Time for a Star Wars thread!

[Owen Robertson]

So as I was pondering the possibilities of Episode VII whilst exploring the far reaches of the Extended Universe, I had something of an epiphany: Instead of adding onto a classic series, why not re-boot it? You can clean up timelines & canon, add some fresh (see: profitable) characters, remove some stale (see: unprofitable) ones, maybe even try some different genres (Weekend at Palpatines: Luke kills the Emperor, then he and Darth must keep-up the illusion of his life to maintain order within the Empire).

Then I thought about my epiphany and realized it's a terrible idea, even if executed well. The nerds and fanboys (myself included) would have a shitfit if you tried to ret-con the original Trilogy. I started thinking about it when I caught then end of a "The Clone Wars" episode and wondered "If this is canon why the fuck has nobody ever brought-up Asokha? And what happens to her during Order 66? Will she die? Hide?"
That got me to thinking, "Stupid as it is, the folks at Marvel or DC could help them out with some bullshit event. Y'know, smash all of the stories together a la Crisis on Infinite Earths?" An awful idea to be sure, but a possibility, since Marvel and Star Wars are both under the Disney umbrella.

I can't wait to see more Star Wars, even if they're shit, because I'm a fanboy who can't help himself. I trust Disney now. And I hear they're going to re-release in 3D episodes 2-6 as a ramp-up before 7 comes out, so I'm pumped as shit for that too. I'll probably see New Hope and Empire like 20 times each. But, I digress. What about you, Escapists? What do you think of my awful idea (hint: it's awful)? Are you looking forward to more Star Wars? Or perhaps dreading every moment? Do you even give a fuck about this? ANSWER BELOW!

 

[Sixcess]

George Lucas has finally lost custody of his sorely abused cinematic child, so that's a good thing.

On the other hand, well... Star Wars as a franchise has been a bit crap for a really really long time now. I'm not sure it can be redeemed. A reboot would just piss off the diehards that are the franchise's lifeblood, so I doubt that they will do that. On the other hand they should completely discard all the expanded universe stuff - as trying to acknowledge even part of that would just result in the new trilogy being buried under a mass of details relatively few people care about.

I love the original, it's one of my favourite films - even though it's a little jarring when I realise I saw Star Wars at the cinema and that was thirty five fucking years ago. Empire is... alright. It starts well and Luke's fight with Vader at the end is my favourite fight scene from all the movies, but it sags a bit in the middle. Likewise Jedi starts well but then it falls flat because Ewoks.

If I was the Disney exec in charge of the brand I'd do one of two things:

If I was feeling cynical, lazy, safe and profit minded - I'd put the new movies in the hands of some reliable hacks and tell them to crank out some generic Star Wars movies that'll play to all the iconic imagery of the series and make a bunch of money.

If I was feeling like doing something interesting with the franchise I'd hand it over to some proper filmmakers and let them do their own thing with the setting so long as it was interesting. When the rumour arose a few days ago that Zack Snyder was going to do a Star Wars movie I was quite intrigued - he's not perfect, but I'd trust him to at least do something other than revisit Lucas's greatest hits.

So give it to Snyder, or Fincher, or someone - anyone - with an ounce of originality and talent. Hell, give it to David Lynch - he made a sci-fi movie once and it was extremely flawed but at least it had some style. The Marvel movies had some unexpected directorial choices and they worked out pretty well.* Just don't hand it over to some hack who's going to make Star Pirates of the Galactic Caribbean.

[sub]*actually, yes, offer it to Branagh. He could handle Asgard, so maybe he can breathe some life into the bloody Jedi.[/sub]

Oh, and I'd severely limit their CGI budget and tell them to actually build some goddamn sets this time.

 

[Rawne1980]

Star Wars as a franchise has been a bit crap for a really really long time now. I'm not sure it can be redeemed.

Lets look on the bright side though ... it can't possibly get any worse.

 

[lechat]

i really don't like the way clone wars is headed and i'm worried the movies are gonna be the same. for every 1 kick ass jedi lightsaber episode of clone wars i watch i also have to watch another 4 filled with politics (not the cool fun politics) or worse a 2 bit side character with no personality and no skills. the last 3 episodes prove this perfectly focusing on droids and a little frog guy who has a slightly better character than jar jar

as long as disney sticks to the jedi wizard shit and leaves out the shit for 4 year olds i think they have a chance

 

[Eclectic Dreck]

Oh, and I'd severely limit their CGI budget and tell them to actually build some goddamn sets this time.

They do own ILM and while that has become a byword for CGI, that effects house should have plenty of talent for practical effects still lying around.

 

[ShinyCharizard]

Why not make a film based in the past like the KOTOR games. Star Wars has such a rich lore that you could do pretty much anything.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Hell, give it to David Lynch - he made a sci-fi movie once and it was extremely flawed but at least it had some style.

George already romanced David about directing Return of the Jedi, and David being the artiste took a pass. If he had no interest back in the glory days I'm sure he'd be less interested today. Besides it looks as if David's retired himself into making music videos and playing the guest star in a couple of TV shows, he hasn't made a feature length in 7 years and counting.

Star Wars as a franchise has been a bit crap for a really really long time now. I'm not sure it can be redeemed.

Lets look on the bright side though ... it can't possibly get any worse.

Shhh, they'll hear you.

 

[AdamxD]

I think that the actors they choose may also play a huge role in whether it works or not. I hope they go in the way of The Hobbit and choose quite well known rather than Hollywood A-listers.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

On the other hand, well...Star Wars as a franchise has been a bit crap for a really really long time now. I'm not sure it can be redeemed.

Of course it can. "Star Wars" is a pretty broad concept, there's a lot of room in there for experimentation if you're not shackled to the wheezing donkey that was George Lucas and his terrifying one-track imagination. Nothing is ever so broken it can't be fixed. If we can transition from Batman and Robin into Batman Begins, we can transition from some bad Star Wars films into something watchable and fun.

 

[Orange12345]

(Weekend at Palpatines: Luke kills the Emperor, then he and Darth must keep-up the illusion of his life to maintain order within the Empire).

That actually doesn't sound to bad.

I think they should just move the story on to brand new characters, maybe have a cameo by luke or leia or another character but nothing major to the plot. If they just start with new characters they can hopefully write a really good story that maybe even has nothing to do with jedi and sith.

 

[Fasckira]

When I was a kid, Star Wars was like this treat; it'd perhaps be Christmas-time and it'd come on the tele, we'd all sit down and get comfy to watch this amazing movie knowing that we wouldn't likely get a chance to watch it again for awhile. As a result it got this kind of revered status in my mind, a special thing to cherish.

By the time the newer films came out, I could see them anytime and as often as I cared for. This meant that they didnt hold the same kind of status to me and I wasn't able to watch them with the same child-like love that I had for the first 3.

This for me is why I cant say if the new films are poop or not - I dont know if I can accurately compare them to the older ones.

With that in mind, a reboot would actually be quite enjoyable as I could view the whole thing in a fresh way and maybe even recapture some of that love I once held for the series. So yes, your idea doesnt seem that terrible to me (though you're right, some fan boys would go fucking ape!).

 

[Thunderous Cacophony]

I really hope they don't try and do a reboot, or even go near the other movies. IMO, the main reason the prequels were bad was because Lucas lost focus; rather than stick with the story of how Anakin became Darth Vader, he tried to do a prequel of everything, which made the whole series awkward (seriously, why would Anakin build C-3P0, and who gives a shit that he did?)

That said, I have hopes that the new movies will be about enough new characters that they can tell a new and exciting story.

 

[barbzilla]

(Weekend at Palpatines: Luke kills the Emperor, then he and Darth must keep-up the illusion of his life to maintain order within the Empire).

That actually doesn't sound to bad.

I think they should just move the story on to brand new characters, maybe have a cameo by luke or leia or another character but nothing major to the plot. If they just start with new characters they can hopefully write a really good story that maybe even has nothing to do with jedi and sith.

That is about as likely to happen as me shitting a golden brick. This is Disney we are talking about, the kings of over-saturation. I do like the weekend at Bernie's idea though, as bad as it sounds. It is a deviation and sounds like a fun romp (besides I loved that movie).

 

[Sixcess]

Hell, give it to David Lynch - he made a sci-fi movie once and it was extremely flawed but at least it had some style.

George already romanced David about directing Return of the Jedi, and David being the artiste took a pass. If he had no interest back in the glory days I'm sure he'd be less interested today.

I can see why he'd have turned that down as the directorial duties on Empire and Jedi were really work for hire where the director's job was solely to put exactly what Lucas wanted to see on the screen. That's the sort of creative straitjacket I really hope they don't force onto the people they hand the new trilogy to.

Star Wars as a franchise has been a bit crap for a really really long time now. I'm not sure it can be redeemed.

Lets look on the bright side though ... it can't possibly get any worse.

Shhh, they'll hear you.

I thought it couldn't possibly get any worse, and then there was The Force Unleashed 2. And after that I thought it really couldn't possibly get any worse, and then there was the Sith DLC for TFU2. There is no worst, there is only worst so far...

as long as disney sticks to the jedi wizard shit and leaves out the shit for 4 year olds i think they have a chance

Personally I hope they push the Jedi back onto the sidelines. Ben Kenobi and Vader get a ton of iconic scenes in Star Wars but they're not the main characters, and likewise Luke spends a fair amount of time out of the action in the next two films. It's not until the prequels that it becomes all Jedi all the time, and really there's really not a lot you can do with Jedi as characters outwith 'will they succumb to the dark side?' And they've already done that plotline. Twice.

 

[Galletea]

If I'm perfectly honest, Star wars is one of those trilogies that I remember fondly but can't really be arsed to sit through now. I don't really mind what they do with the franchise, as long as they employ a decent script writer.

 

[SonOfVoorhees]

I really dont care anymore. Like many people we were full of excitement when the last trilogy was being made, and we all know how disappointing they were.....not bad....just disappointing. Any way I wont get excited at all for the new movie, not until i watch it or see trailers also, if its turns out to be a cgi fest then im not interested. If there are sets and its filmed in real deserts or forests....depending on the places its set in, then that will peak my curiosity more.

 

[Jeremy Skitz]

The KOTOR series was the best of star wars for me. It stopped looking in absolutes and showed the galaxy and the force wasn't just black and white. The films need to mature in that way too. Perhaps the next films should show the consequences of empires collapse, maybe the galaxy has ended up in a worse state- from the common peoples point of view- then it was before, crime has increased and the people are in much greater misfortune. The rebel alliance has very few numbers left due to the war so they cannot keep order where order is needed the most. A new breed of Jedi, trained by Luke Skywalker look into the matter at hand and try to help wherever they are needed but the situation is fragile. The people demand action few of the Jedi and politicians begin to believe that having forced order is better than no order at all. Meanwhile other threats wish to capitalize on the weakness of the galaxy for their own ends.

 

[Best of the 3]

I'm excited. The first Star wars I ever experienced was Phantom menace, and I thought it was the shit. I was rather young at the time, and I was really just interested in how the light sabres would go swoosh and the guns would pew pew. I watched the first trilogy movies soon after. I was blown away by them and now really can appreciate the hate that the newer star wars films have. Not share the hate, star wars never had that affect, but understand sure. Reminds me of my dad's hate for Howard the Duck because of Lucas' run away popularity, people thought Howard the Duck would be another great like star wars was. Oh boy was my dad wrong. But I think it's good it's changed owners. A new face, new ideas and new direction, may be able to keep the franchise fresh and interesting.


Also this thread seems to be lacking in obligatory Plinkett.