8. Starships, Vehicles And Droids That Are Ripe For Merchandising
Another great idea that must surely be on J. J.'s mind is to include as many cool looking starships, vehicles, aliens and droids in Episode VII as possible. Filling the screen with these elements not only helps add variety and verisimilitude to the Star Wars universe, but also provides a new generation of Star Wars fans with their own iconic ships and characters that can (and undoubtedly will) be mass-marketed as toys. What child growing up in the late 70s and 80s didn't obsess over the action figure range, along with the extensive set of ships and speeders they could sit in? Then, with the release of the prequels in the 90s and 00s, what healthy child didn't repeat that same obsession? These wonderful toys give children untold joy, as well as brightening the days of a not inconsiderable number of adults. On a similar note, a new design of stormtrooper armour specific to a particular environment could be seen as de rigeuer. For example, a modern-day version of the snowtrooper armour or the scout trooper speeder bike armour. A slightly modified stormtrooper helmet can be seen in the trailer, providing hope for another environment-specific type of trooper. Just imagine the toy-making possibilities.
Mike has lived in the UK, Japan and the USA. Currently, he is based in Iowa with his wife and 2 young children. After working for many years as a writer and editor for a large corporation, he is now a freelancer. He has been fortunate enough to contribute to many books on Doctor Who over the last 20 years and is now concentrating on original sci-fi & fantasy short stories, with recent sales including Flame Tree, Uffda, and The Martian Wave. Also, look for his contribution on Blake's 7 to "You and Who Else", a charity anthology to be released later this year.
You can find him on Tumblr at https://www.tumblr.com/blog/culttvmike
