UPDATE! The Star Wars Show: First Official Look at the New AT-M6 Walker and First Order Dreadnought from The Last Jedi
In this new episode of The Star Wars Show Andi and Anthony give us the first official look at the new heavy walkers from The Last Jedi plus the hugely impressive new First Order Star Destroyer. Also Anthony sits down to speak with Dana Snyder, who voices Graballa the Hutt on LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures and more.
As it was revealed in some toy leaks in the past, the name of the new walkers in The Last Jedi is AT-M6, which stands for All Terrain Megacaliber Six.
Also the new impressive First Order Star Destroyer in the movie will be called a Dreadnought. They will be more than 7 km long!!!
Now check out the full show below for more details on the new vehicles and more:
UPDATE!
StarWars.com spoke with Kevin Jenkins, Lucasfilm’s design supervisor for The Last Jedi, who revealed some more details about these two vehicles.
On the Dreadnought:
Basically, it evolved from story reasons because Rian needed a new battleship in the script called the Dreadnought. Essentially, it needed to be a ground-firing gun platform, and the other limitations that Rian put on me was he needed and required a flat surface with gun turrets on it. So basically, it’s an armored gunboat, an armored gun platform. It’s sort of a heavy artillery that’s much bigger than a standard Star Destroyer, about two-and-a-half times the size of a standard Star Destroyer.
On the AT-M6:
“A walker, to me, it’s essentially a Panzer tank mixed with a dog.” One of the questions that tied us up a lot is the fact that they’d been taken down by snowspeeders in The Empire Strikes Back, and it felt like everyone else is trying to avoid the problem of a four-legged version of a walker because they had been defeated on Hoth. So I sort of took that on board and I suggested to Rian, “Well, instead of a dog, what about a gorilla?” I can’t remember why I said a gorilla, but I just said, “They have a great stance, they are very aggressive,” and that’s how the idea of the gorilla came. And literally in profile, I molded it over an actual photo of a gorilla to get the initial base pose.
The front legs are very heavily armored, and you can see can almost up to the forearm. And again, that’s my take on, “You can’t take these down with a snowspeeder.” They’ve armored up the front or maybe they just cut the ropes because they are too big now. Also, the way they are balanced now is like a gorilla, because their knuckles are turned backwards and they’ve got very high shoulders. They are a completely different poise. Maybe they could even sort of kneel down or something.
Jenkins also revealed that the AT-M6 is almost twice the size of the original AT-AT walker.
For the full interview make sure to go to StarWars.com.
Founder of SWNN, MNN and The Cantina forums.
Born on April 24, 1980.
Nope, this does not at all remind me of ESB.
Was hoping those new AT ATs would have slightly more original designs.
I like the AT-M6 design for the most part, but I wish they would have used the walkers from starkiller base. Those felt more unique from AT-AT’s. This is cool, but feels more like the AT-ACT in that it is just a slight upgrad or modification rather than a ground up redesign.
Gotta agree this is really lazy. I think if they wanted walkers in this, the big ones should have had several legs, like the new FO Scout Walker does.
To help illustrate for those who don’t know: these are the FO Scout Walkers. But perhaps larger versions of these could have served the same purpose as the M6.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/87a94e58076db80320487d5a498bbd43fb540dbd019be188841ef4708acc20e1.jpg
How is it lazy to have continuity in vehicle design?
Was hoping the Prequel trilogy would do a better job of story telling.
In hindsight, this makes me wonder if JJ Abrams should have put in walkers in TFA. Like, have the Resistance dispatch ground forces, too, on Starkiller base, and they fight against FO walkers (as the Resistance troops try to clear a path so Finn, Han, et al can get into the base). Then after this, the rule would have been: no more walkers for the rest of the sequel trilogy. TFA would have been entirely the throwback to the OT in regards to vehicles.
Of course, this may have resulted in no walkers in Rogue One — but did they contribute anything to that movie’s plot?
There were walkers in TFA.
Good thing movies are based around stories and characters and not vehicle designs.
“Good thing movies are based around stories and characters and not vehicle designs.”
Amen — except, you’re dealing with the world dumbest, most useless fandom ever, so rationality isn’t going to work.
Your comment doesn’t smack of a million other on these forums either.
HEY GIVE US SOMETHING ORIGINAL.
Digging the new drednaught. Is this the rumored “Mega Star Destroyer” that is snokes command base or something different I wonder
I think the Executor was about 3 times the size
That’s the Esclipse.
SSD was 8km.
19 km, actually, as we observed earlier. 🙂
And as stated earlier, the source material prior to Legends had it at 8km.
Kill yourself again.
Haven’t done it the first time.
I really hope that’s not Snoke’s ship, but just another FO SD.
Mega Star Destroyer? But we’ve already got AT-ATs vs speeders on a white plain, a Jedi Master training a neophyte, do we need even more ESB echoes?
We need a “first order march” theme and we’re set.
Jesus Christ. The Entirety of Star Wars is Walkers, Star Destroyers, white armored soldiers, Jedi and Sith.
Now everyone is going to complain that Luke is going to train a new Jedi? You’re right, it would be much cooler if he died and never came full circle to train his own protege.
The walker looks good. Dreadnought, not so much. It’s just a flat, deflated Star Destroyer, right? The Ep 8 story is sounding great, a lot of the designs are making scratch my head a bit.
Why the gorilla paws,seems to serve no purpose other than ‘it’s not an ‘ATAT’
Maybe the Resistance tries the tow cable maneuver and the paws cut the cables or something.
I think the justification is that ithelps stabilizing the vehicle when shooting with the large cannon on top or something
Do you remember AT-AT’s tipping over on Hoth?
Those things are for stability. Also there’s a giant laser cannon on the back. My guess is the AT-M6 digs in and lowers itself to level the cannon and then fires it.
The forward legs act like a colossal bipod to give the weapon improved accuracy and diminishing recoil.
I get that,my point was that is essentially still an AT-AT,I would have liked to have seem some new and surprising military equipment,something unexpected like the AT-AT was when it dropped in Empire.
And the new AT-M6 may have that. But they’re not going to change the basis of Star Wars technology.
The Republic used walkers. The Empire used walkers. Now the First Order does too. It makes sense. They’re effective and frightening. Why would they just change to something new?
”Why would they just change to something new?”
To keep it fresh.
You have 7 films behind this one on a specific time line. From the Phantom Menance to Episode 8 you have a passage of time of 62 years.
During those films, you’ve seen the evolution of the Imperial war machine from the inception of the Grand Army of the Republic to what the First Order now uses in combat.
It makes no sense for a faction that was built atop the Galactic Empire and using its technology and aesthetic to morph into something completely different; especially since it’s very evident they honored their past through the original aesthetic of construction, design, and technology.
And if they kept it fresh, you’d be whining that everything looks too weird.
Or are you a huge fan of the Rathtars? They were pretty fresh.
Kill yourself twice.
Not actually possible.
I’m a huge fan of Rancors,they were fresh.
I hate you very, VERY much.
Sorry to hear that.
that ship is horrible and the at-m6 is way too similar to the old at-at, this guys get paid????
Continuing the theme of lame vehicle designs.. That SD is crap. Can we move beyond Ralph McQuarrie for a change? These ships and vehicles in the Disney Star Wars movies are hardly inspiring.
Thing is, they’re not even using actual McQuarrie’s desings like he left them, (to me, the man was a genius) they’re just taking those as ‘inspiration’ and doing their own version, with maybe not so good results.
Like the Prequel trilogy. Terrible result.
I just realized: Since Disney took over, we haven’t had a wholly original ship design. Except one: The U-Wing (which is very cool). And that’s it.
I wouldn’t call the U-Wing VERY cool. It looked kinda stupid when it was announced, and the proper scaling in Rogue One is what gave it its edge IMO.
It’s not so much the drawing upon McQuarrie that’s bad… it’s the implementation. I’m not a fan of the SD either (as a whole) but I liked some of the zoomed in shots. Is this the ship that Snoke is on or is there an even larger ship?
Are you ever positive about anything? Can you name one thing you like?
I mean, how long have you actually been reading my stuff? I try to stay positive on a lot of topic, like the Han Solo movie for example.
And you know something, you fucking asshole? Being “positive” doesn’t mean “loving absolutely every single little fucking thing you see”. I’m allowed to hate things. Like you, for instance. Fuck you.
I’ve a good memory for the written or typed word, so I remember the content and theme of what posters put down here.
Generally, you make broad, sweeping comments that are negative and hold not factual basis for what you try to share as concrete evidence as to why something will turn out the way you want it to.
You’re really holding onto this “negative” thing, as if me not being excited about what’s coming is some terrible awful crime.
Look. You’re the person that just went off on a crazy ass tear telling me to kill myself, over and over again.
Just saying, who’s being negative?
I think the U-Wing is absolutely classic Star Wars design and fits seamlessly, but I’m honestly having a hard time coming up with another unique example of a new design in RO or TFA.
Yeah definitely want more ships like the U-Wing. Its a really tough high-wire act to stick create something different to feel new but not SO different that it looks out of place next to the iconic ships we love. For me the Tie Striker and U-wing did that. Some of the other designs not so much. Maybe like 1 in 3 ships and vehicles should be upgraded old ships and the rest should be something totally new. Or at the very least cherry pick some of the better legends ships to make the canon junkies happy.
Generally I agree except for the TIE Striker — it was simply another wing variant of the TIE.
In the behind the scenes stuff on RO, you can see everyone involved put a lot of thought into the U-Wing’s design. Whether fans love it, are indifferent to it, or hate it, if we assess all the ships that have been introduced in the Disney Star Wars movies, the U-Wing is the only original vehicle design so far. (Maybe the FO Troop Transport should be included, too? — that boring shipping container meets wedge shaped submarine.) I think that’s disappointing after three movies.
The Dreadnought is an original ship design.
What do you expect the First Order to do?
Well, let’s not do wedge shaped ships anymore. I mean you know, they worked in the past. But let’s do a cube now.
?
Is that a gun on the underbelly of the Dreadnought?
The ship looks interesting, sleek and basic, so ok with that approach. Not sold yet on the Walker, but then I sill harbour a few doubts on the new Walker assault. Still think something else could of been done and I fear some of the issues I had with TFA reappearing in TLJ.
There are two of them, In the embedded video, it explains they are used for ground bombardment, and masses of anti aircraft batteries along its upper side.
I was beginning to think it was something else……childish snigger….at the crude innuendo.
Lewis loves the cock..ed turbolasers.
Look a bit lame under the ship TBH on an otherwise good ship. Rebels showed a planetary bombardment with Star Destroyers, not sure why a new ship would require an underslung cannon.
It would seem even without Starkiller base, the First Order is going with a “REALLY BIG ASS GUN” theme. It demonstrates what their over all strategy is in war and they’ve taken Palpatine’s New Order to the next level.
Palps built big ships and weapons to scare the shit out of people so they’d fall in line.
The First Order is building ridiculously large weapons to actually use. The First Order isn’t about fear, they appear to be about direct action. Without that sort of weaponry, the Dreadnought would already be terrifying. It doesn’t need it, but the First Order likely intends to use it to crack planetary shields and lay complete waste to ground based targets.
It’s also a new and original concept for a Star Wars film.
At this point, why didn’t they just say that the FO is the empire? I thought that was the case when watching the first ever TFA teaser
I upvoted you, but the space politics are kinda unclear. The Republic exists and is the main government. The FO is kind of a splinter government. Whether planet governments have joined voluntarily or have been taken over by the FO isn’t entirely clear (at least from what I’ve gathered from the new canon material I’ve read). So the FO is the FO because they’re not the main government (which would make them the so-called Empire, or Neo-Empire). They obviously want to take down the Republic and replace it, and become the new Empire, though.
I haven’t read the books yet, is the First Order even a government? Or is it just a guerrilla military?
Yep, how are they able to fund their operation and create the sunkiller from TFA?
That hasn’t been explained yet, but I’d imagine you wouldn’t have much of a problem with funding when a fleet of Star Destroyers shows up on your planet making demands and enslaving people to build their ultimate weapon.
I have not read the books but I think they were secretly funding the cartels into a major crime syndicate which they then used to generate funds for their military which is why the New Republic didn’t see them as a threat as they were unaware how rich and powerful they were becoming.
They’re a guerrilla military. They’re remnants of the Empire that fled to the unknown regions. The whole idea of them going to the unknown regions involves Palpatine and a sort of “calling” that he received. He began to try and find a way to plot a course through the unknown regions to get to this “source.” That included the hiring of people like Thrawn who were familiar with the unknown regions. There was also a doctrine that only the strongest parts of the Empire would be the ones to travel to the unknown regions, thus eliminating any weak points. What they found there we can only guess at this point, but a lot of signs point to Snoke at least. The whole plot is presented in the Aftermath trilogy.
Good summary. Too bad the backstory was told by a crappy trilogy of books that were poorly written with bad characters and dialog. I wish they had entrusted the books to a better writer, but maybe they will do so with other aspects of the timeline in the future.
Why is that too bad?
It’s literally how the original Star Wars Universe was built from the ground up outside the movies. Crappy poorly written books and comics.
Oh, I don’t mind books telling backstory. I love Star Wars books. I do mind that Lucasfilm wasted an entire trilogy of extremely important timeline on such a complete mismatch of an author. The entire SW Universe was NOT built on crappy books and comics. It was built on excellent books, starting with the awesome Thrawn trilogy. Excellent author, great characters, awesome story. It set the stage for greatness. Unlike the crappy Aftermath trilogy.
Thrawn trilogy was good. And sorry to disagree, but the almost the entirety of Legends content was absolute shite.
End your miserable, pathetic excuse for a life.
Big hugs and kisses?
I mean you can technically say the FO is the empire, since it was established by imperial members and is a fragment of the Empire itself.
I know, but it’s still called FO. The way it is, it’s an easier target for criticism. If they said that it is clearly just the empire returning, it would justify all these similarities (to be fair, they’re still justified as FO czrrently is portayed as empire fans).
I’m not sure what you’re failing to grasp here.
Just because it’s not the *actual* Empire but has its foundations cemented in it, doesn’t mean it can’t use a similar aesthetic.
I’m trying to explain what will the main audience say about this whole thing. While I personally know that the FO is basically a continuation of. the empire, most of viewers will focus only onthe movies. Now, the crawl does state the link between FO and empire, but througout the whole film people talk about it as something completely different (e.g. Maz, when talking about enemies from dark side, doesn’t say “and now the impire’s returned as the first order” or something like that, but “this evil was the empire once, and now it is the first order”). Additionally, you can see very few old FO officers througout the film, most of them are too young for them to be survivors imperial officers. This, and the similar aesthetic (but to be fair, the similar plot aspects – Death Star / Starkiller Base) would lead to the mainstream audience to criticise the sequel trilogy as being uninventive. What I’m saying, they should put one or two sentences in a scene that explain this link between empire and FO clearly to the only-movies-viewer-audience.
I will never defend a movie for having me to read something outside of the film to better understand it to the degree you have to with Episode VII. Some more decisions were made in regards to the New Republic, First Order, and the Resistance in the story telling.
But I’m apart of that main audience bro, and I understood from the beginning of the movie that the First Order was entirely separate from the Empire while having been built on its foundations.
The First Order is literally the “first order” issued by Palpatine in the event of his death, to perpetuate the ideals, purpose and infrastructure of the Empire itself.
did they confirm this in any novel? I stopped reading at the Leia novel, so I don’t know
Essentially, yes. The details are murky, but it is mentioned in Aftermath: Empire’s End. Admiral Rae Sloan (appearing first in Rebels) says this line: “It’s time to start over… That is our first order. To begin again. And to get it right this time.”
The First Order is basically what would have happened to the First Reich if enough its military and infrastructure survived the second world war and they were able to escape somewhere and rebuild.
Only all of the more moderate Nazi leadership was dead and you were left with only the hard core ultra right wing militants to create the 4th Reich.
…The fuck’s with that walker’s name? “Megacalibur Six”? Sounds like they went “let’s throw acronyms around until they sound good, and BS the actual title” instead of “let’s name it something realistic and let the acronym stand by itself”.
It’s apparently the name of the cannon on its shoulder and the gorilla claws are used to offer greater stability when the Megacalibur fires.
Why not “All-Terrain Mobile Cannon” then?
That’s a LOT better.
AT-MC rolls off the tongue a lot nicer. lol
It’s even worse when you take it literally. A caliber is equal to an inch, and the prefix ‘mega’, when referring to size, usually means a million times the base amount (e.g. megaton= 1,000,000 tons). ‘6 megacalibers’ would mean that they are equipping guns of a diameter of 100 fucking miles on walkers.
When you really think about it.
Star Destroyer and Death Star are both really stupid names, too.
And a Mon Calamari Cruiser is literally named after caviar.
Nit. Pick. More.
Those names make some fucking sense in the proper context though, you fucking moron. When you read “Star Destroyer” and you see a gigantic space ship, you go “oh okay”. When you read “All-Terrain Megacalibur Six”, you think “what the hell is a megacalibur six?”.
Kill yourself.
I never said they didn’t make sense. I said they sound stupid.
On another note, looks like The First Order Strikes Back Oh Wait No It’s Actually Called The Last Jedi isn’t going to blow people away, mostly based on what I’m seeing lately. “Time for the Jedi to end” is some hardcore ticketbait.
You’d better hope your predictions are accurate.
Cause if they’re not it’s going to be fun to see you back track your repetitious, trollish comments or deflect to something else in the film you didn’t like to hide how wrong you were in the first place.
You get jollies out of “mean people” being wrong, eh? I’m so sorry for your awful, AWFUL fucking life in that case. I’ll help you end it if you want, I’d be WAY more than happy to.
When people speak with great certainty on a matter they cannot actually predict, I get my jollies pointing it out.
I quite like the Sabretooth head and gorilla arms of these new Walkers – reminds me of ZOIDS.
Or Cylons
Very true.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/e86636b00dfbee92e090a6f6b358dd6c192149e06eb956386fc031567c12bef0.jpg
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/c4d7ea6a7c2ccc6ace8bdfbe4537c4abaf15f720c2a918783a2539fa1fa1892f.jpg
“M6” = Mecha Gorilla?
If the resistance Skyspeeders use cables to trip these mother fuckers I will riot. I don’t even care if they try to be cute and do a “IF THE REBELLION DID IT SO CAN WE!” Bit…NO (refer to username).
I thought there were rumours that the Resistance tries that ESB tactic, but the new Walkers have a defense against that plan.
To be fair, if Luke wanders by and is like “Tell them to go for the legs!” that would be kinda cool.
My fear is that Finn will suggest it and then execute it.
It would be funny if he failed miserably..after all Finn is starting to shape up to be the comic relief guy, based on his dialogue and performance in TFA.
My fear was that Lucas would make a new terrible trilogy.
Yes it really would..and I’d be the first to cheer in cinema lol but I’m tired of Disney playing on nostalgia. It’s getting old!!
I think the First Order vehicles are much more intimidating than the Empire’s and i was never a big fan of the AT-AT but this thing looks ferocious, as for the dreadnought, well it looks like the Resistance are literally gonna get fucked by it, Giggity;)
Well is Hasbro going to make this walker? Or did they feel they weren’t able to sell enough of the AT-ACT toy at the original retail price they wanted ($300) to justify making another for this movie, a walking AT-M6? Looks like LEGO is the only toy version of this so far.
I think you might be right. I actually never even saw an AT-ACT in a store in the UK, only as an online purchase. It was £300, but sites were advertising at 50% off as soon as it was on sale. I bet that BB8 play set sells equally badly.
Toward the end, Hasbro’s online store was selling out their remaining stock of AT-ACTs… for only $99.
The ATM 6 is a way better improvement over the ATM 5…
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/396788225d50c13b00a29484743bd301d0671ba0b30a59a7e2ce7c020fe24eaf.jpg
(Yes…. Disney/Lucasfilm is flat-out naming their toys after cash machines.)
I don’t get all these complaints. The Dreadnought looks, if not “beautiful”, menacing as shit. It’s basically a rough, wildly designed SD, with a massive fire power. It basically matches with what the FO is supposed to be: a more brutal version of the Empire. I don’t know you, guys, but if you take the Starkiller, the basic SD, the AT-M6, the Dreadnought, Kylo’s shuttle and TIE… you can clearly see a coherence in the design. I think TLJ is taking a good way to characterize this new faction. Anyway… is the Dreadnought the rumored “Mega Destroyer”, or is it just a variant of the “normal” SD?
I completely agree with you.
At 7,700 meters, the Dreadnaught is much smaller than a 19,000 meter Imperial Super Star Destroyer. If the First Order and Snoke indeed have a “Mega Destroyer” flagship, I think we still haven’t seen it…and it’s probably gonna be absolutely massive.
I really hope the mega destroyer is something palpatine built like the eclipse or similar. If they first order built both a death star AND and super star destroyer with their limited resources then they have learned nothing from the empire’s defeat. That said- I really want a freaking HUGE star destroyer wrecking face across the galaxy
The Super Star Destroyer is 8,000 meters long, not 19,000.
You’re talking about the Eclipse class Star Destroyer from a really awful comic series by Dark Horse which was never canon to begin with is now vanquished to the Legends shelf.
Thank God.
I was correct. StarWars.com and Wookiepedia both confirm the Executor was 19 km long:
http://www.starwars.com/databank/executor
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Super_Star_Destroyer
Well, according to starwars.com you are indeed right.
That’s either a retcon or a typo that’s become a retcon. The length of that ship has been 8 klicks for decades.
I’m not 100% sure on this, but canonically I think it was supposed to be classified, so the exact size was never public information to the rest of the galaxy, just estimated. As far as ret-conning, I think it likely had something to do with the number being revised to more closely match its apparent size in ROTJ.
It’s been 8km since the Imperial Source book was published in the late Eighties. It remained that way through out the Legends material because most of the writers utilized the WEG Source books for detailed information on the space craft and vehicles they were writing about.
It’s fine that it’s 19 km (Well not really, because it doesn’t seem that large by half) but I won’t fight a canon source on numbers, it’s straight from the Bantha’s mouth.
Kill yourself.
Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.
The fact that you’re alive is an insult to the human race. Fuck you.
Did I kill your dog or something?
I’m with you on the Dreadnought I think it’s gorgeous. Modern and sleek just as the FO should be. Could use some black and red though to fit their color scheme that would be cool.
The walker, while looking like a nuBSG Cylon humped an elephant, looks decent. I don’t like the dreadnought. I think the dreadnought is silly, because it lacks visual interest and depth. It’s literally nothing but a flat wedge, with a long horizontal bar on the top, and a giant wang-cannon on the bottom. It doesn’t look menacing at all to me. It looks like it needs pepperoni on it.
…but it’s not a remake of TESB lol!
Because having similar military vehicles from one movie to the next constitutes a remake?
Story too.
Read rumors.
Right, because rumors about Star Wars on the internet are always spot on. LOL.
If Ep 8 us anything like Ep 5 it will not look good in the long run.
Look at what the new JJ Star Trek, did for star trek, all the hardcore fans reject it and the movies and the new tv series are largely rejected and do poorly after their first installments.
Now, star wars is bigger then star trek so i don’t see people abandoning it, but I am less of a fan of star wars now then I was pre Ep 7. RO gave me hope 😉 but I’m worried about Ep 8 and Han Solo movie.
Hardcore Star Trek fan.
I like NuTrek, and it literally re-energized an almost dead IP by bringing in a new fan base.
Trying to appeal to hardcore constituents in any setting, including in a media IP, does not get you the best results.
Please see the Presidency of Donald J. Trump for a great example.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/5a7c404e08c87aa4bc9528b60055b493d537986926e15c68722b7b0cbcdd692a.png
Which are always true.
Bitch after you seen the film.
As cynical as I want to say that TLJ will be like ESB, I have a strong feeling it won’t. Logically, LF would kill any goodwill they have. TFA clearly was nostalgia driven, fueled by a world bereft of SWs from the movies. Now, two years later in a post RO world that isn’t going to cut it.
I know people who like TFA who will be very disappointed if TLJ is exactly like ESB. And really, what would that say if LF copied ESB? That they cannot rely on new ideas and instead cling onto the past. ESB was great for a lot of reasons, but really I found it amazing because it dared to do something different, while also telling the best story that it could tell. Even if that plot is a bit thin.
So really, LF, much as I hate to admit it, understands very well. Also, there is Rian Johnson. Now, I am very biased but RJ is a brilliant director; easily in my top ten. In fact, I was more excited over Episode eight than seven because I will be honest; JJ Abrams is a terrible director. And having met RJ many years ago, if he is anything like I saw who spoke about when it came to screenwriting; he will give something really cool, unique.
Whether or not it will be well-received remains to be seen. But I am confident. Also, on a side note; much as I would prefer to see some new vehicles given I do love world building; that is secondary to story, characters and themes.
It is why the PT aren’t good movies. Though, I do love the aesthetic.
I really don’t get the “backlash”. The new designs look good to me , and do depict the menace of the First Order. Military forces thirty years ago used airplanes. They still use airplanes, but with new and improved designs that pay homage to their predecessors. What else would be expected? You don’t stop using things that work. You work to improve them and make them better. Let’s give them a chance.
You, sir, are injecting far too much reality into a fantasy movie! 😉
Hit the nail on the head. These are probably the same people who complain Rey was unrealistic.
She was.
Yeah, I hear you. We’ve been using B-52s for 60 years….with avionics , weapon systems and structural upgrades. People will find a way to complain about anything.
So, they (FO) have the technology to suck the energy dry from a star to charge their weapon, but can not come up with a better design for a ship or walker?
Maybe there ISN’T a better design? Maybe they don’t need one?
The article literally explains that while the base design is similar, it’s highly improved.
You’re missing the point. Sure, you design better, more advanced equipment. However, if a particular system is working well and is effective, then all you have to do is upgrade it. The A-10 is another example. It’s been around since 1977. We still use it because it is well suited to it’s task. No need to spend billions more to replace it.
They are better designs Gerry.
Why are you complaining? Literally the designs were introduced historically in your beloved prequels, and were so effective the Empire continued to build and reiterate upon them.
I’ve seen some military equipment used now that doesn’t look a whole lot like stuff in the 80s.
And i would think the FO under snoke’s control would put a new spin on things since he may very well be from Wild Space…. unless, of course, we find out he’s just a big fan of Palpatine the same way Kylo Ren is a big fan of Vader and Rey is a big fan of Luke, etc….
The First Order is the remnants of the Empire. And the Empire ruled through fear, as the New Order doctrine written by Grand Moff Tarkin and approved by Palpatine dictated the Imperial war machine to be built.
Everything was big and bad ass not to kick ass, but to keep them from having to kick ass in the first place.
It makes perfect sense that if Snoke took what the Empire was left with in personnel and commanders and rebuilt it, he would do it in a way they were familiar with rather than changing it radically. Especially since, you know, it worked. They ruled the galaxy for 23 years undisputed through military might and, yes, fear.
Is Pizza the hutt in that thing as well?
No, I am not.
I’ve had the following idea for quite a while, and this picture of the Dreadnaught make me think of it. In TFA, instead of a Death Star 3.0, I wish they had had a bunch of spaceships like this Dreadnaught with super powerful canons. They appear out of hyperspace over Hosnian Prime, scorch the entire planet’s surface with their cannons, then disappear into hyperspace. Would have been more interesting than DS 3.0, harder to fight as they could move anywhere and disperse, and there would be no trench scene! I always pictured these ships as more rectangular, but this Dreadnaught would do.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/5839cacb455b71fa71f59c03afe902ecbe203bef7fe6757abcae64e1c79f2603.png
I always thought along those lines that it would have made more sense having a super mega star destroyer with a massive cannon. They could have even kept the sun charging gimick
EXACTLY. You people say they do not mind Starkiller base, but given how it is never explained in the movie and is shoehorned in why even bother.
If the film wanted the destruction of the NR, the FO could have used a giant fleet. That isn’t hard to explain? They are a secretive organization after all they are the North Korea of SWs. So, I could very easily see the FO building up an armada of ships that were equipped with some kickass weapons.
And heck, it would have made for a brilliant excuse for a space battle and just have Starkiller base, just be a base.
It’d be pretty neat if Rian’s specific requirements regarding the flat surface of the Dreadnought means an anti-grav action scene with space-suited characters on the outside of the ship (which for all the ESB whiners would be something new, at least, in a Star Wars film).
I hear you, but at 8,000 mts long (5 miles), I doubt a flat surface would be much different to walk on than a round surface, relative to the size of Finn and Rose.
It’d be easier to film, perhaps.
I generally like what I’m seeing. If I had one complaint it’s be the big gun on the Dread… but it’s by no means a deal breaker though.
Like a slice of Pizza
Damn right.
Getting kinda hungry. It’d be neat if, say, Pizza Hut partnered with LFL to introduce the new all-black- dough pizza slice, “The Dreadnought”, the dark side of flavor. Join the dark side, we have pizza.
Wow..that actually a good marketing campaign lol
I wonder if the large guns described will be used to shoot asteroids in an asteroid field….
Each slice needs a mozzarella stick protruding from it’s bottom.
That’ll be Rey’s hand, and she’ll be hanging upside-down from the underbelly of the ship.
(‘Cause apparently this film is a remake of ESB.)
I completely agree. But honestly, I haven’t read the Aftermath trilogy. I have the first book and read about half of it before it went on the shelf. Abysmal writing, honestly. Go check out “Star Wars Explained” on youtube. That’s where I gained knowledge of that plot. As for the second part about Leia, the discovery of the First Order and the formation of the Resistance, that is in Bloodline, which I HIGHLY recommend. But if you don’t want to read it, check out Collider and look in their Jedi Council playlist. They have a 30 minute spoiler review of it and it gets pretty detailed.
bigger, and more intense!
And more cooooool toys to be sold.
Don’t worry Ghost. I’m sure Lucas Film will add in a Jar Jar Binks like character in this episode to appease you Prequel fanboys.
why do they still make walkers when they have the technology to make them levitate (therefore go faster), avoiding the cable-around-the-legs issue?
I guess the First Disney Order just wanna do the same mistakes as the empire strikes back.
also->super (super) star destroyer v2 , but everyone saw this one too I know, that’s why they did it, because it’s cool (sells more) to not be original
Maybe the “Disney Order” is to make a vehicle that can eventually be replicated full-scale in their theme parks.
I sure hope so.
You are confusing “being original” with “snaturate a franchise”. Was Lucas unoriginal when he put the walkers in ep2, or the SD in 3?
Yes, he was definitely being unoriginal with Return of the Jedi, which deserves much of the same criticism now aimed at The Force Awakens.
It’s not the current opinion. Actually I appreciate both Lucas and Abrams/RJ take on the saga. My only complaint is about what we saw of the Resistance so far. I mean: it’s fair to see walkers and SD in the FO side, since it is supposed to be a resurgent Empire, but why to lock the Republic/Resistance ships evolution to the OT? I like the new X-wings, but seriously… I would have preferred a new type of main starfighter. The bombers are pretty good, though.
Being more fantasy than science-fiction, the design of Star Wars was never directed toward technology that was necessarily practical. It was supposed to look used, but somewhat alien. There’s no reason to have four-legged tanks when the technology to make them hover exists. In Star Wars, the visual impact trumps practicality.
In real life it’s form follows function. In Fantasy it’s the other way round. If you don’t feel comfortable with that just imagine a solution to that problem on your own. For example: Anti gravity requires a lot of energy the more massive an object is which would make it impractical in a scenario of prolonged fighting. Or anti gravity can be easily shut down with anti gravity disruptors which would make them even more vulnerable than having legs.
Because they look cool? How was the destruction of Hosnian Prime visible halfway across the galaxy in real time? Don’t think too hard about it.
Because a floating walker without the iconic legs would look boring as hell.
HUGELY disappointed by the Dreadnought design. That is butt ugly! And I for one really liked TFA designs so far. Walker is ok, although I never wanted more walker action to begin with…
I’m way more focused on story than anything else. If the story is good, some of the ship designs will become almost incidental to my movie-watching experience. I enjoy reading comics, but I’m so focused on story that the artwork barely makes an impression on me. That’s just how I’m wired, I guess.
Still…I don’t know…that Dreadnought looks like something whipped together for a video game. That being said, it always takes me a bit of time to warm up to new things in Star Wars.
This looks like a natural progression of weapon design in this universe. Great stuff.
This is solely my opinion, but i think the Ep7 and 8 designs/upgrades of ships and vehicles look like they where designed by 10 year olds. They are not original they are of the “lets make them bigger and add more and bigger guns” variety…
the “dreadnought” could have been an Eclipse Class Star Destroyer, that would have been original for non hard core fans and call back to legends for the rest. instead we get a flat triangle with a big gun on the bottom…a big gun…
The design of these looks like something from a video game but I’ll reserve judgment until I see them in action and I am intrigued as to why Rian required a flat surface on the Dreadnaught,
I can only imagine the battle over the first DEath Star with its turrets and gun towers….
I hope not, we’ve already had a retread of the trench run in TFA.
I know people say there is the same thing in TPM at the end, but lets face the truth, that was a fresh spin. TFA basically copied the whole thing.
What can I say. As much as I love TFA, it is more for Daisy then for originality 🙂 many fans hates George but look now – he´s not around and I didn´s see anything original in the new movies. Everytink looks the same just little bit uglier hahaha. I don´t like to see the rest of my life x wings, tie fighters, white stormtroopers etc….I didn´t expect that 30 years after Jedi the situation will be the same or worse. The one thing I like about George is that he made the movies for himself, not for the fans. Todays movies are made this way – lets add this and that cause fans will love it 🙂 And they do. Just there´s always the curiosity of how the real story would be, what kind of ships would fly, what kind of weapons….TPM is my favourite ot the new trilogy. It still has the vibe and the naivity, the spirit….it´s star wars. I´m looking forward to see The last Jedi, but also with fear – there´s already something I don´t like – the creator, writer and director said without a doubt that Tle last Jedi is Luke and that´s it. Singular. And the company changed it to plural, because…I didn´t see the movie but I´m convinced there will be no more Jedi then Luke. So this I don´t like – to invent titles that are not true to the movie. Let´s hope there are no other hidden surprises (apart of attack of AT-ATs (with different name) on Hoth (with different name) defended by snowspeeders (or saltspeeders now), Bespin with Lando (with both different names) and if they manage to insert carbonite then I will laugh loud in the cinema 🙂 the big pizza destroyer with the big canon – flat is because there will be some action above/around it. And canon will fire on planet surface. As for the new gorilla AT-AT…..my god….
What can you say?
The same thing in every post.
Sorry Lewis. Can’t agree. The battle at the end of Episode I was in no way a fresh spin.
Unless you count that the stand in Death Star the Trade Federation had employed was blown up on an “Oops” instead of by a farm boy tapping into his unknown potential as a Force wielding bad ass.
Thing is, to that level I’m fine with farm boy blowing up Trade Federation starship. You have to have the familiar beats that make it Star Wars. They effectively swapped the trench run with flying into the ship instead, and that to me is a fresh spin. You can’t deny the trench run in TFA simply wasn’t needed and Starkiller itself could of been something different to a massive new Death Star. Maybe a little dark, but Star Destroyers in the vein of car bombs could of taken out the New Republic. Starkiller could of been a massive shipyard of those….
It wasn’t a farm boy who blew up the Trade Federation starship.
It was a little kid who did it on accident.
The trench run in TFA was limited. It wasn’t even a full minute. It was a quick tribute. Where as in Episode IV, it was nearly 20 minutes of the end of the film.
Well it was a child/young man that blew up the Trade Federation Starship/Death Star, both are comparable to each other, as you pointed out. IMO the trench run in TFA was a tribute to far, that wasn’t required for the progression of the story. Why does it grate so much on you that others disagree?
Time how long the X-Wings were in the trench in TFA.
Then time how long they were in the Trench in a New Hope.
Also, again, it makes sense that if the First Order built a Death Star like weapon based on Imperial designs, that the trench serves a practical design purpose that requires it to be there.
Doesn’t bother me that you disagree, but if you give me points to discuss, I’ll discuss them.
Fair enough. I agree it wasn’t a long time or big feature of the film, but to me it was a homage to far in a film with plenty. TFA did the job it was required and was overall enjoyable and fun with some great moments, but to me that trench run wasn’t needed. I think a lot of people that felt it was to much of a rehash of ANH, for right or wrong, would of been more forgiving if Starkiller base had been something different like the shipyard I mentioned. It still basically fits the same theme of Star Wars with something destroyed at the end, be it Trade Federation Ship, Death Star or Starkiller shipyard.
For what it’s worth, yes, the mirroring of IV in VII even wears on me. But I still like the film, mostly for the new characters. If VIII flails then VII is doomed to suck.
I still say the best thing VII has going for it is how open ended it is, just like IV was.
We shall zee.
I loved the dynamic between Finn and Rey. Wasn’t to fussed with Poe to be honest, but then with the use of Han throughout the film it was going to diminish any 3rd character. I hope his role remains the same in VIII, and the same formula is used but with Luke replacing Han’s role.
Since I was a child, I have *always* been a starfighter jock.
I fly X-Wings. It’s my job. When I’m not being a Jedi Master.
Yes, I tell this to people as a 36 year old professional. I get weird looks, but idgaf.
So while Poe had ZERO depth as a character and no real story arc other than he was kept alive instead of being killed off as originally planned..He was the Wedge Antilles I’ve always wanted to see on the big screen based on his exploits from the old EU.
I still count how many TIE Fighters he blasts out of the sky over Maz’s cantina. And rehash or not, his torpedo run on Starkiller base was also pretty epic.
Ah now that’s an interesting view on Poe. Will certainly see him in a new light
You’re a brain-dead moron who should kill himself.
Why so angry?
NO. They kept saying that many talented people were joining forces for the new trilogy. Well, how about they just stop tributing classics SW movies and start doing something new ? Some new “Walkers” with more guns ? A bigger ship ? Come on guys is that all you can do ?
I’m loving the new Walkers and Ship. They fit the SW universe.
Of course they fit: they are clones ! They just added few updates, which seems to be define this whole new trilogy: we grab the old and update it…
That’s how technology works.
It fits the OT more than the PT does.
The OT had a constant evolution, not on the scale of the PT, but this may as well say that tech has stopped its evolution in that universe
Not really. Take a look at a fighter from Vietnam or an aircraft carrier from 90 years ago. Not a whole of difference in DESIGN, but the tech has progressed.
Cheers !
Clones would indicate they are identical. You should know this, given that Clones were an integral part of Star Wars canon.
These are not clones.
I know what clones are thanks. “Clones” was a way to say “they look indentical”, following this I wrote they “added few updates”, which means “they look the same, but they aren’t really”, which is probably the ultimate aim. Yes, I’m aware SW tech evolution has stopped (like many fantasy universes), I’m not questioning this or if they fit in this SW (of course they do).
What I’m questioning is the lack of creativity hidden behind this “stopped evolution”: updated walkers are cool, but do SW really needs this again ? Fans are dying for this ? Well, what if they re-watch EP 5 or Rogue One to satisfy their nostalgy ? In 1980, discovering walkers in EP 5 was probably awesome. In Rogue One, it wasn’t, but it was nice and logical, it’s like “oh cool I remember the walkers !”. In EP 8, to me it’s just boring, as Starkiller Base was.
I have a huge respect for these people who imagined and designed the original walkers, x-wings, death star, they achieved stuff people never seen before. We are in 2017 and I suspect that the respect we have for them is preventing us from the same level of innovation. To me “clones-but-not-really” aren’t in that level. Not saying we have to change everything, please now, but I’m sure we can bring some brand new vehicles which totaly fit in SW universe, like BB8.
(sorry for my english)
Your english is fine, if its not your first language forgive my sounding like a prick a prick.
But again, I’m going to put you in the shoes of the people designing this.
#1. Whether Star Wars fans want it or not, you have to have similar design in vehicles and settings to keep the aesthetic intact. Otherwise the film doesn’t feel like Star Wars anymore.
This is a common complaint on these forums. IT ALL LOOKS THE SAME NOT ORIGINAL. Most of what has been put into the new films does NOT look the same (Except in the case of Rogue One, where you do literally have the same ships). The starships, the vehicles, the uniforms and armor are all new iterations of old designs. There’s only been 30 years difference from the end of Jedi to the beginning of the Force Awakens. You’re not going to have these huge differences in what sort of tech is employed by either side, especially if those designs were effective.
The biggest whine I see is the new X-Wing; the T-70 seen in Force Awakens.
Now, for reference; the X-Wing seen in the OT is the T-65B. The T-70 is the first redesign employed after Endor. And it has already been stated in source material outside the film, that the New Republic uses I believe a T-85, which probably looks a lot different. But the Resistance is literally using a 25-28 year old, maybe a tad bit younger. It’s supposed to look that close.
The new stuff IS different. And it makes sense that designs evolved, instead of totally disappearing into the ether and replaced with something that looks nothing like what we’ve seen before when it is used by an entity based on previously established technology.
The First Order was built on the foundations of the Galactic Empire, which even in defeat, was very large. Soldiers, Naval personnel and war material e’ was all of Imperial origin when the First Order was born. That also means that whatever engineering staff they had to continue to create new weapons would also be Imperial of origin.
Why would they suddenly show up in Borg cubes? I would personally be far more irritated by having our heroes facing something out of Star Trek then Star Wars. And EVERYONE HERE WOULD BE BITCHING ABOUT IT TOO.
Case in point for #2. The Rathtars.
The Rathtars are a VERY original Star Wars monster. Yet I see a great many people complain that they didn’t like them. But they were original. So why complain about those?
And finally, Point #3.
“EVERYTHING IS THE SAME WE HATES IT. WE DO! STUPID FAT LUCASFILM DIRECTORS AND STORY GROUP.”
Two minutes later, after loads of images are shown of creative new creature designs.
“WHERE ARE THE TWI’LEKS AND SULLUSTANS? WHY DON’T WE HAVE THE SAME ALIEN RACES WE HAVE ALWAYS SEEN? WE NEED SOME CONSISTENCY OMG IT’S TOO STRANGE.”
Which leads me to this conclusion; Star Wars fans are retarded.
Stop living.
If you stop posting first, I’ll consider it.
Which leads me to this conclusion; Star Wars fans are retarded.
I think everyone (including Rian Johnson) are slowly starting to figure this one out. Case in point: http://screenrant.com/star-wars-fans-disney-lucasfilm-movies/
A battle on the surface of the dreadnought would look cool with the walkers walking across it
Haha, crazy idea 🙂
That would be EPIC!! Considering the fact that Rian Johnson specifically asked for a flat design, I think that might just be a possibility.
Both look boring to me. They look to similar to OT vehicles. I want something new, something truly new. New designs. Everything in this movie soo far design vise looks like rip-off of OT ( Canto Bight is only exception ).
Well that’s how REAL LIFE works. You know what… in real life, CARS still look like cars from the 80’s — sleeker, more aerodynamic, but at the end of the day CARS looks like CARS. Same holds true in the SW universe and I’m glad they aren’t make the new ships bizarre and foreign to the SW universe.
Look at episode 1-6, tell me how this is staying in universe. Hell episode 1-3 didn’t have the same version of one fighter in 2 movies
And that’s part of the reason why 1-3 suck ass so badly.
That’s how military tech is. It doesn’t change drastically.
Something truly new would be instantly shit on.
Instead of ITS NOT ORIGINAL
We’d have
OMG ITS NOT STAR WARS.
Plus, you know. Continuity of technology. It has existed in ALL 8 films to date.
Looking more like a piece of pizza than ever.
Like a triangle, yes
I like the walker. The SD looks like the most uninspired ship in SW I’ve ever seen. The only good thing on that are the guns
Dreadnought is a boy, it seems.
Oh the cry baby tears. Here we go again. Not even a full trailer and
“IT’S THE SAME MOVIE :LKSJDF:SKLJDF:SJKDF:SKLDJF:”
The Dreadnought is different. Oh my God, is it different. It’s the same triangular shape of a Star Destroyer, but the thing is stripped down to be an intergalactic artillery piece.
It has an intended design purpose, to bombard the living hell out of ground targets.
Doesn’t need the bulk and space the Resurgence class Star Destroyer has because this guy probably doesn’t carry troops, transports, vehicles, and fighters for planetary assault. It simply blasts a target into dust from orbit with artillery pieces that aren’t going to miss or be stopped by a planetary shield.
A Star Wars vessel has NEVER had weapons as seen equipped on this bad boy; no giant under slung cannons on a capital ship, ever.
It is, in fact, original. BUT BUT BUT.
Nope, original.
And yes, the Walker is a Walker. BUT WHY!?!?
Take off the legs of this thing, and make it float. Is that as awe inspiring and cool as something with giant crush-your-face-squish-you-to-dust legs? No. You complain about the lack of visual appeal in the Dreadnought, then you want to remove the most visually appealing aspect of Imperial war machines.
Seriously. WTF is wrong with Star Wars fans.
I don’t think the Dreadnought is a really innovative or cool design in itself but I am still happy to see it in the movie because it will finally connect spacebattles and groundbattles in a meaninful way, similar to what R1 did. I can already imagine this battleship bombarding the surface of Crait from space like a neverending apocalyptic meteor shower. This would finally put the destructive power of these ships into perspective. It would feel similar to this one shot in TFA, when Rey stands close to the derelict engines of a Star Destroyer which made us realize just how huge these things actually are.
Most interesting. I am going to big to differ from a lot of SWs fans and say I actually do not mind these ships. The Dreadnought is my favorite. While it does look a lot like a Star-Destroyer; at the very least I like the new design.
It makes a ton of sense because well, the FO(which are really the NC’s imperial Remnant) to re-purpose technology in such a way. And even compared to something like the FO Tie-fighter this makes a lot more sense given the flatter design which I hope does play a role in the movie.
Perhaps, the ship is a lot faster in hyperspace? Though, that canon on the bottom could be problematic, but it could retract.The Gorilla Walkers seem okay. I like the more rigid design and bent forward limbs.
I believe a reason why a lot of people disapprove of this is because these are going to be used in a Hoth like sequence in TLJ. And IF that is the case, where it is a scene by scene repeat of that I too will be pissed.
My hope is that Rian Johnson can actually subvert that expectation. Star Wars Explained had a brilliant idea where one of the Resistance members tires to do the tow-cable and the FO stops him in his tracks. That would be a clever nod to the address the claim.
Overall, the ships seem cool. I hope we get a combination of old and new, but I like what I see.
Thanks for the positive message, man. I agree across the board.
Before anyone posts something harsh, feel free to take a deep breath and contemplate the possibility that we could all evaporate instantaneously at any time from nuclear annihilation. Then, think about how nice it is to have any new Star Wars at all and that everything’s relative and it’s a total miracle to be alive. Finally, proceed with comment. 🙂
That laser cannon underneath looks ridiculous, and is way too phallic. And as for the walker, it has some kind of bunny teeth arbitrarily tacked on. Pretty dumb redesigns imo. Doesn’t mean I’m hating on the movie as a whole or that I’m predicting anything about the film. Just saying these 2 new vehicle designs don’t excite me. I do like Ren’s new corvette 🙂
@michellelehto:disqus
If you continue with the insults and the same attitude, you will be permanently banned. It’s fine to not like one of the members here, but you should deal with it the proper way.