In this episode of Secrets of Star Wars, Fr. Roderick and Dom talk about a number of things JJ Abrams said about Star Wars in recent interviews. We discuss his directing style, his vision of Star Wars as a more epic story than Star Trek, about the Japanese inspiration for the original trilogy, and about George Lucas’ involvement in the future.
In the second part of the discussion, the hosts speculate about a number of elements have to be part of future Star Wars movies to ensure continuity: the music, the opening of the movie, the droids, Luke, Leia, Han and Chewbacca, the Jedi, the Sith and a new villain.
Podcast: Download
Links:
- JJ Abrams on Howard Stern Show
- JJ Abrams on the Daily Show (part 1 & part 2)
- JJ Abrams about his favorite Star Wars movie
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I just realized Fr. Roderick is the Roderick Vonhögen of the Force.net “Virtual Editions!” I knew I recognized your name from somewhere when I discovered Secrets of The Hobbit.
About the if jedi’s would marry or not. I think I would like them not to marry. Somewhere, they seem more angelic that way; warriors for the all good and freedom. On the other side I didn’t like the: ‘you are doomed as a jedi if you let your actions be directed by your feelings’. (What happens if you fall in love) Not every feeling is dark. Some are even stronger advocates for the light side then reason.
Sorry this is long.
The OT proved that the Jedi were wrong about attachments. I would say Han and Leia’s relationship shows how proper attachment to another human can bring about good.
Rather than suppressing their feelings, they need to understand them and use them for good. By forbidding Anakin to love Padme, the Jedi turned him against them. If they would have allowed him to love her and guided him through those feelings, they may have helped him put those feelings in their proper place. Instead, they treated him like one of their infants, which is all they knew how to do since they were raised the same way. They would not let him love her, so he turned towards the Dark Side, which he believed would save her. The Jedi were completely blind to believe that marriage would lead to the Dark Side. I think this is what they learned in the OT, that attachments are not a path to the Dark Side in and of themselves, but must be understood and properly applied. You don’t make someone loose weight by starving them, you train them to use food for what it was intended. You bring them into “balance.”
They are also wrong to only take in infants. Luke proved that was wrong too. The Jedi were unprepared with how to train an older child because they relied on essentially brainwashing infants into their ways rather than dealing with normal human emotions. It was the easy way out (“easier, more seductive”). They were all about suppression of emotion, rather than accepting that the emotion was there and using it in a positive way. Rather than allowing perfectly normal relationships to form, they squashed them because they “feared” what they “could” lead to (“Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate…”).
Luke turned Anakin back to the light by showing him how real love acts. He would not “let go” of his father and fought to save him. Anakin had tried to use his power to save Padme by sacrificing others; real love isn’t about power over them, but a willingness to sacrifice oneself for them. Luke was willing to let himself be killed to bring out the compassion in Anakin. Anakin then found that the true way to save the ones you love is to give up your own selfish desires.
I have believed since Episode I came out that the first step of balancing of the Force was to purge the Jedi order of traditions that were killing them already. If they had listened to Qui-Gon, as Yoda eventually does (though far too late), they may have reformed the Order without the necessity of their being wiped out. Because they refused that call, the Force had to balance in another way. They needed to be reset so they could then take care of the Sith and be restored to their original glory.
One more thing for clarity: If the Jedi would have helped Anakin work through his feelings and helped his relationship grow more mature, rather than forcing him to suppress them, they could have meditated with him and discovered that his visions were a foreshadowing of his falling to the Dark Side. They could have warned him that his trying to stop her from dying would be the ultimate cause of her death.
This is why Yoda realizes at the end; that Qui-Gon was a greater Jedi than any of them. They were too worried about the future (as Anakin was) to see what was happening right in front of them. They were too bogged down by tradition and arrogance to ever think they could be wrong.
Wow, thanks for the explanation. It brings the story to a much deeper Level. Now I really wonder what they will do. It may be a great experiment: will we get a family like ‘the incredibles’? A Disney smell to Star Wars? Interesting!
Thanks! I was hoping it wouldn’t come off as too rambling as I was in a hurry when I wrote it. Glad to know it made some sense. 🙂
I kinda miss the old, lengthy prequel discussions on the TF.N forums. I haven’t been this excited about Star Wars since before EP3 came out. Never thought I would get so nostalgic over that time.
I think it would be cool if Han Solo owned the cantina.