So Much for the Trailer...

I’m back on the bloggers chair after a long hibernation!! Any way, let’s get down to business…

Horror Beyond Imagination

Sorry folks that I have been off the bloggers chair for such a long time. Watching the World Cup has been taking away most of my free time and I haven't had the right motivations to finish my piece on the Jedi Order which will be coming on it's way. Anyway let's cut the meat. 

Of all the rumors that we have seen of Episode VII, their have been some stinky ones, but none that come close to my fears of what I absolutely DO NOT want to see in the upcoming Star Wars Trilogy. This one really came close to terrorize my sanity and at the time of release and made me not want to even care about the future of Star Wars anymore. But how can I divorce myself from that? It would be like ripping a hand or something out of me. Thankfully, a well known guy from a respected Star Wars website debunked the most chilling part of the rumor. 

But anyway, here is why I consider it to be Horror Beyond Imagination, the rumor that the Inquisitors would be the villains of Episode VII, that they would try to resurrect the Sith, and that our heroes are still the Rebel Alliance and have been fighting a war for 30 years: 

1. The Prophecy of the Chosen One: Folks the truth is that whether you like this prophecy or not, it's pretty much the equivalent of Holy Trinity importance in the Star Wars universe. It's what the first six films rotated around and what arguably two of the most important arcs of the Clone Wars one way or another touched upon. This is one of the most important cruxes of the story that very few fans really understand, one which the EU certainly never did and decided to massacre it by bringing back the Emperor as a clone, having another Sith Empire take over the galaxy centuries later and so forth. So please JJ, for the love of Yoda and the Whills, DON'T BRING THEM BACK!!!!! Reducing Anakin's sacrifice to merely saving his son reduces the importance of the hero as a World Redeemer and merely makes it a family drama. It really reduces the weight and the importance of the character's act. 

2. So, Luke isn't very strong in the Force?: Here's the thing. The war between the Rebels and the Empire took about 4 years to be, in which they managed to destroy both Darth Sidious and Darth Vader, two of the most powerful beings in the galaxy. Are you seriously telling me that Luke Skywalker, a fully trained Jedi Knight, couldn't defeat a group of Force users that where probably weaker than Vader? AFTER 30 FREAKIN" YEARS? Talk about a Plot Hole the size of Jabba the Hutt. Talk about lazy and weak storytelling. 

3. What the hell was everyone Celebrating For?: So yeah, we all know that at the end of Episode VI a bunch of planets (including none other than Coruscant!) where celebrating the demise of the Empire, going so far as to bring down the statues of the Emperor and easily get rid of whatever Imperial  security was stopping them at the time. Sure, it's fairly possible the Empire didn't fall entirely, but not even in the EU did they last that long. With the Balance of the Force, it would be nice to think that the galaxy is a more peaceful and enlightened place, where war isn't breaking the toll everywhere and planets aren't getting destroyed and such. Which brings me to my next point...

4. Star Wars IS NOT meant to be a dark and depressing story at the end of the day: So you know, the generation of people in the prequels faced in the end something worse than what they could have imagined. The galaxy was left in a state of despair. But despite the fact that Star Wars deals with complex and dark issues, Star Wars has always been about seeing the goodness in people and having an optimistic outlook on life. It's very telling that when compared to many blockbusters of the last decade, Star Wars is one of the few that is life-affirming and has been for the most part, family friendly entertainment with only one film having a PG-13 rating. And contrary to many people who are so obsessed with violence and darkness, I commend George Lucas for having done that, which is something Steven Speilberg identified as what made Star Wars special, mainly it's "marvelous innocence and naivete". Making Episode VII having an apocalyptic backdrop makes the accomplishments by Luke and the Rebel Alliance worthless, ruins the beautiful ending of Jedi, and most of all isn't in accord with what Star Wars should be about. Having Luke's generation go through something just as bad, if not worse than the previous generation, is such a huge letdown and perhaps the biggest reason why the EU post Jedi was such a massive failure. 

5. OT 2.0 and so much for "Moral and Philosophical Issues": Basically what this argument amounts for is saying that if this rumor would be true, it would be basically another version of the Original films, with little regards to change the story or make it original, or even throw curveballs. It throws into question if Lucas's ideas for the Sequels are even being applied to this new series. Worst of all, it makes you think what exactly JJ Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan have been doing for this past year writing that script, considering the fact that this plot is basically an EU fanfic. I mean, why would I even want to watch another film series about the Rebel Alliance destroying the Empire, when that is literally what we saw previously in the other trilogy?

The good news, as I guess could be said is that Eric Geller from The Force.Net was informed by an unnamed source (probably Pablo Hidalgo or someone at Lucasfilm) that the Inquisitors hell bent on resurrecting the Sith would not be the villains. However, it still leaves the Empire part of the story unknown. Several other rumors have been pointing towards the direction that an Empire, albeit changed stylistically and more modern, might be the villain of the film. This could only work within the context of the story if it is a) a New Empire inspired and created from the previous one or b) a Remnant that went into hiding until the time was right. So you know folks, let's not give up hope yet.

Hayden Christensen to return as Anakin?

Thanks to a blog dedicated to Hayden Christensen we managed to find out that Lucasfilm has been promoting the Saga via China's CCTV-6  channel in a special 30 minute interview with Hayden Christensen and Anthony Daniels (voice of C-3PO). George Lucas, JJ Abrams, Kathleen Kennedy and a couple of others make appearances in that and other videos that can be found in the link below: http://www.m1905.com/video/play/728583.shtml 

Besides the fact that it's great to see Hayden again talking about Star Wars, it also brings to mind a couple of other things that are going on inside the mind of Lucasfilm. As China has become an increasingly more important country in terms of box office results, this special was probably a move by Lucasfilm in order to bring the Chinese up to the hype of Episode VII and get those who haven't seen the films interested about it. And what better way to introduce Star Wars than to bring the main character into this special? 

Despite the fact that Hayden said his appearance in the upcoming film was "unlikely" let's remember also that JJ Abrams denied his involvement in Episode VII only to later appear as director 2 months later...so how knows? 

So even if Hayden doesn't make an appearance in Episode VII, it's good to see that Lucasfilm hasn't forgotten of seeing the importance of the saga as a whole, despite what some may be led to believe. And who's to say that we won't see Hayden again as Anakin in the future? 

JJ Abrams Wants it Both Ways

So once again JJ Abrams has talked about Star Wars in an interview that was conducted recently in The Times. He had a couple of things to say about the hateboy produced "Dear JJ Abrams" video:

“I would say that (the website conveys) a feeling that we share very much… I loved how Star Wars had that sense of a world far beyond the borders of what you can see and have been told – it’s one of the things it did so brilliantly.

If you watch the first movie, you don’t actually know exactly what the Empire is trying to do. They’re going to rule by fear – but you don’t know what their end game is.

The beauty of that movie was that it was an unfamiliar world, and yet you wanted to see it expand and to see where it went.”

Any self respected Star Wars fan who reads this at first might feel like they want to cry their eyes out in a bench at their local park, but reading things further will make you reach a different conclusion.

"Abrams is eager not to criticize the more recent movies and suggests that he may need to tread a careful line not to alienate fans of the originals and the younger fans of the prequels. 

He said: A lot of kids who grew up with the prequels when they were young really do identify with those movies as much as my generation identified with the originals."

So there you have it: JJ Abrams wants it both ways. And it doesn't really surprise me. 

For starters, we realize that the hateboys count on Abrams on bringing him the Star Wars they want-which probably includes his friends Damon Lindelof and Simon Pegg. On the other hand, the younger fans (including his kids) and GL himself, are keeping a somewhat close eye to see that the film is a valid continuation of the saga. With that type of pressure, he has the unimaginable task of having to, you know, please everyone. And that obviously is something that remains to be seen until the film is released, but meanwhile, he is walking in the thin line that both sides of fandom are standing on.

Will he be able to pull it off? Nobody knows. What we do know is that if we analyze these recent comments with ones he made previously, we see the parallels and get to understand Abrams' point of view better.

Abrams: Well, I’m just a fan of "Star Wars.” As a kid, “Star Wars” was much more my thing than “Star Trek” was. If you look at the last three “Star Wars” films and what technology allowed them to do, they covered so much terrain in terms of design, locations, characters, aliens, ships — so much of the spectacle has been done and it seems like every aspect has been covered, whether it’s geography or design of culture or weather system or character or ship type. Everything has been tapped in those movies. The challenge of doing “Star Trek” — despite the fact that it existed before “Star Wars” — is that we are clearly in the shadow of what George Lucas has done.

Abrams: It's funny how in a weird way sometimes by demystifying a character it takes away from some of the fun that you felt about that character. It takes the mystery out of it. Sometimes a character is more interesting when you don't know everything about them. Even someone from my generation -- and I'm ancient compared to so many of the Star Wars fans out there -- for me the character of Darth Vader was always so compelling because you were putting together all these thing in your head and making all these assumptions, that to get to know Anakin as much as we ultimately did changed the way you consider Darth Vader. It's crazy that my kids relate to Anakin; which to me is criminal because I grew up believing Vader was a bad guy. I related to Luke and Leia and Han Solo. You just don't relate to Vader! I still think it's wrong to be on Anakin's side. So I guess there's no one character I can point to and say that I want to know more about him or her, it's just that Star Wars is so vast it would be great to find new characters that have that level of emotional intimacy.

Here, we can see that Abrams not only had admiration for the prequels in terms of the ground it covered and the places it visited, he also conveys a similar feeling of what he said about the video: primarily that he likes the idea of mystery that existed with the original films, but at the same time realizes that his kids and others relate to the characters of the prequels. 

See folks? There's nothing to worry here. I'm fairly positive Episode VII will deliver. Whether or not it will please both fandom's, is something less than likely since it seems pretty clear that he is following GL's advice, at least as far as Jett Lucas is concerned. 

JJ Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan Take Over the Script

Star Wars fans where expecting some form of news on October 30th due to the anniversary of the Disney acquisition. However, something rather strange and unexpected popped up earlier, and it was a different kind of news from the one the fans wanted to hear. 

For some unknown reason, Michael Arndt is no longer working on the script of Episode VII. Director JJ Abrams, and old time screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan have taken over. We also got the good news that Ben Burtt, Matthew Wood and Roger Guyett, who had all previously worked in Star Wars, will be returning (no word on John Knoll or Dennis Muren). 

Obviously, this kind of news helps bring in the surface new rumors, and a rash response from the side of the fans. One such rumor claimed that Arndt's story and characters were thrown out the way and that the story was started from zero once again. 

There is no way that rumor has any chance of being even remotely true. For starters, we know from an interview made to Jett Lucas that George has been "constantly talking to JJ". I simply don't see JJ and Kasdan throwing the script and starting over with George under some form of supervision. Not only that, but it's also been repeatedly confirmed that Episode VII will be released in the Summer of 2015, regardless of what the rumors say. A rewrite of the script so close to shooting would only delay things further. 

Jedi News gave in a similar theory that I have, which is basically that Arndt was hired to finish the script up to a certain point, and later somebody else would take over. This is supported with Kathy Kennedy's announcement that "Michael Arndt has done a terrific job bringing us to this point". 

Having Lawrence Kasdan as a major screenwriter is good in the sense that the guy has a good picture of what Star Wars is, having worked with George previously and known the plans of the prequels decades before they were made. As far as JJ goes, I'm confident he will deliver. 

Of course, we won't know for sure what exactly goes on behind the scenes for some time. We should, nevertheless, remain optimistic that things will turn out great.

The Star Wars Optimist

Before I can jump in into this pretty big and fishy topic, in which I'm pretty sure plenty will disagree, let me just say one thing before I start: I am naturally an optimist. I like to think that intelligent, not mindless optimism, is the only realistic strategy through life. If Luke hadn't been optimistic when he went inside the Death Star, he would have fallen to the dark side and become the new apprentice of the Emperor. Worse, Vader wouldn't have been redeemed, and the galaxy wouldn't have been saved.  So at the end of the day, when it comes to a moral that Star Wars teaches us, of which their are several, is that we have to persist and get back up after bad things happen. If we don't, then it will only make our lives miserable. 

That is a lesson that many fans have either forgotten about, or are simply ignoring, when it comes to the future of Star Wars under Disney. Some are saying that Disney will ignore the prequels when it comes to Episode VII, others are doubtful that the Clone Wars Bonus Content will be released, others have been getting upset over rather neutral comments from JJ Abrams, etc, etc, etc.

And you know what? I can't take this pessimism. I'm sorry. By thinking negatively not only are you being unhappy, several around you will be faced with that same unhappiness.

Sure, I'm not saying that this has been an ''easy'' year for fans anyway. I understand that many still feel sad over the cancellation of Clone Wars and 1313, and so forth. But friends, their are plenty of reasons to wake up the next day and feel good about your life and about Star Wars. As some say, a picture is worth a thousand words, and this one I think explains it better than anything I may argue in the future:

If this doesn't give you any faith in the future of Star Wars, Fine. Go ahead and be cynical and say that you aren't pessimists, but realists and that I am a delusionary dreamer. But at the end of the day, what does that give you? 

In the end, the fans will only be optimistic about Episode VII if their is anything to be hopeful about. With George having meetings with JJ and Kathy, their are reasons to remain hopeful. 

Benedict Cumberbatch in Episode VII?

Sorry friends that I haven't written in a very long time, but moving into starting college life in the US from another country isn't exactly the easiest thing to do. Now that I have some free time on Labor Day, let's talk about Star Wars. 

Of all the rumors that have been circulating, in particular when it comes to casting and the return of dead characters, most have zero to zero chance of being true, in particular when they all come from Latino Review. In all honesty, who in their crazy minds thinks that Zac Efron has any chance of appearing in Episode VII? And what is the deal with the return of dead characters? People need to stop obsessing over the least common denominator. 

However, one interesting rumor that has surfaced as of recently is that Benedict Cumberbatch will be part of the cast of the next Star Wars film, and is supposedly one of the ''big casting announcements'' Lucasfilm has yet to make. Now, does this have any chance of being true? 

Possibly. 

Let's remember that the casting call needed an actor in his 30's who would be an ''intellectual''. Several fans have wanted Cumberbatch to play as Thrawn, but since the EU won't be visited this time, it's extremely unlikely Thrawn will make an appearance. Benedict fits in the role of the ''intellectual'' very well, as we know from his appearance as Khan Noonien Singh in Star Trek: Into the Darkness. 

Wait, what did I just say? 

You heard correct folks. JJ has already worked with Cumberbatch in the past, so on that part of the show, it's possible he might be cast again now that he knows the actor. But on the other hand, having an actor who played in the Sci-Fi franchise of Star Trek making an appearance in it's space opera rival isn't exactly the most wise thing to do. So, who knows?

UPDATE!! UPDATE!!: Their is no truth in the rumor, according to a representative of the actor. This is the statement: 
"There is no truth to the rumour Benedict has been cast in Star Wars."

On JJ Abrams and Episode VII: Take 2

The last time I talked about JJ Abrams as director of Episode VII, I was quite optimistic in his delivery of the film, saying that he understood that their children related to the newer Star Wars films, and even if he didn't like everything about them, he at least respected the films and George himself. I forgot to mention that time about how Abrams probably had not that much saying as far as the film went, since George and Michael Arndt probably figured out how most of the film would turn out long before he came on board. 

Since the picture above pretty much shows we shouldn't worry too much about him, at the same time, it's important to take notice that until very recently, George Lucas hadn't really commented that much on JJ being on board as director. Some of the news of last month point out that he is optimistic: 

“Yeah, J.J.’s a great director and we’re friends. I think he understands the whole thing and how it works.

“And if he doesn’t, Kathy [Kennedy] will keep it straight.” he added with a laugh.

As for his own involvement in the next three films, George said he won’t be doing “much.”

“If they need help or anything, they’ll give me a call,” he said. “Otherwise, I’m off on my own.”

Additionally, the legendary director said that no matter how good “Episode VII” is, there will always be critics.

“No matter how you do it, it’s a complicated cultural icon. Therefore you’re always going to be in trouble no matter what you do,” he said. “So, the best thing you can do is just plow forward and try to do the best story you can.”

What this reveals is that George's involvement in the next film will be somewhere around his involvement in Clone Wars in the sense that he gave the basic layout of the story and the rest of the crew figured it out on their own. 

It still however begs for the question of how the film will be. It would certainly anger a lot of fans if the hateboy of Simon Pegg lands his way in a role in this film. And I'm not sure about other Star Trek actors landing roles in Star Wars. As much as several of them are good, they wouldn't really work for this type of film (not to mention that JJ has to really lower down the pacing of his films). 

Besides the point it's important to note that the most notorious hateboys in the Internet, including Simon Pegg, Damon Lindelof, Mike Stoklasa (the guy behind Red Letter Media) and Mike Ryan from the Huffington Post have all been lauding about how JJ will bring back Star Wars and other BS, when these guys will likely hate this film like they hated their predecessors. As George said it before, no matter how good Episode VII is, their will always be a bunch of moronic trolls over in the Internet nitpicking over every freakin' second of the film. So I wouldn't be surprised if by 2015, these guys turn their backs on JJ and hopefully leave Star Wars for good. 

As far as what JJ brings to the table in the next Star Wars film, it's difficult to predict at this point. Not enough news has leaked about Episode VII since January when Abrams was hired as director. But now that were getting closer to shooting, I believe that we may find out more about the film, and what exactly JJ intends to do as a director. 

Casting Call from Episode VII Confirmed

Bryan Young from Big Shiny Robot and Eric Geller from TheForce.Net have officially confirmed after contact with a Lucasfilm employee that the casting call the website Schmoes Know leaked is the one from Episode VII. It's one of the very few rumors confirmed to be true of the film. 

Let's take a look at it: 

Tuesday, Jun. 18, 2013, 9:00 AM Pacific UNTITLED STUDIO FEATURE Feature Film Walt Disney Pictures/LucasFilm/Bad Robot SAG-AFTRA		Executive Producer: Tommy Harper Producers: Kathleen Kennedy, JJ Abrams, Bryan Burk Director: JJ Abrams Writers: Michael Arndt Casting Directors: April Webster, Alyssa Weisberg & Nina Gold Casting Associate: Jessica Sherman Casting Assistant: Rachel Dill Start Date: Early 2014 Location: UK
SUBMIT ELECTRONICALLY ASAP VIA BREAKDOWNS! ABSOLUTELY NO PHONE CALLS OR EMAIL PITCHES PLEASE!!!!

[YOUNG MAN] Early 20s.  Not classically handsome.  He is witty and smart.  Physically fit. [MAN] Late 20s.  Physically fit, handsome and confident. [YOUNG WOMAN] Late teens.  Physically fit, independent and with a great sense of humor. [YOUNG WOMAN #2] Late teens.  Tough, smart, physically fit. [MAN - 40S] Physically fit, military type. [MAN - 30ISH] An intellectual. [MAN - 65-75] Tough and opinionated.

We can infer a couple of things from this casting call:

1. The story treatments and characters likely came from George Lucas, given the fact that none of those descriptions fit already established EU characters.

2. The EU post ROTJ is essentially toast at this point. Not only do none of those descriptions fit the children of Leia and Han Solo, but also none of them fit the description of Luke's wife, Mara Jade. It is either because they have already cast an actor to play the role of Luke's wife (be Mara Jade or not), she is not going to show up in the film (either Luke is single or a widow) or her character's description is simply not on the casting call.

This is good news I guess, in the sense that the EU won't be a determining factor in the plot and story of the films, and is instead a product of George Lucas's imagination and possibly Michael Arndt. Here we only have 7 roles on a movie that will likely have as cast leading roles of anywhere from 12-19 actors. With Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford having all but confirmed their roles, and with the extremely likely possibility of the Droids being back, including maybe Peter Mayhew and Billy Dee Williams, we have approximately 14 characters in the can. So, from the looks of things, Mara Jade is not likely to be in the film.

However, their is one thing that worries me from the casting call, at it's the fact that their is no female role that could be considered for the Nightsisters. So it does beg the question: Who the hell is going to be the villain? A Sith can't be, or else you are destroying the purpose of the previous films. Something's got a give folks. At the same time, we don't know if they have already cast the female villain that would be the role of the head Nightsister.

Let's just hope that the villain issue is figured out, and that somehow, in someway, we are NOT throwing out the Prophecy of the Chosen One out the window. Or else, Michael Arndt and JJ have some explaining to do.

Does anyone have any idea of a male villain that could work and NOT be a Sith? Share your thoughts. 

Simon Pegg and his annoying Star Wars bashing.

Notorious hateboy Simon Pegg has recently been interviewed about the film in which he appears, Star Trek: Into the Darkness. Of course in one of his interviews, he talked about how wonderful JJ Abrams is and how he was going to restore Star Wars to its ''former'' glory. Simon can maybe make himself more clear: 

“And I think if anyone can pull [Star Wars] out of the mire, it’s J.J. He’ll bring the fun back. Lucas seemed to misread what made the first ones great, and concentrate on things that people didn’t really care about, or wilfully ignore the things that people cared about. Whereas J.J. will embrace them all.

“We’re going to see the Millennium Falcon again. We’re going to see those characters again. All the things that we loved about the first three, we will see again."

So Simon, why is it that after getting a chance to voice Dengar in the Clone Wars, the only notorious hateboy to have done so in The Clone Wars, you bash the guy who hired you?  

Fortunately, The Bearded Trio had the guts to confront him on Twitter. This is his response:

"Please don't take it personally. I'm only angry because I care. Towing the party line would be hypocrisy.''

I don't get it. You are angry about what Simon? About the fact that Episodes I-III didn't live up to your expectations? If that's the case, you should have left Star Wars fandom a long time ago pal. Because even after you make an appearance as a voice actor in the Clone Wars, you continue to bash the creator  because ''you care'' simply doesn't make sense. If you are trying to influence the way you want Episode VII to be like, good luck pal. Millions have tried before you and they didn't succeed. Why should they now? And simply because the Millennium Falcon and the original cast are likely to return, it doesn't neccesarily mean that you are going to like it. 

The worst part of what he says is that it proves he doesn't understand Star Wars. Star Wars isn't in its mire, and you strangely didn't notice how energetic the fandom is after being part of the Clone Wars. Lucas NEVER misread what made the first ones great. Their is nothing wrong with the fact that he concentrated on topics like the midichlorians and on immortality. They were his films, after all. What did he willfully ignore? I'm sorry pal, their was no way the Millennium Falcon could have featured in any bigger role than a cameo in Sith. These episodes had to tell a different part of the story and as we know Lucas's involvement in the story of Episode VII and beyond, these ones will be different as well. 

On another note friends, we simply don't know enough about what JJ Abrams will do in the next film in order to know what his take on Star Wars will be. He apparently said in an interview that it was important that the film standed on it's own terms, and had to satisfy a bigger audience than the fans. For the most part he apparently has some respect for Episodes I-III (lets remember that his kids relate to Anakin, so he gets what the younger fanbase likes). 

Speaking about Star Trek, I will be seeing the next itineration of Into the Darkness tomorrow with my friends. I saw the first one from JJ, and I thought It was a good film. What I didn't like in particular was how fast the camera moved and you weren't very well introduced to the planets that were visited, contrary to how in Star Wars, their is a sense of setting and introduction. Overall, I don't understand why the tension between Star Trek and Star Wars fans exist. I prefer Star Wars obviously, for a series of reasons I won't go into detail right now. 

So for now, I will see the next Star Trek film in order to know more or less what can be expected from the next Star Wars film. Simon Pegg at the same time, has to stop being a basher, and a hateboy.

Star Wars, the Road to Hell and Heaven

Friends, this past couple of weeks have been largely insane in terms of the amount of things I have to do in order to graduate (the reason why I haven't written since God-knows when), and the shockwaves that have hit the Star Wars community. They have been in a mix: some have been good others have been bad, and others ugly. Let's take a look folks at what has happened, now that I have the first day off since...well spring break.

For starters, Rumors went on and off about layoffs in Lucasfilm Animaton, Lucas Arts, and about how much ''bonus content'' of the Clone Wars might get released. The pessimistic Star Wars fans basically painted Disney like an evil corporation alla Koch Brothers, Exxon Mobil type of guys, whom we're going to destroy Star Wars and everything left in Lucasfilm. While they have been partially right about it for a couple of things, the ''I Told You So'' type of attitude doesn't really help, and it only fervents the anger of some folks. 

Disney did fire some folks at Lucasfilm Animation, how many we do not know, and well Lucas Arts is now for licensing only. Still that DOES NOT mean that Detours, the remaining Bonus Content of The Clone Wars and the videogame 1313 won't see the light of day. On the contrary, the possibility still remains for all of them to be released in some way, shape or form. 

On another note, Dave Filoni is going to helm the upcoming animated series coming from Lucasfilm Animation, so that should leave fans hopeful. Let's not forget that way back in Celebration VI, Dave Filoni said that he was being prepared in order to continue the creative part of Star Wars once George passes further into retirement. We will have to wait and see if the fate of Darth Maul, and that of other characters is sealed with the remaining bonus content. 

Let's also remember the good things that have come out of Star Wars recently... The original Star Wars story treatment from 1973 will be turned into a comic book, Return of the Jedi will celebrate 30 years on May 25, ''Kenobi'' the novel about Obi-Wan during the dark times recently got a blurb, and JJ Abrams plans on having John Williams score Episode 7!! Exciting friends. 

So, dear readers, please even if you are going through hell, do not loose hope on Star Wars. Because great things are coming right next door. 

And, another thing...a late May the 4th Be With You, and also Happy Revenge of the 5th. ;)

The future of Star Wars: Are we headed for doom?

Is Star Wars heading for a nasty place???

Folks, as Mace Windu once said, our worst fears have been realized. The Clone Wars as a television show, has been cancelled.

It was a ride I never thought I would see, way back in 2008 when this all started. And after 5 great years in which the show kept getting better and better, it's sad this all bogged down to this. After the emotional ending of Season 5, I had been so moved that for some  reason, I wasn't shocked when I saw the news that The Clone Wars was ending. For some reason, I kind off saw that coming.

Ultimately, the only logical explanation as to why this happened, bogs down to the fact that Papa George is no longer running the company he once made. The Disney executives figured out that they didn't want a distraction to be in place when Episode VII gets released, so they decided to cancel the show. Not only that, but also Detours is getting moved into a future release, proving that the whole ''Disney hates the prequels'' is pure nonesense.

At the same time, all of this gives reason for pessimism, despite how optimistic the crew of the CW might sound, on the future of the franchise. Even though we are going to get a couple of more arcs (like the Anakin, Clovis, and Padme one) released in some way, shape or form, it does bring to question: Will the arcs be able to conclude the fates of Ahsoka, Rex, Darth Maul, Ventress and Bo-Katan? Even though the show managed to break through the 100 episode goal, I feel as if it could have accomplished so much more. All of things brings down to the fact, that as I mentioned earlier, the future of Star Wars is uncertain and not looking very good under the wing of a corporate animal.

I really hope that at the same time I am writing this piece, that George Lucas is simultaneously in Skywalker Ranch sitting with Lawrence Kasdan, Michael Arndt, Simon Kilberg and JJ Abrams, telling them that they can't go ahead and screw up the next trilogy of Star Wars. I hope he is telling them that they need to keep the prophecy of the Chosen One and NOT include a Sith as a villain, that in his view, peace has existed in the galaxy since the Battle of Endor, and so on. Or else folks, if this next installment does not adhere to the vision of the man himself, and is instead thumb nosed by Disney executives just like how the Clone Wars was, I might as well file my divorce of the Star Wars fandom. At least, the things that Disney ends up releasing.

It breaks my heart that what has become an integral part of the greatest film franchise of all time, is now not ending the way it should have. At an end note, I do wish to clarify that I am looking forward to the next arcs that will be in some form released, which will hopefully wrap up The Clone Wars somewhat nicely.

On the other hand, I also wish to take this time to thank George, Dave Filoni, Joel Aron, Killian Plunkett, Ashley Eckstein, Matt Lanter, James Arnold Taylor, Catherine Taber, Sam Witwer, the late Ian Abercrombie, Stephen Stanton, Jon Fravreau, Jaime King, and everyone else involved in all of these seasons, bringing us great episodes of Star Wars goodness. 

May the Force be With You.

John Williams wishes to return and compose in Episode VII

One of the key pieces to what makes a great Star Wars movie is the score of John Williams. Williams in a recent audition of his, declared that he wished to continue scoring the next itineration of Star Wars. Here are his comments:

"We're about to play Star Wars and each time we play it, I'm reminded of the first time we played it decades ago. Neither I, nor George [Lucas], nor anyone else involved thought this would go far or in a few years there would be a sequel and I'd have to revisit the themes... and years later another trilogy.Now we're hearing of a new set of movies coming in 2015, 2016... so I need to make sure I'm still ready to go in a few years for what I hope would be continued work with George.''

I really hope that Williams can make it back and compose with the help of George Lucas. Sure, Abrams has composed several times with Michael Giacchino, but John Willliams is John Williams, and his score is one that has brought great songs in EVERY Star Wars film. So yes people. Let's pray that Williams, at Age 81, can come back for at least another Star Wars film.

The Style and Tone of the next Star Wars films

One of the biggest questions that come up with Episode VII and beyond, have to do with how the style and tone of the next films will be. And this question folks, may be one of the most important. Let me explain why. 

Pretty much ever since this film was announced, several fans have wanted the next trilogy of Star Wars to be basically, a repeating formula of the Original trilogy, The Empire Strikes Back on steroids. Even in this article from USA Today, the presence of that feeling is evidently clear: 

''"Abrams is a better marketer than he is a filmmaker, and he has very specific ideas about how to market his stuff," Faraci explains. "They will want to re-assure audiences that Abrams is doing old-school Star Wars, not the prequels, and they'll need to release lots of information for that to happen.''''

This is the stuff I talk about, folks. About the moronic hateboys who call themselves ''Star Wars fans'' but don't like half of the films in the saga, and who don't even understand what Star Wars is about. A particular portion of the Star Wars fans, ACTUAL fans who also have blogs similar to mine, have shared the fear that Lucasfilm ''postponed the release of Episodes II and III because everything else that is coming now will pretend as if Episodes I-III never happened.'' While I understand their paranoia, at the same time, the hateboys dream is not likely to come true. Here are the reasons why: 

George Lucas cemented early in the making of Star Wars that each trilogy would encompass different themes. Episodes I-III were going to be mainly about politics, Episodes IV-VI about a hero's journey and Episodes VII-IX would be about moral and philosophical problems. Already two-thirds of this statement has become true. Episodes I-III, besides focusing on Anakin's transformation into Vader, focused on how the Sith, in particular Palpatine, managed to manipulate a series of events in the galaxy that leaded him to go from Senator to Chancellor and eventually, as Emperor. Episodes IV-VI focused on the journey of Luke Skywalker, from a simple farm boy to a Jedi Knight, while at the same dealing with Darth Vader's redemption. Perhaps the single biggest thing we know about the next trilogy is that, since the story treatments will come from George, he will likely stem the details and the story from this general idea. So, at the end of the day, the next series of Star Wars films will be neither the originals nor the prequels, they will be the sequels. They will be their own thing. What moral and philosophical problems will the films center on, is the question. 

In fact, if you were to ask me simply based on the general idea of what the films will be about, I would say that the most interesting of all the topics would be the one of the final trilogy. So, who knows, only time will tell if it lives up to being part of the same universe we have grown to love in Star Wars, but at the same time, be unique and tell a different story.

JJ Abrams will direct Episode VII

Well, my friends. The wait is finally over. Lightning has struck. 

After months of speculation, Lucasfilm has announced that JJ Abrams will be the director of the 7th episode of Star Wars. 

I think I need to know more about what exactly is going on, in terms of story development and such, to know for sure if this was a good move. Besides the fact that I absolutely hated Cloverfield, according to our friend Lazy Padawan from the Star Wars Prequel Appreciation Society, Abrams has said before that he didn't like the prequels. Of course, I am not sure of the legitimacy of such claims, for two reasons. First, it doesn't make sense that George Lucas would hire a director to run his beloved Star Wars, if he has no respect at all for half of the franchise. Second, according to a recent interview from Grantland, his relationship to Episodes I-III isn't neccessarily that he hates them: 

''Abrams’s life spans Star Wars’ originals-prequels divide. Born in 1966, Abrams grew up “basically relating to Luke Skywalker,” and thought of Darth Vader as “evil incarnate.” His kids, however, grew up with the prequels. They related to Anakin. “If you had said during Christmas of ‘77 that when I had kids they’re going to be raised by Darth Vader,” Abrams said, “I would never have believed you.”

“The lessons I’ve learned from George, as a filmgoer, that have informed how I approach movies, as a filmmaker, are legion,” he continued.''

This clearly shows that Abrams has not only great respect for George but also has some understanding of the fact that their is a generation of people (including myself and Abrams kids) how grew up with the prequels and realizes how important both are to the franchise. He may not like certain aspects of the films, which is perfectly understandable, but saying that he ''doesn't like them'' is a bit of a stretch. 

On the other hand, he realizes he is going to have to deal with the hateboy nation's rage at some point: 

''What were the lessons of the Lucas vs. fanboydom? I asked.

“I think that you can’t always please everyone,” Abrams said. “And it is for me a heartening lesson to see that George has had his battles before, during, and after making films. When you see that you can’t please everyone, that includes studios, actors, the audience ... You’re always trying to do the best you can.”

The Star Wars people were pretty brutal, I said.

“It’s like, please,” Abrams said. “You’re having this conversation because the Force is with you.” Now — allegedly — it’s with him.''

The good thing about all of this, is that not only does Kathleen Kennedy have the support for Abrams, but also the support of Ben Burtt, Matthew Wood and Dennis Muren, all of whom have worked on previous Star Wars films, whom apparently will work in the next Star Wars film as well. This gives me optimism in the sense that the next Star Wars films will be worked by the guys who made the previous 3-6, although I would like more guys to return for the next film(s) such as John Knoll. 

More importantly however, than who will direct the next film, is the plot. And as far as that goes, the  future remains impossible to see. The dark side of the force clouds everything. 

Hopefully, if they start casting soon, we will get an idea of who is coming back, who is new, the time period it will take place, and somewhere along the way, we have to know how it will adhere to the next six films, and whether or not it will continue the established Expanded Universe (highly unlikely).