A Spirited 15 Rounds ...

[Pixieish]

I think FEA also "benefits" from the ridiculously low capacity. It doesn't have to be all that popular to create a long wait. If it had decent capacity, I'd imagine the standby wait would never by more than 15 minutes. It's a "nice" ride but is not anywhere near the level of other rides around WDW that have much shorter wait times.

I'm sure the addition of Rat and if they add a dark ride to UK will greatly help as it will add more "kiddie" rides. GotG is probably not going to help much with the FEA target audience of 6 year-olds.

I rode FEA last year. It seemed to me they were seating 2 per row that could easily accommodate 4. Am I wrong in thinking the actual possible seating could be twice what they're loading?

 

[SoManyWasps]

Oh, and previous generations taking a look at subsequent generations is how society deems what needs to change, so there's that, too.

What? No. This could not be a less accurate portrait of social progress.

 

[Pixieish]

Is there even that much of a difference, aesthetically, between the new movie and the original ones? It was certainly a whole lot closer than the horrible prequels- close enough that most visitors probably won't be able to easily distinguish whether the land is in a particular time period, let alone care.

As far as characters go, I'd prefer none at all. It makes the fictional universe seem so much smaller when you keep bumping into the same handful of heroes. The almost total lack of recognizable charterers was my favorite aspect of the original Star Tours.

They can't really use Han, Luke, Leia, and all them though...first of all, finding look-a-likes could be nightmarish, and secondly, the up and coming generations are likely going to gravitate towards the newer films and characters.

 

[Pixieish]

What? No. This could not be a less accurate portrait of social progress.

It also works in reverse.

I so want to agree with you in terms of logic - because your statements are absolutely sound and accurate.

Except...Star Wars.

Leaving aside my personal feelings about it (and even though I'm a huge fan, I couldn't care less how successful or not it is now or in the future - my Star Wars will always be my Star Wars, this is all icing to me) - Star Wars is the exception to just about every rule, across industries.

Star Wars tried to die. After 1986/87, the toys were clearanced out, the last gasp of the franchise was put to rest with the brief Saturday morning run of the Droids/Ewoks cartoons. Lucasfilm attempted to move on.

Even without new media (and countless other film series trying to be "Star Wars" to take over interest), public desire for Star Wars didn't go away - it only died because they stopped making stuff.

In 1991, the Zahn novels were released and were bestsellers. It's been 26 years since then - and every year has had bestselling Star Wars books.

In 1993, the Rebel Assault video game was released on PC, and was a revolutionary best selling game that spawned an entire series of best sellers. It's been 24 years since then, and although reviews have not always been as stellar every time, Star Wars games have remained best sellers on virtually every game platform they have appeared on. This looks to continue with the Battlefront game coming in November, which is already trending to be the best selling game of the year.

In 1995, Hasbro (who had absorbed Kenner, the original manufacturer) released their first line of "modern" Star Wars action figures. They were ugly as hell (the initial Princess Leia is not-so-affectionately still refereed to as "Monkey Leia"), terribly proportioned, and were released at a time when action figures were still aimed at kids and in their death throes due to losing their audience to computer/video games. For the last 22 years Hasbro has offered a full line of Star Wars toys which even in years without film support still are often the best selling toys of the year - not to mention accidentally spawned the entire modern "teen/adult collector" market because it was so wildly successful - and single-handedly saved the original modern-day toy kid market it originally created.

Then in 1997 the Special Edition films, controversial as they were, each were the #1 films at the box office when re-released, which was absolutely unheard of...

..anyway, you know the rest since then.

The point is (yes, I'm getting there!) - Star Wars is as evergreen as any property that has ever existed. It is the exception to rules in every industry it touches - theatrically (see above), on home video (as much as people complain about how often the films have been re-released, they break records every...single...time - no "catalog" films even compare, they sell like brand new cinema blockbusters appearing for the first time), the books and video games - which survive independently from theatrical releases unheard of for "licensed" products...it just never ends.

Disney has been really smart with Star Wars. One film a year is not at all unreasonable in today's climate. Books, toys, and games have been coming out reliably and been respective best sellers in their areas for more than two decades straight now. Because of the tie-in to the films, it's becoming more obvious to non-fans, so it seems like overload - but this stuff has always been there, and the actual volume of product hasn't really increased that much - just even more people buying it now, on top of the already evergreen numbers Star Wars has always gotten that alone would make it the biggest IP of all time.

Any other IP, I would be agreeing with you with every intellectual bone in my body. Everything burns out, right? But not Star Wars - it's only been back theatrically for two films, and families are already making it a tradition to go see the new Star Wars film during the holidays together. It widely appeals across pretty much all demographics - not many films have five year-olds to sixty-five year olds, and all age groups in between, in the theaters together these days.

Does everyone love Star Wars? No. But I would say that when you account for everyone, from the merely mildly interested all the way to the die-hard, lifetime fans, you've captured more of the audience out there consuming media, one way or another, than any other franchise out there has - or even has potential - to do. And by several margins in many areas. Even if that "mass" effect dies down, Star Wars is still the smartest bet out there, because even at it's "low" it's still the only true gold-star brand that exists, now well into it's fifth decade.

Very well said!!! (Yes, I'm a fan, so is hubby.)

 

[Pixieish]

Easy way to start a Star Wars bar fight.

Spoiler

Say Greedo shot first.

I'd like to take this moment to simply say how much I love how Bethesda has caught Electronic Arts with their pants down. I am, of course, talking about the Nintendo Switch and the decision to not bring Star Wars to it which leaves the market for First Person Shooters on the system wide open for Bethesda to have a monopoly with ports of both last year's DOOM (can't wait for that) and the brand new Wolfenstein. If I was Disney I would step in and force them to make it for the Switch as there's obvious dollar signs being missed by not bringing a big Star Wars game to the console that has been selling like crazy and sold out almost everywhere since it came out in March.

I mean, it's Star Wars. It's going to sell.

I'll be honest...I really, REALLY wish they could have stopped all the infighting going on in game development...Disney Infinity was pretty great and had some amazing potential.

 

[SoManyWasps]

It also works in reverse.

That's called being regressive. Typically viewed as a bad thing.

 

[The_Jobu]

That's called being regressive. Typically viewed as a bad thing.

Humanity is not inexorably progressive across all strata, there are ups and downs.

 

[ford91exploder]

Humanity is not inexorably progressive across all strata, there are ups and downs.

And yet the 'real' world is still ruled by the law of the jungle one the Millilenial Snowflakes are mentally unprepared to handle, In America kids get participation trophies and are expelled from school if they chew a pop tart into a 'gun' shape.

In China 9 y/o 'Girl Guards' practice the manual of arms with loaded full-auto battle rifles (actually carbines because of weight/size)

Care to guess which military will prevail

 

[ford91exploder]

Yeah...well, I may have done that on an occasion or two, but NEVER while on vacation. *runs and hides*

Most of us have gotten the mail/ newspaper like this. But over the past few years dress at WDW seems to have become a competition with the 'people of wal mart' web site for worst dressed ever award

 

[The_Jobu]

I have my own Day at the Parks Uniform:

Baseball cap because everyone is so interested in which team I support.
Overpriced but comfy Tommy Bahama pineapple shirt.
The cargo-iest of cargo shorts.
High end sneakers.

Bring it on crowds, bring it on.

 

[SoManyWasps]

Humanity is not inexorably progressive across all strata, there are ups and downs.

It's hard to argue that the net trend over the past century has been anything but progress.

And yet the 'real' world is still ruled by the law of the jungle one the Millilenial Snowflakes are mentally unprepared to handle, In America kids get participation trophies and are expelled from school if they chew a pop tart into a 'gun' shape.

In China 9 y/o 'Girl Guards' practice the manual of arms with loaded full-auto battle rifles (actually carbines because of weight/size)

Care to guess which military will prevail

Neither, because both sides recognize the tremedous harm a military conflict of any kind between them would cost both sides. The best form of deterrence is economic codependency.

But if we're playing "hypethetical WWIII" America is the country with the clear military advantage in terms of technology. I'll take the guys with the most advanced drone strike abilities in the world every time. That being said, judging combat readiness by the temperament of and abuse suffered by 9 year Olds is a pretty dumb measuring stick.

 

[The_Jobu]

It's hard to argue that the net trend over the past

It's really not, I have published works on it (shameless plug ).

 

[ford91exploder]

It's hard to argue that the net trend over the past

Neither, because both sides recognize the tremedous harm a military conflict of any kind between them would cost both sides. The best form of deterrence is economic codependency.

But if we're playing "hypethetical WWIII" America is the country with the clear military advantage in terms of technology. I'll take the guys with the most advanced drone strike abilities in the world every time. That being said, judging combat readiness by the temperament of and abuse suffered by 9 year Olds is a pretty dumb measuring stick.

Wars are ALWAYS won in the end by boots on the ground. And hardened fit disciplined troops will always win. 2/3 of American youth is considered unfit for military service.

I've been a fan for a long time of 4 years of mandatory military service when kids reach 18. - College or Trade school after that. And yes for BOTH sexes.

And yes there is a lot the military could do with that force Health Clinics, Civil projects like road building and environmental restoration. Plus the invaluable lesson of living with people with different backgrounds and ethnicities and learning how to work constructively with them else your unit will fail in its task

 

[The_Jobu]

Careful now, you guys just unearthed a rabbit hole and tumbled into it.

 

[bclane]

Wars are ALWAYS won in the end by boots on the ground. And hardened fit disciplined troops will always win. 2/3 of American youth is considered unfit for military service.

I've been a fan for a long time of 4 years of mandatory military service when kids reach 18. - College or Trade school after that. And yes for BOTH sexes.

And yes there is a lot the military could do with that force Health Clinics, Civil projects like road building and environmental restoration. Plus the invaluable lesson of living with people with different backgrounds and ethnicities and learning how to work constructively with them else your unit will fail in its task

The country that would win a war between the US and China, is Russia.

 

[ford91exploder]

The country that would win a war between the US and China, is Russia.

Correct

 

[SoManyWasps]

Careful now, you guys just unearthed a rabbit hole and tumbled into it.

I never would have turned down Millennials Aren't That Bad Parkway if I had known it was full of jingoism induced potholes.

 

[ford91exploder]

I never would have turned down Millennials Aren't That Bad Parkway if I had known it was full of jingoism induced potholes.

Nothing to do with Jingoism, Millennials are freaking useless in the labor force because the majority of them have been coddled and they crumble under pressure because they have never developed mental toughness,

As you will find out when you have to manage them and i'm talking college graduates here.

Just listen to them whine when you call a meeting and announce that until further notice work week is now 7 days because of a problem somewhere. X'ers and Y's will groan and 'embrace the suck' but Millennials will whine about their social life being disrupted for days

 

[SoManyWasps]

Nothing to do with Jingoism, Millennials are freaking useless in the labor force because the majority of them have been coddled and they crumble under pressure because they have never developed mental toughness,

As you will find out when you have to manage them and i'm talking college graduates here.

Just listen to them whine when you call a meeting and announce that until further notice work week is now 7 days because of a problem somewhere. X'ers and Y's will groan and 'embrace the suck' but Millennials will whine about their social life being disrupted for days

Oh no millennials won't openly embrace the deplorable working conditions previous generations have set us up for, and instead want to find value in places besides their work? Monsters. I'm one of the youngest Executives in my company. I manage a team equally comprised of millennials and gen-xers. You know why nobody on my team whines when I say there's extra work to be done? Because I'm the first one to throw myself down to the front lines to do it. 7 Day work weeks are bs, and always the result of management making promises that they don't set up their team to deliver, or of an executive structure that values profits over quality.

 

[bclane]

Every generation has it's problems imo but I have to say, I dislike stereotypes of all kinds....even the "positive" stereotypes. My wife is Japanese and used to suck at math. This created a real problem for her as Asians are supposed to be good at math right. Well, the fact that she struggled with math meant that not only did she feel dumb, but she also felt like she was letting down the entire Japanese race. The truth is that not all of us Gen Xers work hard and not all Millennials are lazy narcissists. I know plenty of lazy narcissistic Gen Xers and just as many hard working Millennials.