Well, I might as well address the seven ton elephant in the room. LucasFilm being bought out by Disney. I didn't respond to it right away because I really wanted to reflect on what this would mean. I could come out here with all the nerd rage I could muster, but while I'm not afraid to go there, I want to at least try to be fair.
First question: Why did George Lucas do this? Well, three things come immediately to mind. 1) George Lucas is 68 years old and probably wants to retire. 2) LucasFilm hasn't come out with anything new in about 20 years. Certainly nothing to rival Star Wars or Indiana Jones. In fact in the last 10 years they've tried and failed to bank on expanding those franchises. By "fail" I mean making a good, solid product. Not how much money they made. And 3) Lucas has said on numerous occasions that he just can't handle the negative feedback he recieved for Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and the Star Wars prequel trilogy.
Whatever his reasons, I'm sure the $4 billion made letting go a lot easier.
Now let's talk about the other side of this coin. Disney. Disney and LucasFilm have worked together for a long time. At Disneyland they've had the ride "Star Tours" for many years now. If you've ever been on that ride, it's a simulation of being on a space barge flying around space... and then you blow up the Death Star. Yeah. Kinda lame. I went on that ride when I was a kid and I still remember being underwhelmed. Disneyland also has the "Indiana Jones Experience" ride. For me, the fun of that ride is the atmosphere and all the stuff you see before getting on the ride. The ride is your basic rollercoaster but a lot of fun. Just walking around felt like being on set of Temple of Doom. Much more fun than a 5 minute rollercoaster ride.
Am I surprised Disney bought LucasFilm? Not at all.
Disney much like LucasFilm is desperate for a big hit. And I'm not talking just one good movie, but a franchise much like Pirates of the Caribbean. And there is no bigger franchise out there than Star Wars. With the announcement of the buyout was also an announcement of Star Wars Episode VII. This is what has so many people talking. It's not only Episode VII but plans to make a SEQUEL trilogy.
This is where I start to have some measure of dread. Question(s): Why? Did you not see Return of the Jedi? All the bad guys are dead. The Empire is defeated. Peace was restored to the galaxy. What's left to tell? I know the books dealt with the aftermath and about Luke Skywalker having a kid, etc.
How can we do this though? Mara Jade wasn't ever in the original trilogy! Are we not content with digitally messing with the original trilogy but now we are going to RetCon it too? For those that don't know: Mara Jade marries Luke Skywalker. She was one of the Emperor's personal bodyguards. And she was never hinted at or ever established in any of the movies.
So, are we going to jump ahead and follow Ben Skywalker? Are we going to go right ahead and have Mara Jade mentoring Jaina and Anakin Solo? Will we go further and start the story with Cade Skywalker (Luke's Grandson)? Will we see Mark Hamill reprise his role of Luke Skywalker and see him as the Grand Master of the Jedi Order?
And right there is the biggest problem. With the expanded universe being in the novels already, there's very little wiggle room from die hard fans. Much like the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, if you don't do it properly, you'll alienate a very loyal fanbase. One needs look no further than the Star Wars prequel trilogy. Some hardcore fans refuse to acknowledge it. How many of your friends are pissed off at the Harry Potter movies because your favorite side character didn't get enough screen time? Yeah I'm upset I didn't get more Tonks.
The other problem I have is less about Star Wars, George Lucas, and the recent blatent cash grabs. It's more of a personal annoyance. DVDs. More specifically Disney charging $20 for DVDs no matter how old they may be. All other movies when they are out on DVD for about 20-30 years, you start to see them in the bargain bins. That's how I got my copies of Terminator, Commando, and even 2001: A Space Odyssey. Each one I got for about $5. Disney movies never drop in price. They are always around $15 to $20. It annoys the hell out of me. There are a lot of Disney movies I'd like to get on DVD. The two Tron movies for example. But for the price of getting those two movies, I could get maybe 4 or 5 others I want to see! Just becuase Disney refused to drop the price on a 30 year old movie. If I want the sequel trilogy on DVD will I have to pay $60? I don't have Episode I on DVD yet. Just to finish my collection will I need to pay $20 for a movie I probably won't ever watch because it sucks so bad?
I'm willing to go see the sequel trilogy. One of the first movies I remember seeing was Star Wars Episode IV. It's a part of my life. I'm emotionally invested in the series much like many others my age. I had the lunch box growing up. I had the toys. I played the card game and read the books. I've played many of the video games and have seen all the movies at least five times. Even the bad ones. George Lucas owes his entire fortune and career to people like me. People who keep coming back because they want to see something like what they grew up with and want to share it with future generations to come because we love it that much. The Original Trilogy was in many ways derived from so many different epic stories and movies. The characters all looked so vivid and real. There weren't any of the computer tricks that are so commonplace now. In so many ways it was a landmark series. All sci-fi movies are inevitably compared to Star Wars. To put it nicely, we didn't get what we wanted with the prequel trilogy. Can we expect better from the sequel trilogy? Probably not. But I'm still going to see it. Why? Because it's Star Wars.
I remember going to see Tron: Legacy in theaters for much of the same reasons. Tron was awesome. It was one of those movies that was so unique and had a lot to talk about once the movie was over. Tron: Legacy was none of that. It was an exciting movie with great music, but it's the very definiton of a junk food movie. This is what Disney does lately. Cash in on nostalgia with bright, shiny, polished turds.
I'll always have a fond place in my heart for the Original Star Wars trilogy. When I introduce Star Wars to my children, I will show them the Original Trilogy first. I may not even show them the Prequel Trilogy. At least not until they are older. I really hope the Sequel Trilogy is good.
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