[709]

Originally Posted by pscates2.0 Star Wars, under Disney, will never break away from its past. Everything they're announcing is still tied to that original saga in some way. I know there were two upcoming projects announced Monday...and those will be too, just watch. Uncle Owen's misspent youth, that dancing chick at Jabba's palace and her girlfriend, etc. Disney doesn't have the balls/conviction to do something truly new/different. They've had nearly eight years...they would've done it by now. Or at least announced it.

[Dr. Bobsky]

Firefly did it better.

[psmith2.0]

Seems they’re going all-out on the genre/geek casting on this second season. In addition to Rosario Dawson, the Morrison guy and Michael Biehn(!), I see where Katee Sackhoff - and now Timothy Olyphant - are also part of the cast.

So you've got Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, Tarantino/Rodriguez and Alien/Tombstone, and now Justified and Deadwood, actors/connections.

Folks like Harry Knowles will be pulling it all weekend, I guess.

I can only assume Finn Wolfhard will be added/announced any minute now (already part of three big genre projects, why wouldn’t the next big step be Star Wars, right?).

And $10 says that girl who played Selina/Catwoman in Gotham winds up in the mix before its all over.

They’re really aiming for that Comic-Con/neckbeard geek-out, huh? And if they can figure out a way to shoehorn Harrison Ford in there - Solo Prime? - they certainly will. Hey, don’t scoff...he somehow managed to show up in Episode IX, FFS.

Because, remember...it doesn’t have to make any sense.

[kscherer]

Well, the first season was awesome. If the next season is as good, then I don't care who they cast.

[psmith2.0]

That's kinda my point. If they don't hang a right onto Stupid Shit Boulevard, then there should be no problem. All the above who've signed on are solid, enjoyable actors (or at least have background/cred in this type of fare). I got zero problem with Ms. Dawson, Biehn (great in Aliens and the best part of Tombstone, IMO...yes, better than Val Kilmer) and Olyphant (I really liked Justified).

But it's never too late for some CGI Carrie...remember who we're dealing with, after all.

[turtle]

Season 2 to be released October 30th!. I'm ready.

[kscherer]

Yes! Here's to hoping they found a way to keep it Star Wars!

[Kickaha]

Originally Posted by turtle Season 2 to be released October 30th!. I'm ready.

Well, that's my Halloween planned...

[turtle]

Trailer #1 dropped. Man, that sure does entice me more.

[kscherer]

[709]

Man those new folding-wing TIE fighters look so badass. I flipped shit when the Big Bad landed in his last season.

[kscherer]

That trailer has me salivating. Unfortunately, my trailer-sharing-kid is in the middle of teaching a bunch of 1st-graders and can't share in my enthusiasm.

Until later.

Then we will hold hands and jump around with joy!

[turtle]

Season 2's episodes will air as follows:

Episode 1: Friday 30th October
Episode 2: Friday 6th November
Episode 3: Friday 13th November
Episode 4: Friday 20th November
Episode 5: Friday 27th November
Episode 6: Friday 4th December
Episode 7: Friday 11th December
Episode 8: Friday, 18th December

At least per an article I read. I'm sure I know what my schedule will be around that time.

[turtle]

In case you haven't seen it yet... a teaser for the new season.

It looks like it will be a fun season just from that teaser.

[kscherer]

Yeah, the kid and I are getting all nerded out!

[turtle]

The first episode was great! Those ears! Armor...

I'm glad I got off work early today so my son and I could watch it. So cool, worth the time.

[kscherer]

Gonna catch it tomorrow night.

[psmith2.0]

Why aren't you guys talking about this? Is this not, literally, the second coming amongst the SW crowd? I figured this thread would've exploded over the weekend and about 12-15 pages added in just 2-3 days.

Interesting. And a bit telling.

While I don't really give a shit about it all anymore, big picture, if I read that final scene correctly the other night, isn't that something kinda cool/big news? Has such a thing not fueled countless neckbeard nocturnal emissions for three-plus decades?



All the YouTube reactions are as expected, but you can't go by that because there's been an whole industry created in recent years of people losing their pop culture shit on camera (for likes/subscribes, etc.). It's so ginned-up and tiresome at this point, seeing "adults" cry/spaz out over superheroes and sci-fi properties. But do the reasonable, grounded and life-having folks here have nothing to say about it?



Personally, I think it's a one-and-done tease. Or, at the very least, a return in the final episode, where something may - or may not - actually happen. I think Disney is going to drag this one out, knowing that the lure is set and why pay it off too early/soon if they can draw people in over the next however many episodes it takes to reach the season finale. Those YouTube "reaction factories" droolingly gearing up for a continuation in episode 2 are probably gonna be crying/cursing, deep in nerd rage (and there's nothing funnier on the planet, BTW), Friday night. And the next several.

I think we don't see that character again - assuming he is who we think it is - until the final 1-2 episodes. At which point, he sacrifices himself to save the child and his Mandalorian caretaker, giving the character a true, fitting end that he was denied in 1983. I can imagine a scene where the armor goes back on, he tells Mando to "go now, while you can..." and then he singlehandedly takes on a shitload of stormtroopers and whatever else, going out like the hard-ass he was painted to be in all the non-movie materials over the years. The final scene being a slow pullback on the character, shot up and smoking with the headgear damaged or removed in such a way that we see the actors "at peace" face/eyes...and as the camera continues to pull back, we see dozens and dozens of dead stormtroopers and other assorted riff-raff all lying about as well, dead as a hammer. The child and Mando live, as a result. At that point, everyone can then quit saying "he went out like a punk, totally by accident". The way above, he gets to go out in a heroic blaze of glory, fighting to the end, doing the right thing and forever cementing the character into SW lore. Because, let's face it...all he really did in those two movies was stand around and look cool, say a couple of lines and pop off a couple of (missed) shots. The movies really did him no favors whatsoever, so maybe Favreau & Co. are looking to address/rectify that, 37 years later? Because I don't think they're going to leave his fate/whereabouts vague and unknown for another three-plus decades. Much better to give him a proper, definitive end than to just yank people around some more. IMO. Plus, would that not dovetail perfectly into Disney/Lucasfilm's apparent goal to bring back beloved, iconic characters after 30+ years, just so they can kill them? I believe this is a no-brainer, folks. Dead man walking, this one... For the record, I do not think they're going to base a new show around him...this isn't going to be some setup to a new series or whatever. That ship has sailed, IMO...they would've done so already. That surrogate/stand-in for him is this show/character. They're not going to produce two separate shows with similarly-outfitted characters, engaging in similar adventures/behavior. That's just too much silly, needless overlap when they could explore other interesting, novel tales and characters (Obi-Wan, Greedo's nephew or even someone new/unknown to us). It's a big universe, after all. You wouldn't know it, from all we've seen over the years. But, at some point, they might actually decide to break away from Tatooine and Jedi/Skywalker/OT trappings. I doubt it, but you never know. Just a thought.

[kscherer]

I enjoyed it, but then I've enjoyed the entire series so far. I'm not sure how I felt about Mando getting lured into a second "kill the creature for save Baby Yoda" thing, but it was still fun. And the Sand People were extremely well done.

As far as that final scene, well …

Now, where that sumbitch been hiding all these years?

Will Disney string that along? Maybe. Although I think there is more fan-drooling excitement for Ahsoka Tano than Armor Boy! Well, at least in my house there is! (And, yes, her presence is confirmed, and boy I hope they *ahem* do her right!)

By the way, how did that armor get out of the sarlac? Did Boba fight his way out, or get pooped out? And who the hell else was hanging out in there, serving out their thousand-year sentence in the belly of the beast?

And do you live the entire thousand years, or die from asphyxiation in, like, 3 minutes and it's not really that bad after all?

And good thoughts, Paul.

[psmith2.0]

I think this episode went out of its way to deliberately give us some clear-cut insight into how that character escaped. Think about it...we saw everything that armor/weaponry is capable of in one episode (assuming both outfits were similarly equipped). He went into that pit, armored, fully-armed/outfitted (blaster, blades, wrist flame thrower, rocket launcher, jetpack). He's going to stand a better shot at fighting/escaping than some hapless Jawa or one of Jabba's goon squad guards who went in mostly empty-handed (and probably not the level of Bad-Ass™ this character supposedly is).

When we saw Mando flying out of that Krayt dragon's mouth the other night (with the electrical stuff all going on), I think that was the show saying "this is what happened 30+ years ago, in a similar situation...this character used his considerable skills and weaponry to fight his way out, after Luke and the gang departed" (time-wise, there wasn't much of a gap between him going into the pit and the barge exploding/our heroes flying away (mere minutes?). Assuming everyone else on the barge was killed (or at least unconscious/incapacitated), there would be no one around to see this lone figure fly, or crawl, out of the pit. Plus, that exploding barge (and all the debris) surely did some damage to that creature in the sand, weakening it (if not outright killing it)?

So if you take all that together - he wasn't in there long, he is the character Most Likely To Survive such an ordeal, the exploding barge likely did some damage to the creature and nobody was around to see what happened afterwards - all points to an escape soon after everything went sideways.

He maybe used all this to his advantage...very easy to take off the armor and go into hiding/new life when everyone thinks you're dead and nobody's around to say otherwise? Perhaps it was the shame of his defeat - or facing that ugliness - that caused him to change his ways and give up his armor and life and adopt a peaceful, Obi-Wan hermit-like existence of just hanging out and erasing his past/reputation? I think that's a far more interesting avenue to pursue (why the armor was in the Jawa sandcrawler) vs. him being found, half-dead, and stripped of it. I think he made a conscious decision, once he came out of that pit, to walk a new path.

"If I can be defeated by a blind man with a stick, maybe this ain't the life for me anymore...".



I'm being silly here, but I'm also kinda serious. The weapons he had point to him probably reaching some sort of truce with the sand people that he has some of their gear? A hardened bounty hunter/gunslinger isn't going to hang around desert wasteland for 30+ years unless he's had a true genuine change of heart. He would've gotten out of that pit, made it back to Jabba's castle, got in Slave I and took off for revenge (again Han, Luke, the Jedi, Rebels, etc.). That he didn't says something about his state of mind/outlook. And even if he didn't pursue revenge against our heroes, and decided to stick around Tatooine for three-plus decades, he surely could've taken his armor back from that glib, goofball marshal at any time. He's not going to just sit around and willingly let someone else wear his armor unless he's done with that existence/persona? If he's been out there that long, 30+ years, surely he's aware of this marshal, that town, etc.? He could've reclaimed his armor at any time.

Which, to me, leads to a story...of why he hasn't. And an even better one of how/why he might put it back on (see my idea in previous post). But seeing Mando come on the scene has surely aroused his curiosity/interest...seeing someone riding away in that armor, carrying his armor, is going to make him start thinking about stuff.

"Who is this guy? What's that little green thing riding with him? Why did that marshal willingly give that guy my armor? WTF is going on?!? Maybe it's time I get back in the game, or at least start asking some questions...".



In much the way we got the Marshal's backstory the other night, if/when this character pans out, I assume we'll hear it straight from him, via flashbacks, as to what happened. If this is all new canon, I guess they can make whatever they wanted to happen, happen.

I still think he doesn't make it out of this season alive. They need to show this character living up to the legend and hype, though. So I do expect some sort of massive, satisfying scene of "okay, now I get it..." ass-whippery doled out by this character before it's all over.

Or, if Disney opts for this to be a lone, one-and-done cameo at the end of one episode...then that's what it'll be.

But I bet they won't. They'll drag it out, sure. But it has to pay off, somehow. They know this. Favreau knows this.

[psmith2.0]

I suppose there’s a chance he hasn’t been on Tatooine all this time. Maybe he’s got a ship (his old one or something new). But, again, whether he’s mobile or not, he’s had 30+ years to re-acquire his armor and re-establish himself.

So why hasn’t he? There’s definitely a story there.

Maybe, post-Empire, he found it easier to go by another name/occupation and he returns to Tatooine on occasion to check things out? Maybe someone in that town is in touch with him and contacted him when they saw Mando ride into town?

“Hey, there’s a dude here - he just showed up - and he’s dressed the way you used to. The way our marshal does now. Same kind of helmet and all. You might wanna come check it out? Maybe you know him?”

Still doesn’t erase the fact that he’s carrying sand people gear/weaponry, which makes me believe he’s stayed there - the planet of his defeat/shame - for 30+ years.

Peaceful, past-renouncing hermit? Or one self-loathing head-case? A bit of both?

[kscherer]

Originally Posted by pscates2.0 In much the way we got the Marshal's backstory the other night, if/when this character pans out, I assume we'll hear it straight from him, via flashbacks, as to what happened. If this is all new canon, I guess they can make whatever they wanted to happen, happen. I still think he doesn't make it out of this season alive. They need to show this character living up to the legend and hype, though. So I do expect some sort of massive, satisfying scene of "okay, now I get it..." ass-whippery doled out by this character against various foes.

These are the two bits that really stand out to me. Yes, I suspect there will be some back-story, and my suspicion is that they get to it sooner rather than later, so Mando can have half a season of companionship with the Mandalorian, they can build a rapport, fight a few battles together, make fun of The Kid™, drink some blue stuff, etc.

And then, they can make Boba into Vader from that last scene in Rogue One—the bad-ass we've all been reading about and wanting to see in action!

And, seriously, I hope they use that scene as inspiration.

[psmith2.0]

They’ve got the opportunity to do just that.

I just don’t think he’s going to loom large, or accompany the Mando throughout. Too much competition and detracts from the show’s main character.

Would be like some hiister indie band out of Austin hiring Paul McCartney to be their new bass player.

“Dude is all old and shit, but he’s, like, got some chops. I think he used to, like, play in some band called, like, Wings or something? Anyway, he said he had his own gear and would work for cheap...”.

Nobody cares, Brandon.

Whether Mando and child make it back to tatooine or you-know-who shows up elsewhere to have their back in heroic fashion, who knows.

But I do think he will factor heavily in one episode and be used to the absolute fullest in a satisfying way (fighting, guns blazing, etc.). But I think that’s their hold back. That’ll be their season finale “holy crap!” plot/sequence.

And if they really wanted to break YouTube, the lovely Ms. Dawson factors in and it’s the two of them teaming up to fight off a battalion of stormtroopers. Two of the most popular characters in SW lore, fighting side-by-side with their weapon of choice, against impossible odds, to save an innocent child?

Imagine that visual.

That would ignite/unite fandom in a way episodes 7-9 never could/did. A 40-minute TV show could do what three sprawling pieces-of-shit couldn’t over four years.

Fan service, in and of itself, isn't automatically bad or a negative. But it has to be well-written, have some underlying reason/meaning and not come across as cheap/pandering.

[kscherer]

One thing is for sure: They cannot escape this without some mention of that sarlac. There absolutely has to be some explanation, some reminiscing, some fan-service thing loaded with nostalgia, all while bringing the old bastard into the now. Boba needs to be a cranky old SOB dealing with the situation as he always has: flying by the seat of his pants and ready for all the old tricks.

And Ahsoka gonna be the new hotness!

[psmith2.0]

At first I thought that black-robed woman in the trailers was Dawson/Ahsoka (kinda looked like her), but I see recently where it's not. She didn't have the facial markings, which should've been my first clue.

Yeah, while I'm not super familiar with that character (I never really watched/followed the animated stuff), I'm familiar and fully aware of what Rosario Dawson does to me, so...

She's so pretty, it hurts.

I'm sure they'll spend a few minutes explaining all that sarlacc business...either just spoken, or accompanied by some cool visuals/flashback. I think it would be cool if we saw him flying out, soon after the barge exploded, and you see the dust trail of that escaping skiff(?) with our heroes on it, way off in the distance. To give you an idea of "oh wow, he wasn't in there long at all, as it turns out...".

But maybe it works better if he was in there for a while...long enough to get scared, re-examine his life/choices, etc.?

I don't know. It would be cool to see that barge explode, but from another angle/point of view? From down below, inside the pit, the sound/light of it all, the debris cascading down and injuring the creature, etc., helping to explain how he made it out?

Stuff like this that gives a new perspective/take on existing scenes, I kinda like. As when the Marshal saw that holograph of the Death Star exploding...was that broadcast out on Space CNN the day it happened? Were there news ships stationed around Yavin, filming the battle and broadcasting what was going on? I thought that was a neat touch, but then it made me chuckle and start to think... "wait a minute...how was that captured/broadcast?!"

I thought a ground shot, looking up into the atmosphere, would've been cool (and made a little more sense)...seeing the rings go out as viewed from Yavin's surface (one of those guys in the tower with his iPhone).

PS - According to IMDb, there are eight episodes with the final airing on December 18. Would be nice if there were no filler ones...all TV shows are guilty of this, due to various reasons. But, with only eight episodes in a run, it would be great if this was just wall-to-wall story/progress and no detours or "nothing really happened on this one, maybe next week picks back up...". I hate feeling that, on the handful of TV shows I've tried to follow over the past 5-8 years (I mostly just bail, halfway into a season...Agents of Shield, those dipshits on motorcycles, etc. I managed to (mostly) stick with Justified, which is why I loved seeing that helmet come off and there was Timothy Olyphant acting like...well, space Raylan Givens.

It's kinda why I've backed off TV/shows in general. The last thing I watched/followed was Bates Motel, but it got sillier/more over-the-top/campy as it went on, and I didn't even stick around for the final season (which is probably where everything paid off and led to the movie?). I am following Better Call Saul, but hell...there are such long gaps between its seasons 18+ months, that it's hard to remember/care about all that happened before.

[709]

I'm super busy and haven't watched it yet so I'm staying the hell out of this thread until I do.

[psmith2.0]

Probably best, as I bailed on the spoiler tags 2-3 entries ago.

[kscherer]

Oh, I bailed on them immediately. In fact, I went back and edited a bit to try and soften the blow, and then just realized that it was of no use.

And, I'm renaming this thread.

[turtle]

Yeah, I actually tried not to post much in here because I didn't want to spoil the show for others.

[psmith2.0]

Re: "spoilers", do you know what I do find infuriating? Friday night, and all day Saturday, I saw numerous articles online (Yahoo had gathered several, but a bunch more I found just poking around at various pop culture or hipster/tech/lifestyle sites).

And the idiot "writers" would put the reveal in the headline, and with large photos, many showing the version of the character we saw, but also superimposed with the other that we know from 1980-1983. So if the actual written headline didn't spoil it enough, we get a visual aid (and vice versa)...a double-hit of idiocy. And effectively spoiling it for everyone who came across the site Friday or weekend, well before having a chance to see the episode.

On many websites, headlines/artwork are unavoidable...you see those at the lead-in/gateway to the article itself. So putting a "spoiler alert" in the article, which is what all of them did for the article itself, does no good whatsoever when, before you even get to said article, the headline/artwork has already done the damage. Why did I have to explain this to professional writers (and I did). Because...they are neither.

I have zero problem with spoilers in articles, even minutes after something hits the streets. But you put it in the article, prefaced with a clear, noticeable spoiler alert at the very beginning of said article, giving the reader the choice to proceed or not. You DO NOT take that choice away by putting spoilers in the headlines for something less than 24 hours old. Period. Ever. Not up for debate.

That is a level of inconsiderate dipshittery that I can't even get my head around.

Unbelievable. I saw this all over the place Saturday (and even Friday evening, which is even worse). These "writers" all figured that since they saw it the nano-second it hit the Disney+ servers on Friday, then everyone else on the planet must have too.

So inconsiderate and unprofessional. Oh, I tore some people a new one this weekend...