Should Episode VIII continue the tradition of a ship passing over the screen after the opening crawl

Artistically or creatively, I don't think they will start exactly where TFA ended. Once they get into the editing room they'll choose the appropriate beginning. Traditions change, nothing written in stone nowadays.

 

They might as well keep the tradition going. It does make we wonder how Last Jedi will start. If the film begins at that exact moment force awakens ends, then the tradition is broken. But if they start with a ship, the question is,... whose ship?

 

Kylo's shuttle with himself, Hux and Phasma aboard, enroute to Snoke?

 

Snoke's ship above an unknown planet. We then see Kylo Ren's ship exiting the docking bay with the Knights of Ren aboard. Cut to Ach-To...

 

Maybe something like this...
After the destruction of the deathstar starkiller base Rey travels to Arch-to (sounds a bit like R2 doesn't it?) to find Luke.
Meanwhile the remnants of the republic reunite with the resistance to form a strong alliance against the First Order...

We see a ship of the republic while the camera follows a roundabout approaching a planet.
Down at the planet we see officials of the republic and resistance sitting together under the lead of General Organa.
Suddenly an explosion. People injured and killed.

Back on Arch-Too
Rey still holding up the lightsaber towards Luke, when he feels a disturbance in the force ...

 

That would be a cool scene.

 

Yes they should. I'm pretty sure the rest of the galaxy's inhabitants didn't just stop moving while Rey was walking up the mountain on Ahch-To or while she's standing there holding the lightsaber out to Luke.

 

Other than ANH (which by definition had to start with new characters), all of the initial scenes post-crawl featured characters we knew, and even ANH used characters that were iconic (so when you go back and watch it in order, you're still getting a feeling of familiarity.


TPM: we know that two Jedi are on the Republic ship thanks to the crawl. Once they show the guys in hoods, we know who they are affiliated with the moment they appear.
AOTC: a silvery Naboo ship similar to one from TPM, and once you see the landing platform, the uniforms are similar to TPM, and you've been told Amidala is coming back to the capital so it all comes together quickly
ROTS: we know the early Star Destroyer-type ships in the battle, and then we cut to our Jedi heroes who look slightly different, but are instantly recognizable
ANH: if you're watching the trilogies chronologically, then you know that hallway from ROTS (or RO if you're watching all the movies chronologically), and you darn sure know 3PEO & R2D2
ESB: you recognize the star destroyers launching the probe droids. One lands on Hoth, which we've been told is where Luke & co. are. Luke and Han appear almost immediately.
ROTJ: Vader's shuttle arrives at the new Death Star, which is pretty easy to remember both of them. The hangar is filled with troops and officers.
TFA: starts with another Star Destroyer flyover, then cuts to ships full of Stormtroopers. Easy to recognize the updated version as part of the FO. Then they cut to Poe and that scene plays out before we see the FO land


They can easily have the traditional space and spacecraft scene happen in TLJ (probably with the FO) and quickly then cut to Luke and Rey. That or show the MF arriving, and cut to Luke watching it fly toward the island, then see their introduction play out.

I really hope someone at SWC or SDCC can ask RJ this question. He obviously shouldn't tell us exactly how it begins (what the spacecraft scene is), but if he confirmed the crawl would be followed by a space scene, I think a lot of people would be thrilled to know that tradition will be preserved.

 

Here's an idea for 8's opening ship. Make it the Millennium Falcon and show Rey, Chewbacca and R2-D2 arriving at Ahch-To again as a recap to TFA. This way, you have a recap of the last £pisode and also get to see what happened next after Rey met Luke.

 

I honestly don't care. As long as it feels like Star Wars I'm fine with something new. Some of these unofficial "traditions" seem a little overzealous to me.

 

Didnt someone already confirmed that TLJ starts exactly where TFA ended ?

 

When you make eight movies, and their first live action shot is set up in the exact same way, it's not unofficial.

This isn't something the fans have had any control over or made a big deal out of when it didn't happen.

It's been maintained by five different directors.

You may not care, LFL always has.

The time jump between movies has always been a narrative necessity, as is breaking that "tradition" and picking back up with Luke & Rey. I get that.

It's not unofficial.

Also, you mistake "tradition" for pattern, I think, or more accurately, structure. Shakespeare wrote in iambic pentameter. It's part of what gives his work beauty and depth, and challenged him creatively to work within the structure while keeping the work fresh.

GL has always talked about SW being poetry in a way, that it rhymes visually and thematically, and sometimes in terms of dialogue.

The opening star field and space ship shot is the opening stanza of the films preceding TLJ.

Unless a change in beginning has as an extremely compelling reason, I am against it.

And "immediately paying off the most urgent example of the 55 things JJ set up in TFA but couldn't explain because he's inept or because he was too busy remaking ANH" isn't a compelling reason. Neither is "we didn't know how to write a SW movie with LUKE FREAKING SKYWALKER."

I hope TLJ will preserve the structure that has been so elegantly repeated and gives a sense of rhythm to each film.

--- Double Post Merged, Mar 22, 2017, Original Post Date: Mar 22, 2017 ---

The film doesn't have a time jump. They have confirmed that, but they have not said how the film will be begin, exactly.

An in media res beginning would be a bit disorienting and awkward. And since we know it'll have a crawl, a wipe or smash cut to Rey holding out the saber after the crawl (which is what a lot of people think will happen, taking RJ's statement very literally) would be very jarring and inelegant.

You can still follow the crawl with a space ship in a star field shot, have a short scene, then go back to Rey and Luke. And I think he'll do that rather than jump directly to the island and Luke & Rey's first dialogue to each other.

 

Hey man I just voiced my opinion on the subject. I didn't take a shot at you or anyone else. Your free to disagree with my take, but It's really lame you chose to give me a downvote instead of a disagree. Stuff like that gives these boards a bad name.

 

Feel free to down vote this if it makes you feel better.

 

I think we need to see Ren's ship cross over at the beginning, right after Starkiller base- then, we can get back where we were with Luke and Rey.

 

- "A long time ago in a gffa," then open with the classic theme and crawl.

- Hux's shuttle passes over the screen, the camera pans up to the empty space above and the MASSIVE Super Star Destroyer Eclipse comes out of hyperspace, flanked on either side by multiple Star Destroyers.

- The shuttle docks with the Eclipse, Hux and Kylo Ren exit the shuttle, with Kylo being transported on a hovering medical bed. Clutching his face in pain, we see the horrific scar across his face he received in his duel with Rey.

- Transition inside a very dark medical room, Snoke is present, but in the shadows bathed in darkness.

- A new helmet descends towards Kylo's face, with Snoke commentating on the history of the ancient dark side relic, and why it suits Kylo perfectly.

- Closeup of Kylo's face, now with very Sith-like yellow eyes, he screams in pain as the mask is attached to his face.

- His echoing screams can still be heard as we transition to Luke looking at Rey, holding out the saber.

 

To answer, yes. My prediction is they will have the scroll as more of a recap since it's pretty much beginning where 7 left off (sort of lame of JJ to do that) that says something like 'HAN SOLO IS DEAD' Blah, blah, blah, the Resistance has retaliated from the devastating loss of Disney planets we have no clue about by blowing up the third death star. Blah, Blah, Rey has returned to Luke Skywalker while Kylo Ren has been summoned by his Master, Snoke to finish his training...

Then we pan down to Kylo's ship leaving a Star Destroyer and heading towards a planet in which Snoke resides.

Basically I think we'll start out with Kylo, Hux and Snoke rather than Rey and Luke or Han's funeral because their meeting probably happened a bit before Rey getting dispatched to Och-too?

 

I hope they don't force an unnecessary scene just keep the opening space shot. I'm all for tradition, but not at the cost of hurting the movie.

However, if they find a worthwhile reason to begin somewhere other than with Luke and Rey, they could begin the next segment by going back in time a moment to the Falcon' arrives at the island, but do it from Luke's perspective. That way the edit wouldn't be as jarring, and they wouldn't have to repeat the exact same sequence.

 

Uh... Yeah. Keep it real man.

 

A First Order super star destroyer was recently rumoured to be in TLJ. That might be the opening shot.