New “Force For Change” Video. New X-Wing Revealed!

X-wing - Star Wars: Episode 7

J. J. Abrams has posted another status update from London regarding the Force For Change initiative, and this time we get a look at the new Episode 7 version of a very familiar old starfighter…


 
In this latest Force For Change video, J.J. expresses how proud and grateful he is for the support that tens of thousands of fans have been able to contribute to the philanthropy drive. Over the course of the Force For Change campaign, donations have poured in to UNICEF from people in 119 countries – as a frame of reference, that’s more than half of the nations on Earth!
 
But we’ll let J.J. tell you the rest…
 

 

As with the original Force For Change video, J. J. teased setpieces from the new movie. This time, instead of getting a good look at Tatooine, we get a behind-the-scenes look at a new spaceship (complete with an automatically-opening-and-closing cockpit) on the backlot of Pinewood Studios. Although the ship looks a lot like a Z-95 Headhunter – the predecessor to the T-65 X-Wing from Star Wars Legends – Star Wars.com officially confirmed in a tweet this morning that this is, indeed, an X-Wing.

 


 
(Oh, yeah, and there’s also a Mouse Droid.)
 

+ posts

Grant has been a fan of Star Wars for as long as he can remember, having seen every movie on the big screen. When he’s not hard at work with his college studies, he keeps himself busy by reporting on all kinds of Star Wars news for SWNN and general movie news on the sister site, Movie News Net. He served as a frequent commentator on SWNN’s The Resistance Broadcast.

Grant Davis (Pomojema)

Grant has been a fan of Star Wars for as long as he can remember, having seen every movie on the big screen. When he’s not hard at work with his college studies, he keeps himself busy by reporting on all kinds of Star Wars news for SWNN and general movie news on the sister site, Movie News Net. He served as a frequent commentator on SWNN’s The Resistance Broadcast.

109 thoughts on “New “Force For Change” Video. New X-Wing Revealed!

  • July 21, 2014 at 4:34 pm
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    Impressive… keeping the design of the OT while updating it in a way that works. Really pumped now.

    • July 22, 2014 at 2:57 am
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      Great design. I think a lot of us are thinking that some of these props (mouse droid; rebel flight suit guy) are going to be in the film. Maybe, they are just dangling carrots to bolster fan interest? Either way I cannot wait to see Luke’s dead light saber clutching hand survive re-entry into Morriband’s atmosphere.

      • July 22, 2014 at 6:45 am
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        JJ would have to change his name and go into hiding if he showed us the mouse droid, the rebel pilot, or any props from OT then not have them be in the new movie. Since he is a fan of the OT I can image he will throw in as much nostalgic props as he can get away with. When all is said and done I just want a movie with a good story and interesting characters.

  • July 21, 2014 at 4:42 pm
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    Definetly, they are doing things well…
    Now, i will change my pants…

  • July 21, 2014 at 4:43 pm
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    WOAH! That was a pleasant little surprise for the morning 😉

    Looks like that X-wing’s seen some action!

    • July 21, 2014 at 9:48 pm
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      I’m curious as to why so many of you believe the rumor that was posted yesterday….

    • July 22, 2014 at 1:22 am
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      Yes I agree! I’m even more pumped to see Episode 7!

  • July 21, 2014 at 4:43 pm
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    the only way this could have been better was if luke himself walked out and got in the fighter…. excellent battle damage authenticity as well. way to start a monday!!!

  • July 21, 2014 at 4:44 pm
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    I’m so excited. I’m at work and forgot my headphones at home so I had to watch with the sound turned down. Was that mostly CG?

    • July 21, 2014 at 4:47 pm
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      Its funny looking back at the Jedi Star-fighters from Ep. II and III I know they were built on a set in a studio they were real yet they still look like CGI to me. Just goes to show you.

      • July 21, 2014 at 5:05 pm
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        It’s because of how they processed the models in post… I just watched the start of episode III last night to test out my new subwoofer 🙂 What I noticed is that they used artificial lighting, like to get the highlights more pronounced. Plus the million other things going on that are CGI.

      • July 22, 2014 at 2:34 am
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        Yes, some people pretend they can tell CG from “real” but they can’t really.

        They have their reality set by the OT and can’t get unstuck off that. So that’s why the OT which is so studio bound looks “real” to them while the PT which has so many scenes that couldn’t possibly be done in a traditional studio is “fake” looking because they know it’s not simply a set built in a studio.

        They also think that it’s all CG which of course is total nonsense but suddenly practical miniatures which are all over the PT now are “not real” because “real miniatures” can’t have that kind of camera movements available when shooting.

        • July 22, 2014 at 7:43 am
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          I don’t think you understand how post production works. The vast majority of models built for the prequels were actually miniature sets that were superimposed in the backgrounds. That’s why it looks a little funny, because real world sets have dynamic lighting that isn’t static. The matte paintings from the OT were done by very good painters who could fool people into thinking they were real locations… I wasn’t aware until I looked at the Star Wars art books how much of what I was seeing was paintings.

          CGI can’t replicate that, it will someday I’m sure, but it’s not quite there yet. As a painter myself, I’ve never seen a digital artist who could replicate reality as well as a painter could… there is a reason for that. Traditional painters are trained to see things that usually go unnoticed to an untrained eye, and spend a lot more time working with models (drawing from life) than a CGI student would. I got 3 solid years worth of life drawing in school and the digital artists only got a year’s worth usually. That makes a big difference!

  • July 21, 2014 at 4:44 pm
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    According to the SW twitter page, this is an X-wing, not a Z95. the wings to fold out, it’s just different from the way the old one used to do it. Basically this design, the main wing consists of two smaller ones placed one in front of the other instead of one on top of the other.

  • July 21, 2014 at 4:46 pm
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    Looks like it’s been battle tested.. proving the theory that the empire still exists???

    • July 22, 2014 at 1:01 am
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      and the mouse droid??

      • July 22, 2014 at 3:25 pm
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        Smart

  • July 21, 2014 at 5:05 pm
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    It looks almost exactly like McQuarrie’s original X-Wing design. This is only a very small piece of the greatness we’ll see in VII. Thank the maker!

    • July 21, 2014 at 8:50 pm
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      Lots of McQuarrie designs in the upcoming Star Wars Rebels show too.

      • July 22, 2014 at 12:55 am
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        Or so they say…

  • July 21, 2014 at 5:08 pm
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    The mouse droid was awesome.

  • July 21, 2014 at 5:42 pm
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    “Impressive… Most impressive.”

  • July 21, 2014 at 5:44 pm
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    Such a beautiful thing to see in this morning! I’m really happy now!

    • July 21, 2014 at 5:49 pm
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      Wait! You’ve also seen Yoda’s Morning Glory!

  • July 21, 2014 at 6:17 pm
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    Wow this has made my day. I hope I win

  • July 21, 2014 at 6:49 pm
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    That fighter, x-wing or not, is 100% real thing thing. I love how the production is embracing practical effects! CGI can do amazing things, but cannot compare to the real thing.

    Oh and I am glad there will be mouse droids. I love those little guys.

    • July 22, 2014 at 2:38 am
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      It can totally compare to the “real” thing but really VII is doing EXACTLY the same thing the prequels did.

      In fact unlike the PT they really don’t have any great need to do all the models and miniatures the PT did. So one wonders if they will have any if they don’t really need them?

      I doubt they will broadcast that information if they in fact don’t use miniatures.

  • July 21, 2014 at 6:52 pm
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    Great video and cause. Yoda’s Morning Glory either sounds like a drink at a bar or something far more offensive. I’d have a drink with Yo. But I wouldn’t want to see his Morning Glory! Does anybody think they would have gotten more money donated if a familiar character got in the cock-pit or Chewy/3PO were there to wave good bye to the pilot? Something simple goes a long way when it comes to production of a SW’s movie…from the fans perspective. I’m not complaining though. Love the video.

    • July 21, 2014 at 6:55 pm
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      “When 900 years old you reach, be as potent, you will not.”

    • July 21, 2014 at 7:09 pm
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      lol, Yoda in a bar, knocking back green tea shots.

  • July 21, 2014 at 6:54 pm
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    I have to say that the ST will mess very well visually with the OT movies. If they can make an interesting story and hopefully the new characters connect with the audience, it could be a nice addition to the OT.

  • July 21, 2014 at 6:54 pm
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    At least it has a retractable ladder unlike Luke’s. Just throw it on the ground when you are done with no way to get it back. Looks like the are paying a lot of attention to detail.

    • July 21, 2014 at 7:27 pm
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      I thought the same thing

  • July 21, 2014 at 6:57 pm
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    What a piece of junk!

    • July 21, 2014 at 7:07 pm
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      @Retrotek:

      “Watch your mouth kid or you’ll find yourself flying home!”

      • July 22, 2014 at 12:05 am
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        floating ………………..

  • July 21, 2014 at 7:03 pm
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    If you look close you can see a severed hand clutching the mouse droid…

  • July 21, 2014 at 7:29 pm
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    I hope this unoriginality doesn’t set a precedent for the rest of the film.

    • July 21, 2014 at 7:37 pm
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      I don’t think JJ is going to show us anything new or original, as he is going to save that for the movie so we are suprised. The trailers and all of these updates are going to be more retro OT stuff to wet our appetites. This is more political right now by JJ & Disney just to show the fans they are going old school and this wont be the CGI-fest like the Prequels. This is sort of like damage control to many OT fans who bailed after the PT.

    • July 21, 2014 at 8:03 pm
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      How pathetic can you get?
      That x wing is awesome.

      • July 21, 2014 at 8:16 pm
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        It looks almost just like the X wings that has been around since 1977. I don’t like the unoriginality in the design, same for the fight suit.

        • July 21, 2014 at 8:26 pm
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          Everything you don’t like about it I love about it.

          Sigh.. 🙁

          • July 21, 2014 at 9:24 pm
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            It’s Star Wars. I expect Star Wars vehicles to be featured in a Star Wars movie.

            If that’s rehashing then yes it’s what I want!

            Seriously I wouldn’t expect a totally new and original design to everything. I expect lightsabers, blasters and a theme of good vs evil to be present as well.

          • July 21, 2014 at 10:09 pm
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            The original movie back in 1977 brought original and amazing designs. I think this movie should too.

          • July 21, 2014 at 10:16 pm
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            No reason to reinvent the wheel so to speak.

          • July 22, 2014 at 1:37 am
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            It’s Star Wars, many of the themes repeat….George Lucas said that.

            And that to me is the biggest reason as to why so many fans bailed during the PT. Episode 1 did not have nothing that looked like Star Wars till way into the film. Even then it was just the Planet they were on………

            In 20-30 years many things change. But just as many things stay the same.

            And I fully expect Episodes 7-9 to be a rehash of Episodes 1-3.
            Many of the themes repeat, but sometimes have different outcomes….Anakin’s right hand got cut off, so did Luke’s, and so the same will happen in the ST.

        • July 21, 2014 at 8:29 pm
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          You’re obviously not paying as much attention to detail as Abrams, Duke.

          • July 21, 2014 at 8:54 pm
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            There are some noticeable differences between the flight suit in this video and the flight suits in the OT, although the overall color scheme and fit of the uniform may not have significantly changed. The vest is a lot bulkier and seems more armored, the helmet design has changed and the orange color of the suit is much darker. As for the X-wing, the differentiation is pretty self-explainitory.
            If the empire does still exist and has withheld a majority of their firepower since the conclusion of ROTJ, we wouldn’t expect the rebels to spend as much time making technological advancements in warfare as they would trying to stay hidden from the empire, while at the same time wiping out what remains of their forces. As we know, technology in the Star Wars universe moves very slowly. 35 years would certainly not be enough time for them to have built brand new star fighter designs, especially during an era of turmoil (assuming the conflict is still going strong). The differences aren’t entirely obvious, but that leads me to believe they’re paying more attention to story and character development, which makes me all the more excited for this film 🙂

          • July 21, 2014 at 9:25 pm
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            The helmet is a mix in between the episode 3 clone pilot helmet and an episode 4-5-6 rebel alliance helmet. The color of the suit is only slightly a different shade and the vest has a little bit more surface area and a little bit thicker. As for the X wing its like comparing a 2000 corvette to a 2014, sure they look somewhat different but its still the same car. If the empire is still around and is just as much as a threat as they were in the original movies it cheapens the events that took place in those movies. “As we know, technology in the Star Wars universe moves very slowly”. Where did you get that idea? In between episode 1-2 the clone wars show 3-4-5-6 tons of new stuff was being made.

          • July 21, 2014 at 9:29 pm
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            Yeah, so you just answered your own question…

          • July 21, 2014 at 10:14 pm
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            That photo does make it a lot easier to see the pilot, thanks Duke! You’re right, I think a lot of the judgement I was making was based more on my computers poor resolution, my apologies. I don’t think you’re a negative nancy, I just think you’re a self-respecting Star Wars fan who wants this movie to be as great as it can be, like the rest of us. Personally, I really like the subtle changes to the X-Wing they’ve made in respect to McQuarrie’s original design, but I can understand you’re looking for more new, less rehashing.

          • July 21, 2014 at 9:39 pm
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            You said “You’re obviously not paying as much attention to detail as Abrams, Duke” when i am. By the way go to http://www.businessinsider.com/ to the entertainment part to get a better look at the suit and helmet with better lighting.

          • July 21, 2014 at 9:43 pm
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            Duke is just a negative Nancy he does this often, just ignore him Why Wing?…May the force be with you always.

          • July 21, 2014 at 9:48 pm
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            Ignore me when i’m just trying to have a valid reasonable civil discussion, but sure just write me off as a “negative Nancy”.

          • July 21, 2014 at 9:56 pm
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            Yep.

          • July 21, 2014 at 11:23 pm
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            The phrase “negative Nancy” is sexist!

        • July 21, 2014 at 8:56 pm
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          The new movies take place only 30 years after the OT. We (America) were using 30+ year old ships in WWII. We still use B-52s and they’re about 60 years old.

          Not to mention that Star Wars is in a fantasy universe where technology doesn’t advance a whole lot over time.

          • July 22, 2014 at 9:05 am
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            We’re using the same a few of the same Capital ships. The design of fighter jets has changed drastically, so I fail to see what point your trying to make by saying that. And, as previously stated, it’s flat out untrue that technology advances slowly in the Star Wars Universe. Look at the differences in tech design in ep II and III. There’s a notable advancement, which continues throughout the Rise of the Empire. Duke is right, they’re being lazy, and you’re being nostalgic.

  • July 21, 2014 at 7:47 pm
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    I have gay tendencies.

    • July 21, 2014 at 8:01 pm
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      I aways knew it LongDuckDong.

    • July 21, 2014 at 11:08 pm
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      Best comment ever.

    • July 22, 2014 at 1:25 am
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      Quick! Cast him in SW7 and make the announcement so we can check another off the list!

  • July 21, 2014 at 8:07 pm
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    If nothing else it seems as though JJ will deliver the visual aesthetic much loved in the original Star Wars movies. I admire the attention to detail shown so far, it seems they are going all out to deliver a great new episode. Succeed or fail I don’t think you can deny they are putting the effort into doing it right.

  • July 21, 2014 at 8:28 pm
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    Everything is clearly in place visually and I’m sure audio will be great too with John at the helm again.

    Now all we need is a decent story with great characters! *Crosses fingers knocking on wood while kissing a rabbits foot*

    • July 21, 2014 at 10:20 pm
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      C’mon plot ol’ buddy, don’t let me down!!!

  • July 21, 2014 at 8:39 pm
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    At first I thought the flightsuit was just a gag, but I watched the clip on a higher res and it looks like somewhat of a new design as well. The white flight vest is a little bit more contoured than the ESB flightsuits and the helmet is a different design, it almost looks like one of the clone fighter helmets from ROTS without the hoses. Pretty subtle and pretty cool.

    I’m surprised nobody commented on the lack of astrodroid in the rear of the main body of the new X-Wing?

    Overall I like the design, I like that the designs so far seem to be remeniscent of the OT McQuarrie/Johnston designs rather than more of a stylistic departure like the prequels. Doug Chang is also working on Ep7, so it’ll be interesting to see how his choices are different on this next wave of movies.

  • July 21, 2014 at 9:06 pm
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    Is that pilot Boyega?

    • July 23, 2014 at 3:14 pm
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      Almost positive it is. He posted a 25 second video on Instagram of the pilot climbing into the cockpit. That is what makes me think it is him.

  • July 21, 2014 at 9:11 pm
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    It would be fun if they added a contest and the winner got to be the pilot of that ship in a space battle. How cool would that be.

  • July 21, 2014 at 9:53 pm
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    Good job Pomojema!

    • July 21, 2014 at 10:18 pm
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      Credit should also go to Viral Hide and DEKKA129; although their names don’t appear as co-authors of this article, they updated the page with the confirmation that this is the new X-Wing (I was in the middle of class, so I couldn’t do it myself). Still, thanks!

      • July 22, 2014 at 1:06 am
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        how old are you guys?

        • July 22, 2014 at 3:00 am
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          As old as my toes, and a little older than my teeth.

        • July 22, 2014 at 1:39 pm
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          Let’s say Pomojema and dandino are the young blood of the team. The rest of us are…. well let’s say above 30. 🙂

        • July 23, 2014 at 4:54 am
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          I’m twenty. It feels odd knowing that I’m more than half as old as this franchise.

        • July 24, 2014 at 12:51 am
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          Oh no! AGEISM!!!!

  • July 21, 2014 at 10:07 pm
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    Adavanter mentioned ‘John’s Audio’ above. For me one of the biggest things missing from PT was more of a link to the OT sound. For me the most exciting part of EP 11 was when there was a hint of the imperial march as the star destroyers took off towards the end. I bought the soundtrack CD for Sith and the best part of that is Vaders transformation. Blaster sound and spacecraft weapon fire also had a much cooler sound in the OT. I am surprised this subject has not been discussed more….

    • July 21, 2014 at 10:13 pm
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      The episode 1 soundtrack was as good as the original movies, but it was different in some ways.

      • July 21, 2014 at 10:17 pm
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        From my personal perspective, I never felt an emotional tug in EpI like I did during the scene where Luke walks outside on Tatooine and looks out over the sunset in EpIV. That was quite a moment.

        • July 21, 2014 at 10:25 pm
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          Well on the quality level it is, but i would say duel of fates is as good as any of the other Star Wars tracks. It made those scenes much better than they were.

          • July 22, 2014 at 1:40 am
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            Here’s a good way to look at the problem: Think about when people sing OT music, most notably the Imperial march… I mean it’s instantly recognizable even if the person singing it can’t sing. Can we say the same for anything from the prequels? *Maybe* duel of fates…. but any other theme then people will be confused. None of those other themes really stuck with us.

            Perhaps Williams didn’t really feel inspired with the prequels, I really only remember a few themes from the prequels. He’s also VERY old, not that I think anything less of him… but I think most people don’t realize Williams is almost 90! I worry at that age if he still has the passion to do those OT-tug-at-the-heart-string themes. On the other hand Harry Potter themes were very nice… those give me the chills… I think He’s still got it, He just needs good material to work with.

          • July 22, 2014 at 2:26 am
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            The Ep II theme when padme and anakin skywalker is pretty recognisable. In fact each film really has its own theme except VI, I can’t think of a unique tune for that apart from the later addition of the ending party song with the ewoks

          • July 22, 2014 at 2:00 pm
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            Um, he’s 82..

          • July 23, 2014 at 6:02 am
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            Woops my mistake… still though… if you think about it, He’ll be 87 when IX comes out right? Certainly not young… well either way I’m impressed.

    • July 22, 2014 at 2:13 am
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      Y’know, I felt somewhat that way about the sound and music in the PT too.

      I actually watched ROTS a couple times over the past few weeks after not having seen it in quite awhile. One thing that I noticed that I really don’t understand the reason for is the fact that the movie was packed with “Alvin and the Chipmunks” noises. Especially any time there was a droid onscreen.

      Okay, I get it, the Federation droids were lightsaber fodder. But why voice them all with this high-pitched baby talk? Why not have lightsaber fodder that at least sounds like it might be at least mildly threatening?

      I will also never understand why Anakin’s first time leading his troops as Darth Vader (against the Jedi Temple) was accompanied by ANYTHING other than the Imperial March. That always just feels completely wrong to me.

      • July 23, 2014 at 1:05 am
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        Agreed on the droid voices. I thought they were cool in episode one, where they had a distinctly monotone robotic sound(Roger Roger). Then for some reason they switched it for EP2 and 3.

        • July 23, 2014 at 4:58 am
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          The monotone synthetic voice was in Attack Of The Clones. I don’t think they talked that much in Revenge Of The Sith outside of the opening thirty minutes or so.

  • July 21, 2014 at 10:50 pm
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    Makes me wonder what the new TIE Fighters are going to look like

    • July 22, 2014 at 12:50 am
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      my sources tell me that the globes now have smiley faces on them

  • July 21, 2014 at 11:07 pm
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    I think the soundtracks for all 6 episodes were fine. As far as episode 7 goes we have seen enough to know that the effects and props are closer to the ot in style as opposed to the pt. the big unknown is the story. Meaning is the script good and how does the story arc Fit in with ot and pt and future movies. I am optimistic. But this is the area JJ and co are keeping a very tight lid on. Coincidently the info we most want is what we can’t have. That being said the tidbits we have lead me to believe that 7 is going to be great. Hopefully a hat tip to he ot but a great movie in its own right. Please don’t “f” this up JJ…….. My heart can’t take another let down like the prequels. Because in my opinion they were a big let down

  • July 21, 2014 at 11:09 pm
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    America………FUCK YEAH!!!!!

    • July 21, 2014 at 11:45 pm
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      #MURICA

  • July 22, 2014 at 12:20 am
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    Of course, what would REALLY have been impressive would be that pilot not just crawling into the cockpit, but actually taking off!

    Heck — since the opening/closing of the cockpit is a functional mechanism, why not go all the way and …

  • July 22, 2014 at 2:49 am
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    The PT wasn’t near as much as a CG fest as anyone thinks it was. It was a digital fest which is exactly what the ST will be.

    This is not going to be some analog movie and JJ is smart to cater to the small hard core vociferous audience who despise the PT so much.

    It’s so easy to throw a few bones to them like a ship and puppet and know exactly how they will react like Pavlov’s dog so when they finally go to the movie they will accept the “PT-like CG fest” that he will throw at them.

    It’ll not actually be different from the PT but they will think that it is and he’ll have hooked them into believing it was more “practical.”

    • July 22, 2014 at 6:18 am
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      That would be awesome if they shot models in front of blue screens and moved the camera given the illusion the models are moving like in the old days (before the dark times). However since JJ is shooting the movie on film I hope Ep VII looks and feels more realistic then the PT and less digital.

      • July 23, 2014 at 1:08 am
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        The Phantom Menace was shot mostly on film and it is by far the best looking of the prequels in my opinion.|

        I reckon they filmed this video using the same cameras as the new film too. Looks nice.

  • July 22, 2014 at 6:11 am
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    [Partial Spioler Alert]
    Since they’re about to make a big hooplah about it tomorrow, suppose it doesn’t matter anyway. Force For Change is the title of the film. It was hidden in plain sight all along. Surprised no one noticed. To his credit, it was JJ’s idea.

    • July 22, 2014 at 11:30 pm
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      No, just no.

  • July 22, 2014 at 6:16 am
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    That’s dumb……next

  • July 22, 2014 at 3:23 pm
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    Slave 1 is in this video.

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