SPECULATION Time difference between episodes 8 & 9

but the answer would be more screen time not less

 

If it happens in the movie, it's different than happening before the movie.

 

and why relationships dont get deeper off screen.

 

Well if VIII started with Rey and Finn in a romantic relationship, I would definitely be wondering how that was even possible.

However, unlike Han and Leia, they established a bond of friendship in TFA and will grow apart and then unite together, closer than before, but both changed later, so if they shared a kiss at the end of the movie, I would not find it as rushed.

 

But the comment I'm responding to said these relatinoships should deepen off-screen - this is what I'm saying. You want to SEE these relationships change and "deepen" - we don't want to send TLJ then pick it up 3 years later and find out Finn and Poe (lets be honest, its a more realistic option then Rey/Finn) are together and we missed how it happened.

 

I think another big example of a few years gap of time (like ANH-ESB) allows for events and adventures to happen outside of the films. The current canon has stuff like the comic books, while Legends had plenty of stuff like the Rogue Squadron games.

I think ANH-ESB handled this pretty well- everything is pretty consistent, despite the long gap:
Our Rebels on a new base (presumably after Yavin, to movie audiences, but there's no reason there couldn't have been a few relocations in between)
Luke is a little stronger in the Force (but not significantly so as to skip his training)
Han is still with the Rebellion (but like at the end of ANH, he's still got one foot out the door)
Leia has resumed her status as a Rebel official
Vader is on the hunt for the Rebels, much like how we see him throughout the beginning of ANH

The characters are all behaving much as we left them, and that allows their growth to happen on screen, while transmedia can portray them without having to have some weird origins story for why Chewbacca is shaved now (or whatever other weird quirks the characters may have picked up).

Compare this to Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest- a film that I do enjoy, but one with what I regard as possibly one of the worst beginnings to a sequel ever:

Will and Elizabeth getting married- probably one of the most consistent things across the films, though the somber tone immediately contrasts to the happy end of the first film, implying there's already trouble in paradise (which the audience should have seen!)

Jack is looking for a key- Honestly, when I first started writing, I thought the first time we saw Jack was on the cannibal island. That's not true- we see him at the seaside prison first, where he gets the pointless "drawing of a key". This scene is as pointless as the drawing itself is. It would have been much better seeing him sail away on his ship with his merry crew at the end of the first film, then seeing him on a misadventure with his crew having been captured by the cannibals. Then, Will could ask what Jack was doing on the island, prompting the "key" plot.

Norrington- Good lord, this is the worst. He was a Commodore, and then... a hurricane happened? And now he's a joke and a drunk? Why did we not see that? Why did we not see the event that led to the biggest change in his character so far? Doesn't that seem like something the audience would need to know, outside of some throwaway lines? This is literally the "Chewbacce getting shaved" line that I only jokingly threw out earlier.


But yeah, even the Prequels mostly kept characters consistent.
Anakin turned into kind of a creep between I and II, and Obi Wan got a little more sarcastic, but that's about it.

 

If it's already been established, then it works in my opinion. I found less interaction between Han and Leia in ANH to convince me ESB's romance was believable. Rey and Finn are more believable for a time gap.

Basically I found the time gap failed for Han and Leia, but not for Rey and Finn.

 

because they showed zero romantic interest in each other its more believable? Like I said, there were more sparks flying between Finn and Poe.

If Rey and Finn got together at the end of TLJ, and there is a 3 or 5 year gap - sure ideally they'd be in a more solid relationship, but you don't come back for the 3rd movie with them being married and a kid etc..... those are developments you want to see happen (see Anakin and Padme)

 

While Rey and Finn are just friends and likely will remain as such, they had a connection that could become more. I agree about Finn and Poe. Another one that would work since the first movie already established it.

It works if it's done right. That will all depend on the writers.

 

Absolutely agreed. The offscreen time should allow time for relationships to develop sensibly according to their current trajectories, but they should never make significant advances off screen.

OSame goes for Anakin and Palpatine, really- well, not exactly the same (I hope). We never really got to see how Anakin and Palps really became so close- they have very few interactions in the films even, until Anakin is basically the right hand man of the Chancellor.

 

I believe that the little hint of romance we're going to see in VIII (that's how I read those Rian quotes) is just an hint and is about 2 characters that are going to know each other in VIII.
That's the feeling I've got from the rest of the quote, that he (Rian) would have love to add more romance but it didn't feel right for the characters.
To me is almost like "ok, they meet, they become friends (=/= - as we know from Rian - than the hate/love dynimic between Han and Laia) and by the
end of the movie you start to think that perhaps they like each other"
If this "kind of romance" is about 2 characters that have already met and bound, one more movie, would be enough to add the next step. IMO.
That's why I suspect that's not the case.
I don't think - in fact - that we are even going to see a kiss.

I believe what we're going to see in VIII, will be like Han and Leia in IV...in the sense that in IV, sure, they fight (those 2 won't), but you get the feeling that they like each other.
And that's all we're going to get from VIII: the feeling that those 2 like each other, perhaps.
Speculations and ship grow and then a 2/3 years time gap between VIII and IX would be enough to have a kiss.

And to let any other character and story arc grow off screen.

Romance or not, I believe that's needed.
More, would be odd.

 

I think its more likely Finn and Rose get something going.

 

I was using an example actually haha I am not really seeing Rey and Finn beyond friends.

 

That's possible. I'm not sure how much we even will see Rey and Finn interact in this film, as it definitely seems like they have their own paths right now, and I'd imagine that any reuinon they'd have after their adventures would be mostly pretty warm.

 

About paths and relationships (I'm not talking about romance), I was thinking that what we're going to see is something like:

- Rey: + Luke and vs Kylo
- Poe: + Leia and vs Holdo
- Finn: + Rose and vs Phasma
It looks like these are the dynamics that are going to be used to dig into the characters...
And to me those of Finn are the less predictable, thus the more interesting.

 

There is literally no way of saying this without seeing the movie. Maybe a 10 year gap is optimal for their story, maybe it can't be anymore then 1 month.

 

I'd agree. Seeing as how we're presumably getting little to no passage of time between the films, I think that at least most of these conflicts are already established. We don't know much about Rose yet, but at least Finn and Phas have beef.

Holdo is new, but at least we know:
1) Poe and Leia are instrumental in the Resistance, and presumably care enough about to allow for conflicting interests with other members

2) TFA kinda botched portraying politics in the Resistance pretty bad. So, I guess Holdo being introduces kind of adds to the lore of that.

 

Or they realized that the politics was one of the things people hated about the PT, and they'll just mostly ignore it all together and put in books and comics etc... for the hardcores to dive into.

 

I'm sure that's what started it, but a lot of fans (including myself) think they over corrected quite a bit.

Not only did we lack politics, but in many cases we lacked context and scale.

 

I love GOT (or I used to) because of politcs. And I think many do.
The problem with the sequels, to me, it's not politics per se, but that it was poorly done.