Writer's Roundtable #2 Questions

Echo-07 · Nov 23, 2014

Hey Cantina scum and villainy! This is the full Question and Answer session I conducted with the Bloggers and Moderators here for the 2nd Writer's Roundtable. Special guest Jason Ward's (of MakingStarWars.net) answers appear last under my post as I conducted his Q & A via Private Message. Be sure to chime-in with your take on the various questions about The Force Awakens production!
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PART I

1) Whose robotic hand was holding the announcement of the Force For Change/UNICEF sweepstakes?

2) The London "summit" seems to have been a meeting to develop the BIG picture of what the Star Wars saga entails beyond Episode VII. What do you guys think about the "universe-building" tack that Disney has taken with Star Wars?

3) Are we going to see Marvel-type success or Sony-style disaster?

4) What do you guys think of the new stormtrooper design?

5) Aside from the "incendiary trooper" what other iterations will we see or do you want to see?

6) Are the stormtroopers going to hit something with their lasers in the ST or will they continue to be inept?

7) The Greenham Common filming leaked due to an accidental fly-over. Aside from fly-over leaks what do you think about the leaks or lack thereof?

8) What do you think about the idea that Disney (et al) had attempted to acquire a "Drone Shield?"

9) Do you think that any other film franchise is as dogged for info leaks as Star Wars?

10) What do you think about the Black X-Wing?

11) What did you guys think about the Imperial design aesthetics we saw in the JJ Apple Watch Tweet?

12) We know that Greg Grunberg has a role in the film, probably an alien or stormtrooper, and we know that there have been a lot of celebrity visitors to the set -- Kevin Smith, Daniel Radcliffe, Simon Pegg, Benedict Cumberbatch, Peter Jackson, and Daniel Craig. Are we likely to find out after the movie has been released that this is the most star-studded production of 2014?

13) Who won the Star Wars/Batman Mashup war?

PART II

1) How awesome is it that John Williams is back for the ST?

2) Anyone think we'll hear the Imperial March again or has it died with Vader and Palpatine?

3) Jason [Ward] described a lot of the leaked photos before anyone else had them (we can divulge that we had some beforehand). What was more controversial -- the descriptions of the photos or the actual leak?

4) The two most controversial descriptions revolve around the cyborg character that may or may not be Luke. Now that we've all seen them does anyone think Luke is a cyborg in the ST?

5) I doubt that the TMZ "leaks" were really leaks. Were the concept art leaks really leaks or was this controlled [UNofficial] dissemination?

6) Without getting too spoiler-centric what were the most striking elements of the concept art leaks for you?

7) Disney and JJ, in particular, stated they wanted to recapture the OT feel and have brought back just about everyone who was involved with the OT. What did you think when you heard Warrick Davis was coming back for his third movie?

8) What about the lack of news on the Billy Dee Williams front OR have we heard something?

9) Fans apparently crept onto a set DURING filming. Did JJ's mystery box have too many holes in it or are Star Wars fans the craziest [read dedicated], most ardent fans in the world?

10) We couldn't really tell what was happening other than stormtroopers. Do we think stormtroopers are going to be more pivotal and/or serious in the Sequel Trilogy?

11) Carrie Fisher's "Leia" was one of the last legacy characters to film on the production -- What ideas can we draw from this?

12) Does anyone think Harrison Ford was involved as well since his scenes had to be delayed because of his broken leg?

13) Could this be the last time Carrie and Harrison film a Star Wars movie? Is this something they can actually keep secret?

14) What do we think of the subtitle -- The Force Awakens? Does it work with all the other titles?

PART III

1) Describe your excitement about the rumors of a SW teaser trailer?

2) How excited were you?

3) What did you do on "Black Friday?" How did you view it? How many times?

4) What was your reaction to the teaser trailer?

5) How many times have you seen it since?

6) What is your favorite part? Any disappointments?

7) What do you think about the "Sithcalibur" controversy?

8) What do you think about this hype?

9) Can there be any more pressure on JJ or is it all equal when it comes to SW -- as in already larger than life?

10) Do you think this is why he initially didn't want the job?

11) Bob Iger said he was excited about the footage. Kevin Smith cried. Both Peter Mayhew and Anthony Daniels had very glowing praise for the film already -- what do you think about all this inisder praise?

12) I wrote an article in which I detailed why I think TFA will break $3 billion in box office and I stand by that guesstimation. IS there any way in the world that TFA does NOT break box office records and make cinematic history?

13) Any thoughts or predictions for the coming days?

14) What do we think of the names that were released?

Pomojema · Dec 12, 2014

PART I

Whose robotic hand was holding the announcement of the Force For Change/UNICEF sweepstakes?

Luke's, no question. Some of the details on it match up with the interior of the hand that was show briefly in The Empire Strikes Back, and the background looks like it was shot on Skellig Michael Island, which we know Mark Hamill shot scenes for the movie.

The London "summit" seems to have been a meeting to develop the BIG picture of what the Star Wars saga entails beyond Episode VII. What do you guys think about the "universe-building" tack that Disney has taken with Star Wars?

In all honesty, it's really not all that different from what Lucasfilm was doing before the buyout. The big difference now is that Disney-Lucasfilm seems to have a uniform plan for the franchise instead of letting a number of writers/illustrators/programmers do their own thing. While I don't think the strategy that pre-buyout Lucasfilm was utilizing was a bad thing, I do think it would have meant that Star Wars media would progressively fade more into obscurity with a lack of film to keep interest in the franchise running. Thankfully, Disney seems to make sure that we will keep getting Star Wars movies whether we like it or not - and hey, why wouldn't we like it?

Are we going to see Marvel-type success or Sony-style disaster?

It depends on if magic blood is a plot device for this movie or not. In seriousness, though, I think Sony's huge fault with The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is that they were too presumptuous about what the audience was going to like about the movie - they thought that people were going to really like the Green Goblin and Rhino in that movie, but those characters weren't used to their full potential (both have about a combined total of ten minutes of screentime, and we don't even get to see Spider-Man actually fight Rhino). Not to mention that Gobbie is in no way sympathetic after what he does at the end of the movie, so I don't see people wanting to line up to see Sinister Six, a half-assed take at a redemption story immediately after they shoehorned one of the most heinous (and infamous) acts of villainy ever done in comic books without really establishing the character first. They also blatantly crammed way too much into the plot - the movie doesn't really seem like a bunch of cohesive threads that tie into each other, but instead it seems like a jumbled mess of semi-developed ideas that the studio forced upon the production.

Anyway, I could complain about how much Sony dropped the ball with their handling of what could have been the best Spider-Man movie to date, but I'd like to move on to complaining about their lack of direction for the franchise; The Amazing Spider-Man 3 was supposed to come out in 2016, followed by Sinister Six in 2017, The Amazing Spider-Man 4 in 2018, and a Venom movie somewhere along the line. After The Amazing Spider-Man 2 underperformed at the box office, their confidence in the franchise completely imploded and the plan changed radically: Sinister Six was pushed up to 2016, Venom: Carnage was pushed to 2017 along with a brand-new film, and The Amazing Spider-Man 3 was pushed up to 2018, with no sign of The Amazing Spider-Man 4. There's even a rumored Aunt May movie in the works, which I can't believe I just typed.

I think Disney has something that Sony clearly lacks which makes a world of difference: a cohesive vision for the franchise. They're planting seeds now and giving them time to grow to bear fruit later, like they have been doing with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Plus, the Star Wars franchise has way more characters to access than Sony does with Spider-Man (the Marvel Universe as a whole is different, but Sony doesn't have the rights to characters not associated with the webslinger), so I'm pretty sure Disney has a bunch of ideas ready to go based on what they know audiences want from the franchise.

What do you guys think of the new stormtrooper design?

It's great - you can see how it evolved from the previous incarnation of the helmet and how much more tactical it looks. Bravo, Tony To (or whomever came up with the design)!

Aside from the "incendiary trooper" what other iterations will we see or do you want to see?

I think that new versions of the Scout Troopers, TIE Pilots, and Sand Troopers are given at this point. I would find that if new type of soldier were to be introduced, it would be some kind of Heavy Weapons Trooper or something.

As for what I want to see, a Stormtrooper that doubles as a riot policeman would rock my socks off. I would love to see Dark Troopers appear on-screen (Star Wars Commander establishes that they're still canon).

Are the stormtroopers going to hit something with their lasers in the ST or will they continue to be inept?

I think "threatening" should be the word to use here - the armor's a lot more sinister-looking. While I don't think we'll ever see a Stormtrooper gun down a main character, I do think they'll be more tactically-adjusted and make more ruthless opponents. Star Wars Rebels established that, at least prior to the Galactic Civil War, the Empire was more interested in getting Stormtroopers out there en masse instead of making the most effective soldiers possible - with their leader dead, it would not surprise me to see that the Empire put more resources in building a better soldier.

The Greenham Common filming leaked due to an accidental fly-over. Aside from fly-over leaks what do you think about the leaks or lack thereof?

I think the absence of any huge plot reveals in the leaks that have occurred generally shows that Disney/Lucasfilm/Bad Robot has their act together, and I'm glad for that. As far as that leak went, I think it was cool that we got to see what some of the new ships look like.

What do you think about the idea that Disney (et al) had attempted to acquire a "Drone Shield?"

I think that attempt might have been stretching it. It was an admirable, but mistaken attempt to keep everything quiet, and I don't think they needed to buy a high-tech device with how quiet they've kept things through production.

Do you think that any other film franchise is as dogged for info leaks as Star Wars?

Maybe the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Or the DC Cinematic Universe. Maybe.

What do you think about the Black X-Wing?

I don't think it's going to have any super-special-awesome feature that makes it unique from other X-wings; that being said, I do think the color scheme indicates that it will be used by an important character and not just any run-of-the-mill pilot.

What did you guys think about the Imperial design aesthetics we saw in the JJ Apple Watch Tweet?

I'd say that the bit we saw in the Jon Oliver skit was more revealing and more indicative of the design aesthetics, along with that corridor leak from way-back-when. But I think it generally makes sense that Empire's visual aesthetic hasn't changed a whole lot, since they kind of go with a "rule by fear" sort of stance on governing.

We know that Greg Grunberg has a role in the film, probably an alien or stormtrooper, and we know that there have been a lot of celebrity visitors to the set -- Kevin Smith, Daniel Radcliffe, Simon Pegg, Benedict Cumberbatch, Peter Jackson, and Daniel Craig. Are we likely to find out after the movie has been released that this is the most star-studded production of 2014?

Simon Pegg was being pretty cheeky in his response; not only did he not answer the question of whether or not he'd be in the movie, he also repeatedly mentioned that his face might be distracting in a Star Wars movie. Luckily, in these days in Hollywood, motion-capture can cover you on that front - it made Nathan Fillion look completely unrecognizable in Guardians Of The Galaxy. As for those other actors, if they're in, they'll only be cameos, and pretty hidden ones at that.

Who won the Star Wars/Batman Mashup war?

I'm going to have to go with DC on this one, because they actually managed to make C-3PO look cool.

PART II

How awesome is it that John Williams is back for the ST?

Unfathomably so. I still think that new composers should cover the music of the spinoffs, though. Otherwise, John Williams should be a part of the Star Wars universe for as long as he can.

Anyone think we'll hear the Imperial March again or has it died with Vader and Palpatine?

Considering that it seems to be the Imperial "national anthem" of sorts, as indicated by the Rebels episode "Empire Day", I'm going to have to say that the answer is a big fat "no". Plus, it would be a disservice to not have that song play.

Jason [Ward] described a lot of the leaked photos before anyone else had them (we can divulge that we had some beforehand). What was more controversial -- the descriptions of the photos or the actual leak?

I don't think controversial is the right word to use here, but it was certainly interesting. I'm still hoping he can actually post a couple of them before the movie comes out without screwing with his source.

The two most controversial descriptions revolve around the cyborg character that may or may not be Luke. Now that we've all seen them does anyone think Luke is a cyborg in the ST?

Well, he does have a mechanical prosthetic hand, so he would could as a cyborg by default. But if you mean to ask if he'd become a little more robotic, then I would say no. He grew a friggin' huge beard for a reason, and it's not to look like a Borg from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Viral Hide has been insistent that no new characters are cyborgs, though he doesn't seem to discredit the idea of characters having prosthetic limbs. My guess is that this character just has a mask or something that looks cybernetic, but isn't.

I doubt that the TMZ "leaks" were really leaks. Were the concept art leaks really leaks or was this controlled [UNofficial] dissemination?

I'm going to say that these leaks were most likely the real deal. The scene with the character I've internally dubbed "Darth Spooky-Trousers" (who I think is Andy Serkis's character, and possibly Darth Plagueis) creepily wrapping his hands around Rey (Daisy Ridley) is probably the most spoilerific of the bunch - I don't think Disney would have wanted people to see that beforehand. The same goes for the dude holding Darth Vader's burnt helmet. I'd think that Disney would be fine leaking locations and vehicles, but I think they'd be much more careful about keeping characters secret, and that's why I think they were real.

Without getting too spoiler-centric what were the most striking elements of the concept art leaks for you?

As I sort of mentioned above, it was definitely any of the pieces with both backgrounds and the characters in them.

Disney and JJ, in particular, stated they wanted to recapture the OT feel and have brought back just about everyone who was involved with the OT. What did you think when you heard Warrick Davis was coming back for his third movie?

I don't really have a lot to say on this one. I pretty much knew he wasn't going to be Wicket from the get-go, but I was still happy to see him back.

What about the lack of news on the Billy Dee Williams front OR have we heard something?

I'm guessing he has a small part in the film, but nothing major enough to warrant an announcement. I think it's safe to say he'll be in Episode VIII, though.

Fans apparently crept onto a set DURING filming. Did JJ's mystery box have too many holes in it or are Star Wars fans the craziest [read dedicated], most ardent fans in the world?

Well, we're still pretty much as in the dark now as we were when we heard about a couple of fans reaching set perimeters, aren't we? Granted, they might have had a few details, but it was basically a shot in the dark. There wasn't too much to learn from the plot - just that "Harrison Ford was here, John Boyega was there," that kind of thing.

We couldn't really tell what was happening other than stormtroopers. Do we think stormtroopers are going to be more pivotal and/or serious in the Sequel Trilogy?

I can see a sort of return to form for the Stormtroopers, at least in the sense that they wouldn't get their asses handed to them by cannibal bears less than half their size. Again, I don't see them as being anything more than faceless mooks for the Empire, but I do think they'll be more credible opponents.

Carrie Fisher's "Leia" was one of the last legacy characters to film on the production -- What ideas can we draw from this?

Easy - she has the least amount of action scenes out of the Big Three. If we were to go off on the idea that she's a political figure for the most part, this would make perfect sense. But again, bear in mind that she shed 35 pounds for a reason, and that's no small feat for someone of her age.

Does anyone think Harrison Ford was involved as well since his scenes had to be delayed because of his broken leg?

With Leia's scenes? Most likely. Han and Leia had a much more interesting romantic dynamic (at least before the unintentional incestuous subtext kicked in), and given that they're supposedly married at this time, I can easily see how they'd delay the shooting of many of Leia's scenes until after Harrison Ford got better.

Could this be the last time Carrie and Harrison film a Star Wars movie? Is this something they can actually keep secret?

Here's what I think is going to happen regarding Han: the entire movie will foreshadow that he's going to die. You'll hear several lines like "I have a funny feeling I'm never going to see her again" that make it clear that Solo's number is up. And then, at the climax of The Force Awakens, Han gets into an extremely desperate life-or-death situation... and lives. I think that everyone is expecting Han to die at this point, and messing with expectations is something that I think J. J. Abrams enjoys doing. What happens after that, I'd imagine, is that the character will make it through a good chunk of Episode VIII until he suddenly finds himself at death's door through some unforeseen threat that puts a bunch of people at risk, but he would still manage to pull some kind of heroic sacrifice at the last minute. I think that's the kind of sucker-punch Episode VIII needs to really stand out - at that point, people will think Han is safe through the whole Sequel Trilogy, and then he dies in a way to show how high the stakes are. I think that'd be a stroke of genius from a narrative standpoint.

As for Leia? I don't see her dying, at least not until the end of Episode IX. Return Of The Jedi set her on a path of becoming "Another Hope", so to speak. I don't think that she'll really have the Jedi skills that Luke had, but she will have Force-sensitivity, and will be able to undergo a more complex character dynamic than Han would (Harrison Ford always criticized the role that made him a star as being too 'one-dimensional', but I bet that J. J. Abrams, Lawrence Kasdan, and Rian Johnson would be damned if they weren't going to make the most of the old scoundrel).

What do we think of the subtitle -- The Force Awakens? Does it work with all the other titles?

It's good, and I think people will like it more once we have the movie to explain the context/significance of the subtitle. Nonetheless, anyone who thinks the fake name of "The Ancient Fear" was at all a better title needs to have their head examined. I think it meshes well with the other names.

PART III

Describe your excitement about the rumors of a SW teaser trailer?

Initially, I heard the whole "wake up" description make the rounds through the internet, and while I was a bit underwhelmed at the premise it suggested (showing a bunch of faces and throwing in a shot of the Millennium Falcon to keep people interested), I was really looking forward to it due being able to see footage of the movie for the first time.

How excited were you?

When I actually knew there was going to be one, this long before the release of the movie? You could say I was pretty freaking stoked. More on that below.

What did you do on "Black Friday?" How did you view it? How many times?

I stayed up until two at night to see if there was a midnight release. There wasn't one. I set my alarm to fifteen minutes before the projected release. Twenty minutes later, the thing hit YouTube. I watched it a dozen times.

What was your reaction to the teaser trailer?

It took me a couple of times to really get the full effect, but upon watching it and re-watching it, I came to the conclusion that this is the definitive future of Star Wars.

How many times have you seen it since?

Probably a dozen more - one of which was in a theater, too. It looks great in 3-D.

What is your favorite part? Any disappointments?

The X-wings over the lake was easily the best part of the trailer. Stunning cinematography.

Aside from the numerous "blank spots" in the trailer, I think they got everything right.

What do you think about the "Sithcalibur" controversy?

There was a controversy over that? I couldn't hear it over the controversy of a Black person playing a Stormtrooper, in spite of the fact that nothing in the canon suggests the Stormtroopers were Clone Troopers. Or that it was explicitly shown in Rebels that Stormtroopers are recruits.

What do you think about this hype?

It is real. I don't think it's going to reach levels akin to the response that came before The Phantom Menace hit theaters, but I do think the amount of interest in the movie is going to make The Force Awakens more profitable than the last trilogy-starter.

Can there be any more pressure on JJ or is it all equal when it comes to SW -- as in already larger than life?

I think J. J. Abrams has his work cut out for him more than anyone who has worked on a Star Wars movie, or ever will again. What you're talking about is not only a sequel to the beloved Original Trilogy, but the first of many Star Wars movies in the decades to come. He has a high standard to set, and he absolutely needs to get it "just right" in order to get people hooked on the franchise again after a decade.

Do you think this is why he initially didn't want the job?

Nah, I think he was good making Star Wars movies out of the Star Trek franchise. I suppose it helps that that fanbase doesn't get nearly as vitriolic as we do.

Bob Iger said he was excited about the footage. Kevin Smith cried. Both Peter Mayhew and Anthony Daniels had very glowing praise for the film already -- what do you think about all this inisder praise?

Not to be cynical, but I think a bit of it is contractual as far as the Disney-Lucasfilm representatives go. However, I'm more inclined to trust Kevin Smith, who has no financial ties to the movie, was genuinely moved by his visit to the set (Silent Bob cried tears of joy three times!), and if he had confidence in the movie that early into production, then I think that's a really good sign.

I wrote an article in which I detailed why I think TFA will break $3 billion in box office and I stand by that guesstimation. IS there any way in the world that TFA does NOT break box office records and make cinematic history?

I think that that's more likely to go on that path given that the only blockbuster-level competition it has in December is Mission Impossible 5 (which comes out the following week) - Kung-Fu Panda 3 might have given it a bit of trouble, but Dreamworks delayed that movie from December to its original release date.

It also has the domestic advantage of coming around before the "box-office dead zone" of January and February - the only movies I see directly competing with those two films in those months are The Fifth Wave (January 29), Deadpool (February 12), Gods Of Egypt (February 12) and the remake of Ben-Hur (February 26), which gives both Mission Impossible 5 and Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens the added advantage of not having any other competition until a month after they release. The absence of immediate competition is what netted Guardians Of The Galaxy and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles so much money in 2014, and it's part of why Avatar was such a huge hit back in 2009; I think something similar is bound to happen here.

Plus, the international market has expanded greatly since the release of Revenge Of The Sith, so I wouldn't be surprised if the international numbers for this movie would double or even triple its predecessors. I think we're sitting on a golden egg worth $2,000,000,000 at the least in box office tickets alone; it breaking the $3,000,000,000 mark (or at least eclipsing Avatar) depends on people going to see repeat viewings of the movie.

Any thoughts or predictions for the coming days?

I think we'll be seeing more "I have a source that can tell you this" articles as usual, but there will also be an increase in evidence supporting/refuting said claims as more details for the movie are released. I imagine that Disney will be more generous with plot details than J. J. Abrams has been in the past, because they shelled out over $4,000,000,000 to buy this wonderful property, and they want to make that money back as soon as possible. The Force Awakens is far and away the fastest way to get there.

What do we think of the names that were released?

I think they're all pretty good. The only curiosity that I think is that they seem to have named Oscar Isaac's character (Poe Dameron) after the guy that Nicolas Cage played in Con Air (Cameron Poe). Which reminds me - Disney, is it too much to ask to get a cameo from Cage in a Star Wars movie?

DarthDwight · Dec 12, 2014

PART I
1) I initially thought it was Anakin’s (like the one shown in the AotC wedding scene) but not gold, but now I think it belongs to this “Grave Robber” character.
3) Marvel-type success of course!
4) I think it looks awesome! A modern twist on an old classic. It’s like your favorite 70’s/80’s rock band releasing a new album that doesn’t suck.
6) I feel they have gotten better at their job.
7) I enjoy reading the leaks, but not all of them I buy.
8) Good for them.
10) It looks awesome. I wonder who will pilot it.
12) I don’t think all of these people will be in the film. Gunberg is probably a cantina-style alien and same with Pegg.

PART II
1) This was great news. His music MAKES the movies.
2) I think there will be a little motif of it but not a whole track dedicated to it.
3) Probably the actual leak. I enjoy what Jason has to say about the pieces and I’m glad he did. I would have rather seen them myself, but I enjoy reading it and using my imagination.
4) I don’t think this is Luke. If it is Luke it will probably be a vision like the tree cave on Dagobah.
5) I think it was an intentional leak.
7) “Please don’t let there be any Ewoks!”
8) Lando is busy dancing in the stars.
10) I think they will be a large part of the movie seeing that John Boyega’s character Finn is/was one.
11) They didn’t want her to see anything because JJ & crew knew she would spoil it.
13) I don’t think this will be their last. I feel they will make it through all 3 new movies.
14) Yes, The Force Awakens is a great title.

PART III
3) I watched it over and over.
4) It was the best thing I’ve watched on YouTube in a long, long time.
5) A google.
7) I think to sword looks awesome. Very original.

DEKKA129 · Dec 12, 2014

PART I

1) Whose robotic hand was holding the announcement of the Force For Change/UNICEF sweepstakes?

The wrist area sure looked like what we saw under Luke's synthflesh at the end of ESB. But then again, that could just be some standard cybernetic hardware in the GFFA, so who knows? I'd say that if the cyborg rumors are true, perhaps it's his metal mitt we saw.

2) The London "summit" seems to have been a meeting to develop the BIG picture of what the Star Wars saga entails beyond Episode VII. What do you guys think about the "universe-building" tack that Disney has taken with Star Wars?

While I applaud the commitment to continuity (especially given George Lucas' "Continuity is for wussies!" attitude whilst making the PT) my concern is that they might try to create too many slick little connections between various characters and events throughout the saga, creating another version of the "what a small galaxy!" thing that I felt dogged the PT.

3) Are we going to see Marvel-type success or Sony-style disaster?

Unless they massively brick this whole thing, I don't see how the return of Star Wars is going to be anything but a huge success.

4) What do you guys think of the new stormtrooper design?

I like it, for the most part. Clearly whatever is left of the Empire is still funded by some very deep pockets if the troopers are still getting armor upgrades. Kind of shoots my old theory that the Imperials would be scrapping their way along like the Rebels did in the OT, of course. But yeah, I think the design works very well.

5) Aside from the "incendiary trooper" what other iterations will we see or do you want to see?

I assume we may see some version of a snowtrooper, but I'm also wondering if we might eventually see a suit designed for mountain terrain. It also seems like they're way overdue for an underwater variation of the trooper gear.

6) Are the stormtroopers going to hit something with their lasers in the ST or will they continue to be inept?

Something? Very likely. SomeONE? Well... let's not put too much pressure on the poor saps to suddenly learn to hit moving targets, eh?

7) The Greenham Common filming leaked due to an accidental fly-over. Aside from fly-over leaks what do you think about the leaks or lack thereof?

I'm beyond impressed by J.J.'s ability to keep a lid on this whole thing. I know that's something that he's always done with other projects, but so far it seems like he's kept a far tighter level of secrecy around this production than any of the other Star Wars movies. As somebody who tries to avoid spoilers, I appreciate the hell out of this.

8) What do you think about the idea that Disney (et al) had attempted to acquire a "Drone Shield?"

I got a chuckle out of it - not just the idea of a Star Wars production requiring something as Star-Warsey sounding as a "Drone Shield", but also the fact that they somehow ultimately failed to acquire it.

9) Do you think that any other film franchise is as dogged for info leaks as Star Wars?

Sure. Plenty of other franchises have fanbases just as rabid as ours. Where I think Star Wars beats them out is in sheer numbers. Look at how many views the TFA teaser got in its first couple of days.

10) What do you think about the Black X-Wing?

I really dig it. I'm not sure if it's some mercenary's personal ship, or if it's some sort of indication of a squadron leader or what. But the concept does remind me quite a bit of Manfred von Richthofen's blood-red Fokker triplane in WWI.

11) What did you guys think about the Imperial design aesthetics we saw in the JJ Apple Watch Tweet?

It's cool to see that the old Death Star "fluorescent light" wall pattern will be returning in some capacity. I wouldn't read so much into it as to assume that this actually means we'll be seeing a new Death Star, though. (J.J. has to realize that he'd almost certainly be flayed alive for sticking fans with a Death Star "three-peat.")

12) We know that Greg Grunberg has a role in the film, probably an alien or stormtrooper, and we know that there have been a lot of celebrity visitors to the set -- Kevin Smith, Daniel Radcliffe, Simon Pegg, Benedict Cumberbatch, Peter Jackson, and Daniel Craig. Are we likely to find out after the movie has been released that this is the most star-studded production of 2014?

Absolutely. It's Star Wars, after all. People have grown up with it for nearly 40 years now. The fact that, after we'd all assumed that we'd seen our last new Star Wars movie years ago, we're suddenly getting a decade's worth or more of new SW films has to have brought out the inner ten year-old in half of Hollywood.

13) Who won the Star Wars/Batman Mashup war?

Well, Star Wars of course!

PART II

1) How awesome is it that John Williams is back for the ST?

One of the most exciting things about the ST for me is that, at least for this first film of the trilogy, we will once again get an original John Williams soundtrack! Let's face it - in many ways, John Williams IS Star Wars. As amazing as the films themselves are, it has always been Williams' iconic musical themes driving the action forward that have given Star Wars its unique character. Without Williams' score, Star Wars would be... well, this:

Good, but mighty far from great.

I wish John Williams a long and inspired life. Because when he's gone, Star Wars will never be quite the same again.

2) Anyone think we'll hear the Imperial March again or has it died with Vader and Palpatine?

I strongly suspect that it will make at least some sort of appearance in the new films. Perhaps as a subtle quote tucked away somewhere, or perhaps as a full-on performance. But I'd be very surprised indeed if we didn't hear it.

3) Jason [Ward] described a lot of the leaked photos before anyone else had them (we can divulge that we had some beforehand). What was more controversial -- the descriptions of the photos or the actual leak?

Though I have kept my own exposure to Jason's scoops to a minimum in my effort to avoid major spoilers, it seems as though it was the descriptions of the photos that generated more controversy among fans. While I personally thought that Jason's descriptions were an excellent way to get the word out without getting his sources in a jam by posting confidential images, I know that the fanbase seemed rather split on this approach.

4) The two most controversial descriptions revolve around the cyborg character that may or may not be Luke. Now that we've all seen them does anyone think Luke is a cyborg in the ST?

Given the fact that Mark Hamill went out of his way to grow that great Jedi hermit beard for the production, and the fact that we didn't see him going around with half of his beard cut off to make room for facial cybernetics, I tend to doubt that it's Luke who's the cyborg in TFA. And really, it would make little sense for him to have deliberately avoided his father's path, only to have become "more machine than man" in the years since ROTJ.

5) I doubt that the TMZ "leaks" were really leaks. Were the concept art leaks really leaks or was this controlled [UNofficial] dissemination?

I go back and forth on this. I tend to think, though, that it was probably an unofficial leak, as the concept art appears to have spoiled some key reveals. True, the teaser primarily stuck to material that was shown in the leaked art, but I suspect that this was done specifically because the art was already out there and thus the teaser could show off some cool stuff without revealing anything new.

6) Without getting too spoiler-centric what were the most striking elements of the concept art leaks for you?

The way in which familiar Star Wars elements and environments were being blended with new concepts and designs. As excited as I am to see new characters, spaceships and worlds in the ST, I am also just as excited to see how they are incorporated into the existing SW universe alongside people and places we grew up watching. It seems, at least from what little I've seen, that J.J. and company have struck a fine balance here.

7) Disney and JJ, in particular, stated they wanted to recapture the OT feel and have brought back just about everyone who was involved with the OT. What did you think when you heard Warrick Davis was coming back for his third movie?

I love the fact that Warwick will be back! He seems like a really nice fellow, and I've always enjoyed his performances in Star Wars and elsewhere.

8) What about the lack of news on the Billy Dee Williams front OR have we heard something?

I just don't think he's in the movie, is what it is. He obviously wants to be, and has made this fact known to one and all. But if he were in the film, we'd almost certainly know about it by now. There'd be no reason to keep him under wraps to this extent.

9) Fans apparently crept onto a set DURING filming. Did JJ's mystery box have too many holes in it or are Star Wars fans the craziest [read dedicated], most ardent fans in the world?

We just have some brilliantly nutty ninja fans among us, god love 'em! I don't think it has so much to do with holes in the "Mystery Box" as much as it does with there being Star Wars fans out there with the dedication, ingenuity and obsidian cajones to do whatever it takes to get a peek inside the production.

10) We couldn't really tell what was happening other than stormtroopers. Do we think stormtroopers are going to be more pivotal and/or serious in the Sequel Trilogy?

No way of telling at this point. I never felt that the stormtroopers were particularly un-serious in the OT (certainly not like the chipmunk-babbling one-liner spouting saber fodder that the PT's battle droids were, at least.) But they do seem to have a slightly more bad-ass look to them in the new film. I'd certainly like for Star Wars to get back to having enemies that actually seem dangerous.

11) Carrie Fisher's "Leia" was one of the last legacy characters to film on the production -- What ideas can we draw from this?

Uh… that she drew the short straw and got stuck with scenes at the end of the shooting schedule? ;^)

Seriously, I’m not sure that we can really glean much of anything from this. Production schedules are generally far more a matter of logistics than anything. I would assume that what probably happened was that Carrie and Harrison had scenes together that were pushed back to the end of the production due to his injury.

12) Does anyone think Harrison Ford was involved as well since his scenes had to be delayed because of his broken leg?

Yes.

13) Could this be the last time Carrie and Harrison film a Star Wars movie? Is this something they can actually keep secret?

I think it’s entirely possible, and likely probable. I really can’t see us getting through TFA without losing a major OT character, and I would be very surprised if both Han and Leia survive the film. As for whether Carrie and Harrison can keep their characters’ fates a secret, I don’t see why not. They are both professionals, and they’ve apparently got some pretty substantial non-disclosure agreements to make sure they keep mum about the film.

14) What do we think of the subtitle -- The Force Awakens? Does it work with all the other titles?

I like it. While it may not be QUITE like any other Star Wars subtitle, it certainly creates an image that is simultaneously evocative and ambiguous, which I like. Plus, it has the added advantage of reflecting the rebirth of the Star Wars franchise, which I suppose makes it seem a bit more like the product of a marketing department than a creative team. But when you get right down to it, is it really any less “Star Wars-ey” a title than A New Hope? (Seriously, imagine if back in the mid-‘70s Lucas had tried to market the original film as a science fantasy epic called… A New Hope. How far do you think he’d have gotten?)

PART III

1) Describe your excitement about the rumors of a SW teaser trailer?

Right on cue, here came my inner ten year-old, reeking of peanut butter and Fruity Pebbles and bouncing off the walls like a superball. Any time there has been a new Star Wars movie on the horizon (even when I was feeling rather burned by Episodes I and II) I’ve felt the same excitement I always felt as a child when anyone so much as mentioned “Star Wars.” This time was no different.

2) How excited were you?

Oh, about thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis much. (THAT much, with the tail!)

3) What did you do on "Black Friday?" How did you view it? How many times?

Well, first I went "WOW!!!!" and then I was all, "WOOOOOAH!!" and then I was like, "Huh?!" and then I wee'd 'em just a bit and went "YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Watched it at least half a dozen times in a row on my laptop when it first went online, and then quite a few more over the next couple days.

4) What was your reaction to the teaser trailer?

Overall I really liked it. Considering that there was actually only about half a minute of new footage, I thought it was a fantastic way to give us a first glance at the film.

5) How many times have you seen it since?

Bunches, man. BUNNNNNNNNNNNN-ches!!

6) What is your favorite part? Any disappointments?

I thought the new actors looked great in character, and I was psyched to see the new X-wings, the old Falcon, and Daisy’s (sorry… Rey’s) big ol’ vending-machine scooter. And I must say, though when I saw the leaked concept art I had initially been less than crazy about the new little cross-bar light-nubs on the bad guy’s lightsaber, I thought it looked great onscreen, particularly the feral vibe he gives off as he ignites it.

On the downside, I’m not at all crazy about there being a new character who’s basically a giggling little soccer ball (as though kids need a stuffed animal shoved in their face in order to dig Star Wars!) and the shot of the Falcon left me a bit concerned that J.J. is going to fall into the modern-day trap of letting “ex-TREEEEEEEEME!!!” camera moves upstage the action onscreen.

But those are comparatively minor quibbles. Again, overall I really dug the teaser.

7) What do you think about the "Sithcalibur" controversy?

I understand it to a point, because as I said, when I first saw the concept art I didn’t really like it either. I just think that the film (at least the brief shot we saw) sells the design very well, and I’ve really come around on it. However, I admit I’m puzzled that the new saber generated anywhere near the massive amount of fan outrage that it seems to have done.

8) What do you think about this hype?

It’s Star Wars, man. There’s always going to be a ton of hype around any new SW movie, ad the first one to be done by somebody other than George Lucas? With Disney’s fortunes riding on it, no less? It’d be unnatural if it weren’t hyped beyond belief.

And yet, that's the funny thing about all this. If there were ever a movie franchise that needed absolutely ZERO hype in order to attract an audience, it's Star Wars.

9) Can there be any more pressure on JJ or is it all equal when it comes to SW -- as in already larger than life?

It’s got to be a huge amount of pressure. Not only is it on him to create the first Star Wars movie in the “post-Lucas” era, but the guy got into filmmaking largely because he was so inspired by Star Wars as a kid. He’s got to be simultaneously elated and scared out of his boots by the enormity of the whole thing.

10) Do you think this is why he initially didn't want the job?

Absolutely. He knew he’d have a massive professional and personal stake in this, and that had to be something that made him think twice about accepting the directing gig. Also, I suspect that he probably had to have wondered about how much creative control he’d have, and how much Disney’s execs might want to micromanage things.

11) Bob Iger said he was excited about the footage. Kevin Smith cried. Both Peter Mayhew and Anthony Daniels had very glowing praise for the film already -- what do you think about all this inisder praise?

If it were any other movie, I’d say it sounded contrived and phony. But it’s not like Star Wars needs to be hawked like snake oil. It’s one franchise that basically sells itself. So really, there’s no compelling reason that I can see as far as why those with a view from the inside would hype the film for the sake of hyping it. I think chances are that this is just looking to them like a really good Star Wars film and that their excitement is genuine.

If the film comes out and it’s a dog, well then we’ll have a different answer on this one, won’t we?

12) I wrote an article in which I detailed why I think TFA will break $3 billion in box office and I stand by that guesstimation. IS there any way in the world that TFA does NOT break box office records and make cinematic history?

Sure. It could turn out to be a load of rubbish. It’ll still make barge-loads of money even if it blows, of course, but it wouldn’t tend to get the kind of repeat audience that it will need to break records and rake in billions.

But yeah, I think it’s probably going to do pretty well.

13) Any thoughts or predictions for the coming days?

Nope! I learned my lesson with the whole “Teaser being released with The Hobbit” dealio. It doesn’t matter how solid our guesses and the sources on which we base those guesses may be, this production will end up surprising the hell out of us. It sounds like we may see a poster come out soon…or not. The teaser may end up playing in front of The Hobbit next week… or not. I don’t expect us to get any new teasers or footage for awhile yet… but the second I say that, something new will drop out of the sky on us.

One thing’s for sure – we fans will continue to pore over every detail and rumor that we can get our eager little mitts on, and though we won’t all agree on it, we’ll be loving every last minute of it all. It’s a new friggin’ Star Wars movie, folks! And it’s just a little over a year away!

Viral Hide · Dec 15, 2014

PART I

1) Whose robotic hand was holding the announcement of the Force For Change/UNICEF sweepstakes?

This pic was posted at a moment when the Cyborg villain rumors started. My guess is that it was either a joke or it belongs to a minor character from the movie.

2) The London "summit" seems to have been a meeting to develop the BIG picture of what the Star Wars saga entails beyond Episode VII. What do you guys think about the "universe-building" tack that Disney has taken with Star Wars?

Obviously Disney are not rushing things. It's apparent that they want to do this the right way. It's great to know that the whole process works under the supervision of Abrams and Kennedy. The franchise is in good hands. Really strong directors, writers and cast are involved with the movies. That's very important.

3) Are we going to see Marvel-type success or Sony-style disaster?

I'm greatly optimistic about that. I think it will even surpass the so called Marvel-type success!

4) What do you guys think of the new stormtrooper design?

I like the generic ones and their more futuristic look. Also I love the Chrome Trooper design (the battered one from Doug Chiang).

5) Aside from the "incendiary trooper" what other iterations will we see or do you want to see?

Well we've heard about the new Tie pilots, the regular Stormtroopers, the Incendiary Troopers, the Chrome Troopers and their leader. I'm sure there could be more. I love the ROTJ Scout Troopers, so I hope to see a new upgraded version in TFA (i.e. for the Puzzlewood scenes).

6) Are the stormtroopers going to hit something with their lasers in the ST or will they continue to be inept?

Actually I was surprised how dumb they made the Stormtroopers in Rebels. I really hope Abrams to change that. And I'm sure he will.

7) The Greenham Common filming leaked due to an accidental fly-over. Aside from fly-over leaks what do you think about the leaks or lack thereof?

I'm pretty fine with the amount of leaks we had so far. Actually it's kinda weird that an Abrams production has so many leaks. We had the Abu Dhabi, Puzzlewood, Greenham Common, Pinewood photos, which is pretty big compared to his previous projects. And yet we don't know much about anything.

8) What do you think about the idea that Disney (et al) had attempted to acquire a "Drone Shield?"

9) Do you think that any other film franchise is as dogged for info leaks as Star Wars?

10) What do you think about the Black X-Wing?

Either we are going to have a new squad for stealth missions or it's the Republic's hero ride, made this way to differentiate it from the others in battle.

11) What did you guys think about the Imperial design aesthetics we saw in the JJ Apple Watch Tweet?

Good to see some old fashioned Empire designs.

12) We know that Greg Grunberg has a role in the film, probably an alien or stormtrooper, and we know that there have been a lot of celebrity visitors to the set -- Kevin Smith, Daniel Radcliffe, Simon Pegg, Benedict Cumberbatch, Peter Jackson, and Daniel Craig. Are we likely to find out after the movie has been released that this is the most star-studded production of 2014?

I highly doubt it. I'm almost sure that Pegg is in. Especially after he attended the wrap party. Not sure about Cumberbatch. The rest - no.

13) Who won the Star Wars/Batman Mashup war?

Ha, we're biased for this one.

PART II

1) How awesome is it that John Williams is back for the ST?

We all know that he is an essential part of the franchise and it's great to know that he is back. Still it would be interesting to see if Williams will also be attached to the spin-offs. I have a feeling that they will chose another composer for those. Of course that's not a bad thing. There are many talented composers out there who can take the baton.

2) Anyone think we'll hear the Imperial March again or has it died with Vader and Palpatine?

Who knows. It's an Imperial March and it appears that the Empire is still not dead. Probably if we hear it, it will be a newly altered version.

3) Jason [Ward] described a lot of the leaked photos before anyone else had them (we can divulge that we had some beforehand). What was more controversial -- the descriptions of the photos or the actual leak?

4) The two most controversial descriptions revolve around the cyborg character that may or may not be Luke. Now that we've all seen them does anyone think Luke is a cyborg in the ST?

Since this rumor started I learnt from a source that no major characters in the movie are cyborgs, including Luke. In less than a year we will find out if I am right.

5) I doubt that the TMZ "leaks" were really leaks. Were the concept art leaks really leaks or was this controlled [UNofficial] dissemination?

I've been told that there were no controlled leaks and disinformation campaign with this movie yet. I really believe that.

6) Without getting too spoiler-centric what were the most striking elements of the concept art leaks for you?

7) Disney and JJ, in particular, stated they wanted to recapture the OT feel and have brought back just about everyone who was involved with the OT. What did you think when you heard Warrick Davis was coming back for his third movie?

It's great to see that no one from the major characters from the OT is forgotten. I wonder if Warwick will have a bigger role this time. At least I know he won't play an Ewok.

8) What about the lack of news on the Billy Dee Williams front OR have we heard something?

Lando's character is too important to be left out of the ST equation. He will be involved, the question is when. I won't be surprised if we see him in TFA although he denied.

9) Fans apparently crept onto a set DURING filming. Did JJ's mystery box have too many holes in it or are Star Wars fans the craziest [read dedicated], most ardent fans in the world?

10) We couldn't really tell what was happening other than stormtroopers. Do we think stormtroopers are going to be more pivotal and/or serious in the Sequel Trilogy?

Of course. One of the protagonists is a former Stormtrooper...

11) Carrie Fisher's "Leia" was one of the last legacy characters to film on the production -- What ideas can we draw from this?

12) Does anyone think Harrison Ford was involved as well since his scenes had to be delayed because of his broken leg?

13) Could this be the last time Carrie and Harrison film a Star Wars movie? Is this something they can actually keep secret?

14) What do we think of the subtitle -- The Force Awakens? Does it work with all the other titles?

I like the title. It works very well with the new Disney era. After all the franchise has awakened and we need a new force for that.

PART III

1) Describe your excitement about the rumors of a SW teaser trailer?

2) How excited were you?

3) What did you do on "Black Friday?" How did you view it? How many times?

Well, I was dealing with the site's issues. Because of the huge traffic the site crashed just before the trailer hit the web. I was furious.

4) What was your reaction to the teaser trailer?

A big smile on my face. I really enjoyed it. A new Star Wars movie is coming!!!

5) How many times have you seen it since?

Maybe around 20-30 times.

6) What is your favorite part? Any disappointments?

Oscar Isaac and the X-Wings sequence. No disappointments at all.

7) What do you think about the "Sithcalibur" controversy?

When I first saw the art with it, I didn't like it. But now I think it's not that bad. With the right backstory it could be great.

8) What do you think about this hype?

9) Can there be any more pressure on JJ or is it all equal when it comes to SW -- as in already larger than life?

JJ took the biggest pressure, no doubts about it. And I'm not really surprised he will direct only Episode VII. The expectations are huge. It's the start of a new era. I really admire the guy.

10) Do you think this is why he initially didn't want the job?

He already had a plan in his mind with the Star Trek trilogy, and suddenly a whole new Star Wars movie drops from the sky. Of course you will refuse the job at first.

11) Bob Iger said he was excited about the footage. Kevin Smith cried. Both Peter Mayhew and Anthony Daniels had very glowing praise for the film already -- what do you think about all this insider praise?

Everyone praises his own movie. But this time it kinda feels different. The people involved really sound like they believe in what they say. I think they are honest.

12) I wrote an article in which I detailed why I think TFA will break $3 billion in box office and I stand by that guesstimation. IS there any way in the world that TFA does NOT break box office records and make cinematic history?

The movie will be successful, no one has any doubts about it. I think $2billion is the mark, this movie will reach.

13) Any thoughts or predictions for the coming days?

Anything could happen. With a single click of the mouse there could be another concept art leak.

14) What do we think of the names that were released?

I liked them all. No issues at all.

Voxx · Dec 15, 2014

PART 1
1) I immediately assumed it to be the new villain’s.

2) If they are going with a MARVEL style shared universe type-thing, interlinking TV shows, movies, books, etc. it will be a great accomplishment. I’m looking forward to it.

3) Marvel-type success of course. Disney is in charge, they know what’s up.

4) It looks fantastic! I’m excited to see these guys in action!

5) It looks like we will be on a snowy planet so maybe a new style of Snow Trooper.

6) I feel they may have gotten advanced weaponry to enhance their aim… heat seeking lasers..

7) The leaks are very fun to read, legit or not.

8) Good for them. It was needed to keep the movie a mystery until it hits theaters.

9) Maybe the Marvel and DC movies coming up. Other than that maybe the 007 and Terminator films.

10) Looks neat. I hope it is different from the regular X-wing other than color scheme.

12) As far as cameos go, I only thing Grunberg and Pegg have cameos. Maybe Kevin Smith since he cried on set.

13) It’s too close to call. Both were very fun to look at.

PART 2
1) It was just as great hearing he’s back as Hamill, Ford, and Fisher being back.

2) Probably a little snippit of the Darth Vader theme included when we first see Storm Troopers, much like when we first saw Clone Troopers in Attack of the Clones.

3) The actual leak for sure.

4) Nope, it’s a new villain in my opinion.

5) I feel they were leaked on purpose.

6) They reminded me of Star Wars, Classic Star Wars and also Modern Star Wars. It was like coming home after being away for a long time. Plus they were filled with mystery.

7) “I really hope he has a big role in the film that isn’t a Jedi Wicket.”

8) I have a GOOD feeling he will be back, but not until Episode VIII, mirroring his entrance into the Galaxy Far, Far Away in The Empire Strikes Back.

9) They’re the craziest. Period.

10) I’m thinking they will be more important as one of the leads is apparently a Storm Trooper.

14) It works. It goes along with the vague-ness of A New Hope and The Phantom Menace.

PART 3

4) I’m pretty sure I was smiling the entire time.

5) Too many to count.

6) The whole thing is my favorite!

7) I don’t get the controversy part of it. It looks neat, unpractical, but neat. One we see it in action everyone will probably like it.

8) I’m boarding the hype-train.

9) Seeing as he made Star Trek such a huge new phenomenon, I feel he will to the same with Star Wars. He probably doesn’t even feel pressure; it’s just another day in the office for him making super awesome films.

11) It’s good to hear that the people involved are proud of their work. Smith is a super nerd so I don’t blame him.

12) Something terrible happens and no one is able to see the film. Other than that, it will break records I’m sure.

13) We will get another piece of official news soon, as the 1 year mark is quickly approaching.

14) I’m fine with the names. Poe, Rey, and Finn are kind of strange but hey, I’m not the one getting paid thousands of dollars to come up with “space-y” sounding names.

Echo-07 · Jan 8, 2015

These are the answers from Jason Ward (@MakingStarWars) of MakingStarWars.net via Private Message:
---

PART I

1) Whose robotic hand was holding the announcement of the Force For Change/UNICEF sweepstakes?

This one really has me puzzled still. The hand has appeared in concept art for the main villain. That makes me think the hand is that of Andy Serkis' "Uber." That said, it does still match the Skywalker hand in a lot of ways.

The London "summit" seems to have been a meeting to develop the BIG picture of what the Star Wars saga entails beyond Episode VII. What do you guys think about the "universe-building" tack that Disney has taken with Star Wars?

I think the BIG picture is being handled by the Lucasfilm Story Group. With films, television, novels, comics, and everything in between, it seems to me it was more about "tone" than a post-Force Awakens universe. People like Rian Johnson have to continue the Star Wars story and he has to begin it without ever having see The Force Awakens. The "summit" over the hiatus seems to have been a way to make sure the disparate films coming our way are interfacing in tonally compatible ways.

2) Are we going to see Marvel-type success or Sony-style disaster?
I think the size of the teaser we got on Thanksgiving just proves the film is going to makes its money back. So if we're talking financials, I think we're good. Creatively? From what we know and have seen, there's no way this movie isn't going to rock.

3) What do you guys think of the new stormtrooper design?

I'm actually really proud of the designers. They pulled off evolving the Stormtrooper's design. Touching something iconic is difficult. With the prequel trilogy, they had to reverse engineer things and that gave them a lot of freedom. For the sequel trilogy, these designs have to follow an iconic and established design. When we saw them on screen they were simply Stormtroopers, new ones. There wasn't any cognitive dissonance in attempting to interpret the design. To me it says the design is successful.

4) Aside from the "incendiary trooper" what other iterations will we see or do you want to see?

Well we will see TIE Fighter pilots. They look really cool. They have a pull down visor that can act as a blast shield or targeting computer. The eye lenses evoke the new design and the old. I have seen some gunner Stormtroopers that are nearly identical to the new Stormtroopers but they have appear to have slightly different chest armor. I think the Chrome Stormtrooper squadron is going to seriously rock.

5) Are the stormtroopers going to hit something with their lasers in the ST or will they continue to be inept?

From what I've seen, conceptually speaking, they set up the new Stormtroopers as an intimidating and dangerous force. However, I have seen them bleeding out on the battlefield and being eaten by monsters, so they're still as susceptible to death as ever, it seems.

6) The Greenham Common filming leaked due to an accidental fly-over. Aside from fly-over leaks what do you think about the leaks or lack thereof?

There are so many leaks on this film. There are a ton that aren't even spoken of (yet). The thing is, you have a film with an extreme interest to it. You have a crew that got into filmmaking because of Star Wars and now they're working on it. You have people in the area making other films that are not Star Wars, tripping out on seeing truly amazing stuff walking by in the distance. You have off site contractors glancing things without being under NDAs. You have disgruntled employees on the film. You have enthusiastic employees on the film. It's a perfect storm for leaks. It is a situation where "the more you tighten your grip, the more systems will slip through your fingers," type of situation. It seems to make it all the more fun for people to talk about it when they're not supposed to. I think it's incredible there are so many.

7) What do you think about the idea that Disney (et al) had attempted to acquire a "Drone Shield?"

I think that was a wise thing to attempt. I know it's a bit contradictory to say this, but it seems like it's not playing by the rules when drones fly over. I feel like it could disrupt the production, harm the creative flow, and potentially mean scenes could not come out as strong and enthusiastic as they might have without interruption.

8) Do you think that any other film franchise is as dogged for info leaks as Star Wars?

I don't think so. I don't think people care about other franchises as much. When they do care, the story is already out there in some form, like Lord of the Rings or the Marvel stories.

9) What do you think about the Black X-Wing?
The black X-wing is a weird thing. It looks really cool. But it feels really gimmicky at the same time. There is no reason it cannot exist. So the fact it does is fine. I just worry about how it will look next to the others in space. Will it look cool or will it ruin the look of a cool shot because it just doesn't visually work next to the more classic looking ships? For the record, I think Chrome Stormtroopers rock but the Shadow Troopers look pretty dumb. "Just paint it black" is kind of weak, inspirationally speaking.

10) What did you guys think about the Imperial design aesthetics we saw in the JJ Apple Watch Tweet?

That's another one where the design is more of the same. It's cool that it will tell us we're in the same universe we know and love. On the other hand, I always want to see new designs.

11) We know that Greg Grunberg has a role in the film, probably an alien or stormtrooper, and we know that there have been a lot of celebrity visitors to the set -- Kevin Smith, Daniel Radcliffe, Simon Pegg, Benedict Cumberbatch, Peter Jackson, and Daniel Craig. Are we likely to find out after the movie has been released that this is the most star-studded production of 2014?

My guess is that they will remain as uncredited roles for some time. I saw Attack of the Clones in 3D and people were still asking if there was any truth to N'Sync being in the film or having even been on set and that was over ten years ago.

12) Who won the Star Wars/Batman Mashup war?

The Batmobile is like the most beautiful prom queen ever. Everyone loves her. She's beautiful. But the Falcon? That's an international super model. It was a different league. Batman got outclassed. The Falcon smoked the Batmobile. Now, if a DeLorean was involved, we might had a better competition.

PART II

1) How awesome is it that John Williams is back for the ST?
I think that's what makes me positive that no matter what this is going to feel like a Star Wars film.

2) Anyone think we'll hear the Imperial March again or has it died with Vader and Palpatine?
I think we will. I think holding back and sparing leitmotifs was a George Lucas thing. He wanted to keep them special. Look at the music on Star Wars: The Clone Wars and the music on Star Wars Rebels. On Rebels they aren't holding back at all as George isn't there to restrain them on that level any longer.

3) Jason [Ward] described a lot of the leaked photos before anyone else had them (we can divulge that we had some beforehand.) What was more controversial -- the descriptions of the photos or the actual leak?

The actual leak. There is a big difference between saying what's out there and showing it. The one thing I don't like about concepts leaking is that they might be considered for future films and spin-offs. At the same time, there's such a difference between seeing a piece of art and seeing the film, actors, costumes, sets, and John Williams rocking our faces off. That's why I look at everything and read everything. For me, the execution is the surprise.

4) The two most controversial descriptions revolve around the cyborg character that may or may not be Luke. Now that we've all seen them does anyone think Luke is a cyborg in the ST?
This question is a little weird. Because you haven't all seen them. You've seen one of like 25 depictions of this particular sequence. I do think something interesting happened during the development of this sequence and I've seen written about it on the my site. I firmly believe Luke Skywalker is unhinged and the heroes think he might be dangerous. But as time goes on, it is seemingly more and more like the final iterations of the cyborg stuff might be the eventual fate of Kylo Ren.

5) I doubt that the TMZ "leaks" were really leaks. Were the concept art leaks really leaks or was this controlled [UNofficial] dissemination?

I can confirm to you that the concept art was a real leak. The concept art has been out there for a long time.

6) Without getting too spoiler-centric what were the most striking elements of the concept art leaks for you?
For me it was just the methods being used. The use of Photoshop to make hybrid conceptual art is pretty fascinating. And while only like a needle point has leaked online, it's really cool to see how things like the AT-AT homestead have so many different iterations with slight alterations to them.

7) Disney and JJ, in particular, stated they wanted to recapture the OT feel and have brought back just about everyone who was involved with the OT. What did you think when you heard Warrick Davis was coming back for his third movie?
I think it made sense. Star Wars features characters of all shapes and sizes. Who is better than Warwick Davis?

8) What about the lack of news on the Billy Dee Williams front OR have we heard something?
There were rumors early on he was going to show up at the very end of the film. But so far the sources that said as much haven't panned out at all. I think we'll see Billy Dee in Star Wars Rebels first. Maybe they're saving Billy Dee for Star Wars: Episode VIII?

9) Fans apparently crept onto a set DURING filming. Did JJ's mystery box have too many holes in it or are Star Wars fans the craziest [read dedicated], most ardent fans in the world?

The mystery box is a plot device. I don't like the mystery box getting a bad rap. Star Wars: A New Hope is a mystery box which unfolds rather well, actually. I think Abrams secrecy is exactly the same as most any other big film's secrecy. The only difference is that Abrams cares more and keeps things under wraps generally. That said, The Force Awakens is a huge film. The only way they could have kept things more secretive was actually own the studio itself. With other films being made there, things are seen and talked about. But with Disney, Lucasfilm, Bad Robot, and contractors around, that's too many fingers in the pie to keep it a secret regarding what's for desert, in my opinion.

10) We couldn't really tell what was happening other than stormtroopers. Do we think stormtroopers are going to be more pivotal and/or serious in the Sequel Trilogy?
My guess is they'll be more serious from the standpoint of Finn. When Finn and his friends land to burn that location in the film, its going to dominate our perception of them for the rest of the film, I think.

11) Carrie Fisher's "Leia" was one of the last legacy characters to film on the production -- What ideas can we draw from this?

I think her part is smaller but important. It appears she's pretty much confined to the rebel base sets, codenamed Pirate's Cove by the production.

12) Does anyone think Harrison Ford was involved as well since his scenes had to be delayed because of his broken leg?

By all accounts nothing changed with Ford's character in the film. That's why we had that hiatus.

13) Could this be the last time Carrie and Harrison film a Star Wars movie? Is this something they can actually keep secret?

If there is a death in the film, as materials move over to publications and things of that nature, we'll start to hear more rumblings. At this point, we've heard everyone in the film dies and it's really sad when it happens. Until we get something more substantial, it will be impossible to know. But I do not believe it could be kept under wraps at all.

14) What do we think of the subtitle -- The Force Awakens? Does it work with all the other titles?
I think it is probably the least fun of the titles. It feels more like a publishing title than a film title to me. As time goes forward, it has become more impossible to imagine the film being named anything else and eventually it will be weird it ever seemed weird to me, I'm sure. That said, I prefer the pulpy titles a little more than this. But hey, if it fits the film, it fits the film.

PART III

1) Describe your excitement about the rumors of a SW teaser trailer?
For me it was like getting the jitters. But then I would push it down and say "No, it's too early still..." But then as stuff started coming in over and over again, it became a little more obvious it was actually probably happening.

2) How excited were you?
I couldn't sleep the entire night. I kept waking up to check the clock to make sure I was awake when it hit.

3) What did you do on "Black Friday?" How did you view it? How many times?
My wife worked that morning. So we watched it online a bunch of times. Shortly after that it was on AppleTV so we watched it on our 55 inch television about every 20 minutes that first day. After she got off work we went and saw it at the theater in San Francisco.

4) What was your reaction to the teaser trailer?
I was shocked by the intensity John Boyega brought to the shot! BB-8 made me ecstatic. BB-8 is a character I've been following since the droid was a shoe box with legs. So the to follow the evolution behind the scenes to what we saw on screen was mind blowingly cool. Kylo Ren kind of made me pause though. The saber is fine. I was just more interested in the way he moved. It wasn't like the throw back pulpy villains Star Wars has used before. It felt more like something from Harry Potter. I still don't know what to make of that. But the X-wings and the Falcon delighted me and it was just like "cool." I love The Phantom Menace but when I saw the trailer with the bad Yoda puppet, I was not pleased with the teaser and I was the only one that wasn't sold at the theater that day. I didn't have anything like that with this teaser.

5) How many times have you seen it since?
I can't count that high!

6) What is your favorite part? Any disappointments?
BB-8. Hands down is the best part. Not getting a clear sense of the bad guy was probably my biggest disappointment.

7) What do you think about the "Sithcalibur" controversy?
I think it was kind of dumb. Laser swords aren't real or even practical for that matter. To get hung up on crossbeams which can have a fictional function seems silly to me. You're taking a lot of stuff for granted at this point if the crossbeams bother you.

8) What do you think about this hype?
I think a lot of fans need to find something to hate. Our fandom often gets cognitive dissonance at the slightest hint of change or something new. Something new was introduced to the galaxy and that allowed a lot of discussion to form. That said, wouldn't it be awful if that laser sword was shown and no one cared at all?

9) Can there be any more pressure on JJ or is it all equal when it comes to SW -- as in already larger than life?

I don't think many people ever find themselves in a situation similar to Abrams in this instance. I have to think at some points there has to be lots of anxiety. But I have to imagine he just lets it go and moves foward making the Star Wars film he wants to see. That's really the best anyone can do in my opinion.

10) Do you think this is why he initially didn't want the job?
I think loving something and doing it as a job is a weird situation. As a kid, me and my podcast co-host were hired to work the Star Wars store at the mall for The Phantom Menace. Working a Star Wars store sounds like the coolest job ever! I hated just about every second of it. It takes what you love and turns it into work and makes you confront it not as leisure but as a daily challenge. I think he was wise to that type of situation and I also think he was thinking of his family.

11) Bob Iger said he was excited about the footage. Kevin Smith cried. Both Peter Mayhew and Anthony Daniels had very glowing praise for the film already -- what do you think about all this inisder praise?

I think it's irrelevant. I believe in the movie. But what else are they going to say? I doubt their contracts even allow them to disparage the franchise, but that's just an assumption. That said, Smith was like a kid at Disneyland for adults. It wasn't like he saw the movie and cried. He cried seeing Chewbacca and the Falcon. The man literally could have cried on the set of the Star Wars Holiday Special by that same affect. I like Smith, don't get me wrong.

12) I wrote an article in which I detailed why I think TFA will break $3 billion in box office and I stand by that guesstimation. IS there any way in the world that TFA does NOT break box office records and make cinematic history?

Are we talking inflation adjusted? It will take years to catch up to the true domestic box office of Gone with the Wind, Star Wars, and E.T. I don't see why it can't beat a subpar, but sensational film like Avatar. I certainly hope it does well. But I also remember before The Phantom Menace when the geeks tried to pit it against Titanic, another Cameron film, and they were off by about $200 million and it had nothing to do with the quality of the film. I think the film will outsell the prequels simply because Lucasfilm under George Lucas would actually limit the amount of theaters that could show his films. Those days are over and just the fact the film will likely open in a considerably large amount of theaters almost guarantees it beats The Phantom Menace no matter what. I think it could do it and 3 billion is possible. I know about 1 billion alone will come from my repeat viewings.

13) Any thoughts or predictions for the coming days?

I can't be too specific yet. But there's going to be some documentation coming around soon that will probably allows us to start to weed out a lot of old rumors. Other than that, I just look forward to teaser 2!

TIDMADT · Jan 12, 2015

PART I

1) Whose robotic hand was holding the announcement of the Force For Change/UNICEF sweepstakes?

I believe it will be Anakin's... although there is a lot to say it is Luke, I think with the Sith collecting thing going on, the collector will lose a limb and use Anakin's hand for the replacement

2) The London "summit" seems to have been a meeting to develop the BIG picture of what the Star Wars saga entails beyond Episode VII. What do you guys think about the "universe-building" tack that Disney has taken with Star Wars?

I think for the fans it will be a win... Disney has enough money (and has invested enough money) to make it worth their while to branch this out in as many directions as possible. I think we will see more animated series, and hopefully eventually a live action one.

3) Are we going to see Marvel-type success or Sony-style disaster?

Marvel... god I hope so

4) What do you guys think of the new stormtrooper design?

Meh... they are stormtroopers. It's nice to see that they are taking care on this to show the passage of time, and the effects of that on designs

5) Aside from the "incendiary trooper" what other iterations will we see or do you want to see?

An aquatic trooper would be nice... and more shock troops who do closer melee infighting. The OT concept art with swords (not necessarily lightsabers, but in some fashion) with shields for close combat would be totally excellent

6) Are the stormtroopers going to hit something with their lasers in the ST or will they continue to be inept?

I think they will be more lethal. So much has been said about their inaccuracy...

With the empire defeated, any force that comes up now needs to be a threat. If the troopers continue to be inept, they will (as a threat, to the audience) be discarded. I think we will see a leaner, more sinister and far more deadly threat in them

7) The Greenham Common filming leaked due to an accidental fly-over. Aside from fly-over leaks what do you think about the leaks or lack thereof?

On the whole, we really have seen very little... I think part of that is the effort put in place, and part is that most of the people working on the film are hard core and loyal. The extras (outlanders) would most likely have been kept (as much as possible) from critical information

8) What do you think about the idea that Disney (et al) had attempted to acquire a "Drone Shield?"

They have people paid to do security, and this was no more than a critical inquiry into a tangible threat... I think far too much has been made about this. In their place, would you not have looked into the same avenues to protect your charge?

9) Do you think that any other film franchise is as dogged for info leaks as Star Wars?

Harry Potter, perhaps... the huge difference being that the books already existed, so while you knew what would happen, you just weren't sure exactly how

10) What do you think about the Black X-Wing?

We have seen it, it exists... I think the colouring speaks more to the squadron and purpose than eccentricities of the pilot

11) What did you guys think about the Imperial design aesthetics we saw in the JJ Apple Watch Tweet?

It is nice to know great effort is being put into the design work to remain loyal to the saga as a whole. That being said, Disney acquired a whole team that eat, drink and live the nuances of what exists in this universe

12) We know that Greg Grunberg has a role in the film, probably an alien or stormtrooper, and we know that there have been a lot of celebrity visitors to the set -- Kevin Smith, Daniel Radcliffe, Simon Pegg, Benedict Cumberbatch, Peter Jackson, and Daniel Craig. Are we likely to find out after the movie has been released that this is the most star-studded production of 2014?

It's possible... this is SW, and this will be the (for all intents and purposes) the most highly anticipated film in history... ever... who wouldn't want to be in it if they could? Most of the actors (Radcliffe aside) grew up on this, and like Kevin Smith, walking onto the set would just bring back so much emotional memory

13) Who won the Star Wars/Batman Mashup war?

Are you kidding? At the point where we got the Hunk of Junk video, it was game over... I mean, who invests that kind of time, money and resources for a salvo shot?

PART II

1) How awesome is it that John Williams is back for the ST?

Who else could do it?

2) Anyone think we'll hear the Imperial March again or has it died with Vader and Palpatine?

When JW went back for the prequels, he said he tried to create music that would be as much "prequel" to the music of the OT, so you would be able to see an evolution... there were elements of Anakin that you would see branch off into both Luke and Vader. I think that same effort will be shown here, and whoever becomes the new Emperor, let's face it, when they walk on the screen, all we have to hear is that music, and we will know everything we need to about that character

3) Jason [Ward] described a lot of the leaked photos before anyone else had them (we can divulge that we had some beforehand). What was more controversial -- the descriptions of the photos or the actual leak?

The descriptions... the concept art would have been controversial enough as it was, but to simply describe them without proof of their existence added the element of controversy as to whether they actually existed, and then added to that if they were being described correctly (or in a manner that would convey the truth of them)

4) The two most controversial descriptions revolve around the cyborg character that may or may not be Luke. Now that we've all seen them does anyone think Luke is a cyborg in the ST?

I think this had a lot to do with it... once someone described it as a "cyborg" then the truth of if it was a mask, or what it really depicted, went out the window... it may very well be that the "cyborg" parts in those pieces were a mask, but there has been this whole legacy now devoted to the cyborg theories. In that, the descriptions could potentially have been harmful... when the artwork eventually did come out, people were already per-disposed to see them as a cyborg, even if the artwork didn't reveal that... it tainted everyone's perception

5) I doubt that the TMZ "leaks" were really leaks. Were the concept art leaks really leaks or was this controlled [UNofficial] dissemination?

I think it was leaked... but I think it was an authorized leak. JJ and KK would be fools if they didn't have someone tasked to release certain information at a certain time, and keep track of what was out there already in order to create a "counter" plan

6) Without getting too spoiler-centric what were the most striking elements of the concept art leaks for you?

The detail of the war torn planet, and how Ridley is living in a shell... that speaks volumes to the mindset of the average person in the galaxy at that point. War has become a fact of life, and we are just surviving in the war torn remnants of what is left...

7) Disney and JJ, in particular, stated they wanted to recapture the OT feel and have brought back just about everyone who was involved with the OT. What did you think when you heard Warrick Davis was coming back for his third movie?

I think it is a no brainer... he is a fan fav

8) What about the lack of news on the Billy Dee Williams front OR have we heard something?

There is something there... the absence is just too lacking, and you have to think people are asking BDW that question themselves... I think, if he isn't a member of this cast, then he is either dead (which will be pivotal) or already planned for an act II appearance

9) Fans apparently crept onto a set DURING filming. Did JJ's mystery box have too many holes in it or are Star Wars fans the craziest [read dedicated], most ardent fans in the world?

You can't watch everywhere all the time, and sans shooting trespassers, what can you do? Also, we heard from one that got through... how many thousands didn't?

10) We couldn't really tell what was happening other than stormtroopers. Do we think stormtroopers are going to be more pivotal and/or serious in the Sequel Trilogy?

Absolutely...

11) Carrie Fisher's "Leia" was one of the last legacy characters to film on the production -- What ideas can we draw from this?

I wouldn't draw anything... shooting schedules often have nothing to do with the chronology of the film. Something that is filmed last could actually be first. And again, with elements, something that takes weeks to film may only appear for the briefest of moments in the final cut

12) Does anyone think Harrison Ford was involved as well since his scenes had to be delayed because of his broken leg?

One would think, right? I mean if it was a scene not involving him, it could be shot around him. But again, there could be changes to the sets that needed to be made after Ford shot that couldn't be done until he shot, and it could be totally unrelated... so many variables...

But come on, that topic alone... Han and Leia in love, are they still together... did they have children... are they estranged... at some point, he will see her, it just has to happen

13) Could this be the last time Carrie and Harrison film a Star Wars movie? Is this something they can actually keep secret?

Certainly... Harrison especially. He is consummate, he is professional... and he knows what is at stake. Certainly I hope he lives, but he wont be hurting for work if he dies in this

14) What do we think of the subtitle -- The Force Awakens? Does it work with all the other titles?

It is growing on me the more I live with it. I think it is short, and fits linguistically of course... the appropriateness of it, however, wont be able to be judged until we have a frame of reference for it

PART III

1) Describe your excitement about the rumors of a SW teaser trailer?

Our first glimpse... and everyone was hoping it would confirm or deny the plot points that had been being discussed. The trailer was perfect in that it showed everything and nothing all at the same time... it showed the new characters, it showed the falcon... and it told us absolutely nothing about anything that was going on...

2) How excited were you?

On a scale of 1 - 10? About 73... maybe 74, it's hard to tell...

3) What did you do on "Black Friday?" How did you view it? How many times?

I sat at my computer, and when it hit iTunes I suddenly found out I had to install something, cursing myself for not doing a "test run"

Saw it on YouTube finally... and Maclunkey chills when the Falcon banked...

4) What was your reaction to the teaser trailer?

I loved it... still do... watch it often, although not 10 times a day anymore...

5) How many times have you seen it since?

Lost count...

6) What is your favorite part? Any disappointments?

The only disappointment is the lack of OT characters... understandable, but disappointing

Again, I was on edge watching it... but when the Falcon banked, I was lost... still get chills at that point

7) What do you think about the "Sithcalibur" controversy?

Too much again is being made of this... it's a sword... it obviously has significance, but unless this is like an Excalibur among lightsabers, it's just another variant weapon like Maul's staff

8) What do you think about this hype?

So many hypes going on, not sure which one this one is...

9) Can there be any more pressure on JJ or is it all equal when it comes to SW -- as in already larger than life?

The greatest sin you can ever commit is to fail to live up to someone's expectations

10) Do you think this is why he initially didn't want the job?

I think there may have been concern on his side that he would be bottled into making someone else's movie... actors are basically puppets being moved around by the director to show a scene, the director has to have some level of freedom to do it in the style and manner they see best

11) Bob Iger said he was excited about the footage. Kevin Smith cried. Both Peter Mayhew and Anthony Daniels had very glowing praise for the film already -- what do you think about all this inisder praise?

A certain amount is to be expected... still, actors like Jim Cary have stepped out to stand against films they were on, so it can happen... it is certainly encouraging. The most significant of these is Kevin Smith... a total outsider fan-boy grown up who has no dog in that fight. He cried, I would have cried, its a good sign, and the absolute best representation of us being there...

12) I wrote an article in which I detailed why I think TFA will break $3 billion in box office and I stand by that guesstimation. IS there any way in the world that TFA does NOT break box office records and make cinematic history?

It already has made history... and again, this is the most anticipated event ever... not this year... not this decade... ever

13) Any thoughts or predictions for the coming days?

I think we will see a definite buildup as we get closer and the hype machine goes into hyperdrive. The more we know, the more we will know... we will start to see dots connected, things coming together...

14) What do we think of the names that were released?

Again, they are names... certainly the lack of surnames in some and the mention of them in others is telling, and we are certainly meant to be focused on who these people are and how they fit in

MarsPhoenix · Jan 13, 2015

PART I 1) Whose robotic hand was holding the announcement of the Force For Change/UNICEF sweepstakes?

Rey's friend's... a Cyborg formerly known as Lobot.

2) The London "summit" seems to have been a meeting to develop the BIG picture of what the Star Wars saga entails beyond Episode VII. What do you guys think about the "universe-building" tack that Disney has taken with Star Wars?

The main concern being how to "prolonge" the actual Saga into something that can go on forever. This was actually a puzzle, but they managed to find a solution.

3) Are we going to see Marvel-type success or Sony-style disaster?

It will be a huge success, greater than Marvel.

4) What do you guys think of the new stormtrooper design?

Slick, modern.

5) Aside from the "incendiary trooper" what other iterations will we see or do you want to see?

Invisible Troopers

6) Are the stormtroopers going to hit something with their lasers in the ST or will they continue to be inept?

The "special force" Troopers will be an update on what we are used to.

7) The Greenham Common filming leaked due to an accidental fly-over. Aside from fly-over leaks what do you think about the leaks or lack thereof?

They managed to keep most of the secrets thus far.

8) What do you think about the idea that Disney (et al) had attempted to acquire a "Drone Shield?"

That's a good sign. They want to keep us as surprised as possible. And I expect people to be highly dissapointed when the second trailer is released. They will show us the very minimum.

9) Do you think that any other film franchise is as dogged for info leaks as Star Wars?

It is filmed as it was back in the early 80s. ESB style.

10) What do you think about the Black X-Wing?

Sexy

11) What did you guys think about the Imperial design aesthetics we saw in the JJ Apple Watch Tweet?

Proof they are playing it safe

12) We know that Greg Grunberg has a role in the film, probably an alien or stormtrooper, and we know that there have been a lot of celebrity visitors to the set -- Kevin Smith, Daniel Radcliffe, Simon Pegg, Benedict Cumberbatch, Peter Jackson, and Daniel Craig. Are we likely to find out after the movie has been released that this is the most star-studded production of 2014?

13) Who won the Star Wars/Batman Mashup war?

Star Wars, of course!

PART II

1) How awesome is it that John Williams is back for the ST?

Star Wars is John WIlliams

2) Anyone think we'll hear the Imperial March again or has it died with Vader and Palpatine?

Vader will be alive, different but alive, so is The Imperial March

3) Jason [Ward] described a lot of the leaked photos before anyone else had them (we can divulge that we had some beforehand). What was more controversial -- the descriptions of the photos or the actual leak?

The actual leak.

4) The two most controversial descriptions revolve around the cyborg character that may or may not be Luke. Now that we've all seen them does anyone think Luke is a cyborg in the ST?

Luke is no Cyborg, but the Cyborg will be related to Luke.

5) I doubt that the TMZ "leaks" were really leaks. Were the concept art leaks really leaks or was this controlled [UNofficial] dissemination?

Everything is controlled And concept art... is concept art, most won't be in the final picture, maybe Episode 8, 9 or even the spin-offs

6) Without getting too spoiler-centric what were the most striking elements of the concept art leaks for you?

The level of détails for certain pièces that didn't need that kind of détails... like a crashed Tie

7) Disney and JJ, in particular, stated they wanted to recapture the OT feel and have brought back just about everyone who was involved with the OT. What did you think when you heard Warrick Davis was coming back for his third movie?

General Wicket!

8) What about the lack of news on the Billy Dee Williams front OR have we heard something?

You had some last week One Wise poster here speculated on the fact that voice-over Rebels character might have also visited TFA's set at the same time... Wise.

9) Fans apparently crept onto a set DURING filming. Did JJ's mystery box have too many holes in it or are Star Wars fans the craziest [read dedicated], most ardent fans in the world?

Fans are crazy, but should ponder conséquences...

10) We couldn't really tell what was happening other than stormtroopers. Do we think stormtroopers are going to be more pivotal and/or serious in the Sequel Trilogy?

No, not at all... they bridge things. They are showing the human face of The Empire and what will become of it when both sides face an even bigger threat.

11) Carrie Fisher's "Leia" was one of the last legacy characters to film on the production -- What ideas can we draw from this?

No action sequence for the Princess.

12) Does anyone think Harrison Ford was involved as well since his scenes had to be delayed because of his broken leg?

Of course, he's why the movie was pushed back in December.

13) Could this be the last time Carrie and Harrison film a Star Wars movie? Is this something they can actually keep secret?

The last time you have seen the trio together was in ROTJ... And both Han and Leia will die (not at the same time) in this movie, badly enough.

14) What do we think of the subtitle -- The Force Awakens? Does it work with all the other titles?

It's just perfect, the best Star Wars subtitle ever.

PART III

1) Describe your excitement about the rumors of a SW teaser trailer?

I've seen it, and it's exciting enough.

2) How excited were you?

Less than for the PT ones... strangely enough. But totally hyped after the viewing.

3) What did you do on "Black Friday?" How did you view it? How many times?

A couple of times online + fan reaction and spoofs

4) What was your reaction to the teaser trailer?

I liked it, hyped, but not overwhelmed

5) How many times have you seen it since?

20 times approx.

6) What is your favorite part? Any disappointments?

Favorite part was to see a female heroine in what looked like very ROTJ vibe. No disappointment at all.

7) What do you think about the "Sithcalibur" controversy?

I think it's a cool and original saber!

8) What do you think about this hype?

That's what I like the most about it, once again, people have fate in Star Wars

9) Can there be any more pressure on JJ or is it all equal when it comes to SW -- as in already larger than life?

JJ is draining himself on the movie. He's experimenting the same (well, different) level of stress George went through on Star Wars in 76. He wants it to be PERFECT.

10) Do you think this is why he initially didn't want the job?

Of course, it's not like if he was a newcomer. Failing Star Wars would hurt his career, and love for movies.

11) Bob Iger said he was excited about the footage. Kevin Smith cried. Both Peter Mayhew and Anthony Daniels had very glowing praise for the film already -- what do you think about all this inisder praise?

They are fans And this movie is for the fans.

12) I wrote an article in which I detailed why I think TFA will break $3 billion in box office and I stand by that guesstimation. IS there any way in the world that TFA does NOT break box office records and make cinematic history?

I don't know. I don't see how it'll beat Avatar, IMHO.

13) Any thoughts or predictions for the coming days?

It will remain calm again for a while... 2-3 months

14) What do we think of the names that were released?

Part of it is already out. The rest, along with Kenner toys announcements. But the names will remain cryptics, all but Darth Plagueis.

Echo-07 · Jan 15, 2015

MarsPhoenix said: ↑

2) The London "summit" seems to have been a meeting to develop the BIG picture of what the Star Wars saga entails beyond Episode VII. What do you guys think about the "universe-building" tack that Disney has taken with Star Wars?

The main concern being how to "prolonge" the actual Saga into something that can go on forever. This was actually a puzzle, but they managed to find a solution.
Click to expand...

Thank you for your answers -- very interesting!

I particularly liked the one above. So does you answer suggest what I think will happen -- that they have worked-out a way to continue the story into episodes X-XII???

TIDMADT · Jan 15, 2015

Echo-07 said: ↑

Thank you for your answers -- very interesting!

I particularly liked the one above. So does you answer suggest what I think will happen -- that they have worked-out a way to continue the story into episodes X-XII???
Click to expand...

I think (or hope... perhaps pray) that "Star Wars" as the numbered movies will continue... if these are successful... but we could also see a separate series set in a different time... like "The Old Republic" or some such... we already have the independent movies coming, so...

Echo-07 · Jan 15, 2015

TIDMADT said: ↑

I think (or hope... perhaps pray) that "Star Wars" as the numbered movies will continue... if these are successful... but we could also see a separate series set in a different time... like "The Old Republic" or some such... we already have the independent movies coming, so...
Click to expand...

Definitely agree +1000!

I would totally LOVE to see an Old Republic series and I wholeheartedly believe that SW is the type of franchise that could support two series at once (which is really just one mega-series.) IF Marvel can spawn off so many movies based around B and C list characters -- I mean Dr. Strange ?! -- then SW can spawn off movies that give great depth to the universe in backstory.

TIDMADT · Jan 15, 2015

Echo-07 said: ↑

Definitely agree +1000!

I would totally LOVE to see an Old Republic series and I wholeheartedly believe that SW is the type of franchise that could support two series at once (which is really just one mega-series.) IF Marvel can spawn off so many movies based around B and C list characters -- I mean Dr. Strange ?! -- then SW can spawn off movies that give great depth to the universe in backstory.
Click to expand...

I'm gonna see if I can get us some jobs on the next movie... your job, sadly, will be to mop up....

because my job will be to stand around with a dumb look on my face and drool....

Echo-07 · Jan 15, 2015

TIDMADT said: ↑

I'm gonna see if I can get us some jobs on the next movie... your job, sadly, will be to mop up....

because my job will be to stand around with a dumb look on my face and drool....
Click to expand...

Uh, as long as I don't have to wear a blindfold I'll mop up a SW set. Hells yeah!!!

Grand Master Galen Marek · Jan 21, 2015

I enjoyed reading all that. Should have been around for the first one, lesson learned.

Echo-07 · Jan 22, 2015

Grand Master Galen Marek said: ↑

I enjoyed reading all that. Should have been around for the first one, lesson learned.
Click to expand...

Thank you!

We did something similar for the first one but didn't post the Q & A in the forum like this one.

IF you'd like to read the first volume you can here:

http://www.starwars7news.com/2014/0...-review-a-writers-roundtable-part-1-of-3.html

http://www.starwars7news.com/2014/0...-review-a-writers-roundtable-part-2-of-3.html

http://www.starwars7news.com/2014/0...-review-a-writers-roundtable-part-3-of-3.html

Grand Master Galen Marek · Jan 22, 2015

Echo-07 said: ↑

Thank you!

We did something similar for the first one but didn't post the Q & A in the forum like this one.

IF you'd like to read the first volume you can here:

http://www.starwars7news.com/2014/0...-review-a-writers-roundtable-part-1-of-3.html

http://www.starwars7news.com/2014/0...-review-a-writers-roundtable-part-2-of-3.html

http://www.starwars7news.com/2014/0...-review-a-writers-roundtable-part-3-of-3.html
Click to expand...

Thanks for the links. Some more reading time should suffice.

Echo-07 · Jan 22, 2015

Grand Master Galen Marek said: ↑

Thanks for the links. Some more reading time should suffice.
Click to expand...

I apologize -- I can only provide links, NOT turn back time. LOL

Grand Master Galen Marek · Jan 22, 2015

Echo-07 said: ↑

I apologize -- I can only provide links, NOT turn back time. LOL
Click to expand...

No problem.

Writer's Roundtable #2 Questions

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Writer's Roundtable #2 Questions

Echo-07 Rebel Official

Pomojema Ayatollah Of Rock-&-Rolla Staff Member

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Viral Hide Elite Guard from Yinchorr Staff Member

Voxx Jedi Hero of Legend

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MarsPhoenix Sith Psychiatrist

Echo-07 Rebel Official

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Echo-07 Rebel Official

Grand Master Galen Marek Jedi General

Echo-07 Rebel Official

Grand Master Galen Marek Jedi General

Echo-07 Rebel Official

Grand Master Galen Marek Jedi General

Revisiting Our First Star Wars Books for World Book Day: SWNN Roundtable

Our Favorite Star Wars Moments From 2023: SWNN Roundtable

Where Does Ahsoka Season 2 Go Now? SWNN Roundtable Discussion

What Did Ahsoka Learn in The World Between Worlds? SWNN Roundtable Discussion

SWNN Interview: Hasbro Bring Home the Galaxy Roundtable With Chris Reiff and Jing Houle

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