If Lucasfilm hired YOU to write Star Wars Episodes VII-IX

Better than Mandolorians, they would grow up to three meters in length, levitate, pilot ships with their feet, which would also contain their taste buds and sense of smell. They would also be able to see in the ultraviolet spectrum despite having nothing resembling eyes as we know them, speak in iambic pentameter(with stereotypical rapper accents) and would help the entire galaxy advance in the long run but also bring in new problems, such as criminals would be selling them on the black market as a delicacy to the richer sectors.

edited 24th Nov '12 1:03:33 PM by IndirectActiveTransport

For me, the only true Star Wars films started with A New Hope and ended with Return of the Jedi. Same with the books.

I would therefore put the vast majority of the Expanded Universe, outside of the Alan Dean Foster books, and some of the Timothy Zahn ones, on a pyre, and burn it. It is completely meaningless to anyone that only knows of Star Wars through the first and only trilogy - read most people. Pandering to its fanbase is a completely stupid idea. Make something new. Follow on from the original trilogy if you must but only in very broad strokes. Don't have Darth Vader, or anything that looks like the Sith Lord.

And for pity's sake, do not anything like Jar Jar Binks anywhere near a hundred light years to the new films.

No, that still sounds like Mandalorians. At least the way the EU describes them.

Also, getting Star Trek vibes. So, no.

Let's be honest with ourselves, people. Force-users are going to be important parts of the plot, and a Darksider is going to be The Dragon, if not the main villain. It's expected in Star Wars.

<randomly wanders into the thread>

I would have it focus on a Jedi Order in the process of rebuilding. As such, they would be a more secretive organization, working behind the scenes to ensure peace. This would be mainly due to having lesser numbers, so they can't afford an open conflict without risking their destruction. The plot could involves a non-Jedi stumbling onto a Jedi operation (bonus points for being the opposite gender of the Jedi in question, so romance can ensue), and things go from there.

Sounds good?

What about a quest-themed story?

It would fit in with the mythic and fantastical themes that the Star Wars films have run on from the beginning, but it's a really archetypal fantasy trope that the movies haven't really managed to fit in so far (since the last six were basically one long war story).

The spaceships present a bit of a problem, though—there would be a lot less tension about the heroes reaching their destination than in, say, The Lord of the Rings, since they can presumably zip around the galaxy at light speed whenever they want, so maybe The Quest could have an element of mystery thrown in to spice it up a bit.

Maybe the heroes could end up on the search for some long-forgotten planet that's linked to the origins of the Jedi Order, and the villain could be some ethereal force of pure Dark energy that winds up possessing a new character and leading to the formation of some murderous Dark Side cult (think the Cthulhu Cult with blasters and spaceships).

Finding the Planet (or some related MacGuffin with ties to the first Force Users) could help end the battle peacefully, and it could give us a way to bring the series full circle in a meaningful way.

edited 24th Nov '12 4:02:37 PM by TheMightyHeptagon

A beleaguered but well meaning Stormtrooper named Gary.

I dunno.
I wouldn't want to write a numbered entry.
I'd want to do sub-entries that follow characters like Boba Fett after his escape from the sarlacc. Sub-entries with little to nothing to do with an overarching trilogy,

If I had to, though, I'd set it sufficiently in the future (far enough that Luke and crew would be non-entities). Maybe follow three recruits at a force academy that Luke started. Have one or all of the main characters stumble onto the dark side of the force, and make it about how each reacts to it. Each movie would focus on a different one of the three, though the chronology would remain constant between the three (little to no flashbacks). I'd want to somehow convey the conundrum of what it takes to be a true hero and what happens when you're forced to use means beyond your ken. I'd also want to focus on the bonds between the three.

I'd definitely recommend hiring someone that's better at writing than I am to convey it all, and really I'd recommend choosing someone else to come up with the story on the whole.

I'm afraid the stories I'd want to convey aren't the kind that most want to see.

I think that'd be pretty cool. Just don't have the dark side instantly turn anyone evil.

Why would they instantly turn evil?
Evil is highly subjective, and even then its a gradual slope to corruption.
No, none of the main characters would be genuine sociopaths.
Though a potential foil for the first or second movie could very well be a peer of theirs that was a sociopath, now turned to the dark side.

I'd think the remnants of the fallen empire would still be felt, and there would even be voiced heard from those that worship the force (dark and light (essentially separate factions of the same religion)).

I'd want to shoot for goals that would have the characters moving from planet to planet. Half the fun of the movies is in the spacecraft and alien environments. Maybe have them assigned to a master on a specific planet (masters being relatively sparse would have (for the convenience of the narrative) three pupils at a time).

Hmm. Have the first half take place on the academy's planet. You'd establish the characters here. You're introduced to their peers and teachers. Most references to the jedi and sith of old would be made here. The end of this act would be signified with their encounter with the dark side of the force. Maybe an old codex of information is found. Maybe one of them displays abilities thought impossible with the force. Maybe they just have a feeling that lasts with them. Whatever it is, its significant enough to cause a sense of upheaval in regards to their beliefs and possibly their self identity. Have them assigned to their master and travel in some space vessel meant for mass transit. They'd meet their master at a halfway point and travel the rest of the way in a smaller vessel. You could have them assigned to their master while he/she/it is undertaking a mission to research/uncover/recon a group still pushing the ways of the fallen empire.

Honestly, I'd never put much though to a story I'd tell in the setting, but its an interesting thought experiment.

I'm just a little bitter about how quick Anakin's turn felt in Rot S. Don't want any repeats of that. Star Wars in general isn't very good about portraying evil as subjective, and takes a very black and white view when it comes to force users.

edited 24th Nov '12 11:00:33 PM by kalel94

Female characters. There should be some, and they should exist for a purpose other than "gold bikini" and "shallow love interest". Star Wars is a sausage fest.

Ha ha ha. I'm going to cut out now so I can avoid this evolving into full blown fanfiction. Though for the above, I was thinking at least one of the students and probably the jedi master would be female. When listing out scenarios, I just tend to be gender neutral to keep the concept separate from the execution. Which is why I'm leaving now. I don't want concept to spill into execution.

Hows about a female Sith protagonist.

Sith protagonists are very difficult, if not impossible to pull off, due to the card-carrying villainy mandated by the Sith philosophy. You really can't make these guys sympathetic. A female antagonist in general is fine, as long as it doesn't end up playing to gender stereotypes.

edited 25th Nov '12 3:32:41 PM by CrimsonZephyr

No Villainesses Want Heroes please! I'd love to see a female Sith lord but DON'T make her a love interest.

Other than that... Well, I doubt they'd put a Star Wars villain in a Stripperiffic outfit... Right?

As I recall the Sith's general philosophy is more about personal freedom that senseless cruelty. It's just that the emphasis on freedom leads to a much easier time of falling to the dark side. The conflict of trying to maintain one's personal freedom against resisting the temptation to act like an evil nut could make for a perfectly interesting movie.

No, no, and again, no. The Sith emphasize Chronic Backstabbing Disorder, totalitarian politics, and unfettered personal power at the expense of everyone else. Every single Force power common to Sith counts as Cold-Blooded Torture. There's nothing that states that Sith philosophy is about personal freedom, except in a very loose sense (as in freedom to be a jerk to everyone without reprisals). Sith philosophy is about becoming an Evil Overlord, plain and simple.

I feel like I've been a part of this exact same discussion before, with someone holding the exact same misconceptions.

edited 25th Nov '12 4:16:06 PM by CrimsonZephyr

Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken. The Force shall free me.

The Sith Code. Dark but you can still be a perfectly nice person while following this code to the letter. It's just harder to do.

This is why Star Wars The Old Republic is so awesome. You can totally be a Sith Anti-Villain, and even redeem The Empire somewhat.

I don't think having a good force-user who isn't a emotionless monk is a bad thing.

Even so, The Old Republic makes it clear that while you're an Anti-Villain, you're still essentially furthering the cause of Space Fascism. The game wastes no time in making it clear that the Empire in total is not a positive force in the Galaxy, even if the player character might be.

You're cherry-picking from KOTOR, a game where 99% of the Sith are Axe-Crazy, a Smug Snake, have Chronic Backstabbing Disorder, love Cold-Blooded Torture, bully the populace, wipe out planets, or all of the above, and where every dark side action is psychopathic Kick the Dog in its purest form. Try again.

edited 25th Nov '12 5:51:06 PM by CrimsonZephyr

If you want a believable Sith "protagonist"? No. They're going to be murderous, power-hungry, unforgiving, and will want to bring the Galaxy to heel if they have any loftier goals. But you don't want a sympathetic look on the Sith as a whole. They'd lose their menace, their dark glamour.

The "best" you can make a Sith is coldly pragmatic and Lawful Evil, maybe with a soft spot for their henchmen and a significant other. They might lavish their territory with boons and social programs, but that's just something they do to keep their subjects pacified.

But right now, honestly, we should not have that. We need them to be menacing, to seize the audience's attention. We need them to be Evil with a capital E. Oh sure, they can be polite as all get out (and really, who doesn't like villain with a civil appearance?), but when the chips are down, they all should want similar things.

Face it. They're meant to be story villains.

edited 25th Nov '12 9:36:49 PM by Colonial1.1

The easy solution to a heroic dark side user is to not make them a Sith. There are other dark side users in the "expanded universe".

But I say forget about the force. Why must it be prominent in the story? Why does it even need to be used at all? Because it was before? Did not rogue squad get by without the force? Yeah, let us have a movie about space battles and giant walker fights. The skirt boys can sit on the sidelines for awhile.

And remove the fantastic element present throughout the Films? No. I don't mind focusing on the normals a bunch, but leaving out the Force entirely would not fly in a mainline movie.

Other Darksiders: Oh yes. In the Expanded Universe. But any Force-powered villain of consequence was either a Sith Lord, or following Sith derivative teachings. Also? The Dark Side by its nature screws with your head.

Fallen Jedi or Darksiders without Sith teachings... As far as I've heard, they don't tend to be all that powerful.

Actually, you know what? Your idea would be perfectly fine for another Republic Commando-type game or TV episode (hell, maybe even a TV movie).

edited 25th Nov '12 8:30:53 PM by Colonial1.1

Yeah, the Sith in general are pretty much the embodiment of evil as it exists in Star Wars. As much as the Jedi embody Black-and-White Insanity, the Sith do as well, but with the caveat of "We're the Black part and it's sexy awesome, now excuse me while I go eat a puppy."