Star Wars Black Series

I think some of the animated shows would be a good way to introduce some of these EU characters. Heck, we already got some Falleen in the Clone Wars with Black Sun, and the upcoming Maul show could be a good way to continue that, maybe even with Xizor. Kyle and Dash seem like easy enough characters to slot in to really any kind of adventure, popping in and out like Hondo to save the day or something. Speaking of Hondo, we need to see Hondo again. I miss Hondo. Or maybe we could see one of them in Starfighter?

One of the biggest things I'm excited about with Ahsoka season 2 is the Father/Son/Daughter stuff and Baylan/Shin. I already loved Baylan and Shin to begin with, but the fact that they're clearly meant for pretty important things (Baylan, at least), has me even more excited. I don't always love everything that Filoni does, but it does seem like he's pretty in tune with and a fan of all the deeper Force lore.

YakFace made a post yesterday saying that another yet-to-be-announced wave has started to arrive in the US from China. Doesn't seem to know exactly what it is, but theorized it could me some Mando & Grogu stuff. Would be nice to have stuff in-hand for that around the time the movie comes out like we got with Skeleton Crew.
 
DarthDre758 said:
I'm pretty sure it had to do with the statue that Balon was looking for, and was standing on at the end of the season.
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TheGillMan said:
In the last shot with Balon, he is standing next to giant statues, seemingly carved into the mountainside, of the Father/Daughter/Son. One is pointing in the direction he is looking, indicating that whatever he is searching for is "that way". Adding in all of the interactions between Ashoka & Anakin in the World Between Worlds (which also has ties to the Mortis "gods"), and the implication is that we will see the plot threads of this picked up in season two.
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I suppose I didn't take that as an indication he (or anybody in that series) was going to become a replacement for any of those characters, more that it was a reference to some prior stuff and an indication of the sort of force focus of the place.

I might have to rewatch his scenes, but I remember feeling like Baylon's motivations, what he actually wanted, was a little opaque beyond wanting to move beyond the Jedi who he'd become disillusioned with.
 
These four reveals all look like fun TOYS. Starkiller looks fantastic, and I loved seeing them actively changing his pose so easily and quickly. The "flight" and "rest" wings for the flying characters is truly unexpected in this line - and I can't really see the difference on the Geonosian Warrior. I don't need these three characters at all, but will likely pick them all up at some point. My Prequel shelf is so full.

With this wave having "extras" and the Saber-wave before it all getting extras, what changed about a year/18 months ago that the quality of the releases is vastly improving? Is it the really cool British guy whose name I can never remember - is he in charge of the line now?
 
Ru1977 said:
joshsquash729 said:
I think some of the animated shows would be a good way to introduce some of these EU characters. Heck, we already got some Falleen in the Clone Wars with Black Sun, and the upcoming Maul show could be a good way to continue that, maybe even with Xizor. Kyle and Dash seem like easy enough characters to slot in to really any kind of adventure, popping in and out like Hondo to save the day or something. Speaking of Hondo, we need to see Hondo again. I miss Hondo. Or maybe we could see one of them in Starfighter?
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If I remember correctly (and that's a big if, considering my old brain isn't what it used to be), Xizor was mentioned at one point by the Falleen in passing in a Clone Wars episode, so he's likely canon.

I'd really like to see Kyle, Dash, Corran, and maybe even Mara introduced in an animated series. Seems to me the era of Luke building his academy is a perfect place to put all that, and it could even right some of the wrongs in the sequel trilogy by explaining some of the more head-scratching moments. Like, if Mara died due to Luke having an apprentice who turned to the Dark Side, it would at least give some context as to why Luke even had the thought cross his mind that he might want to take out Ben.
Ru1977 said:
joshsquash729 said:
One of the biggest things I'm excited about with Ahsoka season 2 is the Father/Son/Daughter stuff and Baylan/Shin. I already loved Baylan and Shin to begin with, but the fact that they're clearly meant for pretty important things (Baylan, at least), has me even more excited. I don't always love everything that Filoni does, but it does seem like he's pretty in tune with and a fan of all the deeper Force lore.
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That's definitely where Filoni really shines, is when he is working in the mythology of the Force.
Ru1977 said:

JakeEkiss said:
I suppose I didn't take that as an indication he (or anybody in that series) was going to become a replacement for any of those characters, more that it was a reference to some prior stuff and an indication of the sort of force focus of the place.

I might have to rewatch his scenes, but I remember feeling like Baylon's motivations, what he actually wanted, was a little opaque beyond wanting to move beyond the Jedi who he'd become disillusioned with.
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To me, as soon as I saw the statues of the Mortis gods, I immediately thought it was where they were going with the story. Baylon is obviously seeking out SOMETHING connected to them, and when you add in the whole encounter Ashoka had with Anakin/Vader in the World Between Worlds, and then emerging as "Ashoka the White", it seemed to me that we had the three candidates representing the Light, the Dark, and the Balance. I could be totally off base with this...I mean, at one point I felt certain that Rey was going to be revealed to be an X-23 style clone made from Luke's severed hand, so I've certainly been dead wrong before. To be fair to myself, I didn't realize that the folks making the sequel trilogy had absolutely no plan in place, and were making it all up as they went along. Filoni, for all his faults, does seem to like to have a story mapped out ahead of time.
Ru1977 said:
Ru1977 said:
@joshsquash729
Makes sense yeah, even though apparently using the release date that worked like a charm for George Lucas is what ruined Solo.
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Yeah, but you have to remember that Solo came out less than six months after an incredibly divisive Star Wars entry, and a week after a very popular MCU film. If it had been released in that slot when it didn't have these factors working against it, I think it would have done at least a little bit better than it did.
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Yeah, but you have to remember that Solo came out less than six months after an incredibly divisive Star Wars entry, and a week after a very popular MCU film. If it had been released in that slot when it didn't have these factors working against it, I think it would have done at least a little bit better than it did.
 
TheGillMan said:
Yeah, but you have to remember that Solo came out less than six months after an incredibly divisive Star Wars entry, and a week after a very popular MCU film. If it had been released in that slot when it didn't have these factors working against it, I think it would have done at least a little bit better than it did.
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I definitely agree, but was being a little sarcastic since Disney seemed to reach the conclusion that Christmas is for Star wars at the time. I definitely think it was blowback for Last Jedi, especially since most people I've talked to after Solo came out and eventually saw it admitted it was pretty fun.
 
Ru1977 said:
@joshsquash729
Makes sense yeah, even though apparently using the release date that worked like a charm for George Lucas is what ruined Solo.
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Ehh. I mean, we could stand here and argue all day about what "ruined" Solo (I personally really liked the movie). I'd say the biggest factors were hesitancy around the recasting, the negative press about switching directors, and just general- if not arguably misplaced- dislike of the Disney era to begin with (Last Jedi had come out only a few months before and fans were, as we all know, all kerfuffled). I think its only real competition at that point was Deadpool 2, which had already been out a week- maaaybe folks still seeing Infinity War again. But I digress.

Edited to add- I posted right as you did, Ru, but your response is duly noted

Schizm said:
With this wave having "extras" and the Saber-wave before it all getting extras, what changed about a year/18 months ago that the quality of the releases is vastly improving? Is it the really cool British guy whose name I can never remember - is he in charge of the line now?
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That was my thought too. This current wave with Asajj seems pretty great, but the next couple waves feel like they're on a whole other level. Great sculpts, some nice, crisp paint (I don't know what it is, but something about it feels a bit different- maybe a bit muted, but in a good way?), some long-requested characters and accessories, etc. Brandon, the British guy, is just a marketing guy, so I don't know what he'd have to do with the choices of the line, except maybe passing along fan feedback, but there does seem to be an uptick in quality from around the time that he came on board (or that Patrick left?) I know they say it takes a while- a year or so- for changes to really implement themselves, so I'm sure a lot of these changes have been in the cards for a while, we're just now starting to see them. Whatever the cause, I hope we see more of it!
 
TheGillMan said:
Filoni, for all his faults, does seem to like to have a story mapped out ahead of time.
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For good and ill. When Filoni is on, I think he's shepherded some excellent Star Wars stuff.

But also he added blatant time travel into Star Wars and boy was I not a fan of that. I also feel like over time his stuff has started not grab me as much. I'd be willing to believe that's just a matter of his moving up in the world and having not as much time to edit his scripts (or a belief he doesn't need to).
TheGillMan said:
To me, as soon as I saw the statues of the Mortis gods, I immediately thought it was where they were going with the story. Baylon is obviously seeking out SOMETHING connected to them, and when you add in the whole encounter Ashoka had with Anakin/Vader in the World Between Worlds, and then emerging as "Ashoka the White", it seemed to me that we had the three candidates representing the Light, the Dark, and the Balance.
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Yeah, like, I'm sure there's something there he's supposed to be looking for... but I'm not convinced from context that the writers knew what that was during season 1. This is a problem I've been having with a lot of franchise TV media, especially some of our later Star Wars TV stuff (ESPECIALLY Acolyte), where to me it feels like soap opera plotting. As long as you get to vibe with the characters for a few eps and we leave on a cliffhanger at the end of the season, you'll be happy enough.

For me the pattern of "characters refer to something that will give them an edge/unlimited power/will change everything" that is never explained within the season it's introduced always red flags to me as "this is a placeholder and the writers are hoping they come up with something in season 2".
 
Man, I could've SWORN Xizor made his way into Rebels or Bad Batch or something. I must be losing my mind.

I gotta say, I wish Ahsoka just carried on in animation. I almost feel like Filoni's structure works best with those 20 minute bursts of story. Like his live action stuff well enough but none of it has like, dug its claws into my heart the way the cartoons did. Aside from Ray's performance in Ahsoka. Jesus H. Macy that guy did so much with so few lines. I love Rory but I will miss Ray so much. (Honestly, I think they cast it very well Shin's actress is a delight. I enjoyed hippie Ezra. I just think the format shift made the writing team have to acknowledge that there would be a huge influx of viewers who refuse to watch the animation and change their style a lot.)

I remember seeing Solo like, almost three months after it came out? Remember back when movies stayed in the theater for three months? I'd been traveling, everyone was bitching about it, I avoided it, then I saw it and was like "this is a better than fine Star Wars movie." I also stand by the belief that Solo makes Han's journey better. It turns him from swashbuckler to tragic figure when you realize nearly every single person he's ever loved except Chewie has either abandoned him, betrayed him, or pushed him away. It turns that sleazy scoundrel we meet in A New Hope into a liar, because Han has ALWAYS tried to be a good man, but the universe punishes him for it every time.

(And even more so, what is more heroic than having been knocked down so many times and never, right up until his last breath, given up on trying.)
 
docsilence said:
Man, I could've SWORN Xizor made his way into Rebels or Bad Batch or something. I must be losing my mind.
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Like I noted earlier, I'm fairly certain he was mentioned in an episode by one of the Falleen. He himself wasn't present, but others of his species (who pretty much look just like him) were there.
docsilence said:
I gotta say, I wish Ahsoka just carried on in animation. I almost feel like Filoni's structure works best with those 20 minute bursts of story. Like his live action stuff well enough but none of it has like, dug its claws into my heart the way the cartoons did. Aside from Ray's performance in Ahsoka. Jesus H. Macy that guy did so much with so few lines. I love Rory but I will miss Ray so much. (Honestly, I think they cast it very well Shin's actress is a delight. I enjoyed hippie Ezra. I just think the format shift made the writing team have to acknowledge that there would be a huge influx of viewers who refuse to watch the animation and change their style a lot.)
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Ray was easily the best thing about that series. Overall, I liked Season One, though it definitely felt like it was more set-up for future stories than anything else.
docsilence said:
I remember seeing Solo like, almost three months after it came out? Remember back when movies stayed in the theater for three months? I'd been traveling, everyone was bitching about it, I avoided it, then I saw it and was like "this is a better than fine Star Wars movie." I also stand by the belief that Solo makes Han's journey better. It turns him from swashbuckler to tragic figure when you realize nearly every single person he's ever loved except Chewie has either abandoned him, betrayed him, or pushed him away. It turns that sleazy scoundrel we meet in A New Hope into a liar, because Han has ALWAYS tried to be a good man, but the universe punishes him for it every time.

(And even more so, what is more heroic than having been knocked down so many times and never, right up until his last breath, given up on trying.)
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This, 100%. I never got the backlash, especially for a flick that was essentially intended to be a one-off. I strongly believe that, coming on the heels of The Last Jedi, many fans had already decided that anything Disney produced was going to be awful, and responded as such. No, it's not anywhere near the best of the Star Wars films, but it's also far from being the complete waste of film that many made it out to be. It's a good, solid story about young Han, and I find it quite enjoyable.
 
TheGillMan said:
This, 100%. I never got the backlash, especially for a flick that was essentially intended to be a one-off. I strongly believe that, coming on the heels of The Last Jedi, many fans had already decided that anything Disney produced was going to be awful, and responded as such. No, it's not anywhere near the best of the Star Wars films, but it's also far from being the complete waste of film that many made it out to be. It's a good, solid story about young Han, and I find it quite enjoyable.
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Yeah, it doesn't fix what I didn't like about the sequel trilogies, but I'm a sucker for a tragic hero and making it clear that Han has time and time again tried to be a hero and had everyone he loved twist the knife (even Leia not being with him at the end, though not cruel, is tragic) makes his journey feel more complete.

Also thought the cast was great. Loved Harrelson's bastard of a character. Enjoyed the idea of a single droid being like "is this goddamned slavery????" Not my favorite film but it did solid work. (Also I know Alden caught so much shit for his performance but with the increase in deepfaking rubbery illusions onto people to drag actors back to their youth, I actually appreciate a strong recast more now than I did then.)
 
TheGillMan said:
Like I noted earlier, I'm fairly certain he was mentioned in an episode by one of the Falleen. He himself wasn't present, but others of his species (who pretty much look just like him) were there.
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According to the Wookiepedia, his only mention was in the Crimson Reign comic series.
 
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