Welcome to The Cantina where we definitely serve your kind. I’m your bartender Kyle Malone and I’m serving up tall glasses of nothing but Star Wars.  By now you know I am the dedicated, well versed in the EU, experienced gamer, and open-minded fan this world needs. I see the flaws in The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, but also the great moments too. I know the importance of The Empire Strikes Back but see how strong Return of the Jedi is. I see that the prequels… well… we’ll get there… maybe. There’s nothing more satisfying than a great Star Wars story, and I want more! 

RECENT NEWS

Oh, how time flies… We are 364 days from the release of Star Wars: Episode IX and people are dying for some footage. This week has been crazy with rumors of some sort of footage and even possibly a trailer, and much like with Avengers: Endgame, the studio is being hushed about specifics. Additionally, the actor that played everyone’s favorite villain without a backstory, Andy Serkis, has some words about his character’s demise.

Teasers, trailers, B-roll footage, even set photos are all things that help stave off insanity while waiting for a major movie to be released. We are waiting, impatiently, for the first footage of this long-awaited final chapter to the Skywalker Saga, and despite a plethora of rumors about a trailer this week, or at least before the new year, it looks like we won’t be getting it any time soon. The Express explains that Episode IX hasn’t received a classification for a trailer, that green or red screen that tells you who the trailer is okay for:

“It has been said that Disney is delaying the Episode 9 trailer for this movie in order to to focus on word of mouth for Avengers Endgame, Captain Marvel and Lion King. Three big Disney releases next year. It won’t be attached to Mary Poppins as a lot of people had been suggesting. That’s not to say there won’t be footage this month, maybe something on Christmas Day? Something mixed with Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge?”

That last bit about Galaxy’s Edge comes from reported events recorded earlier this month that had one of the hosts introducing exclusive footage. This event is geared around the new Disney park area and the footage is likely to be related to that. Or… they’ll be showing the teaser for the trailer, like some movies have done up to a week before release, to get the buzz going. I could see 15 seconds being shown and an official date for the trailer being shown. However, I tend to agree with the rumor that Disney has a lot more things that are closer to coming out to worry about.

As for the trailer itself, I am torn between whether or not we will get any story heavy elements. J.J. Abrams, the director, is notorious for secrecy and wanting to hide as much about the story for as long as possible, but given the current attitude of the divided fandom, I think giving some of the story away may help some fans feel better. However, I have a feeling this movie will not reunite the fandom. If the movie doesn’t “fix” the perceived wrongs of The Last Jedi then those fans that hated that film will hate this one too. If it does “fix” those issues, the fans that loved The Last Jedi will likely be upset. I personally do not want them to spend two and a half hours undoing the last film, but maybe giving in to one thing would help. Say, maybe… giving Snoke some background.

Speaking of the former, and now half as tall, Supreme Leader of the First Order, Andy Serkis has said some words about his former character. Serkis was recently interviewed by Games Radar in relation to his new Netflix film, Mowgli, when he was asked about Snoke’s death:

“It was a bit of a shock, but I could see exactly why they were going that route, and I think it was a huge surprise in the middle of the film. But I really loved the scene where Rey plays with Snoke. That scene was a fantastic. I just wish he’d survived, but who knows?”

Well, there you have it, folks. That line about it being a shock, to me, means he had likely had conversations with Abrams about where the character would go. We know Abrams had actually written some treatments for the entire Sequel Trilogy, but that LucasFilm was not beholden to that story. My boss, Dark Lord Jammer, will likely say I am projecting here (Editor’s note: You are.), but I honestly believe Serkis has told us he thought the character would last and have more story. His lamenting about Snoke surviving is also a tell in my mind of the same. He probably had spent some time in building Snoke and his history in order to continue the part.

RELATED: Star Wars: The Mandalorian Hires Black Panther Composer Ludwig Göransson

Loyal readers know my position on “fixing” The Last Jedi. However, I am willing to concede that, if he remains dead, I am okay with Snoke having some background revealed. It’s the one “fix” I think will take the least amount of time and still allow Kylo to be the main focus. Let’s not forget that Star Wars Saga films are about Skywalkers and Kylo is the only known Skywalker left. Plus, I love Serkis and think he is an amazing actor who should be on screen more.

LAST CALL: Viewing Order

This was an idea that came to me the day before writing this week’s piece, what is my favorite order to watch the movies in? Well, to be honest, it’s changed over the years. When I was in my early 20s it was chronological order, I-VI. However, as I got older, I moved to what has been called “machete order” and cut The Phantom Menace out completely. That first movie of the Prequel Trilogy really can be removed without losing anything important. Yes, I know, it has the best lightsaber battle ever! That can be viewed online, in HD, without having to suffer through the rest of the movie. Since the Sequel Trilogy and the Anthology films, my viewing order has once again needed to change.

I now consider Rogue One to the only “prequel” I need. I learn everything I need to know about Vader through it and the Original Trilogy, and it helps to protect and even increase the threat of Vader, while the Prequels diminish his threat and power completely. So I start off with Rogue One and then go from Episode IV through Episode VIII. Now, I have only done this once and it was in preparation for the release of The Last Jedi, but it is the order I will keep. “What about Solo” you ask? Garbage film. Ruined the character of Han Solo, and is a waste of my time and money. I do not own it, and will likely never own it.

If I were to watch EVERYTHING (except The Phantom Menace) I’d use inspiration from Machete Order. I would still start off with Rogue One which sets the stage for the Rebellion and introduces us to the little guys first. It even introduces the Force as something very mysterious and sets us up to see Vader as more evil than even A New Hope did. From there I would do IV, V, II, III, Solo (although I really want to leave it out too), IV, VII, VIII, and of course IX when it hits.

This order preserves the mystique of the Force, the evilness of Vader, and the lineage of Luke. Using the Prequel Trilogy (Duology in this case) and Solo as flashbacks gives some insight, even if unneeded, into some of the characters. It also will make Ewoks seem like a good thing comparatively.

Additionally, I am lucky enough to have the Original Theatrical versions on DVD. There was a set released in the mid 2000s that had this, and I keep them in pristine condition. This is the only way I watch the Original Trilogy. I do not own the Bluray Discs, and I will not buy another set ever again. Maybe, if we get new extras on a special release of the original versions on Bluray I will, but these films wouldn’t really benefit too much from simple higher resolution. That’s just my opinion though. If you don’t have a copy of the OG OT, then I can tell you there exists a “despecialized” version of the films, but you’ll have to search for those yourself.

Well, that’s it for today folks. What do you think about this week’s news? What is your viewing order? Let me know in the comments below, and as always, May The Force Be With You!

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SOURCES: Express, GamesRadar

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