I wasn’t interested at all in JJ Abrams directing a new Star Wars movie until I saw that first trailer. Something stirred inside of me in a way I’m not sure how to word. I mean, I enjoy the original trilogy a lot, but I never considered myself a real fanatic. Something about hearing the TIE Fighter noise again, seeing the practical effects and puppets, Kylo Ren and his awesome lightsaber…I went from being indifferent to being all in.
So in anticipation of the movie’s release, I did a sketch every day this week of characters from the Force Awakens. I got to see the movie last night, and got to see these characters in their proper context, so I thought I’d talk about what was in my head versus how they were really portrayed in the movie.
That said, there will be some very light spoilers ahead for those of you who haven’t seen it yet.
FIRST ORDER STORMTROOPER
First off, this dude was hard to draw. That helmet design, the shape of it, it’s iconic. If you mess up even a littlee, it ruins the whole thing. I was quietly hoping these guys wouldn’t be as jokey and ineffectual as they are in the original trilogy, especially since they’ve been redesigned to look more sinister and have a little more weapons variety.
And I was right! The First Order Stormtroopers are definitely a bigger threat than their Imperial predecessors, actually managing to hit their targets. You also get a little more background on them, with hints at what life is like under such a vicious regime. Choosing to make Finn a former Stormtrooper was such a good idea.
CRIMSON CORSAIR
Also known as Captain Ithano. I picked him from the photo of all those space pirates that Annie Leibovitz took for Vanity Fair. I liked his style, his swagger, and that weird, cool head. I knew he’d just be a bit part, but sometimes the weird background characters are the most interesting. He was a little more prominent in the movie than I expected, not just set dressing. That was nice.
REY
Rey’s awesome. I had no clue what her role would be in the movie, only knowing that she’s a desert scavenger who knows her way around the ruins of a crashed Star Destroyer. Whatever expectations I might’ve had in mind regarding her, the movie blew them away. She has a great arc in this. Her character is an excellent and much needed addition to the series. Following her and Finn over the course of the next however many movies is going to be great.
PZ-4CO
From the moment I saw her in a picture with Billie Lourd’s character, I fell in love with this Droid’s design. That huge neck and narrowing face, that sheepish smile, the samurai armor plates on the shoulders, her posture, she’s just so great. And that shade of blue! I think she looks like something Tsuburaya Productions would’ve designed in the 70’s.
This is one of my few complaints about the Force Awakens: I only saw “Peazy” in two shots, and in one of those she was standing behind a screen, obscured so you could only see part of her head. How dare you make me fall for such a delightful design, only to keep it out of the movie?!
KYLO REN
I don’t know why I honed in on Kylo. It started with his crazy lightsaber, of course. That crossguard defines it, along with the volatile blade itself. His helmet is weird, I didn’t like it at first, but it’s grown on me to the point that I bought one on Halloween clearance. And then I heard his distorted voice, saw him speaking to the ruined helmet of Vader. “I will finish what you started.” I had my worries. I mean, Darth Maul looked really cool, and he was…well, not much of anything in the Phantom Menace beyond an evil guy to fight. No depth.
I’m still processing things. I figured he’d be a pretty simple, pulpy villain, but the movie explores his personality and motivation in a way we didn’t get to see with Vader until Empire. I was also really impressed by the way that he used the Force in combat, I don’t think we’ve ever seen anyone manipulate it in quite that way before.
The one character I wasn’t interested in at all in the beginning, but now wish I’d drawn? Poe Dameron, the hotshot X-Wing pilot for the Resistance. That guy is great, especially paired up with Finn. I’m not about to try to figure out how to properly draw an X-Wing, though.
The movie itself was great, with no shortage of other characters to draw should I choose to do more of these. My complaints as of right now are all minor, like the PZ-4CO thing and the fact that Abrams is a dude who still relies a little too much on closeups when most of the actors also had incredible body language, but other than that? He nailed it. I’m excited to see what Rian Johnson is going to bring to the table for Episode VIII.