The Official Episode VIII Laura Dern Discussion Thread

On the one hand I'm glad that Dern is playing a military figure/general/commander, bonus points for moral ambiguity, but on the other hand I'm not too thrilled that she's another Resistance figure. Don't get me wrong I wanted her on the Republic/Resistance side but this just indicates to me that the Resistance is going to be our main group with the Republic entirely out of the game.

I just can't stand the Resistance.

 

Yes x 100

 

The scene leaks don't necessarily mean that Dern is a Resistance figure. I still subscribe to the theory that she plays Mon Destra, the newly chosen (and possibly power-hungry) Chancellor for the Republic. After the attack, Leia goes into a coma, so Destra tries taking control of the Resistance for her own benefit, but Poe stands up to her. That's the way I interpreted it, and I hope I'm right, because I agree that the Republic shouldn't just be out of the picture now.

 

That's what I thought when I heard the name Mon Destra, it reminded me of Mon Mothma and only later did I remember the name Mon Calamari.

Mothma is kinda like Mother as in she was the mother of the Rebellion, and Destra is kinda like Destroy, as in she's running things into the ground in Leia's absence. Yes, I'm reaching.

 

Perhaps but the MSW source seems to specifically refer to her as a Resistance leader. Now, obviously this could simply be a case of someone not knowing/caring about the precise difference between the Resistance and the Republic. Hell, many people refer to the Resistance as the 'Rebellion' so clearly not everyone is aware of the minutia.

Still, I'm not building my hopes up.

 

It will be interesting to see how the Republic respond to the attacks by First Order via Starkiller. Will the Republic fall apart, with each system cutting its own deal with the First Order? Or will they unite, mobilize and pool their military forces, and retaliate against the First Order?

 

Has anyone seen this?
http://moviepilot.com/posts/3831228

 

I'd be down for Laura Dern as Evaan!

Although when the Princess Leia comic finished, we left Evaan as the new princess/leader of the Alderaanian survivors.



Would the Alderaanians join with the Resistance because Leia is leading it? Or would Evaan have eventually become their representative in the New Republic senate (or even Chancellor of it)? I can definitely see how a survivor of a destroyed planet would have some strong opinions about the First Order and the Resistance's role in the galaxy after what happened to Hosnian Prime.

 

It will be interesting to see, the Story Group has been pretty clever about setting characters up ahead of time so far. It could be that they knew Evaan would likely be in the films at some point and laid the seeds earlier with the Princess Leia comic.

 

There are some things that Laura's character could say that Leia's leadership screwed up on. (We the viewer have a better understanding though).

Wasting resources looking for Luke rather than finding sooner Intel on starkiller.
Or oppositely, sending only a wookie and an unknown girl to bring the last Jedi back rather than a whole squadron.

Letting a known First order trooper walk around freely rather than keeping him locked up and severely interrogating him.

Not being fit to lead, since her son is in the FO and she shows bias in her decisions.

Any others you can thing of?

 

MSW Update

http://makingstarwars.net/2016/11/s...a-dern-benicio-del-toro-and-kelly-marie-tran/

 

So, do they believe she's still involved with Poe's subplot.

 

I'm excited about her description! Excited for some #FASHION after TFA failed on that front (even Leia's dress looked like something a prequel senate extra would wear, not up to the level of Amidala). And if she's really Leia's main antagonist, it would make sense for them to stand visually apart.

(Note: I don't buy that she's the same woman with the purple hair from the Croatia shoot, as MSW suggests. Her hair is described as prequel-like and, er, indescribable. That woman's hair is pretty basic 80s rocker.)

 

Great new on these three.

 

what if the outfit and hair described in that article is wrong? what if this leek is a result of somebody seeing Laura Dern walking between sets and wearing something ridiculous to hide her real outfit?

what if the girl pictured in Dubrovnik with purple hair is a double for Dern... but also hiding what she actually has on her head?

rumours that she is a resistance leader don't match up with that weird sounding outift. i'm not buying a ticket to this one sorry.


not the look of a resistance leader lol.


I think she is a very well known character to fans, and i think that she has a small role in ep8 but a bigger role in ep9. time will tell i guess.

 

you mean 'red hair' = Mara Jade *runs away*

 

with my track record of ridiculous ideas... you'd think that i was referring to Mara Jade. i wasn't actually lol, but i wouldn't mind that.

i don't think Dern has any hair on set

 

The remnants of the Republic have probably integrated with the Resistance. Possibly into something new. Leia may be de facto in charge of both of them, or Laura Dern may be the new Chancellor and they butt heads.

There are many ways for them to be rivals on the same side.

 

Hairless?



Now before anybody says, but she is dead...

I didn't watch all of the Clone Wars and haven't seen all of the comics, etc. But my understanding is that Ventress was first "killed" by Anakin in the Clone Wars Micro-series, when they had their epic duel together. But, she didn't actually die in that duel, she was just defeated and believed to be dead. Later in the Clone Wars, she shows up again soon after Anakin has become a knight (in Star Wars Republic, issue 71 or 72) and duels him. Anakin taps into his dark side powers to defeat her, and ends up "killing" her again. Then... even later in the Clone Wars, in Star Wars: Obsession (a comic mini-series that takes place right before ROTS) Obi-wan has a conspiracy that she is not actually dead and investigates this. He teams up with Anakin and they find her in a tank (like a Bacta tank) and that Dooku is revitalizing her. She wakes up while inside the tank, escapes and is betrayed by Dooku, then Anakin ends up "killing" her again... But she wakes up later on a medical ship and dissappears into the far reaches of the galaxy...

(Who is in that bacta tank in R1, again? )

 

That's all well and good, but the Clone Wars micro-series and Republic comics are no longer canon.

(Neither is Asajj's original origin, which was vastly more interesting than what The Clone Wars gave us.)