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Star Wars Episode VII Begins Production, But Will It Be Bantha Fodder?

By David Dunford
Published on: 01:59 PST, Apr 7, 2014

J.J. Abrams begins production on what is considered to be his greatest project to date, the much-anticipated Star Wars Episode VII, but fears are abound as to whether Abrams will bring honor to the series, or let it fall like a steaming pile of bantha pudu. At the heart of the debate is a series of books written by Timothy Zahn in 1991 known as the Heir To The Empire series that has established itself as cannon when Lucas gave it the thumbs up for print. Many fear that Abrams will do to Star Wars Episode VII what he did to Star Trek, and the thought of another storyline imprinted over what is already there leaves a bad taste in the mouths of the fans. If Abrams does stick to the main plot of Heir, however, what can we expect to see when the movie leaps into theaters on December 18th of next year?

Heir to The Empire takes place shortly after the destruction of the second Death Star and the resulting chaos that remains after the Sith are no more. The victorious rebels take control of the galaxy in Palpatine’s, (the guy who held Vader’s leash), wake while trying to clean up the remaining bits of the now shattered Imperial Navy. To their dismay, a new leader begins to rise where the Sith once stood, and what he lacks in the Force he makes up for in cunning. His name is Grand Admiral Thrawn, the only non-human in Emperor Palpatine’s vast army, and now all that is left of the one mighty Empire. The war among the stars between the New Republic and this Grand Admiral draws in many new characters including an insane Jedi master clone named Jorus C’baoth who values the Jedi ways, yet holds a planet in servitude, Talon Karrde, a roguish smuggler sly enough to put Han Solo in check and a sexy brunette love interest for Luke who goes by the name of Mara Jade. Who we find out was once under the direct instruction of the Emperor himself. Overshadowing this all is the race to capture a lost fleet of ancient dreadnought ships that promise to bring the fatal blow to which ever side doesn’t get them. Zahn brings the entire story to us in a nicely bundled trilogy, ready and worthy of being transferred to celluloid. And this is why many fear Abrams slipping behind the wheel.

It is unlikely, with Abrams vast and creative imagination that he will simply direct the words from the book into his film, but rumors are running abound of how the cast of the original Star Wars have been asked to join in on the making of Episode VII, but in typical Star Wars fashion, no one has publicly said they have been given the green light. Hints tossed from Disney tease at Anthony Daniel’s return as the beloved chatterbox C3P0, but after his appearance in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, the fans have realized there will never be a Star Wars without C3P0, or R2D2 for that matter.

Han Solo isn’t the only one who has a bad feeling about Lucas selling the Star Wars franchise over to Disney either. While the family friendly corporation has done very well breaking into more adult-leaning content, shown in movies like Pirates of the Caribbean, others are concerned that we will soon be hearing Ewoks singing “Hakuna Matata”.

Perhaps the worst and most painful part of all of this is knowing we know nothing and just having to trust it will turn out the way we hope it will. Yet we know that won’t because inside of us, deep in our hearts, the only way the movie would ever be perfect is if we ourselves were in it, brandishing lightsabers and bending the Force to our will. All that is left is to put our trust in Abrams’ hands and hope the dream in his heart is good enough to inspire the one in ours.

Try to decipher who will be picked in the Star Wars U.K. casting call with our very own Patricia D:http://inquistr.wpengine.com/1021383/star-wars-episode-vii-holds-open-casting-call-in-the-uk/

Need to impress that guy with Star Wars Episode VII knowledge and trivia…or anything Star Wars related? Check out the Wookiepedia and become a master of the Force yourself! http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page

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star trek disney star wars george lucas J. J. Abrams
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