Tyrphanax

It would have been cool to hear them talk about Skyhook a bit, but I’m content with what I saw.

Vader thinks the plans are in the computer having (presumably) not found them on the Profundity, but they’re actually physical copies, which he doesn’t know, and everyone is there “to stop [him] this time.”

The Rebel troopers stall Vader to give the others time to get the plans off the Profundity’s computer and onto the Tantive IV. Vader realizes the plans aren’t there and are probably on the fleeing corvette. He chases it down.

Captain Antilles stalls Vader to give Leia time to get the plans to Artoo. Vader learns the plans aren’t on the computer and that Antilles was stalling (and actually doesn’t know anything), so he kills him and orders the troopers to find the passengers who might have the plans. They find Leia, who’s just given them to Artoo and causes a distracting ruckus.

Leia stalls Vader to give the droids time to get to the planet. The Star Destroyer gunners don’t know what’s going on with the boarding party and the plans, so they ignore the “malfunctioning” empty escape pod, allowing the droids to escape. Meanwhile, Vader knows Leia is lying, but also knows she knows something about the Rebels (she shot obviously-Imperial troopers on a ship that just fled Scarif) so he captures her, hoping to learn about the Rebel base. As control of the Tantive IV is consolidated, Vader is told of the escape pod and realizes she might have hidden the plans there before jettisoning it, orders the commander to send a detachment of troopers down to get them, and says “there will be no one to stop us this time” because he’d just been frustratingly stalled over and over, not realizing she gave them to a couple of droids who will give the afore-mentioned detachment the slip, and then again when they escape a locked-down Mos Eisley, which ultimately leads to the destruction of the Death Star.

The thing about the Death Star plans is that, while they mean everything to the Rebellion, because (we now know) they know about a hidden flaw in the construction of the station… most of the Empire doesn’t seem to care so much, partially because they don’t know what the Rebels do. Vader isn’t interested in the station compared to the Force, especially after he realizes Obi-Wan is still alive. Tarkin and most of the officers (except Motti) think that the station is invulnerable no matter what the Rebels know about it (again, the Empire doesn’t know about Galen’s “fuse” until Captain Bast tells Tarkin that they’ve analyzed the Rebel plan of attack, Krennic was the only Imperial who truly knew about it). Vader and Tarkin even let our heroes go (remember, they know that the the ship they captured in the remains of Leia’s home planet blasted out of Mos Eisley which is on the planet where they lost the plans, not to mention that Obi-Wan Kenobi came out of retirement for this, they know they let the plans go to the Rebels) in order to lead them to the Rebel base, which is their true main objective.

The last minutes of Rogue One and the first act of A New Hope is basically a lot of luck (or the Force =P) and stalling the unstoppable forces that are Vader and the Empire just long enough to keep the plans one step ahead of them.

This all feeds into Vader being more of a lackey character in Episode IV, too. He kinda fails his way through Star Wars, really. He fails to get the plans, he fails to destroy the Rebel base, he gambles with the Death Star and loses it. Vader doesn’t come into his own until he discovers Luke and becomes very driven to find him.

To me, it’s amazing that they were able to weave a new story in so closely to such a revered and sacred (to us) story with very minimal shoehorning or toe-stepping.

Tobar said:

After the huge shoot out in the hallway there’s no denying her involvement. Captain Antilles and Princess Leia are both just delaying Vader for as long as possible, hoping Artoo can get away and find Obi-Wan. As for the transmissions being beamed. We don’t know if Vader saw that soldier hand off that data tape. His mission as mandated by Tarkin is to mop up the space battle and prevent ships from escaping. So he could have been on his way to try to stop the Tantive from launching. Alternatively, as the Tantive was docked inside of Raddus’ ship, Vader could consider them both just one vessel and as we saw, the plans were beamed up in about four or five chunks simultaneously.

Exactly this.

Also at least 35 people at a nightclub in Istanbul.

Hey, how about we all stop being dicks to each other next year eh?

Let’s all strive to make this year better than the last.

suspiciouscoffee said:

My new year’s resolution is 1920x1080.

*rimshot*

moviefreakedmind said:

Tyrphanax said:

moviefreakedmind said:

Does anybody remember which of the directors for a Disney Star Wars movie said that he hated the Special Editions? If it was Gareth Edwards then that would be positive regarding the OUT’s prospects, because Edwards seemed pretty excited about the 4K print he saw. I can’t find it online, but I remember one of the director’s old forum posts being dug up years ago and he said a bunch of really dramatic stuff about how much he hates the SEs. Does anyone remember?

Edwards was once very outspoken against the revisionism, yes.

Do you think that his emphasis on the 4K print and how great the experience was points toward this 4K print being non-SE?

I can’t say for sure, but it’s safest to assume not. He worked for Lucasfilm so he’s not going to come out and say “it was the awful SE versions.”

Hope for the best, plan for the worst.

moviefreakedmind said:

Does anybody remember which of the directors for a Disney Star Wars movie said that he hated the Special Editions? If it was Gareth Edwards then that would be positive regarding the OUT’s prospects, because Edwards seemed pretty excited about the 4K print he saw. I can’t find it online, but I remember one of the director’s old forum posts being dug up years ago and he said a bunch of really dramatic stuff about how much he hates the SEs. Does anyone remember?

Edwards was once very outspoken against the revisionism, yes.

Oh cool another dumpster fire.

I’ll be interested in seeing what’s there when we actually dig up concrete stuff, but the speculation is a bit much for me.

FanFiltration said:

Is this right before Rousey dropped in 48 seconds?

Just saw the headline and found it a bit funny.

TavorX said:

The Nightsisters at least made great adversaries and loot after taking them down in Star Wars: Galaxies Pre-CU 😃

Haha, nice!

SilverWook said:

TavorX said:

I don’t really think Disney would waste resources on us in the first place; their main focus and demographic of fans rest in the domains of social media like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Reddit.

The plan was to shill for Disney elsewhere, and funnel the money into OT preservations. 😉

Devious.

ray_afraid said:

Alien: Covenant already looks to have all of Prometheus’ problems. Why are all these scientist/explorers going into the unknown without protective suits? The trailer shows that they get infected by something bad through their unprotected ears and then cuts to people saying “we have no idea what’s out there.” Stupid.

Ugh, man. I watched it for the first time a couple nights ago and it was just awful. It was interesting and decent in parts, but I have never seen a collection of dumber characters walk right into their own deaths willingly than I did when I watched Prometheus. What kind of scientist takes off a hazard suit just because you can breathe the air?! What kind of scientist goes tromping around touching and contaminating and affecting the environment? The one guy is like “whoa let’s not touch these dead guys, but I will try to touch this huge crazy worm!” Or “Oh hey I don’t wanna be friends, but later we’ll be okay with each other. Also where did your accent go the rest of the movie?”

Ugh. I could go on and on. Everyone was just so rock dumb. Except Idris near the end.

We should start a petition entitled “We Don’t Know What Film Criticism Means.”

It will make about as much sense as a petition as that one does.

Anchorhead said:

Tyrphanax said:
I just wanna address this because it was my first thought in the theater and I quickly explained it to myself, so the continual complaints about it have been bothering me for a bit.

…Obviously, from a cinematic standpoint, landing further away gives you the drama and tension of the walk to the house. We all know that much. But “cinematically good” doesn’t always make sense realistically.

…there’s the chance that they’re taking precautions in case the Erso’s mined or otherwise trapped the surrounding area, considering he’s hiding from the Empire and has known Rebel connections.

…it comes down to a matter of politeness…especially when you’re making a “social call” to “appeal to a friend” to help you with a project.

I agree with you on some people getting weirdly hung up on the landing location. Personally, I think if someone goes into a film expecting to be let down, that’s most likely what will happen. Put another way; if a person is always looking for an excuse, they’ll find one. As we were discussing a few days ago, people tend to overlook things when they like a film and criticize those same elements when they don’t like a film.

Above are passages of yours that I think are well thought possible explanations. I also wanted to address another. I like your take on the cinematic reason for the long walk. It creates visual tension for the viewer. In-universe, it would create a physiological tension for the family. It also drew him out of the house and away from a position of safety. Fewer surprises from a guy walking out to talk. The aggressor controls the situation.

Great point. I went in wanting to enjoy a fun and different Star Wars film and so most of my issues were small and easily explained away (like with the shuttle landing area). I also really like your added in-universe explanation, it definitely feels Imperial and I think especially fits Krennic as a character.

Anchorhead said:

TavorX said:
Wow, you just made me realize how damn emotional it would be if Galen was found on Scarif by Jyn. Instead of random romantic hands scene between Jyn and Cassian, it would had fit SO MUCH better if Jyn was crying and hugging Galen as their final moments slip away into the explosion left by the Death Star.

I was very happy that they avoided something that melodramatic. This isn’t a feel-good story. It’s harsh. The characters don’t get moments of inner peace or closure the way they did in the previous films. No “we’ll find Han”, no Ben talking to Luke in the trench run, and no Force ghosts waving goodbye. This is a war film.

Exactly. The deaths are fast and unglamorous like in a war film. Sure it’s not to the level of brutality of Saving Private Ryan or Black Hawk Down, but watching Bodhi have his moment of triumph in contacting the Rebel fleet and then dying almost immediately after is something we haven’t seen in Star Wars yet. Even old Ben has his moment of closure between his discussion with Vader and his glance at Luke. Bodhi just straight up died.

The closest we get to the idea of a romantic death are Chirrut and Baze, but they have a connection to the Force and one another so that makes sense.

TV’s Drink should be a cocktail.

TV’s Frink said:

DuracellEnergizer said:

Who reports the reporters?

Me.

Reported.

TV’s Frink said:

TV’s Frink said:

dahmage said:

TV’s Frink said:

dahmage said:

TV’s Frink said:

imperialscum said:

dahmage said:

Thread went downhill after the first 7 posts.

This thread pretty much started at the bottom of the hill.

Bored.

Frink was right when he dismissed my statement that the thread had bottomed out. I have now realized that it is still in an awkward freefall.

I didn’t dismiss it!

well, i forget what you did

Reported.

Reported.

Reported.

Not sure if anyone else saw Saw’s (ugh) legs when they show him walking up to Bodhi in his first scene, but they look like they were built in a cave with a box of scraps (and not by Tony Stark) and I can almost guarantee you that that is as fast as he moves. He’s on life support basically. He has to stop talking every few minutes to use his inhaler. He tells Jyn “there’s not much of me left.” Dude wasn’t goin’ anywhere and would have been a burden if he had.

TV’s Frink said:

Regardless, you may still want to talk to a doctor. None of us can (or should) really diagnose you, but if you think you even might be depressed, it would be wise to talk to someone just in case. You can even start with your primary care doc.

Exactly. It wasn’t my intent to diagnose, it’s just something I take very seriously.

Just watched this video thanks to Tobar, and found it really really good and informative for everyone. I highly suggest giving it a watch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hER0Qp6QJNU

Alderaan said:

I think the complaint about Krennic landing a mile away from everything is justified, but I’m not going to get stuck on something like that too much.

I just wanna address this because it was my first thought in the theater and I quickly explained it to myself, so the continual complaints about it have been bothering me for a bit.

Obviously, from a cinematic standpoint, landing further away gives you the drama and tension of the walk to the house. We all know that much. But “cinematically good” doesn’t always make sense realistically.

So, from an in-universe realism standpoint, there are a few reasons to land far away.

First, there’s the matter of finding a level place to set down that can support the weight of a craft that probably weighs at least a dozen tons. We can see in this image that most of the terrain on the close side of the green band is pretty rocky and uneven. From what I’ve read about Lah’mu, it’s a planet with lots of volcanic and geyser activity, so it’s possible that a lot of the ground isn’t stable or solid enough to support the weight of a shuttle (I’m assuming they can scan the surface/subsurface to find a suitable place to land as well). You don’t want to set down and immediately break through the surface and land in lava or scalding water, and you don’t want to set down all cockeyed, either.

Second, there’s the chance that they’re taking precautions in case the Erso’s mined or otherwise trapped the surrounding area, considering he’s hiding from the Empire and has known Rebel connections. Generally in a military operation you land a bit farther out and then move in, get what you need, and move back out to an extraction point. So it could be a tactical move.

Third, I remember watching the Star Destroyer take off over Jedha and wondering if there was any kind of jet wash from an action like that. Then later on, my question was answered when the jet wash from Krennic’s shuttle nearly blows Jyn off the platform on Eadu. So it comes down to a matter of politeness: I wouldn’t want a giant shuttle with the ability to blow a person several meters back with its jet wash landing in my backyard and whipping up rocks and dust and breaking my windows and knocking over my moisture vaporators and making a ton of noise. It’s just plain good starship etiquette to land further out and walk a bit to prevent that, especially when you’re making a “social call” to “appeal to a friend” to help you with a project.

TavorX said:

Tyrphanax said:

TavorX said:

My memory is poor too, but from what I remember, I thought that’s what that Rebel Politician was discussing with Cassian, in private; to take out Saw when given the chance. In extension, I guess killing Galen would be also on the agenda since I suppose that Rebel guy thought Galen and Saw could be working together some how…?

Ah… no.

Galen Erso sent Bodhi Rook (the pilot with the message about the Death Star) to Saw, because Galen trusts Saw (as we saw [hah] in the opening scene) and presumably doesn’t know he’s since gone a bit insane.

Cassian finds out about the pilot and Galen’s message from Tivik (the informant he kills on the Ring of Kafrene who works as an Alliance informant inside of Saw’s sect), then takes this intel to the Mon Mothma and the other Rebels on Yavin IV. They obviously want to know more about this alleged “planet killer,” but they can’t just go talk to Saw because he’s gone super extremist and kills their people, so they decide to bust Jyn Erso out because they know she’s close to Saw and he possibly won’t kill her so that they have a chance to set up a meeting with Saw about Galen’s message.

Jyn and Cassian are sent to set up this meeting and to see if the pilot can lead them to Galen himself, ostensibly to extract him because of what he knows, but General Draven (at least him, Mon Mothma might have sanctioned it too, but we dunno) catches Cassian as they’re about to leave for Jedha to see Saw (hah) and tells him to “forget what he heard” in the briefing about extracting Galen and that he’s too dangerous to be left alive to potentially develop more weapons for the Empire, and that he must be killed on sight.

And that’s the first act of Rogue One. =P

That clears that up then, thank you.

Darn these Saw puns!

They were both accidental, I swear.

TavorX said:

My memory is poor too, but from what I remember, I thought that’s what that Rebel Politician was discussing with Cassian, in private; to take out Saw when given the chance. In extension, I guess killing Galen would be also on the agenda since I suppose that Rebel guy thought Galen and Saw could be working together some how…?

Ah… no.

Galen Erso sent Bodhi Rook (the pilot with the message about the Death Star) to Saw, because Galen trusts Saw (as we saw [hah] in the opening scene) and presumably doesn’t know he’s since gone a bit insane.

Cassian finds out about the pilot and Galen’s message from Tivik (the informant he kills on the Ring of Kafrene who works as an Alliance informant inside of Saw’s sect), then takes this intel to the Mon Mothma and the other Rebels on Yavin IV. They obviously want to know more about this alleged “planet killer,” but they can’t just go talk to Saw because he’s gone super extremist and kills their people, so they decide to bust Jyn Erso out because they know she’s close to Saw and he possibly won’t kill her so that they have a chance to set up a meeting with Saw about Galen’s message.

Jyn and Cassian are sent to set up this meeting and to see if the pilot can lead them to Galen himself, ostensibly to extract him because of what he knows, but General Draven (at least him, Mon Mothma might have sanctioned it too, but we dunno) catches Cassian as they’re about to leave for Jedha to see Saw (hah) and tells him to “forget what he heard” in the briefing about extracting Galen and that he’s too dangerous to be left alive to potentially develop more weapons for the Empire, and that he must be killed on sight.

And that’s the first act of Rogue One. =P

TavorX said:

Tyrphanax said:

You also have to take into account that a lot of stuff these days is shot purely for the trailers and has no bearing on the actual film

I mean, you’re not wrong. I just wanted to be naive since the way TFA was marketed, I felt that its trailers were far more faithful to what we saw in theaters. Shots/dialogue that didn’t make it into the final cut, really had no effect on the film itself, so it was dismissable. Rogue One looks like it went off the rails big time when comparing trailers vs final cut.

But yeah, I totally get your stance; I made the mistake thinking that since TFA had an arguably solid ad-campaign, that it would also apply to this recent SW film.

I just don’t watch more than the first trailer for movies I think I’ll really want to see anymore. Mostly because they just spoil most of the plot, and I just want to get a sense of what the movie is about and then go see it.

I’d watch it.