with Finn vs Kylo in the trailer.

I've seen a half-assed theory on Facebook that Kylo Ren and Rey are actually the Solo twins...

There is the Kylo Ren - Rey/Kira connection.

If you're interested in truly significant spoilers, Making Star Wars said: Spoiler

It does appear that there is a familial connection between Han and Kylo. Given that there also appears to be one between Rey and Han/Leia, it would obviously be the case that Kylo and Rey are brother and sister. Exactly echoing the Jacen/Jaina plot in Legacy of the Force.

In a rather less signficant spoiler: Spoiler

Maz Katana apparently gives a flashback vision that shows Rey and Kylo Ren both trained with Luke at his Academy before it fell apart.

[The Romulan Republic]

If that's the less significant one, I really don't want to know what the first one is.

[Zaune]

A guy I know on IRC just suggested the awesomest plot-twist ever:
Spoiler

Darth Neckbeard/"Kylo Ren" is really Jar-Jar Binks.

[Adam Reynolds]

A guy I know on IRC just suggested the awesomest plot-twist ever:
Spoiler

Darth Neckbeard/"Kylo Ren" is really Jar-Jar Binks.

Why is that in spoilers? It is obviously not a real plot twist.

Did you see the recent PSW thread on that general subject?

[Lord Revan]

Yeah there's no way that was a serious "spoiler"
Spoiler

to get an adult gungan fit that suit and still look like a human you'd have mutilate them to point that probably wouldn't be alive anyway.

It's probably just a "all star wars fans hate Jar-Jar, lets get a rise out of them by implying he will in the new movie" kind of trolling

[Simon_Jester]

When was that? I don't recall that from the teasers. But if so, its either blatant deception or pretty much confirmation.

As to Rey and Ren being Solo twins... if so, its a minor thing from the EU, really. They don't seem to be closely following the EU stories. Han and Leia having children is a pretty obvious, plausible thing after Return of the Jedi. Making them twins with alliterative names is more EU-specific, but their's nothing wrong with it and it could be a nice subtle nod for EU fans without being blatant enough to interfere with the film or make it hard to follow for non-EU fans. I wouldn't mind.

Edit: Aside from objecting to it being a bit predictable, anyway.

Especially since 'Luke' and 'Leia' are also twins with alliterative names.

Lightsaber's don't have hand guards because they stick together. Unlike swords, they can't slide when they connect with each other. Literal disarming is generally seen as the proper way to engage in a lightsaber duel, a major reason why they lack guards might be a sense of honor.

That's... at least plausible, I suppose. All I know is, it would make a lot more sense to design them that way than with lightsaber blades as a crossguard. There are force fields you can touch in Star Wars without hurting yourself, after all, and we know they can be projected by small, controllable objects, like the Gungans' portable energy shields.

[Adam Reynolds]

When was that? I don't recall that from the teasers. But if so, its either blatant deception or pretty much confirmation.

As to Rey and Ren being Solo twins... if so, its a minor thing from the EU, really. They don't seem to be closely following the EU stories. Han and Leia having children is a pretty obvious, plausible thing after Return of the Jedi. Making them twins with alliterative names is more EU-specific, but their's nothing wrong with it and it could be a nice subtle nod for EU fans without being blatant enough to interfere with the film or make it hard to follow for non-EU fans. I wouldn't mind.

Edit: Aside from objecting to it being a bit predictable, anyway.

Especially since 'Luke' and 'Leia' are also twins with alliterative names.

They might be siblings, but I doubt they are actual twins. Adam Driver is eight years older than Daisy Ridley. And he looks significantly older as well.

Lightsaber's don't have hand guards because they stick together. Unlike swords, they can't slide when they connect with each other. Literal disarming is generally seen as the proper way to engage in a lightsaber duel, a major reason why they lack guards might be a sense of honor.

That's... at least plausible, I suppose. All I know is, it would make a lot more sense to design them that way than with lightsaber blades as a crossguard. There are force fields you can touch in Star Wars without hurting yourself, after all, and we know they can be projected by small, controllable objects, like the Gungans' portable energy shields.

Now that I thought of it again, we see in ROTS that Obi-Wan was actually able to slide his lightsaber down and take out one of Grevious' lightsabers. Though he does seem to pull it away slightly as he does this. In any case, against fellow Jedi, it never seems to happen. As a side note, Obi-Wan is made of awesome in that scene. He just casually dominates.

There are several videos that show how effective the cross guard could actually be in a swordfight. The advantage to the crossguard is that it would allow you to attack with the additional blade rather than merely defending. This one showed that it would actually be quite unlikely to hit yourself with the blade: