Much has changed recently in the Star Wars universe. When the first whispers about the Clone Wars' cancellation surfaced, Jimmy Mac of RebelForce Radio encouraged everyone to write a letter to the CEO of Disney Bob Iger. With these recent developments I've felt motivated to send my own letter to him as well. Mr. Iger may never read this but I'm willing to give it a try. Before I drop it in the mail I wanted to share my thoughts here with you:
Dear Mr. Iger,
My name is Benjamin Hart. I want to start off by saying that I have been a fan of Star Wars for as long as I can remember and a fan of Disney for even longer. When it was first announced that Disney would be acquiring Lucasfilm, as well as creating new Star Wars films I was beyond excited. Episode VII, VIII & IX are films that most of us believed would never happen. The announcement of the Sequel trilogy and Disney taking the helm of the franchise was a dream come true for many Star Wars fans... But not all of us. Some fans believed that Disney would "Ruin" Star Wars, to which I staunchly defended your company, citing the success of Marvel which Disney also owns. I have remained optimistic about the future of Star Wars in Disney's hands. But Some recent events have been incredibly disheartening.
Firstly, I was disappointed with postponement of the Star Wars 3D re-releases. Ever since they were announced I had been looking forward to seeing Star Wars back on the big screen and in 3D no less. Secondly, and most recently, it was announced that Star Wars: The Clone Wars will soon come to an end and Star Wars Detours has also been postponed. The loss of The Clone Wars is a huge blow to the entire Star Wars fan community which has rallied around the show for almost five years now. And Detours appeared to be incredibly funny and was well received by fans through clips and trailers at Star Wars Celebration VI. I have trusted Disney, and I want to continue trusting Disney with the Star Wars franchise. But it has become increasingly hard to keep the faith when things I enjoyed, and looked forward to, are quickly slipping away. If you would be so kind as to read on I have a few requests for you and all the powers that be a Disney:
Please keep your promises. The 3D re-releases of Episode II: Attack Of The Clones and Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith, as well as Star Wars Detours, have been officially "postponed". I understand 2015 is coming fast and Disney/Lucasfilm must divert all resources to producing Episode VII. While we the fans cannot expect Disney to provide all the content we want right now, it's only fair that what has been promised to us should released in due time. I also look forward to seeing developments with Star Wars 1313 and the Star Wars live action series sometime in the future. While myself and others remain excited for Episode VII we are worried that we may never see any of these projects. Please do not let us down.
Please continue the Clone Wars. I implore you to reconsider canceling it. It may not have won many awards, it may not make the most money and it may not be the most popular show on Television. But it certainly means a great deal to Star Wars fans and is beloved by myself and millions of people everywhere. While it far surpassed our expectations it introduced the Star Wars Saga to an entire new generation of fans. Just like older fans grew up with Luke Skywalker, Han Solo & Princess Leia, Kids today are growing up with Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Ahsoka Tano. This is been a great era for Star Wars fandom, don't bring it to an end too soon.
Please give the Clone Wars a proper ending. Even if the show must wind down soon to make way for Episode VII, please allow the team at Lucasfilm animation enough time to finish their phenomenal work. There are many story threads that need to be resolved, including Ahsoka Tano & Darth Maul's fates as well as the transition into Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. These Stories are crucial to the entire Star Wars Saga and they must have closure.
Please find a place for the cast and crew of Star Wars: The Clone Wars in future Star Wars projects. Fans young and old have come to know and love the creators of this series. It has been nothing short of incredible to watch these relatively unknown people become household names that we as fans felt so close to, even if we had never met them. But because of their openness with us we could get to know them, which is something that's rarely happened before in the Star Wars franchise. Now the Clone Wars is drawing to a close and this "family" will soon be going their separate ways. I simply ask that when new Star Wars projects arise Dave Filoni and his team should be given the opportunity to continue their amazing work.
Please respect the Prequels. With Episode VII on the horizon I understand that the focus now is the newly founded Sequel era. But as Star Wars fans we are very accustomed to jumping around the timeline. Our very first taste of Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope, is directly in the middle of Star Wars history. Also, there is unfortunately an extreme bias against Episodes I, II & III of the Star Wars Saga in our culture driven by a very vocal group of fans. They do not represent all of us, nor do they speak for the majority of us. The Prequels are adored by many, many Star Wars fans, especially younger fans who grew up with them. Keep them in mind when moving forward, they will want their Star Wars to be recognized and respected in the future.
I appreciate you taking time to read this. I humbly ask that you take my thoughts into consideration. These suggestions are very important to myself and fans worldwide. I do wish you and the Disney company the best of luck expanding the Star Wars Saga.
May the Force be with you, always.
Sincerely,
Benjamin Hart
If you have an opinion about recent events and feel that you want your voice to be heard as well, I encourage you to write a letter as well.... Or an email, or a Facebook post, or a tweet, or whatever! Just don't stay silent. Let Disney know how you feel.
Disney Studios
500 S Buena Vista St
Burbank, CA 91521
Attn: Bob Iger
This article is an opinion piece and represents the views of the writer, and not the entire Star Wars Underworld organization.
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