Lucas should have done Episodes 7-9 as films and Episodes 1-3 as books

I would like to agree with you. I think that, while the prequals are interesting, I would have much rather seen sequals of the already established characters. The Vong invasion, or better yet the Thrawn trilogy would have been cool. I REALLY wish that they would have decided to do both. Oh well...you can wish in one hand and crap in the other and see which gets filled first. LOL

 

Why can't Lucas stop changing his mind all the time?

For Kenobi and Vader to be the new main characters doesn't make a bit of sense. As Risste pointed out: in the OT Vader is not a primary POV character and he takes many years to 'repent.' And does he really repent? Does he apologize to his son for trying to blow him away in the trench of DS I or for torturing his daughter, his daughter's lover, removing a portion of his son's limb? No. But for some reason we are suppose to believe this character repents, even though he apologizes for nothing.

 

I believe that the OT focused on Luke. I mean it was HIS adventure at first. But we all got a look at Darth Vader and wanted to know more about him than about Luke. Vader was the mysterious guy in the black suit and mask that, while I watched Star Wars back in '77 (yes, I'm that old!), I wanted to find out about this person. Why did he wear that mask and why did he turn to the Dark Side. After ROTJ, I was left with this feeling of knowing that the guy is dead now and we may never know exactly what happened. Maybe through books, but I never imagined GL to make a prequel to tell that story until TPM came out. Now I can see first hand from GL himself what he wanted to tell us about Anakin's life. Sort of filling in the spaces that was left out in the end of ROTJ. He realized that many fans were wondering the same thing, that Anakin's story needed to be told as well. It would be nice to see the "old gang" again in a movie but I know that may not happen so I will be content in reading about their adventures in the books.

 

I think Rebecca may be on to something here. I think the OT was originally going to be all about Luke, but once GL got the idea for the prequels he decided to make it Anakin's story, an all encompassing story arc that marks his fall and redemption from beginning to end.

 

Well considering that the original ANH novelisation had "From The Adventures of Luke Skywalker" at the top of the cover as did Splinter of the minds eye I'd say the original intention was for it to be about Luke

 

At one point there were going to be 12 SW films with no prequel trilogy but all 12 focusing on Luke Skywalker. This was back in 1978. But in 1980(the release of TESB)Lucas reduced the number of films in the saga to nine with the last three to be about the rebuilding of the Republic and in 1983 a Time Magazine article said that the third trilogy's main theme was "the necessity for moral choices and the wisdom needed to distinguish right from wrong" and that Luke was to be in the sequel trilogy at the age of Obi-Wan Kenobi in ANH:somewhere in his sixties and that his friends would reappear.

Lucas said that it would be fun to make three more SW films in the future when the original cast are in their sixties and that he asked Mark Hamill if he would be interested in playing an Obi-Wan type character who passes on the excalibur to the next generation of Jedi Knights in a sequel trilogy.

There is a summary for the cancelled sequel trilogy and even Episodes X-XII in the Lostworlds section in the downloadable Timetales Chronology.

Here's the summary:

With the Galactic Civil War at an end and the majority of it's aftershock battles finished,
the New Republic(referred to more as the Republic now,just as the Old Republic was before the Civil War)is continuing to rebuild the glorious Republic that once spread across the galaxy. Luke Skywalker is now an aged Jedi Master, heading up a new legion of Jedi Knights as they once again begin to more prominently become "the guardians of peace and justice" in the Republic. A new threat is raised, a menace carried over from a period about six decades earlier, as a figure from Episode III returns after being frozen for the intervening years. In the ensuing events, Luke's own son begins to fall to the Dark Side and in a twist of when it was father against son for the redemption of the father(when Vader and Luke battled aboard the Death Star II),it is now father against son for the redemption of the son. Luke manages to save his son from the Dark Side, and the new threat is defeated.

Here's a short summary for episodes X-XII:

The adventures of Luke and his son continue in the final events that decide the fate of the Skywalker family and the conclusion of the Journal of the Whills.

So I think that instead of lining up to see Anakin's fall and the annoying Jar-Jar we could have eating our popcorn and watching on the big screen more fantastic adventures of the greatest influenital Jedi in galactic history:LUKE SKYWALKER!!!!!!!

 

But of course I wished that Lucas had done both trilogies:Episodes 1-3 and 7-9. But he's only doing one trilogy. But if I were Lucas I would make the final three and continue the adventures of Luke,Han,Leia,Lando,Chewie,C-3PO and R2-D2.

It would be neat if the sequel trilogy would have been about Thrawn leading the remnants of the Empire to defeat the New Republic or the Yuzzhan Vong invading the galaxy. But I have always dreamed of seeing Luke as a Jedi Master leading a new Jedi Order or even to see Leia as a Jedi. Luke told Leia in ROTJ that in time she would learn to use it as he had and Yoda told Luke in ROTJ that "the force runs strong in your family" and to "pass on what you have learned" That's what the sequel trilogy would have been about.

 

At one point there were going to be 12 SW films with no prequel trilogy but all 12 focusing on Luke Skywalker.

No. Lucas never said that Luke would be the focus in each one. He only implied ( mostly through the OT presentation itself ) that Luke was the focus of episodes 4-6. This idea was dropped in the mid to late 90's.

[Luke], who passes on the excalibur to the next generation of Jedi Knights in a sequel trilogy.

Conjecture. Just as the TimeTales summary is.

I'm satisfied in seeing the further adventures in the novels. I, and most others, aren't interested in seeing an older Han, Luke and Leia repeating those same book plots in filmed form. If a sequel trilogy was made, I think most people would just want to see Luke and his family, and new characters.

 

I believe that, Bastet willing, if they were going to do a sequel trilogy, logically it would have to be set in the future and either be the kids/grandkids of Luke & Co. or in the distant future, 1000 years +, since the original trilogy actors have lost, shall we say, their youthful vigor.

That said, I am happy with the Prequel Trilogy. It's not perfect, but like Lorien said, '...sometimes it's all we have.'.

 

Maybe NJO is designed to replace 7-9

 

Lets give BARA-DAM the prize.....it's actually a very good thought, even if not quite intended to be the continuation the series of books is better than nothing.

I'm from the old '77 crowd and if memory serves GL wanted to do episode 1-3 first but special effects were not refined enough and the SW film gave a better story etc etc--at the time. I'm looking forward to watching the next 2 films as the start of a story, it sets everything else up.

The whole Saga is not about receiving an Oscar for Writting or Acting, it's about telling a story that alot of people love.

 

As far as I can see, a lot of u guys feel different about this topic.
Thats great, people do have different kind of thoughts about things. But during Ep1 I never had that feeling I had with the OT, I didn`t expect it do be like that either. OT has always been and is forever going to be the best SW trilogy.Of course there are going to be some great acting during PT ( ewan,portman,jackson,liam (ep1) ), some great and stunning visual effects, some good events etc...but nothing is going to beat OT, im pretty sure about that.

Anyway, the EU should not be filmatized, though it would have been cool watching luke and mare fight together, thrawn kicking the new republic arses...and of course, at last but not least, the NOGHRI!!!
Its probably better to filmatize the PT but I have much more feelings for the OT and EU

-AdMiRe-

 

But during Ep1 I never had that feeling I had with the OT, I didn`t expect it do be like that either.

Be thankful it didn't. This is a new day and a age, and a new trilogy. If it was too similiar to the OT, people would still complain.

OT has always been and is forever going to be the best SW trilogy.

[...]

...but nothing is going to beat OT, im pretty sure about that.

Opinion, not fact.

I don't view the trilogies as being seperate in many ways. It's all the same story, just broken up into 6 pieces. We're just now getting to see these first chapters, and it makes one view the later chapters differently, as they should.

 

Correct me if i'm wrong...but the first time Lucas said anything about it being Anakin centered was when he was gearing up for the prequels......i have to agree that the OT didn't feel oriented that way at all......Unless EPIII shows me different ANH had no character development for him...and he just wasn't around often enough...it was about him then we saw the opposition far more than we saw him...for most of the movies so far...

As for the title question......i think we'd be complainig either way...we'd have slightly different compliants...but whichever trilogy he tried to tackle...the movies would still be greener on the other side of the OT (ugh...mixed metaphores)...

 

I fall into mutley's crowd. I was 7 in 1977 and grew up as a SW fan. I remember reading about it being 12 films and then 9 films. However, I don't remember who they were supposed to be about except that GL said that the droids would be the only two characters to be in all of them. I also remember that Ep.4 was supposed to be from the middle of the story and that it was made before the beginning part because it had more action then either the beginning or the end. GL thought that that part of the story would "sell" to the execs better. I recall something about that part being to much for one movie so he broke it out to 3 (hence the OT) So, going with the previous info the OT was the "middle" of the story he thought up. (you see where I'm going with this?)

One can look at it this way...the PT is the beginning of Anakin's story, the OT is both the end of Anakin's story and the beginning of Luke's story, a ST (sequel tril) would then be the end of Luke's story. Now, think back to the subtitle of Ep.4....A New Hope! Hope for what or whom? I think Luke is the hope for the jedi of course. At the end of Jedi, Luke has only started by passing the final test to gain Knighthood. And since he is the last jedi he has to rebuild the order...which could be the theme of a ST. Does that sound logical?

 

It sure does! I always thought SW was the story of Luke Skywalker not Anakin. But I always thought it was about the galaxy far,far away and that it was to be nine films. I've known this since I was 9.

The PT was to be about the fall of the Republic and the Jedi

The OT was to be about the battle to restore the Republic between the Rebels and the Empire.

The ST was to be about the rebuilding of the Republic and the reestablishment of the Jedi Order.

Perhaps as Skywalker 2B said the prequels are the beginning of Anakin's story and the OT is the end of Anakin's story. While the OT is the beginning of Luke's story and the ST is the end of Luke's story. Perhaps the ST is also the story of Luke's son. If there had been a fourth trilogy(there were to be 12 SW films back in 1978)it would have been about Luke's grandchildren. I always thought SW was a multi
chapter,multi-generational saga about the Skywalker family. Perhaps Episodes VII-IX and Episodes X-XII will be made into books someday. Lucas did write a brief outline of what happened in the SW galaxy after the events of ROTJ so perhaps those notes will be published into novels someday. Then we will know from Lucas' point of view of what happened after ROTJ and his ideas for the sequels which will never be made into films.

 

I think that a 4th trilogy would be a bit much. Besides, from what you pointed out about the themes of the trilogies, after the Jedi and Republic have been re-established in the ST there's not really another major theme for a 4th trilogy.

The 3rd trilogy could be Luke re-establishing the Jedi while Leia helps to re-establish the Republic. Notice that I said "helps"...I always thought that Leia would in fact follow in her brother's footsteps and the other hope that Yoda and Ben speak of.

I see a ST ending with the knighting of Luke's first apprentice (besides Leia that is) and a fade out to credits with the New Republic Senate being called into session as the Senators all stand and cheer very loudly. Along the way, Luke and Leia will have to deal with everyone being afraid that they will become another Darth Vader (ie. that could be how the dark side dominates Luke's destiny). Maybe even in Ep.7 it could open with Luke having an apprentice (he would already have trained Leia with Yoda, Ben, and Anakin's help) but his apprentice falls to the dark side. I don't know, but I think that there is still more story to the saga after Ep.6.

 

If Lucas had done 7,8,9 episodes, it would have been the Jedi Academy. JKA trilogy is mystic enough for sequel...

 

Not really-chapters 7,8,9 could have been anything. As much as I support the books after ROTJ being cannon GL still has the final say, and could have taken the story in any direction.

It's his story and to be honest I really don't care for the politics of everything this is or is not cannon etc....

In '77 I fell in love with a great story that took 3 years for the next stage, I'm happy that the start of everything is being filmed as it does provide the link to the OT.

I'm just as happy to get some kind of finish, in book form, because it seems almost certain that SW3 will be the last film.

But heck so far it's been a great ride...