I usually get super-inspired by the new Star Wars Vanity Fair pictures they put out every time there’s a new movie. This time, however, I can’t think of anything super specific to get inspired about—so I went with a variety of really cool Star Wars items, pretty much anything off the top of my head…
• Speaking of Vanity Fair, have you seen the picture of the Knights of Ren? Pretty sick. First, let’s discuss: Who are the Knights of Ren? Based on what has been said in The Force Awakens, they’re loyal to Kylo Ren, his black-metal-boy-band. Who may or may not be Force users/ex-Jedi Padawans. So you see in the picture J.J. Abrams with at least 6 Knights, with some serious armor and weaponry. They don’t seem to have any lightsabers, which is pretty unusual for Force users. They have big anime-type swords, war clubs and guns. I’ll be honest, I can’t wait until The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary comes out in December. Anyways, Knights of Ren. The Last Jedi had no trace of the Knights, but they are an Abrams creation. I’ve seen posts online from a few years back that actually named the Knights: The Heavy, The Armory, The Rogue, The Sniper and The Monk.
At the time, these guys almost perfectly lined up with the Rebel characters in Rogue One. We now know that’s not a accurate theory but still cool to think about. And looking at the Vanity Fair picture, all the Knights are there! The Fair picture also reminds me of a “leaked” Episode 8 scene that never really took place:
The Knights of Ren go for Luke Skywalker while Rey is left for Kylo. Luke Skywalker engages the Knights on the beach while Kylo attempts to kill Rey. The first black knight has an axe and moves towards the Luke but is Force pushed away to his death after being thrown through the air. After Luke dispatches the first Knight he ignites his green lightsaber. Luke moves through each Knight one-by-one…Luke Skywalker is a badass Jedi and he’ll destroy your squad.
• Next thing I want to talk about is this awesome fan video that has been teased for a long time but has now come to fruition. The YouTube user “FXitinPost” has posted what has been known as “Star Wars SC38,” or scene 38 from A New Hope, Darth Vader vs Obi-Wan…the battle between an old man and cyborg. Compared to the Prequel lightsaber battles, this original is tame and there’s no acrobatics. Now, in 1977, the world had no idea that a lightsaber could be like the one from Revenge of the Sith, and that’s the best George Lucas could do in the 1970’s. Enter the new world of technology and extreme stunts. The team from “FXitinPost” use that crazy Deep Fakes software to put old Obi-Wan’s face (the great Alec Guinness) on a stunt double –there are parts that look so real. Darth and Kenobi throw each other around using the Force (including a trick that Vader will use against Luke a few years later—just randomly throwing debris at your opponent). They are messing up the Death Star! The suspense is much more—you now have the knowledge of past Star Wars movies in your mind, complete with other lightsaber battles—the quotes floating in the ether, the dramatic camera angles. The lightsaber hits are stronger, Vader’s ON FIRE (literally), it’s truly a battle of life and death! And it just fits within A New Hope!
• #MakeSolo2Happen. Yes, it’s the hashtag that’s taking the Star Wars social media world by storm. Despite all the trolls and the idiots who tried to ruin the movies, Solo II is becoming popular. If you’ll recall, my second article on this site was my ideas for Solo II. Pretty much every Solo star and behind-the-scenes guys got behind this, including the writer who set up what the plot for the movie could be:
https://twitter.com/JonKasdan/status/1131696225185611776
At lot of the talk about the theoretical movie is having it on Disney+ as opposed to a theatrical release. My idea would involve having a comic book series. They’ve made books and comics based on unreleased The Clone Wars scripts, why not have a movie script written and then put out in comic format. Wouldn’t have to worry about actors, acting, or even special effects! Imagine seeing Maul with his cyborg legs battling his enemies, Jabba as a younger slug, Boba Fett, the list can go on! Let’s get on this! #makesolo2happen!
• Finally, let’s end this funky list on a high and funny note. The Mandalorian will debut in about 5 more months on the Disney+ network. On this past Christmas morn, director Jon Favreau gifted us an Instagram pic of bounty hunter droid IG-88 (but not really, it’s actually IG-11, an equally bad-ass droid who can swivel and fire laser blasts at his enemies).
We also learn that awesome Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi voices IG-11. I can’t help but think of Korg from Ragnarok, but that voice coming out of a Star Wars droid!
