IS it Necessary?

Sure, wretched hives of scum and villainy are fun! Exploring the underworld would be nice.
I think the PT will not influence our excitement for other prequel movies as R1 or Solo, in the sense that we were all excited to see the PT, whatever our feelings about the end result. The same way that people dislike the special editions, but we are all excited to see TFA.

I think that in the anthologies we will never be seeing the current timeline, unless it is something completely "off-center". Otherwise you start to get the "but why wasn't *insert favorite character name here* there?" complaints and they would have to be careful to not spoil anything from the main story.

So if they go forward I would like to see much farther in the future, with some of our current characters being the stuff of legends? It could allow for the ships not to look so beat-up, maybe?

 

I certainly understand some of your points in this thread. I would be more skeptical about Rogue One myself if it wasn't for the way it is being pitched. The fact that they are pitching it as a dark war epic is what appeals to me, the Saving Private Ryan of Star Wars so to speak. I think the film will be an interesting new take on how to do a Star Wars film, and it really excites me as to where they could go with Anthology movies. That being said, I think the same pitch would work even if the film wasn't connected to the theft of the Death Star plans.

What concerns me though is the announcement of the next anthology film being a Han Solo film, and the film after that being a rumored Boba Fett film. At this point it does concern me that all of the proposed Anthology films at this point seem to be set in the same narrow space of time. One of my favorite things about the old EU/Legends stories was that they had such a huge canvass to play with in terms of their timeline, over 25,000 years to draw from.

A lot of the very best material from Legends was the material set either in the distant past or the distant future of the films. One of the main reasons these stories were so great was that their distance from the events of the films allowed them to tell much grander stories that didn't have to worry about stepping on plot points from the films. For instance, the story of the Knights of the Old Republic game was able to tell a story on a grand scale with fascinating heroes and villains at the center of it all, characters that were truly larger than life that made decisions that affected the entire galaxy.

If a story like that in KotOR were to be set a few years or decades before the films, fans would have to ask why the legacy of those characters aren't even discussed or mentioned in the films, but putting it thousands of years before the films clears all of that up just fine. After all, there are all sorts of larger than life characters in real history as well, but we don't expect a modern film to have references to historical icons like Alexander the Great or George Washington. If a film were to be set around that same time period though, the absence of any mention of those people would seem quite odd.

In contrast, setting all your stories in the same general time period as the films definitely limits the scale of what you can do with your story. That being said though, I'm still excited for Rogue One based on the concept, and I'm frankly happy to see a film pitting classic Rebel troops versus the might of the classic Galactic Empire. What concerns me more though is the Han Solo film, primarily because I think it is even less necessary than Rogue One. Sure, we learn all we need to know about how the Rebels stole the plans in the crawl for ANH, but it is still just a few lines of text which hint at an exciting battle.

With Han Solo though, we have three films that fleshed out his character, in fact, his introduction in ANH is practically flawless(at least prior to the Special Edition changes). We learn everything we need to learn about Han and nothing more, this contributes to his appeal among fans, we don't need to see a backstory on how Han came to be the way he is at the beginning of ANH. I'll admit, reservations aside, there are some cool possibilities for Han Solo stories, but I see no need to have them set in the past, other than the obvious problem being Harrison Ford's age. The biggest potential problem by far though is finding an actor to play a young Harrison Ford. For starters, the actor needs to look pretty similar to Harrison Ford seeing as how this film can't be that far removed from ANH, unless they want to do a story with a little kid Han Solo, which I seriously doubt. Then, once you've found a similar enough looking actor, you have to make sure they can act the part, and basically imitate Harrison Ford's mannerisms. If this were a reboot it wouldn't be such a concern, but seeing as how it is set in the same continuity as the old films, it will really tie the actor's hands in some respects. I honestly think that further Han Solo adventures should be fleshed out in other forms of media like the books and the rumored Han Solo video game that is in development.

Don't even get me started on why we don't need a Boba Fett centric movie. The only way I see that working is if Boba Fett is kept mysterious throughout the film, and we mainly get to see how other characters react to his presence and actions. Please no more mystique destroying films about everyone's favorite bounty hunter.

Additionally, as far as moving forward is concerned, we have the Sequel Trilogy for that at the moment, but there are still a few decades yet to be explored between trilogies that we may get to see more of at some point in one of the Anthology films. I would rather see them jump backwards a thousand years or more in the SW timeline.

 

I don't share this concern. Our knowledge of the world of the Star Wars Galaxy in the OT is limited to three (!) films. In terms of running / exposure time that's ridiculous compared to the world of Star Trek. Even though Rebels now features this additional running and exposure time, it's not an appropriate substitute for the real thing, IMHO.
There could be plenty of good stories that wait to be told.

Regarding Han Solo, I'd love to learn how he traded his “sense of chivalry” “for a ten-carat chrysopaz and three bottles of good brandy” five years earlier on Commenor, according to the New Hope novelization, page # 121.

 

I agree that there are plenty of great stories waiting to be told in that timeline, my point is simply that those stories have to be told on a smaller scale in most cases to make sense. Take Star Wars Rebels for instance, its a great show that I really love, however by the end of the show, they would have to present a good reason why some of the characters are no longer around, the Jedi characters in particular. It makes sense that Luke would want to meet any other Jedi in the Rebellion, and vice versa. I'm sure they will find a good way to explain this by the end of the show, but it is limiting in some respects. Additionally, you can't have a character that saves the galaxy in that time period either, that's the job of Luke and the other heroes from the OT. That isn't to say that you can't still tell epic tales from that time period, but rather, that they have to be dialed back a bit in some respects. I am totally enjoying all of the material set in the OT era right now, I have spent a good chunk of money on it in fact, but my point concerning the scale of the stories still stands. That's why it can be so liberating to make a significant time jump in storytelling, it really frees up the authors to go wild with story lines told on a grand and epic scale. I'm still looking forward to other stories set in the era of the films, but I also really enjoy stuff set in other eras because of the freedom it gives storytellers.

 

^^ I think I got your point. Yes, there are restrictions in terms of storytelling, but I'd hope that the writers "limited" by certain events accept these restrictions as a challenge to come up with good stories nevertheless. The stage of the OT time period is set, now I'd really love good characters to make use of it and tell another great story.

 

yes, this is our one chance to se ALL the old school stuff, old trooper, old Tie's, old X-Wing's.

Going to be a lot of fun

 

I don't think we need a movie about how the Rebels stole the plans to the Death Star, but I certainly welcome it.

 

My only real complaint about the entire Star Wars universe and experience is the fact that since I saw the first film way back in 1977 and escaped into this new, amazing realm of the imagination, we've only had six theatrical films. Six films over the course of 38 years.

I've read reams of EU books, some great, some lacking. I've played some very cool games, both video and board. I've turned building SW models for others into a business. I have a collection of memorabilia and toys I enjoy very much. I've immersed myself in SW, and I want more. More stories told on the big screen.

The bottom line is, I'm getting old, and want to see more of this universe I love up on the big screen while I still have 2 or 3 marbles rolling around upstairs. For me, new Star Wars films are necessary, and are more than welcome.

 

I totally agree about everything your saying. At the monent, I don't think the film is necessary. As you stated they could have found way a more appealing, compelling & almost 'new' stories to tell around that time period, before or after. I totally understand what stealing those plans mean't & did for the Rebellion that was so crucial in their victory but the empire just went ahead and built another death star anyway. Even though they were more prepared the second time round because of it, it almost makes as though they might have to have a second 'Rogue Two' film to cover up for the second death star Aha. But in my opinion, if they want to tell this story it should be best told in a novel, comic book or something like that instead. Iunno, this is probably the one & only thing ever that is Star Wars related that has not really got me all that excited and im a HUGE Star Wars fanatic. Heck, I even love the prequel trilogy when many did not & I adored everything George Lucas created, yes even Jar Jar Binks. I just don't think they should tell the story in a movie format. Then again, I hope this movie proves me wrong. /fingerscrossed

Also, this screenshot (to me) doesn't look anything like something from Star Wars. It almost looks as dark, old & grimm as a WW2 movie scene more like it. Also, lately I've noticed Its almost as though Disney are now instead 'humanising' Star Wars more than ever & are not writing in any lead alien characters for main parts anymore. I hope that changes fast.

 

It's called spin-off for a reason. It's a different take on Star Wars' universe, so they can expand a little in terms of not only design but also storytelling. I'm sure it will have enough of familiar SW elements and characters for us to get excited about it, but at the same time, it will be a nice departure to the Skywalker's family POV.

As far as the Han Solo movie, the problem here will be the casting. They better not ruin this.

 

I personally can't wait for this movie...its exactly my type of taste! STAR WARS!!! We are finally going to see the hard frontline war. Clone Wars gave a good taste of that.

 

I hope it's really violent, but not like Crank violent, but like Predators vibes goijg on .

 

Is it necessary I drink my own urine??

 

Only if you're in the wilderness or in the desert .

 

I must say I am more excited for this film than the Han Solo spin-off simply because I am beyond convinced that there are a million ways the Han Solo film could be done wrong. It could go right as we all hope BUT it has a lot of check marks to cross off with regards to Han's origin story leading up to where we first saw him in Episode 4. Just the wrong actor for Han alone would scar my Star Wars memory bank whereas this although seemingly unnecessary film to a lot of people has a world of possibility to go absolutely right. Less check marks and plot points to run through. It's going to be a battle film or at least harness a plethora of battles. The ending or resolution to the film is already known to most of the fan base so as long as it leads up to that story point it should be okay. Crew from Black Hawk Down are working on this as we know from the news and we have Gareth Edwards in the directors seat PLUS we have the great John Knoll working at the helm of the writing team. This will be a gritty and visceral translation on screen. I believe we WILL see many aliens in this including the NEVER before seen on screen " Bothan " spies only mentioned in the OT in regards to this story. http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Bothan . Needless to say I agree with everyone's points but personally I think a lot less can go wrong with a spin-off film like this whereas something like a Boba Fett or Han movie have almost more or probably equal weight on them as even a sequel trilogy movie. I feel like the more creative and original the production of a movie can flesh-out the better chance it has at being great. Han Solo and Boba Fett can only be exactly perfect or it crumbles in the wake of scrutiny. Just some personal thoughts from your friendly neighborhood Jawa.

 

Love the idea and CANNOT WAIT!

 

I am going to echo the sentiments of nearly everyone else on this thread by saying while Rogue One is by no means necessary from a story telling aspect it is a welcome addition to the Star Wars canon in my opinion (as long as it's a good movie anyways ). I also am looking more forward to Rogue One than the Han Solo movie at this point simply because there is a lot more freedom available in the portrayal of stealing the Death Star Plans than there is in making a Han Solo film that is true to the unique character that Harrison Ford brought to life and the mythos surrounding him. As far as Rogue One is concerned, I am curious how audiences (casual movie goers that is) are going to react to the film. When I am looking around the internet and find people on various websites and forums discussing Star Wars the most common element I find between them is that many of them have fond memories watching the OT, or PT, with their parents, relatives and/ or friends. Many people cherish remembering watching Star Wars as a family affair . While I am definitely intrigued by a Saving Private Ryan esque Star Wars film I am wondering how Star Wars will be received when it is in portrayed in a less family friendly dynamic? While I personally don't have a problem with the graphicness of Revenge of the Sith, I know that a common complaint was it's inherently dark nature, and the graphicness of the picture, and it caused many parents to forgoe watching the film with their younger children. I guess my question is if that was *a* reaction to Revenge of the Sith, which was preceeded by two more family friendly movies, and now that we know The Force Awakens is also PG 13, I wonder if the dark nature of Rogue One might seem off putting to the casual movie going audience who really just want to be able to watch a new family friendly Star Wars film with their children? Up to this point I see no film even on Lucas Films radar that is a more family friendly Star Wars film, I wonder if that will have a long term effect on the future of the fanbase?

 

There will supposedly be a new type of OG Storm Trooper...