The Force Awakens - tonight!

Reviews from the premier are overwhelmingly positive and thankfully spoiler free.  I have my ticket for the one minute past Midnight screening of the Force Awakens so there are no more sleeps and I'm getting pretty excited about it. Given that this blog is overwhelmingly about wargaming, it can be easy to miss what a Star Wars geek I am and what an impact those movies had on my life as a youngling. Growing up in the middle of nowhere I felt like the only true Star Wars fan in the universe, and I still get a little jealous when other people demonstrate that they are just as if not more influenced by the films. It's a weird emotion to have, but I think it speaks to the very personal journey each Star Wars fan takes. As such, I think I'd like to mention ten of the things I'm hoping for from this film that not everyone will necessarily agree with, but, meh, it's not their list.

1. Fun. Even in the darkest films - Revenge of the Sith and Empire, there have been elements of fun. There's always chases, explosions and quips. I think everyone wants this.
2. A memorable moment. For me every film has at least one scene that stands out in my mind and is the first thing I think of when I recall them. For Empire it is Han Solo being frozen in carbonite. For Clones, it is Yoda duelling with Dooku. Give me more of these.
3. Han Solo. No, he's MY favourite character - you're not allowed to like him too! He is my favourite fictional personality of all time. Only Cyclops of the X-Men comes close, but there is still quite a distance between them. The trailer seems to indicate that he will have a big role in this film, and I couldn't be happier.

'How come you don't have any grey in your fur Chewie?'

4. Chewbacca. Often seen as a supporting character, but not by me. Chewie is a fantastic character in his own right and I'm looking forward to watching the fuzzball laugh it up again tonight. Chewie has been treated abysmally in the expanded universe - from having a speech defect in Zahn's novels to being killed in the Yuzhaan Vong invasion. And on that note:
5. Shattering the Expanded Universe. Aside from Timothy Zahn's Heir to the Empire trilogy, most of the post- RotJ expanded universe has been dreck. Bringing back Palpatine? Really? So that whole Anakin Skywalker saga - you know, his fall and redemption that the movies were supposed to be all about - was for nothing? The less said about the Yuzhaan Vong the better. If ever you could take a winning franchise and screw it up, it would not be George Lucas who did it, but the New Jedi Order books.

'The stupid - it burns!'

6. Midichlorians. Despite the wails and gnashing of teeth from hippies and fanboys who desperately want to be Jedi, midichlorians were an inspired idea. If the criteria for being able to wield the force was being cool, then Han and Chewie would be Jedi. If it was just believing in the force, then everyone who says 'May the Force be with you' would be a Jedi. I'm sorry, but a genetic predisposition to the force, passed on through bloodlines makes sense. Go team midichlorian!

'Don't hate on us because we got midichlorians and you don't, bitch!'

7. (Some) politics. The prequels may have overdid it a bit, but they did provide a lot of chrome and depth to the Star Wars universe. I don't want a Senatorial talkfest, but it doesn't look like the New Republic is doing that great in the trailers, so a bit of background as to why will be really handy.
8. A good baddie. Can Kylo Ren live up to the legacy of Darth Vader and Darth Sidious?

Cowl. Check. Red lightsaber. Check. Masked visage. Check. First name is Darth... errr

9. The Millenium Falcon. I know it is there - I've seen the trailers. I'm just really looking forward to seeing it in action again.
10. Jar Jar Binks.

Just Kidding.

Nate