NumberWan

Well, this looks interesting. The very first time I played JA many years ago, when I tried this mission on Coruscant, I felt joy and excitement, but when the mission began – I was disappointed to say the least. The architecture doesn't look like Coruscant at all, the very design is quite simplistic and poor. The very mission isn't much fun, as it includes only jumping and shooting your enemies. Taking all this into account, even the Coruscant level in The Phantom Menace video game looked far better than this. We can assume, it's a lower life part of the city-planet, but still no. It doesn't look that way. The textures and coloring are all wrong. So I had the idea of making a very different Coruscant map, preserving the original plot of JA, while changing the whole area to look differently, showing hovering streets among the buildings, where droids and pedestrians would be walking, not realizing, there is a battle coming soon, while other corners are dark and full of mercenaries. In order to get to Racto the Player is supposed to solve a few puzzles on various levels of the district and finally arrive at the doors of Racto. Also I had an idea of 2 sub quests, which would allow an easier path to the designation point, should the Player try to resolve these. All these could be solved with the current level of Force powers and difficulty, set by JA for this tier.

It seems the latest rumour is: It seems some scenes will be reshoot, including those with Donnie Yen. more here. If we remember the time, when TFA was almost complete, something similar also happened. I hope, the changes to the film won't remove characters and scenes, which should be in the film and would be of joy to fans.

@@the_raven We can assume (again), that the Jedi Order is not possible in its former form after Battle of Endor. Event he Jedi Temple on Coruscant can no longer serve the purpose of HQ or a mere Jedi Shelter – when Vader stormed the location with 501st legion, all the sacred and dear to the Jedi was also destroyed. Instead of garden of harmony and halls of knowledge, the Temple turned into a slaughterhouse and a graveyard, even further transformed into the symbolic architectural ensemble of the victory over the "treacherous Jedi" for all on Coruscant to see. Even though Luke's attempt to restore the Order failed, he can still be the only one true to Jedi legacy. Even in case of Anakin Skywalker the prophecy worked in a most peculiar (and sad) way. As for Ezra and Kanan, well, in case of the Rebels series they gain too much attention and grow too strong not to be noticed in later events of Episode IV for instance. So in one way or another there must a logical explanation, why such prominent characters such as these two don't show up during the most important events for the Galaxy.

@@The_CrY Well, it started, when I came across an article about Mysteries of the Sith with some reference to Jedi Knight back in 1997-1998. It was some kind of PC magazine, and I really enjoyed reading a full page about the Clone Wars, and the rise of Palpatine some time later after that. It's interesting, how they made the connection of the first Dark Jedi (Clones) and the troubling time after Battle of Endor, when people such as Dark Jedi Jerec wanted power for himself. In a User's Guide for Jedi Knight II one can see a curious reference (made long BEFORE Episode II): I find it remarkable how things come to work decades after their appearance. The manual is available in the GOG version of Jedi Knight II.

Well, this is an interesting question, because despite all changes in Star Wars continuation, we'll inevitably return both to new and old sources of Canon. When we had Episodes IV-VI it never bothered us, who the Imperial Stormtroopers are. For most they were quite identical, but simply humans. The Action Figures from 1970s might have suggested, that Stormtroopers were all the same in everything. But Leia's comment makes a hint, that stormtroopers are individuals, not copies. The Clones on the other side were not a new creation during the OT films. It was said, that the war was between the Old Republic and the Clone Creators (using the Spaarti cylinders), some 50 years before Episode IV, and that the conflict was very severe, with Spaarti masters cloning some of the Jedi as well, turning them into Dark Jedi. The technology had one serious drawback: all clones got insane over time, and thus the soldiers of the Clone Army were expendables even after good service. This happened to Jedi Clones as well, and due to many accidents caused by these Dark Jedi, the distrust towards the Jedi grew very strong, and was eventually used by Palpatine to turn the society against the Knights of Peace and later destroy them with the help of Vader. While the Clones were officially banned in the Empire, the technology remained in secrecy (and later used by Imperial Remnant or others fare Episode VI), and the Cloning had nothing to do with the Stormtroopers. My opinion was that the Clone Troopers of that era had red armor, unlike the Imperial Stormtroopers, but were defeated by the Republic, thus the two never come across. With Episode II this change: the Clones were for the Republic, made of Jango Fett on Kamino. No insanity effect. But the Spaarti technology also remained, but it was explained, that it was less effective and was used a bit later, as the Kaminoans were unreliable in terms of making anything for the Empire. And the new idea, established by Lucas was that, the Clones were used until some time, and Jango was simply the first to be cloned. Later on a few other subjects also served the very same purpose, but ordinary people were far more preferable, as enlisted. So the Imperial Army consisted of 70% of enlisted soldiers, while 30% remained to be clones, slowly replaced by newer troopers. That was the story until some time. The concept was changed again, when the Clone Wars animated series was made, which established a very close tie not only between Clones and the Jedi, but also between the Clone Troopers and the Audience, as people really liked the individualistic soldiers, which proved to be far more creative than droids more than once. But the concept of a good Cody couldn't fit into what we already knew about the massacre and other atrocities conducted by the Clones during Order 66. In the film it seemed they did that quite willingly, even though the Kaminoans changed the freedom of choice abilities in them. It was sort of a pothole with a morale issues, so they wanted to fix that, so that the Clones could still be deemed as good people, simply controlled by the Sith. A chip in their head was this solution. The Rebels series further develop the idea, establishing, that most clones were removed from service, and the enlisted troopers step into ranks of the New Order. It looks interesting, because we see here that the Empire is far stronger than the Republic, which simply used clones, grown to believe in it ideals. Stormtroopers willingly serve the Empire and believe in it, because they want it. In case of the First Order this works very differently: the troopers are taken from their families the way the Jedi did it in the Old Republic days, and brainwash with Imperial ideals. Thus the First Order in this regard is far weaker, than what Palpatine made for his Empire and its citizens. George Lucas never intended the Stormtroopers to be Clones, though he changed the opinion a bit earlier, but the stormtroopers in Episode IV and later aren't clones 100% and most of them are enlisted men.

The effect is a bit different in the voice of Darth Vader, but still sounds accurate. That's not something you can say about Leia's voice in this video: the emotions and the phrases/voice don't correspond each other, or at least it seems so. Various aliens speak with accent in Star Wars. I read, that the Neimodians spoke English with a slight oriental accent.

@ That was a spoiler. I never said anything could replace him, but I can't ignore the similarities. Whether they are intentional or not, there is still a lot in common with the old EU. However given all the leaks we've got about R1 now, the story of Kyle is still quite true nonetheless. Here are a few pictures.

So there is a big revelation about Rogue One, which you can read right here. It includes the names of the characters, ships and some other stuff. Interestingly, that the previous promo-posters didn't show the other two members of the team, which can now be seen on the pictures through the link ≠ two aliens.

An interesting article about the most discussed matter of these days – the Death Star Plans. It covers all the events from the previous sources, which involve the plans of the Death Star, it's recovery by different people and later transmission to Princess Leia. Personally I like the idea, that such a complicated death machine couldn't be just a mere box, that Kyle found on Danuta. Yes, count Dooku got a simple hologram disc with DS from Poggle the Lesser, but at that time the scheme was most likely the initial design. Surely it was changed and reworked to fit the Imperials better. But we can assume different people got all the details from various sources. Even with Rogue One explaining, how the plans were uncovered, it doesn't mean there is no place for others like Katarn.

In case of children, if the adult model is used to make a new one, one must remember about the size of the head. The KOTF mod included young Boba Fett, made from the Chiss Barmen of Red Baldarek, and the proportions gave away the fact, that it was a rescaled model of an adult.

Another rumour from Reddit, so it's likely not true 99%. But at least this is something new in terms, that Star Wars Episodes IV-VI don't include such things...

@@Grab I think most people on this forum are big fans of Kyle Katarn and treat his presence in great respect no matter what of Star Wars legacy he is now. I believe he is still the one, who stole the Death Star plans. And like before, I reaffirm, that even if Rogue One shows otherwise, no one cancelled the good old retcon: that Kyle stole the major plans for the Death Star, while the new agent by the name of Jyn Orso was tasked with acquiring the second/third part or other schematics for DS, important to understand the whole plan of this super weapon. Few things can truly cancel the wonderful Dark Forces II either. Jerec as an Inquisitor looks like a perfect Star Wars villain, so it is a matter of vividness and convincing, something where at least most notable EU stories have never had issues with. As for Rogue One, there is one clear thing, which we might not like, but it retells the story of the already known fact (Death Star Plans acquisition) in liaison with modern trends. I am not speaking about the female lead, as it's been discussed more than once now, I am more about designs, events, type of verbal and morale messaging, certain values. As much as I like Dark Forces, the younger audience would understand it, even if you show them the whole story and explain it (though I would like to try).

The 4th of May coincided with my strange desire to watch various Sci-Fi movies, that were made before Star Wars. I've already watched the Silent Running (1972) and Colossus: the Forbin Project (1970). But I am not unfamiliar with the cinematography of those years, as The Forbidden planet (1956) was the first in line of learning about older Sci-Fi movies. Though you can see the many flows, like an unrealistic blood, but still the work is an amazing one. Though not very much Sci-Fi, I also watched the Return of the Living Dead for the first time. Still indecisive on whether to watch the worst movie in humankind history – Plan 9 from Outer Space. Perhaps I should do that the way Mystery Science Theatre 3000 treats such things. The idea of rewatching/replaying is a wonderful thing. From time to time I turn on the Indiana Jones films and TV series, as well as set up a video about Star Wars games play through in the background, while I work.

There was a collection of works, showing classic Star Wars characters in steampunk theme, and there were also Samurai-like clothing in a different set of photos too. There is a movie, titled "The best offer", where the main character says, that even a copy of a masterpiece can be a marvelous work of art, because when a person tries to make a copy of something, he undeniably has the desire to add something of his own into the original work, which is noticed only with a closer look. From this point a copy adds a new meaning to the original and hence is equally valuable. As for the Hidden Fortress – George Lucas has always been fond of Akira Kurosawa and Japanese cinematography and culture. The very name of the Jedi can actually be derived from a Japanese language. But aside from that too many things claim to be familiar due to a natural Oriental theme. Obi Wan Kenobi himself was supposed to be played by a Japanese actor at first, that's how Lucas saw it. WE see the Jedi robe reminds us of Japanese apparel, and then again it's very simple, looking more like clothes of a peasant. It depicts greatly, what the Jedi are actually like. Their principles of life. The Hidden Fortress, as far as I remember, has many similarities with The Phantom Menace. It shows the contrast, just like in Episode I: we see a group of noble people in peril, who begin their journey. On their way they come across a different world, which is unknown to the noble young lady, unfamiliar with harsh life of lower castes of society, where injustice and fear prevail. Interestingly, after Episode I premiere, a major rumour from the Japanese journalists was that George Lucas planned to make Episode II very special and hire an impressive amount of Japanese actors for major roles in the new film. It was said back in 1990s, I think (though countless times before and after), that Star Wars, being a space saga, touches various themes, like Father-son relations, Student-Master, Family ties, Friendship, Betrayal, Bravery and Honor, etc. This was the main reason why I consider the prequels to be respectful towards the Old Trilogy – it deals with forever relevant topics, just like OT, but also continues the line of previously undiscussed things, like slavery (Tatooine), social and cultural differences, mind and feelings issues, duty and obligations, fear of loss, love and death, etc. All these have already been seen in many-many classics, be it both books or films, so in this regard Star Wars are not introducing anything really new. It's the form, that presents all these themes to us, which we might call a true achievement.

@@Noodle That's right – it was known even within the old Canon, that there were various Force sensitive people at least, though some reminded the Jedi more than others, and some even were the Jedi. But the idea is most likely, that Luke is the legacy of the old Jedi Order. Perhaps the only one to continue it the right way. However for now, Rebels indicate, that it might be different. The only problem here is that Ezra trained with Kanan longer than Luke, yet they both fail with Vader and in some cases with others like Inquisitors. But we see Luke at a very different level, still fighting the Sith Lord (even though he is actually defeated on the Cloud City). We can only assume, that Luke's potential is far greater than Ezra's and Kanan's combined.

It might be illogical, but Yoda was truly referring to Leia, nobody else. This was true even with the introduction of Qu Rahn in Dark Forces II. During the early script, Leia wasn't Luke's sister. G.Lucas wanted to introduce the girl in Episodes VI-VII, where she would be played by a different actress. However when Leia became Luke's sister in the plot, Obi Wan truly refers to her. Just like in case of Vader, he wouldn't tell Luke all the stories directly. However I am positive, that both of the old masters understood, that a lot would depend on Luke's actions, not someone's else. For them he was the one to fulfill the potential, as Obi Wan stayed on Tatooine with Luke, while Leia was with her family on Alderaan. The connection was already there. Leia wasn't even considered as the last (and alternative) option, though Obi Wan surely knew about her potential too, he just hoped, they wouldn't fail with Luke. I don't think Ezra is anyhow relevant to the Original Trilogy, even if the "there is another" line can be understood in several ways now. Just as I said, Obi Wan, Yoda and Luke are the only true Jedi in the Galaxy by the time of events from Episodes IV-VI. As much as I like the old canon, and as much as I can respect certain new ideas in later sources, the Force Users there aren't the Jedi. Even Kanan was an young apprentice without finished training, while all others either abandoned the path, failed to the Dark Side or died. I also expect a few people leaving the Jedi and flying far away from the Galaxy.

Another set of pictures leaked. The most notable ship and a few locations. One looks like a Palace. Source

Mads Mikkelsen confirmed, that he is indeed in Star Wars and that he is playing Jyn Orso's father. No other details though. I think I remember him only as bad guy from the James Bond franchise, so it's interesting to see a Danish actor with a role in Star Wars. more information here

@@Noodle I hope, that will be the option. In my opinion, new Jedi should've never been introduced in such major roles in Rebels, it's a great disregard towards the Original Trilogy in terms, that the three old episodes establish indisputable paths, which are abided by even by the Prequel trilogy. He can't be a Jedi by the time of Episode IV, otherwise he would be a rival for Luke Skywalker. He can't be killed by Vader or die in any other way (it's not genre-friendly in case of Rebels), and falling to the Dark Side seem to be too cheesy. If we remember Clones, the old sources always stated, that they were evil by themselves (and even earlier stories revealed Clones to be going crazy after some time). The Clone Wars showed clones as people (=person), and showed they aren't unfamiliar with such human traits as dignity, kindness, bravery, respect, honor and friendship. As TCW was watched by a variety of people of different age, it was impossible to introduce a character, which bears all these characteristics, to be purely evil, thus they introduced the Mind Chips inside Clones's brains to show the younger audience, that Clones aren;t bad by nature, but are controlled by the bad guys. The same is with Ezra: he is the main character, and younger audience takes after him in some ways. So making his final step – the fall to the Dark Side isn't the way a company would treat a story. We see this with Ahsoka Tano: she also wasn't killed, and didn't fall to the Dark Side. In case of Vader the Dark Side isn't the last point in his long path, so like in every myth, legend or fairy tale – there is morale about greater deeds. So I am curious what would be with Season 3 mainly because of this. P.S. Just understood, that Hera reminds me of Gadget Hackwrench from Chip and Dale: Rescue Rangers.

I thought, I've seen this picture already. Now it reminds me of Alexandria from Cleopatra (1963) and Onderon. I actually like the look of it, but the other pictures suggest, the Falcon lands in a seaport area (like the view of larger ships on the background), near the markets and lover class quarters, but the earlier pictures from Croatia showed quite exquisite clothing's. Maybe that's where the aristocracy dwells, and the main heroes spend some time in lower levels before revisiting the rich part of the city.

There is no blaming. I know, that people want to learn more, but sometimes it is secrecy, that works in favor of the curious ones.