I don’t know if that’s where I would draw the line. Some pretty hardcore SF just handwaves at such things, like the droids, AI and FTL in the Culture or Uplift space opera novels. It’s just not what they’re about, but I don’t think they’re fantasy. I think earlier generations of hard SF writers found nerding out on the science of stuff like that rewarding, but the art has moved on. I would say it’s a little like by the end of 20 Patrick O’Brian “age of sail” novels he no longer needs to explain how a ship is worked.
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I just saw an evening show today in Tijuana. 43 pesos at Cinepolis…by today’s exchange rates, about $2.23. I’m surprised more gringos like me don’t live here.
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I enjoyed the first Culture novel last week, and am in the middle of the second now. They are quite good books, but still they don’t have much to do with science. To me hardcore SF and space opera are different genres. I don’t know why you would frame them not only as different eras, but even say that space opera is a progression when it is so self-consciously retro-pulpy. I think that there is also a lot of conflation between science and technology. Having or explaining tech still does not mean that the story itself is about science.
As a kid of the 70s who enjoyed both fantasy schlock like Doctor Who and the social sci-fi movies of the late 60s through late 70s, I resented Star Wars ushering hundreds of throwback wanna-be sci-fi effects spectacles, and I still do. They aren’t bad movies in themselves, but they exemplify for me how weirdly regressive non-literary sci-fi tends to be. Cinema has barely caught up to the novels of the 1960s. I would like to see more balance - one truly forward-thinking movie for every retro one would be fair.
My two cents…
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I really didn’t feel confused about the planet-hopping in the beginning. Not sure why.
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I agree that there weren’t enough women in the rebel ranks in general.
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I was having a real nerdgasm over the number of great character actors in this film - Diego Luna, Riz Ahmed, Ben Mendelsohn, etc. - but also very surprised at how many I didn’t notice but should have, due to how often I’d seen them before in movies or BBC programs - Babou Ceesay, Bronson Webb, Geoff Bell, Ned Dennehy, etc.
Donnie Yen and Wen Jiang didn’t really trip my radar as I’ve never seen Ip Man or anything with Wen in it. The last Chinese fim I saw was Saving Mr. Wu. -
I understand that there are some plot holes, but for some reason I love a good segue, and I thought the bit between Saw and Jyn - talking about politics and whether keeping one’s head down or looking up leads straight into to a view of the death star hovering over the planet - was pretty slick.
Bonus: Saw practically draped in what I assume is a rebel flag? Such symbolism… -
Okay, so in a New Hope, the Imperial Forces have to wait for Alderaan to be exposed to the Death Star before they can fire upon it, but in Rogue One, they can just flit it about willy-nilly in hyperspace?
Edit for #6. Okay, isn’t it pretty common knowledge at this point in the timeline that midichlorians (not sure if I’m spelling this correctly) are involved with those who are sensitive to the Force? Couldn’t Chirrut just go to a local physician (fly-by-night, because of the crackdown and all) or use a mail-order service to find out whether or not he’s Force-sensitive?
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You mean Yavin IV rather than Alderaan, right? It is kind of an unexplained dramatic-tension-creating device that the hyperdrive-capable Death Star not only travels in a much slower FTL lane than the admittedly speedy Millennium Falcon (slowly enough to permit download and analysis of the plans from Artoo, enlistment of Luke into Red Squadron, smuggler-reward disbursal, plus a squadron briefing, a long-delayed buddy reunion, and a royal smooch), but also is obliged to emerge from hyperspace 30 sublightspeed minutes from a halfway decent targeting vector. Thank the Maker Tarkin had a simpler approach to Alderaan. “We’ve entered the Alderaan system” literally meant “and we’re already in range and aimed at it.”
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A bit above Phantom Menace and Clones, but not much. Liked the robot. 5/10. Red Letter Media has it about right.
My thoughts too. A couple of times I felt my emotional ride fall flat on the floor, and I too blamed it on exposition. I would think back to the dialogue of ANH and remember it being direct to the point, even the longer discussions would have poignant moments like the first ever force choke, first ever death star shot, or an immense sense of dread. R1 would be something something rebellion and morals, end scene. Though i do understand the criticism about the weak character development, maybe the exposition would have been more dramatic if we cared more for the characters?
Here is a dialogue free, brief moment from ANH, but it still has an incredible emotional impact:
This is great story telling, with a big nod to Mr Williams of course!
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Though the CGI resurrection of Moff Tarkin doesn’t quite escape the uncanny valley
It fooled my S.O., who is normally up to date on who’s dead and such.
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]I liked to imagine what he could do with a lightsaber.
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Mine too: “How did they do that, he was ancient even in the first one”.
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While I really enjoyed Rogue One, I found it wasn’t for the rebel characters at all. I think part of the point was it’s more important that they’re a TEAM and Rebels over individual characters. The only names I caught were Jyn and… K2S0?
Once the action started I enjoyed their sections of the movie just fine, but I LOVED the sections dealing strictly with the Imperial infighting and future of the Death Star. I really would have liked to see more scenes of THAT, and more scenes of the Engineer doing his best to stall progress and the tests going ahead anyway. Eventually we would have seen it all shake out to the command structure seen in A New Hope.
My only BIG problem is when Jyn’s mentor says he’s done running and just stands there to die. If there was a reason for this, or something that somehow makes it moving or poetical, I sure missed it. The only actual reason I can see is so they doubt her a little about the content of the message. Plot dicated death.
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Well, that and the whole “Death of the Mentor” trope which is pretty much an honorary missing step from Campbell’s classic Hero’s Journey story structure. It’s there to force Jyn to not rely on her mentor any more; to remove him as an option during the crises that will arise during a story’s third act.
Star Wars movies almost always do this when the main character is a young character finding their path; killing off the mentor character is a quick and easy narrative device that forces the main character out of their comfort zone and motivates putting them into action. By my count, Star Wars movies did this in New Hope, Return of the Jedi, Phantom Menace, and (arguably) Force Awakens. Not too surprising it’d happen here, too, in a movie which focuses on another young, inexperienced character trying to find her place.
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All those reasons, too. But they’re all plot driven.
Why in the world did the character do what he did?
Well, for one thing, when he’s finally revealed on Jedha, he’s limping along with a cane and two mechanical legs. I just thought he meant he was literally done running and had been since his legs came off.
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Ha, that’s kind of hilarious, and probably what they were going for, too.
I think it would have been better handled if he tried to leave with them, but his mechanical legs and other issues made him too slow so he does the “go on without me!” thing so they can make it out in time.
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He’s also watching a weapon of mass destruction much more powerful than a nuclear bomb destroy his part of the planet. It’s not unknown for people to want to stay with their home in the face of a natural disaster or war, even if it’s clear that it and they will not survive.
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Just saw it an hour ago. Now I feel the stain of the prequels has been erased. This for me was Star Wars 3.
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I think he may have meant it literally. As in “have you noticed I’m hobbling along on rusty old robot feet? No way I’m gonna make that sprint to the spaceship.”
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Interesting info about Kyber crystals (from @SenorSchaffer 's link to a wiki):
Kyber crystals were most notably be found in Ilum’s Crystal Caves. They were a critical component in the construction of lightsabers, focusing energy into the weapon’s distinct plasma blade. The crystals shared a special relationship with the Jedi for tens of thousands of years, and welcomed them to hear their song and learn their lessons.[3]Jedi younglings traveled to the ice caves to harvest their own crystals, which they then used to build their lightsabers. The Force guided their selection, finding a crystal that matched them as Jedi. To those not meant to receive it, the crystal was cold to the touch, however those the crystal chose would hear its “music” and “harmony,” becoming attracted to it.[3] Crystals lacked color before they were chosen by a Jedi. Once chosen, most lightsabers became blue or green, though other shades were created in rare instances, most notably Mace Windu’s purple blade, the Rodian Jedi Huulik’s purple blade, the yellow blades of the Jedi Temple Guards, the black darksaber, and Ahsoka Tano’s white lightsabers.[5][2][6]
Kyber crystals were inherently attuned to the light side of the Force, and would attempt to resist any effort by dark side practitioners to utilize them in lightsabers. To this end, the only way a Sith, or other darksider could make use of a kyber crystal was to use the Force to dominate the crystal, bending it to their will. This process would cause the crystal to “bleed”, as if it were a living organism, resulting in the distinctive crimson-bladed lightsabers synonymous with the Sith. However it was also possible to “heal” a kyber crystal corrupted in this way. The only known instance of purifying a corrupted kyber crystal was when Ahsoka Tano purified the two crystals she retrieved from the Sixth Brother’s lightsaber following his defeat. In this case, the crystals turned white.
So the Death Star’s beam was fundamentally Kyber crystal borne? Why wasn’t it red?
P.S. Enjoying the shet out of this thread. This is why I love all you guys.
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I wonder why they bothered changing the spelling of the Kaiburr crystal, the titular Splinter of the Mind’s Eye, rather than otherwise retconning it to be somewhat less unique.
Or just calling those lightsaber fuel-rocks something entirely different.
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