Yeah, Episode IX is very much a pay off for people who pay attention to some of the minutiae - it’s clear Palpatine has planned all of this, at least in the way of having contingencies beneath contingencies - I think that was actually the name of something from Battlefront II? With the droids? Anyway, between the clones, Force regeneration, Sith cultists, Sith alchemists, ect. - he's not let his influence die at all.

It works in the end, and there’s enough there visually to let it resonate.

35 minutes ago, Desslok said:

Did they explain why someone dropping through a shaft and then blowing up seconds later before blowing up again a few minutes later somehow , you know, didn't die?

Well, he falls, then Luke drags Vader out, removes his helmet, they have a chat ... and they escape. Plenty of time for the spirit of Palps to move on (remember the blue flash after the fall?) and probably more than enough for Palps' body to be carried off too - or hobble away.

My question is who the wife of Sheev was ... or if he did a Jango, and cloned himself...

And Pryde was ... well, there was something about him that was never revealed ... perhaps in the novelisation, or some other source.

And we got Ewoks!!!

Sadly, I had a super hectic day at the office, so my brain was a little bit fried before watching it, so I need to rewatch it. So many details. Can't wait for the bluray.

But yeah, ewoks, cloud city, the farm, yellow lightsaber ... made from her staff... Hayden Christensen's voice, yah.

It was all pretty ace... but the "audience" during the good-evil struggle, were they there or illusions? Like the Jedi voices?

That epic blast into the sky... Palps Sky-beam, I foresee a chain of diners ... and of course, a soap opera: The Palpatines - about the struggle of a Sith Lord keeping it all hidden from his family, while trying to corrupt and enlist his offspring ...

So much goodness! Looking forward to the novelisation too ...

38 minutes ago, DanteRotterdam said:

I wouldn’t knock it before I see it. And I definitely wouldn’t hate it before you do. Seems like a horrible approach to watch a movie in that manner.

I'm trying, really I am. I mean I've seen every single one of these (well, save for the first one) on opening day. I've been a fan since I was 9 in '77. And yet, here we are - two days before release, and I'm having serious trouble summing hype and excitement.

What a weird place for my head to be in.

4 hours ago, DanteRotterdam said:

I was so surprised to see Harrison Ford...

And also a barrel of Snokes...

I expected Han to show up. It was an important thing to Ben, and I think they did it quite well.

A barrel of Snokes made me also happy, as I had a feeling that he was created - not from watching TLJ, but after the TROS trailer dropped.

2 minutes ago, Desslok said:

I'm trying, really I am. I mean I've seen every single one of these (well, save for the first one) on opening day. I've been a fan since I was 9 in '77. And yet, here we are - two days before release, and I'm having serious trouble summing hype and excitement.

What a weird place for my head to be in.

I can relate (not that I was born in '77), but I didn't really feel it before entering the cinema.

It's one of those things where I think the hype doesn't kick in until your heart starts racing after watching some of the film.

I don’t know... I was pretty pumped to see it.

1 hour ago, Desslok said:

What a weird place for my head to be in.

Maybe avoid these spoilers? Just have fun at the movies.

1 hour ago, DanteRotterdam said:

Maybe avoid these spoilers?

Well, THAT ship has sailed.

***EDIT***

Okay, one more question for you guys: did Matt Smith make the final cut?

One question, and a yes or no will do... do they explain how how Maz Kanata got ahold of Anakin's last / Luke's first lightsaber? Minor point, I know; but with the "a story for another time" line in TFA, I'm gonna be a little disappointed if it wasn't addressed.

35 minutes ago, Desslok said:

Well, THAT ship has sailed.

***EDIT***

Okay, one more question for you guys: did Matt Smith make the final cut?

Nope.

Did anyone catch all the voices of the Jedi that came Rey's aid? Apart from the expected ones, we got Kanan Jarrus/Freddy Prince Jr., but there were a few more voices I wasn't 100% sure of.

Also, Wedge! Wedge is back!

6 minutes ago, penpenpen said:

Did anyone catch all the voices of the Jedi that came Rey's aid? Apart from the expected ones, we got Kanan Jarrus/Freddy Prince Jr., but there were a few more voices I wasn't 100% sure of.

Also, Wedge! Wedge is back!

Ahsoka was there.

I'm thinking of making a list of "plotholes" that don't matter.

1. Lightspeed skipping. Apparently it's something you can do. Nobody seems surprised by it being possible, only that that Poe was crazy enough to do it. The downsides appear to be quite obvious. Those who are inte the RPG mindset of how hyperspace travel works might have their heads explode, but let's be honest, that way was never how the movies portrayed it.

2. How did Kylo find Rey on the wrecked Death Star? Doesn't really matter. At all.

3. Where did Palpatine get an armada and who crewing it. Squirreled away during his complete control of the galaxy? New recruits from the outer rim? Evil force zombies? Doesn't matter.

4. Star destroyers can mount planet killers? We saw repurposed death star tech in TLJ and unprecedented Sith magic in this. Marry the two...

5. Palaptine's "Final Order" are 10 000 times stronger than the First Order? It's a ludicrous number, and if it's true, it might even be a plot hole. It still doesn't matter. For all intents and purposes, what he said was "a lot".

Throw away your nitpicking glasses and join in!

7 hours ago, Desslok said:

Well, THAT ship has sailed.

We haven’t yet talked about the biggest spoiler.

I haven't seen the movie and won't until Christmas but what's lightspeed skipping? And if the reason RPG fans have troubke with it is the interaction between hyperdrives and gravity wells it was established back in the early days of Legends that it is a safety system in hyperdrives that usually stops them when they hit gravity wells, to prevent ships from crashing into whatever is generating the gravity well rather then some natural law. If memory serves it gets mentioned in the first X-Wing novel if not earlier while the Essential Guide to Warfare includes an example of what might happen if the safety fails.

8 hours ago, Vorzakk said:

One question, and a yes or no will do... do they explain how how Maz Kanata got ahold of Anakin's last / Luke's first lightsaber? Minor point, I know; but with the "a story for another time" line in TFA, I'm gonna be a little disappointed if it wasn't addressed.

Prepare to be disappointed.

However, a flashback to Luke training Leia was pretty cool!

What is Lightspeed skipping?

From what I gathered it is jumping into hyperspace and getting tossed out when you are about to hit gravity, meaning you can basically jump from planet to planet trying to throw off ships that are following you.

If the whole throne room of Death Star II survived, I can probably argue, that Palpatine too, survived.

3 hours ago, penpenpen said:

I'm thinking of making a list of "plotholes" that don't matter.

1. Lightspeed skipping. Apparently it's something you can do. Nobody seems surprised by it being possible, only that that Poe was crazy enough to do it. The downsides appear to be quite obvious. Those who are inte the RPG mindset of how hyperspace travel works might have their heads explode, but let's be honest, that way was never how the movies portrayed it.

3. Where did Palpatine get an armada and who crewing it. Squirreled away during his complete control of the galaxy? New recruits from the outer rim? Evil force zombies? Doesn't matter.

5. Palaptine's "Final Order" are 10 000 times stronger than the First Order? It's a ludicrous number, and if it's true, it might even be a plot hole. It still doesn't matter. For all intents and purposes, what he said was "a lot".

Throw away your nitpicking glasses and join in!

1. I don't have a problem with that, it's just crazy and reckless to actually do it. But that the Ties could follow was strange to me.

3. I think it were ISD Ones. Palpatine could have stored them, one after another, when they got phased out and replaced with the newer ISD Twos during Imperial Reign.

Also the ships seem to be highly automated, just manned with a command crew. Evidence for that is that Finn basically hacked a turbo laser.

Legendswise Sith often had business within the Unknown Regions, so with help of his cultists he probably could find like 1000 men for 1000 ships.

5. The number is to be taken with a grain of salt, I guess. But getting the hundreds of ships, each with the ability to destroy planets is definitely much.

I also liked the First Order High command meeting, where basically was said, that they don't have full control over the galaxy.

I was amazed at how little personality there was in the dialogue. Like, almost all of Finn and Poe's lines could have been swapped and it really wouldn't have mattered. Most of it was just 'We must do A Thing', 'A Thing has just happened', or platitudes.

30 minutes ago, Vader is Love said:

1. I don't have a problem with that, it's just crazy and reckless to actually do it. But that the Ties could follow was strange to me.

FO TIEs are hyperspace capable I believe.

Or, perhaps the skipping sucks them along ...?