6 Things We Hope To See In The New Star Wars Movies

Recently, Lucasfilm/Disney announced that the official title of its upcoming project will be Star Wars: The Force Awakens. With this announcement came the predictable complaints and arguments from fans over how great or terrible the title sounded. Personally, I think it’s a decent title given the setting (the movie is going to take place 30 years after the events in Return of the Jedi). But you really can’t judge a movie by its title. As of now, it may be best to be optimistic and to reserve judgement until we at least see a trailer.

People are hesitant about the new Star Wars film, and I don’t blame them. Many of them were excited for the prequel trilogy and look how that turned out (not that the prequels were terrible, but they were severely lacking in quality compared to the original trilogy). Unfortunately, we cannot predict the future, so we won’t know if this new set of films will be great or not. However, we believe that the inclusion of the following elements could make The Force Awakens and its sequels very entertaining.

 

6. At Least One Of The Old Characters’ Deaths

Most of the members from the old cast have been confirmed for the new trilogy, including Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Mark Hamill. I think that The Force Awakens should kill off at least one of them, possibly at the beginning of the film, so as to set up the conflict and to motivate the new band of characters. Think of the prequel and the original trilogies: both The Phantom Menace and A New Hope ended with a mentor’s death (Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan respectively). After their deaths, their apprentices stepped up to the plate and began their journey to becoming heroes.

Let’s have Luke Skywalker take on the role of the mentor, and when he’s killed, it’s up to his apprentice to avenge his death. Sure, it’s been done before, but it worked! Also, if the older cast is killed off, then we don’t have to worry about the frequent “I’m too old for this sh*t” jokes that will almost definitely be in the films. (See The Expendables)

 

5. Adequate Use Of CGI

One of the major differences between the original trilogy and the prequel trilogy was the use of CGI. During that long stretch of time between the release of the two trilogies, there were major developments in computer and filming technology. While these advancements allowed for some excellent CGI in the pod-racing and lightsaber duel scenes, by Revenge of the Sith, it was just too much. Every single clone trooper in that film was CGI. It wasn’t even good CGI; it looked too obvious. Same with the ending battle of Attack of the Clones. All of the computer-generated imagery was so blatant and in your face.

Don’t get me wrong; the overall battles looked great, but it was too obvious that it was CGI. The original trilogy may look a bit dated, but many fans like that. They liked seeing the puppet version of Yoda over the computer-generated version. They enjoyed the authenticity and organic look of everything. We want more of that in The Force Awakens. Throw in CGI when necessary, but don’t go overboard.

 

4. Awesome New Worlds

There are many iconic aspects of Star Wars: the lightsabers, the Force, the characters, and the universe itself. All six films have introduced us to some of the most imaginative and beautifully constructed landscapes in the history of film. The icy horizons of Hoth, the starch and desolate stretches of Tatooine, and the swampy bogs of Dagobah are all wonderfully portrayed in the original series. With this new film, we hope to see even more unique settings of the Star Wars universe. We’ve seen worlds filled with molten lava, enormous vegetation, dense forests, and much more. Who knows what kind of terrains are coming up next in the saga?

3. Less Tedious Romantic Subplots

It’s very difficult to write a story without a romantic subplot thrown in there. Star Wars is no exception. There’s nothing wrong with having a love story blossoming between characters, but I’m hoping it doesn’t become such a major plot-line that it slows down The Force Awakens and its sequels. That was one of the main issues with Attack of the Clones; the love story was necessary, but tedious to get through, and it didn’t help that the chemistry between Natalie Portman and Hayden Christensen was almost nonexistent. We can only hope that the new films will at least create a more sustainable love story between the characters and that it doesn’t take up a majority of screen time.

 

2. Darker, More Mature Themes

The original trilogy nailed the right balance between childish and mature themes. It was a film you could take your kids to see, but you would enjoy it as well. The prequel trilogy seemed to cater more towards a younger demographic, which confused me since the people seeing it were most likely much older. This new trilogy should focus on the darker, more mature aspects of the Star Wars lore. There are countless stories in the extended universe filled with gritty plots that would look great on the big screen. Over the past couple of years, many films have gone the darker route (namely comic book movies) and it worked out for them. The Force Awakens should follow this trend and go for a darker overall tone while still maintaining a bit of light-hearted humor here and there. Remember: many Star Wars fans are older, so you don’t want to turn the new films into something you’d find on a Saturday morning cartoon.

 

1. A Badass Villain

One thing that Star Wars has always done right is crafting awesome villains. Darth Maul, Darth Vader, Boba Fett, General Grievous – all of these characters are some of the most bad-ass villains to grace the big screen. Lucasfilm needs to keep that momentum going. There are many villains to choose from throughout the Star Wars canon, especially when looking at the books and video games.

Personally, I’d love to see Exar Kun. If you don’t know who he is, check out his biography here. In short, he was once a Jedi who turned to the Dark Side and then left the Sith Order to pursue forbidden teachings. He massacred entire Sith cults because they were too powerful for his liking, and he even laid the smack-down on a Jedi Grand Master named Vodo-Siosk Baas and the Supreme Chancellor Sidrona. Exar’s story actually intertwines with Luke Skywalker’s, so it’s very possible that we may see him in future films after all…

We still have a year until the film comes out, meaning more rumors and plot details could emerge. It’s too early to pass judgement on The Force Awakens, but inside sources claim that it’s going to be one of the best films in the series since The Empire Strikes Back. Only time will tell.