fmalover

preussischblau said:

How do you guys like to play KOTOR I?

• Dark Side or Light Side?
• Batila romance?
• Major decisions?

I like to play Dark Side, but when going Manaan I always choose to destroy the Kolto processing plant, as killing the giant Firaxan shark would mean destroying the source of Kolto supplies, and one must have foresight and plan for the future. I tend to leave Zaalbar’s subplot unresolved as the problems of the Wookiees are ultimately irrelevant to the Galaxy. I always romance Bastilla and take up her offer to reclaim the title of Dark Lord of the Sith. The prospect of conquering the Galaxy with a pretty Force wielder as your lover is too good to pass up, plus I think the Dark Side ending makes a lot more sense, because in my mind Revan would have decided the Jedi are no better than the Sith after being manipulated by the Jedi throughout the game.

I know I won’t like this movie at all, but the one thing I would like to see is Caroline Blakistone cameoing as an elderly Mon Mothma, but I’m not holding my breath.

Since many of you have discussed how Rey is so OP in the Force I’d like to say you know which character should have been portrayed as having Rey’s talents with the Force? Anakin Skywalker.

Think about it. Throughout the OT both Obi-Wan and Yoda talk about how strong Anakin was with the Force, but once the prequels were done we never actually saw him do anything particularly impressive with the Force. All we see him do is move stuff around and do pretty ordinary stuff with the Force. Anakin should have been the one shown doing all the things Rey does without breaking a sweat, like instinctively Force pushing enemies to defend himself, or telekinetically pulling a lightsaber towards his hand and instantly knowing how to wield it, much like Rey does in TFA.

I also forgot to mention.

I didn’t like Snoke as leader of the First Order. Why are the descendants of the Empire being led by some random Force wielder with no previous ties to the Empire? The First Order should have been led by a council of former Imperials, be they high ranking generals and politicians. If they wanted to have Snoke at all it should have been as an advisor of sorts, representing the mystical aspects of the First Order in addition to being Kylo Ren’s Dark Side mentor.

screams in the void said:

while I do believe a movie should stand on it’s own , there is a 30 year gap between the OT and the ST .A lot can happen in that time . The Novel Bloodline by Claudia Gray goes a long way to explain how the First Order was funded . It also deals with the reaction of the New Republic after Leia is finally outed as the daughter of Darth Vader …http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Bloodline_(novel)

Yeah, I read all about it. I still call bullshit on the FO’s rise to power.

I posted on a different thread that the First Order should have been portrayed as employing guerilla warfare, espionage which would encompass infiltration, sleeper agents and what have you, conquering seemingly unimportant worlds, using Imperial technology derived from unused prototypes (the dreadnought at the beginning of TLJ could have been used as a sort of ghost ship that strikes from the shadows). You get the point.

JayArgonaut said:

Which channels were these? Alternate/older masters frequently turn up on Channel 4 (UK), so I’ll keep a look out on that one for you. 😃

It was a Latin American channel called AXN, which means it will probably be impossible to find.

I must admit Rey being super-duper strong in the Force doesn’t bother me as much as her being skilled at pretty much everything, being a mechanical engineering genius with intricate knowledge of all types of spaceships, an expert pilot, an accomplished marksman by simply grabbing a blaster and so on and so forth.

But the thing that really bothers me about the ST is the First Order being so goddamn powerful and wealthy despite being a fraction of the Empire, and it only takes about a week to regain control of the Galaxy.

JokerRulez said:

Here’s the HUGE gamble Disney is making:

fmalover said:

Right now, the only thing I’m really looking forward to regarding Star Wars is Rian Johnson’s SW Trilogy, after all Johnson has earned my full trust with TLJ. I wish I could say I’m looking forward to The Mandalorian, but I don’t have Disney+.

Can anyone create a whole new SW experience that is still , … well, Star Wars?

There is no guarantee of success. Will mediocrity be enough? It’s the only way the film franchise can continue long-term so they’ll invest hugely in this while exploiting all other avenues to milk the franchise (TV, theme parks, comics, etc.).

Oh, in my opinion Rian Johnson is the wrong guy to do this next piece of work given the divisive reaction to his only entry. Need a uniter rather than someone always looking to subvert expectations.

JokerRulez

I don’t get why TLJ is so divisive.

TFA was such a huge letdown I had no expectations in regards to the following episode, and in fact I fully expected TLJ to be a remake of TESB in the same way TFA is a remake of the first SW. Once a friend confirmed it wasn’t like that I was genuinely excited, went to see the movie, and once the credits started rolling, left the cinema with a sense of euphoria.

I don’t think Johnson was trying to subvert expectations, he was trying to come up with the best story he could write and direct, which he did brilliantly.

Fang Zei said:

ESB was definitely changed color-wise, but it always struck me as the least manipulated of the three in terms of contrast. I’d be interested in getting people’s thoughts on that.

I still wonder what happened with the AotC bd.

What about the shots of Star Destroyers that have loads of crushed blacks?

Since you’re all on the subject of the massive PR campaign to assure fans that TFA was nothing like the prequels, I also remember how the crew was constantly telling everyone about the return to real sets and practical effects, and then a few months after the theatrical release of TFA, ILM released a video on YouTube revealing they employed waaay more CGI than originally thought. I also remember how J.J. Abrams wouldn’t shut up about how they were shooting on film, going so far as to use the exact same type of film stock used for the first SW movie, which is a moot point when I looked up and discovered the movie was processed through digital intermediates, which is IMO cheating. What’s the fucking point of going through all the trouble of using this specific type of film stock if you’re using DIs instead of revealing the film photochemically?

Also, Simon Pegg strikes me as a major hypocrite, openly shitting on the prequels all these years only to happily appear in the derivative piece of work that is TFA.

I sometimes feel selling Lucasfilm to Disney was a mistake. Lucasfilm should have been acquired by WarnerMedia (then Time Warner) or Universal Pictures, because I find the franchise is becoming increasingly tame under Disney’s ownership (Rogue One and TLJ being the only notable exceptions). Take The Clone Wars for instance, you frequently saw characters being stabbed through the torso by lightsabers, fast forward to Star Wars Rebels and most character deaths would immediately cut to a reaction shot.

As JokerRulez has brilliantly pointed out, Disney is currently milking the OT. This is made evident by the fact that so far all of the Disney-era SW expanded material has focused on every little detail of the OT, from the many hours Leia spent braiding her hair between missions to the whatever Luke did in his spare time in the days after the Battle of Yavin.

Right now, the only thing I’m really looking forward to regarding Star Wars is Rian Johnson’s SW Trilogy, after all Johnson has earned my full trust with TLJ. I wish I could say I’m looking forward to The Mandalorian, but I don’t have Disney+.

About 14 years ago I remember TV channels broadcast for a time a version of the movie that looked very different from the one we all know, which has a cool green tint and is in fact the version used for the Blu-ray. This particular version of the movie had much higher contrast and a warmer colour palette, and I suspect it’s closer to what 35mm release prints looked like.

My question is: Is it possible to find this version of the movie?

Yeah, but Star Wars was already inconsistent with its portrayal of Dark Side corruption before the Disney takeover (i.e.: the PT).

Well, Kreia very eloquently explains that the Jedi Civil War is not the first of its kind.

The Star Wars franchise has been inconsistent in their portrayal of Dark Side corruption.

In the OT the only instances of Dark Side corruption are Vader and the Emperor, with both having very pale skin, and in the Emperor’s case in particular, yellow eyes. Later we meet Darth Maul, who has the yellow eyes characteristic of the Dark Side, but retained his youthful appearance throughout the twenty years leading up to the Battle of Yavin. Count Dooku shows no signs of Dark Side corruption implying his fall to the dark side has been relatively recent or he doesn’t draw from the Dark Side as much as others do. ROTS really screws up the whole notion of Dark Side corruption by revealing the reason Palpatine looks the way he does in the OT is because of Mace Windu deflecting the Force lightning back at him (I always assumed it was because of his many years immersed in the Dark Side), and finally we have Anakin Skywalker whose eyes only turn yellow when he’s really angry or something. Finally we have Snoke and Kylo Ren, with Snoke looking very old and decrepit but doesn’t have yellow eyes even though he’s established to be a longtime practitioner of the Dark Side, and Kylo Ren who been a Dark Side practitioner for at least ten years yet doesn’t show the slightest hint of Dark Side corruption.

This franchise seriously can’t make up its mind regarding the whole dark side corruption subject.

DuracellEnergizer said:

DrDre said:

DuracellEnergizer said:

Voss Caltrez said:

DuracellEnergizer said:

Voss Caltrez said:

Luke using the dark side to choke out the guards at Jabba’s palace.

Actually, this is one of the tidbits of ROTJ I do still like. It’s morally gray stuff like that the film needed much more of.

But who is Darth Henrietta? The Emperor?

Yeah. With the makeup, cackling, and aerodynamics, ROTS Palpatine brings to mind Henrietta from Evil Dead II.

Supposedly, it was done to make audiences unsure of whether or not Luke would become like his father, or stay on the good side. If that’s the reason, that’s cool.
But still, I thought that once you start down the path of the dark side, forever it will consumes you.
If he’s using the dark side of the Force, he must have been practicing it to some degree. And it’s like, why would he do that? How can you pick and choose when you’re going to use the dark side, and still not become evil?
And I thought the Force was only for knowledge and defense, never for attack.

The Jedi interpretation of the Force is just that — an interpretation. Just because they view the Force through some quasi-Objectivist framework which recognizes no shades of gray doesn’t mean the Force is truly like that.

The greatest failure of the SW films — and the franchise as a whole, really — is this idea that the Jedi have the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth on the Force and that any path differing from theirs is deficient.

I disagree. It is Lucas who invented this universe and its rules. He deliberately opted to introduce the concept of the Force and a dark side, a universe without many shades of grey. It is not a fault, it is part of its identity. I don’t see why the Star Wars universe should be made to conform to our own real world sense of morality. In my view this weakens the mythology.

I guess you could say this is among the top 3 reasons why I’m a lapsed Star Wars fan. Not only do I no longer believe in its fundamental worldview, I find that worldview utterly repugnant.

You’re a Kreia fan for sure.

IMO Disney’s biggest mistake when acquiring Lucasfilm was shutting down their videogame division LucasArts, and then giving EA exclusive licence to make SW games. That’s wrong on so many levels.

I prefer the older model where LucasArts commissioned the SW licence to a game company and they handled the publishing and distribution of whatever game was produced. Sure, it wasn’t perfect, but I think it’s way better than what we have now.

Oh OK. Thanks for clearing that up.

What’s TOTJ?

• What I don’t like about the first KotOR is that the skills points distribution is far too limited unless you’re playing Scoundrel, a problem that was fixed in the following game.

• I have a problem with the way the influence system is set up in KotOR II. Wether you choose to accumulate positive or negative influence with your companions the end result is the same, which is: they tell you more about themselves and in some cases you can eventually train them in the ways of the Force. That doesn’t make any sense to me. Look at it this way: I dislike you so much that I will now tell you more about myself, and eventually, I hate you so much that now I want you to train me in the ways of the Force. Huh? No relationship works like that. It’s why, whenever I play KotOR II I always make sure their moral alignment reflects mine, even if means unwanted dark side/light side points depending on which path I’m setting for my character, plus it adds another layer to my character, as I’m basically manipulating some companions into ditching their own convictions and start to see things my way, which I’m sure Kreia would very much appreciate.

• Now the one thing I don’t like about both games is how the dark side transitions look like. You’ve been barely immersing yourself in the Dark Side for a few months at most within the games’ timeline and already you look like a decrepit corpse. I always install a mod in the first KotOR game where only my character’s eyes turn yellow, but when you’re on the path to the Dark Side in the second game many characters will comment on your change in appearance, so I keep the DS transitions as they are, but I still think they are too extreme, with your eyes, hair and skin turning grey. The only Dark Side transitions that were done right IMO are Bao-Dur, Handmaiden and Mira, with Bao-Dur having facial tattoos similar to Darth Maul, Handmaiden wearing black clothing and dark make-up, and Mira’s hair turning a darker shade of auburn, her skin turning pale with visible veins and dark make-up in addition to the characteristic yellow eyes. Atton and Disciple on the other hand look far too decrepit. Maybe I should join the Deadly Stream forums and suggest something along those lines.

Those are all my major complaints about the games.

Williarob said:

No. We do have the first reel of his German print, and we will be using that but the rest of it will be the new 4K scan of our Fuji print, this new 16mm print, and the various prints that made up the Grindhouse version will fill in any damaged or missing frames.

From what I can see this 16mm transfer looks way better than puggo’s, which suffers from overblown highlights and crushed blacks.

Don’t have the screenshots to compare, but does this 16mm transfer have the same horizontal cropping as puggo’s or has the full screen of a 35mm frame?

Also, I think any frames taken from the Grindhouse will need some serious colour correction.

 
I am a huge fan of both KotOR games, particularly KotOR II for its philosophical themes, and decided to start this topic to discuss all things related to the games (character build, favourite companion, etc.). Before posting I had originally written down my thoughts on both games plus some comments on Star Wars: The Old Republic and wound up writing seven pages in a notebook, after which I think it’s better if I just posted what I wrote bit by bit.

I’ll start by saying that I hope Revan is one day reintroduced to the SW canon, though I’m not sure EAWare would be capable of replicating the quality of the original, as the original staff has left BioWare and this is EA we are taking about after all.

KOTOR - Wikipedia Page : Wookieepedia Page : GameFAQs Page : StarWars.com Page

KOTOR II - Wikipedia Page : Wookieepedia Page : GameFAQs Page : StarWars.com Page

RogueLeader said:

Just wanted to share some predictions I have for Episode IX. I know many others have shared the same/similar ideas already.

Ben Solo will be redeemed, and him and Rey will end up in a relationship, or at the very least a heavily implied relationship.

There will be some kind of emphasis on how Rey will make sure the new Jedi will be different than the old. We will see all of this talk of balance in action.

Finn will play a crucial part in liberating the First Order’s Stormtrooper army, and in a larger view be instrumental in the reunification of the First Order and the Resistance into a new government, which are technically both descended from the Old Republic.

Ben Solo will have some kind of reunion with Leia, even if it is just at the end of the movie.

I know these are pretty general predictions, so I’ll make one bold one.

I have a strong feeling that the title of the film will be Star Wars: Balance of the Force.

Maybe Rey chooses to have the Jedi work behind the scenes much like the Sith did during the thousand years leading to the rise of the Empire,as their role of public figures will inevitably lead to complacency and corruption much like it happened with the old Jedi Order.

You’re not alone snooker. DJ’s my favourite character as well. He’s a true neutral character who only stands for himself, I’m pretty sure Kreia would admire him. Fuck the Bendu, who claims to be “in the middle” but only helps the good guys.

My problem is that over the last few years prior to TFA I read complaints EVERYWHERE about the lack of originality in the movie industry, then along comes TFA, which is another unoriginal movie, and people are perfectly fine with it. Huh? Even the Redlettermedia guys enjoyed it.

At this point I feel like some sort of extraterrestrial being.

Perfect.