ST JJ's Thoughts on the Prequels

OK call me an idiot but I got into a debate on SuperHeroHype with a bunch of Prequel haters; has JJ ever said/implied anything about the Prequels?

Basically I'm asking: what is JJ Abrams' opinion of the Prequels? I highly doubt GL would have hired him if JJ thought the Prequels were a load of crap (which of course they are not).

 

He's diplomatic about them but he's made it clear that the OT is more his thing.

 

I don't think he hates them, but I think it's safe to say he likes the OT more. I'm pretty sure he's said that he respects the fans of the PT, so he probably won't try to alienate them.

I expect the ST to have the tone of the OT and the look of the ST.

 

Agreed. Since the PT provokes a mixed reaction don't expect too many callbacks to them.

Can't see what it matters if JJ doesn't like them anyway. He's making Ep7 set 60+ years after the PT & featuring OT characters.

 

Oh ya, I know he likes the OT more, but what drives me nuts is when people say he is going to ignore/eliminate the Prequels - I think he has more respect for GL than that, and he knows there are a whole lot of the younger generation that love them. Obviously the main characters will be from the OT (timeline - duh ), but I doubt the PT will be ignored/spit upon.

 

Since it's set so long ago, the PT may indeed be "ignored", that is it may just not need to feature in the plot. If this is the case I hope PT fans don't carry on & complain that JJ has snubbed them on purpose.

 

How can you ignore The Clone Wars/a Sith Lord using the political system to take over the Galaxy?

 

I can't see the entire ST breezing by without a single reference to the PT, it's a big part of the Star Wars history, so much so that the OT made references to the events of the PT and the PT hadn't even been made yet. But as many passing references as we get to the OT, the PT will be even less. But that's really a matter of how much time has passed in the galaxy. One would assume Ep. 7 would kick off approximately 50 years after the ending of Episode 3. There's a hellova lot of stuff in there that happened in between to chatter aboot.

 

That was all established in the OT, it was just shown in the PT. Referring to these events is a callback to both existing trilogies. Anyway my point is there may be no mention of Naboo, Gungans, Midichlorians etc etc. This may just be JJ's story choices rather than a deliberate snub of the PT.

I think the one almost certain callback to the PT will be Coruscant.

 

Good PT aspects to include would be the rebuilding of the Jedi and Republic. To me that's the most organic way to handle it.

 

I really don't think it's necessary to mention specific happenings of the PT. Naming names and all that seems fanboy-ish. The story will be a natural continuation of the OT and PT. That should suffice for anyone.

 

Seeing PT planets and aliens would be enough for me to know that there is some connection. It doesn't have to be anything drastic, but something little like that would be nice.

 

Agreed, I'm sure they'll do that.

 

I feel like, love them or hate them, if there is a serious philosophical debate regarding the Force that midichlorians could be mentioned.

 

That makes sense from a fictional world point of view, but from a commercial movie making point of view...no chance. Too controversial & too many mixed feeling about them. Zero chance of a mention IMO.

 

I get what you are saying. But I doubt JJ and co will let criticism get in the way of telling the story they want to tell.

 

Midichlorians get touched on in the Yoda arc of The Clone Wars finale. They did a decent job to alleviate at least my apprehension to midichlorians. That said, his opinion of the OT is almost irrelevant. They happened and he can't ignore what happened in them.

 

I agree they did a good job with it there.

You mean his opinion of the PT???

 

It's not so much criticism as commercial reality. Disney paid $4billion+ for Star Wars. Ep7 is crucial in re launching the franchise & beginning to get a return on their investment. They're not going to risk including such a controversial & (with many) unpopular story element.

TCW audience are hardcore SW fans like us. They can cover things like midi's there without negative repercussions. Including them in Ep 7 for the general movie going audience...different story.

 

Let's keep some optimism here people. He won't forsake the PT.
He will be focused on the OT more than the PT but let's be real. The ST is closer to the OT than it is the PT. Throwbacks will be there but OT will be focused on more. Also we've have 15 years in the PT era, time to move on.

 

This. Even if Abrams disliked them, he wouldn't openly say it.

 

His reaction to the final joke/question in this interview is diplomatic, sort of.

 

I'm sure he was like: Nope, you're not gonna make me go there. You gotta put yourself in his position, though. Even if he disliked the prequels, and I am not saying or implying he did, he is not just another fan, but the guy at the helm of the next Star Wars movie. It'd be unfair to dismiss the prequels as if they hadn't even been made and this is coming from someone who does not really like them all that much. If anything, Abrams should make his own story, on a par with the franchise, while trying his best to please everyone, both PT and OT fans… piece of cake.

 

The truth is, I believe, is that this is mostly all about marketing and PR. Regardless of whether one loves/likes/appreciates the prequels or not, the original movies are seen as not only representing the golden era of Star Wars, but the golden era of quality/big budget blockbusters... I'm sure JJ appreciates the PT well enough, but I think harkening back to the OT serves his own interests as a 'fan' (no one can blame him for that), and it also works as a clever way of reinvigorating/rebooting Star Wars i.e. looking backwards to look forwards.

However, I'd be wary about what people wish for because it's my perception that much of what is discussed, in terms of PT versus OT, is surface stuff e.g. "lived in", "too much CGI" etc. There's little chance that JJ/KK will make a new Star Wars film with the pacing of the originals... Big action pieces aside, the OT was rather slow in comparisson to most modern action films. For example, I'd be very surprised if the Tatooine homestead sections of ANH or the Dagobah sections of TESB would make it into a new Star Wars film now... they'd probably be edited into 30 second montages. I'd also be surprised if the risk averse JJ was willing to take production to anywhere like Tunisia or Norway. And if JJ isn't willing to open up his imagination and use all technologies at his disposable, we may get a film that looks as unimaginative as Star Trek (in terms of sets and locations).

So when you strip away the 'surface' stuff what's left is fairly nebulas... e.g. "characters we can invest in", "great dialogue" etc. which is fine... but, for me, that hasn't been evident in JJ's films to date. I think JJ's more of a style man than a substance man... so I have a sneaking suspicion that the ST (although it will heavily reference the OT I'm sure) will probably be closer to the PT in terms of style.

 

As he's making episode 7 of a 9 part saga, I highly doubt anything will be ignored, but at the same time it will only be included if it is relevant to the story.

I have every faith there will be connections of some sort to both the OT and the PT.