Star Wars Episode VII The Force Awakens (Abrams 2015) -- SPOILERS THERE ARE.

[Russ]

Isn't it obvious that she is [

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Kylo Ren's sister

]???

[Dukefrukem]

I don't think there's any specific reason she couldn't be Obi-Wan's granddaughter or great-granddaughter.

That would imply Obi-Wan had kids though. Which hasn't been documented.

I'm on a Star Wars kick right now. Just watched The Clone Wars movie. Wow that was bad.

[megladon8]

Isn't it obvious that she is [

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Kylo Ren's sister

]???

According to Disney Infinity, they're cousins.

[Dukefrukem]

Wait what? Why would that be obvious? And why wouldn't Han or Leia mention her when talking about their son? Would be kinda odd. Would be odder that they left/abandoned her on that planet.

[Scar]

According to Disney Infinity, they're cousins.

Debunked.

http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Kylo-...th-102167.html

[Russ]

Wait what? Why would that be obvious? And why wouldn't Han or Leia mention her when talking about their son? Would be kinda odd. Would be odder that they left/abandoned her on that planet.

Because [

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Amidala had twins, both of whom had the Force (Luke and Leia). Wouldn't it also stand to reason that Leia might also have had twins with the same power? And they sent one to train with Luke -- which didn't exactly work out -- and the other was hidden on a remote planet, to protect her from discovery by The First Order, who were hell-bent on exterminating anyone with the Force who wasn't already indoctrinated on the Dark Side? Right?

Also, did you notice when everyone returned to the Rebel base (after Han had been killed), who Leia hugged? It sure as hell wasn't Chewie. It was Ren.

Poo-poo it all you want, but I'd be willing to bet good money that's exactly what's going to be revealed in Episode VIII

]

[Russ]

And the reason why Han or Leia don't mention her when talking about their son?

Because [

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that's typical sleight-of-hand of a skilled director/screenwriter trying to throw you off the scent of the trail. Isn't that the best way to spring a surprise on you for the next installment?

That's standard subterfuge 101.

]

[megladon8]

My money is still on her being Luke's daughter.

[Irish]

Because [

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that's typical sleight-of-hand of a skilled director/screenwriter trying to throw you off the scent of the trail. Isn't that the best way to spring a surprise on you for the next installment?

]

Honestly, that isn't a skilled director doing anything. It's just bad writing.

The bigger question is whether anyone's lineage in these movies matters at all, or whether the question is just a cheap device to add emotional stakes to an otherwise rootless story.

When you find out who Evelyn Mulwray's sister is in Chinatown, or who Luke's father is in Return of the Jedi, that moment has weight. It not only changes how the audience looks at the character, it changes how that character approaches their own life. It has meaning for the story.

But if Rey's parents turn out to be anybody already listed? What will that change? Nothing, really. Except superfans will get to see a Skywalker fight a Solo in a match-up that's almost as lame as Batman v Superman.

[Russ]

i don't dispute any of that.

[Ezee E]

Even if they didn't want to talk to Rey about it at the time, it seems at least that Han/Leia would speak about their daughter during their conversations with each other.

I don't think it's obvious at all.

[DavidSeven]

The only thing obvious is that they wrote it to knowing people would obsess over floating every possible theory imaginable. This is J.J. Abrams.

I'm not going to preemptively criticize the film for fan theories that haven't materialized. If it's handled well, it's handled well. I couldn't care less how "predictable" or surprising it is.

[Irish]

The first film is more fun than "handled well," and it benefits greatly from low expectations. So I don't have much hope that they'll evolve these minor questions into something that resonates, much less at a Luke, I am your father level (which seems to be the genesis of the theories).

But we'll see.

Edited to add: Arguably, criticizing the fan theories isn't a criticism of the next film. It's a criticism of this one.

[Spinal]

This was pretty good, but not really the revelation I was hoping for. It suffers from comparison to Mad Max: Fury Road which is more exciting, more hip and not as eager to point out that its female protagonist doesn't need her hand held. Somehow Leia in the original films came across as a stronger woman despite the fact that she was often relegated to a love interest or a damsel in distress. The strength was in Carrie Fisher's attitude, her everything-going-on-around-me-is-bullshit smirk. By contrast, Rey has the feeling of a character specifically crafted and sanitized for Twitter approval. The film's family tree mysteries and legacies also feel shallow in comparison to something like Game of Thrones. Even a moment where we learn the fate of the series' best loved character fails to elicit much in the way of authentic emotion, because aren't we simply recycling through the same shallow soap opera machinations from 35 years ago? When the characters say that the fate of the universe is at stake, do you really feel that? Do you really care? I didn't. The goal, for me, is too vague. To me, these characters aren't people, so much as roughly sketched outlines for action figures.

That said, it was pleasant enough. I thought Adam Driver was surprisingly effective, although it made me wish I had never seen Girls. Harrison Ford reminded me why he was the MVP of the original cast, bringing life to the film just when it needed it. Unfortunately, I can't say the same about Fisher here, who seemed largely disconnected and without investment. Oscar Isaac is one of the best actors working. Hopefully he gets more to do in future installments. And I really liked how Abrams used moments of the special effects interacting with the environment (x-wing fighters creating waves on the water, light sabers in the snow). My favorite scene comes early. I really liked the idea of following a masked stormtrooper having a moral crisis and breaking away from the pack. I liked how jarring and surprising that felt, considering we have been trained to not consider the characters to be anything more than blaster fodder.

So, in the end, it is probably a better film than The Phantom Menace, but only by playing the game with disappointing conservatism.

[Watashi]

What if they don't address her lineage at all and she's just another Anakin?

[Spinal]

What if they don't address her lineage at all and she's just another Anakin?

I think she's obviously Yoda's progeny.

[Sycophant]

She's Luke's daughter alright.

Virgin birth though.

[Gizmo]

Has anyone given thought to the idea that she may be[

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Jar-Jar's daughter?

]

[Morris Schæffer]

Has anyone given thought to the idea that she may be[

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Jar-Jar's daughter?

]

I haven't, but you're on to something!

[Dead & Messed Up]

I wonder who her parents are.

Sure is a mystery.

Looks like JJ "Mystery Box" Abrams has done it again.

[bac0n]

Me, I'm leaning towards Lieutenant Uhura and Gandalf.

[Sycophant]

As someone who's let a lot of big franchise movies pass me by, who's pretty uninterested in Marvel, and [boring hipster bullshit goes here] yada ya, it's been pretty interesting to see just how much a hold Star Wars still has on me.

[Spinal]

Abrams' big advance is said to be supplanting the whiter-than-white protagonists of the original Star Wars with a young woman and a black male. This hardly is a cinematic breakthrough, as other moviemakers who understand the demands of a gender- and culturally diverse audience have been doing it for years. But as a "rebooting," the term ubiquitously applied to The Force Awakens, it feels entirely market-oriented, the way the Tide logo gets periodically redesigned to look fresh or the trademark figures of Betty Crocker and the Gerber Foods mom are redrawn to stay "modern."

I agree with the general thrust of this article, although I'm not crazy about the sensationalistic headline.

[Pop Trash]

I agree with the general thrust of this article, although I'm not crazy about the sensationalistic headline.

Terrible old crank just like Mr. Simon in this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ky9-eIlHzAE

[Irish]

I agree with the general thrust of this article, although I'm not crazy about the sensationalistic headline.

He isn't wrong—hell I've complained about Disney for at least five years—but his criticism isn't specific to The Force Awakens. He could just as easily write the same article about the Avengers movies or the Cars franchise. Hell, he could have written the same article way back in 1983 about Return of the Jedi and those pesky Ewoks.

Disney made Cinderella II, FFS. They have a history of pumping out shitty DTV sequels that kids watch and parents loathe. This guy is shocked and disheartened that they'd milk Star Wars for all it is worth?

Nobody rolls the dice with $200 or $300 million budgets. Of course it's gonna be formula. Who wants to lose their jobs over this shit and be hated the way George Lucas is hated?