Does The Force Awakens bare a Marketing safety net?

Well we have seen very little of what I would expect to see in the movie. So that leaves lots of room for new design.

As for the X-wings they were very similar to the PT ships that had smaller "x foils." The troopers of the OT were an evolution of the PT clones. That could be seen as fan service or as evolution of tech depending on your mood.

The idea of twins is kinda legacy of the EU (not that there will actually be twins). Speculation that Rey and Kylo are Solo twins comes from the Jacen and Jaina of the EU not confirmed evidence that Rey and Kylo are twins. So it could be wrong. Though it was part of the beloved EU novels for 25 years I would say that if they go this way it more fans of the EU's problem than JJ's.

 

I'd like to think JJ is bringing the franchise back to a winning formula, is all. Much of what we know is from what JJ has chosen to tease us with.

 

The timing of the last few weeks suggests they are all part of a plan more than random leaks. They are all hitting in lulls in news.

 

I agree @Max Rebo. There definitely is a move to cater to and bring back fans of the OT that were disenfranchised by the PT and I don't think that it is just going to be a reboot of the OT either. The newer aspects are being held back. There have been numerous interviews that all reference wanting to bring back the feel of the OT but also provide something new (the interview with the Assistant Director when he won that award comes to mid) and I think that is what we will see

 

Personally, I don't think the rank and file moviegoer was as disappointed with the PT as much as us SW nerds were. In fact, I'd venture to say that ONLY SW nerds were disappointed with the prequels.

Your average popcorn-flick-dude seemed to give two thumbs up!

I don't think TFA will show as a 'reboot' so much as a long-awaited sequel to the stuffs we really wanted to see all along. Personally, I never cared for 'origin stories' in Star Wars. Vader was bad....he just was. I didn't need to see how he got that way, Kenobi told me enough...............he told me you killed him.......No...I am yo....well, you get it.

That was all the information this homie needed. To go backwards and tell the tale? No thanks man. Go forward and advance this story. So it's 30 years forward now. I'm down with it. Briefly explain where we are and let's do this thing!!

DBH

 

I have the feeling that J J will test some concepts duting post-prod with us guys.

 

One issue that I think effects the PT and will to some extent the ST even if they are tremendous movies is the simple fact that movies have changed. To some extent a large extent they were changed by the OT. The OT was ground breaking. You can't go back to that environment. You can't see the Falcon again for the first time. You can't see a lightsaber again for the first time . .. . perhaps your first time was in a cat fight video.

 

I completely agree that the marketing should be subtle and lot a year long thing. Let the trailer that we've already seen sort of stew until May or so. Then we should see a proper trailer and more announcements over basic story and such.

I had feared, this being Disney and all (and I LOVE Disney), that we'd be swamped in promotion. So far, it's been fairly even keeled and I appreciate them not going full throttle and flooding the carburetor.

Folks have short attention spans these days, but overexposure can hurt just as bad.

DBH

 

I think there is always a formula of elements that will always work in a SW movie the same way a Rocky movie works. What would a SW movie be without a lightsaber fight? What would a Rocky movie be without a training montage?

Where I give Disney credit is that first teaser did NOT show any OT characters, as that would have been an easy sell. To my surprise all of my OT friends are still stoked for the movie knowing Han, Luke & Leia are secondary characters.

So I would say that there are always going to be formulaic elements in every SW movie, but clearly this is a new story arc on a young new Protagonist. I'm anxious to see where they go with it.

 

Secondary? I think that this is going to be full fledged passing of the torch affair. Is Luke going to be Obi-Wan showing up for 2 acts or will he be more of a Yoda figure combined with Obi (remember that Obi-wan dying in ANH before the green light for ESB was lit). It could very much be a situation with the big 3 have a decent amount of import to the story until some of the die off or "must stay here for the negotiations to continue" yada yada.

 

I thought the same way you did until I started to listen to Hamill & Fisher in interviews. Now they could be being coy, but if you read between the lines I wonder how much screentime they really have in TFA? The obvious is they each pass the torch and die off during the ST, but part of me thinks they all survive and don't have the screentime everyone is assuming. Again, its just my assumption based on gut feeling, so this isn't based on any fact or spoiler.

 

Screen time and import to the story may not be only factor in primary or secondary.

I think perhaps it is better said that they will be crucial to the plot.

 

I agree that they will be crucial to the plot of TFA, but I guess I am talking more in a macro sense to them in trilogy. Everyone expects each one to eventually die on screen as I don't see it that way. When Abrams says he wants to give them a proper sendoff, I take it that they all probably survive TFA, and only Luke we may see as guiding figure in Episode 8 & 9.

I guess I'm just lowering my expectations on their screentime because Suited Vader was used in both ROTS trailers, yet we see him for only the last 5 minutes of the movie.

 

No pun intended, but they are force feeding us now every 3 to 4 weeks it seems of late, which would mean we are due something soon, a teaser poster now would make sense as the teaser is hitting cinemas around the world, if nothing more comes of it til April, then i am still good to go..The teaser alone and the fact that it has been the most watched trailer.EVER. just goes to show they are on a goldmine.
Almost nearly everyone is salivating Age Of Ultron, but I seriously think The Force Awakens will blow it away, like everything before it in its path.
It may not be the first time we see the MF flying again, but what about someone new at the controls? What about new jedi and darksiders weilding insane sabre hilts? Or new aliens and creatures never before seen.
Nothing will capture the essence of the OT ever again, bit something amazing can still spinoff from it.
I have immense faith Disney, K
Abrams and Kennedy especially know what they are doing....they have us all salivating the next morsel which may possibly break the net.
When there are OT cast in that new trailer someday down the track, you will see a grown man cry....but for now, all goosebumps and shivers for these new characters and whatever new star wars movies are to come!

 

Please correct me if im wrong. Wasn't there some news awhile back that basically highlighted the two reasons why there is an OT feel to episode VII is that

1. this was always JJ's intention. From reports i read, he didn't seem to feel the first script was going in the right direction as it was basically forgetting all the old characters.

2. JJ brought in Kasdan because ardnt's version was way too expansive for a 2015 release? (a release Kennedy tried to push to 2016).

 

Since this is next in chronology after ROTJ it's quite understandable that we'd see evolved versions of classic, stalwart ships and troopers. There are no twins -- as I posted in another thread Driver is 31 and Ridley is 24. Tatooine has appeared in 4 of the 6 episodes = STAPLE. And we don't really know what the Vader-esque ramifications are yet. But IF I had to pick one element that reflected your theory it would be the use of Vader imagery and artifacts. Otherwise, this movie thus far has been just what JJ and co stated [to paraphrase] "A return to more of an OT feel."