I'm okay with new force abilities, as long as they fit in with the overall previously established view of the force. If a force user could teleport, or fly through hyperspace without a ship, or turn invisible, I would think it was pretty stupid. The biggest problem with the blaster bolt is that it then continues on its original motion once released. If it just fizzled away, deflected, or exploded in place, that would have made more sense. Why even use lightsabers to deflect blaster bolts if you could control them with the force? If he is stopping time in some way, then why would Vader and Palpatine not freeze Luke in place rather than the whole elaborate carbonite plan? And if you say that Kylo is THAT much more powerful than Palpatine....

Visually, we see the bolt stop. Perhaps Kylo Ren didn't stop it, but was using all his concentration to SLOW it down. Of a Jedi trying to lift an object must still combat gravity in their attempt to lift something, then why wouldn't the velocity of a blaster bolt be combated and continue along its initial path?

Why wouldn't Palpatine and Vader do it? Perhaps they didn't know how, or bother using it. I'm sure Kylo was using his full ability of the force to keep that bolt hovering. Kylo DOES have Vader's blood in him. Who knows how strong he could be. He isn't focused enough to keep his control.

Forward momentum cannot be stored... a.) either the bolt has mass and velocity, in which case slowing it down would decrease that velocity, and when released it would fall or travel forward at its current velocity, or b) the bolt is still traveling at the same velocity but somehow time has slowed for the bolt itself. And sorry, if 20 year old Kylo Ren is more powerful than Palpatine at his prime, then the story falls apart. All of TFA was done with the mindset that bigger - stronger - more dramatic - more diverse instantly translates to better - cooler - money. They don't bother giving reasons, they just assume we won't question it because it's so much more badass.

I'm okay with new force abilities, as long as they fit in with the overall previously established view of the force. If a force user could teleport, or fly through hyperspace without a ship, or turn invisible, I would think it was pretty stupid. The biggest problem with the blaster bolt is that it then continues on its original motion once released. If it just fizzled away, deflected, or exploded in place, that would have made more sense. Why even use lightsabers to deflect blaster bolts if you could control them with the force? If he is stopping time in some way, then why would Vader and Palpatine not freeze Luke in place rather than the whole elaborate carbonite plan? And if you say that Kylo is THAT much more powerful than Palpatine....

Visually, we see the bolt stop. Perhaps Kylo Ren didn't stop it, but was using all his concentration to SLOW it down. Of a Jedi trying to lift an object must still combat gravity in their attempt to lift something, then why wouldn't the velocity of a blaster bolt be combated and continue along its initial path?

Why wouldn't Palpatine and Vader do it? Perhaps they didn't know how, or bother using it. I'm sure Kylo was using his full ability of the force to keep that bolt hovering. Kylo DOES have Vader's blood in him. Who knows how strong he could be. He isn't focused enough to keep his control.

Forward momentum cannot be stored... a.) either the bolt has mass and velocity, in which case slowing it down would decrease that velocity, and when released it would fall or travel forward at its current velocity, or b) the bolt is still traveling at the same velocity but somehow time has slowed for the bolt itself. And sorry, if 20 year old Kylo Ren is more powerful than Palpatine at his prime, then the story falls apart. All of TFA was done with the mindset that bigger - stronger - more dramatic - more diverse instantly translates to better - cooler - money. They don't bother giving reasons, they just assume we won't question it because it's so much more badass.

The force flows through us all in different ways. Some are better at doing some things than others.

I'm okay with new force abilities, as long as they fit in with the overall previously established view of the force. If a force user could teleport, or fly through hyperspace without a ship, or turn invisible, I would think it was pretty stupid. The biggest problem with the blaster bolt is that it then continues on its original motion once released. If it just fizzled away, deflected, or exploded in place, that would have made more sense. Why even use lightsabers to deflect blaster bolts if you could control them with the force? If he is stopping time in some way, then why would Vader and Palpatine not freeze Luke in place rather than the whole elaborate carbonite plan? And if you say that Kylo is THAT much more powerful than Palpatine....

Visually, we see the bolt stop. Perhaps Kylo Ren didn't stop it, but was using all his concentration to SLOW it down. Of a Jedi trying to lift an object must still combat gravity in their attempt to lift something, then why wouldn't the velocity of a blaster bolt be combated and continue along its initial path?

Why wouldn't Palpatine and Vader do it? Perhaps they didn't know how, or bother using it. I'm sure Kylo was using his full ability of the force to keep that bolt hovering. Kylo DOES have Vader's blood in him. Who knows how strong he could be. He isn't focused enough to keep his control.

Forward momentum cannot be stored... a.) either the bolt has mass and velocity, in which case slowing it down would decrease that velocity, and when released it would fall or travel forward at its current velocity, or b) the bolt is still traveling at the same velocity but somehow time has slowed for the bolt itself. And sorry, if 20 year old Kylo Ren is more powerful than Palpatine at his prime, then the story falls apart. All of TFA was done with the mindset that bigger - stronger - more dramatic - more diverse instantly translates to better - cooler - money. They don't bother giving reasons, they just assume we won't question it because it's so much more badass.

Sound doesn't carry in space, hyperspace travel is (as far as we know) impossible, and lightsabers magically stop at a certain point. All these things you are fine with? But a blaster bolt hovering mid air, that is incredulous? Also, as per Pablo Hidalgo via RebelsRecon, the physics of the star wars galaxy may very well be different.

Finally, as to being more powerful than palpatine. He COULD be. As i said, raw talent and potential, he may be more powerful. Training and knowledge, as well as focus and control... Not even close.

They don't bother giving reasons

That's what I liked most about Star Wars. They don't give reasons for all the fantasy stuff.

How does the force work?

How does a Hyperdrive work?

How does a lightsabre work?

How can Han leave the Falcon in an asteroid field without a space suit?

The most dumb thing in the prequel trilogy is the try to explain the force by "midi-chlorians". *shakin* (compared to midi-chlorians I love jarjar)

This for the force's sake is not Star Trek ... "We just recalibrate the Techno-Cristal-Blahblah to reinstall the energy-blah and then we finish the ..." "Make it so."

Technobabble/Treknobabble just fills screentime, sometimes covers plot holes and usually doesn't bring the story anywhere.

I sincerely hate Technobabble.

George Lucas primarily dealt with the prequel era, where little had been written about until the films came out. Yes, it sometimes contradicted what was published already in the EU, but because most of the existing EU stuff had been set after the orginal films there was much less overlap, and the contradictions where generally less serious (more issues of historical timelines, such as when the Clone Wars happened and what they were, and a "feeling" of the setting). However, the new films were going to be set during the period where the meat of the EU had been written, and they didn't want to have to tie themselves to any aspect of it or have fans complaining "but that contradicts x,y,z" It makes sense to come out at actively declare "we are not tying ourselves to any aspect of this. If you insist on a "canon" don't hold us to maintaining any consistency with anything except these x number of things"

It's not like EU wasn't already a mess anyway. A clean state is another desirable thing.

Again, there is a big difference (IMO) between passively writing your own 'canon' story in contradiction to what has already been written, and actively saying ALL of this is gone. One respects the work

of others while establishing primacy, the other rejects the work of other before even writing the new story. Do you see the difference?

The thing is that I don't see what Disney has done regarding the canon as disrespectful, just up front (and frankly necessary if they were actually going to do anything different from what had already been published). If Lucas had done a sequel trilogy he either would have had to do that too, or it would simply all have been irrelevant by what he had created, so pretty much amounted to the same thing. It wasn't like it worked anyway. The Prequel films could not fit in the same canon as the Thrawn Trilogy (for example). They have contradictory histories, and a very different feel from each other.

And just to be clear, it isn't because I love what the current film has done. My own personal head-canon rejects the prequels and the new films and features the Thrawn Trilogy instead (while dumping a whole load of other EU nonsense). The new film is enjoyable but derivative, and I hope who ever takes it over from JJ takes it more interesting and original places, and rescues the series from some of the dumb stuff JJ has done. However, I accept that it will never fit my preferred image of Star Wars.

I'm okay with new force abilities, as long as they fit in with the overall previously established view of the force. If a force user could teleport, or fly through hyperspace without a ship, or turn invisible, I would think it was pretty stupid. The biggest problem with the blaster bolt is that it then continues on its original motion once released. If it just fizzled away, deflected, or exploded in place, that would have made more sense. Why even use lightsabers to deflect blaster bolts if you could control them with the force? If he is stopping time in some way, then why would Vader and Palpatine not freeze Luke in place rather than the whole elaborate carbonite plan? And if you say that Kylo is THAT much more powerful than Palpatine....

Visually, we see the bolt stop. Perhaps Kylo Ren didn't stop it, but was using all his concentration to SLOW it down. Of a Jedi trying to lift an object must still combat gravity in their attempt to lift something, then why wouldn't the velocity of a blaster bolt be combated and continue along its initial path?

Why wouldn't Palpatine and Vader do it? Perhaps they didn't know how, or bother using it. I'm sure Kylo was using his full ability of the force to keep that bolt hovering. Kylo DOES have Vader's blood in him. Who knows how strong he could be. He isn't focused enough to keep his control.

Forward momentum cannot be stored... a.) either the bolt has mass and velocity, in which case slowing it down would decrease that velocity, and when released it would fall or travel forward at its current velocity, or b) the bolt is still traveling at the same velocity but somehow time has slowed for the bolt itself. And sorry, if 20 year old Kylo Ren is more powerful than Palpatine at his prime, then the story falls apart. All of TFA was done with the mindset that bigger - stronger - more dramatic - more diverse instantly translates to better - cooler - money. They don't bother giving reasons, they just assume we won't question it because it's so much more badass.

Sound doesn't carry in space, hyperspace travel is (as far as we know) impossible, and lightsabers magically stop at a certain point. All these things you are fine with? But a blaster bolt hovering mid air, that is incredulous? Also, as per Pablo Hidalgo via RebelsRecon, the physics of the star wars galaxy may very well be different.

Finally, as to being more powerful than palpatine. He COULD be. As i said, raw talent and potential, he may be more powerful. Training and knowledge, as well as focus and control... Not even close.

They don't bother giving reasons

That's what I liked most about Star Wars. They don't give reasons for all the fantasy stuff.

How does the force work?

How does a Hyperdrive work?

How does a lightsabre work?

How can Han leave the Falcon in an asteroid field without a space suit?

The most dumb thing in the prequel trilogy is the try to explain the force by "midi-chlorians". *shakin* (compared to midi-chlorians I love jarjar)

This for the force's sake is not Star Trek ... "We just recalibrate the Techno-Cristal-Blahblah to reinstall the energy-blah and then we finish the ..." "Make it so."

Technobabble/Treknobabble just fills screentime, sometimes covers plot holes and usually doesn't bring the story anywhere.

I sincerely hate Technobabble.

I am fine with the consistent non-real physics that had been established within the movies. I don't care about sound in space, it helps the movie, and it was CONSISTENT. However, the previous 6 films and tv series clearly established that blaster bolts move forward and are not STOPPED by lightsabers but merely deflected. They showed that force users could have heightened reflexes and some minimal precognitive abilities without training, but mind tricks didn't just happen, even for the CHOSEN ONE. Within the Star Wars universe, as established, no one, I repeat no one, can have more raw potential than Anakin. This is clearly stated. So Anakin sleeps with Padme, Leia sleeps with Han, Ben Solo comes out more powerful than Vader?

These are all inconsistencies WITHIN the established Universe. That's my problem with TFA, and that's what I feel needs some degree of explanation to excuse. If you contradict what has already been established, you better well explain why.

George Lucas primarily dealt with the prequel era, where little had been written about until the films came out. Yes, it sometimes contradicted what was published already in the EU, but because most of the existing EU stuff had been set after the orginal films there was much less overlap, and the contradictions where generally less serious (more issues of historical timelines, such as when the Clone Wars happened and what they were, and a "feeling" of the setting). However, the new films were going to be set during the period where the meat of the EU had been written, and they didn't want to have to tie themselves to any aspect of it or have fans complaining "but that contradicts x,y,z" It makes sense to come out at actively declare "we are not tying ourselves to any aspect of this. If you insist on a "canon" don't hold us to maintaining any consistency with anything except these x number of things"

It's not like EU wasn't already a mess anyway. A clean state is another desirable thing.

Again, there is a big difference (IMO) between passively writing your own 'canon' story in contradiction to what has already been written, and actively saying ALL of this is gone. One respects the work

of others while establishing primacy, the other rejects the work of other before even writing the new story. Do you see the difference?

The thing is that I don't see what Disney has done regarding the canon as disrespectful, just up front (and frankly necessary if they were actually going to do anything different from what had already been published). If Lucas had done a sequel trilogy he either would have had to do that too, or it would simply all have been irrelevant by what he had created, so pretty much amounted to the same thing. It wasn't like it worked anyway. The Prequel films could not fit in the same canon as the Thrawn Trilogy (for example). They have contradictory histories, and a very different feel from each other.

And just to be clear, it isn't because I love what the current film has done. My own personal head-canon rejects the prequels and the new films and features the Thrawn Trilogy instead (while dumping a whole load of other EU nonsense). The new film is enjoyable but derivative, and I hope who ever takes it over from JJ takes it more interesting and original places, and rescues the series from some of the dumb stuff JJ has done. However, I accept that it will never fit my preferred image of Star Wars.

The beauty of the EU was that everyone had their own canon. You could enjoy the Zahn books and forget that Splinter of the Mind's Eye ever happened. No one was telling you that your favorite stuff was not official and thus never happened.

Disney is telling you that before they ever put out a story of their own. They could have respected the good parts, saved Mara Jade and rejected Clone Emperor, whatever. They didn't even bother to consider it, they just took their ball and went home.

I am fine with the consistent non-real physics that had been established within the movies. I don't care about sound in space, it helps the movie, and it was CONSISTENT. However, the previous 6 films and tv series clearly established that blaster bolts move forward and are not STOPPED by lightsabers but merely deflected. They showed that force users could have heightened reflexes and some minimal precognitive abilities without training, but mind tricks didn't just happen, even for the CHOSEN ONE. Within the Star Wars universe, as established, no one, I repeat no one, can have more raw potential than Anakin. This is clearly stated. So Anakin sleeps with Padme, Leia sleeps with Han, Ben Solo comes out more powerful than Vader?

These are all inconsistencies WITHIN the established Universe. That's my problem with TFA, and that's what I feel needs some degree of explanation to excuse. If you contradict what has already been established, you better well explain why.

I think JJ is aware and therefore had Han say it: "That's Not How The Force Works!"

Vader did exactly what with Han's Blaster Bolts in Bespin? Let them vanish in the palm of his hand? I don't think, that Ben is that powerful.

Ben is not a Sith. Whatever he is, he has different skills. Not stronger, just different.

What if Rey has basic training? I think, that Rey is most likely either Luke's daughter or Ben's sister. Luke hid her and brainwashed everyone so they don't remember her. And then he brainwashed her to not remember anything. But when she needed it, then she remembered how to use the force.

Patience, my friend. The future will show.

I am fine with the consistent non-real physics that had been established within the movies. I don't care about sound in space, it helps the movie, and it was CONSISTENT. However, the previous 6 films and tv series clearly established that blaster bolts move forward and are not STOPPED by lightsabers but merely deflected. They showed that force users could have heightened reflexes and some minimal precognitive abilities without training, but mind tricks didn't just happen, even for the CHOSEN ONE. Within the Star Wars universe, as established, no one, I repeat no one, can have more raw potential than Anakin. This is clearly stated. So Anakin sleeps with Padme, Leia sleeps with Han, Ben Solo comes out more powerful than Vader?

These are all inconsistencies WITHIN the established Universe. That's my problem with TFA, and that's what I feel needs some degree of explanation to excuse. If you contradict what has already been established, you better well explain why.

I think JJ is aware and therefore had Han say it: "That's Not How The Force Works!"

Vader did exactly what with Han's Blaster Bolts in Bespin? Let them vanish in the palm of his hand? I don't think, that Ben is that powerful.

Ben is not a Sith. Whatever he is, he has different skills. Not stronger, just different.

What if Rey has basic training? I think, that Rey is most likely either Luke's daughter or Ben's sister. Luke hid her and brainwashed everyone so they don't remember her. And then he brainwashed her to not remember anything. But when she needed it, then she remembered how to use the force.

Patience, my friend. The future will show.

Vader deflected Han's blaster bolts with his mechanical hands. If you watch the scene, there are scorch marks all over the inside of the doorway.

Yes, different force users may have more abilities in some areas than others. But the blaster bolt, the force interrogation, the ridiculous lightsaber blade... these are poor attempts at 'ramping it up'. In short, they are superficial features that are meant to highlight how "terrifying" Kylo Ren is. But they redefine already established norms from the previous movies without any explanation. I'm open to new things, but I need some reason for them to be new. There simply is no reason other than 'keeping it fresh'.

Okay, Rey may have basic training that she doesn't remember. If that is the case, which it appears it may be, then make it apparent that she is remembering her abilities rather than stumbling upon secrets. Again, SOME explanation goes a long way.

Deflected, clearly, but by the force, some property of his mechanical hands, or by some property of his gloves, it was never clarified directly by Lucas.

The paralysis, the blaster catching, those were annoying, but the "force interrogation" was the worst.

Not content to merely steal from star wars, Abrams went a step further to further illustrate his lack of creativity, and stole his Vulcan mind meld (complete with Zachary Quinto scrunchy face) from his *own film* that he stole from the original star trek!

The theft meta goes deep on that one.

Deflected, clearly, but by the force, some property of his mechanical hands, or by some property of his gloves, it was never clarified directly by Lucas.

The paralysis, the blaster catching, those were annoying, but the "force interrogation" was the worst.

Not content to merely steal from star wars, Abrams went a step further to further illustrate his lack of creativity, and stole his Vulcan mind meld (complete with Zachary Quinto scrunchy face) from his *own film* that he stole from the original star trek!

The theft meta goes deep on that one.

Well, Yoda blocks/deflects/absorbs force lightning with his hands as well, so I'm voting for force ability. But there's a difference (to me at least) between deflection (useful) and stopping something in time for 3 minutes and 18.5 seconds before letting it hit a perfectly innocent building. I would even have been less upset with it if he made that blaster shot hit one of the captives. At least it would have some payoff or purpose.

I would even be okay with some of this (still wouldn't like it, but for different reasons) if TFA was a reboot, like Star Trek. I can get on board with change if there's a reason for it other than marketing. But they chose this to be a continuation rather than a reboot. Yet it felt like a different universe due to all the stylistic and mechanic changes.

While not reboot of the movie series/univer, TFA is kind of a reboot of the Force.

Well, Yoda blocks/deflects/absorbs force lightning with his hands as well, so I'm voting for force ability. But there's a difference (to me at least) between deflection (useful) and stopping something in time for 3 minutes and 18.5 seconds before letting it hit a perfectly innocent building. I would even have been less upset with it if he made that blaster shot hit one of the captives. At least it would have some payoff or purpose.

I would even be okay with some of this (still wouldn't like it, but for different reasons) if TFA was a reboot, like Star Trek. I can get on board with change if there's a reason for it other than marketing. But they chose this to be a continuation rather than a reboot. Yet it felt like a different universe due to all the stylistic and mechanic changes.

Star Trek wasn't a reboot, which makes it more egregious what they did to it. They wiped the slate clean, but by overwriting the existing background, not saying "this is a new universe with no connection to the previous one except stylistic elements." In fact it feels very like how you describe feeling like Star Wars. I do think some things that didn't feel right (planets that you could see from across the galaxy, hyperspace jumps into the planets atmosphere, and yet another goddam Death Star), but the one thing I definitely felt about TFA was that it felt like Star Wars, unlike the new Star Trek films.

My feeling about the bolt moving again was because he had stopped concentrating on the power, not that he had deliberately started it moving again. Yes, it was obviously very "hey this looks cool" and "how badass is he" in its inception, but it never really bothered me too much.

Deflected, clearly, but by the force, some property of his mechanical hands, or by some property of his gloves, it was never clarified directly by Lucas.

The paralysis, the blaster catching, those were annoying, but the "force interrogation" was the worst.

Not content to merely steal from star wars, Abrams went a step further to further illustrate his lack of creativity, and stole his Vulcan mind meld (complete with Zachary Quinto scrunchy face) from his *own film* that he stole from the original star trek!

The theft meta goes deep on that one.

Luke's cybernetic hand is damaged (but not seriously) by a blaster bolt, suggesting that reflecting blaster bolts is not a property of cybernetics (as a side not, in my head canon his hand was removed as punishment for failing to capture Luke, as described in the Thrawn Trilogy, so it isn't a mechanical hand yet at that point anyway). I can get behind the idea that the cybernetics make it easier somehow, but I don't think there is any doubt that a force ability is involved somewhere. Certainly it appears that has long been an interpretation. D6 Star Wars has the "absorb Energy power, which I am pretty sure Darth Vader had in their write up.

George Lucas primarily dealt with the prequel era, where little had been written about until the films came out. Yes, it sometimes contradicted what was published already in the EU, but because most of the existing EU stuff had been set after the orginal films there was much less overlap, and the contradictions where generally less serious (more issues of historical timelines, such as when the Clone Wars happened and what they were, and a "feeling" of the setting). However, the new films were going to be set during the period where the meat of the EU had been written, and they didn't want to have to tie themselves to any aspect of it or have fans complaining "but that contradicts x,y,z" It makes sense to come out at actively declare "we are not tying ourselves to any aspect of this. If you insist on a "canon" don't hold us to maintaining any consistency with anything except these x number of things"

It's not like EU wasn't already a mess anyway. A clean state is another desirable thing.

Again, there is a big difference (IMO) between passively writing your own 'canon' story in contradiction to what has already been written, and actively saying ALL of this is gone. One respects the work

of others while establishing primacy, the other rejects the work of other before even writing the new story. Do you see the difference?

The thing is that I don't see what Disney has done regarding the canon as disrespectful, just up front (and frankly necessary if they were actually going to do anything different from what had already been published). If Lucas had done a sequel trilogy he either would have had to do that too, or it would simply all have been irrelevant by what he had created, so pretty much amounted to the same thing. It wasn't like it worked anyway. The Prequel films could not fit in the same canon as the Thrawn Trilogy (for example). They have contradictory histories, and a very different feel from each other.

And just to be clear, it isn't because I love what the current film has done. My own personal head-canon rejects the prequels and the new films and features the Thrawn Trilogy instead (while dumping a whole load of other EU nonsense). The new film is enjoyable but derivative, and I hope who ever takes it over from JJ takes it more interesting and original places, and rescues the series from some of the dumb stuff JJ has done. However, I accept that it will never fit my preferred image of Star Wars.

The beauty of the EU was that everyone had their own canon. You could enjoy the Zahn books and forget that Splinter of the Mind's Eye ever happened. No one was telling you that your favorite stuff was not official and thus never happened.

Disney is telling you that before they ever put out a story of their own. They could have respected the good parts, saved Mara Jade and rejected Clone Emperor, whatever. They didn't even bother to consider it, they just took their ball and went home.

Everyone still has their own canon if they want... and yes, they were telling you what was official and what wasn't. That was the point of the various different levels of canon. With the prequels most of the published EU at that point was at the very least dodgy, as they expressly contradicted many of the presumptions that the EU had been built on until that point. They tried to reconcile it in some ways, and had the whole "if it doesn't expressly contradict the films it is ok," which led to odd results like trying to claim that the Noghri counted time differently (to account for the fact the Clone Wars was dated as happening much earlier than it ended up being in the films) when the whole point was that the disaster that affected their world happened so long ago that it could only have taken place during the Clone Wars.

As I said previously, it was something that probably had to be done. Yes, they didn't have it for the prequels, and just had the "levels of canon" thing, but as I said before they were not expressly writing during the period of most of the EU fiction. Pre-original trilogy stories were very limited before the prequels came out, and even then most were set very shortly before the first film, or were very narrow in their focus. Most books set during the prequel time period were written once the films started getting released, so were able to remain more consistent with the background established in the new films. That wouldn't be possible with the new films set in the post-Endor history as there is so much stuff already pubished. And frankly, who knows, maybe some of the EU stuff will feature. Ray needs a mother, so whose saying it wasn't Mara Jade (presuming that she is Luke's daughter)? They are just making clear that they are in no way tying themselves to anything, but that doesn't mean none of it will get used.

Well, Yoda blocks/deflects/absorbs force lightning with his hands as well, so I'm voting for force ability. But there's a difference (to me at least) between deflection (useful) and stopping something in time for 3 minutes and 18.5 seconds before letting it hit a perfectly innocent building. I would even have been less upset with it if he made that blaster shot hit one of the captives. At least it would have some payoff or purpose.

I would even be okay with some of this (still wouldn't like it, but for different reasons) if TFA was a reboot, like Star Trek. I can get on board with change if there's a reason for it other than marketing. But they chose this to be a continuation rather than a reboot. Yet it felt like a different universe due to all the stylistic and mechanic changes.

Star Trek wasn't a reboot, which makes it more egregious what they did to it. They wiped the slate clean, but by overwriting the existing background, not saying "this is a new universe with no connection to the previous one except stylistic elements." In fact it feels very like how you describe feeling like Star Wars. I do think some things that didn't feel right (planets that you could see from across the galaxy, hyperspace jumps into the planets atmosphere, and yet another goddam Death Star), but the one thing I definitely felt about TFA was that it felt like Star Wars, unlike the new Star Trek films.

My feeling about the bolt moving again was because he had stopped concentrating on the power, not that he had deliberately started it moving again. Yes, it was obviously very "hey this looks cool" and "how badass is he" in its inception, but it never really bothered me too much.

Deflected, clearly, but by the force, some property of his mechanical hands, or by some property of his gloves, it was never clarified directly by Lucas.

The paralysis, the blaster catching, those were annoying, but the "force interrogation" was the worst.

Not content to merely steal from star wars, Abrams went a step further to further illustrate his lack of creativity, and stole his Vulcan mind meld (complete with Zachary Quinto scrunchy face) from his *own film* that he stole from the original star trek!

The theft meta goes deep on that one.

Luke's cybernetic hand is damaged (but not seriously) by a blaster bolt, suggesting that reflecting blaster bolts is not a property of cybernetics (as a side not, in my head canon his hand was removed as punishment for failing to capture Luke, as described in the Thrawn Trilogy, so it isn't a mechanical hand yet at that point anyway). I can get behind the idea that the cybernetics make it easier somehow, but I don't think there is any doubt that a force ability is involved somewhere. Certainly it appears that has long been an interpretation. D6 Star Wars has the "absorb Energy power, which I am pretty sure Darth Vader had in their write up.

George Lucas primarily dealt with the prequel era, where little had been written about until the films came out. Yes, it sometimes contradicted what was published already in the EU, but because most of the existing EU stuff had been set after the orginal films there was much less overlap, and the contradictions where generally less serious (more issues of historical timelines, such as when the Clone Wars happened and what they were, and a "feeling" of the setting). However, the new films were going to be set during the period where the meat of the EU had been written, and they didn't want to have to tie themselves to any aspect of it or have fans complaining "but that contradicts x,y,z" It makes sense to come out at actively declare "we are not tying ourselves to any aspect of this. If you insist on a "canon" don't hold us to maintaining any consistency with anything except these x number of things"

It's not like EU wasn't already a mess anyway. A clean state is another desirable thing.

Again, there is a big difference (IMO) between passively writing your own 'canon' story in contradiction to what has already been written, and actively saying ALL of this is gone. One respects the work

of others while establishing primacy, the other rejects the work of other before even writing the new story. Do you see the difference?

The thing is that I don't see what Disney has done regarding the canon as disrespectful, just up front (and frankly necessary if they were actually going to do anything different from what had already been published). If Lucas had done a sequel trilogy he either would have had to do that too, or it would simply all have been irrelevant by what he had created, so pretty much amounted to the same thing. It wasn't like it worked anyway. The Prequel films could not fit in the same canon as the Thrawn Trilogy (for example). They have contradictory histories, and a very different feel from each other.

And just to be clear, it isn't because I love what the current film has done. My own personal head-canon rejects the prequels and the new films and features the Thrawn Trilogy instead (while dumping a whole load of other EU nonsense). The new film is enjoyable but derivative, and I hope who ever takes it over from JJ takes it more interesting and original places, and rescues the series from some of the dumb stuff JJ has done. However, I accept that it will never fit my preferred image of Star Wars.

The beauty of the EU was that everyone had their own canon. You could enjoy the Zahn books and forget that Splinter of the Mind's Eye ever happened. No one was telling you that your favorite stuff was not official and thus never happened.

Disney is telling you that before they ever put out a story of their own. They could have respected the good parts, saved Mara Jade and rejected Clone Emperor, whatever. They didn't even bother to consider it, they just took their ball and went home.

Everyone still has their own canon if they want... and yes, they were telling you what was official and what wasn't. That was the point of the various different levels of canon. With the prequels most of the published EU at that point was at the very least dodgy, as they expressly contradicted many of the presumptions that the EU had been built on until that point. They tried to reconcile it in some ways, and had the whole "if it doesn't expressly contradict the films it is ok," which led to odd results like trying to claim that the Noghri counted time differently (to account for the fact the Clone Wars was dated as happening much earlier than it ended up being in the films) when the whole point was that the disaster that affected their world happened so long ago that it could only have taken place during the Clone Wars.

As I said previously, it was something that probably had to be done. Yes, they didn't have it for the prequels, and just had the "levels of canon" thing, but as I said before they were not expressly writing during the period of most of the EU fiction. Pre-original trilogy stories were very limited before the prequels came out, and even then most were set very shortly before the first film, or were very narrow in their focus. Most books set during the prequel time period were written once the films started getting released, so were able to remain more consistent with the background established in the new films. That wouldn't be possible with the new films set in the post-Endor history as there is so much stuff already pubished. And frankly, who knows, maybe some of the EU stuff will feature. Ray needs a mother, so whose saying it wasn't Mara Jade (presuming that she is Luke's daughter)? They are just making clear that they are in no way tying themselves to anything, but that doesn't mean none of it will get used.

Um... Luke's father fought in the Clone Wars, but was betrayed and murdered by Vader. Obi-Wan helped Leia's 'father' in the Clone Wars. Luke is only 19 in ANH, so right from the start the Clone Wars were one generation ago. No chance the Clone Wars were really long ago.

Even if you just look at the OT, looking for consistency in how the Force is applied is a pointless exercise.

In Empire, Vader tortures Han because he knows Luke will be able to sense it from a different star system. And Vader knows that Luke will perceive this with enough detail to figure out where Han is. Then 20 minutes of film time later, Vader cannot sense that Luke used the Force to jump out of the carbonite pit. So Vader knows Luke is sensitive enough to feel is friends being tortured from light years away but Vader is apparently not sensitive to know where in a room Luke is when Luke is actively using the Force. And we know that Force users can sense where things are, Luke uses blocks drone shots he can't see a couple hours after learning the Force is a thing.

So Kylo Ren can freeze blaster bolts. So what? Nobody saw anyone shoot lightning from their hands until Palpatine did it. Nobody saw anyone jump really high until Luke did it. Why are people griefing Kylo Ren for his Force interrogation? Vader gets information from Luke in Return of the Jedi because Luke wasn't guarding his feelings. Kylo probably needs to focus in order to achieve the same effect.

There are issues to be had with TFA, sure. But lamenting how the Force is used seems odd.

I can still remember the die hard fans of the first movie: "There is only one Star Wars. It's not called "A New Hope" but just "Star Wars". The other two films suck, because ...."

And then there were the die hard fans of the Original Trilogy: "There should be no EU."

And then there were the die hard fans of the Original Trilogy: "Jar Jar sucks, Anakin sucks, Midi-chlorians suck ...." (I was one of them.)

And then ....

There is always someone who likes the past more than what's going on now. The good old times, you know. When Han shot first, and Jabba's Palace was not a musical stage.

I really like TFA ... all those muppets, and masks and not so much digital effects ...

And by the way ... I would have loved, if Lucas would have had been more restrictive with his IP. Then maybe Han would still be the only one who shot in the cantina and I would have never read Children of the Jedi, on of the worst books I've ever heard of.

Then maybe Han would still be the only one who shot in the cantina

The change to that scene was all Georges idea. According to him Gredo was alway supposed to have shot first...

Then maybe Han would still be the only one who shot in the cantina

The change to that scene was all Georges idea. According to him Gredo was alway supposed to have shot first...

Didn't he go full Orwell and say that Greedo always DID shoot first?

Didn't he go full Orwell and say that Greedo always DID shoot first?

Yeah apparently when it came out on blueray or something he said that this had always been his vision for how it should happen. Even though the script for ANH never even mentions Greedo firing at all.

And by the way ... I would have loved, if Lucas would have had been more restrictive with his IP. Then maybe Han would still be the only one who shot in the cantina and I would have never read Children of the Jedi[/size], on of the worst books I've ever heard of.

I'm gonna have to read that one next

Don't forget that George's original idea of Han was supposed to be a frog man...

Um... Luke's father fought in the Clone Wars, but was betrayed and murdered by Vader. Obi-Wan helped Leia's 'father' in the Clone Wars. Luke is only 19 in ANH, so right from the start the Clone Wars were one generation ago. No chance the Clone Wars were really long ago.

Ignoring the prequel films, Luke's father was a "gifted Pilot" when Obi Wan met him first during the Clone Wars. I don't think anything is ever said about about specifically when Darth Vader allegedly betrayed Anakin (ok, it had to happen sometime after Luke's conception), or that it happened during the Clone Wars, just that he was betrayed. We don't know the age of Leia's adopted father, so a young Obi Wan might have helped him 30 or 40 odd years ago. There is nothing saying that Luke was born during the Clone Wars, just that he heard about them when growing up. Also, before the prequels I don't think we got any specific indication of how old Luke and Leia are. I could easily see them aged a few years older without any problem (though to be fair I don't see them as being any older than about 24, Luke especially).

And by the way ... I would have loved, if Lucas would have had been more restrictive with his IP. Then maybe Han would still be the only one who shot in the cantina and I would have never read Children of the Jedi, on of the worst books I've ever heard of.

The Crystal Star must be worse.

Didn't he go full Orwell and say that Greedo always DID shoot first?

Yeah apparently when it came out on blueray or something he said that this had always been his vision for how it should happen. Even though the script for ANH never even mentions Greedo firing at all.

Yes. He claimed it was because of the way they had to shoot it due to the technology etc. However, yes, the original script suggests Han was originally just meant to shoot, just that when George Lucas came back to the films he didn't like the more callous sense to Han this suggested. To be fair, once I watched the original he comes across as a lot more unpleasant character initially than he does without it (I saw A New Hope in Special Edition first, so didn't know what the fuss was about originally).

The Crystal Star must be worse.

Yes it is, I had almost successfully repressed that memory ...

The most frustrating part of the whole "Han shot first" was it set up the character. Everything about that scene says "Han Solo is a man of action". Having him shoot Greedo so successfully and just walk off with a smug look serves to make it more poignant the *second time Han shoots first. When Vader disarms him after being shot at 3-4 times on Bespin it makes it that much more impressive, because it shows how badly Han is overmatched. "Your standard response is useless here."