# How best could Episode VII please fans? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 31, 2012, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-best-could-episode-vii-please-fans/639403 "2012-10-31T07:18:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Tanbarkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a698b9/32.png) [@Tanbarkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tanbarkie)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-best-could-episode-vii-please-fans/639403/21 "2012-10-31T15:36:48Z")
> [@Dr\_Doom](#): > > Luckily, I didn’t give a definition for “awesome”. > > I somewhat agree with you, but let’s face it, science-fiction/fantasy _film_ in general, and Star Wars in particular, has _always_ been about special effects, and dazzling the eye. Boy, it’s too bad that the prequels didn’t do any of that, then. As has been said many times already, more effects != better effects. Hopefully, whoever inherits the director’s chair will understand that better than Lucas did. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Doom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Dr\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Doom)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-best-could-episode-vii-please-fans/639403/22 "2012-10-31T15:41:07Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > Well, that didn’t poison the well or anything. My $0.02 has nothing on all that Ewok fur and prequel uproar vitriol. Which has yet to abate, after all this time, if you haven’t noticed. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Doom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Dr\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Doom)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-best-could-episode-vii-please-fans/639403/23 "2012-10-31T15:42:21Z")
> [@Tanbarkie](#): > > Boy, it’s too bad that the prequels didn’t do any of that, then. As has been said many times already, more effects != better effects. Hopefully, whoever inherits the director’s chair will understand that better than Lucas did. Agreed. ---
**Author:** ![Stark\_Raven\_Mad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Stark\_Raven\_Mad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stark_Raven_Mad)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-best-could-episode-vii-please-fans/639403/24 "2012-10-31T15:49:06Z")
> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > If they can explain away the theory of midichlorians as the modern day equivalent of belief in balancing humors as a medical practice or that midichlorians are attracted to people who are strong in the force rather than the source of force energy, it would go a long way for this nerd. You know, as much as I love that idea, I think I remember Liam Neeson whipping out some sort of device to steal little Annie’s blood and then getting Ewan McGregor to test it with Science. Not sure they can back out of that. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-best-could-episode-vii-please-fans/639403/25 "2012-10-31T15:54:41Z")
Do a Superman Returns, well, except not shitty. It was a sequel to Superman II and ignored the others. Make Episode VII ignore episodes I-III. Pretend they never happened. That would make me pretty happy. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-best-could-episode-vii-please-fans/639403/26 "2012-10-31T15:55:35Z")
> [@Stark\_Raven\_Mad](#): > > You know, as much as I love that idea, I think I remember Liam Neeson whipping out some sort of device to steal little Annie’s blood and then getting Ewan McGregor to test it with Science. Not sure they can back out of that. ☹ At best they’ll probably just Never Speak Of It Again. I’m cautiously optimistic about it. I don’t really like Disney’s attitude toward copyright, but I can’t deny that Pixar and Marvel have done very well under them. And Star Wars certainly thrives wherever Lucas doesn’t have direct control. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-best-could-episode-vii-please-fans/639403/27 "2012-10-31T16:00:45Z")
A thousand years after the existing movies, no repeat characters or families. Something completely surprising. ---
**Author:** ![sparky\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@sparky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sparky_1)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-best-could-episode-vii-please-fans/639403/28 "2012-10-31T16:11:44Z")
> [@Lobohan](#): > > Do a Superman Returns, well, except not shitty. It was a sequel to Superman II and ignored the others. Make Episode VII ignore episodes I-III. Pretend they never happened. > > That would make me pretty happy. Agreed. I’d be very happy with that. Or do it Godfather II style with flashbacks to Vader’s past. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-best-could-episode-vii-please-fans/639403/29 "2012-10-31T16:30:52Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > A thousand years after the existing movies, no repeat characters or families. Something completely surprising. I would like that, with the caveat that I’m okay if R2 and 3PO are in it. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-best-could-episode-vii-please-fans/639403/30 "2012-10-31T16:32:23Z")
> [@sparky\_1](#): > > Agreed. I’d be very happy with that. > > Or do it Godfather II style with flashbacks to Vader’s past. Yeah, that could work. Hopefully they have good people working on this. ---
**Author:** ![Stark\_Raven\_Mad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Stark\_Raven\_Mad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stark_Raven_Mad)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-best-could-episode-vii-please-fans/639403/31 "2012-10-31T16:36:42Z")
> [@Lobohan](#): > > Yeah, that could work. Hopefully they have good people working on this. How would everyone feel about Hayden Christensen reprising his role? I’ve seen him in a couple of other things, and while he wasn’t spectacular, he wasn’t nearly as bad as his Star Wars performances would lead one to think. Apparently Lucas made him play Annie a certain way, against his will. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-best-could-episode-vii-please-fans/639403/32 "2012-10-31T16:54:24Z")
They’ll go into the far future (less distance past, this was a long long time ago). Probably keep the droids around. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-best-could-episode-vii-please-fans/639403/33 "2012-10-31T17:05:54Z")
The more I think about it, the more I’d like to see _Knights of the Old Republic_ as a movie. IIRC it was set way prior to the original films, but that just means continuity issues - and the idea of rehabilitating the Sith Lord kind of gives us Anakin/Darth Vader in reverse. ETA: I’m assuming you were supposed to play as a good character in the game. I invariably went to the dark side because it made Force Lightning/Force Storm much stronger, and slaughtering hordes of Sand People with that move is really what made the game. ---
**Author:** ![Stark\_Raven\_Mad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Stark\_Raven\_Mad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stark_Raven_Mad)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-best-could-episode-vii-please-fans/639403/34 "2012-10-31T17:15:09Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > The more I think about it, the more I’d like to see _Knights of the Old Republic_ as a movie. IIRC it was set way prior to the original films, but that just means continuity issues - and the idea of rehabilitating the Sith Lord kind of gives us Anakin/Darth Vader in reverse. > > ETA: I’m assuming you were supposed to play as a good character in the game. I invariably went to the dark side because it made Force Lightning/Force Storm much stronger, and slaughtering hordes of Sand People with that move is really what made the game. Getting Bioware to the write the film wouldn’t hurt it, not one bit. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-best-could-episode-vii-please-fans/639403/35 "2012-10-31T17:23:36Z")
Kate Beckinsale as Bastlila, anyone? ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-best-could-episode-vii-please-fans/639403/36 "2012-10-31T17:27:31Z")
Seems very unlikely that they’ll make a movie based on a video or computer game. Not that there would actually be anything wrong with that, but it certainly gives an initial impression of cheapness. And I think the special effects for Episodes 1-3 were mostly fantastic. It was the storyline and acting (or lack thereof) that were a problem. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-best-could-episode-vii-please-fans/639403/37 "2012-10-31T17:28:20Z")
> [@Lobohan](#): > > I would like that, with the caveat that I’m okay if R2 and 3PO are in it. Hadn’t thought of that. C3PO has too much character for me, and I’ve seen enough and heard enough from C3PO. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-best-could-episode-vii-please-fans/639403/38 "2012-10-31T17:54:52Z")
I would plotz if they’d do the Thrawn trilogy. You’d have to recast the principals (which isn’t that big a deal, really…after all, Lucas himself did it for the prequels in the case of Obi-Wan), but it’s the absolute best of the EU and it’s relatively soon after RoJ. I haven’t seen any pics of Billy Dee lately…think he could still pull off Lando? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-best-could-episode-vii-please-fans/639403/39 "2012-10-31T18:18:25Z")
If the books are still canon, there’s going to be a bit of a problem-the future is writ, unfortunately. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-best-could-episode-vii-please-fans/639403/40 "2012-10-31T18:34:11Z")
I would like to see them use sets and models as much as possible. I watched IV last weekend and it seemed so real. Even though things are tiny models in many cases, they are still real. No matter how good CGI is, it still looks like CGI. Using real stuff as much as possible makes it that much easier to lose yourself in the story. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-best-could-episode-vii-please-fans/639403.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-best-could-episode-vii-please-fans/639403.md?page=3)