Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Reaction to the Episode 7 Cast Announcement

Hello Jundland Wastes Travelers! So did anyone hear any Star Wars news yesterday? HAHAH  I think it’s going to be one of those days that “will be long remembered.”  Where were you when you heard the official cast announcement for Star Wars Episode 7?  For most people, I think we were at work, in an office, in school, on the road or responding to the unyielding pings, buzzes, beeps and rings with text messages saying “Star Wars 7 Cast Announcement”.

I was going to post a response to the blog almost immediately but then I considered giving myself the night to let the news sink in. And yes, I along with countless other Star Wars fans had a difficult time concentrating on anything else besides this announcement for the rest of yesterday afternoon and evening.  

But it’s now official. Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford are indeed reprising the roles of Luke, Leia and Han in Episode 7. Joining them will be Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), Anthony Daniels (C-3PO) and Kenny Baker (R2-D2).  We are all still investigating the new cast that is joining them. But early rumors are that these actors have been carefully chosen and will have the unique honor of continuing the greatest saga of all time next to the Original Trilogy cast who made it happen in 1977.

I am not even going to attempt to imagine right now what the actual story will be for Episode 7.  How can anyone outside of the cast and crew possibly imagine what we are going to see story-wise? But here are some thoughts and imaginative ideas that I am wondering about regarding Episode 7:

* Does anyone remember that John Williams is going to do the musical score for Episode 7? On my way home from work I was going through Star Wars soundtracks. What an amazing library of music! All six soundtracks are incredible on their own and you are able to tell the story of the saga by listening to these musical gems. Leia’s theme, the Battle of Hoth, the arrival of Darth Vader on the 2nd Death Star, the droids on the Jundland Wastes (funny how I really like that one), and the duel of Anakin and Obi Wan on Mustafar are just a couple clips that stand out in my mind. I do not think any Star Wars fan can separate the music from the movies. And as an Expanded Universe fan, there are times when I am fully entrenched into a comic or book and I can imagine hearing the Star Wars soundtrack playing through certain pages or panels of a book.  I have no doubt that the Episode 7 soundtrack will have the same lasting effect

* As a amateur artist, I am really looking forward to seeing the art, sketches and representations of this new Star Wars era. We know that Star Wars Celebration will be in Anaheim, CA next spring and with it will also be those fantastic artists print that come with the show. Episode 7 will undoubtedly be the theme for these prints. And I am just imagining how artists will represent the original cast as opposed to the new cast? Will there be flashback images interspersed with current images? And what about the usual “Art of Star Wars” books that have come out with each episode?  And the graphic novels...what will we see?  

* Get ready for the collector bug to hit as magazine covers, stories, toys and general Star Wars swag begins to hit the shelves with an Episode 7 banner! While I certainly cannot collect it all, I am looking forward to seeing a cover shot of our original crew in their Star Wars fatigues, gowns and robes on the cover of Star Wars Insider or Entertainment Weekly.  While we might not know the story-line for Episode 7, I think we can imagine how an older Jedi Luke might look walking on the sands of Tatooine. Or perhaps how a Jedi Leia might appear?  And will Han still be wearing his black scoundrel vest?

* Enjoy the time leading up to the movie by re-watching the original six movies.  Now that we know the story continues after Return of the Jedi, we can take the time to re-explore the events leading up to the redemption of Anakin Skywalker.  In fact, last night I was re-watching the fantastic documentary Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Original Trilogy (this was on the bonus disc from the DVD set that came out in 2003). What a great history of the making of the Original Trilogy and so much fun to watch. Make sure you make time to re-watch this documentary especially because the “big 5”(how can we really leave out Anthony, Peter and Kenny?) are interviewed as well.

Star Wars Episode 7 is on the way and I cannot think of a better time to be a Star Wars fan.  Let us know your thoughts by emailing us at: jundlandwastespodcast@gmail.com.

Travel safely on the Jundland Wastes friends!

All the best,
Mark
Co-host TJW Podcast

    

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