So the second trailer has been released and put me down as intrigued and slightly excited. You have to understand as a Star Wars fan I have been conditioned to disappointment. The prequels were awful and recent changes to remastered versions of the movie were obnoxious. When I heard J.J. Abrams was directing I fell into despair. I'm not a huge fan of what he did to Star Trek. He made Star Trek fun some please exclaim. Yea, well maybe the sole purpose of Star Trek wasn't supposed to be action packed suspense with each moment. Oh well, back to Star Wars. The first trailer was interesting, but did not tell me much. This second trailer suggested a lot. So it got me thinking to create a wishlist of things I definitely want to see in the new movie and things I don't want to see at all.
1. A swan song- I don't want to see the old crew relive their glory days the entire film. I loved their old characters and seeing them in an older state attempting what really should be left to the new generation would just be cheesy. I mean he looks like he's ready for a space skirmish, but is at risk to dislocate his hip at the moment of any strenuous physical activity. I don't want to see a middle age Luke recreating his light saber scenes with the next sith goon.
Things I want
1. A black main actor- It has been made clear that Finn (John Boyega) is going to play some integral role in the movie. The trailer seems to be heavily hinting to him as one of the leading main characters and that makes me just giddy. When was the last time you can remember a leading actor in a sci-fi movie being black? I honestly couldn't tell you. It's about time black representation in sci-fi become more diversified. Star Wars is the ultimate stage for that to begin.
2. A strong main female actor that doesn't play the constant support character- While Leia was a strong character her damsel in distress role in the movie often made her an afterthought in skirmishes. I want a female actor that has similar ability of prowess in the movie to all the male characters. What I mean is I don't want them donning the blaster and making sly quick shots when no one is looking. I want them to fuck shit up. Honestly the Jedis were a bit of a boys only club, time for change.
3. A passing of the torch moment- We need to acknowledge that the main characters from the original trilogy are going to be making appearances. Notice I say appearances and not resuming their main roles. That's because their job in this movie isn't to be the action pack go lucky group to save the galaxy. Time to let the youngsters take charge. Of course there's going to be that moment where the old crew shows them how it's done, but in the end I want there to be a passing of the torch. My guess is Han Solo is going to be killed and passes the millennium falcon to the hotshot pilot in the film.
Things I don't want to see
1. A swan song- I don't want to see the old crew relive their glory days the entire film. I loved their old characters and seeing them in an older state attempting what really should be left to the new generation would just be cheesy. I mean he looks like he's ready for a space skirmish, but is at risk to dislocate his hip at the moment of any strenuous physical activity. I don't want to see a middle age Luke recreating his light saber scenes with the next sith goon.
2. Do not copy the original trilogy- Remember Star Trek into the Darkness? Remember Wrath of Kahn? Remember how J.J. Abrams stole scenes verbatim from several Star Trek movies and passed it off as a tribute? Well he better not do that with Star Wars. Sure some scenes need to be hinted at and the movies should be a shared cultural capital that allows true fans to appreciate new material. However, do not try to stick in contrived references to the old film. Meaning, I don't want Han to shoot first at the first guy that wriggles his eye brows wrong at him. Do not, I repeat, do not try to recreate every iconic scene and squeeze it into the next three movies. Develop new material. J.J. Abrams has the opportunity to etch himself into sci-fi lore forever. The best way for him to make this film forgettable is by sticking to the script and play a non-stop fan service.
3. No convoluted explanations of the force or over the top light saber fights- Fuck midichlorians. I don't need a scientific explanation for the force it is clearly a physical manifestation of spirituality. It's supposed to be elusive. Don't explain it. Luke said " the force is strong in my family" not " my midichlorian count is over 9000. Also, don't get stuck into Lightsaber hysteria. Lightsaber fights should be far and few between. They're intended to be metaphorical rather than just blunt tools for action in the movie. Your lightsaber isn't your life. It's a form of expression in the Star Wars world.
Feel free to disagree :D.
