As we get closer to the release of Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens,
the promotional machine for the film seems to have hit a minor snag. Much of the promotion up until this point has been a combination
of excitement about the future of Star Wars and nostalgia for the
Original Trilogy. The unfortunate thing about the Original Trilogy
nostalgia, is that it has caused some fans to read between the lines and
interpret it, not incorrectly, as an attempt to distance the franchise
from the prequel trilogy.
To inspire debate amongst Star Wars fans, one merely needs to share their thoughts on the prequel trilogy. While public perception would have you believe that Star Wars Episodes I-III are universally hated by fans, this is categorically not true. There is a growing movement of fans, many of whom grew up with the prequels, who want it to be known that Star Wars fans don't hate the prequels. There are many of us who want to see them held up with the Original Trilogy as key parts of the Star Wars saga.
The fear among prequel fans is that Lucasfilm will throw the prequels under the bus in order to "bring back" fans who were disillusioned when Episodes I-III did not turn out the way they wanted them to be. The recent focus on "practical effects" during San Diego Comic Con was interpreted by many as the team behind The Force Awakens attempting to separate the new films from the prequels.
And this fear spreads beyond the marketing, especially when members of the creative team reveal their less than kind thoughts about the prequel trilogy. Uproars have been caused when people like Gary Whitta, the first writer of 2016's Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, or Chuck Wendig, author of the upcoming novel Star Wars: Aftermath, reveal their less than kind views on the prequels. The most recent uproar came when JJ Abrams revealed that Simon Pegg, a world renowned prequel hater, had helped him on the script for The Force Awakens.
(Side bar: I'm not saying that Simon Pegg, or anyone else who doesn't like the prequels is not a Star Wars fan. They are. As long as you love something Star Wars, even if it's not the same part of Star Wars that I love, you are a Star Wars fan and don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise. When it comes to Simon Pegg, I just wish he didn't go out of his way to bash the prequels and instead focused on the parts he loved. Would that be too much to ask? There's enough negativity in Star Wars fandom without celebrities like Pegg adding fuel to the fire. Can't we focus on the parts we love? Isn't that the point of fandom? I know it may not seem that way yet, but that's the whole point of the piece. Bear with me, we're getting there).
I'll be the first to admit that I got caught up in the negative reactions when Gary Whitta's true feelings about the prequels were first revealed. I even went as far as to suggest that he was unfit to write a Star Wars film. I was upset, I felt that Lucasfilm had betrayed me and my love for movies that I had been defending for years. And then it happened again, with Chuck Wendig, and Chris Weitz, and now Simon Pegg. And I realized something, I don't care.
I honestly don't care what any of these people think of the prequel trilogy, so long as they respect the mythology established in those films. As long as they don't try to retroactively change ideas presented in those films or insert "between the lines" insults at the prequels in their films, I don't care what they think of Episodes I-III as films. And here's the thing, they can't change the prequels even if they wanted to. Lucasfilm has publicly stated that the prequels (along with the original trilogy, The Clone Wars, and Rebels) "are the immovable objects of Star Wars history, the characters and events to which all other tales must align."
What I wish is that the creators that are brought in, understand that they are ambassadors to the fans and that means respecting all aspects of Star Wars, especially when making public comments. And to the credit of folks like Rian Johnson, Gareth Edwards, and JJ Abrams (despite all the practical effects talk), they seem to have mastered that.
At the end of the day, I hope that the creatives behind new Star Wars will respect all additions to the Star Wars mythology. No matter how any of us feel about an aspect of Star Wars, there will always be someone who feels the opposite. The creatives don't and shouldn't have to focus on what they don't like, but they shouldn't be allowed to re-write it either. As long as, within the confines of their story, they respect what came before then I am happy. And respecting what came before doesn't mean anything more than just avoiding the urge the override or put down what came before.
And I wish we as fans could also focus on the parts of the films we love, rather than the parts we hate. With so much Star Wars coming in this new era, there are bound to be things
we don't like. And that's OK. I just hope that we can focus on what we
like. That's not to say there isn't
room for debate or discussion, or even letting negative feelings be known.
But isn't the point of fandom fun? And isn't it more fun to focus our energy on
what we love?
Respecting the mythology means understanding that there will always be people who like something and people who don't. It's up to the creatives behind future Star Wars and us as fans to realize this and be respectful of what has come before and those who enjoy it. Because, at the end of the day what matters is that the future of Star Wars is bright and even if we all don't agree on aspects of the past, it doesn't mean we can't enjoy the future together.
Respecting the mythology means understanding that there will always be people who like something and people who don't. It's up to the creatives behind future Star Wars and us as fans to realize this and be respectful of what has come before and those who enjoy it. Because, at the end of the day what matters is that the future of Star Wars is bright and even if we all don't agree on aspects of the past, it doesn't mean we can't enjoy the future together.
This article is an opinion piece and represents the views of the writer, and not the entire Star Wars Underworld organization.
Follow The Star Wars Underworld on Twitter @TheSWU for more updates about this story and other breaking Star Wars news.
56 comments:
Padme marries a man who she knows is a child murderer and a supporter of fascism. We have no idea why she has any feelings of love for him or what he offers her in a relationship. Anakin betrays his entire order to fulfill a promise that can't even be fulfilled in the time he needs it to. And then he simply pledges himself to the Emperor even though his wife dies, and that saving her from death was the whole reason for turning to begin with. The Jedi Order allows itself to be destroyed because they can't put together the most obvious clues that Palpatine is a Sith. The senate simply goes along with this overthrow without asking any questions or using basic reason to ascertain what actually happened despite a wealth of damming proof. Everyone in the prequels acts like complete idiots.
What does it tell you that so many people were disappointed by the films? Is it all their problem, or could it be that the films really aren't that good? Figure it out.
I almost feel sorry for the haters - they only have three Star Wars films to enjoy. They'll probably find something to I am madly in love with Jar Jar Binks... dont tell anyone but I have an engagement ring in my dresser about with the new ones as well.
And yet, so many people were NOT disappointed by these films. It's a pity that fans like Simon Pegg refuse to admit this. They would rather enforce this belief that ALL or MOST "Star Wars" fans disliked the Prequel Trilogy. And frankly, this chant became a broken record about a decade ago.
I'm going to be honest for a moment. I'm in my mid 20's, therefore I grew up with the prequels. I was 8 years old with the Phantom Menace, and at the time even enjoyed Jar Jar. I was 12-13 with Attack of the Clones, and I already knew I disliked aspects of the movie but I really liked others (Jango Fett and the final clone war sequence). Then I was 16 for Revenge of the Sith and became oddly obsessed with the movie.
Yet as I get older I find more and more flaws with the prequels. I still have strong Nostalgia for the Phantom Menace, but movies like Attack of the Clones should be buried underground with he likes of the Star Wars Ewok movies.
However, I do agree there should be a respect for the myths presented in the prequels. But I am also a strong believer of having as little as possible from the prequels in the sequel trilogy. In fact, as much as I love the original trilogy, I don't think we should have as much of that either. As excited as i am to see Han, Leia, and Luke again. I think that's just a temporary emotion to recapture my childhood favorite heroes. I am currently far more excited in who Kylo Ren is, or how cool Poe Dameron could be. The new should always intrigue more than the old.
Also, Disney has NEVER been big on supporting the prequel trilogy. I've been attending Star Tours for two decades now, and not since 2010 (around the same time as the las Celebration in Orlando), did they add a presence of the prequel trilogy into their theme park. Now that they own the franchise, I think (and I feel bad for prequel trilogy fans) Disney will just continue to detach itself as much as it can from the prequels.
It is a shame to see that the following generations of "true" Star Wars fans act so blatantly ignorant and disrespectful towards the life´s work of a great man (who also made which they are pretending to be fans of).
I will be eternally grateful to George Lucas for creating something which has given me countless hours of joy over the years, but I don't have to celebrate the prequels.
They are poorly written and acted. With a myriad of other problems. The special effects for the time where top notch, but going back today are dated. We have to call this out or we are destined to get more of the same.
This is why I love the fact Simon Peg is involved, along with others who are focused on telling a compelling story within the Star Wars universe. Special effects are great, but without a story the movie suffers, as in the prequels.
I can understand seeing the first three episodes at a young age and enjoying them. I for example have no problem with Return of the Jedi and the ewoks, because of how old I was when it came out. As an adult, however, I can now see they are a bit ridiculous. The same goes for countless other movies of my youth. I love Krull and Master's of the Universe and can still watch and enjoy them. I however know they are crappy films.
So hold onto your love of the first three episodes, that's fine, but don't hold onto the fantasy they are good movies.
I grew up with the Original Trilogy, so I understand how people that grew up with the prequels feel about it - it's their Star Wars, I understand their desire to defend it...I think, as Raul hinted at, with the prequels the movies sort of grow up with Anakin, where the Original Trilogy was a young adult story straight through...Phantom Menace is geared more towards kids with Jar Jar's antics and the hero being a kid himself, then with AotC and RotS we transition out of that and into more grown up movies...I mean, think about where Lucas was in his life, and the ages of his own kids, while making each and that makes sense.
Ultimately what we can each do, though, is take all the things we like about the Star Wars universe, gather them in our own, personal head canon, and sort of dismiss the rest as side-story stuff that's not important to what Star Wars is to you. And remember, the story group has the final say over what the creatives do with Star Wars going forward, so despite what their personal feelings toward any part of the saga might be, if they're allowed to do anything about it then it's the story group that you should feel your wrath...
And, finally, I agree with Marco, TFA will reunite the "haters" and "prequel fanboys" into one, happy Star Wars family...
Obviously we know there were many people who liked them. Notice I didn't say, "Everyone was disappointed." I said "so many," which is undeniably true. You don't have to look far to see the widespread level of negative opinions they generated both at the time of release and to this day. They simply did not get nearly a positive response as the original films did. This isn't an opinion, it's a fact. I made reference to prequel defenders, which obviously means I acknowledged that people liked them. I simply have no idea WHY they like them, because, to me they are remarkably stupid and poorly made films, and no real convincing defense has been given on their part.
"He was Luke Skywalker, born to a Jedi-turned-Sithlord, raised on a Tatooine sandfarm by Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru, raised in a life without frills, a hardworking honest pauper--because his mother... his mother... What was it about his mother? What had she said? Who was she? What had she told him? He turned his mind inward, to a place and time far from the damp soil of Dagobah, to his mother’s chamber, his mother and his... sister. His sister..."
(...)
" Ben continued his narrative. “When your father left, he didn’t know your mother was pregnant. Your mother and I knew he would find out eventually, but we wanted to keep you both as safe as possible, for as long as possible. So I took you to live with my brother Owen, on Tatooine... and your mother took Leia to live as the daughter of Senator Organa, on Alderaan.”"
(...)
"He looked down at their intertwined fingers. “Leia... do you remember your mother? Your real mother?”
The question took her totally by surprise. She’d always felt so close to her adopted parents, it was as if they were her real parents. She almost never thought of her real mother—that was like a dream.
Yet now Luke’s question made her start. Flashes from her infancy assaulted her—distorted visions of running... a beautiful woman... hiding in a trunk. The fragments suddenly threatened to flood her with emotion."
“Yes,” she said, pausing to regain her composure. “Just a little bit. She died when I was very young.”
“What do you remember?” he pressed. “Tell me.”
“Just feelings, really... images.” She wanted to let it slide, it was so out of the blue, so far from her immediate concerns... but somehow so loud inside, all of a sudden.
“Tell me,” Luke repeated.
She felt surprised by his insistence, but decided to follow him with it, at least for the time being. She trusted him, even when he frightened her. “She was very beautiful,” Leia remembered aloud. “Gentle and kind—but sad.” She looked deeply into his eyes, seeking his intentions. “Why are you asking me this?”"
(...)
"Both thoughts were out of the question. She moved away from him, to deny his words; at least to give them distance, to let her breathe. Flashes of her mother came again, in this breathing space. Parting embraces, flesh torn from flesh..."
Yeah, cause placing the Emperor in the place of ''Frogeyes'' in TESB was a continuity problem of the Prequels...
*roll eyes*
Stupid complaints from people like you that are easily proven wrong are not ''critical thinking''.
You're right. They're not ''good films''. They're GREAT films.
Since when is slapstick only geared for children? Is ''The Pink Panther'' or ''The Party'' only for children?
Since when is your (most probably uneducated) opinion on the writing & acting being bad a fact everyone else should heed to?
Wanna talk stupid?
Why do 8 Stormtroopers suddenly turn around and run when they see a vest wearing idiot in front of them?
THAT is ridiculous.
> I have never heard a convincing defense of the prequels.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
After reading your complaints, i'd say that's because you're too stupid to understand anything...
> What does it tell you that so many people were disappointed by the films? Is it all their problem, or could it be that the films really aren't that good? Figure it out.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Considering people like you still constantly troll every SW article only to I am madly in love with Jar Jar Binks... dont tell anyone but I have an engagement ring in my dresser about them 10-16 years later, i'd say it's because these people have issues...and not with the films...MENTAL issues...
Please give me defense then. You have never given one. You have given nothing but lame excuses. And I don't need anyone questioning my intelligence who is in love with something so blatantly stupid and who refuses to explain away the stupidity with anything other than such pathetic excuses. As to people you constantly attack them - yeah, it's called having a passionate opinion about something and enjoying a good debate. Star Wars does generate passionate opinions - which explains why you show up on every Star Wars board talking about how great they are. But to you,having a negative opinion is the equivalent of "mental issues," whereas constantly defending them is a perfectly rational and sane thing to do.
Perhaps then I could provide a defense that is less about "defending" or counter-pointing every criticism under the sun in regards to the prequels. If I did that, I know we'd be throwing comments at each other for a month. How about a claim that we can love them in spite of their flaws, and that we still feel engagement and enjoyment in a different point of view?
Yes, the CGI can look out of place. Yes, the actors are nowhere near perfect. Yes, Lucas is the king of wooden dialogue. Yes, there's plenty of plot holes if you think about it. And yes, Jar Jar was rather out of place in some ways. A lot of ways, you might say.
But like a wise Jedi once said, you're going to find that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view. Acting is a very subjective thing. What one can see as an emotional and telling performance can be seen by others as equivalent to reading a shopping list while having a face of dull surprise. CGI can look extremely out of place or simply blend into the backdrop set up by the scene. Sometimes you're so interpretative of a plot that you can deconstruct it in twenty different ways, or sometimes you just stay in the moment and just run with the plot. And what is to one person an annoying jester whose voice and face frustrates you to the point where you want to turn the TV/projector/media device off is to others simply another character in the scene that you may or may not be too concerned about.
What I think is the critical factor behind how the prequels can have a fanbase as well as a strong cultural acceptance that its utter I am madly in love with Jar Jar Binks... dont tell anyone but I have an engagement ring in my dresser is that many of us have difference opinions. Even an objective fact can be twisted or denied by one's perceptions, just look at conspiracy theorists and the controversy over climate change. For example, I have a minor degree of autism that inhibits my understanding of social cues, and I believe that's affected my reception to media in terms of actors and wording. Watching the Star Wars prequels over the years, I have on occasion noticed odd lines or head-scratching performances ("I hate sand", anyone?), but overall I feel nothing that makes me disengaged with the film. I can always follow the stories of Obi-Wan, Anakin, Padme, Qui-Gon, Yoda and the rest without seriously questioning the performances or asking why they couldn't have done something different. Any questioning of the plot only comes from seeing all the critics asking "Well, how the hell could they not see Palpatine was I am madly in love with Jar Jar Binks... dont tell anyone but I have an engagement ring in my dressering manipulating everything and radiating dark side power!?", I tend not not be too concerned about and sometimes employ some minor "headcannon"/Expanded Universe-born explanations to provide my own answers (I see plenty of reasons not to think of the midichlorians as the sole cause of the Force’s existence). Whether or not it’s a bulletproof story doesn’t concern me, I’m not the type to be firing questions at it all the time.
(Continued)
I’m not going to try and convince you the prequels’ flaws are less than you think they are, or that you’re wrong and the films are better than you make them out to be. All I’m saying is that some of us don’t see the film the same way you do, and aren’t as critical or concerned about these flaws as you are. Really, my biggest gripe with the prequel hate is that it’s sometimes drawn out to insult or decry anyone who does enjoy them as stupid or “enabling” bad filmmaking or something. And it mixes with being frustrated at the nonstop hate on films (which I suppose is just to be expected of defending something with such a bad reputation, but one does not simply grow thick skin overnight) and the focus the new films’ promotion has pushed on the original trilogy and its practical filmmaking, which does start to build up feelings of passive aggressive attacks on something that you enjoy. It may be par for the course as Star Wars returns to the limelight with Episodes 7 through 9 and all the anthologies that will follow, but that doesn’t mean we’re all wanting to just accept all the dismissal of these three films. Many prequel fans grew up enjoying them, after all, and they’d rather not see an era of the saga that dominated the early 2000s they knew well just be brushed aside like an undesired child.
Perhaps “respecting” the prequels and their mark on the Star Wars brand is asking too much of you. I understand that those that hate the prequels are often those that grew up with the original trilogy themselves, and simply do not like how the new films have twisted something that was near and dear to their childhood. In lieu of that, I understand you may never be able to enjoy or appreciate the films, and I accept that. All I ask, and I hope other fans of the prequels can stand by me, is that you can respect that there are people, with their own points of view and personal tastes in films and the Star Wars saga, who feel that Episodes 1, 2, and 3 are perfectly fine films that they don’t have a problem with, and that going forward with the new films and other stories of the galaxy far, far away, that we can set aside our differences and be able to enjoy the saga’s realm of powerful Jedi and Sith, epic starfighter battles, and fantastic alien worlds in the common grounds of the original trilogy of that started it all as well as the new films that are coming in the years to come. Nobody likes everything, but let’s not escalate to hating each other due to such a difference in taste.
Look...I grew up with the prequels. But as I've matured, I now think the films have far too many flaws in its execution, such as writing, dialogue, etc. BUT, and this is a big BUT, I am happy with the overall mythology presented in the films, and I'm fine with treating the general events as canon. But in my mind, I try to imagine their final form came out a bit better.
And honestly, I am troubled by the mentality of the more zealous prequel-supporters, where they are trying so hard to convince people that the prequels are somehow misunderstood masterpieces. And just like how they dislike people unfairly leaping in and bashing the films to death, those of us who think they were poor, but are still fine with tolerating them, will get annoyed by people who insist we are delusional, butt-hurt fans that just got jaded and grumpy. For example, I'm worried by all the fans that say the Anakin/Padme romance is anything other than a clumsily written and immensely creepy failure of a love story.
Plus, can we acknowledge that a factor in the recent surge of prequel defenders is absolutely the nostalgia bias? Just like how a lot of people grew up on, say, Transformers or whatever, and so hold them in huge fondness despite them being, well....really damn crappily made shows/movies when we look back on them now. The exact thing is happening with the prequels: the kids that grew up on those are becoming adults now, and they look back on them fondly, and are unsettled by how so many people still treat them with disdain. So of course they will be driven to defend them harder, and even, dare I say it, insist that the prequels are not widely thought of as inferior films, and never were.
I'm sorry, but that's going too far, in my opinion. The prequels from the start have had a mixed reception, at best. This idea that those who were disappointed in/hated them is a very tiny minority of the fanbase is silly. Like I said, now that a new generation of fans are entering the fold with pre-existing love for the prequels, we WILL see an increase in adult fans that are okay with them. But this does not mean that you can rewrite history and claim that the prequels have always been widely loved by fans. If that were true, we would not see this much vitriol tossed at them. It is outrageous how much hate they get, and why is that? Not because four or five people hated it and then screamed on the internet.
I think it is more accurate to say that the prequels are being cut slack by the newer fans thanks to this nostalgia factor, and THIS IS NOT A NEGATIVE THING. There is nothing wrong with enjoying entertainment that technically kinda sucks. It's called 'guilty pleasures'. And they are valid. The prequels are mine, in that I still like stuff in them, but for everything I like in them, there is something else I'm frustrated by. They are what they are, we can't redo history, we have to accept their existence and tolerate them being canon, or the fandom would just fall to pieces and never recover.
I for one am happy to see more fans treating the prequels kindly, whatever my own feelings about them, because it means a more positive, unified fandom in the end. I may think they were poor films overall, but the fans who appreciate them? Fine, whatever floats your boat.
But please, for the love of God, don't insist a Twinkie is actually a filet mignon steak. It may taste good to YOU, but its still not fine dining to most.
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