It is simple I guess. It was an epic space adventure with all the trappings of a Greek tragedy. Good vs Evil, redemption, friendship and family. It's appealing to the young boy still inside me longing to battle evil with a personalized light saber.
For those of us to have grown up on (and with) the Star Wars saga, we've seen its ups and downs. We sat through rereleases, novels and prequels. We debated the relevance of the extra rubbish thrown at us, and we've criticized its creator like a family just before an intervention.
I like to claim the title "nerd," but in truth I am a fan. A true nerd can tell you weird obscure things about a certain topic. In some cases, I can, but with SW I am truly a nerd's padewan. Yes, I can tell you about the series from a fans perspective, but I don't always remember supporting characters and I can't tell you weird details about some Planetary system mentioned breifly in Revenge of the Sith.
With that in mind, maybe just being a fan is better? I can actually enjoy the movies and television series without getting overly worked up or bogged down if I don't agree with the direction.
I was disappointed by the prequels, and some things do bug me about them still, but I understand that the author took necessary steps to get his story told. It's George Lucas' baby afterall. I couldn't have done any better.
Recently, I read somewhere that a true fan should also watch the animated series to understand the back stories in better detail, so I found myself finally sitting down and watching "Rebels" and "Clone Wars."
The former I really enjoy. New characters causing a minor headache for the Empire set between chapters III and IV. It's crafty, and looks to be even cooler with season 2 right around the corner. Darth Vader is finally getting some love and I'm excited for that alone. "Rebels" is so well done that I felt forced (pun intended) to look back and discover the Clone Wars series, which is about as bad as I assumed.
I never did like how they developed the Aniken character in the prequels, and the Clone Wars series is focused around his "adventures" during the war just before his demise (between episodes II and III). Count Doku is reduced to a Scooby Doo villain, constantly foiled by the meddling Jedi in installments that go no where.
I just watched an episode where Aniken had to rescue Jabba the Hut's son, foiling Doku's plot to win the loyalty of the Hut Clan to the Federation.
It's really not great. The story line hasn't advanced much (I'm starting season 2), and a whole new set of questions have me scratching my head like "huh?"
Aniken has a padewan? That's kind of weird.
As far as I'm concerned, the prequels will never matter as much as the originals, and the Clone Wars are very much a continuation of that shit show... but it did introduce an entire new generation to the franchise, so it's not all bad. I will continue watching so I'm in the loop and hope to find a peice of something palatable to keep my interest before I deem it too stupid to watch.
Of course the big news is Chapter VII coming to Theaters in December 2015. The blogs are a bustle with info about the plot, the character interaction and advancement of the story.
Here's what we think we know. It has something to do with a light saber falling into the hands of some people that would like to return it to its owner, one Luke Skywalker. Luke has aged and grown powerful like his predecessor, Obi Wan, but standing in the way is a new band of dark siders. Drama ensues.
Supposedly Han Solo bites it at some point, but we will see. I'd rather watch and find all that out in December.
The best any of us can hope for is a back to basics storyline filled with adventure and intrigue. The franchise lends itself well to the Luke era because it's not overly political. It's simpler than the prequels, and I for one am looking forward to turning into a wide eyed child for a few hours when it comes out. I may even see it twice.
The force runs strong in my family. I have it, my father has it, and my sister has it. My kids definitely have it, and my cat has it too. Our turtle has it, my Lisa has it, and the kid who made my coffee at Starbucks has it as well.
Nago
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