Podcasts TV Hyperspace Theories 34: The Last Jedi Approaches

34: The Last Jedi Approaches

Published: Nov. 23, 2017, 7:06 p.m.

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This month\\u2019s episode of Hyperspace Theories marks our final show of speculation before the release of\\xa0The Last Jedi, which no doubt will bring months of analysis \\u2013 and future speculation \\u2013 to the Star Wars fandom galaxy. Excitement and anticipation abounds!

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Before turning to the imminent Episode VIII, though, Tricia, B.J., and Kay first consider the\\xa0recent announcement\\xa0that Lucasfilm has hired Rian Johnson to develop more Star Wars films. \\u201cIn shepherding this new trilogy, which is separate from the episodic Skywalker saga,\\u201d the press release said, \\u201cJohnson will introduce new characters from a corner of the galaxy that Star Wars lore has never before explored.\\u201d We share our thoughts on the possibilities offered by this new direction in Star Wars movies, as well as how they may relate to the other films in development at Lucasfilm. In addition, the announcement clarified Johnson\\u2019s role in the trilogy of films as \\u201cthe first of which he is also set to write and direct.\\u201d We express our hope that the remaining two movies will provide opportunities for more diversity in the screenwriting and directing positions in the Star Wars franchise, especially in light of the commercial and critical success of Patty Jenkins\\u2019\\xa0Wonder Woman\\xa0and Taika Waititi\\u2019s\\xa0Thor: Ragnarok.

Promotion for\\xa0The Last Jedi\\xa0has been in full swing, with more hints about the direction of the story and characters. We break down our thoughts on the international trailer, which takes a more story-driven approach than last month\\u2019s U.S. trailer, as well as additional footage seen in various television advertisements for the movie and the cover story on\\xa0The Last Jedi\\xa0in the Thanksgiving week issue of\\xa0Entertainment Weekly. Tricia shares her insights from the media preview of the newest version of the Star Tours ride at Walt Disney World, which includes the battle sequence on Crait as well as several characters from the movie. While a variety of new glimpses from the film have emerged, we conclude that most of the story\\u2019s key developments and secrets remain hidden. Fortunately, it\\u2019s time for\\xa0The Last Jedi\\xa0speculation to end.

It seems clear that the nature of the Force, the light side and the dark side, and the role of the Jedi in the galaxy will be significant themes in\\xa0The Last Jedi. With that in mind, our worldbuilding segment considers some of the recent lore and themes about the Force revealed in other materials, including\\xa0Star Wars Rebels.

Finally, the storytelling segment evaluates a prominent trend in recent Star Wars publishing: the use of in-universe storytelling as a mechanism to tell fun Star Wars tales without pinning down specific facts or events as any form of objective truth. Delilah Dawson\\u2019s novel\\xa0Phasma, for example, has a frame story with an unreliable narrator, leaving open the possibility that any part of the story could be incorrect or misunderstood by its participants. Similarly,\\xa0The Legends of Luke Skywalker\\xa0by Ken Liu uses a frame story \\u2013 deckhands on a ship sharing the tall tales they have been told about Luke \\u2013 as a mechanism to deliver some fantastical adventures for the Jedi Knight. At the same time, each tale in the book illustrates a core aspect of what makes Luke an heroic figure in the galaxy, showing that even the most outrageously improbable legends still have a grain of truth at their core. The anthology\\xa0From A Certain Point of View\\xa0also contains a number of short stories that likely don\\u2019t hold up as having actually happened, at least the way they\\u2019re told in the book, but nevertheless contain key themes and morals to the story that fit right in with the Star Wars galaxy.

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Related Links

  • The Last Jedi\\xa0international trailer (YouTube)
  • \\u201cDirecting\\xa0The Last Jedi\\u201d (YouTube)
  • The Last Jedi\\xa0television ad: \\u201cAwake\\u201d (YouTube)
  • The Last Jedi\\xa0television ad (15 seconds) (YouTube)
  • The Last Jedi\\xa0television ad: \\u201cHeroes\\u201d (YouTube)
  • The Last Jedi\\xa0television ad: \\u201cKylo Failed You\\u201d (YouTube)
  • The Superweirdo Behind \\u201cThor: Ragnarok\\u201d (New York Times\\xa0feature\\xa0on Taika Waititi)
  • The Rise of Rose: How A Badass Nerd Became The New \\u201cStar Wars\\u201d Lead (Buzzfeed)
  • The Last Jedi: Venture into the Star Wars galaxy with four new EW covers (Entertainment Weekly)
  • 14 new\\xa0Star Wars: The Last Jedi\\xa0images from a galaxy far, far away (Entertainment Weekly)
  • Kylo Ren vs. Rey: In\\xa0The Last Jedi, the danger is becoming allies instead of enemies (Entertainment Weekly)

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