May The 4th Be With You & The State Of Star Wars

Well folks, last December I went to the theater and saw Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise Of Skywalker. 

Yeah, that happened. 

I mean what else can I say about it after the trailer and my complete lack of enthusiasm for seeing the next installment of Disney's woke space tragedy starring Mary Sue, uh I mean Rey, and a bunch of other diversity hire characters that I really didn't have any serious interest in at this point. 

Oh don't get me wrong, as much as I dislike what Disney has done to the franchise I still planned to go see the film when it arrived to the theaters. I just was not looking forward to it with any great interest. After the travesties that were Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi and Solo: A Star Wars Story, by this point it almost felt like I did going through the motions of watching The Simpsons after season 10, simply because it was there. 

The only thing that would have driven me to actually go shill out the money for a ticket to see the movie (which thanks to a co-worker's busy schedule I didn't actually have to do!) is seeing the conclusion of the Skywalker Saga that has been a part of my life-long fan obsession for as long as I could remember.

I won't mention spoilers here, even though by this time everyone knows what happened. My brain is still processing the fact that the glorified fanfiction I saw on the big screen was the actual conclusion of, not only to Disney's sequel trilogy, but of a journey that began in May of 1977. 

To quote Darth Vader rising from the table at the end of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith: Noooooooo!

Now look, before y'all go on thinking oh this guy is one of those bitter fanboys who hates having a waaamen as a main character, let give you some background on how much Star Wars means to me as a fan.

For over 40 years the Star Wars franchise was space opera and sci-fi adventure at some of its best....before the dark times, before The Mouse.

There has not been a moment in my life where I did not know the name Star Wars. I was born in June of 1976, about 11 months prior to the original Star Wars film being released on Wednesday, May 25, 1977. 

As a young Southern boy, I loved watching the original Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope with my family and all three of the original trilogy films in the early to mid-80s. I grew up throughout the 80s soaking up every bit of Star Wars that I could find, from pop-culture references of it on Jim Henson's Muppet Babies to the appearances of the cast on reruns of The Muppet Show. I even watched those gawdawful Ewoks and Star Wars: Droids – The Adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO Saturday morning cartoon series in the mid-1980s. 

I think I might have even watched the Star Wars Holiday Special once as a kid -- after which my brain probably completely repressed the memory to protect itself from that particular travesty.

I was completely hooked on the story of space wizards with glowing lightsabers battling evil in a sci-fi setting. I owned and read Shadows of the Empire, the three-part Heir of the Empire Thrawn trilogy, and a number of the older Expanded Universe (now Legends) stories. 

When the remastered trilogy movies made their way to the theaters in 1997, I went and saw each of them on the big screen (I didn't actually get the see any of the original trilogy in the theaters and only saw them on VHS, or movie channels like Showtime). I did like most of the George Lucas' revisions, uh kind-of, even if I believed most of them were unnecessary -- and I still say Han Shot First dammit! 

Then about twenty years ago back in May was the anniversary of the continuing saga of Star Wars with the release of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace prequel movie....which I actually enjoyed. 

Yeah I know this will put me at odds with a number of fans, but I was never one to knock the prequel films, or crap on them for not being the original trilogy. They were never supposed to be the original trilogy. Do I think they were perfect films? No. Do I think they were better than the original trilogy? Hell no! But they did bring their own unique additions to the cannon lore of the Star Wars franchise and tie together with the original trilogy very well.

Plus they had some of the most kick-ass lightsaber duels of the entire saga to date. There are very few fans today who won't admit to having John Williams brilliantly composed theme Duel of the Fates playing in their brains whenever they see an awesome sword fight, or swing their own plastic lightsabers. 

Granted fans expected more than Jar-Jar Binks and Podracing back in 1999 and maybe fan expectations were raised a bit too high after the outstanding expanded universe created over the two decades between Return of the Jedi and The Phantom Menace by a fandom that was starving for new Star Wars content. Still, if one does not try to compare the prequel trilogy with the original trilogy too rigidly, as I choose not to, then a fan can still find stories that fit both trilogies together nicely. I got through them and even enjoyed them because I accepted them for what they were -- a three-part origin story for the trilogy that I grew up with in my formative years.

All the same after another two decades most fans can look back and see Lucas' guiding hand and respect for the original story in the prequel films -- especially compared to what has come out of now Disney owned Lucasfilm over the last few years. Even the Star Wars The Clone Wars animated film and subsequent Cartoon Network television series is seen today by most fans as a brilliant addition to the franchise. 

Now I know I have been hard on Disney and the corporate shills at Lucasfilm, but I am nerd enough to admit that they haven't completely destroyed Star Wars -- well not just yet.  

Yes many agree that they have devalued Star Wars considerably, but in the hands of people who respect the original vision they can still produce some good content. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Star Wars Rebels Disney Channel series were both well done in relation to staying true to Lucas' vision. Not without their flaws, to be certain, but still seen by many fans as good storytelling. Certainly The Mandalorian series is widely panned by the Star Wars fandom as well made, and the final season of Star Wars The Clone Wars was probably more anticipated than The Rise of Skywalker ever was -- thank you Dave Feloni!

Unlike many old time fans, I do not see the original trilogy films and Star Wars specials through rose-colored nostalgia glasses. They certainly had their flaws also, and I have never been one of those George Lucas Is God And Can Do No Wrong fanatical fans (and yes even now some of them still exist). Nor am I necessarily one of those fans that thinks that Star Wars peaked with Empire Strikes Back -- even if I do agree it was likely the best of the films so far.

However, when it comes to making serious feature films and putting them in the hands of directors pushing identity politics and personal agendas ahead of the original vision for Star Wars and the formula that made it work, I think a vast majority can agree that Disney/Lucasfilm sucks for the most part at storytelling -- Rogue One notwithstanding, which actually was a good if not completely flawless film itself.

My final verdict based on what I have seen is that Star Wars is not entirely dead, just frozen in carbonite and hanging on the wall of Disney The Hutt's palace waiting for someone -- anyone -- to sneak in and thaw it out. 

Have a wonderful Dixie Day, and May the 4th be with y'all, always!