SPOILERS: The Force Awakens

[diehardtwinsfan]

speaking of reappearing, was I the only one who half expected to see the Mos Eisley Cantada playing when they visited Maz?

[Craig Arko]

speaking of reappearing, was I the only one who half expected to see the Mos Eisley Cantada playing when they visited Maz?

Nope. Was also hoping for Darth Binks.

[gunnarthor]

Fun movie although I'm not as big into Star Wars as I used to be.  I waited a week+ to see it while I saw Episodes 1-3 on opening day.  But good case (I've always loved Oscar Isaac) and good characters.

 

Also, I was surprised by how much I liked Kylo Ren without his helmet.  He looked like some emo-teen yet it still worked.   And I think what he did on the bridge is telling us that, unlike Vader, he won't be redeemed.  

[nicksaviking]

Rey being Luke's daughter would certainly seem to fit, but obvious twists aren't really in style these days, writers like to try to surprise everyone. Could she be related to Obi Wan somehow? It was his voice talking to her when she picked up the light saber, and there's the whole British accent bit too.

 

I kind of liked that Kylo wasn't some bad*** and got beat down by a newbie, I think it was intended to work out that way. He looked all super-villiany wearing the mask but then as mentioned, looked like a petulant emo teenager once he removed it, at which point Rey commenced out mind-tricking him, his dad made him cry and he got out-dueled by someone who had never used a light saber before. He was basically shown as an imitator the whole first half of the move as he only wore a mask and had a voice-altering mechanism to copy Darth Vadar, he didn't actually need those things, it was all for show and there was nothing of substance underneath.

 

As mentioned, Luke would wipe the floor with him, I'm guessing the real bad-guys are yet to be seen.

 

Also, it was implied that Luke left after Kylo turned and wiped out Luke's Jedi-Ed class. I'm wondering if Luke left in exile like Yoda, thinking that the only way to get a true Jedi was if one came looking for him just as he did to Yoda.

[gunnarthor]

I like the idea that Rey is related to Obi Wan.  I'd also like it if she wasn't related to anyone and they don't keep making the universe seem small. But I would guess she's related to either Obi Wan or Luke.  

 

I disagree about Kylo Ren.  I think he'll be one of the two main bad guys (along with the new emperor or whatever it's called).  He killed a beloved character.  Beat up Fin pretty bad (while bleeding out from a blaster charge), tortured Poe.  His tears were where he was saying good bye to Ben Solo and he became Kylo Ren completely after that (at least that's how I saw it).  I liked that he looked like a more dimensional bad guy than Vader was but still chose to become a complete bad guy.  His training isn't complete.  Maybe he'll kill his mom next.

[stringer bell]

Not a big Star Wars fan, but wouldn't it figure that Kylo Ren and Rey are cousins? If Kylo is Han and Leia's and Rey could be Luke's child, that would work out, amiright?

[jimmer]

We were told Rey's last name and Finn's last name would be very recognizable.  I'm hoping Rey's is Kenobi.  I think about how Obi beat the powerful Anakin in Episode III and would find it awesome if they decided that the Kenobi line turned out to be the most powerful.  They are going to make Rey amazingly powerful.

 

I also like how Kylo looked outside his mask.  Anakin hardly looked like a BA in the form of Hayden Christensen or Sebastian Shaw.  Some of the worst people hardly look like bad guys at all.

[PseudoSABR]

I can't get on board with the idea that Rey is Luke's daughter.  That's too obvious, and somewhat redundant--it also has too much backstory to overcome (aren't Jedi's neutered or something).  I like the idea of her being related to Kenobi in some way (though if she were his granddaughter I'd cringe for the same reason as above).   

 

My guess is that Rey was a very young and precocious prospect for Luke's academy right around the time Ben Solo was becoming Kylo Ren, and her parents (or perhaps Luke) hid her on Jakku getting wind of it.

[diehardtwinsfan]

 

We were told Rey's last name and Finn's last name would be very recognizable.  I'm hoping Rey's is Kenobi.  I think about how Obi beat the powerful Anakin in Episode III and would find it awesome if they decided that the Kenobi line turned out to be the most powerful.  They are going to make Rey amazingly powerful.

 

I also like how Kylo looked outside his mask.  Anakin hardly looked like a BA in the form of Hayden Christensen or Sebastian Shaw.  Some of the worst people hardly look like bad guys at all.

 

Rey would have to be Kenobi's grand daughter to make that work. Kenobi was an old man in Episode 4 and a significant other was never mentioned in their time together. Problem with that at this point is that no one would know about her other than possibly Luke (and that's remote).

 

My issue with Kylo is that there's no way that character could have wiped out the next class of Jedis.  Perhaps Snoke was being trained by Luke, turned and took Kylo with him. That I could buy, though again I'm really really really curious about who the Knights of Ren really are.

[Mike Sixel]

It does seem a bit off to say Kylo killed the whole class, given how immature his powers were in that movie......

[Craig Arko]

The novelization (by Alan Dean Foster) has more details on a number of things.

 

http://mashable.com/2015/12/29/force-awakens-novel/#UGmz0TRryPqn

 

I'll be buying this to read on the plane, I think.

[Brock Beauchamp]

 

Rey would have to be Kenobi's grand daughter to make that work. Kenobi was an old man in Episode 4 and a significant other was never mentioned in their time together. Problem with that at this point is that no one would know about her other than possibly Luke (and that's remote).

 

My issue with Kylo is that there's no way that character could have wiped out the next class of Jedis.  Perhaps Snoke was being trained by Luke, turned and took Kylo with him. That I could buy, though again I'm really really really curious about who the Knights of Ren really are.

It's possible he destroyed enough of the class where Luke disbanded the group for fear of it happening again.

 

But yeah, it seems unlikely Kylo was able to defeat the entire group unless he was considerably older than the others.

 

Or it's possible the Knights of Ren are Luke's former students and Kylo wasn't the only one who left to join Snoke.

 

Personally, I think it would be cool if Snoke was Sidious' master, Darth Plagueis.

[Brock Beauchamp]

 

The novelization (by Alan Dean Foster) has more details on a number of things.

 

http://mashable.com/2015/12/29/force-awakens-novel/#UGmz0TRryPqn

 

I'll be buying this to read on the plane, I think.

The new canon has some pretty good books released in the past two years. Tarkin and Lords of the Sith are probably the best of the bunch, though Aftermath has some promise (trilogy, only the first book has been released).

[Brock Beauchamp]

As for Rey, I'm hoping she has no familial relation to any main characters. Kenobi is a stretch, Luke is too obvious... I'm hoping she's a descendant of another Jedi Master from the prequels, someone who didn't get a lot of screen time and spent the movies on the periphery.

 

Or what about Dooku? That would be pretty cool, the more I think of it. He left the order so he wasn't bound by the Jedi Code for a long period of time (though he was already pretty old).

[PseudoSABR]

 

Rey would have to be Kenobi's grand daughter to make that work. Kenobi was an old man in Episode 4 and a significant other was never mentioned in their time together. Problem with that at this point is that no one would know about her other than possibly Luke (and that's remote).

 

My issue with Kylo is that there's no way that character could have wiped out the next class of Jedis.  Perhaps Snoke was being trained by Luke, turned and took Kylo with him. That I could buy, though again I'm really really really curious about who the Knights of Ren really are.

I think part of the premise of the initial trilogy and Force Awakens is that force-sensitive people are in very short supply.  The other students might have been barely force-capable, while Kylo was clearly their superior, and no student could touch Rey's innate force-sensitivity.   

 

I take the history as they lay it out.  If Kylo destroyed Luke's Academy, it suggests that Luke's students weren't up to muster--perhaps because the force had not awoken any one but those descended from Anakin.

[jimmer]

Perhaps Kylo Rens power isn't quite at its peak, but I don't remember that any one else could stop a blast mid air and hold it like he did or actually draw out info from people's mind that they didn't want to give up. That's pretty powerful.

[Brock Beauchamp]

 

Perhaps Kylo Rens power isn't quite at its peak, but I don't remember that any one else could stop a blast mid air and hold it like he did or actually draw out info from people's mind that they didn't want to give up. That's pretty powerful.

I think that scene was meant to display just how powerful he is while later scenes display just how little control he has over the power. That's how I read it, anyway.

[Mike Sixel]

I too hope she is not related to any main character.

 

And, I too don't over think it too much, and just enjoy the ride w/o overthinking it. This isn't Harry Potter where no one is willing to use a damn gun, and the other schools just stop existing when their help is needed. Ugh.

[diehardtwinsfan]

 

It's possible he destroyed enough of the class where Luke disbanded the group for fear of it happening again.

 

But yeah, it seems unlikely Kylo was able to defeat the entire group unless he was considerably older than the others.

 

Or it's possible the Knights of Ren are Luke's former students and Kylo wasn't the only one who left to join Snoke.

 

Personally, I think it would be cool if Snoke was Sidious' master, Darth Plagueis.

 

I could get behind all of that... and yeah, Darth Plagueis actually returning in human form given that he could supposedly prevent death would be a very worthwhile villain.

[diehardtwinsfan]

 

As for Rey, I'm hoping she has no familial relation to any main characters. Kenobi is a stretch, Luke is too obvious... I'm hoping she's a descendant of another Jedi Master from the prequels, someone who didn't get a lot of screen time and spent the movies on the periphery.

 

Or what about Dooku? That would be pretty cool, the more I think of it. He left the order so he wasn't bound by the Jedi Code for a long period of time (though he was already pretty old).

 

Problem with this type of thing is that Dooku's lineage would be for all intents and purposes lost, especially when the Jedi Temple in Corrusant was destroyed. There's definitely some indication that Leah, Han, and Maz knew more about Rey than she did. Heck, if you looked at her toy collection in the ATAT she was living in, you'll see an X-wing fighter pilot doll.  I could see her being a descendant of a lesser known character from Episodes 4-6, but that really doesn't explain her ability with the force.

[Mike Sixel]

She also has the x-wing pilot helmet, right? So, an X-wing pilot.....

[Brock Beauchamp]

 

Problem with this type of thing is that Dooku's lineage would be for all intents and purposes lost, especially when the Jedi Temple in Corrusant was destroyed. There's definitely some indication that Leah, Han, and Maz knew more about Rey than she did. Heck, if you looked at her toy collection in the ATAT she was living in, you'll see an X-wing fighter pilot doll.  I could see her being a descendant of a lesser known character from Episodes 4-6, but that really doesn't explain her ability with the force.

So is she Wedge's or Porkins' kid?

 

I vote Porkins.

[nicksaviking]

 

So is she Wedge's or Porkins' kid?

 

I vote Porkins.

 

I don't know, Wedge surviving three Star Wars movies in a minor role has to speak to some kind of powerful abilities, he should have been dead at the first Death Star. He had "Dead Extra" stamped on his head the whole time.

 

And man, it would be considered pretty un-PC today, but the fat guy named Porkins? Awesome.

[diehardtwinsfan]

I could see that as Wedge's kid. Would make sense. Presumably Luke/Han/Leah know Wedge and would know the backstory.

[gunnarthor]

My brother had this on his facebook link today.  Pretty bad language so i won't copy/paste any of it but explains why Kylo is a lot tougher than people are giving him credit for.

 

http://imgur.com/gallery/7EhqwbF

 

 

[Brock Beauchamp]

I'm nearly done with the novelization. Most of the feelings I had leaving the film were correct. Ren struggled with probing Rey's mind because he's having a crisis of conscience. In turn, Rey became more powerful because Ren accidentally opened her up to the Force during the mind probe.

[Brock Beauchamp]

It's a bit surprising some of the scenes passed over in the film (I assume the novelization is based on early scripts). There's an entire scene that introduces Leia, Threepio, and Artoo earlier in the story and explains why the camera focused on a single woman during Starkiller's attack on the Hosnian system.

 

If you want to understand the film a bit more, I recommend the book. It'd be pretty meh on its own but as a complement to the film, it's interesting.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

I thought your initial review was spot on. I give it 8 of 10. The new characters are really good. Rey is a great lead. I thought the Han Solo-Kylo Ren scene was perfect. Ren could plausibly go in any direction at this point, which is intriguing. No offense to anyone but I thought Leia was a record needle scratch every time they showed her. The story was moving fine without her. I'd like to see Leia gracefully make her exit early in the next film, though apparently the book suggests otherwise? I think C3PO could be written out, too. But overall a great show which I would definitely see again. The creatures are fantastic and all the little Star Wars touches are excellent throughout.

[nicksaviking]

I agree Leia's plot was lacking, but honestly I was worried that would happen with all three original leads as developing a new cast was going to take away screen time from Luke, Leia and Han. I think having Luke missing from the film was a very cleaver way for the writers to get out of trying to figure out how to give the new characters enough screen time to develop properly.

 

Han basically got all the screen time that perhaps would normally be allotted to all three of the original leads, and sadly that won't happen again, but we can probably be sure Luke is going to fill up that void, and likely exceed it, in the next film. They need to find more for Leia next film, they'll have to be creative though as she's basically just filling Admiral Ackbar's role now.*

 

*Anyone else want to see a spinoff about the power struggle that saw Leia end up out-ranking Ackbar? I'm picturing some kind of political thriller with lots of sexual backstabbing and double crosses. Super hot.

[Brock Beauchamp]

Oh, there's a nifty surprise in the novelization. Kylo knows Rey's identity. Two references are made to it: one by Ren, one by Snoke.