Since Harrison Ford injured his leg, the rumors surrounding the Episode VII production have started heating up. Some of the rumors that have leaked out pertain to the plot and story of the film, while others chronicle the turmoil that surrounded Ford's injury and a possible delay in the production. The focus of this article however will only pertain to the former and not the latter, as I have already covered it in a previous post.
It really was only a matter of time before plot rumors were going to start leaking out and it is actually surprising that we have not gotten more speculation like this prior to the start of filming. But this a BIG film and interest is still mighty high, even with the memory of the awful prequel trilogy still fresh in many's minds. The massive interest in the film coupled with JJ Abrams near paranoid efforts to keep things secret are going to lead to more leaks, both small and large, than an average film. As we get closer to the film moving into post production, I foresee some big things coming out about the film. I look forward to covering those leaks and discussing them further on here. For now though I am maintaining a sense of caution when it comes to plot details for this film. They could be true, but they just as likely could be false as well.
I am going to discuss two different reports about the story of Episode VII that two different film sites ran recently:
The first came from the good folks over at Latino Review have come forward with two different reports regarding Episode VII. One of those reports, and the far more interesting one, can be found here. Latino Review claims that there will be Jedi Hunters in Episode VII. These Jedi Hunters will be exactly as the name implies, people tasked with finding and killing Jedi. According to the report, these hunters will have lightsabers but will not necessary have force powers. Latino Review's source claims that these Jedi Hunters will be played by Adam Driver and Lupita Nyong'o. They will be looking for Luke and will also desire to see the Sith return to the galaxy and will make efforts in Episode VII to see that happen.
The second report from Latino Review claims that the Mandalorians will make a return appearance in Episode VII. For those not as perhaps geeky as I, Boba Fett was a Mandalorian, as was his "father" Jango. In Star Wars history, the Mandalorians were a warrior race who aligned themselves with the Sith during the era where the Jedi and Sith were at war with each other. Then later they decided to become bounty hunters and disbanded. Latino Review claims that the Mandalorians could be working with the Jedi Hunters and helping to find the Jedi.
Now this is alot of information to look at here. But the first thing that strikes me about this is the implication that a New Republic has not been establish since the end of ROTJ. It could be reasonably assumed that Luke went on after Jedi to found a new Jedi Order and that Leia and the rest of the Rebellion routed the remaining Empire's forces and formed a new government in its place. It is implied, and even discussed in the Latino Review articles, that the New Republic may have never happened and that Luke, Leia, Han, and company may have been fighting the remnants of the Empire during that 30 year span.
Personally, that is disappointing. I like the idea of seeing a New Republic in its infancy and coming into the story where Luke is just starting to rebuild the Jedi order. That is an interesting jumping off point for the next story to be told after Jedi. I am not sure I like the idea that while Luke and company succeeded in defeating the Emperor and Vader, they were unable to end the Empire. I mean I understand that it takes time to complete get rid of an old regime and that it then takes additional time for a new form of government to take hold. I still do not know if it is reasonable to assume that in the 30 years since Jedi, no progress was made. It kind of lessens the impact of the end of Jedi. Instead of rejoicing that the heroes defeated the enemy and the Empire is no more, you are instead thinking you have seen the beginnings of a much longer war.
As far as Jedi Hunters are concerned, I have less of a problem with that. I like the idea of there being individuals well trained in lightsaber technique whose sole task is to round up Jedi. I think it presents the heroes of Episode VII with an interesting nemesis as they are not Sith, but rather Sith sympathizers. It also expands out the universe a bit to include the idea that not just Jedi yield lightsabers. Yes I do know about Grevious, no need to bring that up in the comments....I just mean we will have more people who will do that here.
I think using Adam Driver and Lupita Nyong'o for these roles is kind of a waste, particularly in the case of Nyong'o. If you are gonna hire a Oscar winner for your production, you better make her more than a secondary villain. She should be a full fledged Sith warrior if you are gonna go that way and not some Jedi Hunter. Unless these Jedi Hunters succeed in bringing back the Sith and both become Sith themselves. But then that implies both of these hunters are force sensitive and then you have to ask why are they not just Sith themselves.
As far as the second report from Latino Review, I am all for more Mandalorians. I find them to be great as both characters and for their overall look. I like the idea of many different people looking for someone or many someones. Having seen what the animated Clone Wars series has done with the Mandalorians, I think there is alot of interesting ground you can cover with them and I think the fights between them and the Jedi would be pretty awesome to watch.
The Latino Review reports came last week. This week on ScreenRant, alittle more about the potential plot of the film was discussed. In that report it was claimed that the character played by John Boyega actually starts out in Episode VII as a dark side character or a Sith in training. The report goes on to say that he crashes on Tatooine and is helped by the character played by Daisy Ridley. Then Boyega and Ridley's characters go off together to find a wise Jedi mentor (who is very likely one Luke Skywalker) in the second act.
First off, on the face of it, this plot rumor sounds very good. I like the idea of Boyega's character starting out on the dark side and turning back to the good. However, if true, the fact that Boyega is a Sith at the start of this film kind of weakens the rumors we have already discussed regarding the Jedi Hunters and their quest to bring back the Sith. In this case the Sith are still in existence and survived in some form after both Palpatine and Vader were killed in Jedi. But it also begs the question of how they survived and who is Boyega's master.
The idea of a search for Luke is a very good one and I would bet that Han and Chewie are the ones who help Boyega and Ridley find him. That would seem to be a natural way to work those two characters in and make it seem organic to the plot. But I also suspect that Ridley's character is Han and Leia's daughter, which again makes it natural for her to seek out her dad for help in finding Luke.
So this all sounds good, but what could it all mean. It could mean nothing. None of these rumors could be true and the plot of Episode VII could be something completely different. However, I think there is some truth to be found in all of these rumors. Which leads me to go into my favorite place: Speculation Time!
You didn't think I would just comment on these rumors without giving you my belief on what the plot of Episode VII could be, did you? Of course not. So let's get to it and bring this thing home.
Boyega's character is a Jedi Hunter at the start of Episode VII. He has force abilities but has never been formally trained in the ways of the force....because there is no Sith at the start of the film. Or at least no one knows if they exist still or not. Driver plays the other Jedi Hunter and Boyega's partner. Boyega crashes his ship on Tatooine and Driver does befriend him. Driver is Han and Leia's daughter and I think she went to Tatooine to find Luke.
Where is Luke? Well my bet is that he went into hiding. I don't believe he was captured as some have theorized. Rather I think something horrible happened between Jedi and this, something that caused Luke to go away in order to protect those he cares about. Ridley's character leads the charge to find him and that takes her to Luke's home world of Tatooine.
Driver's character, the Jedi Hunter, is looking to resurrect one of the most prominent Sith Lords, Darth Bane. He is being helped by a Sith Witch, who is Nyong'o's character. The film's rumored title is The Ancient Fear. This title would imply a threat to the heroes that comes from the distant past. I think if you want to try and make a villain that has a chance to live up to Vader, you have to go back to an ancient Sith Lord of great importance to the history of the Sith. For one, it allows you to fill in a bit of the history of the Sith and delve into their war with the Jedi. But also it allows you to play in the darker fringes of dark side magic. I think Bane would make a fine villain and would present a substantial threat to the heroes.
So Boyega and Ridley seek out Han and Chewie to help them. Han and Chewie do so and they eventually do find Luke. Together they encounter Mandalorian warriors who were tracking them and were looking for Luke. They also find out the Driver and Nyong'o are seeking to bring back Bane. They try to stop them and fail. Han is presented with a choice at the end to sacrifice himself and the Falcon (sniff, sniff) and does so, saving the new heroes of the series. Bane returns and he and Nyong'o seek to restore the Empire to its former glory and destroy the heroes. End credits.
Now I haven't really addressed who the other actors are playing here or where they fit in. I simply can't, at this point, really theorize too much on them. I can say that I do believe the plot will involve bringing back Darth Bane. I do think Boyega and Driver are Jedi Hunters, Daisy Ridley is Han and Leia's daughter, and Han dies at the end. I think Luke becomes the default leader of these new heroes, along with his sister, as they seek to defeat Bane and end the Empire once and for all.
Now I could be wrong about all of that. But that is the fun of speculation at this point and time. We all know so little about the film that there is no way to prove whether you are right or wrong. It is fair game on speculation at this point and that is what makes it fun. My excitement for this film is growing right now, despite the fact that JJ Abrams is involved. It will be fun to see what leaks out as we go on and get closer to post production and release. For now, let's have some fun and hope for the best for this already troubled production.
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