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CT Would Star Wars be "dead" without TESB and ROTJ?

Discussion in 'Classic Trilogy' started by jaqen, Mar 19, 2017.

  1. MotivateR5D4

    MotivateR5D4 Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 20, 2015
    It would be considered a sci fi classic of it's time and revolutionary for all the same reasons we hear today. It would be viewed in a similar and revered light as 2001: A Space Odyssey. But, like 2001, it wouldn't have quite the staying power that SW does today. It would just be considered a classic. And often referenced by filmmakers from then on as an influence.
     
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  2. Jedi_Sith_Smuggler_Droid

    Jedi_Sith_Smuggler_Droid Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Mar 13, 2014
    TESB and ROTJ made Star Wars this huge Saga. But it was such an enormous movie with an incredible cultural impact on it's own. I think it would have aged like the Wizard of Oz or the Classic Disney Animated films. A perennial favorite that can be released at anytime and be excepted as modern and fresh. Something that you can always find merchandise for which is also part of our cultural subconscious and something we quote often in regular speech.

    So no - Star Wars would not be dead without it's follow up films. It might not be the printing press of profits we have in 2017 - but it wouldn't go anywhere and we'd all know it and Hallmark would still make ornaments in for this years Christmas Tree..
     
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  3. moreorless12

    moreorless12 Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 4, 2016
    The most obvious comparison to me would be ET, blockbuster sci fi that appealed to a similar kind of market a few years latter with similar success.

    I'd say perhaps a more interesting question that how popular the original film would be without sequels is actually how it would be viewed. On one hand ESB and ROTJ did add more obvious emotional/moral depth to the story making it rather more timeless. On the other I think you could argue that they shifted it somewhat away from being a cultural artefact of an era with more specific political commentary.

    On one level of course ANH isn't very political at all being a standard heroes journey but looking a bit more closely I do think it comments on more political issues addressed though this. Luke's story I think you could say isn't so much "good vs evil" as in ESB and ROTJ but rather an acceptance of the spiritual alternative path over the ruthless establishment represented by the Empire(which could just as well be the US corporate/military establishment as the Nazi's/USSR). Likewise Leia's character obviously looks to deconstruct the idea of the damsel in distress shooting down Luke and Han's expectations of her.

    In that respect I can potentially see a SW with no sequels being looked back on with a more positive eye by some critics than the OT as a whole was.
     
  4. son_of_skywalker03

    son_of_skywalker03 Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Dec 7, 2003
    Would it be culturally relevant today? Yes, I think so. But without Empire and Jedi, I believe it would be much further down the ladder, so to speak.
     
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  5. Dark Ferus

    Dark Ferus Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Jul 29, 2016
    I can understand your reasoning, but I feel inclined to think it may be SLIGHTLY higher on the ladder, just because many great classics like Lawrence of Arabia don't have sequels. I know that several do, and it wouldn't make a huge difference looking at ANH alone. I could see there being an EU even without sequels if the film was popular enough, which it was even before 1980.
     
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  6. icqfreak

    icqfreak Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 7, 1999
    I think you have to be more specific. Does that also mean no prequels? No spin offs? No TV shows? No books/comics/video games/or other EU?

    If most or all of that is a no, then it would be seen as a fun classic film, but the cult status would be dramatically lower, especially as there would likely be much less merchandising and pop culture references since it's only the one film.
     
  7. Sith Lord 2015

    Sith Lord 2015 Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 30, 2015
    True, without any sequels SW might have been nothing but a classic remembered only by those who saw it in the 70s. It may even have been largely forgotten by general audiences, or become a cult for a minority like 2001. Really hard to say. Of course they were totally different movies. ANH was an instant success, so a sequel was the logical consequence. 2001 was, as far as I know, not that well received when it first arrived at cinemas. Also the story didn't really encourage a continuation. A large part of the audience probably didn't even understand the ending. When the sequel finally came it wasn't really because viewers wanted it, and it was pretty disappointing. ESB has been eagerly expected however, so its success was more or less guaranteed. There was no hype about a 2001 sequel as far as I remember, but a lot about the next SW. SW became a saga, the story much improved by the sequels and prequels, while 2001 is still a classic, its sequel not really adding anything. It would probably have been better off without it. But SW was kept alive only through the following episodes.
     
  8. Hernalt

    Hernalt Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 29, 2000
    I love oranges...
    2001: A Space Odyssey (1968): 43,294,200 Domestic Total Est. Tickets
    Star Wars (1977): 142,734,000
    Empire Strikes Back (1980): 78,862,200 (1/2 the first)
    2010: Year We Made Contact (1984): 11,725,900 (1/4 the first)
    From: www.boxofficemojo.com
     
  9. Steve McGarrett

    Steve McGarrett Jedi Knight star 1

    Registered:
    Jun 1, 2017
    I think it would be considered a genre classic and a milestone in terms of special effects and what it means to be a blockbuster. I don't believe 8 year olds would be into the SW universe the way they are today, without the other films which followed it.

    Imagine the mystique that Star Wars would have now, though. Boom! Biggest film of all time and then that's it. Disappears back into the night...
     
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  10. SateleNovelist11

    SateleNovelist11 Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Jan 10, 2015
    I believe that, over time, The Empire Strikes Back made the Star Wars franchise popular. Plus, it is an excellent film, one that I would argue is superior to ANH, although I love the first film. ROTJ is primarily appreciated for the character development of Luke and Vader, and it has some good moments for Leia, Han, 3PO, R2, Chewie, and Lando.

    In short, I don't think the Star Wars franchise would be as beloved around the world without TESB and ROJ. Besides, there would never have been Legends stories without the CT. And would there be Jedi Council Forums without them? I think not.
     
    Martoto77 likes this.