The Reason why George Lucas needs to make episodes 7-8-9

I'm trying to write it as a TV series right now. I'd love to see it but dont want it to be done via the movies. Movies limit you in the story and amount of exposition you can get in. And for me, going for consistency, the Star Wars MOVIES are now about Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker. To have a movie without him would spoil what has gone before. The arc is done with - in 1 he is discovered, in 6 he dies. Yeah, the Star Wars universe still works as a potential for more stories, sure. Let's just do them through other mediums and keep the movies as their own thing.

I can imagine if the post ep.3/pre ep.4 tv show does well they may do another one set post ROTJ. Then again, Lucas might consider that already dealt with given the amount of novels there have been on the subject already.

 

Why can't there be a new sith lord? I mean the sith have been around for thousands of years. Why would it all end with palpatine dying? It's not like he was the one and only sith. That whole rule of two stuff makes no sense. Think about it, did the sith just pop up for a 30 yr period between episode 1 and 6 and then become like the dinosaurs?

All it takes is a force sensitive person who is bad or evil. Who is to say that one of Luke's future students or one of the members of the new jedi council might not turn evil or turn to the dark side for selfish reasons or maybe even through not fault of his or her own and become seduced.

 

To create another evil character & give him or her the title of 'Sith Lord' would detract from Anakin's story arc of bringing balance to the Force, & it would also eliminate the fascinating, risky aspect of the Rule of Two. The idea that a cult could exist for a thousand years with never more than two members made Sidious & his apprentices seem even more sinister & deadly.
If being a Sith is something anyone can do just by turning to the Dark Side, then the Sith don't seem as powerful.

There's no reason that there couldn't be a new villain that does use the Dark Side of the Force, but dragging the Sith back into it would simply be flogging a dead horse. However, Sith or not, it's been done in eps I-VI already. Could anyone possibly come up with an iconic villain to top Darth Vader or Emperor Palpatine? Or even Darth Maul?

I've posted this before, but IMHO, it'd only be worth doing Eps VII-IX if the story is completely different to what's come before in the Saga, & definitely not the sort of thing that's repeated ad nauseam in the EU - "Something something New Republic under threat, something something Dark Side..."

 

I want nothing more than to see my favorite hero Luke Skywalker as an Obi-Wan like Jedi Master restore the Jedi Order on the big screen and have new adventures with his padawans and his son Ben set against the backdrop of the "rebuilding of the republic" since Yoda's dying wish to Luke was "pass on what you have learned". As what Lucas said the sequels were originally going to be about "The sequels are about Jedi Knighthood,justice,confrontation and passing on what you have learned" and of course "the rebuilding of the republic". I always thought the SW saga should have ended 20-40 years after ROTJ with Luke as an Obi-Wan passing on the torch to the next young hope in Episode IX. Perhaps have Jaina inherit the Millennium Falcon from papa Han and the new enemy could be perhaps Shadowspawn from Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor attempting to become the new Emporer once again and leading the last remnants of the Empire or Darth Plagieus(Palpatine's old master) coming back from the dead to lead the last remants of the Empire to stalk the New Republic/Galactic Alliance and Skywalker family. Also I want to see what happened to Luke,Han and Leia and the Galaxy post-ROTJ from Lucas' point of view or base it on some of the novels.

Lucas should at least do one movie post-Ep6 set decades after ROTJ and focus on Luke as an Obi-Wan/Yoda like Jedi Master training a padawan and/or his son and going on an adventure across the galaxy to face a new threat and Han and Leia could have one last adventure in the Falcon and pass it on to Jaina and Allna Solo at the end and Luke could pass on the leadership of the Jedi to Ben. And then Lucas could do another SW film about the early adventures of Han Solo and Lucas could close the door on the SW universe.

 

I personally think that the saga should not have only been about Anakin Skywalker, but about the Skywalkers.

 

It is.

 

i would like to add to this conversation by saying is it possible that no one can bring balance to the force. i mean for thousands of years the Jedi and the Sith have been trying to kill each other, with neither of them going completely extinct forever. isn't it possible (ahem, excuse me for the Joker reference) that they are meant to do this forever, to be in constant conflict. even in a scientific standpoint it makes since, for every action there is an equal but opposite reaction. so to have a sith villain is nothing impossible. quite possibly might be a great commentary on the human condition.

 

I think the saga might benefit from 'Prologue' and 'Epilogue' movies. Plenty of story to tell.

 

Though its highly unlikely, if George were to ever make a 7-8-9, it would most likely disregard any of the canon EU stuff rom the books, therefor making everything you might have read, non-canon.


But, I wouldn't mind seeing it.

 

For fans, cannon has been a subjective, debating thing for years. Seven through Nine probably would ignore many books, just as PT did, but just like PT, it would also make direct reference to others.

 

Heck, the PT ignored a lot of the OT...

 

It's a tricky subject, this.

The more dogmatic side of me says that the current six-movie saga is about the rise, fall and redemption of Anakin Skywalker, with parallel stories concerning the Sith and the Jedi, embodied by Yoda and Obi-Wan and Vader and the Emperor, with Luke emerging in their wake. The denouement of ROTJ is also the eucatastrophe of the saga ("eu" = good; "good catastrophe"), where one event has a profound, euphoric effect, on the characters in the story and the captive viewer (for more, read a few words from the term's rightful master: http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Eucatastrophe ). At best, a sequel trilogy might feel like a pointless tack-on; at worst, an unwarranted obfuscation of ROTJ's final act, potentially sapping the saga of much of its joi de vivre and thematic potency. There is also the matter of SW's declamatory style. While many dramatic moments and ideas are underplayed, almost to the point of either solemnity or frivolity, the films, in a broader sense, are still space opera serials; a certain brashness is necessitated. Yet, for a sequel trilogy to work, in and of itself, it should probably be made to stand apart, somewhat, especially if Lucas' admittedly-vague wording about it being more "moral" and "philosophical" is anything to by. How then, to honor the basic SW style, while keeping true to an intra-trilogy creed, and a possibly quite radical one, at that? Finally, there is the significant issue of Lucas' attitude. If there's one thing he's remained consistent about, then it's his general reticence to apparently engage, either intellectually or emotionally, in another, more remote set of films, which may have amplified following the PT, which starts in a somewhat abstract way, before finishing in bleak yet also triumphant, atavistic fashion; it is like Lucas poured everything he wanted to say and do with SW into the PT, come PT's end.

Yet the idea of a third trilogy remains alluring. For one, it offers a striking sense of integration: a trilogy of trilogies; one story told in three parts; what's true for the microcosm is true for the whole. Just as I recently argued for seeing the six-film saga in terms of Joseph Campbell's "Hero Journey", so a three-trilogy work would neatly align with Campbell's three basic stages, "Departure", "Initiation" and "Return". Then there is a curious comment by Lucas himself on the third trilogy, dating back to 1981: "In Star Wars, there is a very clear line drawn between good and evil. Eventually you have to face the fact that good and evil aren't that clear-cut and the real issue is trying to understand the difference." While it can be argued that the PT presents a more challenging, ambiguous setting and dialectical interface, existing in opposition to the OT, on multiple levels, it's also somewhat complementary, doing things in an inverted fashion, not so much an esoteric, autonomous one, as I sense Lucas would desire to stress to even greater effect in the sequel films. There is also Lucas' repeatedly-articulated desire to return to avant-garde filmmaking. Again, an argument can be made that the PT represents a consolidation of this desire with populist sensibilities. The OT had some touches to this end, too, and just as the PT allowed Lucas to rack them up a degree, so a sequel trilogy would allow him to rack them up another degree. In fact, one way of honoring the eucatastrophic component of ROTJ is to do something markedly different; while the PT and OT are stylistically mired, if you will, in a certain "Flash Gordon" aesthetic of "heroes" and "villains", capped with a mastermind (Ming/The Emperor) behind everything, so a sequel trilogy would be free of this, because of the sum-total events of the saga, as resolved in ROTJ, allowing Lucas to tread new ground in a further set of films; almost requiring it, really.

One thing that could maybe convince Lucas and catalyze all of this is James Cameron's upcoming "Avatar". While I bagged the trailer just the other day, I have to admit that my interest is piqued; along with a few million

 

No it didn't.

 

There's a few fundamental questions you could look at:

Who is the "alliance" in the rebel alliance? Is it really just a simple bunch of rebels who all agree how things should be in the galaxy? or is it a diverse group who agree on one thing: defeating the empire.

Once that is accomplished, then what?

If the answer is the latter, then it's very conceivable the alliance could be torn apart by infighting or different views on how to secure the peace.

Seriously, why would many people in the galaxy want a return of jedi who ensconced themselves in an ivory tower in the latter days and allowed a sith lord to infiltrate the highest levels of government and install an empire?

What if the secret leaked out that the head of the alliance, and a new jedi, was also the son of one of the biggest villains in the galaxy? Wouldn't some want to keep an eye on him? Wouldn't some want revenge for their families by taking out their revenge against Vader's?

 

Yes Shane, just look what happened to the alliance of the US and the Soviet Union against Germany.

Great post, BTW Cryogenic. Certainly food for thought.

 

Heck, the PT ignored a lot of the OT...

How did it ignore the OT? Details, please.

 

Also, one has to look at the immense power vacuum left by toppling the empire. Who is exactly in charge?

 

I would say that who is in charge would be a part of the story.

 

According to the OT:

- Leia has memories of her mother being kind, beautiful & sad;
- Obi-Wan discovered Anakin & took it upon himself to train him;
- Obi-Wan once thought as Luke did, that there was good in Vader.

In the PT:

- Leia's sole experience with her mother was moments after being born, while her mother was dying;
- Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan's master, discovers Anakin & takes him as a student, Obi-Wan takes over to honour Qui-Gonn's dying request;
- once Anakin has turned to the Dark Side, Obi-Wan never tries to bring him back, he accepts his mission (albeit reluctantly) to kill him.

There's others, & there's ways of rationalising the contradctions, but face it, GL was more concerned with getting the story to work, not with keeping 100% continuity.

 

The OT never said that.

Covered by the PT.

Covered by the PT.

 

First two you can apply the "certain point of view" rule, but how was Vader's reply to Luke in ROTJ - "Obi-Wan once thought as you do" - covered in the PT? Before the discovery of the massacre, Obi-Wan never suspected Anakin was turning, & after Yoda & Obi-Wan discover Anakin's crime, the only hesitation Obi-Wan has in going off to kill Anakin is that he doesn't want to do it himself. At no point is it ever suggested that he wants to convert, rehabilitate or forgive him.

And Leia's memories of her mother? As it's almost a throwaway line in ROTJ, solely there to emphasise the tragic backstory, it's not what you'd call a gigantic plot hole, but it still doesn't match up.

If you have to rationalise something, then it wasn't clear in the first place.

 

Were you in line for popcorn or something? BTW, Vader as an in-universe character is basing his statement on what he experienced - including what he was told - and not what the audience saw.

Because Lucas felt that Padme needed to die on screen instead of between trilogies, it's a deliberate change rather than an oversight. Not that anyone would have complained...

 

OK, I'll pay the first one as Vader getting it wrong in-story - doesn't Padme say something like, "He wants to help us"? - but it really doesn't sit right. Anakin & Obi-Wan part as friends when Obi-Wan heads off to Geonosis after reassuring Anakin how proud he is of him, the next time they face each other, Obi-Wan's there to kill him. During the fight & directly afterwards, Obi-Wan's dialogue is very final - he has failed Anakin, he was his brother, he is lost to the Dark Side. Far more indicative of Obi-Wan's actual attitude towards Vader as presented in the OT. "Only a master of evil, Darth", "He's more machine now than man, twisted & evil."

As for the question over Leia's memories, well, I think we agree there. It wasn't an oversight, it was a change, I never suggested otherwise. GL chose to ignore the OT in that instance.

 

What he says after Anakin's dismemberment is not the relevant part.

He ignored material from the ROTJ script, specifically. As far as the theatrical release of ROTJ is concerned, there's always the Force.

 

Arawn fenn and Darth Nub, what is the thread topic?



I would definitely like to see another trilogy following the OT. There's just great potential in it. The main sticking point would still be: how to make a great villain.