Ten Survivor Season Ideas

With Survivor 44 just around the corner, I thought it'd be fun to do another Survivor blog post.  I know Survivor is in a new era, and so far, it seems like they're solely focusing on newbie casts only with no themes.  I think they're going to have to return to either returnee or themed seasons (or both) again someday, just to increase intrigue for seasons.  Constantly continuing with newbie casts and numbered seasons is not going to keep Survivor fresh, and fans are going to tire of it quickly.  So, here are five returnee player seasons and five themed casts for newbie seasons that I'd suggest they use.  I won't do any "sequels" to a returnee player season, such as "Second Chances 2", because that would be too easy.


Returnee Player Seasons

1. Old School vs. New School
It would be interesting to see a New School vs. Old School season.  The Old School Survivors wouldn't have to all be from older seasons, because we've had some Old School type players in fairly recent seasons.  Same applies for some New School players from some older seasons.  Or alternatively, they could have this be players from seasons before Season 40 vs. players from seasons after Season 40.

2. One Last Chance
All of these players playing this season would verbally commit to saying this is their final season, whether it be their 2nd time playing or their 3rd or 4th.  Like Winners at War, it would give a lot of legends (Cirie?  Ozzy?  Russell Hantz?) a chance to bid farewell to the show.  I'd much prefer this over a season simply titled "Legends".  At least with this, we can get some closure on some Survivor legends for sure.

3. Pre-Merge vs. Post-Merge
If they want to stick to picking returning players from just the 40s, one idea they could do is to have a tribe of pre-merge boots against a tribe of post-merge boots.  Just two seasons into this new format and we already have a handful of possible pre-merge boot returnee players such as Brad, JD, Daniel, Jenny, and Zach.  Two more seasons, and we'll have enough for an entire tribe.  Also, this would be titled something else (such as Second Chance 2), but the tribes would be divided based on where people got voted out their first time playing.

4. Social vs. Strategy
This is kind of a lame idea and needs some help with regards to marketing, but my idea is to put one tribe of players that relied on social games--Michele Fitzgerald, Cirie, Tommy, etc. against a tribe of players that focused on advantages and strategy, such as Drea, Jesse, and Devens.  It would be interesting to see the strategy tribe fight for advantages and see how well the social tribe gets along.  And of course, it would be interesting which "strategy" would come out on top.

5. Rivals
This has been talked about for a long time, but a rivals season is definitely a possibility.  Rather than split the rivals up on separate tribes, I think you put them on the same tribe.  Putting them on separate tribes only increases the chance that we won't have many rival pairs left come the merge.  Also, these rivalries would have to have some sort of requirement, such as one player had to have voted out the other.  Think Chris and Dom, Jay and Michaela, etc.  It would be interesting to see if the rival pairs would set aside their differences and work together or if they would target each other immediately. 


Themed Cast for Newbie Seasons

1. Teachers vs. Students
Survivor loves it's "_____ vs. ____" type-seasons, such as "David vs. Goliath" and "Millennials vs. Gen X".  Those two have been two of their more successful seasons in the past 10 years.  I'd suggest a Teachers vs. Students season.  The Teachers tribe wouldn't have to be fully comprised of people that are in a teaching profession (Although I'd recommend about half).  They could also be comprised of people that train others for a living (managers, bosses, etc.).  The Students tribe also wouldn't be fully comprised of actual students currently enrolled in school, but it could be people learning a profession or people who are apprentices or new to their occupation.  Yes, the Teachers tribe would generally be older, but I'm sure they could find some older students and younger teachers to help even things out.

2. Salute to Armed Forces
Survivor should do a season comprised entirely of veterans from various branches of the military.  I think it would add some intrigue, and maybe some alliances of people from the same branch.  They've cast many veterans throughout the years.  My one concern is whether they would have enough female veteran applicants.  They might have to do a bit of recruiting.  One idea I had is this could be a captain-type season, with maybe Ben Driebergen leading one tribe, and Angela from Ghost Island leading the other tribe.

3. Celebrity Edition
I've wanted a Celebrity Edition of Survivor for so long.  I'd be okay if they were given a decent amount of food and habitable living conditions, especially if each celebrity was playing for charity.  Who wouldn't want to see celebrities lie, scheme, and betray each other?  I know they did "Beyond the Edge," which had celebrities, but that wasn't Survivor.  There are plenty of celebrity Survivor fans that would be willing to do this.

4. Kids vs. Parents
I know Survivor loves to lean into the Blood vs. Water storylines, so why not fully?  Why not have a season where one tribe is a tribe of parents and the other tribe is their kids?  This could maybe even be where they lower the age restriction a bit (to 16 or 17).  But the kids' tribe would have to have some older "kids". Otherwise, they would struggle to build a camp and get food.

5. Connections to the Past
Think Blood vs. Water, but without returning players.  Each player cast is someone related to a former Survivor player.  I would love it if they did this but then didn't tell the players that anyone else is related to a Survivor player.  The hard part would be getting 16-20 players who don't recognize each other, as former players often hang out, share photos, etc.  But imagine someone letting slip they're related to a former Survivor player, and then someone else confessing to them, etc.  Bonds or rivalries could form over this.  It would be very interesting to see how and when players would reveal their connections.  

Well, those are the 10 theme suggestions I have for Survivor; hopefully they use one of these someday!  I might come back and comment on it if they do.  

Five Star Wars Video Game Ideas

Star Wars is a series filled with excellent video games.  A few of them I even consider my favorite all-time video games.  I have thought of some ideas (realistic ones, so no KOTOR III, although you better believe I'd want that) of games that someone should make.  There may have even been rumors about a few of these, so I may have had some insight on a couple of these.

- Star Wars: The Mandalorian Video Game
How can a video game not accompany this awesome show?  In the very first episode I thought this would make a great video game.  You would complete various bounties across the galaxy, and each time you would be able to earn beskar/credits to spend on new armor, guns, and upgrades.  It doesn't have to be based on "The Mandalorian" AKA Din Djarin, but it could be.  You could be another Mandalorian.  Although it would be cool to have "The Child" with you on missions like on the show.  One thing I thought of was it would be cool if they styled it as like a Star Wars version of "Destiny".  You can choose different missions on different planets, and sometimes try to find various items.  And it would be a great opportunity to have an open world Star Wars game.

- Star Wars: Battle Commander
I don't have the clearest idea for this game, but simply put I see this as a modern version of Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds.  It would probably be PC only.  You would gather resources, build up an army, and then attack an enemy.  There would be elements of the sequel trilogy in this.  You wouldn't control the actual army, (like where they aim), but you would be able to tell them what to do.  It just would be cool to have a more realistic-looking Star Wars strategy game.  I'd also like it if they let you simulate different scenarios to see who would win, such as 50 Gungans vs. 5 Droideka's, or 100 Clone Troopers vs. an AT-AT. 

- Star Wars: Casino Games
It's not the best title, but it's the best I could come up with.  I could see this as an Android/iPhone app.  The game would feature all of the board/card games from Star Wars, including Dejarik, Pazaak, Sabaac, and others (Maybe slots?).  You could have a profile, and try to accumulate credits by winning games.  And they could include different locales you could play games at, from Canto Bight (obviously) to perhaps cantinas on Tattooine or Coruscant.

- Star Wars: Stormtrooper
There have been countless Star Wars games where you fight against Stormtroopers: The Jedi Knight series, Battlefront, The Force Unleashed, and Jedi: Fallen Order.  But what about playing as a Stormtrooper?  Sure, you can do that in Battlefront, but I'd like a game where you go through the training of being a Stormtrooper.  You rise through the ranks and are forced to do some morally gray actions.  Then, when your character has had enough, they desert the Empire and fight as a renegade/outcast.  This could even be about a Clone Trooper or a First Order Stormtrooper if the developers wanted.  But being a character that we get to know in the suit would be pretty cool.  And of course, the ability to pilot a speeder, AT-ST, or even AT-AT would be pretty darn cool (from a first person perspective).  Basically, I'd like to see a Star Wars: Republic Commando, but from a Stormtrooper's perspective.

- Star Wars: Battle Experience
Again, don't hold the title against me.  This one I see as a Virtual Reality Game.  Once Virtual Reality or something similar becomes more common in households around the world, they could make this game.  You put on the VR headset and you get instantly immersed into a Star Wars battle.  Imagine VR and physically feeling like you're in the Battle of Hoth, the Battle of Endor, the Battle of Geonosis, or the Battle of Naboo.  I would just be in heaven.  I believe VR video games will be fairly common some day in the not so distant future, and they would have to make a Star Wars game to go with it.

Those are my Top 5 Star Wars video game ideas.  I really hope at least one or two of these are made.  If they are, I will definitely buy them and play them.  It will be interesting to see years from now how close these games are to happening, if they ever will.

Top Ten Star Wars Movie Ideas (with pictures!)

With Disney's acquisition of Star Wars in 2012, they finally allowed us to see non-episodic Star Wars films.  There have been two so far: Rogue One and Solo: A Star Wars Story.  Many consider Rogue One to be the best written film since the Original Trilogy, and many consider Solo to be underrated, myself included.  Solo suffered at the box office, not because it was a bad film, but because it was released less than 6 months after The Last Jedi and many were suffering from "Star Wars fatigue".  If there was a film released every 6 months, you wouldn't really look forward to them as much, would you?  It seems as though the poor box office results of Solo have scared Disney from making more spin-off films.  But we know they'll get back to it, and we'll have one 2-5 years after Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker is out.  So, here are my Top 10 Ideas (ranked) for Star Wars films they could make.  I ranked them mainly based on how likely they are to be made, but also I factored in a little bit of how much I'd want them to be made as well.  Keep in mind I did my best to come up with titles.  Also, I really had to focus on films that have at least a small shot of happening some day.  So there won't be any films with Darth Vader as the main character, unfortunately.

10. Qui-Gon Jinn: A Bigger Fish Story
Qui-Gon Jinn is a beloved Star Wars character.  If you remember in Ep. II, Count Dooku revealed to us he was Qui-Gon's master.  I would love to see their relationship and Qui-Gon's training.  We could see hints of Dooku's fall to the dark side.  Obviously, two new actors would have to play them (RIP Christopher Lee).  My ideas are Colin Farrell for Dooku and Tom Holland for Qui-Gon.  Would Star Wars fans still go for this?  Meh, but I know I would.  Also, the title is a joke (mostly), but I just could not resist.

9. Star Wars: The Formation of the Alliance
I could see a film set between Ep. III and IV revolving around the formation of the Rebel Alliance.  I mean, technically we saw the very beginnings of it in the Episode III deleted scene, but this could greatly expand upon that.  It would have another chance to feature Darth Vader (who wouldn't want that?).  And it could show the very first conflicts between the Alliance and the Empire.  One reason I want this to happen (and soon) is I think Millie Bobby Brown would make a really great young Princess Leia.  But they would have to make the movie soon before she gets too old.  Otherwise they'd have to have a casting call and audition hundreds of young actresses.  Also, if they could make this soon they could recast Jimmy Smits in the role of Senator Bail Organa.


8. Star Wars: The Rise and Fall of the New Order
Now I know I've heard after Episode IX, Star Wars will forever be done with the Skywalker saga. I don't think that's entirely true.  I mean, they'll be done with the story of the Skywalkers after IX, with Luke dead and Kylo Ren either dead or redeemed (probably).  However, I think they still could make a film between Episodes VI and VII about Luke starting the New Jedi Order and how it fell after he lost his nephew, Ben Solo.  The reason I think this COULD be possible is because there is a decent and well-known actor named Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes in the MCU) who looks SO much like Mark Hamill.  It's crazy.  Hamill and Stan are even aware of it.  And I'm pretty darn sure Mark Hamill would be happy with Stan playing Luke.  The problem being of course is if Stan wanted to do it and if he could pull it off.



7. Windu: A Star Wars Story
In order to have a film centered around a certain character, that character has to be two things: One, he has to be human (Sorry Yoda, Chewbacca, and R2/Threepio), and two, he has to be good/light side.  The audience has to be able to relate to the main character.  So with that in mind, one of the few characters that fits this that isn't a Skywalker is Mace Windu.  And Star Wars would greatly benefit from a film centered around a black character, as it could draw a lot of African-American people into the Star Wars films.  It could maybe even be the "Black Panther" of Star Wars films.  Also, I'd love to see Mace as a young Jedi, learning from his master, Cyslin Myr.  Any tough female actress could play Cyslin, perhaps Danai Gurira.  As for Mace, I'd like to see Corey Hawkins in the role (24, Straight Outta Compton, The Walking Dead).



6. Star Wars: A Jedi's Path I would love to see a Star Wars film about a new character, but with a familiar setting.  This film would follow a Jedi and her path through training and fighting in the Clone Wars.  And I think it should be a female Jedi because there aren't enough female heroines in Star Wars.  The film would have a sad ending more than likely, as nearly all of the Jedi were wiped out in the great Jedi purge of Order 66.  Maybe she could survive at the end and live as an outcast (but would obviously lose her master).  But to see parts of Episodes II and III from someone else's perspective could be really cool.  If this film is done soon enough, a lot of the same actors could be used in the roles they had (Samuel L. Jackson, Ian McDiarmid).  Honestly, if they cast a well-known or up and coming actress and they market it well enough, this could be one of the biggest Star Wars spin-off films, perhaps the "Wonder Woman" of Star Wars spin-off films.



5. Dash Rendar: A Smuggler's Story 

The debate rages on about what is considered Star Wars canon and what is not.  I think ultimately Disney will need to decide if they want to "borrow" characters and character traits from what they call "Legends".  As I was thinking of EU/Legend characters, Dash Rendar came to me.  He is actually considered canon now because he was mentioned in a canonized Star Wars book (Solo: A Star Wars Story: Tales from Vandor).  Does that mean they'll make a film about him?  No.  But imagine if they did, and borrowed from "Shadows of the Empire".  If they could recreate anything from that, it would bring so many of us right back to our childhoods.  And Dash could be played by any actor deserving of the part as his appearance has not been canonized in any way.  Personally, I'd like Charlie Cox (Daredevil) for the role, as he screen tested for Han Solo in "Solo: A Star Wars Story" but didn't get the part.




4. The Adventures of Poe Dameron
Poe Dameron is a fan favorite character. We know Disney will be fond of the Sequel Trilogy after "Rise of Skywalker" has been out and might want to spin off from it with one of the sequel trilogy characters.  It comes down to Finn and Poe, and I pick Poe.  We could hopefully see him as a teen growing up and learning how to pilot, and see him right before the events of "The Force Awakens" and see what lead to him being on Jakku and how well he knew Lor San Tekka.  And we could see him after "Rise of Skywalker" and see if he has a partner and/or kids.  He might be leading the Resistance at this point, but could still have some action.  We'd have to have BB-8 of course.  And this is the first film on here that wouldn't have to be recast as Oscar Isaac could still play the role.  The only additional casting for Poe they might do is for a younger version of him.  I don't see this as a huge box office hit, and may end up being a TV show instead (Poe is featured on Star Wars Resistance).

3. FETT
I think a movie about Boba Fett is possible, despite what I said earlier in the Mace Windu movie about the protagonist having to be good and light-sided.  Boba is a very complex character, more morally gray than anything.  It could even be set after the events of Episodes IV or V (or between III and IV).  And I would love them to show Fett escaping from the sarlaac pit; maybe even show him fighting it.  In order to draw in fans, they'd have to cast a bigger name than Daniel Logan.  The problem is that Boba is an unaltered clone of Jango Fett, meaning as an adult he would look just like Temuera Morrison.  However, the writers could come up with a clever tactic as to why he doesn't look exactly like him; something like the cloning process wasn't perfect.  Therefore, my choice for Boba would be Toby Sebastian (Game of Thrones).  He looks the part and has a leading man kind of appearance.



2. Star Wars: The Old Republic
Ever since the Knights of the Old Republic video game, I've wanted a movie set around the era of the Old Republic.  Specifically, I would want it centered around Darth Revan, Bastila, and Carth.  With Disney's acquisition of Star Wars that story lost it's canonization, but they could still make a film with a lot of the same elements (and could borrow some characters, too).  It would be very cool to see some characters here and there from KOTOR that us players of the game could pick up on in the film.  The biggest downside to this is that it would be the first film (unless one comes out before it) that isn't set anywhere close to the lives of likable characters such as Yoda, C-3PO and R2D2.  It would feel a lot different and not having a single recognizable character could hurt the film at the box office by dissuading a lot of the casual fans from seeing it.

1. Star Wars: Obi-Wan
Fans have been clamoring for an Obi-Wan film for years.  It would be set between episodes III and IV, and we'd see Obi-Wan on Tattooine looking after Luke.  Ewan McGregor is more than ready and willing to reprise his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi.  His character is beloved throughout the Star Wars fandom.  One problem with this I see is writing out a plot that is worthy of a solo film but also doesn't contradict Episode IV.  Remember, the Empire was still unaware of his presence in Ep. IV.  So who would he fight?  We know he fights and kills Maul for good thanks to Star Wars Rebels, but who else?  My only thought is the criminal organization revealed in Solo called "Crimson Dawn".  Could be a way to tie up Solo to this.  Also, there's only so much you can do on a desert planet, he'd almost have to leave Tatooine so that the entire film is not set there.  He could meet up with Yoda on Dagobah and get some advice, and we could see part of how you become a Force ghost and become one with the Force.


There is my list of the Top Ten Star Wars Movie Ideas.  I'd be willing to bet money at least one of these (if not more) becomes a film some day.  If indeed that does happen, I will probably come back here and add my comments to the film that actually got made.  Honestly, I'd love it if ANY of these got made.  It's really a shame Disney handicapped itself by declaring Expanded Universe material as non-canon, but as I said earlier, that doesn't mean those characters can not or did not exist.  Also, if on the very off chance that any Disney/Lucasfilm executive happens to be reading this, please consider making the films on this list, especially the ones towards the end!  Also name me lead screenwriter (lol just kidding... or am I?)