Discussion Some thoughts about the new movie being "Episode VII"

First...I'm glad to be back in the TFN forums. While I wasn't a major member back in the day, I was extremely active on the boards, going back to well before TPM. I'm hopeful that the community can thrive like it did back then.

So, the Star Wars films were about Anakin. Not about the Skywalkers, or how the Republic fell into an Empire...and how that Empire fell. The saga is (and according to Lucas, always has been) about the rise, fall and redemption of Anakin Skywalker. The new movies should only bear Episode VII-IX if they continue Anakin's story.

Anakin is dead. I don't see how these new films could continue his story and they definity shouldn't try. His legacy though can still have an impact on the story as his descendents attempt to rebuild the Order (or whatever the story is about).

I'm not saying that there shouldn't be new films. I just think that the true "episodes" should be the center of the saga, and only follow Anakin's story. There can be other, ancillary movies, but they shouldn't be Star Wars: Episode VII.

Like the news from that UK article stating that he is to be 'resurrected' and 'brought back from the dead'. Is that figurative? If it is literal, like cloning or like the Boba Fett nonsense, I'm gonna check out.
If it is a trilogy of Vader movies only, seperate from EP 7, 8, 9, than I am sooooooo all for that it isn't even funny. Gotta have James Earl Jones do the voice though. With possibilities like that, I'm wishing anyone that worked on the films to live to be 110 years old so that we can have new stuff for many decades lol

A Man's story can continue beyond his death. It's called a legacy. This trilogy will focus more on a legacy Anakin has left through his descendants. Essentially it will be about the Skywalkers rather than just Anakin. I see no problem with having it labeled as episode VII.

I hate ressurrections.

Having Anakin around as a Force Ghost, much like Obi Wan from ESB and ROTJ might work, though I'm wondering about the context. Anakin was redeemed, so it should be a positive image, otherwise his redemption is wasted. Resurrecting him as the villain would be a terrible idea, something that would undoubtedly leave many fans upset.

For sure..

Jedi can do things normal people can't because of the force. In the Walking Dead, the characters die because they are just people & zombies are deadly. But if you are sith or jedi, you are almost as strong as Superman. And didn't Superman die once? And then he was resurrected? Didn't Jesus and the white wizard in Lord of the Rings & Maul & Lazarus & Spike from Buffy all come back from the dead? Coming back from the dead is not always a crazy idea.

That doesn't mean GL can't retroactively state that the saga was always about the Skywalkers, rather than just Anakin.

The idea of a blue ghosted Hayden coming back to talk to Luke is frightening. Hamill will be about 30+ years older than Hayden so that'll just look stupid, not to mention the fact that having Hayden as a blue ghost was stupid in the first place and makes absolutely no logical sense.

But a blue ghosted Ewan coming back as Obi-Wan? Now THAT I can live with!

As can i!

Unless you take into consideration ALL the things Lucas has said over the years concerning who the story is about - the Star Wars films were always about Luke or always about the droids or always about Anakin, etc, etc. I know he's the creator and everything and his word is supposed to be law, but how can anyone keep it straight when he's always changing his mind? I think it'll only be a matter of time before he comes out with a new statement to coincide with the existence of the Sequels. I bet it will now be the story of the Skywalker family, not just Anakin.

While quoting Lucas about his plans for the Saga is a tricky endeavor (since he's known for contradicting himself, to put it mildly...) I keep thinking of this line regarding the sequel trilogy:

"The main theme of the trilogy would be moral and philosophical problems, such as the necessity for moral choices and the wisdom needed to distinguish right from wrong, justice, confrontation, and passing on what you have learned (Lucas in 1983 and 1989)"

If we're going to end up with a continuation of the Skywalker story, I'm thinking it will deal at least in part with Luke and Leia coming to terms with the Legacy of Vader. I doubt it will be as easy for them (especially Leia) as just torching the suit and moving on.

We're taking past quotes by George "Mr. Revisionist" Lucas seriously now?

This. The saga isn't about solely Anakin anymore. It never was really, despite Lucas' and others' impotent attempts at revisionism. Tragedy of Darth Vader BS is gone. Get over it.

I concur.

Bring on NEW VADER!

Yeah. I wouldn't be surprised if Disney is looking at the possibility of having Vader return - not Anakin - but someone else as Darth Vader.

They know how much he is a cash cow so why not have him come back? While the good, Jedi spirit of Anakin Skywalker became one with the force, what happened to the evil spirit of Darth Vader? Something to think about.

I disagree although I get your point. The most powerful Jedi, it would seem, are able to come back as Force projections as they were at the time of their death. Anakin died, just as Obi-Wan told Luke, when Vader killed him. IMO it makes total sense.

Oh boy, that's a total load of Lucas Logic. Here's why it's totally wrong:

1. Anakin did not die when "Vader killed him," he died at the end of Jedi after Luke takes his mask off. Even George Lucas knew this when he made ROTJ. Obi-Wan was speaking from his point of view when he said the good man he knew died. But the bad man he knew was still alive and well. After Vader is redeemed by Luke, he becomes that good man again, Anakin. At the time of his death, his true death, he is Anakin Skywalker. Thus, when he returns as a blue ghost it's as the 50 year old Anakin.
2. After Anakin becomes Darth Vader in Episode 3, Padme and Obi-Wan call him Anakin several times and he responds to both of them, so cleary Anakin was alive even while he was Vader. He was always Anakin, despite whatever nickname the Emperor gave him. His dirver's license still said Anakin. He still signed his checks as Anakin. That's why when Luke mentions the name Anakin to Darth Vader in Jedi, Vader reacts so angrily. He's STILL Anakin, and he knows it. Luke brings back those feelings and causes him to change. If Anakin was "dead" he could not come back to life, despite whatever resurrection/cloning garbage might exist in the EU.
3. A 25 year old Anakin appearing as a blue ghost means he's essentially the same age as Luke, even though Anakin was 50 when Luke saw him just hours ago. Why would you want to look at a blue ghost of your same-age father? You'd think Luke would want to visit with the version of his father THAT HE HAD JUST SAVED, not the one that is about to be "killed" by Vader. That's why Luke smiles at the end - because he knew he has saved his father and that the other 2 Jedi have accepted him back into their fold. Having a pre-fall Anakin there means that holy crap, this guy could to turn into Vader at any moment!
4. My 7 year old got to that scene, saw Hayden and said "Who's that??" I explained it but she didn't get it. It literally made no sense. And if something in Star Wars (a world filled with artificial gravity, lightsabers that can melt doors but not the actual lightsaber handle, sound effects in outer space, and shield generators located on the OUTSIDE of a startship) confuses a child, it is probably has too much of a logical gap to still "make sense". When put such a confusing moment in such an important moment in the story.
5. Do Yoda and Obi-Wan really want to hang out in blue ghost world with the 25 year old bratty version of Anakin or the mature, redeemed, grown up Anakin? Just think about that for a minute. Who guards the gates and decides who gets accepted into blue-ghosthood?
6. There was nothing wrong with having a 50 year old Anakin blue ghost. No one complained about it. Ever. Before the prequels where made, there was no arguement that the ghost should have been a younger version of Anakin. Everyone was totally fine with the old man. It was poetic. It was touching. It was beautiful. We looked to our own fathers and related to Luke, as we'd been relating to Luke throughout the entire saga. When Hayden appeared the beauty and poety died and that scene became, awkward.
7. It's just dumb!
8. I want Disney to change it back!
9. Thankfully I still have an old copy of Jedi WITHOUT Hayden.
10. Sebastian Shaw got shafted.

Star Wars is a serial... it doesn't need to continue any individual's story to carry the Episode VII moniker.

i wish

No, which was made clear in the first sentence of my post.