*Note: This is in no way written out of anger, frustration, etc. I am simply stating what I think would be best for the future of Star Wars. I am cool, calm, and collected. Keep that in mind when reading this. This is simply my opinion. You are free to agree and disagree as much as you please*
*Note 2: Please read the entire thing before making a judgement about this topic.*
I love Star Wars. I truly do. They are quite possibly my 6 favorite movies of all time. And I love the Star Wars prequels. Yes, they’re massively flawed, but they are my childhood and I actually prefer the prequels to the original trilogy. I love the Clone Wars. I think aside from a few missteps here and there, it is by far the greatest animated series on television, if not one of the most cinematic shows on television period.
With that said, I believe that Star Wars needs to die....at least for a while.
Today’s world is so bogged down with emotional Star Wars baggage, and has been for over 30 years, that the original magic of the film has been ripped to shreds to almost non-existence. Yes, it is still magical to watch those films, but you will never get the feeling you got in 1977 ever again. The love and magic that made these films continues to get bogged down with countless revised versions, EU novels, countless tv shows, toys, fanboys, etc. Star Wars has been on a downward slope for years, and I think it’s time to put it out of its misery before it suffers anymore.
In my opinion, there are 6 movies. The Clone Wars movie doesn't count in my eyes-it was an experiment, a ploy for money, and nothing more than a tv pilot. And I hope it always remains those 6. I hope that the rumored Boba Fett movie never happens and I hope Episodes 7-9 never happen. The Star Wars name has already become a name that has gone from award winning story telling to a "franchise" that is pretty much floating on it's on merchandising life-boat. Any “additions” to the “Star Wars movie” family would not be a Star Wars movie in my eyes. It will be simply a movie with Star Wars in the title.
Don't get me wrong, I love Star Wars, flaws and all. Even the rare bad episodes of Clone Wars, I love them to a certain degree because even though it's terrible, it's still Star Wars, and I will always have that love for it until I die. But to see anymore things come out like the Boba Fett movie simply trying to sell itself to the general audience simply because it has "Star Wars" slapped on to it really hurts. I don't care if the Boba Fett movie is better than all of the other movies. It is not a Star Wars movie. It may take place in the Star Wars Universe, but it is in no way a Star Wars movie. The Star Wars saga is the story of Anakin and Luke Skywalker, and that's it. Anything that branches off of that is nothing more than glorified EU. Star Wars has already been bastardized enough by having turned from art into a product. I don't want to see it happen anymore.
I am going to mention this because I KNOW it's going to come up. Yes, Lucas has a big part in this. But I'm not looking at it from his point of view or his involvement in the saga. The general population of today simply views Star Wars as something completely different than the population of 1977. The magic has been lost. Seeing any other movies or anything like that will only be taking away the little specialness the 6 films have left.
That's what the Clone Wars Movie did. It was thrown in theaters because it has the Star Wars title on it, with Warner Bros thinking they would pull in alot of money, victimizing the name. And what hurts twice as much is that it failed miserably. As much as I love The Clone Wars, when that movie came out, it was a wreck. Not just financially, but watching it hurt, and hearing the criticism hurt. It was terrible. And everyone knew it. It was when people realized "Ok, this is now just for the money". And it was. If they had premiered that movie on Cartoon Network, not only would it have been received much better because not only are expectations not nearly as high, and not only because it is a tv movie playing on tv as opposed to a theater where you have to pay 10 bucks per person, but it wouldn't seem like such a desperate ploy.
That's why I repeat what I said in a post earlier. No more Star Wars. I don't care who's doing it, Star Wars needs to go away for a while. It's become nothing more than a franchise on a money life-support, and it is emotionally painful to see something so magical being used like that, no matter how good it is. Like I said, that Boba Fett movie (should it ever happen) could be the best movie of the year, yet I will not be seeing it, nor will I even recognize it as a Star Wars film. Not because it wasn't by George Lucas. Not because it didn't have to do with the Skywalkers. But because it really is nothing more than a product hoping to lure people in with nothing more than a title, and I'll be damned if something I love so much that has already been victimized for the majority of it's life will end up a hollow money-making husk. Star Wars is already on it's death bed. I don't want to see it die like this and turn into a zombie puppet.
Like I said, it can be the best film of the year, but I will not be seeing it and view it as insulting. I fall into that category of people who view it as a ploy. I'm not going to let it affect my love of Star Wars, simply because I will not be considering it as Star Wars. That's why I get so offended when people say "They should make a movie of the Old Republic". "They should make a movie of the Yuuzhan Vong". It would simply be made for a small group of fanboys and is literally nothing more than a grab for money, no matter how good it is. The Star Wars saga is the 6 films. That's it.
Granted, I would not be against seeing another Clone Wars screening (much like the Savage Opress arc) as long as they don't try to sell it as a "Star Wars Movie"
When people heard that George Lucas would be making a prequel trilogy and telling the back-story to Star Wars, the entire world went nuts with excitement. However, when Phantom Menace came out, it received mainly negative reviews. Half the reason Phantom Menace failed the way it did was because it failed to meet expectations. Granted, the other half of why it failed is because it was poorly done, but that’s another topic for another time. When people hear “Star Wars”, they expect the best, and if not the best, then at least something that will give them that feeling they got in the theater in 1977. Unfortunately, the feeling is never going to happen again, and because of that, Star Wars is doomed to failure. Even on episodes of The Clone Wars, people expect the very best when they hear the main theme and see the opening logo. However, every now and then a “bad” episode airs, and people are flat-out angry. Yes, it is just an animated TV show, a “kid’s show” if you will, but when Star Wars fails to meet expectations, the audience is not only hurt and saddened by it, but also feels betrayed and let down to a certain extent. The audience puts their all into it and invests everything into what they’re viewing, and unfortunately, they do not always get back what they put in.
Another nail in the Star Wars coffin is the EU. In the late 80’s and early 90’s, there was no Star Wars. After “Return of the Jedi, that was it. Yes, there were two animated shows, but both were obviously intended for young children, and both were cancelled quite quickly. When Timothy Zahn wrote “Heir to the Empire” in 1991, it was (at the time) considered “official canon” and was intended to be the “official continuation” of the Trilogy because there was nothing else out there, and to this day, that particular trilogy (dubbed the Thrawn Trilogy) is considered as the Holy Grail of Star Wars Expanded Universe. But the problem is, so many comics and novels and video games have come out, people have kept that mindset that anything that comes out of Star Wars is official canon, no matter it’s source. There is now a “canon ladder” that sorts various books, novels, and games into 5 or 6 levels of canon, and I believe that is absurd. In my opinion, everything can be considered canon, until a higher power says otherwise, and at that point, it is no longer canon and just a story meant to be enjoyed. There is so much EU out there that clearly, something is obviously going to contradict something else. However, fans have clinged on to the idea that if it came first, it’s canon-no matter how silly the first story is and how “official”, the second story is. A frequent problem with The Clone Wars is that it “destroys continuity”. No, it destroys YOUR IDEA of continuity. People fail to realize that The Clone Wars is one of the few exceptions outside of the movies that is 100% canon. This has obviously caused a great rift in fandom, and many people are clouded by years of pointless knowledge that some random author made up, and would rather take the word of that author over the word of George Lucas-the creator of Star Wars, when it comes to a character’s origin, species, etc. It has prevented people from viewing something great as great, and instead will throw the entire thing out the window because something didn’t match up with a novel from 1996 or a comic from 2003 that sold maybe 6,000 copies total. For example, I attempted to show someone the “Nightsisters Trilogy” of The Clone Wars (which is by far one of the best produced stories of the show), and out of the hour long trilogy, the person stopped watching once they learned Asajj Ventress was actually from Dathomir instead of Rattatak (About 10 minutes or so into it), and this person refused to watch anymore, proceeding to talk about how George Lucas is messing up canon with this show.
And at the end of the day, people fail to realize that “Hey, it’s not real”. It is a fictional galaxy with characters that don’t exist. It is a product used to tell a story and make money. It is no different than when December comes around and Christmas is right around the corner (kids, don’t read this part). We all know Santa isn’t real, but that doesn’t mean we call out every mall-Santa we see as fakes and liars, and it doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the “magic” of Christmas, even though in reality, it is just a regular day of the year and no different than any other day of the year. We all know Star Wars isn’t real, but we can still enjoy the magic of it. Unfortunately, there are two kinds of people in the world who have ruined this magic for everyone else. The first kind of person forgets that it is not real and takes it incredibly seriously and treats the backstory of a random character as legitimate history and forgets that in a fictional world, things such as histories and backstories can change to how the creator sees fit. The other kind of person is the person who knows it’s not real, knows it’s just a product, but unfortunately, see it only as that, and will not allow people to enjoy what they’re experiencing it because it doesn’t “conform” to their level of movie-making. Going back to the Santa metaphor, I know he’s not real, but I hate it when people say it out loud because it rips away the joy and magic I once had as a child. The same emotion occurs when people talk poorly about the prequel trilogy. I understand you may not like it, but those movies mean a lot to me. Let me enjoy the little magic there is left. The magic of Star Wars has been ripped away and only a little bit remains.
I am glad George Lucas is retiring. He has lived in the world of Star Wars for far too long, and as much as it pains me to say it, he is slowly starting to become delusional about it. For his sake, he needs a break, and honestly, I think the world needs a break from not only him, but from Star Wars as a whole. Society has been choked and suffocated by Star Wars in the mainstream and in pop culture for so long, that people have forgotten to come up and take a much needed breathe of fresh air to reset themselves, their minds, and their emotions. And that is why I feel Star Wars needs to go away. People just need to go back to that time of 1984-1995 where Star Wars existed, but was no long a matter of debate, no longer a major topic in the eyes of society, and was simply a magical movie series that people could sit down and enjoy for a few hours. And when I say that I want Star Wars to die, I don’t mean the equivalent of a violent public execution for “crimes against cinema” that many people wish for. In fact, I admit that the term "die" is probably a bit extreme. I just think that it is time to quietly put out the fire. It has had a good run that was unfortunately dampened by the cruel cynicism of people for many years, which has unfortunately become the status quo, causing it to exist in a world where it is no longer welcomed as it once was, and I think it would be best for not only the world, but for Star Wars as a whole if it quietly just went away for a long time and not come back for a while (if at all). And should it come back, the world will have had time to reset itself and its priorities and Star Wars may once again be welcomed in this new world...
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Editors Note:
I should note that several people are missing the point of this article. I am not damning Star Wars. I love Star Wars. It has brought me closer to my father, and I've made MANY friends due to Star Wars and I owe George Lucas so much for making this happen. I am in no way hating on Star Wars.
What I'm trying to say is that in today's world, Star Wars has become almost a joke in the majority of the public eye, and to save something I love, I simply believe that it should quietly step back into the shadows, let people get it all out of their systems, and then have it come back after a few years. I am in no way promoting "DEATH TO STAR WARS!" like many people claim I am doing. I do not WANT Star Wars to go away. It truly means a lot to me and to see something like that disappear would be incredibly tragic. I simply think that the main spark that has kept Star Wars amazing has increasingly been fizzling out, and I simply wish to take it out of the storm, give it a few years and then if the time is right, come back refreshed with a new public perspective. I would rather see Star Wars disappear and then come back strong a few years down the line, than continue going and collapse under its own weight.
I should also note that I am not saying the QUALITY of Star Wars is going down. It's not. What I'm saying is the general public response and reaction to Star Wars over time is. So instead of always wanting more and more new material, when there is a good chanceit is not going to live up to your personal expectation (whether or not it is actually good), take what Star Wars we have and enjoy it. I'm not saying Star Wars is a terrible thing. I'm simply stating that I don't think there should be any new Star Wars material in the future. Enjoy the movies. Enjoy the tv show(s). Enjoy the comics and novels, that's fine. I'm just saying it's time to simply enjoy what we have rather than simply moving on to the next thing.
17 comments:
With the release of books and merchandise before the film premiered in 1977 Lucas knew exactly how to capitalize on a film he wasn't sure of. But he did it right. He made people rabid for the movie. He teased them and gave them these fantastic images plastered on posters, clothing, toys, book covers, and magazines. The market was saturated with Star Wars before the film even hit theaters. And the average moviegoer was turned into a fanboy virtually overnight.
If you think about it not much has changed since then. The market is still saturated with all things Star Wars. Artists are putting their spin on character likenesses left and right. Go to any T-Shirt website and try not to find 10 different Star Wars T-Shirts.
We now have the Original Trilogy, Prequals, EU, toys, video games, conventions, and the TV series. There's no doubt that Star Wars is everywhere! But it's not so much the fact that it's everywhere all the time that makes it feel overwhelming. It's the way we're exposed to it.
In the world before the internet you got your Star Wars fix by walking around the toy store or if the films aired on cable. So despite the fact that it has always been there it was harder to get for some. And thus the magic, the allure of it was stronger.
Now a guy in Singapore can get online and order two dozen action figures, a replica light saber, and download all 6 films without ever having to leave his house. The saturation is due to the ease of acquisition. But is the magic really gone?
In 1977 I was 5 years old and I watched Star Wars for the very first time. Ever since then I have been hooked. Ever since then I have seen every single film in the theater. And now my children have that opportunity. While the magic may be lost on some it is certainly not lost on the children.
And that is who Uncle George is targeting. Not the 18-35 fanboy demographic who is jaded and disgruntled thanks to the Special Edition and Jar-Jar Binks. It's the kids. The little ones who stare mesmerized as lightsabers crash into each other and blaster bolts fly through the air narrowly missing our intrepid heros. For these children, a whole new generation of fanboys and girls, Star Wars is just as magical for them as it once was for us.
As for the Clone Wars film....all I can say about that is watch the series for a few seasons then rewatch the film. I do agree it should never have seen the inside of theaters but what's done is done. The writing and the scope of the TV series rivals, and in many ways, surpasses all of the live action films. If you've seen most of the episodes you really start to connect with the characters. Once you get into season 3 you care what happens to them. That is when you need to watch the Clone Wars film again. It's like you're seeing it for the first time.
I don't think Star Wars should die. Not that it ever will. I think it does need to take a much needed hiatus then come back with something amazing that will make our collective nerdy jaws drop. But death to Star Wars? No. If you're having trouble feeling the magic take a kid to see it for the first time. Or watch kids interact with members of the 501st Legion. If you want to see magic look at the faces of those kids when they're seeing Darth Vader on screen for the first time or standing next to him in person. There is nothing more magical than that.
I don't see it that way. To me, Star Wars isn't a group of films, rather it is a realm of inspiration. The original trilogy hit the world with almost divine-like aptitude that it inspired a generation of filmmakers and anyone else in creative industries to reach for the stars, and its effects are well documented. Today, I see the most active portion of Star Wars fandom --a collection of inspired individuals-- growing. It isn't growing because Star Wars productions are "better" than they were in the 70s and 80s, but because a torch of inspiration is being passed down from the original contributors to the galaxy far, far away to the next generation. Now those whose life journeys began with Star Wars, are continuing the tradition of sharing their passion with their peers and the third generation.
To me, Star Wars is not an entity, not something that can be quantified, measured, or restricted. It appears to me more like a realm that exists because human beings like to share their passions with each other. It is a language in which creativity, intelligence, technical ability, and compassion is expressed. Even though it might seem to many people, especially the older generations, that Star Wars is losing quality as it goes on, I beg to differ. There are just as many people today being inspired by Star Wars as there was a generation ago. I predict that what I call the "blogging" generation will grow up, and their fanart will turn into professional art, their fanfics will turn into novels, their fanfilms will turn into blockbusters, and the values that are being instilled in them by the ideals of the Jedi way will make them more positive human beings. This process will continue to repeat itself every generation, as long as something exists as a realm and language for these people to communicate in.
But we don't live in a perfect world. Even though so many good things have come out of Star Wars, the shortcomings of humanity can also be found in it. There will always be negativity, there will always be hate, there will always be people trying to abuse the system. You claim that the best thing for Star Wars is another hiatus like in the late 80s, yet I believe that hiatus did more to hurt Star Wars than to help it. The reason why the prequels were met with so much displeasure, is that fans of the originals were cut off from a source of inspiration, and had to build up constructs in their minds in a random and disorganized fashion to compensate. When the Phantom Menace came out, those constructs were challenged, and people had to chose between hating a movie or reinventing their identity. The people who were open-minded and adaptive enough to allow themselves to take the prequels for what they were, went on to be productive individuals, who are now responsible for many of the good things coming out of the franchise, while many of those who took the easy path and scapegoated the Phantom Menace to cover for their own close-mindedness are still stuck in an endless cycle of frustration.
As far as the EU and canon goes, I look at it very simply. You have the stuff that George Lucas had a hand in that directly relates to or builds off of the events of the films, and then you have everything else that is just licensed fanfiction that is a temporary interpretation of Lucas's universe. When Lucasfilm puts something out I'm interested in, I read it, and when they don't, I ignore it. It's as simple as that. I take it for what it is, don't get ruffled about continuity changes, and certainly don't call for a reduction in the output of material because I know there are people out there who enjoy it and as long as it is economically feasible to produce material, Lucasfilm should meet the demand.
Well I didn't expect this to turn into a 1,000 word response essay, but obviously to make a case to a Star Wars fan that Star Wars "must die" is like saying to a Christian that "God must die" (and believe me, that debate is 10 times crazier). In the end it's about respecting other people's opinions, and right now I feel like there are way too many people still benefiting from the existence of Star Wars to kill it off just to silence the haters and gratify the purists. When the Star Wars: Underworld series comes out I will watch it, and I have no doubts it will change television like the films changed the movie industry, and if the Boba Fett film is made I will be first in line to see it, not because I want to hand over my money to George Lucas like a mindless drone, but because it will be made by passionate people who will inspire others. Money is temporary, it is lost faster than it is made, and it inflates faster than it grows. But inspiration is something that is passed down from generation to generation, making the fraction of culture that appreciates it wiser and happier. Only when the realm and fountains of inspiration are curtailed, will we see decline. Star Wars embodies the passion of humanity, and to kill it, would only make this world a darker place.
Years i have spent studying background stories, technologies, characters, planets, vehicles, etc ... of Star Wars. But the longer the more of this is being retconned and i have to admit it made me angry about it.
Yes thats right i am one of those "what was first is canon" people, except when the first was very silly or ridiculous. I know many of you don't agree with this, but it's just my opinion.
I also find al those levels of canon bullI am madly in love with Jar Jar Binks... dont tell anyone but I have an engagement ring in my dresser, something is canon or it is not. And besides i think with the HUGE amount of backstories, EU, animated shows, etc ... i think to keep it alive you need a consistent continuity. If they can't keep it consisten then it is indeed better for Star Wars to die, and not just for a few years ... but forever (maybe except for games because they rock!)
Besides like you said they only keep SW alive for the money right now.
Like you, my addiction for Star Wars will never die but i hope Star Wars will die.
PS: Very interesting thread, i'm glad i read it ;)
Greetings,
Nils Baeté
Grts,
Nils baeté
Personally i hope they wont stop making games i really love them and i am still waiting for Battlefront III and a Republic Commando 2.
Grts,
Nils Baeté
How can you say the public response and reaction to star was is quality going down? If you look It Star Wars is bigger than ever. Look at the 501'st and Mandalorian Mercs, they are growing every day. If this was the fact these groups would be nothing. They do so much for the community and the community love them. These are world wide groups.
People love Star Wars, always will love Star Wars. Just because you see it as dying does not make it so. You have been looking in the wrong place. If "Everyone" or even half the fans were displeased where Star wars is,
why do they keep putting things out? Why do they make more and more marketing things to sell? If this was the case no one would buy anything and they would loose money. The fact is, everyday its growing by hundreds or even thousands of fan, and will keep going that way.
Millions of people watch TCW every week, if this was a dying thing we would not have any new episodes. We would have no new toys. If you are so dis-satisfied with Star Wars then just go away and let us who enjoy all the new stuff have our fun.
I myself and begging for new movies. I would LOVE to see a Boba Fett movie. He has and always will be my favorite. I know for a fact if this movie was made, it would be made to perfection. Boba is so huge that they would know better than to mess it up. They will not throw in some stupid side kick like JarJar (wich we true fans know this was made to get younger kids the opportunity to love a character. Most people may not like JarJar but he wasnt made for adults and we know that.
To me, any Star Wars movie would be amazing as long as it had to do with any characters of Star Wars. Even a Jawa movie. (kidding) but that would be rather entertaining.
I hope Star Wars never dies.
Star Wars is still going to be here, many years from now and the only way to change that, is to completely ignore it.
By the looks of things, it seems that nobody can do that. No matter if you're for it, or against it; Star Wars is forever!
I agree that its 'absence' did it more harm than good because that was when it became sort of acceptable to look down on a Star Wars nerd because there was considerably less context for my generation to appreciate.
I enjoyed TCW movie when it hit theaters and even more so after I had seen some episodes, just as I enjoyed the original trilogy more after I had seen the prequels. I enjoyed the previous CW cartoon, and the Droids and Ewoks cartoons for what they were. If people don't like any aspects of the Star Wars universe then they can just ignore it like most people do the Holiday Special. For the most part I ignore the EU in books and comics because I'm happy enough with what I consider Canon with the exception of what I have read of course because it was how I was introduced to Boba Fett, plus who wouldn't find TCW Encyclopedia and vintage cards interesting? I hear things like 'Boba Fett is dead' and think 'No thanks.' I hope that Underworld comes out after I get to enjoy seeing all of the films in theaters for the first time and I had not heard of a Boba Fett movie, but both intrigue me especially with rumor of Daniel Logan being involved.
It is thanks to Dave Filoni and the amazing voice actors that Star Wars is enjoying a healthy and successful revival, and those involved in breathing new life into it are gaining fans with their amazing talents and incredible storytelling abilities. The fact that many of these people display a strong love and respect and level of commitment for what they are doing and their supporting community speaks volumes and I think it's great that TCW episodes will continue to be made until George says stop. I am relieved that he is retiring from making movies because he deserves a break and it will hopefully encourage future generations to make the type of movies that he would enjoy seeing.
With all of that said I am really looking forward to the wrap of season four and should I hear a million voices cry out in terror I will remember the Last Tour to Endor.
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