The Force Awakens - Guardian - P. A. Nolte

We're gonna pull from some Expanded Universe stuff here, now classified as Legends, I guess?  Star Wars canon is crazy in general, let alone with all the factual rearranging since it was sold.  So, until the new movies prove otherwise, this is how I see this going down.  How Luke's lightsaber gets from C'Baoth, who probably won't show up on film ever, to Maz Kanata is a different story.

1/ Mount Tantiss, the private storehouse of Palpatine.  Once a hidden military base on the planet Wayland, it has been repurposed as a repository of artifacts that would most assuredly be better off not under the ownership of the Empire.  One such container is marked B-2332-54, holding the severed hand and lightsaber of Luke Skywalker, collected after the duel with his father, Darth Vader, on Bespin. Standing in the cave entrance, with the faintest hint of large, complex machinery behind him, is The Guardian of Mount Tantiss, selected personally by Emperor Palpatine.  He wears the dark, hooded robes of a Sith and brandishes a red-bladed lightsaber.

The Guardian (Cap): Of course I have felt it.  Watching over this place, how could I not?

The Guardian: I knew, someday, someone would come.

2/ Joruus C'Baoth, the insane clone of an already questionable Jedi.  Even though he is clearly the aggressor, and we've been trained through years of Star Wars media that RED means BAD, the lightsaber he comes swinging in with is green.  He certainly looks insane, with his beard and robes and hair all flying around him.

C'Baoth: Today's the day!

3/ As the two Jedi clash, what we see instead are the results of their fury on the surrounding terrain and wildlife.  Above the treetops, into the air, escapes a flock of stana.  They are large, black, vulture-like creatures, and even they know better than to feast on the corpse of a corrupted Jedi.

SFX: FSHZZ (multiple)

SFX: kree kree (multiple)

4/ C'Baoth pulls his lightsaber out of the gullet of The Guardian. The Guardian is falling backwards, his hands opening reflexively, causing his saber to extinguish as it drops.  His hood begins to fall back from his head, revealing just a trace of his white beard, but nothing else.

The Guardian (Cap): I cannot prevent what happens next.

5/ In the background, Joruus C'Baoth enters the cave.  He will get what he came for, and the story of The Guardian of Mount Tantiss will ultimately be lost.  Later, many will confuse him for The Guardian himself, claiming that this battle was purely inside Joruus' deteriorating mind.  In the foreground, his hood fallen completely, as has the rest of him, is a twisted clone of Obi-Wan Kenobi.  Whatever cruel joke Palpatine constructed, and to what end he constructed it, is inconsequential.  It's over now.

The Guardian (Cap): I can only pray it ends up in the right hands.

The Force Awakens – Episode (I)VII: A Newer Hope in a Nutshell, More or Less – MK Stangeland Jr.

(The panels should be done in a photographic style that takes panels from the movies.)

(8 Panels)

Panel 1: PRINCESS LEIA inserting a disk into ARTOO, from the beginning of EPISODE IV – The background has been shifted to TATOOINE, POE DAMERON’s head has been pasted over PRINCESS LEIA’s head, and BB-8’s dome has been pasted over ARTOO’s dome.

TEXT: Over On the planet Tatooine Jakuu, an important Rebel Resistance operative is hunted by the Galactic Empire First Order while trying to transport important data. The data is given to a loyal droid that escapes.

Panel 2: KYLO REN speaks with the giant hologram of SUPREME LEADER SNOKE, from FORCE AWAKENS. KYLO REN has DARTH VADER’s helmet pasted over his head, the same has been done with EMPEROR PALPATINES head being pasted over that of SNOKE.

TEXT (1): The First Order is led by a mysterious leader who is only seen through holograms, and his will is carried out by a dark Force wielder who is the former student of an elder Jedi who the Resistance operative was trying to find, only to betray him and help whip out the Jedi order.

TEXT (2): Also, he’s father son of one of the main characters.

Panel 3: REY freeing BB-8 from capture by a scavenger, as seen in FORCE AWAKENS. A JAWA has been pasted over the scavenger, ARTOO’s doom has been pasted over BB-8’s dome, and LUKE SKYWALKER’s head has been pasted over REY’s head.

TEXT (1): The droid carrying important data encounters our hero, a farmboy scavenger who doesn’t know his her parents and daydreams about elsewhere. This encounter triggers the start of her heroes journey.

TEXT (2): She’s also strong in the Force.

Panel 4: FINN, REY, BB-8, HAN, and CHEWIE are aboard the MILLENIUM FALCON, from EPISODE VII. BB-8 has ARTOO’s head pasted over his own, and LUKE’s head is pasted over REY’s.

TEXT: The heroes escape the First Order aboard the Millenium Falcon under fire, and a meeting happens with the ships owners, a pair of smugglers named Han Solo and Chewbacca.

Panel 5: The MOS EISLEY cantina, from EPISODE IV. Heads from TAKODANA cantina patrons have been pasted over the MOS EISLEY cantina patrons.

TEXT: Also, a shady cantina to show of an array of alien species and have an important meeting happen!

Panel 6: STARKILLER BASE firing its superlaser, from EPISODE VII. The DEATH STAR has been pasted over the center of STARKILER BASE.

TEXT: Meanwhile, the First Order uses its massive superweapon – The Death Star, a moon-sized space station with the power to destroy an entire planet Starkiller Base, a planet turned into a space station with the power to destroy multiple planets anywhere in the galaxy – to destroy an important world to make a point and show how evil they are.

Panel 7: HAN SOLO confronts KYLO REN on STARKILLER BASE, from EPISODE VII. OBI-WAN KENOBI’s head has been pasted over HAN SOLO’s, and DARTH VADER’s head has been pasted over KYLO REN.

TEXT (1): An infiltration of Starkiller Base happens, which includes a rescue, and an elder, wiser hero who’s been a mentor to our new heroes and was one of the main characters across the previous trilogy dying at the hands of the main villain after the two confront one another.

TEXT (2): Also, a space battle happens where X-Wing fighters try to hit an important point in order to destroy Starkiller Base.

Panel 8: REY confronts LUKE SKYWALKER from the end of EPISODE VII. LUKE’s head has been pasted over REY’s, and YODA’s head has been pasted over LUKE’s.

TEXT (1): Oh, and then we introduce the elder hermit Jedi people were trying to find, because that’s a plot point that was important and stuff.

TEXT (2): CLIFFHANGER!

(END)

The Force Awakens - Ray Wonsowski

Putting TURN on hold another week to do this week's pick...

Layout:
122
334

Panel 1- white panel, borderless, black text as follows: 

1977. My Dad takes me and my brother to see Star Wars. Some old cinema off a New Jersey highway. 

The moment is...

Panel 2- interior, the cinema. DAD, ME age 7, and my BROTHER age 4, in our theatre seats, huddled close, DAD'S arms about our shoulders as we look up at us (the screen) in wide-eyed excitement and slack-jawed ecstasy. My BROTHER is whooping in glee, about to come out of his seat. No copy.

Panel 3- repeat of panel 2, but this time it's adult ME, with my WIFE, 11-YEAR-OLD SON, and 8-YEAR-OLD SON, arms around each other, and the youngest whooping and all of us smiling and laughing in our cinema seats, wearing 3D glasses and having a blast. No copy.

Panel 4- white panel, borderless, black text as follows: 

2015. The Force Awakens. I get to share the magic the same way my Dad did. "It surrounds us, it penetrates us, it binds us together." 

The moment is...

The Force Awakens - Off-Duty - Grant McLaughlin

1 - Rey kisses the forehead of an unconscious Finn (yes, we're repeating one of the final scenes of the film here - deal with it).

REY: We will see each other again.  I do believe that.

2 - On Finn as Rey walks away.

NO COPY

3 - On Finn.  Night time.  There's a vase of flowers that has been set up nearby.  Hold onto your hats, we're going into something of a montage.

NO COPY

4 - On Finn.  Afternoon.  A doctor stands nearby, looking over his chart.  The flowers have bloomed and look beautiful.

NO COPY

5 - On Finn.  Morning.  The flowers have dried out and are dying.

VOICE (off-panel): You should rest.

6 - Reverse angle.  Still on Finn, but it's revealed that Poe Dameron is sitting by his bed, looking at his friend.  Poe looks tired and worn, but upbeat and optimistic.  The doctor stands nearby, looking at Finn's chart again.

POE: Maybe, but that man deserves to wake up to a friendly face.

Star Wars Force Awakens--"HIPSTER KYLO REN"--David Press

This starts off as if Adam Driver's character from GIRLS is actually in the place of KYLO REN. The objective: ask out Captain Phasma.

PAGE ONE.

1.1: Looking straight up into KYLO REN’S HELMET as he walks towards something—we can’t see what it is—let's just focus on his helmet. The captions will go back and forth with his discussion with GENERAL HUX.

            1. CAPTION [Kylo]: “How’s it look? Pretty boss right?

1.2: Full-sized image of Ren’s visage as he walks down a metallic and poorly lit hallway. We're inside the factory in the movie.

            2. CAPTION [Kylo, cont’d]: No, not the outfit, the helmet, asswipe.

1.3: Cutting away to the room with Darth Vader’s helmet. GENERAL HUX is in there with Kylo. Hux is shrugging.

            3. HUX: I wouldn’t want to be head-butted by you.

            4. KYLO: Damn right.

            4b. KYLO: You think she’ll like it?

1.4: Back to the hallway and Ren is flanked by TWO STORM TROOPERS.

            5. CAPTION [Hux]: “She?”

1.5: CAPTAIN PHASMA coming from the other direction. She is ALSO flanked by TWO STORM TROOPERS--both are carrying suitcases.

            6. CAPTION [Kylo]: “Captain Phasma. I hear she’s hot under that helmet.”

Why The Force Awakens.

Well, mostly because I don’t like doing easy things, so I’m sorry.

JJ Abrams took a very hard thing concept and managed to make a simple, elegant film that called back to the original trilogy without making it an homage--as well as emotionally honest. I felt more invested to the new characters than I ever did with Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, and Leia. Though when Ford and Fisher were together I was definitely feeling something in my eyes.

I think taking on the perspectives of the new characters of Rey, Finn, Poe, and Kylo Ren will provide a unique challenge for us. With that in mind, let’s focus on one character. Trying to do it without spoilers is probably futile at this point, but I’m interested in seeing what new stories we can generate from these characters. 

As always, if you'd like to play at home--feel free to leave your script in the comments. Thanks and have fun!