I’ve seen The Force Awakens a few times now, but I still have a few questions without answers. Four of them are curiosities from the story:
How did the wrecked ships wind up on Jakku?
Who was the person on the surface of Jakku when Finn shot down the Tie Fighter?
What is the backstory of the 1,000+ year old Maz Kanata?
Where did Supreme Leader Snoke come from?
The Star Wars Universe is vast between all of the books, video games, and TV shows, and some of these may have answers already. However, the answers aren’t in the movies - at least that I can tell. I expect that we will learn more about Snoke (and perhaps Maz) in the upcoming films.
However, my biggest questions have to do with the trailers that came out before the movie. The trailer below has dialog from Luke that wasn’t in the movie. Is it in Episode VIII?
The dialog in the next trailer has Maz asking Rey, “Who are you?” My theory on this is that it is from a scene that will be in the director’s cut, but it is also not in the theatrical version.
Finally, this trailer has another line from Maz, “Hope is not lost today.” This one also seems like material for the director’s cut.
I’ve seen this with other movies, and I guess it’s not that unusual in the case of the last two. However, the first one is more of a head scratcher. I sat through the movie the first time waiting for Luke to come and say the lines from the trailer along with others. It was puzzling when he only appeared at the very end with no lines at all. What about you? Do you have other questions? What's your take on the difference between the movie and the trailers?
If there is a movie that connects with the idea of nostalgia, it is Star Wars: The Force Awakens. If you have not seen the movie yet, you should probably stop reading — in other words, SPOILER ALERT. I intentionally waited a little to write this in order to give more people a chance to see the movie. However, I wanted to capture my thoughts before they start to fade away.
I’ve seen the movie multiple times with the first being a private screening courtesy of Veritas Software. The “price” of admission was watching a Star Wars themed advertisement video that was about five minutes long. When you consider that there was no crowd to speak of or line for seating, I think that I got more than a fair trade.
After the trailers for upcoming movies were complete, the wait 32 years was over. I have to admit that I felt a tingle when the Lucasfilm logo flashed up followed by the main theme and opening crawl. The 100+ people there broke into applause as the story began. I hadn’t read anything about the plot, and I had stuck to the trailers. I have to say that I was a little surprised by the setup. I was also a little confused throughout the movie because there were scenes/dialog from the trailers that never materialized in the movie.
However, that didn’t take away from my enjoyment at all. With the benefit of seeing it twice since then, I really don’t think JJ Abrams could have done much better than he did. The story elements gave me a strong sense of de déjà vu with Episode IV. You had a young, force-sensitive Jedi in waiting on a desert planet, a droid containing vital information to both sides, an evil, overconfident army with a weapon of mass destruction, and unlikely acts of escape and heroism. You also have an older character meeting his end by the hand of a black clad, red light saber wielding villain who uses the dark side of the force. This doesn’t even take into account all of the references to Episode IV such as the garbage chute/trash compactor and “We thinking they’re splitting up” during the rescue on Starkiller Base.
While there was a familiar feel to the story, the story moved forward with new characters. The good guys pass the torch to the unlikely duo of Rey and Finn along with ace pilot Poe Dameron and his trusty sidekick BB8. In contrast, the Empire gives way to the First Order with Supreme Leader Snoke, Kylo Ren, and General Hux forming the new triumvirate replacing the Emperor, Darth Vader, and Grand Moff Tarkin.
To me, Star Wars: The Force Awakens was a movie to reset the board with new players in a familiar game. Disney and Abrams were well aware of the criticisms of “the new trilogy" and I agree with many who thought George Lucas went off the rails with Episodes I & II at least. I did think that Episode III was better, but it was also a mixed bag. However, these concerns do not apply to Episode VII. Diehard Star Wars fans will likely apply Han’s now famous line from the trailer to the movie overall, “Chewie, we’re home.”
As I have been enjoying a week of vacation for Thanksgiving, I started thinking about traditions. No doubt many of you have your own that you observe, or perhaps you are starting new ones. While this week is filled with tradition for me, I also realized that some are not tied to a particular holiday. If you will indulge me, I want to talk about some that fall into both categories.
It was yesterday when I began to take note of the customary things that I do, and it began with something simple. Christy and I don’t have a lot of days off during the week together when we are in town. However, when we do, we make sure that we go and have breakfast at a local restaurant called Brewed. We both have this week off, and we decided to go yesterday. Brewed is a farm to table restaurant that sources as much of its food locally as possible. While I am fond of their scrambled skillets, Christy loves their chicken n’ waffles. They also serve Cuvee Coffee which has a unique flavor.
It may seem odd to consider a trip to a restaurant a tradition, but Brewed is not your ordinary eatery. The pictures and video on their site give you an idea of the quirky atmosphere inside, but it is also a place where things slow down. If you look around, most of the people inside are in the moment rather than being caught up in the endless hustle and bustle. It’s a great place to linger over one more cup of coffee or one of their fine beers — depending on the time of day.
Most of you are at least aware of Black Friday, and some of you may be warrior-shoppers who find great deals on the perfect gifts. However, I have a different tradition on this zaniest days. A few years ago, my friend (and fellow beer aficionado) Ben and I get together and enjoy the day at places that are far less crowded. Craft beer has become a big deal in DFW, and there are a number of places to have good food, beer, and company. We’ve been known to be found at places such as The Flying Saucer, Chimera Brewing Company (formerly Zio Carlo’s), and The Trinity River Tap House (formerly The Pour House, Ft. Worth). Doesn’t that sound more civil than fighting over a Furby (circa 1998)?
The final tradition that I’ve been thinking about is my annual trip to see a Dallas Maverick’s game with my Dad. We used to take in a Dallas Cowboys game, but the dollar for dollar value is much better with the Mavericks. The logistics are also a lot easier since I live close to a TRE station. You can’t beat having a train drop you off right across the street from the arena. It’s also great to be able to see one of the classiest athletes to ever come through Dallas in Dirk Nowitzki. His skill is even more amazing in person than it is on TV, and that’s saying something.
However, there’s more to these games than just the event. Dad comes and stays with us, and Christy and I get to spend time with him the day after before he goes back home. It’s good to take advantage of the opportunities that you.
The common theme in the traditions that I’ve mentioned is spending time with people and making memories. One of the descriptors I use for this blog is nostalgia. There’s a great dialog about it from one of the early episodes of AMC’s Mad Men. While the show isn’t perfect, they mastered storytelling. I’ve included the dialog below, but you need to watch the video in order to get the full effect. I think there’s a lot of truth in it, and it’s in part why traditions and memories are important.
Well, technology is a glittering lure. But there's the rare occasion when the public can be engaged on a level beyond flash, if they have a sentimental bond with the product. My first job, I was in-house at a fur company, with this old pro copywriter. Greek, named Teddy. And Teddy told me the most important idea in advertising is "new". Creates an itch. You simply put your product in there as a kind of... calamine lotion. But he also talked about a deeper bond with the product: nostalgia. It's delicate... but potent. Teddy told me that in Greek, "nostalgia" literally means, "the pain from an old wound". It's a twinge in your heart, far more powerful than memory alone. This device isn't a spaceship. It's a time machine. It goes backwards, forwards. It takes us to a place where we ache to go again. It's not called the Wheel. It's called a Carousel. It lets us travel the way a child travels. Around and around, and back home again... to a place where we know we are loved.
This has always been a special time of year to me. The weather in Texas has typically become pleasant, and it makes me think back to times from my childhood. My elementary school always held a carnival, and my mom often helped with the preparations. What that meant to me was that I got to have the run of the playground after school with a handful of other kids whose moms were also helping. Make no mistake about it. Extra time on the playground to eight-year-old me was like a dream vacation.
And that was just the beginning! Mom either brought my costume, or we made a quick trip home to change – it was only a couple of miles. Then, it was time for carnival games, really bad carnival food (Frito pies, nachos, hot dogs, you know, nutrition). It was one of the best nights of the school year.
A couple of nights ago, we had a full moon. When it came up over the horizon, and was big and orange. It looked like Halloween, and it made me think of one of my other childhood favorites – It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. OK, now we come to something else that was magical to a kid whose TV experience consisted of the three major networks. Cartoons were on during primetime! This one marked the beginning of more to come through the end of the year.
While I liked candy as much as the next kid, my plastic pumpkin almost always had candy in it from the year before. I liked going trick or treating, but I think it was more about getting to go out in the neighborhood. The experiences created the memories that I remember fondly over 30 years later.
What are your favorite memories of this time of year?
