Sympathy for the Disney Devil
Recently, reviewing Obi-Wan Kenobi has put me in a bit of an awkward position – not only with the fan community in general, but myself. My review of the third episode put me on the opposite side of most fans who lost interest in Star Wars after the Disney acquisition. It was a bit awkward for myself as well, because I (mostly) count myself in that camp as well. This culminated in a slight disagreement between myself and one of the other site authors, and I thought it might be interesting to explore that in a more transparent way, and to hopefully foster some diaogue between both sides of the aisle. With that in mind – I wanted to open up some of my own feelings on Star Wars – the past, present, and potential future – and how I judge things when reviewing. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this article – whether you’re a Star Wars Classic fan, a Disney continuity fan, an EU Fan (pre or post-Disney acquisition), or somewhere in between. Please keep all conversation civil down below – we’re all passionate about this property, but I’d like to believe we’re all fans in good faith.
With that – here’s where I find myself today.
Classic Star Wars: I’m a die-hard fan of the original trilogy and EU. I saw the original movies as a kid, but really came back to them with the Timothy Zahn novels and the original X-Wing computer game. These were a re-entry point for me, and I never slowed down afterwards. My philosophy in the old days was that whether I liked it or not, anything that happened in the old EU was canon. The thinking was, if they published it, put their name on it, and profited from it – then it happened. This was made possible because even though the quality of content could be uneven, good to bad was maintained (in my view at least) at at least a 50/50 ratio – and bad content tended to have retcon patches that would improve the original material.
My personal villain of the day back then was Kevin J. Anderson, although Barbara Hambly was right up there with him. In current day, I feel like any sins they committed can be forgiven based on what we’ve seen come out of Disney.
Prequel Era Star Wars: The prequel era movies were a strange period for me. I was stunned and not a fan of The Phantom Menace – but I think I might have been the only person on Earth who adored Attack of the Clones. I thought the Revenge of the Sith was fine for wrapping up the trilogy, but it also left me depressed, because I was afraid Star Wars was possibly leaving the stage, permanently. Overall I felt that there were flaws in the prequel trilogy, but mainly because I felt there was a better story in the material than what was actually presented. (Most of this had to do with Lucas re-interpretation of his own material. 20 years changes a mans sensibilities) I felt the Clone Wars series (both the Tartarovky cartoon and Cartoon Network series) improved the prequels and cemented their popularity with the generation it was made for, and am thrilled that this series has had a critical re-evaluation in recent years.
The Sequel Trilogy: The announcement of the Sequel Trilogy came as a shock. I was knocked out of my seat when I read that Lucas had sold him company, something that I believed he would never do. When he had said that he could never allow episodes 7, 8, and 9 to be made I believed him. I was nervous about the Disney acquisition, but also somewhat hopeful. The division of the prequels was still present, and I actually hoped that Jon Favreau might have been named as a director. (The Iron Man movies were still fresh in my mind.) I was nervous about the announcement of JJ as director, but hoped for the best. When the Force Awakens debuted, I was on the edge of my seat – I was enjoying the movie right up until about 3/4 of the way through – when we arrived at Takodana. Once the assault on Starkiller base came on screen, I got angry, and didn’t sit through the end credits. With a bit of distance from the movie, I convinced myself that even though it was a copy of A New Hope, that it was mostly still OK. I thought that there were intriuging elements introduced that would surely pay off in future movies.
By the time The Last Jedi trailer aired, I was fully invested again. When Luke said that “It was time for the Jedi to End”, I was onboard. I had an idea of where the story was going to go in my own mind, and I thought this was dovetailing with it. I had tickets purchased to see the movie on the premiere night, but fell horribly ill before it released. In retrospect, that should have been a warning sign. When I had recovered and was able to go see the movie, I wasn’t sure what to feel. I remember telling my best friend that I thought that Rian Johnson had made some “bold” decisions. I was scheduled to give a TV interview about the movie, and had to be careful with my language because I couldn’t give spoilers. I do remember saying when asked that the movie would be polarizing for the audience, and that you would either love it, or hate it.
Between Episodes 8 and 9, I was desperately trying to convince myself that this was all going to work out. I could not conceive of the idea that Lucasfilm would gamble with a property this important and not actually have a plan that would make sense. Then the teaser for Episode 9 launched. Palpatine’s laughter was heard at the end, and I realized they were doing a loose adaptation of Dark Empire. Shock was an understatement. What was widely considered the worst material in the old EU – the one point that ALL fans could agree was the one good thing that came out of the EU being relegated to “Legends” status – was what they were going to try and fix this with? Even so – I still held on. “Maybe they’ll pull this out – maybe, somehow, they’ll improve the source material!” Then I heard rumors about Star Destroyers with Death Star laser technology. That was the final straw for me. I went on Facebook and urged everyone to boycott the movie.
I did not buy a ticket.
For the first time in 20 years, I would not be seeing a Star Wars movie in theaters. When I did eventually see it, it was worse than I had thought it could be, and it cemented my feeling abou the sequel trilogy. This was a series made my activists and trolls, who had no respect for the original series, and whose work retroactively undid the original movies. As such – I cannot view them as canon. Moving Forward So – how to proceed? Up to that point right before The Rise of Skywalker, I had continued purchasing the spinoff novels and such. Most of the novels that took place post-original trilogy were disposed of.
When the Mandalorian debuted, I loved this series and saw it as a potential fork-point – Favreau and Filoni seemed to be working in such a way where the sequels were a possibility, but not an inevitability. I believe after the clear failure of The Rise of Skywalker, the political situation at Lucasfilm had changed, and they had not yet decided how to move forward. With the firing of Gina Carano, I cancelled my Disney+ subscription on the spot. I stopped purchasing most Star Wars material – what exceptions I gave myself were small, and only towards products or materials that could theoretically be compatible with the Old EU.
The Disney Portion of the Bookshelf (that still remains):
Note: These are the Disney books that I chose to retain. I have not read/finished all of them, and most of them will have some contradictory material to the original EU – but I felt these novels were *mostly* compatible and contained some value to them. To my mind, this isn’t much different than the Thrawn novels directly contradicting the prequels in several important ways, due to them being written before the prequels were made. Dooku Master & Apprentice (Prophesies reference the sequel trilogy, but they don’t HAVE to come true/be true) Dark Disciple (Contradicts Dark Horse material, but is in line with The Clone Wars series, which also contradicts other sources) Thrawn Ascendency Trilogy (Have only read the first book) Ahsoka (Contradicted somewhat by The Clone Wars) Catalyst Lords of the Sith (New Canon version of first succesful assault on the Empire, contadicts original EU somewhat) Tarkin (May have contradictions – been a long time since I read it, so I can’t recall) Solo (Movie adaptation) Thrawn A New Dawn Thrawn: Alliances Thrawn: Treason (Have not finished) Rogue One Battlefront: Twilight Company (May have contradictory material – been a long time since I’ve read it/can’t remember)
So why these novels? What do I feel Disney gets right? Most of the things that I think Disney actually gets right have to do with the Empire. I feel that the Disneys version of the Empire made the Empire even more vast, and even more powerful. While the Empire was always considered monolithic, Disney’s version feels monolithic and unbearably close. In their EU novels, the Empire feels like a weight hovering inches above you that could crush you to pulp should the weight fall. Because of this change, the threat is scaled up. In Catalyst, it is shown that the Empire has been established, but is not yet solidified. They are desperate for resources to build the war material and apparatus that they will need to maintain order. Surveillance is everywhere, and through a clever scheme, planets are effectively stolen and quarantined, carved up for their raw materials. Because the Empire is trying to move FAST, the Rebellion hardly has time to form. This leads to various groups who act indpedently and have not yet come together, nor stricken any significant blow against the Empire. Some groups are more violent – think Saw Gererras partisans, while others are still trying to effect political change. (Think Bail Organa in the Senate.)
If Disney is wise and truly wants to capitalize on live-action Thrawn, the best thing they could do in Andor is introduce Senator Garm Bel Iblis. What else? As mentioned in the comments of a recent article, Vaders position has been made closer to what I believe Georges original intention was. He is not a formal member of the Imperial government, nor a part of the military structure. In Disneys Star Wars, the Empire is an apparatus utilized by the Sith, but NOBODY KNOWS ABOUT THE SITH. The galaxy at large views the Empire as trying to maintain order and modernize the archaic structure of The Old Republic. This is part of the reason that I believe it makes sense that Obi-Wan did not know that Anakin survived Revenge of the Sith. In the time of the Old Republic, there were only 10,000 Jedi left. There were only 2 Sith Lords.
In a galaxy of thousands of star systems (let alone planets), how many could have ever even seen the Jedi? This is part of why the Clone Army was created. To really wrap your head around this – think of your own government. You may know who your president/prime minister/executive authority is. Perhaps you know what structure your legislature of parliament takes, and may be able to name some members. If you’re especially political, you may even be able to name some of the judges who sit in your highest courts. But could you name a single Ambassador? Do you think your neighbors could?
Keep in mind that when Vader is deployed, it is because something has gone wrong. He is unlikely to leave survivors in his wake, and if he does – it is unlikely those survivors will have heard his name spoken. All they will know is some terrifying machine-man arrived in their locale and stated that all he is surrounded by is fear and dead men – and then proved that statement true. I also think it is right that Disney has taken the position that Vaders position within the Imperial structure is ambiguous, and this causes conflict within the government and the military. Because he holds no formal position, nobody knows who he really is. All they know is that when he is in the Emperors favor, he can operate outside the chain of command and command resources, much to those military/government officials chagrin. This also keeps these other imperial officials divided and frustrated and not looking to gain too much power – which is what Tarkin was attempting to do with his Death Star.
A final thing I like – in the new canon, Palpatine occupied the Jedi Temple and converted it into his Imperial Palace. Yes, this DIRECTLY contradicts much of the EU, and creates some congnitive dissonance when trying to make all this work in my head – but it is a VERY Palpatine thing to do, so I buy it.
What doesn’t work from Disney? Where do I begin? They have screwed up almost every single legacy character in some very, very important ways. I think the jury is still out on Obi-Wan Kenobi, but they’re walking a very fine line. What they have done to Luke, Leia, Han, Lando, Boba Fett, and countless others is criminal. Much of this is because they want to promote their own characters, promote their own social justice ideology, and have contempt for their fans. But a part of it is also because of a weird nihilistic, morally relativistic attitude. Maybe they’re trying to be more “realistic”, but I find it very, very strange that so many aliens are shown to be supporters of the Empire. The old canon had the Empire being strictly humano-centric, and for a system that was supposed to show raw fascism, this made sense. It seems odd to me that Disney is obssesed with painting their villains as sympathetic, while denigrating their heroes as being just as culpable. This is zero-sum storytelling, and does not uplift the audience at all. Of course – that is possibly the point.
So – can Star Wars be fixed? Not without radical change. With that in mind, here are the things I would tell Disney if given the opportunity:
First – there needs to be a COMPLETE repudiation of the sequel trilogy. This is unlikely to happen. Second – stop preaching to your audience. What you are doing is nakedly transparent and insulting. While you’re at it – stop lying about your fans, and your former employees. In fact – apologize. Thirdly – respect the property you hold, and get back to telling uplifting stories. Finally – have some humility. It’s OK to admit you are and were wrong. Operate in good faith, and forgiveness can be found. Start with firing Kathleen Kennedy and the story group. It will be painful, but it will be an olive branch. Otherwise – you will go down as having ruined one of the greatest franchises to exist in the history of cinema.
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