Werewolf

User Group: Members
Join date: 8-Sep-2004
Last activity: 8-Sep-2004
Posts: 3

Post History

Post: #64099
Topic: Episodes 7,8,9?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/64099/action/topic#64099
Time: 14-Sep-2004 5:25 AM

...and another thing that Mark said that seemed to ring true, was that George wanted to make the middle 3 films first because they were more commercial and entertaining that the first 3 films which were much darker.

My take on this is different. It's been my opinion that the gimmick of starting in the middle of a story is a literary convention, common in storytelling. But mainly, it was for a good reason. If you read my previous post, you know that I believe it's Luke's destiny to become evil, as was foretold by the Emporer and all of the foreshadowing in the original trilogy.

To me it makes good sense to allow people to assume that Luke is a "good jedi", and seems benign to go back and tell the story of his father's fall from grace. Except when you begin to see the parallels in their two seemingly different lives. I think this will be especially obvious in Episode 3, and once thats apparant, it will leave people to question Luke's fate. It's can be an obvious segue to Chapter 7, rejoining Luke on his path to the Dark Side, something that should turn the entire Star Wars universe on its ear.

Anyone can stake out a path to the dark side. Don't be fooled by Luke's "fighting for the good side" (the rebel alliance) as something that will save his soul. It didn't save his father's soul either. It's an individual, personal battle and anyone can succumb to it, regardless of affiliations, goals, etc.

"The road to Hell is paved with good intentions."

Even if I misunderstand the "green screen technology" and haven't read all of Gary Kurtz' interviews, I believe I am right about this. And so far, nothing thats been presented in the original trilogy or the prequels gives me reason to belive that the core meaning of the story has changed from what I originally said.

Post: #63336
Topic: Episodes 7,8,9?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/63336/action/topic#63336
Time: 10-Sep-2004 9:22 AM

George Lucas is one of the biggest producers of "disinformation" about his work than anyone I've ever seen. It's my opinion that he and many of the people who work with him have been misleading people for years in regards to the movies, his real intent, plans, etc. Super Shadow (supershadow.com) is a good example of that, I believe. So, I'm really skeptical about the possibility about Mark Hamill giving information out that easily, especially now.

To NOT have Luke turn to the Dark Side would render the entire story worthless, in my opinion. What's the point of the story anyways? A big excuse for lotsa special effects? Making money? I think the mostly overlooked "force", is at the real heart of the story, and George's comments, when interviewed (with Joseph Campbell, etc) have always reflected that. In a TIME onterview a few years ago, he refused to reveal who his inspiration and role model are because it would be "too revealing". Whats's that about? I'd guess that his idol is probably still who he indicated it was years ago. (anyone guess?)

In that same TIME interview he insisted on him having the right to change his vision of Star Wars as he seemed fit. He compared the process of working in the digital media with working in oils, leaving the artist with the ability to re-work the canvas as needed. And he insisted that if he wanted to change the original trilogy yet again, he would... that they might not be finished yet. (which is fine, because I was never convinced that Episode VI was the version he intended).

IM still betting on Episode III having some startling events, like finding our who Anakin's real father is (my theory: Palpatine, having co-opted the cloning technology for himself could have easily implanted his own improved "seed" to create the "super jedi" needed to defeat his master) possibly lending itself to a scene where we heard that fateful line again "I am your father!". I think the parallels between Anakin and Luke will become more clear with this next film, leaving people to strongly ponder Luke's fate, something that had been assumed all along.

I also pose this question... Since ILM developed this green screening process several years ago, could it be that parts of 7, 8 and 9 have already been filmed? It would make perfect sense, given that ILM has had the technology for several years and could have filmed the actors when they were much younger. This would be another coup for George, and exactly something he would do, developing a technology to defy traditional filmmaking and storytelling standards. He might have been able to even get Sir Alec on digital form before he passed away. Also worth mentioning are the facts that they've had both the time and money to have done this. If anyone could have done it, GL could have. In the years since ROTJ, who is to really say what they could have working on in private?

Any responses?

Post: #63005
Topic: Episodes 7,8,9?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/63005/action/topic#63005
Time: 8-Sep-2004 12:46 PM

I've been silent about this "sequel controversy" until now... I've been reading the fansites, (including supershadow.com) looking for reactions to the possibility of sequels 7, 8 and 9.

Here's my 2 cents. I think its worth listening to.

In the fall of 1979, I had a college friend who had a good friend in Massachussets who was into special effects makeup. It seems this guy had been corresponding with Rick Baker, then creator of the cantina creatures in Episode 4. One day at lunch my friend told us these ridiculous ideas about the upcoming Star wars movies, and he mentioned that Darth Vader was going to be revealed as Luke's father, Leia would be his sister, etc... we all thought he was full of crap, and told him it sounded like a damn soap opera and dismissed the whole thing.

Until Return of the Jedi, several years later.

Needless to say, when those details became known, my jaw dropped, mostly because I'd heard these things years before. I tracked down my friend in Chicago and reminded him of those ridiculous stories and forced him to retell me the story his friend had relayed to him. This is what I remember him telling me about the WHOLE story:

Luke and Leia are the children of Darth Vader. The first trilogy would be about how Darth Vader bacame a badass. The sequel would be about how Luke follow in his father's footsteps into the Dark Side (sound familiar), and the emergence of the "real heroes" of the story, the children of Han and Leia. Oh, and the Emporer doesn't really die. :-)

Over the years, I've placed this "framework" up against all the details, misinformation, Lucas interviews, books, comics and wild-ass conjecture... I also became a buddhist. From a buddhist perspective, this original concept makes perfect sense. I think George Lucas took an eastern philosophical concept and wrapped it in western hollywood, "High Noon" mystique. The reluctant hero gets drawn into a battle after having lost his family, etc... he goes on a quest for revenge.

In the western world, especially in cinema, we easily accept this idea of vengeance, of justifiable violence, and we are supportive of Luke's journey. We sympathize with his wanderlust, his impatience, his ambition, his sadness, his fear and even his anger...

And if you re-examine the original trilogy, its those emotions that guide Luke along his path. At every point along his path of becoming a Jedi, he makes his decsions for exactly the wrong reasons. Luke's journey has not been very far from his father's. In fact, the parallels are very clear if you examine the two carefully.

This seems to be something that the Emporer knows, as does Darth Vader. The foreshadowing of Luke's future conversion to the Dark Side is constant throughout the original trilogy... on Dogobah when he enters the tree, with the mechanical hand he has similar to his father's, and in the Emporer's own words. He is warned many times throughout the 3 chapters, and he almost always ignores what he is told... just like his father. Anakin may be the more fiery of the two (woudn't you be if you were raised as a slave?) but the two characters' fates are intertwined and fatal. Neither Luke nor his father were strong enough to withstand the power of the Dark Side

Which brings is to the "real heroes". Why does this make sense? Mainly because with Han and Leia, you have a two strong-willed individuals who are easily influenced by too much. They were both intended to be strong, willfull characters for this purpose. Their children would benifit from their determination in two significant ways. 1. They inherited the same will power, and were therfore less likely to succumb to the dark Side seductions. 2. They were spirited away and shielded from the same influences that corrupted Luke and Anakin. They were would be the first "Skywalkers" to be raised properly and trained properly. They'd be as determined and disciplined as their parents and a lot less likely to flake out when the the time came to make the right decisions.

And very likely, they will be the ones to face down their Uncle.

I've poured through many interviews that GL has done, from the first ones in TIME or wherever they've appeared. Despite the fact that he is made a lot of efforts to "disinform" people about his true vision... and he has done a great job of this... I still believe he's always left us enough clues about the whats to come and the his real vision for Star Wars.

I think the best part of this story has yet to be told, and that we're in for an explosive ending. We all knew Anakin was a bad guy, but now we'll get to see the real tragedy and triumph that this tale has to share. A hero falls... a hero we've had on a pedestal for over almost 3 decades, a centuries old evil triumphs, redemption earned, and true balance is brought back to the force.

Its going to be a cinematic triumph beyond anything Hollywood's ever attempted, a philosophical shift in popular culture...

... and a helluva good story.

As far as the novels, comics, etc... I keep coming back to Dark Empire, the Dark Horse comic, as the next logical step for the story. In it, the Emporer returns in clone form and Luke continues down the path to the Dark Side. Leia's children are mentioned as holding the key to redemption in this story as well. There is more information in that graphic novel that is consistent with the original story, than I've seen anywhere else. It's my opinion that none of the current books, regardless of their quality, will be used for the movies. I believe that the "real" story of Star Wars is more about moral strength... real strength in the face of temptation, and the rejection of negative forces. Its a personal story, not a tale about fast ships, goofy aliens, exotic worlds or evil miltary officers with red faces.

To me the novels are side stories. The main story hasn't concluded yet. This is George Lucas' opus. Let's see what he had in mind all along.