So now we know.
For some time now, Disney/Lucasfilm have been whistling past the graveyard, giving fans of Star Wars just enough hope to hang on, praying that somehow the sequel trilogy would be retconned (or at least written around.)
A decision should’ve been made long before now, and I’d argued in the past that their last real opportunity to try to correct things with the fanbase was Obi-Wan.
Jon Favreau did offer hope with The Mandalorian. Whether through sabotage, through not having the power to effect change, or simply because he never intended to deviate from the ST – that hope is now lost.
Star Wars is dead.
I had this feeling once before, in 2005. Widely considered to be the best of the prequel trilogy, Revenge of the Sith actually left me feeling very empty. It wasn’t because of any narrative lack – it was just that it was finished, and the future was uncertain. At that time, I didn’t think we’d ever get another Star Wars movie again. If it weren’t for Rogue One, I’d say that I wish we hadn’t. (I know that feeling isn’t universal for everyone.)
But now – today – it is really and truly dead. Star Wars will NEVER ascend to the cultural heights it once commanded. The window to hook a younger generation will now be lost.
The worst part of all of this is that Kathleen Kennedy wins. I don’t know if the quote “I will have my way or I will burn this nonsense to the ground” was ever actually corroborated, but it certainly feels like it was true.
That said – I’ve been tasked with giving my thoughts on the announcements from today. I’ll do that in just a moment, but before I do I’d like to offer some thoughts on hope, criticism/commentary and leaks.
Whenever I comment, either here or on Youtube, there are inevitably a few folks who will mock the idea that there was ever a civil war internally at Lucasfilm. It’s usually a small contingent, but there’s always at least a few – these are the folks who deride anybody who held out hope for this train wreck somehow being undone.
I understand why they were skeptical. On the face of it, the idea seems (and may well have been) ridiculous. I’ll say for myself, those hopes weren’t based just on wishful thinking. They were based primarily on the fact that no sane company would chart this course. Disney bought Lucasfilm for two reasons – to own the premiere special effects house in Hollywood, and to reap the benefits of an ENORMOUS merchandising empire. The movies were ironically not the cash cow – it was all of the associated spin-offs, toys, and games. The movies provided the narrative hook that provided for that play, and by killing the narrative, they have killed that golden goose. They KNOW this – but they are comitted to destroying it. It’s a decision that will be looked back upon as the pinnacle of hubris.
On criticism/commentary, and leaks:
I suspect today is going to cause some strife in the community. I hope that isn’t the case. We’ve done our best to report honestly based on the information that we have been given, and our own analysis of that information. Others do the same on their own respective sites.
We took a lot of flack for reporting that what came to pass today was going to happen. Others argued that it wouldn’t.
I’ve long held that just because sometimes we may disagree with rumors or leaks coming from others in this space, it doesn’t mean that we’re at odds or that anybody is acting in bad faith. Many times, the same information can be viewed different ways by different people, or what is told can be interpreted differently by the recipient.
Also, it cannot be overstated that leakers themselves can be plants or feed misinformation. It’s also easy to become too wrapped up in your own analysis – convinced that things MUST go the way that has been predicted.
All of this is a long-winded way of saying: today is a difficult day for a lot of people. Something that was precious to many was lost today, and it’s going to take some folks some time to come to grips with that. Whether the slate that was presented today actually gets produced or not hardly even matters – things can always change, and Lucasfilm now has a long and storied history of not getting projects off the ground.
Either way – Kennedy, and Palpatine won. Be kind to those who are grieving.
Ahsoka
The Ahsoka trailer came as a bit of a surprise to me – not because I didn’t think one would be presented, but because many of the scenes in it looked cheap. This could be because visual effects work has not been completed – I would hope that would be the case. Many of the scenes appeared to be of 90’s era FMV game quality – not a good sign. Also, Hera looks “off”.
The trailer does reveal Grand Admiral Thrawn – from the back, it does look like Lars Mikkelsen to me, but time will tell.
That said, this will NOT be Heir to the Empire, despite the trailer quote. As such, I wouldn’t expect much but watered-down diet-Thrawn, who will be dispatched prior to The Further Adventures of Rey Palpatine. They also seem to be setting up Mon Mothma for further incompetence.
(The two interesting things that I did see in this trailer were the new character named Baylan, and the unnamed female character with the red (orange?) lightsaber. One thing I couldn’t quite tell – is the scene at 1:07 a canon take on the combat challenges from Jedi: Fallen Order?)
Star Wars – Episode X: The Further Adventures of Rey Palpatine
Disney promotes fictions largest stolen valor case, indicates that evil will always triumph because good is dumb.
The trailer that was leaked was of fairly poor visual and audio quality. That said, it looks to me like they may have actually given this show a fairly sizable budget. (I could be wrong, but it looks like there are more practical sets in this show as opposed to being shot on the volume – more like Andor than Ahsoka.)
Carrie-Ann Moss looks cool pulling out kung-fu, but it’s set in the High Republic. It may look good, but it will flop.
Skeleton Crew
This footage for Skeleton Crew was also rough, and incomplete. I get a different vibe from this one – because it’s kid-focused, I definitely get a bit of Spielbergian/Amblin Entertainment feel from it – but it also feels like it’s taking the subject matter seriously – in this way, I mean it looks a little more sci-fi than space-opera to me – maybe a bit more grounded, like Andor? Hard to tell. Could be interesting, but could also deviate too far from the Star Wars formula. (However, if done properly could be a shot in the arm with a fresh new take.)
Dave Filoni’s Star Wars Movie
My feelings on Dave (especially lately) have always been somewhat mixed. I think the real danger here is that it’s the big event movie that was reported on years ago that was supposed to be the big crossover event for the various shows. The danger of announcing now is that it sounds like it puts an end-date on those shows. Movie production typically takes 2-3 years for pictures like this, so that’s probably the limit of seasons that you’ll see for Ahsoka, before they hand back off to Rey. Might’ve been smarter to keep this announcement under wraps.
Andor – Season 2:
I’ve made no bones about my love for Andor Season 1. Not much is given away plotwise in the snippet that was briefly leaked, but it appears to be upholding the visual quality and tone from the previous season.
The Future/Final Thoughts
Today has in many ways been a heartbreaking day. I don’t know if all of these projects will actually see production, but at least some of them will. The sequel trilogy has been cast in stone, and I’m done with modern Star Wars.
I’ll finish the Mandalorian Season 3. I will NOT under any circumstances watch another movie with Rey Palpatine.
I don’t know what I’ll be doing with the other TV shows. While I’m curious to see what a live action Thrawn will be like, there’s no question it will be a disappointment. We’re not getting the real Thrawn, and our heroes are not getting their real destiny.
As such, I’m inclined to just ignore them.
Games might be a different story. I haven’t made a decision on Jedi Survivor, but the ties to the High Republic give me a sour taste in my mouth.
(That said, if they ever made another X-Wing/Squadrons game, I’d have to pick that one up.)
I’m guessing the future for me will involve looking back – talking about the old stuff, highlighting some of the high points of original EU storytelling.
I’m interested to hear what you guys think – let me know in the comments down below.
For all the latest news that should be fun, keep reading That Park Place. As always, drop a comment down below and let us know your thoughts.
