soo... speaking of Tarkin.... How did you think he looked? Apparently this is the first time anyone's done this elaborate a job of faking an actor's presence. They shot with a body double, then overlaid that with CGI.
I liked the CGI Tarkin. There were a few times his mouth movements looked a little weird, but otherwise, I thought it was great.
As for the CGI Leia, her mouth was completely in the wrong place. Too high, I think. It was kind of funny, I was like "ooh, 1977 Carrie Fisher...wait a minute..."
CGI has come a long way. They looked great on their own but not good enough to suspend disbelief when on screen at the same time as or right before and after real people. If all the people had been CGI it would have been allot easier to accept but next to the real thing CGI Tarkin and Leia looked odd.
Dr. Miranda Jones: I understand, Mr. Spock. The glory of creation is in its infinite diversity.
Mr. Spock: And the ways our differences combine, to create meaning and beauty.
Jyn wasn't a very good character. She wasn't awful, she was just kinda... there. Her emotional moments almost all fall flat, and she's far and away the least interesting character in the movie. Her entire supporting cast was fantastic, which made it all the more obvious how lackluster she was.
Some of the references and cameos were shoehorned awkwardly and are a disservice to the movie. What do the Mos Eisley goons add? Why do C-3PO and R2-D2 show up just to make one offhanded comment? It feels forced, almost cynical, which is really confusing given how loving and carefully crafted everything else feels. You could have cut those brief scenes out and lose absolutely nothing.
Donnie Yen continues to prove that he is the most dangerous man alive in any movie provided you give him a stick.
I deeply love how dangerous Stormtroopers feel lately. Between Force Awakens and this, they really feel like a fighting force to be reckoned with. At least as much as mooks can be expected to, anyway.
The Tarkin effect was good but had way too much screentime, making it really obvious just how uncanny valley it looked. The Leia effect I didn't really notice given I had little time to scrutinize it, which is exactly what they should have done with Tarkin.
I feel like whoever wrote the scene where Vader singlehandedly cut through almost a dozen Rebel troops was trying to apologize for the prequel Anakin. If so, apology accepted. Apology friggin accepted. It really punctuates the lack of Force stuff in this movie, too - everything is so grounded, and then this happens and it's terrifying and fantastic.
As for overall ratings, since that's a thing we're doing:
Empire Strikes Back
Return of the Jedi
A New Hope
Force Awakens
Rogue One
Revenge of the Sith
Phantom Menace
Attack of the Clones
I'm not the biggest fan of dark and gritty Star Wars, but Rogue One is a nice change of pace.
To be fair this movie leads right up to the minute that new hope starts. So it makes some sense that CPO and R2 would be around since New Hope has them at the start. But I agree on just about everything else.
Dr. Miranda Jones: I understand, Mr. Spock. The glory of creation is in its infinite diversity.
Mr. Spock: And the ways our differences combine, to create meaning and beauty.
soo... speaking of Tarkin.... How did you think he looked? Apparently this is the first time anyone's done this elaborate a job of faking an actor's presence. They shot with a body double, then overlaid that with CGI.
I liked the CGI Tarkin. There were a few times his mouth movements looked a little weird, but otherwise, I thought it was great.
As for the CGI Leia, her mouth was completely in the wrong place. Too high, I think. It was kind of funny, I was like "ooh, 1977 Carrie Fisher...wait a minute..."
I liked CGI Tarkin as well, and my wife (who's not really a Star Wars fan) didn't realize he was CGI at all. The surprise character at the end I thought looked passable, though she looks a bit goofy in the stills you can find on Google.
The droids cameo was a bit strange for me only because it presents a continuity issue: the mon calamari cruiser is preparing to make the jump to Scarif, the end shows that the Tantive IV is docked with the mon cal cruiser, ANH shows the droids are on board the Tantive IV shortly after this movie ends, so how could they be on the surface of Yavin 4 at that particular moment??
I really liked it, except for the ending. For me that probably ranks it at either no. 3 or 4, in terms of "how well do I think this movie worked." I know what they were going for a theme but ( THE SPOILER TAGS ARE NOT FOR SHOW)...
I personally found all the characters in Rogue One, as well as the overall take on the SW universe, to be the most lively and compelling that Star Wars has ever had. To sacrifice every last one to setup the original trilogy strikes me as wasting a wonderful opportunity (for this movie and future ones) simply to pander to how reverentially fans take the old movies.
A lot of the sacrifices were great moments, but after daddy Erso, K-2SO, Imwe, and a huge volume of background characters, the returns on more sacrifice very consciously felt diminishing. A lot of narrative capital was still being spent but it wasn't getting Rogue One anywhere that it wasn't already (meaning: stalled narrative development.) Another theme was needed once the big one was firmly established and that wouldn't have required any real effort. Wen, Rook, Andor, and young Erso should have made it out (which could have happened without Wen and Rook's completely arbitrary grenade deaths) to show IN THIS MOVIE what else is there to life besides taking one for the team.
But it's done, fully resolved, and with only one theme firmly in place. It's great that we can now say more about the iconic intro to New Hope (and Wedge, the guy deserves a lot more credit for Rogue Squadron). But for me, Rogue One has become the new emotional focal point of the Star Wars universe. The prequels lead up to this and the original trilogy gives it required (but unsatisfying) payoff. So what reason do I have to care about how the Star Wars universe continues to develop? Rogue Squadron? New trilogy movies? Other anthologies? I'd just be comparing it to Rogue One.
Basically, while I really like it to a point, Rogue One hugely complicates my take on the Star Wars franchise. It's a false start on a champion run that allows you to step back and watch how the rest of the series (mainly TFA) stumbles.
Post edited by duncanidaho11 on
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Well, apparently Disney had NO plans to use any of the characters they introduced here again. Apparently killing them all was pre-destined as a way to explain 1: why we don't see them in SW4, and 2: that throwaway line about how many people died in order to obtain the plans.
Well, apparently Disney had NO plans to use any of the characters they introduced here again. Apparently killing them all was pre-destined as a way to explain 1: why we don't see them in SW4, and 2: that throwaway line about how many people died in order to obtain the plans.
Yeah, and they've also said that none of the anthology movies will be getting a sequel, which kinda sucks imho. The next one is supposed to feature young Han Solo and Lando.
The throwaway line you mention though I believe is the one from Return of the Jedi, and that refers to a group of Bothans that were killed while obtaining the intel regarding the second Death Star. The legends take on that event was featured in Shadows of the Empire if you ever want to give it a read.
Well, apparently Disney had NO plans to use any of the characters they introduced here again. Apparently killing them all was pre-destined as a way to explain 1: why we don't see them in SW4, and 2: that throwaway line about how many people died in order to obtain the plans.
Unless I'm blanking on a line in New Hope, the people were specifically Bothans, the line was in Return of the Jedi, and it referred to Death Star two. Secondly, "many deaths" doesn't mean "total losses." With my four exceptions, and even assuming the reference was for Death Star one, the line still would have been justified.
Anyway, defaulting the decision to make Rogue One a complete stand alone to Disney also does not justify the ending. It was a bad call, whoever made it. For a start, you don't need to kill people off to explain why they don't show up in already established "sequels". See. the miscellaneous (ie. non-Alderan) members of the Rebel Council in Rogue One. Also, Episodes one through three. More than any other franchise perhaps, Star Wars has the mechanics down for how to make a movie like Rogue One work. You can just say that new characters weren't involved in later scenes.
And keeping members of Rogue group alive doesn't necessarily have to amount to more movies/books/things based on them. My big sticking point is that killing everyone diminished Rogue One in its own right (continuing characters would just be a nice bonus). It had the setup (sacrifice) but not the payoff (what that means to life). That critical component was handed off to a separate movie, meaning that despite having all the right elements Rogue One doesn't actually get to its moment of culmination. You have to project that in yourself, having outside knowledge of events, even though a strong in-movie point was at the brink of possibility.
If staging survival of some members required exceptional changes to the story then that might not be something we could consider. But I think it could have been done by omitting Rook's arbitrary and not particularly impactful death (Wen could have made it on similar grounds but he's not essential to "how Rogue One could have been a more complete movie.") That keeps a friendly ship in one piece for a beach-side rescue of Andor and Erso and they warp out. In hyperspace make some speculative comments about what sacrifice amounts to, cut to flagship boarding scenes, Leia's ship escapes, end movie.
Anyway, for me this just means that Rogue One could have been better. It has great characters but a stalled narrative arc at the very end (which you can attribute to the larger franchise). That's not a huge problem, but it does mean that in liking Rogue One a lot more than other things (ie. TFA) that problem colors my overall opinion about the franchise with a twinge of conflict. It's Rogue One versus its sequels.
Post edited by duncanidaho11 on
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Well, apparently Disney had NO plans to use any of the characters they introduced here again. Apparently killing them all was pre-destined as a way to explain 1: why we don't see them in SW4, and 2: that throwaway line about how many people died in order to obtain the plans.
Unless I'm blanking on a line in New Hope, the people were specifically Bothans, the line was in Return of the Jedi, and it referred to Death Star two. Secondly, "many deaths" doesn't mean "total losses." With my four exceptions, and even assuming the reference was for Death Star one, the line still would have been justified.
Anyway, defaulting the decision to make Rogue One a complete stand alone to Disney also does not justify the ending. It was a bad call, whoever made it. For a start, you don't need to kill people off to explain why they don't show up in already established "sequels". See. the miscellaneous (ie. non-Alderan) members of the Rebel Council in Rogue One. Also, Episodes one through three. More than any other franchise perhaps, Star Wars has the mechanics down for how to make a movie like Rogue One work. You can just say that new characters weren't involved in later scenes.
And keeping members of Rogue group alive doesn't necessarily have to amount to more movies/books/things based on them. My big sticking point is that killing everyone diminished Rogue One in its own right (continuing characters would just be a nice bonus). It had the setup (sacrifice) but not the payoff (what that means to life). That critical component was handed off to a separate movie, meaning that despite having all the right elements Rogue One doesn't actually get to its moment of culmination. You have to project that in yourself, having outside knowledge of events, even though a strong in-movie point was at the brink of possibility.
If staging survival of some members required exceptional changes to the story then that might not be something we could consider. But I think it could have been done by omitting Rook's arbitrary and not particularly impactful death (Wen could have made it on similar grounds but he's not essential to "how Rogue One could have been a more complete movie.") That keeps a friendly ship in one piece for a beach-side rescue of Andor and Erso and they warp out. In hyperspace make some speculative comments about what sacrifice amounts to, cut to flagship boarding scenes, Leia's ship escapes, end movie.
I agree with you completely regarding the characters' survival, but another issue that would have created is, if Jyn, Cassian, and Rook make it out, why is R2D2's set of plans so important in ANH? Now, I personally think that question would have been better answered with an errant blaster bolt hitting the archive disk as they ran for the shuttle, but that could've been what the writers were thinking about
I agree with you completely regarding the characters' survival, but another issue that would have created is, if Jyn, Cassian, and Rook make it out, why is R2D2's set of plans so important in ANH? Now, I personally think that question would have been better answered with an errant blaster bolt hitting the archive disk as they ran for the shuttle, but that could've been what the writers were thinking about
Either that or they skipped the disks (which seemed like an unnecessary complication) and worked with the data archive only. They find the data, try to transmit the file, but the communications dish needs to be realigned manually. Spire-top scene largely unchanged (maybe it's just debris that needs to be cleared), except for no plug-in. Then, they make their escape but still with the flagship having the only copy of the data.
Yeah, and they've also said that none of the anthology movies will be getting a sequel, which kinda sucks imho.
Personally, I'm now interpreting "anthology" to mean "supplemental" unless they do something which isn't trilogy background. Essentially, that means my expectations are dialing from "what I always really wanted to see" to "Ewoks live action TV show."
Okay, it's not that bad. But, it seems like we're going to be settling into a somewhat formulaic groove after this initial rush of the Star Wars revival. Here comes accompaniments to box sets, in addition to new box sets. Ultimately my worry is just that so much is going to hang (simply to work as movies) on a very narrow range of events (ie. eps 4, 5, 6) that the original trilogy is going to be retroactively washed out of its original feeling and meaning. We can take it now as is, but after the new trilogy and a couple more anthologies how are we going to be able to separate our well ground emotions then from our fresh emotions way back when? Already I'm seeing something other than the Death Star trench run/shute plunge when I think of the X-wing.
That might not be such a bad thing, if I was able to hold up Rogue One for example as my new thing. But I can't because I cannot possibly appreciate it without considering, in full, my old thing. It's an emotional wash, nothing is really the same and there doesn't appear to be truly new content to look forward to. I really don't want to bother with it.
It does, disappointingly, make me long for the uncomplicated days of the prequels. You knew exactly how far they'd go and, whatever else he may have done, Lucas kept to separate visual styles.
Post edited by duncanidaho11 on
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Well, they had just been presented with a weapon that spelled certain doom for all of them. Most of the leaders were politicians, not fighters, so it's perfectly understandable that they would be scared into submission by that kind of power, it was the entire point of building the Death Star in the first place. You build it, you use it just once, and then as Tarkin said in ANH "Fear will keep the local systems in line, fear of this station."
Eh... I just have a hard time swallowing the Death Star as the ultimate game changer people think it is. The stuff we have learned about the Empire over the decades has only shown that they already had the power to wipe out entire planets. The Death Star in practical application is just a flashy vanity project that subscribes to the notion that bigger is better. Even the concept of blowing up planets falls a bit short when you take a breath and realize that the Empire is only blowing up its own territory in the process, it is simply to excessive to be a practical deterrent.
On the flipside something like that would only serve to destabilize the Empire from within as people like Tarkin would inevitably try to use it for their own personal gain while others tried to take it from him. You would eventually wind up with a imperial warlords scenario where everyone was racing to have their own variation on the battlestation to try to claim dominance of the galaxy.
Well, the important part is that TARKIN thought it was a good idea. Would the plan have worked? Maybe, maybe not. His reasoning seems plausible. The main thing that would have prevented the admirals from fighting over who controls the Death Star is Emperor Palpatine. With him and Vader enforcing the proper command structure the admirals would have at the least forgone open conflict.
Well, they had just been presented with a weapon that spelled certain doom for all of them. Most of the leaders were politicians, not fighters, so it's perfectly understandable that they would be scared into submission by that kind of power, it was the entire point of building the Death Star in the first place. You build it, you use it just once, and then as Tarkin said in ANH "Fear will keep the local systems in line, fear of this station."
Eh... I just have a hard time swallowing the Death Star as the ultimate game changer people think it is. The stuff we have learned about the Empire over the decades has only shown that they already had the power to wipe out entire planets. The Death Star in practical application is just a flashy vanity project that subscribes to the notion that bigger is better. Even the concept of blowing up planets falls a bit short when you take a breath and realize that the Empire is only blowing up its own territory in the process, it is simply to excessive to be a practical deterrent.
On the flipside something like that would only serve to destabilize the Empire from within as people like Tarkin would inevitably try to use it for their own personal gain while others tried to take it from him. You would eventually wind up with a imperial warlords scenario where everyone was racing to have their own variation on the battlestation to try to claim dominance of the galaxy.
Is it excessive? Yes, however that's why they would have only used it once or twice, just enough to let the fear sink in and take hold. There's also another aspect that I forgot to mention, when the Death Star arrives at Scarface someone asks Tarkin if they should begin targeting the Rebel fleet ... for me this is huge, because in the Legends canon the first Death Star was incapable of targeting anything as "small" as a capital ship with it's superlaser, only the second Death Star had that capability. If Disney has now given that capability to the first Death Star as well, then going up against it without the exhaust weakness would truly be hopeless, as it would be fully capable of soloing an entire enemy fleet.
Eh... I just have a hard time swallowing the Death Star as the ultimate game changer people think it is. The stuff we have learned about the Empire over the decades has only shown that they already had the power to wipe out entire planets. The Death Star in practical application is just a flashy vanity project that subscribes to the notion that bigger is better. Even the concept of blowing up planets falls a bit short when you take a breath and realize that the Empire is only blowing up its own territory in the process, it is simply to excessive to be a practical deterrent.
On the flipside something like that would only serve to destabilize the Empire from within as people like Tarkin would inevitably try to use it for their own personal gain while others tried to take it from him. You would eventually wind up with a imperial warlords scenario where everyone was racing to have their own variation on the battlestation to try to claim dominance of the galaxy.
Destroying planets without the Death Star requires large fleets of warships that would be put to much better use against rebel fleets. It's not meant to be a huge scorched-Earth weapon to be used against military installations, it's a gun put to your family's heads as a reminder of what happens if you step out of line. Destroying every rebel planet would not be necessary, just one or two to scare everyone into submission. How can you fight a war knowing that thing is heading right toward your homeworld, where everyone you know is helpless to escape?
And in the original novels it was stated that the Empire was indeed planning to build a bunch of Death Stars, and that Tarkin's probably had a self-destruct button on the Emperor's desk in case of rebellion. Once more were built, they could be deployed in response to any insurrection anywhere in the galaxy. If that future came to pass, the rebels wouldn't stand a chance -- they had to act quickly to win the war before more of those things could be churned out.
"Critics who say that the optimistic utopia Star Trek depicted is now outmoded forget the cultural context that gave birth to it: Star Trek was not a manifestation of optimism when optimism was easy. Star Trek declared a hope for a future that nobody stuck in the present could believe in. For all our struggles today, we haven’t outgrown the need for stories like Star Trek. We need tales of optimism, of heroes, of courage and goodness now as much as we’ve ever needed them." -Thomas Marrone
Some of the references and cameos were shoehorned awkwardly and are a disservice to the movie. What do the Mos Eisley goons add? Why do C-3PO and R2-D2 show up just to make one offhanded comment? It feels forced, almost cynical, which is really confusing given how loving and carefully crafted everything else feels. You could have cut those brief scenes out and lose absolutely nothing.
To this day, R2-D2 and C-3PO have appeared in every Star Wars movie to date. Clearly, Rogue One couldn't be an exception.
Eh... I just have a hard time swallowing the Death Star as the ultimate game changer people think it is. The stuff we have learned about the Empire over the decades has only shown that they already had the power to wipe out entire planets. The Death Star in practical application is just a flashy vanity project that subscribes to the notion that bigger is better. Even the concept of blowing up planets falls a bit short when you take a breath and realize that the Empire is only blowing up its own territory in the process, it is simply to excessive to be a practical deterrent.
On the flipside something like that would only serve to destabilize the Empire from within as people like Tarkin would inevitably try to use it for their own personal gain while others tried to take it from him. You would eventually wind up with a imperial warlords scenario where everyone was racing to have their own variation on the battlestation to try to claim dominance of the galaxy.
Destroying planets without the Death Star requires large fleets of warships that would be put to much better use against rebel fleets. It's not meant to be a huge scorched-Earth weapon to be used against military installations, it's a gun put to your family's heads as a reminder of what happens if you step out of line. Destroying every rebel planet would not be necessary, just one or two to scare everyone into submission. How can you fight a war knowing that thing is heading right toward your homeworld, where everyone you know is helpless to escape?
And in the original novels it was stated that the Empire was indeed planning to build a bunch of Death Stars, and that Tarkin's probably had a self-destruct button on the Emperor's desk in case of rebellion. Once more were built, they could be deployed in response to any insurrection anywhere in the galaxy. If that future came to pass, the rebels wouldn't stand a chance -- they had to act quickly to win the war before more of those things could be churned out.
You know, it was odd how the second Death Star was built so quickly...
Winning.
It's what I do. It's what I just did. It's what I'm about to do again. It's being undisputed emperor of an empire that cannot be disproved as the most powerful intergalactic empire in the entire universe; I always win, and everything I've won will definitely be won again... by me. It's my signature move, and thus, it's my signature. Problem, Sonic? Yeah, I mean you, Sonic, because you're being beat up, despite your being super. You can't even hit Shadow back, can you? Nope, he's too strong for you. Of course, I'm not Shadow, I'm the Super Emerald fueled fox that's pulling the strings; trust me, the fight would only be a few frames long if I were in it personally. Oh, and here's something for all you guys thinking you can win Last Post Wins 3.0; trust me, I'll be around a long while after the sun has already consumed the Earth while I sit out with the forum servers on Titan. Yes, I mean Titan... that comparatively little moon orbiting Saturn. It's a nice little place in a version of our solar system where the sun is a lot bigger. I mean, Mars will last longer than your precious Earth, but by then, it'll be one hot planet... and I figure Saturn's moon will be about the right temperate for a super-powered warlord. Oh, and trust me, I packed a lot of rings, and I mean a lot. Trillions, in fact, so I'll never run out of rings to power my super form. Besides, if I start to run out, I can just chaos control more rings into my reach. It's quite easy, really. You should try it. Granted, you'll never have the 7 Super Emeralds that I have in my possession, nor the Master Emerald that I've got hidden away somewhere... absorbed into my body thanks to Sonic logic, but whatever. I win. Again. I'm not kidding, either. Just check Last Post Wins, and if the last post isn't mine, it soon will be. Very, very soon. You can count on it. Seriously. By the way, if you're wondering, there's a really great Super Tails sprite sheet out there... somewhere... by some guy named shadow_91. These sprites are really great. Like, really good. Quality. Just like what I like to see in a sprite sheet. Also, credit to Joe T.E., his Sonic Battle style Super Sonic sprites have a great palette for a Super Sonic being beat up by Super Shadow, who's palette is from a Super Shadow sheet of unknown origin, but it turns out they were "borrowed" from a better sheet made by a certain Domenico. Oh, and the gif is actually a custom made super version of a similar gif, of which there are only 3 or 4 copies to be found by Google, and even then, evidently of an unknown source. Yep, it's one of those things. Stuff people have made, spread around, only for it to vanish and you to be the only person who still has a copy, not even knowing where it came from... like, literally at all. Oh, and anyone notice that Shadow's little chaos snap blast thingies are red and blue now? Yeah, I changed it. Problem, fans of purple? Yeah, I know you got a problem with that one, but you can just deal with it. After all, according to all known laws of aviation, there is no way a bee should be able to fly... alright, alright, I'll spare you the entire Bee Movie script, just Google it if you want. By the way, ever wonder how your characters would've ended up if they evolved in another universe? Yeah, that. Think about it. Ok, so you probably didn't bother reading up to here, but whatever, here's a surprise for you guys over at ESD (RP) who were crazy enough to read this: Emperor Nat of the mcfreakin' Terran Empire is gonna be right all along! The universe is gonna go BOOM! *Thumbs up to the insanity*
Oh, now don't tell me you want in on all this! Well, ok. Look this that Egg Pawn hanging outside your window, pointing his laser rifle at you, waiting for my next order. He's doing his part. He helps conquer the weak-minded. He roboticizes the weak-bodied. Heck, he even helps keep the useless people from causing any trouble, but you know what? Join. Find the closest Nataran Empire roboticization center near you and join the ranks, before the ranks find you. Oh, I know, you figure it must be so satisfying to know I basically rule the world now, and you know what? It is, but do you want to know the true definition of satisfaction? Well, let me tell you a little story. One day, you see a brand new event. They're giving out boxes that give old event stuff. Your dilithium is plentiful. You buy a whole lot of Phoenix packs on your main, and open them all. You get one epic token. Then, you decide, that since you have all the Breen ships and don't give a damn about the others, you exchange it for an ultra rare, and grab yourself a Jem'Hadar Attack Ship and for the hell of it, a Voth Bulwark. You open both, leaving the Bulwark in your vast masses of starships as you jump into the bugship and deck it out, deck by deck, into the most awesome Jem'Hadar ship you can. You fly it. You enjoy it. Eventually, you get bored and leave, leaving the old Bulwark never flown... until later. Your main is long complete. Your new alt main, based off some character you pulled out of nothing just to explain away some starship being in service without the command of your dear admiral, is also complete. Mostly. Their reps and doffs are hard at work, getting you stuff. You realize the potential, and head back for your dear admiral, pull the most Voth themed build you can out of thin air, and suit up in your giant ship in the shape of you know what. You head out... and cause all sorts of havoc. Enemies scream out your name as their very life is drained away by your swarms of Aceton Assimilators. They complain to the devs of your OPness when you revive yourself from death every time you die. Do you show any form of mercy? No. After all, this isn't the United Federation of Planets, this is mother frakkin' Starfleet, where you explore strange new worlds and kick butt never kicked before. Oh, and you realize that I just wrote another speech rivaling your own signature. Cool. Oh, wait, that's just the original draft, it is part of my signature now. Oh, and yes, I am aware that I have become a Canadian Regent; one day, sooner than you'd expect, we'll suddenly decide to take over the world and declare an "alliance", and I shall become it's Regent. You know, like the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance in the mirror universe of our beloved Star Trek. Oh, who'll we be taking over with? I dunno, maybe [REDACTED], or maybe aliens from outer space. Guess you'll have to wait and find out, won't we? Until then, don't ask too many questions, or else my Breen allies on Titania might pick up on your -- [REDACTED BY BREEN CONFEDERACY FOR REASONS] Also, psst... keep an eye out for flying Tribbles! Also walls. Big, great walls, separating entire continents apart. Walls patrolled by Tribbles. Flying Tribbles. Flying Nukara Tribbles. Don't worry, it's not like they were on Venus with a herd of Tholians or anything, they just like the extreme heat and brutal weather like acid rain and hurricane force winds as the norm. Oh, and definitely keep your eye out on any two-tailed foxes, because if they ain't glowing, they're definitely an imposter. Possibly an Undine, we caught one of those once in my place once. Oh, and if you find a two-tailed fox that doesn't like the cold... most certainly ask him to say sorry. If he refuses, DESTROY HIM WITH A DOOMSDAY MACHINE, BECAUSE THERE'S NOTHING ELSE THAT WOULD BE ENOUGH AGAINST SUCH AN OVERPOWERED IMPOSTER!
tr;dr, I am winning last post wins 3.0. Thank you for your time.
Some of the references and cameos were shoehorned awkwardly and are a disservice to the movie. What do the Mos Eisley goons add? Why do C-3PO and R2-D2 show up just to make one offhanded comment? It feels forced, almost cynical, which is really confusing given how loving and carefully crafted everything else feels. You could have cut those brief scenes out and lose absolutely nothing.
To this day, R2-D2 and C-3PO have appeared in every Star Wars movie to date. Clearly, Rogue One couldn't be an exception.
I personally think it should have been at the end on theTantive IV, due to the continuity issues I mentioned, but otherwise I had no problem with the droids showing up.
Eh... I just have a hard time swallowing the Death Star as the ultimate game changer people think it is. The stuff we have learned about the Empire over the decades has only shown that they already had the power to wipe out entire planets. The Death Star in practical application is just a flashy vanity project that subscribes to the notion that bigger is better. Even the concept of blowing up planets falls a bit short when you take a breath and realize that the Empire is only blowing up its own territory in the process, it is simply to excessive to be a practical deterrent.
On the flipside something like that would only serve to destabilize the Empire from within as people like Tarkin would inevitably try to use it for their own personal gain while others tried to take it from him. You would eventually wind up with a imperial warlords scenario where everyone was racing to have their own variation on the battlestation to try to claim dominance of the galaxy.
Destroying planets without the Death Star requires large fleets of warships that would be put to much better use against rebel fleets. It's not meant to be a huge scorched-Earth weapon to be used against military installations, it's a gun put to your family's heads as a reminder of what happens if you step out of line. Destroying every rebel planet would not be necessary, just one or two to scare everyone into submission. How can you fight a war knowing that thing is heading right toward your homeworld, where everyone you know is helpless to escape?
And in the original novels it was stated that the Empire was indeed planning to build a bunch of Death Stars, and that Tarkin's probably had a self-destruct button on the Emperor's desk in case of rebellion. Once more were built, they could be deployed in response to any insurrection anywhere in the galaxy. If that future came to pass, the rebels wouldn't stand a chance -- they had to act quickly to win the war before more of those things could be churned out.
You know, it was odd how the second Death Star was built so quickly...
Well, it technically was far from complete, and I'm sure they learned enough while building the first one to make the process faster and more streamlined.
from what i remember from legends, it started almost immediately after the first was destroyed - after the emperor got done executing and cloning bevel lemelisk, of course, since he's the one who designed the second
as for disney-canon (which is hereafter to be referred as danon, so it is written, so it shall be said), who knows?
A normie goes "Oh, what's this?"
An otaku goes "UwU, what's this?"
A furry goes "OwO, what's this?"
A werewolf goes "Awoo, what's this?"
"It's nothing personal, I just don't feel like I've gotten to know a person until I've sniffed their crotch." "We said 'no' to Mr. Curiosity. We're not home. Curiosity is not welcome, it is not to be invited in. Curiosity...is bad. It gets you in trouble, it gets you killed, and more importantly...it makes you poor!"
Passion and Serenity are one.
I gain power by understanding both.
In the chaos of their battle, I bring order.
I am a shadow, darkness born from light.
The Force is united within me.
Wookiepedia says that the emperor apparently ordered the construction of the second during the Battle of Yavin, as though he knew that the first would be destroyed... but that doesn't make much difference, does it?
Winning.
It's what I do. It's what I just did. It's what I'm about to do again. It's being undisputed emperor of an empire that cannot be disproved as the most powerful intergalactic empire in the entire universe; I always win, and everything I've won will definitely be won again... by me. It's my signature move, and thus, it's my signature. Problem, Sonic? Yeah, I mean you, Sonic, because you're being beat up, despite your being super. You can't even hit Shadow back, can you? Nope, he's too strong for you. Of course, I'm not Shadow, I'm the Super Emerald fueled fox that's pulling the strings; trust me, the fight would only be a few frames long if I were in it personally. Oh, and here's something for all you guys thinking you can win Last Post Wins 3.0; trust me, I'll be around a long while after the sun has already consumed the Earth while I sit out with the forum servers on Titan. Yes, I mean Titan... that comparatively little moon orbiting Saturn. It's a nice little place in a version of our solar system where the sun is a lot bigger. I mean, Mars will last longer than your precious Earth, but by then, it'll be one hot planet... and I figure Saturn's moon will be about the right temperate for a super-powered warlord. Oh, and trust me, I packed a lot of rings, and I mean a lot. Trillions, in fact, so I'll never run out of rings to power my super form. Besides, if I start to run out, I can just chaos control more rings into my reach. It's quite easy, really. You should try it. Granted, you'll never have the 7 Super Emeralds that I have in my possession, nor the Master Emerald that I've got hidden away somewhere... absorbed into my body thanks to Sonic logic, but whatever. I win. Again. I'm not kidding, either. Just check Last Post Wins, and if the last post isn't mine, it soon will be. Very, very soon. You can count on it. Seriously. By the way, if you're wondering, there's a really great Super Tails sprite sheet out there... somewhere... by some guy named shadow_91. These sprites are really great. Like, really good. Quality. Just like what I like to see in a sprite sheet. Also, credit to Joe T.E., his Sonic Battle style Super Sonic sprites have a great palette for a Super Sonic being beat up by Super Shadow, who's palette is from a Super Shadow sheet of unknown origin, but it turns out they were "borrowed" from a better sheet made by a certain Domenico. Oh, and the gif is actually a custom made super version of a similar gif, of which there are only 3 or 4 copies to be found by Google, and even then, evidently of an unknown source. Yep, it's one of those things. Stuff people have made, spread around, only for it to vanish and you to be the only person who still has a copy, not even knowing where it came from... like, literally at all. Oh, and anyone notice that Shadow's little chaos snap blast thingies are red and blue now? Yeah, I changed it. Problem, fans of purple? Yeah, I know you got a problem with that one, but you can just deal with it. After all, according to all known laws of aviation, there is no way a bee should be able to fly... alright, alright, I'll spare you the entire Bee Movie script, just Google it if you want. By the way, ever wonder how your characters would've ended up if they evolved in another universe? Yeah, that. Think about it. Ok, so you probably didn't bother reading up to here, but whatever, here's a surprise for you guys over at ESD (RP) who were crazy enough to read this: Emperor Nat of the mcfreakin' Terran Empire is gonna be right all along! The universe is gonna go BOOM! *Thumbs up to the insanity*
Oh, now don't tell me you want in on all this! Well, ok. Look this that Egg Pawn hanging outside your window, pointing his laser rifle at you, waiting for my next order. He's doing his part. He helps conquer the weak-minded. He roboticizes the weak-bodied. Heck, he even helps keep the useless people from causing any trouble, but you know what? Join. Find the closest Nataran Empire roboticization center near you and join the ranks, before the ranks find you. Oh, I know, you figure it must be so satisfying to know I basically rule the world now, and you know what? It is, but do you want to know the true definition of satisfaction? Well, let me tell you a little story. One day, you see a brand new event. They're giving out boxes that give old event stuff. Your dilithium is plentiful. You buy a whole lot of Phoenix packs on your main, and open them all. You get one epic token. Then, you decide, that since you have all the Breen ships and don't give a damn about the others, you exchange it for an ultra rare, and grab yourself a Jem'Hadar Attack Ship and for the hell of it, a Voth Bulwark. You open both, leaving the Bulwark in your vast masses of starships as you jump into the bugship and deck it out, deck by deck, into the most awesome Jem'Hadar ship you can. You fly it. You enjoy it. Eventually, you get bored and leave, leaving the old Bulwark never flown... until later. Your main is long complete. Your new alt main, based off some character you pulled out of nothing just to explain away some starship being in service without the command of your dear admiral, is also complete. Mostly. Their reps and doffs are hard at work, getting you stuff. You realize the potential, and head back for your dear admiral, pull the most Voth themed build you can out of thin air, and suit up in your giant ship in the shape of you know what. You head out... and cause all sorts of havoc. Enemies scream out your name as their very life is drained away by your swarms of Aceton Assimilators. They complain to the devs of your OPness when you revive yourself from death every time you die. Do you show any form of mercy? No. After all, this isn't the United Federation of Planets, this is mother frakkin' Starfleet, where you explore strange new worlds and kick butt never kicked before. Oh, and you realize that I just wrote another speech rivaling your own signature. Cool. Oh, wait, that's just the original draft, it is part of my signature now. Oh, and yes, I am aware that I have become a Canadian Regent; one day, sooner than you'd expect, we'll suddenly decide to take over the world and declare an "alliance", and I shall become it's Regent. You know, like the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance in the mirror universe of our beloved Star Trek. Oh, who'll we be taking over with? I dunno, maybe [REDACTED], or maybe aliens from outer space. Guess you'll have to wait and find out, won't we? Until then, don't ask too many questions, or else my Breen allies on Titania might pick up on your -- [REDACTED BY BREEN CONFEDERACY FOR REASONS] Also, psst... keep an eye out for flying Tribbles! Also walls. Big, great walls, separating entire continents apart. Walls patrolled by Tribbles. Flying Tribbles. Flying Nukara Tribbles. Don't worry, it's not like they were on Venus with a herd of Tholians or anything, they just like the extreme heat and brutal weather like acid rain and hurricane force winds as the norm. Oh, and definitely keep your eye out on any two-tailed foxes, because if they ain't glowing, they're definitely an imposter. Possibly an Undine, we caught one of those once in my place once. Oh, and if you find a two-tailed fox that doesn't like the cold... most certainly ask him to say sorry. If he refuses, DESTROY HIM WITH A DOOMSDAY MACHINE, BECAUSE THERE'S NOTHING ELSE THAT WOULD BE ENOUGH AGAINST SUCH AN OVERPOWERED IMPOSTER!
tr;dr, I am winning last post wins 3.0. Thank you for your time.
A normie goes "Oh, what's this?"
An otaku goes "UwU, what's this?"
A furry goes "OwO, what's this?"
A werewolf goes "Awoo, what's this?"
"It's nothing personal, I just don't feel like I've gotten to know a person until I've sniffed their crotch." "We said 'no' to Mr. Curiosity. We're not home. Curiosity is not welcome, it is not to be invited in. Curiosity...is bad. It gets you in trouble, it gets you killed, and more importantly...it makes you poor!"
Passion and Serenity are one.
I gain power by understanding both.
In the chaos of their battle, I bring order.
I am a shadow, darkness born from light.
The Force is united within me.
Eh... I just have a hard time swallowing the Death Star as the ultimate game changer people think it is. The stuff we have learned about the Empire over the decades has only shown that they already had the power to wipe out entire planets. The Death Star in practical application is just a flashy vanity project that subscribes to the notion that bigger is better. Even the concept of blowing up planets falls a bit short when you take a breath and realize that the Empire is only blowing up its own territory in the process, it is simply to excessive to be a practical deterrent.
On the flipside something like that would only serve to destabilize the Empire from within as people like Tarkin would inevitably try to use it for their own personal gain while others tried to take it from him. You would eventually wind up with a imperial warlords scenario where everyone was racing to have their own variation on the battlestation to try to claim dominance of the galaxy.
Destroying planets without the Death Star requires large fleets of warships that would be put to much better use against rebel fleets. It's not meant to be a huge scorched-Earth weapon to be used against military installations, it's a gun put to your family's heads as a reminder of what happens if you step out of line. Destroying every rebel planet would not be necessary, just one or two to scare everyone into submission. How can you fight a war knowing that thing is heading right toward your homeworld, where everyone you know is helpless to escape?
And in the original novels it was stated that the Empire was indeed planning to build a bunch of Death Stars, and that Tarkin's probably had a self-destruct button on the Emperor's desk in case of rebellion. Once more were built, they could be deployed in response to any insurrection anywhere in the galaxy. If that future came to pass, the rebels wouldn't stand a chance -- they had to act quickly to win the war before more of those things could be churned out.
Another issue with the use of a fleet to merely glass a planet is that it's a long process. In one of the new canon novels, that process is stopped when a New Republic fleet shows up. With the Death Star, the destruction of the planet is instantaneous and unstoppable.
Your father was captain of a starship for twelve minutes. He saved 800 lives, including your mother's, and yours.
I hope Rogue One isn't going to be a rehash of the Star Wars movies that came before it. Homages are nice but The Force Awakens went too far in my opinion.
I hope Rogue One isn't going to be a rehash of the Star Wars movies that came before it. Homages are nice but The Force Awakens went too far in my opinion.
Oh, it's definitely not just a rehash.
Winning.
It's what I do. It's what I just did. It's what I'm about to do again. It's being undisputed emperor of an empire that cannot be disproved as the most powerful intergalactic empire in the entire universe; I always win, and everything I've won will definitely be won again... by me. It's my signature move, and thus, it's my signature. Problem, Sonic? Yeah, I mean you, Sonic, because you're being beat up, despite your being super. You can't even hit Shadow back, can you? Nope, he's too strong for you. Of course, I'm not Shadow, I'm the Super Emerald fueled fox that's pulling the strings; trust me, the fight would only be a few frames long if I were in it personally. Oh, and here's something for all you guys thinking you can win Last Post Wins 3.0; trust me, I'll be around a long while after the sun has already consumed the Earth while I sit out with the forum servers on Titan. Yes, I mean Titan... that comparatively little moon orbiting Saturn. It's a nice little place in a version of our solar system where the sun is a lot bigger. I mean, Mars will last longer than your precious Earth, but by then, it'll be one hot planet... and I figure Saturn's moon will be about the right temperate for a super-powered warlord. Oh, and trust me, I packed a lot of rings, and I mean a lot. Trillions, in fact, so I'll never run out of rings to power my super form. Besides, if I start to run out, I can just chaos control more rings into my reach. It's quite easy, really. You should try it. Granted, you'll never have the 7 Super Emeralds that I have in my possession, nor the Master Emerald that I've got hidden away somewhere... absorbed into my body thanks to Sonic logic, but whatever. I win. Again. I'm not kidding, either. Just check Last Post Wins, and if the last post isn't mine, it soon will be. Very, very soon. You can count on it. Seriously. By the way, if you're wondering, there's a really great Super Tails sprite sheet out there... somewhere... by some guy named shadow_91. These sprites are really great. Like, really good. Quality. Just like what I like to see in a sprite sheet. Also, credit to Joe T.E., his Sonic Battle style Super Sonic sprites have a great palette for a Super Sonic being beat up by Super Shadow, who's palette is from a Super Shadow sheet of unknown origin, but it turns out they were "borrowed" from a better sheet made by a certain Domenico. Oh, and the gif is actually a custom made super version of a similar gif, of which there are only 3 or 4 copies to be found by Google, and even then, evidently of an unknown source. Yep, it's one of those things. Stuff people have made, spread around, only for it to vanish and you to be the only person who still has a copy, not even knowing where it came from... like, literally at all. Oh, and anyone notice that Shadow's little chaos snap blast thingies are red and blue now? Yeah, I changed it. Problem, fans of purple? Yeah, I know you got a problem with that one, but you can just deal with it. After all, according to all known laws of aviation, there is no way a bee should be able to fly... alright, alright, I'll spare you the entire Bee Movie script, just Google it if you want. By the way, ever wonder how your characters would've ended up if they evolved in another universe? Yeah, that. Think about it. Ok, so you probably didn't bother reading up to here, but whatever, here's a surprise for you guys over at ESD (RP) who were crazy enough to read this: Emperor Nat of the mcfreakin' Terran Empire is gonna be right all along! The universe is gonna go BOOM! *Thumbs up to the insanity*
Oh, now don't tell me you want in on all this! Well, ok. Look this that Egg Pawn hanging outside your window, pointing his laser rifle at you, waiting for my next order. He's doing his part. He helps conquer the weak-minded. He roboticizes the weak-bodied. Heck, he even helps keep the useless people from causing any trouble, but you know what? Join. Find the closest Nataran Empire roboticization center near you and join the ranks, before the ranks find you. Oh, I know, you figure it must be so satisfying to know I basically rule the world now, and you know what? It is, but do you want to know the true definition of satisfaction? Well, let me tell you a little story. One day, you see a brand new event. They're giving out boxes that give old event stuff. Your dilithium is plentiful. You buy a whole lot of Phoenix packs on your main, and open them all. You get one epic token. Then, you decide, that since you have all the Breen ships and don't give a damn about the others, you exchange it for an ultra rare, and grab yourself a Jem'Hadar Attack Ship and for the hell of it, a Voth Bulwark. You open both, leaving the Bulwark in your vast masses of starships as you jump into the bugship and deck it out, deck by deck, into the most awesome Jem'Hadar ship you can. You fly it. You enjoy it. Eventually, you get bored and leave, leaving the old Bulwark never flown... until later. Your main is long complete. Your new alt main, based off some character you pulled out of nothing just to explain away some starship being in service without the command of your dear admiral, is also complete. Mostly. Their reps and doffs are hard at work, getting you stuff. You realize the potential, and head back for your dear admiral, pull the most Voth themed build you can out of thin air, and suit up in your giant ship in the shape of you know what. You head out... and cause all sorts of havoc. Enemies scream out your name as their very life is drained away by your swarms of Aceton Assimilators. They complain to the devs of your OPness when you revive yourself from death every time you die. Do you show any form of mercy? No. After all, this isn't the United Federation of Planets, this is mother frakkin' Starfleet, where you explore strange new worlds and kick butt never kicked before. Oh, and you realize that I just wrote another speech rivaling your own signature. Cool. Oh, wait, that's just the original draft, it is part of my signature now. Oh, and yes, I am aware that I have become a Canadian Regent; one day, sooner than you'd expect, we'll suddenly decide to take over the world and declare an "alliance", and I shall become it's Regent. You know, like the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance in the mirror universe of our beloved Star Trek. Oh, who'll we be taking over with? I dunno, maybe [REDACTED], or maybe aliens from outer space. Guess you'll have to wait and find out, won't we? Until then, don't ask too many questions, or else my Breen allies on Titania might pick up on your -- [REDACTED BY BREEN CONFEDERACY FOR REASONS] Also, psst... keep an eye out for flying Tribbles! Also walls. Big, great walls, separating entire continents apart. Walls patrolled by Tribbles. Flying Tribbles. Flying Nukara Tribbles. Don't worry, it's not like they were on Venus with a herd of Tholians or anything, they just like the extreme heat and brutal weather like acid rain and hurricane force winds as the norm. Oh, and definitely keep your eye out on any two-tailed foxes, because if they ain't glowing, they're definitely an imposter. Possibly an Undine, we caught one of those once in my place once. Oh, and if you find a two-tailed fox that doesn't like the cold... most certainly ask him to say sorry. If he refuses, DESTROY HIM WITH A DOOMSDAY MACHINE, BECAUSE THERE'S NOTHING ELSE THAT WOULD BE ENOUGH AGAINST SUCH AN OVERPOWERED IMPOSTER!
tr;dr, I am winning last post wins 3.0. Thank you for your time.
I hope Rogue One isn't going to be a rehash of the Star Wars movies that came before it. Homages are nice but The Force Awakens went too far in my opinion.
Oh, it's definitely not just a rehash.
In regards to all the other Star Wars movies, it was a nice change of pace. It put the Wars in Star Wars.
What I loved the most was at the end, when Vader took on all of those Rebel soldiers. The look on their faces was shear terror and that made the Tantive IV scene in A New Hope much better. When the movie started, I really didn't care for any of the main characters, but during the final battle, you can actually tell there isn't a bright ending for them and I liked the majority of them, except for Jyn. The actress should have watched DS9's The Visitor on how a child really reacts when they see their lost parents again. When Jake sees his dad and Sisko asks if he was doing alright, Jake's face said it all.
Comments
Mr. Spock: And the ways our differences combine, to create meaning and beauty.
-Star Trek: Is There in Truth No Beauty? (1968)
Mr. Spock: And the ways our differences combine, to create meaning and beauty.
-Star Trek: Is There in Truth No Beauty? (1968)
I liked CGI Tarkin as well, and my wife (who's not really a Star Wars fan) didn't realize he was CGI at all. The surprise character at the end I thought looked passable, though she looks a bit goofy in the stills you can find on Google.
A lot of the sacrifices were great moments, but after daddy Erso, K-2SO, Imwe, and a huge volume of background characters, the returns on more sacrifice very consciously felt diminishing. A lot of narrative capital was still being spent but it wasn't getting Rogue One anywhere that it wasn't already (meaning: stalled narrative development.) Another theme was needed once the big one was firmly established and that wouldn't have required any real effort. Wen, Rook, Andor, and young Erso should have made it out (which could have happened without Wen and Rook's completely arbitrary grenade deaths) to show IN THIS MOVIE what else is there to life besides taking one for the team.
But it's done, fully resolved, and with only one theme firmly in place. It's great that we can now say more about the iconic intro to New Hope (and Wedge, the guy deserves a lot more credit for Rogue Squadron). But for me, Rogue One has become the new emotional focal point of the Star Wars universe. The prequels lead up to this and the original trilogy gives it required (but unsatisfying) payoff. So what reason do I have to care about how the Star Wars universe continues to develop? Rogue Squadron? New trilogy movies? Other anthologies? I'd just be comparing it to Rogue One.
Basically, while I really like it to a point, Rogue One hugely complicates my take on the Star Wars franchise. It's a false start on a champion run that allows you to step back and watch how the rest of the series (mainly TFA) stumbles.
Notable missions: Apex [AEI], Gemini [SSF], Trident [AEI], Evolution's Smile [SSF], Transcendence
Looking for something new to play? I've started building Foundry missions again in visual novel form!
My character Tsin'xing
Yeah, and they've also said that none of the anthology movies will be getting a sequel, which kinda sucks imho. The next one is supposed to feature young Han Solo and Lando.
Anyway, defaulting the decision to make Rogue One a complete stand alone to Disney also does not justify the ending. It was a bad call, whoever made it. For a start, you don't need to kill people off to explain why they don't show up in already established "sequels". See. the miscellaneous (ie. non-Alderan) members of the Rebel Council in Rogue One. Also, Episodes one through three. More than any other franchise perhaps, Star Wars has the mechanics down for how to make a movie like Rogue One work. You can just say that new characters weren't involved in later scenes.
And keeping members of Rogue group alive doesn't necessarily have to amount to more movies/books/things based on them. My big sticking point is that killing everyone diminished Rogue One in its own right (continuing characters would just be a nice bonus). It had the setup (sacrifice) but not the payoff (what that means to life). That critical component was handed off to a separate movie, meaning that despite having all the right elements Rogue One doesn't actually get to its moment of culmination. You have to project that in yourself, having outside knowledge of events, even though a strong in-movie point was at the brink of possibility.
If staging survival of some members required exceptional changes to the story then that might not be something we could consider. But I think it could have been done by omitting Rook's arbitrary and not particularly impactful death (Wen could have made it on similar grounds but he's not essential to "how Rogue One could have been a more complete movie.") That keeps a friendly ship in one piece for a beach-side rescue of Andor and Erso and they warp out. In hyperspace make some speculative comments about what sacrifice amounts to, cut to flagship boarding scenes, Leia's ship escapes, end movie.
Anyway, for me this just means that Rogue One could have been better. It has great characters but a stalled narrative arc at the very end (which you can attribute to the larger franchise). That's not a huge problem, but it does mean that in liking Rogue One a lot more than other things (ie. TFA) that problem colors my overall opinion about the franchise with a twinge of conflict. It's Rogue One versus its sequels.
Notable missions: Apex [AEI], Gemini [SSF], Trident [AEI], Evolution's Smile [SSF], Transcendence
Looking for something new to play? I've started building Foundry missions again in visual novel form!
Okay, it's not that bad. But, it seems like we're going to be settling into a somewhat formulaic groove after this initial rush of the Star Wars revival. Here comes accompaniments to box sets, in addition to new box sets. Ultimately my worry is just that so much is going to hang (simply to work as movies) on a very narrow range of events (ie. eps 4, 5, 6) that the original trilogy is going to be retroactively washed out of its original feeling and meaning. We can take it now as is, but after the new trilogy and a couple more anthologies how are we going to be able to separate our well ground emotions then from our fresh emotions way back when? Already I'm seeing something other than the Death Star trench run/shute plunge when I think of the X-wing.
It does, disappointingly, make me long for the uncomplicated days of the prequels. You knew exactly how far they'd go and, whatever else he may have done, Lucas kept to separate visual styles.
Notable missions: Apex [AEI], Gemini [SSF], Trident [AEI], Evolution's Smile [SSF], Transcendence
Looking for something new to play? I've started building Foundry missions again in visual novel form!
Eh... I just have a hard time swallowing the Death Star as the ultimate game changer people think it is. The stuff we have learned about the Empire over the decades has only shown that they already had the power to wipe out entire planets. The Death Star in practical application is just a flashy vanity project that subscribes to the notion that bigger is better. Even the concept of blowing up planets falls a bit short when you take a breath and realize that the Empire is only blowing up its own territory in the process, it is simply to excessive to be a practical deterrent.
On the flipside something like that would only serve to destabilize the Empire from within as people like Tarkin would inevitably try to use it for their own personal gain while others tried to take it from him. You would eventually wind up with a imperial warlords scenario where everyone was racing to have their own variation on the battlestation to try to claim dominance of the galaxy.
My character Tsin'xing
Destroying planets without the Death Star requires large fleets of warships that would be put to much better use against rebel fleets. It's not meant to be a huge scorched-Earth weapon to be used against military installations, it's a gun put to your family's heads as a reminder of what happens if you step out of line. Destroying every rebel planet would not be necessary, just one or two to scare everyone into submission. How can you fight a war knowing that thing is heading right toward your homeworld, where everyone you know is helpless to escape?
And in the original novels it was stated that the Empire was indeed planning to build a bunch of Death Stars, and that Tarkin's probably had a self-destruct button on the Emperor's desk in case of rebellion. Once more were built, they could be deployed in response to any insurrection anywhere in the galaxy. If that future came to pass, the rebels wouldn't stand a chance -- they had to act quickly to win the war before more of those things could be churned out.
"Critics who say that the optimistic utopia Star Trek depicted is now outmoded forget the cultural context that gave birth to it: Star Trek was not a manifestation of optimism when optimism was easy. Star Trek declared a hope for a future that nobody stuck in the present could believe in. For all our struggles today, we haven’t outgrown the need for stories like Star Trek. We need tales of optimism, of heroes, of courage and goodness now as much as we’ve ever needed them."
-Thomas Marrone
You know, it was odd how the second Death Star was built so quickly...
Winning.
Oh, now don't tell me you want in on all this! Well, ok. Look this that Egg Pawn hanging outside your window, pointing his laser rifle at you, waiting for my next order. He's doing his part. He helps conquer the weak-minded. He roboticizes the weak-bodied. Heck, he even helps keep the useless people from causing any trouble, but you know what? Join. Find the closest Nataran Empire roboticization center near you and join the ranks, before the ranks find you. Oh, I know, you figure it must be so satisfying to know I basically rule the world now, and you know what? It is, but do you want to know the true definition of satisfaction? Well, let me tell you a little story. One day, you see a brand new event. They're giving out boxes that give old event stuff. Your dilithium is plentiful. You buy a whole lot of Phoenix packs on your main, and open them all. You get one epic token. Then, you decide, that since you have all the Breen ships and don't give a damn about the others, you exchange it for an ultra rare, and grab yourself a Jem'Hadar Attack Ship and for the hell of it, a Voth Bulwark. You open both, leaving the Bulwark in your vast masses of starships as you jump into the bugship and deck it out, deck by deck, into the most awesome Jem'Hadar ship you can. You fly it. You enjoy it. Eventually, you get bored and leave, leaving the old Bulwark never flown... until later. Your main is long complete. Your new alt main, based off some character you pulled out of nothing just to explain away some starship being in service without the command of your dear admiral, is also complete. Mostly. Their reps and doffs are hard at work, getting you stuff. You realize the potential, and head back for your dear admiral, pull the most Voth themed build you can out of thin air, and suit up in your giant ship in the shape of you know what. You head out... and cause all sorts of havoc. Enemies scream out your name as their very life is drained away by your swarms of Aceton Assimilators. They complain to the devs of your OPness when you revive yourself from death every time you die. Do you show any form of mercy? No. After all, this isn't the United Federation of Planets, this is mother frakkin' Starfleet, where you explore strange new worlds and kick butt never kicked before. Oh, and you realize that I just wrote another speech rivaling your own signature. Cool. Oh, wait, that's just the original draft, it is part of my signature now. Oh, and yes, I am aware that I have become a Canadian Regent; one day, sooner than you'd expect, we'll suddenly decide to take over the world and declare an "alliance", and I shall become it's Regent. You know, like the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance in the mirror universe of our beloved Star Trek. Oh, who'll we be taking over with? I dunno, maybe [REDACTED], or maybe aliens from outer space. Guess you'll have to wait and find out, won't we? Until then, don't ask too many questions, or else my Breen allies on Titania might pick up on your -- [REDACTED BY BREEN CONFEDERACY FOR REASONS] Also, psst... keep an eye out for flying Tribbles! Also walls. Big, great walls, separating entire continents apart. Walls patrolled by Tribbles. Flying Tribbles. Flying Nukara Tribbles. Don't worry, it's not like they were on Venus with a herd of Tholians or anything, they just like the extreme heat and brutal weather like acid rain and hurricane force winds as the norm. Oh, and definitely keep your eye out on any two-tailed foxes, because if they ain't glowing, they're definitely an imposter. Possibly an Undine, we caught one of those once in my place once. Oh, and if you find a two-tailed fox that doesn't like the cold... most certainly ask him to say sorry. If he refuses, DESTROY HIM WITH A DOOMSDAY MACHINE, BECAUSE THERE'S NOTHING ELSE THAT WOULD BE ENOUGH AGAINST SUCH AN OVERPOWERED IMPOSTER!
tr;dr, I am winning last post wins 3.0. Thank you for your time.
Well, it technically was far from complete, and I'm sure they learned enough while building the first one to make the process faster and more streamlined.
My character Tsin'xing
as for disney-canon (which is hereafter to be referred as danon, so it is written, so it shall be said), who knows?
#LegalizeAwoo
A normie goes "Oh, what's this?"
An otaku goes "UwU, what's this?"
A furry goes "OwO, what's this?"
A werewolf goes "Awoo, what's this?"
"It's nothing personal, I just don't feel like I've gotten to know a person until I've sniffed their crotch."
"We said 'no' to Mr. Curiosity. We're not home. Curiosity is not welcome, it is not to be invited in. Curiosity...is bad. It gets you in trouble, it gets you killed, and more importantly...it makes you poor!"
Winning.
Oh, now don't tell me you want in on all this! Well, ok. Look this that Egg Pawn hanging outside your window, pointing his laser rifle at you, waiting for my next order. He's doing his part. He helps conquer the weak-minded. He roboticizes the weak-bodied. Heck, he even helps keep the useless people from causing any trouble, but you know what? Join. Find the closest Nataran Empire roboticization center near you and join the ranks, before the ranks find you. Oh, I know, you figure it must be so satisfying to know I basically rule the world now, and you know what? It is, but do you want to know the true definition of satisfaction? Well, let me tell you a little story. One day, you see a brand new event. They're giving out boxes that give old event stuff. Your dilithium is plentiful. You buy a whole lot of Phoenix packs on your main, and open them all. You get one epic token. Then, you decide, that since you have all the Breen ships and don't give a damn about the others, you exchange it for an ultra rare, and grab yourself a Jem'Hadar Attack Ship and for the hell of it, a Voth Bulwark. You open both, leaving the Bulwark in your vast masses of starships as you jump into the bugship and deck it out, deck by deck, into the most awesome Jem'Hadar ship you can. You fly it. You enjoy it. Eventually, you get bored and leave, leaving the old Bulwark never flown... until later. Your main is long complete. Your new alt main, based off some character you pulled out of nothing just to explain away some starship being in service without the command of your dear admiral, is also complete. Mostly. Their reps and doffs are hard at work, getting you stuff. You realize the potential, and head back for your dear admiral, pull the most Voth themed build you can out of thin air, and suit up in your giant ship in the shape of you know what. You head out... and cause all sorts of havoc. Enemies scream out your name as their very life is drained away by your swarms of Aceton Assimilators. They complain to the devs of your OPness when you revive yourself from death every time you die. Do you show any form of mercy? No. After all, this isn't the United Federation of Planets, this is mother frakkin' Starfleet, where you explore strange new worlds and kick butt never kicked before. Oh, and you realize that I just wrote another speech rivaling your own signature. Cool. Oh, wait, that's just the original draft, it is part of my signature now. Oh, and yes, I am aware that I have become a Canadian Regent; one day, sooner than you'd expect, we'll suddenly decide to take over the world and declare an "alliance", and I shall become it's Regent. You know, like the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance in the mirror universe of our beloved Star Trek. Oh, who'll we be taking over with? I dunno, maybe [REDACTED], or maybe aliens from outer space. Guess you'll have to wait and find out, won't we? Until then, don't ask too many questions, or else my Breen allies on Titania might pick up on your -- [REDACTED BY BREEN CONFEDERACY FOR REASONS] Also, psst... keep an eye out for flying Tribbles! Also walls. Big, great walls, separating entire continents apart. Walls patrolled by Tribbles. Flying Tribbles. Flying Nukara Tribbles. Don't worry, it's not like they were on Venus with a herd of Tholians or anything, they just like the extreme heat and brutal weather like acid rain and hurricane force winds as the norm. Oh, and definitely keep your eye out on any two-tailed foxes, because if they ain't glowing, they're definitely an imposter. Possibly an Undine, we caught one of those once in my place once. Oh, and if you find a two-tailed fox that doesn't like the cold... most certainly ask him to say sorry. If he refuses, DESTROY HIM WITH A DOOMSDAY MACHINE, BECAUSE THERE'S NOTHING ELSE THAT WOULD BE ENOUGH AGAINST SUCH AN OVERPOWERED IMPOSTER!
tr;dr, I am winning last post wins 3.0. Thank you for your time.
#LegalizeAwoo
A normie goes "Oh, what's this?"
An otaku goes "UwU, what's this?"
A furry goes "OwO, what's this?"
A werewolf goes "Awoo, what's this?"
"It's nothing personal, I just don't feel like I've gotten to know a person until I've sniffed their crotch."
"We said 'no' to Mr. Curiosity. We're not home. Curiosity is not welcome, it is not to be invited in. Curiosity...is bad. It gets you in trouble, it gets you killed, and more importantly...it makes you poor!"
Heh... I wonder if he'd stockpiled materials in anticipation?
My character Tsin'xing
Another issue with the use of a fleet to merely glass a planet is that it's a long process. In one of the new canon novels, that process is stopped when a New Republic fleet shows up. With the Death Star, the destruction of the planet is instantaneous and unstoppable.
Your father was captain of a starship for twelve minutes. He saved 800 lives, including your mother's, and yours.
I dare you to do better.
Oh, it's definitely not just a rehash.
Winning.
Oh, now don't tell me you want in on all this! Well, ok. Look this that Egg Pawn hanging outside your window, pointing his laser rifle at you, waiting for my next order. He's doing his part. He helps conquer the weak-minded. He roboticizes the weak-bodied. Heck, he even helps keep the useless people from causing any trouble, but you know what? Join. Find the closest Nataran Empire roboticization center near you and join the ranks, before the ranks find you. Oh, I know, you figure it must be so satisfying to know I basically rule the world now, and you know what? It is, but do you want to know the true definition of satisfaction? Well, let me tell you a little story. One day, you see a brand new event. They're giving out boxes that give old event stuff. Your dilithium is plentiful. You buy a whole lot of Phoenix packs on your main, and open them all. You get one epic token. Then, you decide, that since you have all the Breen ships and don't give a damn about the others, you exchange it for an ultra rare, and grab yourself a Jem'Hadar Attack Ship and for the hell of it, a Voth Bulwark. You open both, leaving the Bulwark in your vast masses of starships as you jump into the bugship and deck it out, deck by deck, into the most awesome Jem'Hadar ship you can. You fly it. You enjoy it. Eventually, you get bored and leave, leaving the old Bulwark never flown... until later. Your main is long complete. Your new alt main, based off some character you pulled out of nothing just to explain away some starship being in service without the command of your dear admiral, is also complete. Mostly. Their reps and doffs are hard at work, getting you stuff. You realize the potential, and head back for your dear admiral, pull the most Voth themed build you can out of thin air, and suit up in your giant ship in the shape of you know what. You head out... and cause all sorts of havoc. Enemies scream out your name as their very life is drained away by your swarms of Aceton Assimilators. They complain to the devs of your OPness when you revive yourself from death every time you die. Do you show any form of mercy? No. After all, this isn't the United Federation of Planets, this is mother frakkin' Starfleet, where you explore strange new worlds and kick butt never kicked before. Oh, and you realize that I just wrote another speech rivaling your own signature. Cool. Oh, wait, that's just the original draft, it is part of my signature now. Oh, and yes, I am aware that I have become a Canadian Regent; one day, sooner than you'd expect, we'll suddenly decide to take over the world and declare an "alliance", and I shall become it's Regent. You know, like the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance in the mirror universe of our beloved Star Trek. Oh, who'll we be taking over with? I dunno, maybe [REDACTED], or maybe aliens from outer space. Guess you'll have to wait and find out, won't we? Until then, don't ask too many questions, or else my Breen allies on Titania might pick up on your -- [REDACTED BY BREEN CONFEDERACY FOR REASONS] Also, psst... keep an eye out for flying Tribbles! Also walls. Big, great walls, separating entire continents apart. Walls patrolled by Tribbles. Flying Tribbles. Flying Nukara Tribbles. Don't worry, it's not like they were on Venus with a herd of Tholians or anything, they just like the extreme heat and brutal weather like acid rain and hurricane force winds as the norm. Oh, and definitely keep your eye out on any two-tailed foxes, because if they ain't glowing, they're definitely an imposter. Possibly an Undine, we caught one of those once in my place once. Oh, and if you find a two-tailed fox that doesn't like the cold... most certainly ask him to say sorry. If he refuses, DESTROY HIM WITH A DOOMSDAY MACHINE, BECAUSE THERE'S NOTHING ELSE THAT WOULD BE ENOUGH AGAINST SUCH AN OVERPOWERED IMPOSTER!
tr;dr, I am winning last post wins 3.0. Thank you for your time.
In regards to all the other Star Wars movies, it was a nice change of pace. It put the Wars in Star Wars.