[psmith2.0]

Says so right here..

At Friday's massive Star Wars Celebration panel, Lucasfilm unveiled plans for new Star Wars movies, including one that broke the audience's brains: Daisy Ridley's Rey will return for one of these films. Filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy (Ms. Marvel) will direct Ridley, whose character will come back to the big screen now as a Jedi master in a film set 15 years after the events of 2019's The Rise of Skywalker. It'll be "set in a Jedi academy with a powerful Jedi master," Obaid-Chinoy said on stage, referring to Rey, whose mission will be to rebuild the Jedi Order.

A couple of years ago, in one of the half-dozen SW threads in which I set up camp, I talked about this very thing. Her story just felt abandoned. She was inexplicably perfect/all-capable right out of the gate and it just gave the character nowhere to go, nothing to learn, etc. That’s the fault of Abrams and Kasdan who wrote TFA.

I don’t have a problem with an older, wiser, trained Jedi (Master or otherwise) Rey. I could be a good way to give her character a proper wrap-up and possibly even redeem parts of those three sequel entries.

I assume she’ll have her yellow saber and there will be ample Force ghost action, in the form of Hamill, a deep-fake Fisher and possibly Adam Driver’s redeemed “I’m good now” Kylo Ren walking around all shirtless and giving Rey all the feels, causing her to put to the test of what else can be manipulated by the Force other than rocks, spaceship controls, door locking systems, etc.

“Oh, dear…Master Rey sure seems to spend a lot of time in her space bath tub, Artoo.”

*beepity*boop*bleet*quonk*

“How dare you say such rude things. What do you know about such things?!”

It won’t be the worst thing the franchise/property has ever done. That’s already taken place so, in my mind, it’s all uphill from here. I’m all for it. Let her properly shine, in a way that feels earned/deserved. The movie is to be set 15 years after the events of “Rise of Skywalker”, so I can better buy into her being with 15 years of training/focus, vs. running around pursuing silly daggers, babysitting Finn and chasing after a “bad boy” crush, she probably would be believably skilled and all-powerful. Do it, if you’re gonna…maybe take the opportunity to explain/tie up some of the more “WTF?!?” weirdness/loose ends from those sequel movies. I’m betting they’ll include Chewie (everybody’s friend/helper) and the Falcon (since Rey already knows how to fly it as well has Han ever did), and our two favorite droids. Heaven forbid Anthony Daniels ever has to pursue a job outside this property.

Just cram him into that gold suit every 3-5 years. That’ll keep him happy/quiet.

[turtle]

I'm in for this. I still haven't caught up on Mando but would like to have some of this in the pipeline. By the time I'm up-to-date on Mando these should be out.

My kids and I were talking about Rey and her yellow lightsaber last night. They will be thrilled by this. I think it would be nice to finish her story a little. Of course, I'd also like to just let the Skywalker saga die and focus on other aspects that aren't directly related to that family.

[Brad]

Originally Posted by psmith2.0 I assume she’ll have her yellow saber and there will be ample Force ghost action, in the form of Hamill, a deep-fake Fisher and possibly Adam Driver’s redeemed “I’m good now” Kylo Ren walking around all shirtless and giving Rey all the feels

God I hate how accurate this is.

Originally Posted by psmith2.0 It won’t be the worst thing the franchise/property has ever done. That’s already taken place so, in my mind, it’s all uphill from here.

Don't worry; it can always get worse. I used to think the same thing about the Star Trek franchise. And then it got worse. And then it got much worse.

Originally Posted by psmith2.0 Let her properly shine, in a way that feels earned/deserved. The movie is to be set 15 years after the events of “Rise of Skywalker”, so I can better buy into her being with 15 years of training/focus, vs. running around pursuing silly daggers, babysitting Finn and chasing after a “bad boy” crush, she probably would be believably skilled and all-powerful. Do it, if you’re gonna…maybe take the opportunity to explain/tie up some of the more “WTF?!?” weirdness/loose ends from those sequel movies.

Here's hoping!

Related, a few weeks ago I read an interview with Favreau about The Mandalorian where he said, "it’s not like there’s a [series] finale that we’re building to that I have in mind". Although this was probably supposed to be encouraging, I actually felt disappointed and deflated. The show will go on. Forever. Because Disney is a soulless machine whose hunger knows no bounds. To the contrary, I was very excited to read a while back that the show runners for Andor did have a plan in mind and very specifically wanted only one more season. That tells me the runners of Andor are being very thoughtful and deliberate about what they produce, and that gives me hope for quality content, not endless shovelware. I have to imagine that some of the Disney execs were pissed that they wouldn't squeeze more out of that story line. I guess there's always the chance of Dedra Meero getting her own spinoff before the end.

[psmith2.0]

We all know how Andor ends, the character anyway. There is no open-ended, infinite path they can explore forever. Shows that just meander and have to come up with a reason to exist, with no end/payoff in sight, often feel that way while watching. This season of “The Mandalorian” has been a bit of a joyless slog. It came out of the gate really strong, 3-4 years ago, which caused me to throw in. Had the show kicked off, from the beginning, as this third season has, I never would’ve hopped on board. He’s become a background/supporting player on his own show.

I hate getting tied into shows. Can feel like a chore, having to be resent/invest in weekly, sometimes molasses-slow story-telling. It’s why I never watched Andor, and why I bailed on Stranger Things after two seasons. No guarantee I’ll sit through a fourth run/season of “The Mandalorian” at this point. We’ve taken it for granted that the title refers to Din Djarin, but after this week’s installment, I was like “Is it actually about Bo Katan? Is she the person actually being referred to in the show’s title.” She took front/center pretty much the the entire episode and got the payoff/hero shot. $5 says she’s the next character who gets their own show. I think plenty of people would tune it for that. They kinda already are.

[Brad]

Originally Posted by psmith2.0 This season of “The Mandalorian” has been a bit of a joyless slog. It came out of the gate really strong, 3-4 years ago, which caused me to throw in. Had the show kicked off, from the beginning, as this third season has, I never would’ve hopped on board. He’s become a background/supporting player on his own show.

I'm glad someone else said this because I've been thinking it! This is the first season (ignoring The Book of Boba) for which I've not been waiting with baited breath, eager to watch the episodes as soon as they release. I just got around to watching last week's episode yesterday.

Originally Posted by psmith2.0 I was like “Is it actually about Bo Katan? Is she the person actually being referred to in the show’s title.” She took front/center pretty much the the entire episode and got the payoff/hero shot. $5 says she’s the next character who gets their own show. I think plenty of people would tune it for that. They kinda already are.

Because I didn't watch Clone Wars or whatever, I could not care less about Bo Katan. As portrayed on this show, she has shown little depth, and to me she comes off like a petulant spoiled child whose toys were taken away. Clearly they're trying to change that with whatever journey she's going on now, but as a viewer, I have been given little motivation to invest in this person and their story. Which is a shame because I think Katee Sackhoff is doing well with the material she's given, she looks the part given the handful of images I've seen of Clone Wars online, and I feel like I wish I cared more. shrug

[PB PM]

You just knew Disney would do everything they could to make something good into something meh.

[psmith2.0]

I don't know much about the Clone Wars shows either, or Bo Katan.

and to me she comes off like a petulant spoiled child whose toys were taken away

Yeah, pretty much. I didn't want to say that.

But I tend to go for grim, hyper-serious redheads, so, naturally, I'm kinda drawn to the character a bit...

[Brad]

Originally Posted by psmith2.0 But I tend to go for grim, hyper-serious redheads, so, naturally, I'm kinda drawn to the character a bit...

Have you seen Katee Sackhoff in the 2000s Battlestar Galactica series? She was blonde then, not redhead, but holy hell did she take names and kick some ass. In BSG she played a no-nonsense over-confident fighter pilot with a sharp sense of humor who punched out the ship's XO over a game of space-poker in the pilot episode to establish character dominance. When I saw she took this part, I thought she would be a great addition to our space action adventure! By contrast, though, her part as Bo Katan has felt like a damp kitchen sponge.

[psmith2.0]

I’ve never known/seen her in anything else. This show is my introduction to her.

[factorystairs]

Originally Posted by psmith2.0 I’ve never known/seen her in anything else. This show is my introduction to her.

Same to me. If her appearance is mentioned, I immediately recall this show.

[drewprops]

Originally Posted by factorystairs Same to me. If her appearance is mentioned, I immediately recall this show.

Yeah, but you're just a robot, so it doesn't count.

...

[Frank777]

The timeline for Rey's reintroduction seems off.

Daisy Ridley starred in The Rise of Skywalker in 2019. This new film will presumably debut within the next five years, and be set 15 years ahead of TROS.
I'm sure she can be 'aged up' with costuming and makeup. But the whole reason you cast a young actor in a role like this is to use her youth to your advantage.

In spite of how the sequel trilogy bombed, I think this idea - Rey forming a new Jedi council - will work well, as it's what the fans wanted and should have been the sequel trilogy idea anyway. There are lots of candidates for the council around now.

Let's just hope and pray this 'getting the band together' idea is executed better than 2017's Justice League.

[psmith2.0]

If they just learn a big lesson from the sequel trilogy and focus on a solid, coherent story, everything else takes care of itself. Ridley is a decent actress, given decent material, and isn’t hard to look at. And we know it’ll look and sound great. That’s never been an issue with this property/franchise. The writing sure has.

Write a good story and put it all on screen. Don’t make having to read offshoot novels or play video games the way to hear/know the full plot. Not everyone at the multiplex is a huge, lifelong SW fan/historian, so don’t leave breadcrumbs for casual fans to follow/hunt down. People don’t want that. If it’s to be one standalone movie, then do that. Where anyone walks out into the sunlight afterwards, knowing exactly what they just watched, what the hell happened (and why), without having to immediately swing by Barnes & Noble or GameStop on the way home to try and “understand” or piece it all together. That’s cheating. There can be offshoot/extra tie-ins, sure. But the movie needs to be fully self-contained and tell the full story. None of this endlessly-teased “Knights of Ren”-level nonsense. And no out-of-nowhere stuff/concepts like wayfinders, daggers and dyads just randomly plopped into a movie that’s never hinged/traded on such things. Again, I don’t give a shit that it’s “explained” in some novel. “Explain” it properly in the movie. Don’t repeat all the goofy, backwards things those three 2015-2019 movies did. Strive to write something as understandable and enjoyable as the 1977 and 1980 outings. That should be their goal with any new feature film project. Look to the OT for guidance/inspiration re: flow, pacing, storytelling, etc., not 2017. And, for crying out loud, keep modern, Earthbound politics/culture and statement-making to a minimal, dull roar. And don’t let J.J. anywhere near it. Everyone’s all “mystery box’d” out, I believe.

[drewprops]

I would advance the proposition that WE are not exactly the best people to judge what's onscreen, as I'm appreciating how my mom is able to watch Mandalorian without knowing much about any of the backstories. She represents a lot of viewers. If she were younger and more motivated it might lead her down research rabbit holes to find out more, but she's satisfied to watch from week to week. That helps ground any complaints I might have about references, and contains my complaints to weak storytelling. As it is impossible for those of us who know about backstory elements to purge them from our memories, we'll just have to manage somehow.

Go outside! Read a book, people!!!




...

[psmith2.0]

No, but we saw how good is was, and can be. The Mandalorian has indeed done a nice job of making this stuff accessible. A friend of mine, who has zero interest in Star Wars, at any level, watches, and enjoys, The Mandalorian BECAUSE, she says, she doesn't have to know 40+ years of lore/backstory. I can appreciate that because, as a fan of only the movies (the OT specifically, over all others) I know I'm missing things.. I'm sure she's missing some of the little nods and callbacks, but as someone who didn't watch The Clone Wars or Rebels, I am as well. And I haven't died yet, so...

There is objective absolutes, still. I know everyone prides themselves on being able to see/understand/appreciate 800 million "shades of grey", but shitty story/writing is shitty story/writing. Yes, it matters. Because it's all that's left after the stunt-casting, cameos, fan-service, callbacks and eyegasmic CGI. Star Wars, theatrically anyway, was always a simple, relatable story. When they veer/deviate from that, it tends to go sideways. I don't want it to go sideways. Again. I like where it is now, where it truly seems like those in charge of making it actually grew up watching/loving this stuff. "The big goofy, pudgy guy from Swingers? Him?!" I never would've called it either.

I just hate seeing this property treated like some toss-off YA novel, that's all. And with the same bunch still in the mix, I hope that more creative control (after all this TV success) is extended to the Favreaus and Filonis (and others like them) at Lucasfilm, and less Ms. Kennedy and J.J. Flannel (the one-man George Lucas tribute band). The people who made those movies so bad, I don't want them getting their paws on new stuff, that's all. That's a reasonable wish for someone who grew up loving this stuff, and has seen, once again, how good it can be in the hands of the right people. Has nothing to do with references or fan service. I still don't understand the full, overall plot/point of the sequels. I know a little bit I've pieced together. It's just goofy. Somebody (several somebodies) put effort into coming up with something so silly, incomprehensible and joyless, when the roadmap was already offered by the one guy whose ideas/vision should've been part of/included with that $4B purchase. They told George, of all people, to take a hike/bug off with his ideas. Mistake #1. All else sprang from there, and never had to.

We give Lucas grief over the prequels, but the overall "vision" or what happens next, and who's involved, lies with him. Like Hamill, it's crystal clear Lucas wasn't pleased with how things were handled, decisions made. A shame. But it's hard to cry for someone with billions of dollars at his disposal. Go buy a puppy or something, George. You turned your life's work over to Steamboat Willie. What did you think might happen once you no longer ran things and called the "big picture" shots?

I'm not passionate about/"into" much these days ("news", politics, TV, sports, entertainment in general, etc.), so give me this one damn outlet/podium.