His Star Trek films have reached for the same cynical, aggressive tone, with their arrogant, entitled Jerk Kirk facing off against a perpetually seething Spock. But that kind of grim-and-gritty updating wouldn't be completely out of the realm of possibility given Abrams' track record. He's too much of a fan favorite, and they're too aware of Star Wars history. Abrams and his co-writer Lawrence Kasdan were going to throw R2-D2 himself in their narrative garbage can. There was no chance that The Force Awakens director J.J. Its only interest in acknowledging the past is to sneer at it for not being as grim, gritty, and "adult" as the present. The message is clear: the remake is too cool, too self-important to acknowledge fans, humor, cuteness, affection, or anything softer than a calloused, grimy fist. "Just leave it," snarls a veteran soldier, and on they go, dumping Bubo, and the film that spawned him, in the trash bin of history. In the 2010 Titans, buff hero Perseus (Sam Worthington) finds Bubo the owl in a bin in an armory he and his warrior crew are raiding for weapons.
He's the film's version of Star Wars' R2-D2: a cute but plucky little metallic companion who easily wins audience sympathy. One of the most memorable features of the cheesy original 1981 Titans is a little golden robotic owl called Bubo. There's a moment in the dim-witted 2010 Clash Of The Titans remake that shows exactly how Star Wars: The Force Awakens could have gone wrong. There are no major spoilers, but the completely detail-averse should start with our spoiler-free review and loop back here after watching the film.
Note: This piece discusses plot points and bits of fan-candy in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.