The real Prequel Trilogy?

By GrimmyV, in X-Wing Off-Topic

So how about giving the 'new' stand alone prequels Episode Numbers replacing George's prequels?

ep 1: Obi wan movie

ep 2: Han Solo movie

ep 3: Rogue One

and move the old prequels to a separate series about the origins of the Villians, with Ep 4 being the Boba Fett movie and hopefully getting a Thrawn movie and maybe Snoke movie about his rise to power and origins of the Knights of Ren.

thoughts?

I'm with you for the first part, so long as the Han Solo film doesn't end up being 21 Jump To Hyperspace Street. Maybe not so much the second (rapidly losing interest in the sequel films).

My expectations for Han Solo are worse than my opinion of the prequel trilogy. I don't want to see a movie about Han Solo meeting Chewie and getting the Millennium Falcon from Lando. That's the worst kind of franchising. I'd be more interested if the Han Solo film tells a story we don't know anything about. They are on a course to repeat many of the prequel trilogy's mistakes, and that makes it worse.

I'm fully expecting Disney to completely redo episodes I-III. After what they've done to Marvel, don't be surprised if we get a new movie every year (and if the movies start seeming kinda cookie cutter). It's hard to keep up that level of output, and they end up doing stuff like a Guardians of the Galaxy sequel that nobody wanted and three different Spider Man series in a couple decades. I also won't be surprised if they redo the prequels but don't make them any better, and just end up having large Death Stars explode at the end of each prequel movie as well. But if Hayden Christensen becomes no longer canon, I'll still be all in. It'll be sad to lose young Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon from the canon though, because those two actors made the prequels almost watchable.

18 minutes ago, jmswood said:

My expectations for Han Solo are worse than my opinion of the prequel trilogy. I don't want to see a movie about Han Solo meeting Chewie and getting the Millennium Falcon from Lando. That's the worst kind of franchising. I'd be more interested if the Han Solo film tells a story we don't know anything about. They are on a course to repeat many of the prequel trilogy's mistakes, and that makes it worse.

THis all over.

My hope is that we either see a completely new story, or we see a new story bookended by small looks into stuff we know already - i.e. the cold open is Han saving Chewie, then the post credits scene is him walking into the casino to play Lando at Sabacc or whatever. Everything in between is new.

3 hours ago, Kieransi said:

I'm fully expecting Disney to completely redo episodes I-III.

Never gonna happen. In the unlikely event it does in my lifetime I'm done with Star Wars.

Besides the fact it would alienate A LOT of fans, it's extremely lazy when they have neatly limitless stories they can tell in the star wars universe.

One of the only ways I can imagine them "re-doing" the prequels is if they told a new story via a secondary or tertiary character. In other words, a new film with new story happening during or alongside the situations and locations depicted in Episodes 1-3.

I'm not suggesting that there's a character that magically was witness to all of Anakin & Obi Wan's exploits, rather someone that was on their own journey and affected by the major events of those other films. Most likely another Jedi with the film(s) ending with that character being executed during the Jedi purge.

I'm no writer, but maybe there's something that could be done like this if they really wanted to.

The true prequel trilogy:

  1. Clone Wars
  2. Rebels
  3. Rogue One

Say what you will, but Episodes I-III were great on mythology and world-building. Terrible on script, plot and acting. But all the sets, ships, and character design, even the racist aliens are vastly superior to Ep VII and what I've seen of Ep VIII.

21 hours ago, patox said:

The true prequel trilogy:

  1. Clone Wars
  2. Rebels
  3. Rogue One

Say what you will, but Episodes I-III were great on mythology and world-building. Terrible on script, plot and acting. But all the sets, ships, and character design, even the racist aliens are vastly superior to Ep VII and what I've seen of Ep VIII.

I love my little stereotype Watto. The aliens I don't like are things like Two Headed Anouncer guy and Dexter Jettster. No reason for those guys at all. Completely takes you out of the fantasy. Not like Space Nazis or old hermit frog guys.

Edited by GrimmyV
On 9/7/2017 at 2:01 PM, markcsoul said:

Never gonna happen. In the unlikely event it does in my lifetime I'm done with Star Wars.

Besides the fact it would alienate A LOT of fans, it's extremely lazy when they have neatly limitless stories they can tell in the star wars universe.

Like new Ewok movies or more Holiday Specials or maybe a nature documentary on life on Tatooine.

or an ongoing live action series of the 'bad news bears' of the Imperial fleet aboard a dilapidated frigate on the edge of the galaxy, trying to keep the peace where the crime lords are far more powerful, still using Republic era vehicles and equipment. Lots of character development and world building there. I would prefer it not be animated, but if it must...please let Pablo do it.

1 hour ago, GrimmyV said:

Like new Ewok movies or more Holiday Specials or maybe a nature documentary on life on Tatooine.

or an ongoing live action series of the 'bad news bears' of the Imperial fleet aboard a dilapidated frigate on the edge of the galaxy, trying to keep the peace where the crime lords are far more powerful, still using Republic era vehicles and equipment. Lots of character development and world building there. I would prefer it not be animated, but if it must...please let Pablo do it.

Alright! We'll have a second Holiday Special, where Lumpy's now a rebellious teenager who needs to learn the true meaning of Life Day!

(If that previous sentence made absolutely no sense to you, lucky you!)

Edited by JJ48
5 minutes ago, JJ48 said:

Alright! We'll have a second Holiday Special, where Lumpy's now a rebellious teenager who needs to learn the true meaning of Life Day!

(If that previous sentence made absolutely no sense to you, lucky you!)

How old is a teenage Wookiee? 50? 75? Chewie was 200 in the OT and old enough to have a 'school age' kid, while Itchy was 500 and an dirty old pervert Wookiee.

We need to know more about wookiees! Like why Chewie is such a baby when he gets a minor wound in RotJ and TFA.

3 hours ago, GrimmyV said:

How old is a teenage Wookiee? 50? 75? Chewie was 200 in the OT and old enough to have a 'school age' kid, while Itchy was 500 and an dirty old pervert Wookiee.

We need to know more about wookiees! Like why Chewie is such a baby when he gets a minor wound in RotJ and TFA.

That's it! We'll have a completely unsubtitled, wookiee-themed sitcom! Chewbacca will be the deadbeat husband always wanting to sneak off to adventure with Han, while Malla's trying to get him to be more invested in Lumpy's future, and Itchy is of course the wacky father-in-law who has a different get-rich-quick scheme each week that he tries to rope Chewie into! Saun Dann will, of course, be the wacky neighbor always causing all sorts of hijinks (I mean, we've already had a digital Peter Cushing. Digital Art Carney certainly couldn't be any less funny than live Art Carney was in the special...)

On 9/7/2017 at 3:30 PM, Kieransi said:

they end up doing stuff like a Guardians of the Galaxy sequel that nobody wanted

I kind of liked that one. I admit it wasn't as good as #1, though.

On 9/7/2017 at 3:24 PM, jmswood said:

I don't want to see a movie about Han Solo meeting Chewie and getting the Millennium Falcon from Lando. That's the worst kind of franchising. I'd be more interested if the Han Solo film tells a story we don't know anything about.

I'm somewhere between the two.

I don't want to see only the scenes we already know just put 'on screen' for the sake of it, and saccharine-ed up because Han isn't allowed to be a real bad guy ever.

But at the same time, you can take those know one sentance 'thing what happened' and make an interesting story by threading it with new material. That was the point of rogue one. We know that it's going to end with the rebels (specifically Leia) getting the plans. but we didn't really know anything else, and the story itself of how it happens is rather a good one.

We knew before watching Rogue One that they'd get the plans for the death star, but it was still an interesting story- because of the unexpected bits they threw into a story you already thought you knew - to the point that it actually improves the enjoyment of the following film

  • Why does the death star have such a ****** tactical weakness? Because it's deliberately engineered there
  • Why was Tantive IV being chased that closely? It'd literally run away from the battle being fought there
  • Why do you get the impression that thirty odd snubfighters is the entire rebellion at the time of eIV, given the size of the forces you see in both Rebels and Empire Strikes Back? Because most of them had been sent into Scarif and either been destroyed or scattered in the Rebel's first major naval battle
  • Why is Vader seemingly really angry, even by his own standards, boarding the Tantive (no sarcasm, and strangling the captain with his actual hands )? See the 'boarding party scene (repeatedly. In slow motion.)

Trying to shove every event we know of in Han's backstory into one film wouldn't work, but ignoring them wouldn't really work either.

My brain says that this is "star wars does heist film" in the same way rogue one was "star wars does war movie" (much like ant man can be considered "marvel does heist movie").

If you look at this as feeding directly into A New Hope, then the story will presumably focus at least in part on this hold of spice Solo is supposed to have dumped...

Part of the problem is how you tell the story. After all, one important thing to note is that episodes IV and V are kind of Han's redemption story - at the start of IV he is really not a good person - he's a drug smuggler and casual murderer. Lando is at least trying to do something legitimate with his life when Executor parks up in orbit, at which point what the **** is he supposed to do?.

the question, then, is what similar things do you want to 'flesh out' on the criminal/western Han Solo side of the story. By all means tell the story of saving chewie or winning the falcon or both as side threads, but make story something that stands on its own merit. Equivalent plot points in Episode IV that could probably do with fleshing out that might make a nice standalone story:

  • We don't know how Han ends up working for Jabba in the first place. Yes, Han is "jabba's best" but the big slug actually seems sort of paternal (which is surprising given his behaviour in Episode VI and Clone Wars to.....basically everyone else)
  • Why Han is convinced - even for a moment - by Lando's "you've got a nerve coming here" act.
  • Why has Greedo 'Been looking forward to this for a long time?'

@Magnus Grendel The key difference between Rogue One and the upcoming Han Solo film is attachment .

The premise for Rogue One was a nubulous statement. The vast majority of the the audience have no knowledge of Kyle Katarn and Jan Ors. Unless you played those EU (never canon, contrary to popular belief,) game titles, the theft of the Death Star plans had no familiar faces, no individual struggles and no attachment in the hearts and minds of the broader Star Wars Fan base.

Han Solo is different. We have a common perception of who Han is, and widely accepted feelings for the handful of backstory details meted out in the original films. Millions of fans are attached to the character on levels that create a precipice from which the film will very likely fall. I want the film makers to swipe victory from the jaws of that chasm, but I have zero faith that Disney can do it. This will be the first Star Wars film for which I wait for spoilers and reviews from trusted friends before I decide if it gets my money.

Edited by jmswood
Apparently the word sn @ tch is offensive to the filter. Replaced with swipe.

I really want to see Greedo again. Maybe this time as a semi-competent thug that's crossed paths with Han throughout his criminal career and been made a fool by him every time (mostly without Han's knowing). It would explain why he hates him so.

On 7.9.2017 at 8:01 PM, markcsoul said:

Never gonna happen. In the unlikely event it does in my lifetime I'm done with Star Wars.

Besides the fact it would alienate A LOT of fans, it's extremely lazy when they have neatly limitless stories they can tell in the star wars universe.

They are already have done for all effective purpose a reboot and remake with the new trilogy.

Disney are already kind of relegating the Prequels to the position of background fluff, aren't they? I wouldn't mind going further down that road, that's what the Prequels are best at.

Re: Han Solo solo movie movie

Brian Daly did an excellent job writing adventures for the Captain, and these stories should offer much inspiration. However I'm sure the script writers have never heard of them despite them being almost 4 decades old.

On 9/12/2017 at 8:40 AM, jmswood said:

The premise for Rogue One was a nubulous statement. The vast majority of the the audience have no knowledge of Kyle Katarn and Jan Ors. Unless you played those EU (never canon, contrary to popular belief,) game titles, the theft of the Death Star plans had no familiar faces, no individual struggles and no attachment in the hearts and minds of the broader Star Wars Fan base.

Dude, the Radio Drama totally has the first retelling of the Battle of Toprowa where the rebels stole the Death Star plans and the Tantive IV received transmissions in a seperate system before being relentlessly chased by the Devastator because of a tracking beacon placed on the ship by an imperial spy.

How hard is that to write a movie from that? Also Brian Daly wrote the radio drama too.

@GrimmyV What is this radio dramma you speak of? Where is it available?

18 minutes ago, jmswood said:

@GrimmyV What is this radio dramma you speak of? Where is it available?

It was produced by NPR back in 1980, they did ESB and RotJ as well. You might be able to find them on ITunes. I'm sure the cds are on eBay somewhere

17 hours ago, jmswood said:

@GrimmyV What is this radio dramma you speak of? Where is it available?

You can also find them on Youtube, they are a fair bit of fun to listen to and would recommend them. Not everyone comes back to reprise their character but if I remember correctly Mark Hamil does, it had been a little while since I listened to them all.

On 9/7/2017 at 10:24 AM, jmswood said:

My expectations for Han Solo are worse than my opinion of the prequel trilogy. I don't want to see a movie about Han Solo meeting Chewie and getting the Millennium Falcon from Lando. That's the worst kind of franchising. I'd be more interested if the Han Solo film tells a story we don't know anything about. They are on a course to repeat many of the prequel trilogy's mistakes, and that makes it worse.

Sadly, I think that's what we will get. Maybe an Ocean's 11 style caper movie thrown in.

On 9/15/2017 at 2:55 PM, Animewarsdude said:

You can also find them on Youtube, they are a fair bit of fun to listen to and would recommend them. Not everyone comes back to reprise their character but if I remember correctly Mark Hamil does, it had been a little while since I listened to them all.

Anthony Daniels returns as well. Brock Peters does Vader and I kinda prefer his voice. I think John Lithgow did Yoda?

On 9/30/2017 at 5:54 PM, GrimmyV said:

Anthony Daniels returns as well. Brock Peters does Vader and I kinda prefer his voice. I think John Lithgow did Yoda?

He did and it was so terrible. It's worth listening to just to hear his bad Yoda.