The Rise of Skywalker Reactions to "Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker"

How is the Mandalorian something that we have seen before and stagnant? It is definite growth. Before the Mandalorian, Star Wars has been dominanted by stories of heroic Jedi and their allies waging an under ending war against the forces of the darkside. It is defined by the monomyth and that type of fantastical hero's journey. The Clone Wars, Rebels, and the games typically fall in that mold. (Even Rogue One and Solo are just prequels to certain characters or events of the main Saga.)

The Mandalorian is the first real property that steps outside that to tell a new story involving original characters. To claim that is old news because it is a bounty hunter in the Boba Fett style doesn't make sense. Boba Fett, the Star Wars underworld, and bounty hunting were at most window dressing and mise en place for the Saga films. They are a natural place to explore and to grow, something intriguing, but not focused on in the main films. Taking interesting background ideas from the Saga and expanding on them is precisely how to grow the franchise is a natural way.

Yep. The Mandalorian gets a lot of love from me for it not cramming a Jedi/Sith in it every 6.5 minutes. Just watching Rebels (which I admit is decent) gets tedious because you get Darth Maul, Darth Vader, 3 inquisitors, Ahsoka, Ezra, and Kanaan. On screen. At once. This is just the episode I was watching last night. All the Jedi/Sit are supposed to be gone except for 2 on each side and a few rejects, and it seems like everyone and their mother went to a Coruscant thrift store after the Jedi temple fell and picked up a lightsaber out of the bin. If there were no Jedi or Sith, would anyone have cared? NOPE.

Mandalorian has done all that with only a pint-sized Force user and NO FREAKIN' LIGHTSABERS. It's as new a territory as we've seen, in my opinion. I'm hoping it stays good and sticks around awhile. Watching my son cheer as Mando takes out the droids in the most recent episode tells me that they have something good going. My fam is rooting for this no-name bounty hunter without a face, and we haven't had to see a crimson lightsaber to make him cool.
 
I have a feeling the strong stance on these movies will soften over time just like the prequels. and no matter what any of you say you're going to show your kids ALL star wars not just certain ones.


Except maybe the holiday special...
 
How is the Mandalorian something that we have seen before and stagnant? It is definite growth. Before the Mandalorian, Star Wars has been dominanted by stories of heroic Jedi and their allies waging an under ending war against the forces of the darkside.

Because its a rehash of Star Wars ideography and shows almost nothing new. Its OT on repeat.

Its Bobba Fett without being Bobba Fett filled with fan service and at best minimal alterations of things and places we have seen a thousand times before.

Thats all Disney seems to be able to do. Lets make a Boba show, lets bring Obi Wan back, lets make a Solo movie, lets rehash the original trilogy, lets see how the rebels got the Death Star Plans... And fill it all with fan service. Cause God help us if instead of milking what is there somebody ever tried to do something truly original. You know... like telling another story.

The Ewoks shows and movies want to talk to you, by the way.
 
Rebels >>>>>>> Mandalorian so far for me.


I legit cried in a kids cartoon in season 4 from the character work that was done throughout all the other seasons.
 
Because its a rehash of Star Wars ideography and shows almost nothing new. Its OT on repeat.

Its Bobba Fett without being Bobba Fett filled with fan service and at best minimal alterations of things and places we have seen a thousand times before.

Thats all Disney seems to be able to do. Lets make a Boba show, lets bring Obi Wan back, lets make a Solo movie, lets rehash the original trilogy, lets see how the rebels got the Death Star Plans... And fill it all with fan service. Cause God help us if instead of milking what is there somebody ever tried to do something truly original. You know... like telling another story.

The Ewoks shows and movies want to talk to you, by the way.
Well what do you want? the old material and ideas about Star Wars is what makes it Star Wars. If you want something new then make a new IP set in space. But in using the Star Wars brand... you're kinda locked in that world.

I get that rehashing old materials doesn't move the franchise forward... but the story is new and unique and certainly doesn't take away from the world.
 
If they ever make a new saga of films I'd personally like it to be WAAAY in the future in a new era and keep the fan service to a minimum, maybe slight mentions of the past here or there.
 
This trilogy is clearly about a younger generation of characters who are struggling to live up to the legacies of the past. Both on the light and dark side of the Force. That was the general trajectory that TFA kicked off and TLJ continued, and it's not like it's been subtle either.

I’m talking actual plot. if the original trilogy is about a group of rebels taking down and evil empire, and the prequels about the rise and fall of Anakin Skywalker and the collapse of a democracy, what is the sequel trilogy plot about exactly? Cause, I’ve yet to see one person explain to me what the overarching story is to this sequel trilogy. And there’s a good reasons there isn’t. Because nothing about this trilogy was mapped out. The sequel trilogy is little more than a collection of events that have no narrative through line. We don’t know who the First Order is or who the Knights of Ren are, we don’t know how the Republic is actually structured after the events of RotJ and why they don’t come to Leia’s aid, there’s no real explanation about what the Resistance is suppose to be resisting. Things like that should have mattered to the entire narrative of this trilogy. Instead events just kinda happen. There needs to be a goal for a story and there’s never been one for this trilogy.
 
If only there was a time machine that would allow us to go back in time to tell Kennedy she should map out a basic timeline of where we should see these characters go and what the ultimate goal is for the trilogy. She could have then vetted directors and screenwriters and plotted out the movies with 3 year gaps in between. I would have loved for JJ to just have directed the first movie, Denis Villeneuve for the second, and Jon Favreau for the third. Oh well.
 
What legacies? Luke failed to restart the Jedi order and abandoned everyone, Leia and the rest of the Rebellion were unable to establish a strong and effective central government, thus allowing an even stronger version of the Empire to rise up and murder countless billions, and Han and Chewie reverted back to being smugglers.

And on the dark side, not only did Vader fail as a Sith, he failed to stop Palpatine as a redeemed Jedi.

The only "legacy" these characters have is in a meta sense. They have a legacy to us, the audience. But in-universe they are abysmal failures.
Good points. :csad:
 
I’m talking actual plot. if the original trilogy is about a group of rebels taking down and evil empire, and the prequels about the rise and fall of Anakin Skywalker and the collapse of a democracy, what is the sequel trilogy plot about exactly? Cause, I’ve yet to see one person explain to me what the overarching story is to this sequel trilogy. And there’s a good reasons there isn’t. Because nothing about this trilogy was mapped out. The sequel trilogy is little more than a collection of events that have no narrative through line. We don’t know who the First Order is or who the Knights of Ren are, we don’t know how the Republic is actually structured after the events of RotJ and why they don’t come to Leia’s aid, there’s no real explanation about what the Resistance is suppose to be resisting. Things like that should have mattered to the entire narrative of this trilogy. Instead events just kinda happen. There needs to be a goal for a story and there’s never been one for this trilogy.
It's about REY, jmc. Sequel Trilogy is simply about Rey, nothing else. /s
 
If only there was a time machine that would allow us to go back in time to tell Kennedy she should map out a basic timeline of where we should see these characters go and what the ultimate goal is for the trilogy. She could have then vetted directors and screenwriters and plotted out the movies with 3 year gaps in between. I would have loved for JJ to just have directed the first movie, Denis Villeneuve for the second, and Jon Favreau for the third. Oh well.
I think Kennedy relied too heavily on certain plot points from a few professionals, that in my opinion, had more misses than hits. That--or she just misjudged the audience and the property.
 
I really like Rian as filmmaker. Knives Out is perhaps my favourite film of the year so far, but I think he was really the wrong person for Episode 8. I don't think he understood the characters that JJ and Kasdan created for Episode 7. He just wasn't the right fit for Episode 8. The accelerated production schedules probably didn't help as well. He started writing TLJ before TFA was done and JJ had fine tuned the characters. I really think the old 3 years between films schedule is necessary for these trilogies to succeed. It gives the filmmakers time to catch their breath and evaluate what worked and what didn't in the last installment. You can't do that if they are already breaking the story and in pre-production for the next one before the last one is even out? How do you course correct?

After watching the Mandalorian, I really think Favreau would have been a better fit for Episode 8. I think he has a better sense of Star Wars and the type of archetypal characters that inhabit the universe.
Agreed. Being a talented director and being a good fit for a given project are separate things.
 
Completely agree with DKDetective and Iceman about Rian Johnson. I really like Looper, and Knives Out might be my favorite movie of the year, but he and Star Wars were not a good fit. Like, at all. It felt like a Star Wars movie by someone who doesn't like Star Wars and wants to deconstruct everything about it.

Which might have been okay for a stand-alone anthology film, but not when it's the middle chapter of a trilogy.
 
It's about REY, jmc. Sequel Trilogy is simply about Rey, nothing else. /s
I wouldn’t have a problem with it being about Rey if she was given an actual goal. I just struggle to see how so many seemingly talented people, all collectively failed to ask very simple questions before cameras began rolling - ‘What’s her end goal? Where do we want her to be by the end of film 3? What’s our beginning, middle and end?’. Questions that any novice writer would ask themselves, and yet here, surrounded by millions of dollars worth of creative talent, it’s overlooked. And it’s shocking to me. The only way something like this happens is if the people running the show don’t actually understand that rules and structure matters to people for this mythology.
 
Last edited:
I have a feeling the strong stance on these movies will soften over time just like the prequels. and no matter what any of you say you're going to show your kids ALL star wars not just certain ones.


Except maybe the holiday special...

I mean, my stance is still at the prequel trilogy is hot garbage on a summer day that's like 120 degrees outside. And the garbage dudes not come for a week. So my stance on them has not been more favorable to those overtime. However, the sequel trilogy is good so far. As critical as I am towards The Force Awakens, I still think the movie is good. I just don't think it's great like many others do. I do hope that opinion on The Last Jedi softens over time. Truly as I was watching that once again today, I still feel that movie is easily the most underrated Star Wars product ever. It's a great movie
 
How is the Mandalorian something that we have seen before and stagnant? It is definite growth. Before the Mandalorian, Star Wars has been dominanted by stories of heroic Jedi and their allies waging an under ending war against the forces of the darkside. It is defined by the monomyth and that type of fantastical hero's journey. The Clone Wars, Rebels, and the games typically fall in that mold. (Even Rogue One and Solo are just prequels to certain characters or events of the main Saga.)

The Mandalorian is the first real property that steps outside that to tell a new story involving original characters. To claim that is old news because it is a bounty hunter in the Boba Fett style doesn't make sense. Boba Fett, the Star Wars underworld, and bounty hunting were at most window dressing and mise en place for the Saga films. They are a natural place to explore and to grow, something intriguing, but not focused on in the main films. Taking interesting background ideas from the Saga and expanding on them is precisely how to grow the franchise is a natural way.

I'm not against the inherent idea of the Mandolorian or even what you're saying in respects to things from an EU perspective. Or even an underworld show. There's definitely a lot of potential there! My problem is these solutions are always about OT related things. It's more about what we recognize than taking a mythology or franchise and looking at it for what it is and expanding upon it with new stories and concepts. The Mandolorian is just still a Mandolorian and its culture, we see Jawas, we see desert planets, there's Yoda as a baby, there's more western influences... it's all trapped within a box. I think it goes beyond the idea of something other than seeing Jedi. I'm not saying totally abandon the OT, but that's all we're seeing. Everything is either between ROTS and ANH or post ROTJ or close to it. Everything is dirty, everything is practical, everyone is still flying X-Wings. Dave Filoni still looks like an OT X-Wing pilot. The status quo isn't shifting in a dramatic way. And I truly think this is what's slowly making people lose interest in this franchise.

We need a new box. Just create different ideas that's not JUST related to the OT. That's all I want.
 
I'm not against the inherent idea of the Mandolorian or even what you're saying in respects to things from an EU perspective. Or even an underworld show. There's definitely a lot of potential there! My problem is these solutions are always about OT related things. It's more about what we recognize than taking a mythology or franchise and looking at it for what it is and expanding upon it with new stories and concepts. The Mandolorian is just still a Mandolorian and its culture, we see Jawas, we see desert planets, there's Yoda as a baby, there's more western influences... it's all trapped within a box. I think it goes beyond the idea of something other than seeing Jedi. I'm not saying totally abandon the OT, but that's all we're seeing. Everything is either pre ANH or post ROTJ or close to it. Everything is dirty, everything is practical, everyone is still flying X-Wings. Dave Filoni still looks like an OT X-Wing pilot. The status quo isn't shifting in a dramatic way. And I truly think this is what's slowly making people lose interest in this franchise.

We need a new box. Just create different ideas that's not JUST related to the OT. That's all I want.

The problem with Star Wars is that it’s a big universe, but it’s core story has been about a small group of people. And it’s hard to separate the two.
 
The problem with Star Wars is that it’s a big universe, but it’s core story has been about a small group of people. And it’s hard to separate the two.

As long as the characters are great and the stories are great, and you're invested in everything going on, there's no limit to where you can take this large universe. This franchise now has just been wheel spinning. They lost out on a lot of potential. We could have seen the New Republic, Han and Leia in different places in life, we could have seen Luke train Kylo Ren with his fall to the dark side and the Knights of Ren being villains as this new dark side cult, throw in some Imperial remnants as insurgents for good measure trying to hold onto what they'll never get back. Basically, all that backstory from TFA was more interesting than the movie. And you could still have Rey be your protagonist.

The Legend EU gets flat out stupid and insane, but in hindsight I can appreciate some of that stuff because they did some different stuff. At least the Yuuzhan Vong were different. Joruus C'baoth. A psychotic cloned dark Jedi? That's awesome!

These movies are just very conservative.
 
Last edited:
As long as the characters are great and the stories are great, and you're invested in everything going on, there's no limit to where you can take this large universe. This franchise now has just been wheel spinning. They lost out on a lot of potential. We could have seen the New Republic, Han and Leia in different places in life, we could have seen Luke train Kylo Ren with his fall to the dark side and the Knights of Ren being villains as this new dark side cult. Basically, all that backstory from TFA was more interesting than the movie. And you could still have Rey be your protagonist.

The Legend EU gets flat out stupid and insane, but in hindsight I can appreciate some of that stuff because they did some different stuff. At least the Yuuzhan Vong were different. Joruus C'baoth. A psychotic cloned dark Jedi? That's awesome!

These movies are just very conservative.

I once thought along your lines, but it became clear to me anyway after TLJ that Star Wars can never truly be separated from the events of the OT. And maybe that's ok. You might be able to create any number of stories within that world, but having stories that people care about is where the issue lies. It's a big universe, but the drama is very much a family soap opera. Which is why I contend the overarching plot to this ST should have been about Rey, the junkyard orphan, becoming a member of that family. Essentially becoming Luke's adopted daughter, becoming a Skywalker through a father/daughter like relationship. That plot has heart to it. Something that is sorely missing from the ST.
 
I enjoy The Mandalorian a LOT, but to me...so far, it's not something that really hits on that deep emotional level like the saga does at its best. It's a badass western/samurai riff in space. Which is awesome and I love that. But a big part of the hook for me is, "Wow, so cool that this is taking place in that same universe as that other epic story I love." While it's a story that could still work if it were just some other space fantasy, the fact that it's in the Star Wars universe just makes it that much more fun. It's just a fun galaxy to spend time in. Lightsabers or not.

I mean, I want to see Star Wars grow and do new and interesting things. I hope the next films they do are something nobody sees coming. But on some level, I think the core tenets of the franchise will remain adventure and a sense of wonder. For me, the saga is still the bread and butter for good reason. It's that hero's journey thing. Those big transitional moments in life. That sense of yearning for adventure, camaraderie and purpose. All wrapped up in a fairy tale/myth cocktail of good vs. evil. It's just genius on so many levels and the fact that it's turned into this multi-generational thing makes it something incredibly unique in the history of cinema and pop culture.

Whatever we up thinking of this film, one saga being told cinematically over the course of 42 years is a pretty unique and crazy thing. I doubt it can be replicated. If, in a few years they started a brand new Star Wars saga and didn't have a single familiar ship, planet, or character in it, and it was an incredible film with instantly memorable characters...even THEN, what are the odds that it then spawns a single story that lasts for another 40 years? It'd be like the cinematic equivalent of a modern day comic book writer trying to come up with brand new character that's as iconic as Superman or Batman. Good luck.

What I'd honestly love to see are just new original ideas that are worthy of their own franchises. To me the lack of THAT is what's more alarming than whether Star Wars is innovating enough. But in the meantime, I'm pretty in awe of everything Star Wars has accomplished.
 
Holy cow, there's an influx of reactions and it's getting worse.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top
monitoring_string = "afb8e5d7348ab9e99f73cba908f10802"