Episode VII: The Force Awakens - Discussion * SPOILER THREAD * — Page 134

ATMachine said:

To be precise, Mace Windy was the Jedi Master who mentored the narrator of the unfinished 1973 Journal of the Whills fragment, the apprentice Chuiee Two (CJ) Thorpe.

In his 1983 book Skywalking, Dale Pollock (who got a lot of things in the early SW drafts extremely confused overall) mis-typed the character's name as "Mace Windu," and GL adopted this latter spelling for TPM.

"This is the story of Mace Windy, a reviered Jedi-bendu of Ophuchi, as related to us by CJ Thorpe, padawaan learner to the famed Jedi."
The opening of Lucas' handwritten "idea fragment" that became SW.

It's weird to think about the fact that the OT could have been about a man called Mace Windy and his padawaan (two a's) CJ Thorpe. I can't help but appreciate how much work went into revising this first movie idea. He apparently re-wrote it for three whole years. Not to mention that it kind of gives us some insight into what went wrong with Lucas' writing in the PT. I think it's safe to assume that a lot less work went into it. Not to mention that ANH did have other writers polish some of Lucas' writing in the end.

http://episodenothing.blogspot.no/2013/07/the-story-of-mace-windy-how-man-who.html

brash_stryker said:

ZkinandBonez said:

TV's Frink said:

timdiggerm said:

DuracellEnergizer said:

ZkinandBonez said: 

Someone should make a list of PT elements that Lucas borrowed from the EU. The multi-coloured lightsabers already seems to have been in the EU first, and so does several aliens (Dexter from ATOC is apparently based of an alien from SW Droids) so it seems like it would be quite a long list. 

The double-bladed lightsaber and Aayla Secura would definitely have to go on the list. 

The name "Coruscant" rather famously

 Pretty sure that was in an early Star Wars draft.

 The planet, yes, but not the actual name. That was made by Timothy Zahn (author of the Thrawn trilogy).

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Coruscant#Coruscant_chosen_for_the_films

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Coruscant#Behind_the_scenes

 Furthermore, in the original drafts for ROTJ it was referred to by the name Had Abbadon.

 The whole planet is one big city.

In the 1973 story synopsis, the Imperial capital world of Alderaan seems to have been essentially equivalent to the later city-planet Coruscant of the prequels.

However, the Alderaan seen in the 1974 rough draft was essentially a prototype of Cloud City: a floating metropolis hanging in the midst of a gaseous cloud expanse. The idea derives more or less straight from the Sky City of the Hawkmen in the original Flash Gordon Sunday comics.

In the second and third drafts from 1975, Alderaan remained a floating Cloud City and an Imperial prison, but it was no longer the capital of the Empire, merely a detention center. Still, the second draft does mention that the chief Sith Lord--then a separate character from the Emperor--had his residence on Alderaan.

The Alderaan of 1975 is evidently similar to Salusa Secundus in Dune: a secondary planet of the ruling House Corrino, where the Empire's greatest warriors are trained, though the Padishah Emperor currently has his capital on the planet Kaitain.

In Leigh Brackett's draft of ESB, the Imperial capital city-planet is known as Ton-Muund. This name, partly French in inspiration, suggests the phrase "tomb world" (or even "your world").

Had Abaddon, from the early drafts of ROTJ, has obvious Biblical connections--as does the name of "the Green Moon," Endor (or Jus-Endor, in some of the drafts).

The Secret History of Star Wars contains quite a few errors, you know. (But it's right about the final on-screen name of Coruscant in the prequels coming from the Zahn novels.)

TV's Frink said:

Ah, never mind on Coruscant.  We're currently reading The Secret History of Star Wars and it talks about the word coruscant being used by Edward Elmer Smith in 1937's Galactic Patrol...but not in relation to the early Star Wars drafts.

Team Olie

Funny. I'm reading Galactic Patrol right now. O_O

ZkinandBonez said:

ATMachine said:

To be precise, Mace Windy was the Jedi Master who mentored the narrator of the unfinished 1973 Journal of the Whills fragment, the apprentice Chuiee Two (CJ) Thorpe.

In his 1983 book Skywalking, Dale Pollock (who got a lot of things in the early SW drafts extremely confused overall) mis-typed the character's name as "Mace Windu," and GL adopted this latter spelling for TPM.

"This is the story of Mace Windy, a reviered Jedi-bendu of Ophuchi, as related to us by CJ Thorpe, padawaan learner to the famed Jedi."
The opening of Lucas' handwritten "idea fragment" that became SW.

It's weird to think about the fact that the OT could have been about a man called Mace Windy and his padawaan (two a's) CJ Thorpe. I can't help but appreciate how much work went into revising this first movie idea. He apparently re-wrote it for three whole years. Not to mention that it kind of gives us some insight into what went wrong with Lucas' writing in the PT. I think it's safe to assume that a lot less work went into it. Not to mention that ANH did have other writers polish some of Lucas' writing in the end.

http://episodenothing.blogspot.no/2013/07/the-story-of-mace-windy-how-man-who.html

To continue this line of thought; Dark Horse comics made a series out of Lucas' early ideas for "The Star Wars" a few years ago.

It's strange to think that Star Wars could have ended up looking a lot more like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sh5BzH3yPrU

Found some interesting tidbits from an Hungarian interview with Adam Driver's stunt-double; Toth Gyuala. The weirdest reference was in a The Mirror summary article which makes a reference to Toth having filmed "many of Driver's lightsaber battles." As far as the rumours that we have read so far, isn't Luke the only one people have suspected will appear in a duel With Ren? If there will be "many" lightsaber battles who would Kylo Ren be battling? There was that video some time ago that were supposedly a rehearsal for a scene where Kylo Ren fought several Jedi students. It was denied that it was SW related, but maybe we will at least see something similar regardless. Of course all this could just be a mistake by The Mirror writer.

More cryptically when asked if TFA would have PT-style duels or OT-style duels he simply said: "I can tell that it is not by chance that the title is The Force Awakens, the lightsabers will have a major role."

At least when asked about the use of practical effects and real sets he was much more specific:
"I think 70 percent of the scenery was actually built and could be touched." "Abrams really feels what the fans didn't like in the Prequels. He strove to capture the IV.V.VI. atmosphere. During filming, he worked through the tools of the old trilogy, and only marginally used the technology at present. In Abrams's film we can see sparkling effects if anyone shoots ray gun fire at something like a long time ago. And it is really good that he really made these sparks on the set."

Full interview:
http://www.starwars7news.com/2015/06/interview-with-adam-drivers-stunt-double.html

The Mirror article:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/star-wars-force-awakens-stunt-5860720

TV's Frink said:

ATMachine said:

The Secret History of Star Wars contains quite a few errors, you know.

That's a bold claim, especially given that the writer is a longtime member here.  Please start a new thread and elaborate.

 Patience, young one. All shall be revealed in time.

I hope Luke is in the movie quite prominently just to spite Lucas and his assertion that Star Wars was never Luke's story, it was the story of Darth Vader. 

Some interesting fan theories and speculations about Snoke. Hardly ground-breaking stuff, but a fun read nonetheless.   

http://whatculture.com/film/star-wars-the-force-awakens-6-theories-about-andy-serkis-supreme-leader-snoke.php

One of the more plausible theories suggest that Snoke could simply be the supreme leader of a First Order planet/region, much like how Tarkin was a governor, or rather "Gradn Moff" of a star system.  
One of the more 'wild' theories is that he could be a member of the Whills. Very unlikely, but it would be funny if Kasdan/Abrams had actually dug up that old of an idea. I'm guessing that they based that idea of his lines from the trailer about feeling a change in the force.

'That Hashtag Show' have leaked a picture which is apparently a photo of a wardrobe fitting for Carrie Fisher in TFA. 

http://makingstarwars.net/2015/06/star-wars-the-force-awakens-first-look-at-princess-leia/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMFhWXp_WAI

Any thoughts on this? They're referring to it as wardrobe fitting with Carrie Fisher, but I can't really tell if it is her. To me it looks like a somewhat older woman, but then again the quality if the image isn't very good so I could be wrong.

This image makes Carrie look significantly older than 58, unfortunately.

I'm not saying she looks bad, but I am saying that this leak makes her look worse than she does.

unamochilla2 said:

Hmm, I was expecting Leia to look more... regal, I guess.  It's too reminiscent of Tantive IV rebels for my tastes.

 Why? She isn't a princess on a diplomatic mercy mission, she's part of the rebel alliance and a traitor!
I love the costume!

Not that there was much doubt about Carrie Fisher being in the TFA trailer, but at least we can now see that the sleeve and black west match the wardrobe-fitting photo.

in before joke about "black east"