Star Wars! Nothing but Star Wars!
Exciting times ahead for the legendary franchise? A lot of fans are hoping so.
To some extent, it is almost pointless to really write an article about Star Wars. What could I possibly add to the conversation? Hasn’t the trilogy been praised enough? And haven’t the prequels been bashed to a fine powder by everyone else?
Star Wars simply isn’t a film franchise. The midi-chlorians run through all of us, some more than others. I’m not one to necessarily let my Force flag fly, but certainly not afraid to admit I’m a fan. I used to collect, and I still have relatives that will buy items for me for no absolute reason other than that they know I like Star Wars so I must want everything ever made.
I do however find myself struggling to be excited over a new trilogy of films. Like many, I felt like my appeal to the series was Anikan on Mustafar. After Revenge of the Sith, I left it burning on the shore. But then George Lucas sold Lucafilm to Disney and the allure began to slowly be pieced back together in an Imperial medical facility.
I’m still hesitant to completely jump on board with Disney. While they have plenty of classics, they don’t exactly have a great track record in cranking out high quality sequels. They have been doing pretty well with the Marvel franchise, though it depends on which character you are talking about. When news leaked that Disney rejected Lucas’ ideas for future installments, I had to applaud them. A fresh approach to the franchise was desperately needed.
I am happy in a way that they wiped out the Expanded Universe, now known as Star Wars Legends. I never took the EU seriously or even canon. As Lucas proved with the prequels, nothing is sacred in the franchise unless it is put to film…and then changed whenever a new DVD release is needed. The EU was always a fun escape, with some of the most memorable ones to me coming from The Knights of the Old Republic on Xbox. But it was also open to change should something else come along.
Ironically, I think this new trilogy could be the prophecy of the chosen one coming true. Lucas gave us hope with the original trilogy and appeared to bring balance by revolutionizing special effects and Hollywood blockbusters. But then he burned it to the ground with the prequels and the special editions. How Disney rises from those ashes and delivers with Episode VII on December 17th could be the balance to the franchise.
Check out nostalgicroe.com for more awesome reviews and news from his brain-space, or stick around and check out his review on the Star Wars Battle Pod Arcade game (also from Nostalgic Roe).