Star Wars Episode 7 and Disney buy Lucas Film

[TordelBack]

Lovely.  Conversely they appear to be reprinting that godawful 'recoloured' version of Marvel SW in the back of the Shattered Empire collections to make up the page numbers. I nearly bought Vol 1today, then recoiled in horror.

[Goaty]

A new action figure...

[Spaceghost]

I wonder why the Stormtroopers are equipped with this new lightsabre fighting gear when the jedi have been extinct for 30 years and there only seem to be 2 lightsabres left in the galaxy, one of them being wielded by their boss.

[Professor Bear]

Well well well... looks like we got ourselves a thinker here, fellas.

YOUR KIND AIN'T WELCOME AT A JJ ABRAMS MOVIE BOY.

[IAMTHESYSTEM]

I wonder why the Stormtroopers are equipped with this new lightsabre fighting gear when the jedi have been extinct for 30 years and there only seem to be 2 lightsabres left in the galaxy, one of them being wielded by their boss.

Isn't it set thirty years after ROTJ and so lots of Jedi scum would have been born infecting the Universe with their 'justice' nonsense?

[Goaty]

I wonder why the Stormtroopers are equipped with this new lightsabre fighting gear when the jedi have been extinct for 30 years and there only seem to be 2 lightsabres left in the galaxy, one of them being wielded by their boss.

You maybe got good point as clue in new film title - "The Force Awakens"?

[James Stacey]

I wonder why the Stormtroopers are equipped with this new lightsabre fighting gear when the jedi have been extinct for 30 years and there only seem to be 2 lightsabres left in the galaxy, one of them being wielded by their boss.

Midichlorians. They did it.

[ThryllSeekyr]

Stealthing Shadow-Troopers....Cool!

[Spaceghost]

I wonder why the Stormtroopers are equipped with this new lightsabre fighting gear when the jedi have been extinct for 30 years and there only seem to be 2 lightsabres left in the galaxy, one of them being wielded by their boss.

Isn't it set thirty years after ROTJ and so lots of Jedi scum would have been born infecting the Universe with their 'justice' nonsense?

According to the trailer, the Force, jedi and the dark side have all faded into myth, suggesting that there are no jedi about these days.

[ZenArcade]

The more variant charachters, the more models you flog? Z

[Professor Bear]

Those batons the Stormtroopers wield are probably just clubs like the coppers have in Futurama, used for riots and that, hence the riot shields they all carry, too.
There will most likely be several spin-off novels explaining this in more detail.

[TordelBack]

There have been weird polearms and electric-looking axes of all sorts throughout the SW films and cartoons - hand to hand combat is alive and well in the OT era, so why wouldn't stormtroopers be similarly equipped? The Emperor's Royal Guard for a start - in this post-EU world who knows what those pike-things do? We know there are battlefield forcefields that you can pass slow moving objects through but can't shoot through, and we know the Empire was brought down by spears and arrows...

Plus the trailer shows a bunch of sinister types standing with Kylo Ren in a field of bodies, and some of them are equipped with what are obviously bladed weapons.  Thinking that Luke/Finn and Kylo are it as far as guys with lethal melee weapons is foolish.

And even if there wasn't a mountain of precdent, Gods forbid there should be something new in this movie...

[Spaceghost]

Thinking that Luke/Finn and Kylo are it as far as guys with lethal melee weapons is foolish.

That's it. OUTSIDE NOW.

And bring your electric stick with you.

[ZenArcade]

 'Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, Tordel.'  Z

[Ancient Otter]

'Hokey religions and ancient weapons'

I always wondered about the age difference between Luke and Han - would Han have been old enough to remember the Clone Wars and Jedi everywhere with force powers and lightsabers?