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OFFICIAL NEWS JJ Abrams on the Prequels

Discussion in 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' started by BB-Rey, Feb 15, 2015.

  1. BB-Rey

    BB-Rey Guardian of the Zoetrope

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    After much search, I have finally found a couple interviews of JJ discussing the prequels in detail.


    Star Wars” vs. “Star Trek” is sort of a classic Beatles vs. Stones debate for sci-fi fans of a certain age. You have said you wanted to infuse your “Trek” revival with some lessons learned from the George Lucas universe. Can you talk about that?

    JJ: Well, I’m just a fan of “Star Wars.” As a kid, “Star Wars” was much more my thing than “Star Trek” was. If you look at the last three “Star Wars” films and what technology allowed them to do, they covered so much terrain in terms of design, locations, characters, aliens, ships — so much of the spectacle has been done and it seems like every aspect has been covered, whether it’s geography or design of culture or weather system or character or ship type. Everything has been tapped in those movies. The challenge of doing “Star Trek” — despite the fact that it existed before “Star Wars” — is that we are clearly in the shadow of what George Lucas has done.

    How do you overcome that?

    JJ: The key to me is to not ever try to outdo them because it’s a no-win situation. Those movies are so extraordinarily rendered that it felt to me that the key to “Star Trek” was to go from the inside-out: Be as true to the characters as possible, be as real and as emotional and as exciting as possible and not be distracted by the specter of all that the “Star Wars” film accomplished. For instance, we needed to establish that there are aliens in this universe and yet I didn’t want it to feel like every scene had four new multi-colored characters in it. That is something “Star Wars” did so well with its amazing creature design. The question is how do you subtly introduce the idea that there are different species here. And to also do it differently than the [“Trek”] TV shows, which basically had someone wearing a mask sitting in a chair [in the background]. It was the balance of doing what the story needed us to do but also not feeling like we were trying to rip off or out-do what Lucas did.

    It is a challenge. There’s an early scene in your film where you have a crowded bar, music is playing and your callow young hero walks in, rubs shoulders with aliens, and then ends up in a brawl. You have to know that a chunk of your audience will be thinking about the “Star Wars” cantina scene…

    JJ: That cantina scene is obviously one of the classic scenes in “Star Wars” and it was such a wonderful introduction to how amazing, how diverse and how full of possibility this “Star Wars” universe was going to be. In the subsequent films, especially the last three, so many scenes have that feeling, that they are just expanding and expanding the worlds. That was definitely something where I felt the burden of “My God, they’ve done it all.” And the challenge is how do you do it where it feels real and meaningful and not like you’re borrowing from someone else. That’s just one of our challenges.


    Are there any characters in Star Wars you personally wish could been told in a bigger way?

    It's funny how in a weird way sometimes by demystifying a character it takes away from some of the fun that you felt about that character. It takes the mystery out of it. Sometimes a character is more interesting when you don't know everything about them. Even someone from my generation -- and I'm ancient compared to so many of the Star Wars fans out there -- for me the character of Darth Vader was always so compelling because you were putting together all these thing in your head and making all these assumptions, that to get to know Anakin as much as we ultimately did changed the way you consider Darth Vader. It's crazy that my kids relate to Anakin; which to me is criminal because I grew up believing Vader was a bad guy. I related to Luke and Leia and Han Solo. You just don't relate to Vader! I still think it's wrong to be on Anakin's side. So I guess there's no one character I can point to and say that I want to know more about him or her, it's just that Star Wars is so vast it would be great to find new characters that have that level of emotional intimacy.

    Is there anything you'd like to see Star Wars do online?

    Star Wars used to have a very defined focus as to what it was and who the characters were, now it's so huge that it encompasses so much more. It's not unlike how Star Trek was when it first came out and you knew all the characters, but now when you ask about it you have different answers from different generations of fans. So the possibilities are endless even though so much of Star Wars has been explored in the novels and elsewhere. Online is the perfect place to have something like an interactive Senate where fans could represent different worlds and debate in character. I could see a giant Star Wars debate team tackle all the issues that the prequels dealt with, then have characters from the movies moderate the discussion.
     
    #1 BB-Rey, Feb 15, 2015
    Last edited: Feb 15, 2015
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  2. Grand Master Galen Marek

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    Yep he has alot to say.
     
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  3. BB-Rey

    BB-Rey Guardian of the Zoetrope

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    Nope, not at all. Haha

    It's good seeing his prospective of the prequels. Really was hard to find.
     
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  4. Grand Master Galen Marek

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    Indeed it's to bad he wont be directing the second movie.
     
  5. BB-Rey

    BB-Rey Guardian of the Zoetrope

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    You know, I'd be okay with that but, I have confidence in Rian Johnson. Granted I don't know much about him and I will try to find more information on his take on the prequels. I do however remember him saying


    I'm really excited about all the things I can't tell you", Johnson said, and then recommended that newcomers to Star Wars watch episodes four to six first, and then one to three. He argued that "storytelling-wise, four to six were constructed without the knowledge of the past", going on to say "there was something really beautiful about the prequels".

    So I think he gets it. Also on Twitter he seems like a really good guy. I have been meaning to ask him for a job. Haha
     
    #5 BB-Rey, Feb 16, 2015
    Last edited: Feb 16, 2015
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  6. Grand Master Galen Marek

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    Good to know, I think I will follow him there then, glad jj isn't hogging the trilogys he has Star Trek to worry about.
     
  7. Voxx

    Voxx Jedi Hero of Legend

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    JJ is only a producer on Star Trek 3.
     
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  8. Cmdr. Ed Straker

    Cmdr. Ed Straker Rebel Official

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    For me it looks like JJ doesn't like the PT story arc of Anakin Skywalker becomming Darth Vader.
    Sure he doesn't said it clear, but I read it between the lines of his bland and unoffending comments.
     
  9. BB-Rey

    BB-Rey Guardian of the Zoetrope

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    Not necessarily, I think he's more or less saying it's not what he expected. Like a lot of people, Anakin's story is a lot different then what was thought it would be. He may or may not necessarily like it but, I think he respects it. As he said, he's a fan of Star Wars in general.
     
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  10. Cmdr. Ed Straker

    Cmdr. Ed Straker Rebel Official

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    JJ is not only a usual fan, he is a filmmaker too, I think he doesn't want to say a bad word or something that could be misinterpreted later.
    No doubt that he respects George Lucas for creating Star Wars and likes some of his work.
    But I think in this business it's better to keep the honest opinion for themself.

    Thanks Joe12Hawk for your effort in finding and posting this interview, it was interesting and nondescript simultaneously.
     
  11. BB-Rey

    BB-Rey Guardian of the Zoetrope

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    This interview is from long before he was announced to direct Episode VII. Since being announced as director, he's been very vague on his feelings towards the prequels. Partly I feel it's because, as he said Disney doesn't want to have any backlash and wants to make the fans proud, he is vague now and mentions the original trilogy in great detail because, that's what people want to hear and it won't effect ticket sales, say if he went on about what he likes about the prequels. (Controversial topic) It's all a bit of reverse psychology and mind tricks. So sorta, like what you're saying.

    Glad to have posted it. Thanks for taking the time to read it.
     
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  12. Cmdr. Ed Straker

    Cmdr. Ed Straker Rebel Official

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    Let's hope that Ep.VII will be better as JJ's last Star Trek film.
    I liked the cast and the pace was right but Star Trek 2009 was overall the better movie in my opinion.
    He is now at the helm as director, I'am curious what a former fanboy can create with the Star Wars license.
    So far he doesn't make boring movies, Ep.VII will be a Rollercoaster.
     
    #12 Cmdr. Ed Straker, Feb 16, 2015
    Last edited: Feb 16, 2015
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  13. Grand Master Galen Marek

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    I don't think they would have took a chance otherwise.
     
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  14. Jedi77-83

    Jedi77-83 Force Sensitive

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    This was my #1 problem with the SW 1-6 story after it was all said and done, and why I am so glad they are making the ST to get away from this story arc. I remember after watching ROTS, and realized that Lucas made the SW Saga arc about Anakin from being a little boy in TPM to his death in ROTJ, it just never sat well with me. I feel EXACTLY the way JJ Abrams felt in that I don't want to watch a story about some mass murderer and I am suppose to emphathize with him at the end of the story?

    Thankfully the ST will balance the story out again making it 3 trilogies about 3 different Skywalkers. The PT is Anakin's story, the OT is Luke's story, and the ST is ??? story, and sits alot better with me then 'The Tragedy of Darth Vader Story.'
     
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  15. BB-Rey

    BB-Rey Guardian of the Zoetrope

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    Absolutely and I think that will be Rey, the granddaughter of the Chosen One. I think it will her discovery of where she came from and we'll get a clearer picture of Anakin's origins and how this effects the family as a whole, as well as the true plot that came from the Clone War. For better or worse ...
     
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  16. ChillySCR

    ChillySCR Rebelscum

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    I can't express how happy i am that JJ has directed star wars.. now i know lots more about him he really is the best possible director. That said i did love Looper so i have alot of faith in Rian Johnson too.
     
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  17. Grand Master Galen Marek

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    The faith is strong in this one.
     
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  18. D-green

    D-green Rebel General

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    It seems that Abrams likes all 6 star wars movies. And I like that.

    And it seems that his childrens are more PT than OT fans.

    I hope that new trilogy will be a mix of both PT and OT.
     
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  19. Kylo Samurai

    Kylo Samurai Rebel General

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    I wrote a post speculating that it would be Kylo Ren in fact who continued the legacy, but your guess is as good as mine.
     
  20. Amillions

    Amillions Clone

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    A little of topic, but I was from the younger generation that viewed the prequels before the OT, and Anakin's fall to the dark side didn't really seem to make that much sense to me. For example, I think the Anakin Skywalker we know from the PT even after he "turned" would've turned back to the light if he knew he had children due to all the pent up emotion he had that had to do with protecting his wife AND children, so basically as an 18 year old who used to love the PT as a kid. Looking back, I really wish they would re make them due to the fact that I don't feel the Anakin Skywalker/Vader portrayed in the PT is anywhere close to the way Vader was in the OT, which ultimately makes the Return of The Jedi ending a little less satisfying, just my thoughts, and looking back Hayden Christensen was atrocious btw
     
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