Why Every Star Wars Film Has the Wrong Title

August 3, 2020 – It’s ironic or nonsensical that the last film in the Star Wars saga – after showing the death of every member of the Skywalker family – is called The Rise of Skywalker. The writers of the Sequel Trilogy kill off the entire bloodline, and a Palpatine (Rey) is the last Jedi standing.

And so it’s a welcome relief to watch the following video, “Why Every Star Wars Film Has the Wrong Title”. The narrator makes some great arguments why the titles ought to be switched around to better capture the essence of each film.

The renamed episodes, and the rationales for their titles, are listed below:

Episode I: The Rise of Skywalker (because we meet Anakin Skywalker)

Episode II: Revenge of the Sith (Palpatine, leader of the Sith, has ordered an army to destroy the Jedi… thus Revenge of the Sith)

Episode III: Attack of the Clones (Order 66 is executed and the clones attack)

Episode IV: Return of the Jedi (Obi-wan teaches Luke that it is time for the Jedi to return)

Episode V: The Force Awakens (because Yoda teaches Luke how to use the Force)

Episode VI: The Last Jedi (both Yoda and Anakin die, which makes Luke … the last Jedi)

Episode VII: The Empire Strikes Back (After the Empire is destroyed, a new empire arises)

Episode VIII: A New Hope (Luke trains Rey and then sacrifices himself to give the Resistance … a new hope)

Episode IX: The Phantom Menace (Palpatine returns from the dead, making him … The Phantom Menace)

 

Weak Rumor: Disney to “Erase” Star Wars Sequel Trilogy?

June 30, 2020 – A rumor has been making the rounds over the last week that Disney is planning to erase Episodes VII, VIII and IX – The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and The Rise of Skywalker – in order to “save” the Star Wars franchise.

The author of the rumor is YouTuber “Doomcock”, whose controversial video can be seen on his Overlord DVD channel:

With over 462,000 views, the hard-to-believe video has grown some legs of its own: Its wild speculation has been picked up and shared by some mainstream media.

Doomcock posits that the three sequel movies, directed by J.J. Abrams and Rian Johnson, “will be removed from canon, isolated in their own alternate timeline and regarded as an Elseworlds-like instalment under the label of Star Wars Legends.”

He further states, without citing sources: “I have received confirmation from two additional sources claiming that this is spot on—that indeed Lucasfilm realizes they have a massive problem on their hands, that the Star Wars franchise is all but dead, and despite Kathleen Kennedy’s hatred of this idea, Lucasfilm is preparing to render the Sequel Trilogy null and void.”

The mechanism to reset the timeline comes courtesy of an episode of the animated Star Wars: Rebels. In Season 4, Episode 13 (“A World between Worlds”, Dec. 2017), Ezra wanders within a void between space and time. He watches through a portal as Ahsoka and Darth Vader duel and, just before her demise, Ezra pulls Ahsoka into the void. Emperor Palpatine projects Force energy through a portal in a failed attempt to slay Ezra and Ahsoka, who both escape through different portals before sealing the accessway to the void.

Doomcock claims that by using the void, Star Wars’ timeline can be reset.

Of course, the “it was all a dream” device has been used many times by different writers in different shows and media. The reset device also opens up a huge can of worms.

Some fans of the sequels are, understandably, upset and ask: Why not delete The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones as well, two less-than-popular movies in the Star Wars saga? And why would Disney have invested billions promoting three movies only to pull the rug out from under them?

And then there is reality: While some detractors of the sequel trilogy would love to see a proper sequel made with a reunion of the Original Trilogy characters (Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford), the passage of time has erased that possibility. Carrie Fisher’s death in December 2016 and the likelihood that Harrison Ford and Mark Hamill have psychologically moved on and would not be interested in engaging in another sequel mean that that door is closed.

While speculation can be fun, Doomcock’s rumor has to be taken with a large dose of salt.

 

Where BB-8 Came From

April 16, 2020 – Because we can use more humor these days:

 

Andrew Jack, Major Ematt in Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, Has Died at Age 76

March 31, 2020 – British actor and dialect coach, Andrew Jack, has died from complications due to COVID-19.

Born in 1944, Andrew Jack had worked on more than 80 films since the 1980’s. For Star Wars fans, he will be remembered as the minor character, Major Caluan Ematt, in The Force Awakens (2015) and The Last Jedi (2017). He also voiced the role of Moloch in Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018).

Behind the scenes, Jack provided dialogue and accent coaching for actors Daisy Ridley and John Boyega in The Force Awakens as well as for supporting actors voicing alien languages.

Before his contribution to the Star Wars sequel trilogy, Andrew Jack created the Middle-earth accents, including Elvish and Black Speech, for the Lord of the Rings trilogy; taught accents for actors portraying Greeks and Trojans for the film Troy (2004); and assisted Robert Downey, Jr., in Chaplin (1992) and Pierce Brosnan in GoldenEye (2005).

In an August 2019 interview with Australia’s 7news, the 76-year-old dialect coach said: “Some actors like to do it phonetically, some do it by imitating, and some will say, ‘you record the whole thing for me.'” Jack added: “If you know how the actor works, it makes such a difference – so you can apply different techniques, and eventually we win.”

Andrew Jack’s last coaching job was for Avengers: End Game (2019), in which he taught received pronunciation (think: BBC English) to actor Chris Hemsworth (Thor).

 

Be Like Kylo Ren

March 25, 2020 – This is Kylo Ren in the age of social distancing:

Colin Trevorrow’s Full Script for Episode IX Has Leaked Online

February 8, 2020 – Before he and his draft script were dismissed by Disney, Colin Trevorrow (along with co-writer Derek Connolly) had completed a full 131-page script dated “12.16.16” for Episode IX.

Multiple media outlets have been discussing the leaked script since January 14th. And now, for the first time, a Twitter account, “BenRedemption”, has made the full script available in PDF form here. But hurry and take a peek at it before Disney/Lucasfilm issue a take-down order.

The script is valuable not just for historical purposes. It also offers insight into how Trevorrow and Connolly proposed carrying the story forward from The Force Awakens (released Dec. 2015) through a still-in-development Episode VIII (The Last Jedi was released Dec. 2017) and to a dramatic conclusion in Episode IX.

But the script’s draft date (16 December 2016) preceded Carrie Fisher’s death by just 11 days. She died December 27th that same year ending any plans to allow her character, Princess Leia Organa, a substantial role in the final episode. And because of “creative differences” and unfortunate timing, the now-43-year-old American film director and screenwriter parted ways with Disney.

Even if you do not care much for the Sequel Trilogy, including the odd Palpatine-Ben-Rey conclusion in The Rise of Skywalker, Colin Trevorrow’s leaked script offers a vision for what might have been. An excerpt below shows Rey has died and appears in an “astral plane”, where she meets the Force Spirits of Yoda, Luke and Obi-Wan:

Page 122 of the Colin Trevorrow Episode IX draft script shows Rey, presumably dead, talking with a triumvirate of Jedi Masters.

The brief consciousness-after-death scene somewhat mirrors Harry Potter’s death in The Deathly Hallows (book released: 2007; movie part 2: 2011), where the boy wizard awakens in a spiritual pearly-white Kings Cross train station and speaks with Albus Dumbledore.

Some ideas in the leaked script were borrowed and modified by J.J. Abrams in The Rise of Skywalker. For example, in the script, Kylo Ren drains the life force from Rey, nearly killing her (p. 117); sensing trouble, Leia calls out to Kylo Ren across the galaxy (“Ben. Come back. Come home. Help us”; p. 118); and Chewie finally receives a Medal of Honor in the Ceremonial Hall (p. 123).

In this recently leaked concept art, Princess Leia is much older. Colin Trevorrow’s draft script shows more time has passed between the events of Episodes VII and IX.

But other treatments were wholly discarded. For example, just before he dies, Ben/Kylo Ren tells Rey her true surname: “Solana. Your name. Rey Solana.” (p. 118); Finn and Rose’s roles have been drastically downsized; and the final scene occurs on a grassy planet called Modesta where Rey Solana returns alive (pp. 127-128). For a peek at the script on Twitter, click here.

Japanese Kabuki Theater Presents a Stylized Star Wars

January 1, 2020 – For an interesting interpretation of Star Wars, you can watch a highly stylized version performed by Kabuki artists. A 47-minute video captures Kabuki dancers performing Kylo Ren’s story arc from The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi.

A dramatic scene in General Snoke’s throne room shows Kylo Ren confront Snoke in classic Kabuki style.

A Japanese Kylo Ren

Kabuki (歌舞伎) is a classical Japanese dance-drama which originated in the early 17th century Japan. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.

Kabuki was originally performed by female dancers, who portrayed both male and female roles. By the mid 1600’s, however, all-male troupes dominated kabuki theater and played both genders’ roles.

TV Spot Released for “The Rise of Skywalker”

November 20, 2019 – A month ago (or Oct. 21st, to be exact), Disney released what it had billed as “the final trailer” for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

But yesterday, Disney published yet another trailer – except this time they are calling it a 30-second “TV spot” – on the YouTube Star Wars channel:

Some new clips are mixed in with previously released footage.

Cue to 00:00:21 and you will catch a glimpse of Rey leap-flying from an open hangar bay onto the nearby entrance ramp of the Millennium Falcon with Finn ready to assist her. Rey’s flying-through-space pose evokes images of General Organa Force-flying her way back to safety in The Last Jedi.

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The last of the nine Skywalker films hits theaters in T-minus-30 days and counting.

Poe Dameron Finally Gets to Fly the Millennium Falcon

November 19, 2019 – Ace badboy pilot Poe Dameron at last gets his chance to fly the Millennium Falcon in The Rise of Skywalker (premiering Dec. 20th). That tidbit of news comes courtesy of Entertainment Weekly, which recently published the following photo:

With Poe Dameron in the pilot’s seat, Chewbacca as co-pilot, and Finn as spectator, we’re not sure what the trio are staring at. (Photo Credit: Jonathan Olley/© 2019 Lucasfilm Ltd. first published via Entertainment Weekly)

Poe joins a very short list of characters we have seen flying the Falcon since its first appearance in the original Star Wars (1977). On screen, we have seen but a handful of privileged pilots command the Falcon:

● Han Solo (of course)
● Chewbacca as co-pilot during Han’s life and then, subsequently, with Rey
● Lando Calrissian
● Rey
● Poe Dameron will be the fifth pilot once The Rise of Skywalker hits theaters

But off screen, did other beings fly “the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy”? Presumably Yes, because after ownership of the Correlian freighter passed from Lando Calrissian to Han Solo (to pay off a gambling debt), the ship was stolen under unexplained circumstances.

In The Force Awakens (2015), we learn that a criminal by the name of Gannis Ducain has filched the Falcon from Solo. Ducain, in turn, is robbed of the ship by the Irving Boys, Toursant Irving and Vanver Irving. The line of thievery eventually leads to the junk boss, Unkarr Plutt, on the planet Jakku, where the Falcon lies idle for years.

Rey commandeers the ship (technically a theft, but she might have a legal defense of necessity) while trying to escape from the First Order in the first film of the sequel trilogy. She is accompanied by her then-new buddies, BB-8 and Finn.

The Falcon looms large in both The Force Awakens (2015) and The Last Jedi (2017) as it ferries Rey and Chewbacca to Ahch-To, where Luke Skywalker hides in self-imposed exile. By the end of Episode VIII, the surviving members of the Resistance board the Millennium Falcon to escape the clutches of the First Order.

Lando rides again in “The Rise of Skywalker” (Image Credit: Lucasfilm Ltd.)

A much older Lando reunites with the Falcon once again in The Rise of Skywalker (cue to 01:40), as revealed in the final trailer below. How and why Poe Dameron takes the wheel will be revealed late next month when the last Skywalker movie hits the big screen.

“Game of Thrones” Creators Leave “Star Wars” Behind

October 29, 2019 – Disney’s revolving door has just spun again as Game of Thrones creators, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, have just exited the Disney/Lucasfilm building and are abandoning plans to write and produce the next trilogy of Star Wars movies.

Commenting on David Benioff and D.B. Weiss’s exit (pictured above), Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy said Disney hopes “to include them in the journey forward when they are able to step away from their busy schedule to focus on Star Wars.”

Curiously, it was just five months ago – or May 14, 2019, to be exact – when Disney CEO Bob Iger reiterated that Benioff and Weiss would be entrusted with producing the next three Star Wars films. Speaking at Disney’s annual Upfront media event in May, Bob Iger said: “We did a deal with David Benioff and D.B Weiss, who are famous for Game of Thrones, and the next movie that we release will be theirs.” The Disney-Benioff-Weiss partnership was first announced in Feb. 2018.

Disney had previously announced that the planned movie release dates were Dec. 2022, Dec. 2024 and Dec. 2026. But now that timetable is up in the air.

Benioff and Weiss released a joint written statement: “There are only so many hours in the day, and we felt we could not do justice to both Star Wars and our Netflix projects. So we are regretfully stepping away.” However, left unsaid is why the two elected to sign a deal with Netflix in August, 2019 – many months after their earlier announced partnership with Disney/Lucasfilm to produce the next Star Wars sequel. The Nextflix contract is reportedly worth $200 million.

Disney’s Revolving Door

Benioff and Weiss are not the first high-publicity producers to leave a Star Wars project.

Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were reportedly fired in the midst of production of Solo: A Star Wars Story and were replaced by director Ron Howard. Thereafter, director Colin Trevorrow was replaced by J.J. Abrams for The Rise of Skywalker.

Rumors Swirling

Just a few weeks ago, Disney had confirmed that Marvel’s chief creative officer, Kevin Feige, is developing a Star Wars movie for Lucasfilm. Rumors are swirling that Feige will be “cleaning house” and bringing in like-minded people to re-orient the Star Wars franchise. He may also be tasked with taking over the next Star Wars trilogy, allegedly set in the far distant post-Skywalker future.

Another rumor is that Bob Iger had vetoed Benioff and Weiss’s proposed story treatment for the next three Star Wars movies, thus their departure.

And yet another rumor is that Rian Johnson, who directed The Last Jedi, may be shown the exit door after The Rise of Skywalker has completed its theater run. For now, Johnson has said he is still committed to future Star Wars projects, including Disney’s past announcement that he would be helming a future trilogy.

All of the above tidbits are just speculation, in the absence of any confirmations from Disney. All eyes are on the revolving door to see who leaves the building next.