Just recently I discussed imperial officers with someone (Veers, Ozzel, Piett) when it struck me; in 2015 we are finally going to get to meet imperials again, and that made me happy. I don't know who would be good to fill the shoes of Julian Glover and the rest but there should be lots of good people from which to choose.
Just wanted to summarize what is known so far, feel free to add details and rumors that might be circling.
In no particular order:
- there is a story outline, still kept secret
- it will be an original story and not lifted from the Extended Universe
- Michael Arndt (Little Miss Sunshine, Toy Story 3, Brave) is doing the screenplay
- JJ Abrams will be director and Bryan Burk will produce
- Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy will be executive producer and George Lucas will be tagged on as creative consultant
- People who have expressed interest in returning to the franchise: Billy Dee Williams, Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Ewan McGregor, Samuel L. Jackson and John Williams. Still no definite greenlights on anyone.
- Disney CEO Bob Iger says that the script isn't done yet and that they will be making casting decisions "when the story is broken".
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
WILL we be meeting new Imperial officers? The Empire could be long gone, considering we're probably coming into a universe 30+ years after the events of ROTJ.
Posted by Nim (Member # 205) on :
Interesting thought. We know they won't be using storylines lifted from the EU like that insect hive that attacked the Republic, or the way-out-from-left-field Yuuzhan Vong. A reemerging Sith conclave, abolishing the rule of two, that could be one future.
Posted by Fabrux (Member # 71) on :
Its worth nothing that in all the EU scenarios some form of the Empire remains long after the New Republic fails.
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
But in the special edition the Empire collapsed the second the Emperor died. As stupid as that sounds, how else do you explain massive celebratory crowds on Coruscant?
Realistically, I agree, there's no way the Empire would collapse that quickly. But then, this is Star Wars, where logic need not apply when George Lucas is writing.
Posted by Nim (Member # 205) on :
quote:how else do you explain massive celebratory crowds on Coruscant?
Actually, certain narrative retconning in some Star Wars literature had it that the Special Edition Coruscant celebration was just a momentary, spontaneous anti-establishment demonstration that was pummeled into submission within minutes. I hate EU-attempts at changing canon facts, though.
On the same not, in "Battlefield Earth" (2000), the combined Earth forces were defeated in nine minutes by the Psychlos. I would like to see how that was done logistically.
Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :
Yeah, even the Combine took seven hours...
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
It's pretty dumb to assume that hundreds of thousands of Imperial officers and troops would suddenly throw down their arms and embrace the Rebellion which had been killing them every chance they got...or vice versa.
And there would be plenty of worlds that preferred the Empire to the old Republic- no dictatorship, no matter how oppressive is universally hated....and the Empire obviously was not as bad as it could have been- or there would have been no populace brace enough to go celebrate in the streets.
It's almost disapointing: Palpaltine seems to have really coasted after coming to power- he could have amassed an army of Sith type force user- all fiercely loyal only to him, or hell, he could have cloned a bunch of obiedent Anakins or whatever... Maybe he got bored and let the Rebellion florish for a time, overconfident that he could crush them for kicks whenever he got around to it.
Posted by Lee (Member # 393) on :
Palpatine basically manipulated the whole Republic so that when it became an Empire I suspect a lot of people welcomed it. I'd imagine that the Imperial PR machine played a great deal on the domination of the Jedi, as a secretive/mysterious and exclusive order using theor powers to subvert democracy.
And the Republic's influence had been waning and wasn't much missed - Tatooine and places like that had little to do with Republic or Empire. I could easily envisage a situation like you had in Niven & Pournelle's Mote books - a second Empire springing up from the remains of the first (granted with a lengthy interregnum in between), and in one of the book's it's stated that to prevent the discord that shattered the first Empire, it wa spolicy that all elements of human space would be brought into the fold whether they liked it or not. If you have politicos in the New Republic thinking like that...
The problem is that if you try to pile in loads of politics into the mix of the new trilogy, it'll start alarm bells ringing. After all, looked at one way, all Phantom Menace was about was a trade dispute.
Posted by shikaru808 (Member # 2080) on :
...and this great "Galactic Empire" only really lasted about 23 years. Assuming of course you count the ending of it at Palpatine's first death. Yeah, he dies again.
Posted by Fabrux (Member # 71) on :
Palpatine dies once. His clones die many times. Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
quote:Originally posted by shikaru808: ...and this great "Galactic Empire" only really lasted about 23 years. Assuming of course you count the ending of it at Palpatine's first death. Yeah, he dies again.
Well...that's just it. 23 years is still short enough time for most everyone to recall what a clusterfuck the Republic was, and how the Jedi tried to take over (at least taht would be how the history books would have told it).
The Republic begat the Empire but the structure of the two was nearly identical- the Senate was only disolved after 20 years of the Empire being in power. Sure, the empire was oppressive but seemingly without the corruption of the Republic- there was none of the gridlock of an impotent Senate and the Clone War which had done so much damage was won.
When the average person looks at the two governmental systems, no one would realy want the Republic back- they'd want a voice in government and an end to the fear and oppression of the Empire's soldiers...but if you remove the empire completely- with all the soldiers and starships and fear...there's nothing to hold the systems together.
And then you'd have all out warfare as every system with the ability makes a move to grab power and territory...and then the ships and troops of the Rebel Alliance would find themselves in the Empire's exact position- keeping things together at the point of a blaster.
No...the only means to raelly make a new form of government would be to do it gradually- grant pardons or amnesty or whatever to captains and crews of starships in exchange for their loyalty to the new Senate or ruling body. All the troops and ships and everythng of the empire would be needed to keep civil war from breaking out.
I guess that the Empire would have facilitated the transition some by disarming the former Seperatist systems- I cant imagine Sideous would have allowed those fleets and droid armies to remain intact.
And then there's the Jedi. Would the masses that cheered the destruction of the Jedi order really welcome their return? In this it's a good thing that Vader's identity was never made public- and that Sideous's abilities were never known either. If the galaxy knew that force users were responsible for so much death and destruction....
Posted by Mars Needs Women (Member # 1505) on :
Well I was doing some internet surfing and found this link detailing some Episode VII fighters and the Millennium Falcon.
I say 'So far, so good.' *nervous cheek muscle twitch*
Posted by Fabrux (Member # 71) on :
The ship bits are interesting, but the plot speculation is complete crap. Lucas, Disney, and Abrams have all claimed that the new trilogy will not follow any of the EU stories. They've even gone so far as to declare anything other than the films and TV shows are not canon, and can and will be disregarded when telling the story of the new trilogy. I really really hope they're not actually considering the Vong War.
Posted by Nim (Member # 205) on :
Oh yes, let's use the Vong wars and make jedi powers worthless and lightsabers equal to police truncheons.
In all fairness, Hollywood wouldn't have the balls to include a death cult featuring routine self-mutilation in their latest PG-13 offering. Or will it be G?
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
"Lucas, Disney, and Abrams have all claimed that the new trilogy will not follow any of the EU stories."
Exactly. Remember when Khan wasn't in Star Trek into Darkness? It's just like that.
Posted by Guardian 2000 (Member # 743) on :
There may be some pieces reintroduced, but in general the idea that EU will not be included it is true. The storyline is based on an outline from Lucas, and he is well known for not following the Expanded Universe.
I discovered and elucidated the firm basis for the dual canon system a decade ago and, to the continual amazement of those who vehemently disagreed, I was proven correct at every turn up to and including the recent Disney announcement.
Any EU derivatives will now be new and separate from the old EU, rather than an invitation to buy into all of it.
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
When I met Timothy Zahn back in July (and he was SUPER cool), he said that "they have my number" but no one had spoken to him about the new SW anything.
Which means that Luke will probably die a virgin, a far as tevised canon is concerned.
![[Razz]](tongue.gif)