# Star Wars: The Force Awakens - Seen It (Assume Spoilers Within) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 16, 2015, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-the-force-awakens-seen-it-assume-spoilers-within/740645 "2015-12-16T23:16:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 39
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2015, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-the-force-awakens-seen-it-assume-spoilers-within/740645/761 "2015-12-25T22:11:29Z")
> [@MyFootsZZZ](#): > > If you’re a fan of the franchise, how do you justify liking it? It had starships and lightsabers and good guys vs bad guys and explosions and John Williams music and old characters doing new things and new characters doing old things. It was _fun._ ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2015, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-the-force-awakens-seen-it-assume-spoilers-within/740645/762 "2015-12-25T22:15:16Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > It had starships and lightsabers and good guys vs bad guys and explosions and John Williams music and old characters doing new things and new characters doing old things. > > It was _fun._ Yep, plus good acting, dialogue, and characters. ---
**Author:** ![CorneaGenii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@CorneaGenii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CorneaGenii)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2015, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-the-force-awakens-seen-it-assume-spoilers-within/740645/763 "2015-12-25T22:16:00Z")
I saw this movie a couple of days ago. I’ve also kept up with this thread since it started, and much of what I liked and didn’t like has been discussed already so I won’t repeat it. One tiny bit that annoyed me, though (and I’m sure it’s just me) is the monosyllabic names of most of the primary characters. Han and Luke get a pass because they were established since ANH, but you have Rey, Fin, Poe, Maz, Ren, Hux, Ben, Snoke. Did the writers find it difficult to string two or three syllables together for a name? Giant bad-ass behind-the-scenes super-evil guy’s name is…Snoke? Seriously?! Despite the general consensus that EU stories were crap, the characters at least had names which sounded exotic or evocative. Joruus C’baoth, Mitth’raw’nuruodo (Thrawn), Jaina, Jacen, Teneniel Djo, Corran, Brakkis, Exar Kun, etc. Eh, just my personal peeve. Still liked it and would watch again. ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2015, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-the-force-awakens-seen-it-assume-spoilers-within/740645/764 "2015-12-25T22:30:43Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > It had starships and lightsabers and good guys vs bad guys and explosions and John Williams music and old characters doing new things and new characters doing old things. > > It was _fun._ I agree it was fun. But wow… They really mixed things up. I would think that the “Mistakes” of the movie’s continuity with the past films would either be caught early or intentional. My friend feels lonely in **hating** it… He and I both agreed that we didn’t like the score of the movie as much as we would have liked. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2015, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-the-force-awakens-seen-it-assume-spoilers-within/740645/765 "2015-12-25T22:44:42Z")
> [@CorneaGenii](#): > > One tiny bit that annoyed me, though (and I’m sure it’s just me) is the monosyllabic names of most of the primary characters. Han and Luke get a pass because they were established since ANH, but you have Rey, Fin, Poe, Maz, Ren, Hux, Ben, Snoke. John, Mark, Ben, Matt, Tom, Dick, Bruce, Greg, Jake, Will, Sam, Jim, Grace, Jane, Joan, James, Phil, Jack, Fred, Jude, Paul, Frank, George, Carl, Brad, Bret, Chad, Dave, Earl, Zack, Vick, Nick, Mike, Mick, Quinn, Lee, Kim, Kate, Hans, Ian, Hank, and Dale would like to have a word with you. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2015, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-the-force-awakens-seen-it-assume-spoilers-within/740645/766 "2015-12-25T22:48:09Z")
I think this Washington Post review [nails a lot of the film’s weaknesses](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/act-four/wp/2015/12/22/star-wars-the-force-awakens-succumbs-to-the-worst-parts-of-remix-culture/), that characters are essentially driven by the audience having seen the previous films: they do what they do simply because we expect them to do it. How does Captain Action Figure survive the crash and get off the desert planet to rejoin the fray? Because we know he has to be there for the final trench run on the nuDeath Star. > [@](#): > > The film’s most glaring plot hole — aside from the incoherence of the Republic/Resistance/First Order relationship — is Rey’s use of the Force. How does she know what a Jedi mind trick is? I’m not asking “how does she do it,” but something more basic: “How does she even know what it is?” And the answer is, “Of course she knows what it is because she’s us and we know what it is. She’s the authorial insert into the greatest, most expensive piece of fan fiction that has ever been created. She’s what you get if you mash up Episodes IV through VI and put yourself into the mix.” ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2015, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-the-force-awakens-seen-it-assume-spoilers-within/740645/767 "2015-12-25T22:56:01Z")
> [@Johnny\_Angel](#): > > Several users mention having been apprehensive that BB8 would be an annoying comic relief sidekick. Nobody seems to be bothered by the fact that the design of the droid is goddamned preposterous. This is a world where someone thought that AT-ATs were a good idea. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2015, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-the-force-awakens-seen-it-assume-spoilers-within/740645/768 "2015-12-25T22:58:17Z")
By the way, can a droid like R2-D2 just choose to power down like that? Surely someone would say “Hey! R2 unit! Get back to work!” Now, if he’d shut himself down while waiting for Han Solo, I’d understand. Because he’d be pining for the Ford, y’see… ---
**Author:** ![Grsz11](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Grsz11](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grsz11)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2015, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-the-force-awakens-seen-it-assume-spoilers-within/740645/769 "2015-12-25T22:59:32Z")
> [@MyFootsZZZ](#): > > (like how “What’s her name” knew how to use The Force.) There have been some possible explanations for this in this thread. One is she had some training by Luke before Kylo killed everyone but spared her and she doesn’t remember. Also, her limited exposure via touching the lightsaber and getting in Kylo’s head may have shown her that could work. She wasn’t confident in her ability to do it obviously…it was more “Let me try this” ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2015, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-the-force-awakens-seen-it-assume-spoilers-within/740645/770 "2015-12-25T23:23:03Z")
And poor old Captain Fangasm; people have speculated why a smart, tough, ruthless, competent commander folded like an umbrella and betrayed her entire side to destruction - and it’s notable that this collapse took place off screen, because the script couldn’t find a way to sell it convincingly - just because a deserter and an scruffy old guy waved pistols at her. Sadly for Fangasm, she was in a Star Wars movie, which dictates that the ragtag misfits have got to get into the base so that the NEOW PEW PEW DAKKA DAKKA ARGH BOOM finale can happen. Han and Finn might have well have just told her “Sorry, love, you have to let us in because we’re in Star Wars”. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2015, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-the-force-awakens-seen-it-assume-spoilers-within/740645/771 "2015-12-25T23:23:19Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > What is the relationship between the Republic and the Resistance? Why doesn’t the Republic have its own armed forces to fight the First Order and other bad guys? ISTM the Republic was so badly beaten down, in that part of the galaxy anyway, that it’s back to being just a resistance now. > [@](#): > > Why is Threepio’s arm red? As Maz put it, in explaining how she got Luke’s lightsaber, “That is a good question … for another time.” > [@](#): > > Other than Finn’s having plot armor, why didn’t the big tentacled rolling alien eat him right away on Han’s ship? Because monsters always play with their prey for as long as the script requires, before the miraculous rescue. > [@](#): > > Has anyone broken down/explained all of Rey’s multifaceted flashback after she touched Luke’s lightsaber? You’ll find the explanation in the Harry Potter books. ---
**Author:** ![Grsz11](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Grsz11](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grsz11)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2015, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-the-force-awakens-seen-it-assume-spoilers-within/740645/772 "2015-12-25T23:29:20Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > ISTM the Republic was so badly beaten down, in that part of the galaxy anyway, that it’s back to being just a resistance now. The Republic was concentrated on Hosnian Prime. They are now all gone thanks to Starkiller. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2015, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-the-force-awakens-seen-it-assume-spoilers-within/740645/773 "2015-12-25T23:51:00Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > By the way, can a droid like R2-D2 just choose to power down like that? Surely someone would say “Hey! R2 unit! Get back to work!” The Star Wars universe does have a way to get R2-D2 back to work, but that is basically a reset to factory defaults. If he’s carrying encrypted information it might be impossible to access that information without R2-D2’s cooperation. > [@Grsz11](#): > > The Republic was concentrated on Hosnian Prime. They are now all gone thanks to Starkiller. Minimalist nonsense. If someone nuked Washington D.C. that wouldn’t be sufficient to destroy America’s chain of command. Even if it caused the collapse of the nation into individual states again, that would not happen immediately - the existing military would have plenty of time to use its full strength against the enemy first. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2015, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-the-force-awakens-seen-it-assume-spoilers-within/740645/774 "2015-12-26T00:06:39Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > By the way, can a droid like R2-D2 just choose to power down like that? Surely someone would say “Hey! R2 unit! Get back to work!” For a typical astromech droid, maybe. R2, on the other hand, has gone over 60 years without a memory wipe, so he’s developed enough of an independent personality that he presumably doesn’t have to obey commands from anyone that he doesn’t trust and have faith in. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2015, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-the-force-awakens-seen-it-assume-spoilers-within/740645/775 "2015-12-26T00:33:51Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > What is the relationship between the Republic and the Resistance? Why doesn’t the Republic have its own armed forces to fight the First Order and other bad guys? It’s not clear to me, but from the speech given before firing the Starkiller, it seems the Republic and the First Order are nominally at peace, even though the Republic is actually giving material support to the Resistance. (Hence the speechgiver’s talk of the New Republic’s lies.) Why are they nominally at peace? The movie doesn’t say. I can only assume the First Order is somehow powerful enough to make outright war with them untenable. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2015, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-the-force-awakens-seen-it-assume-spoilers-within/740645/776 "2015-12-26T00:48:06Z")
> [@Johnny\_Angel](#): > > Several users mention having been apprehensive that BB8 would be an annoying comic relief sidekick. Nobody seems to be bothered by the fact that the design of the droid is goddamned preposterous. So, the head clings to the body by magnets, with wheels inside spinning a trackball-type motivator? How does sand not get in and cause a constant scraping noise and ruin the paint and scratch the metal surfaces? But, in the movie I let go of these concerns. What the hell, they bought off my disbelief. He’s cute, and not overdone. Disney put out a working BB-8 _toy_. In a universe where a droid like that is expected to work, I’d think the engineers have figured out these problems. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2015, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-the-force-awakens-seen-it-assume-spoilers-within/740645/777 "2015-12-26T00:49:53Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > It’s not clear to me, but from the speech given before firing the Starkiller, it seems the Republic and the First Order are nominally at peace, even though the Republic is actually giving material support to the Resistance. (Hence the speechgiver’s talk of the New Republic’s lies.) Those were Hux’s exact words. How could it be made any more clear? As for why the First Order and the Republic weren’t at war already… probably because they’re both equally matched. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2015, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-the-force-awakens-seen-it-assume-spoilers-within/740645/778 "2015-12-26T00:59:38Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > This movie is printing money. My theater uses assigned seating and the first showing I can get a reasonable seat for my second viewing is next Thursday. > [@Smapti](#): > > [$391 million domestic, $813 million worldwide as of yesterday.](http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=starwars7.htm) And again, the wife and I saw it for free thanks to having enough frequent-viewer cards filled up. Haha! Stickin’ it to The Man! 😃 I feel this is a good spot to mention the [Han Solo fridge](http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/1caf/). Great as a last-minute Christmas present for your favorite geek. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2015, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-the-force-awakens-seen-it-assume-spoilers-within/740645/779 "2015-12-26T01:31:06Z")
> [@Penfeather](#): > > remade with a cast of excitable children. This is an odd complaint. **1977:** [ul] [li]Mark Hamill, age 26[/li][li]Carrie Fisher, age 21[/li][li]Harrison Ford, age 35[/li][/ul] **2015:** [ul] [li]Daisy Ridley, age 23[/li][li]John Boyega, age 23[/li][li]Oscar Isaac, age 36[/li][li]Adam Driver, age 32[/li][/ul] Incidentally, in doing that research, I just realized that John Boyega and I have the same birthday! (different years) ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2015, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-the-force-awakens-seen-it-assume-spoilers-within/740645/780 "2015-12-26T01:32:00Z")
I thought the movie was below average. Besides everything else mentioned in the thread, I found it irritating that the space neo nazis had a planet killing gun but no closed circuit cameras to find out where their prisoner went. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-the-force-awakens-seen-it-assume-spoilers-within/740645.md?page=38) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-the-force-awakens-seen-it-assume-spoilers-within/740645.md?page=40)