Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (USE SPOILER TAGS!)

[EvaDK]

Speaking of hyperdrive - does anyone have any idea how the crew aboard Padme's ship, arrived at Tatooine shortly (1 day... 2 days?) after escaping Naboo in TPM, considering the ships hyperdrive had been disabled?

The 2 planets are located in 2 different star systems.

[stvn1974]

Originally Posted by EvaDK

Speaking of hyperdrive - does anyone have any idea how the crew aboard Padme's ship, arrived at Tatooine shortly (1 day... 2 days?) after escaping Naboo in TPM, considering the ships hyperdrive had been disabled?

The 2 planets are located in 2 different star systems.

They used the same device that Batman uses to show up all over Gotham just in the nick of time in the Nolan films.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by EvaDK

Speaking of hyperdrive - does anyone have any idea how the crew aboard Padme's ship, arrived at Tatooine shortly (1 day... 2 days?) after escaping Naboo in TPM, considering the ships hyperdrive had been disabled?

The 2 planets are located in 2 different star systems.

It's not disabled, it's damaged. They still go into hyperspace once the Trade Federation blockade is cleared, then Ric Olie (the pilot) says: "The hyperdrive is leaking, we don't have enough power to get us to Coruscant", the inference *clearly* being that it's got enough juice to get them so far. So Obi-Wan scouts out the nearest systems that they can reach, looking for a planet that's "out of the way" in particular, and picks Tatooine.

As with many of the immediate complaints about the Phantom Menace's story (RLM, I'm looking at you!) they can often be explained by actually paying attention to what's going on.

[JJLong]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

As with many of the immediate complaints about the Phantom Menace's story (RLM, I'm looking at you!) they can often be explained by actually paying attention to what's going on.

That's often the answer to many different complaints on the internet people have about movies, especially regarding the dreaded "plot holes" people often complain about.

If people would stop talking or texting during a movie and pay attention, they wouldn't miss these things.

[EvaDK]

Aha... haven't seen TPM for years, so i'll take you word for it.

Good thing then that Obi-Wan is able to instantly know how far the damaged hyperdrive can take them, without the pilot actually investigating how much power they have, how far they can go with it - and inform Obi-Wan before he selects Tatooine as their destination.

[aiman04]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

That was when Lucas was in charge though. With JJ at the helm, and him wanting to stick so closely to certain things which made the original such a success, I find it hard to believe that he'd ignore the one thing that the prequels missed so very, very badly: a proper villain, one that's actively propelling the story and engaging with the good guys.

Yes, the prequels had Palpatine but he was literally a Phantom Menace right until the very end of the trilogy, and his various apprentices were mere cyphers that foretold Anakin's ultimate fate (Dooku is the fallen Jedi, Grievous is the cyborg, Maul gets sliced up by Obi-Wan) so they mean very little to the overarching plot and are a big factor re: the disjointed feel of the PT from movie to movie. As with so much of what Lucas did in the PT, it's rich with themes and symbolism but it doesn't add up to an enthralling movie experience.

I don't care if Vader's toes get trodden on, Ep VII needs a stronger villain (or villains) than, say, the bloody Trade Federation, and they also need to be carried through this next trilogy, not killed off after one movie.

And y'know what'd be the icing on the cake? Seeing the streaking starfield hyperdrive effect again. Lucas didn't put it in the PT because he wanted to leave something for the OT, which is a noble concept but - as with the lack of a proper villain or a Han Solo type rogue - by removing such a key visual touchstone he further disassociated the movie from the original Star Wars. Heck, maybe that was the whole point...

It could work because we probably will have presence of Vader throughout the new trilogy (that burned helmet for instance), we'll see. Abrams has easier task by inheriting the characters and settings from the original trilogy and learning from the mistakes of the prequels, in contrast to Lucas starting backwards from scratch.

[aiman04]

Originally Posted by EvaDK

Aha... haven't seen TPM for years, so i'll take you word for it.

Good thing then that Obi-Wan is able to instantly know how far the damaged hyperdrive can take them, without the pilot actually investigating how much power they have, how far they can go with it - and inform Obi-Wan before he selects Tatooine as their destination.

Umm, I think he has some kind of a gift, you know being a Jedi and all.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by EvaDK

Aha... haven't seen TPM for years, so i'll take you word for it.

Good thing then that Obi-Wan is able to instantly know how far the damaged hyperdrive can take them, without the pilot actually investigating how much power they have, how far they can go with it - and inform Obi-Wan before he selects Tatooine as their destination.

Come on dude, that's taking it beyond nit-picking. How much more forensic does it have to be with regards to working out how far they can get? People readily accepted all the instant space-hopping and compression of time in Empire, which I guess just goes to show that folks are willing to forgive a lot in a movie just as long as it's telling a compelling story and/or moving the story along fast enough so that you don't notice.

[EvaDK]

Originally Posted by aiman04

Umm, I think he has some kind of a gift, you know being a Jedi and all.

Yeah sure.... Obi-Wan can read the pilots mind instantly and react to it, but neither he or Qui-Gon detects that the maiden that travels with them into the town is actually the Queen in disguise...

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by aiman04

It could work because we probably will have presence of Vader throughout the new trilogy (that burned helmet for instance), we'll see. Abrams has easier task by inheriting the characters and settings from the original trilogy and learning from the mistakes of the prequels, in contrast to Lucas starting backwards from scratch.

True, true. He's got the shadow of Vader hanging over the movie, supposedly spurring on the efforts of Kylo Ren, he's got Han Solo and possibly the Poe Dameron character to provide the snarky bits etc. Instead of being deathly afraid of just trotting out the same basic characters again as Lucas was on the prequels (stung by criticism of Willow's Madmartigan as basically being Han Solo), it's something that JJ has actively embraced because that's the whole point, to continue the story of those characters and their legacies.

I think Lucas had it the wrong way around. He should've made the sequel trilogy first, thereby storing up a lot more goodwill with the fans, and then done the prequels, making sure to tell people that they were more story-oriented and more experimental in order to soften the blow.

[aiman04]

Originally Posted by EvaDK

Yeah sure.... Obi-Wan can read the pilots mind instantly and react to it, but neither he or Qui-Gon detects that the maiden that travels with them into the town is actually the Queen in disguise...

You're not paying attention again. Qui-Gon knows, Obi-Wan didn't spend much time with her.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by EvaDK

Yeah sure.... Obi-Wan can read the pilots mind instantly and react to it, but neither he or Qui-Gon detects that the maiden that travels with them into the town is actually the Queen in disguise...

Once again, that stuff's in the film. When Padme reveals herself to Boss Nass, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan exchange a knowing look while Anakin looks utterly bemused. There's also that great little exchange between Qui-Gon and Padme (as handmaiden) when she starts going on about how the Queen won't approve and Qui-Gon says "The Queen doesn't need to know", after which he also shoots her a knowing glance. There's way more subtlety in the film than people will ever give it credit for, forever damned by the cult of RLM.

[EvaDK]

What Lucas got wrong (as a film maker) with the PT films, was staying in his comfort zone, surrounding himself with 'yes people' not really in a position to question or challenge his ideas and writing the stories by himself with no or little input from other creative partners.

That kind of setup rarely ends well, artistically speaking. In essence, Lucas at some point became a better film company CEO at the expense of his talents as a director & storyteller.

[sandman slim]

Originally Posted by Will.

He's funny the same way Alfred is funny in Battle of the Five Armies.

Ah, that would be "not at all". Alfrid pretty much ruined the 3rd Hobbit for me.

[PeterTHX]

Originally Posted by EvaDK

What Lucas got wrong (as a film maker) with the PT films, was staying in his comfort zone, surrounding himself with 'yes people' not really in a position to question or challenge his ideas and writing the stories by himself with no or little input from other creative partners.

Do all you guys follow some hidden FAQ with certain catchphases to repeat ad nauseam?


Already it's been mentioned someone told Lucas they didn't think Jar-Jar was a good idea but Lucas went ahead anyway. It was his movie, his money, his script. In the end he had final say. You can say "no" all you want to your boss, but in the end he'll get what he wants. Refuse and lose your job. It's that simple.

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by PeterTHX

Do all you guys follow some hidden FAQ with certain catchphases to repeat ad nauseam?


Already it's been mentioned someone told Lucas they didn't think Jar-Jar was a good idea but Lucas went ahead anyway. It was his movie, his money, his script. In the end he had final say. You can say "no" all you want to your boss, but in the end he'll get what he wants. Refuse and lose your job. It's that simple.

That's all true in the business world, but it's telling of Lucas' character as an artist. Whether he meant to consciously or not, he let his ego dictate the outcome of his art, rather than listen to creative criticism that could have improved the quality of his work. Now, he suffers for it, as all his fans continue to rant and complain about it.

[Deathbymonkeys]

Originally Posted by EvaDK

Yeah sure.... Obi-Wan can read the pilots mind instantly and react to it, but neither he or Qui-Gon detects that the maiden that travels with them into the town is actually the Queen in disguise...

Qui-gon knew the entire time. Why don't you go back and actually watch the movie?

[Deathbymonkeys]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

That's all true in the business world, but it's telling of Lucas' character as an artist. Whether he meant to consciously or not, he let his ego dictate the outcome of his art, rather than listen to creative criticism that could have improved the quality of his work. Now, he suffers for it, as all his fans continue to rant and complain about it.

God forbid someone who spend 120 million of his own money wants a movie the way he wants it instead of how you want it.

[motorheadache95]

There's a lot of story holes in Phantom Menace, but the hyperdrive problem wasn't one of them-- it was damaged, they needed to fix it so they went to the nearest planet they could that would get them away from prying eyes.

You COULD have had a plot where they don't quite make it and get stranded, but then you'd have a different middle act, plus it wasn't really necessary.

[PeterTHX]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

That's all true in the business world, but it's telling of Lucas' character as an artist. Whether he meant to consciously or not, he let his ego dictate the outcome of his art, rather than listen to creative criticism that could have improved the quality of his work. Now, he suffers for it, as all his fans continue to rant and complain about it.

Ummm hmmm