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ST Why end the Skywalker saga?

Discussion in 'Sequel Trilogy' started by GoJohnnyGo, Nov 20, 2018.

  1. GoJohnnyGo

    GoJohnnyGo Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Nov 19, 2012
    So it has been announced and generally accepted that Episode 9 will end the Skywalker saga.

    The question is why? I get that it's been 9 episodes and 40 years, but it seems to me the Skywalkers have been the main attraction for Star Wars and none of the Skywalkerless content does as well commercially. I just don't get the need to so affirmatively shut the door rather than see how things play out. I personally do not believe Star Wars will be nearly as successful without the Skywalkers.
     
  2. RetropME

    RetropME Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Dec 11, 2017
    I honestly think they are doing it to open the universe for more storytelling opportunities; whether or not that is the best approach is entirely subjective.
     
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  3. Luke02

    Luke02 Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Sep 19, 2002
    Just because the "end" it doesn't mean they cannot be brought up again down the road.
     
  4. NOTJEDIMATERIAL

    NOTJEDIMATERIAL Jedi Knight star 3

    Registered:
    May 3, 2018
    Perhaps to clear the road for the next trilogy RJ is doing? I can see this because unless you tell people this is not the old SW they wont get it until they see the film he does with completely new characters having nothing to do with the Skywalkers.
     
  5. afrojedi

    afrojedi Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 23, 2015
    The Skywalker saga is George Lucas' creation. He's retired, and the ST story, as created so far isn't leaving much left to work with. As it stands only Leia had a child--and she only had one. Since there doesn't appear to be other sisters or brothers carry the Skywalker story forward, I imagine it's best to let the new developers create their own stories in this world.

    Honestly, now, I wished they had left his story alone and just started anew from the get-go.
     
  6. Cave of Erised

    Cave of Erised Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    May 3, 2018
    To be honest: I think it’s just dramatic marketing and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it continue later down the road. Disney has done this before in its parks with the Main Street Electrical parade. It was supposed to “glow away forever” in the 1996 only to return in 2000 and again briefly in 2017.
     
    Last edited: Nov 20, 2018
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  7. Wildcatbarry

    Wildcatbarry Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 23, 2015
    Exactly. WHY should we accept this?

    SW is about the Skywalkers.

    Always has been.
     
  8. Obi-wan KeNOObi

    Obi-wan KeNOObi Jedi Knight

    Registered:
    Apr 25, 2017
    I can see why, but even though they could have I don't think it would have been in their best interest for the series to flourish.

    Rebooting a new series without any old relics of the past would have been such a let down to SW fans. I think the direction they are trying to go was slowly to introduce some new stories whilst finishing the old ones.
     
  9. miasma

    miasma Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 29, 2013
    We haven't really seen enough Skywalker-less content to judge it. There has been only one major film ("Solo") that didn't include any Skywalkers, and while it didn't do well at the box office, I don't think it's failure had anything to do with it not having Skywalkers in it. From fan reactions I've seen, quite a lot of people liked it more than TLJ, which heavily featured the Skywalkers.
    But a one-off film like "Solo" can't really be compared to a series of films like the episodic films. Let's see how the B&W films do, and the Rian Johnson trilogy. Then we'll get introduced to new characters who will have time to grow over the course of multiple films. And let's see how the tv series do, which will offer the most opportunity for character development and growth. I, for one, am glad that SW will be expanding, and I'm glad that the Skywalker story will be given a conclusion. I'm not a fan of things that just go on endlessly with no end-game in sight. That's one of my issues with The Walking Dead lately.
     
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  10. NOTJEDIMATERIAL

    NOTJEDIMATERIAL Jedi Knight star 3

    Registered:
    May 3, 2018
    I have said before that things could have been done way differently with the ST had patience been part of the plan. It was not absolutely necessary for the introduction of new characters in a hard sell way in TFA. They could have shown us much more about Ben's past and developed Kylo from there. The same is true of Rey from a lesser extent because she was not the child of a Skywalker so her past could obviously wait since we still don't have that even now. The OT characters then could have played out to an eventual conclusion as Rey/Kylo grew. Luke's attitude explained and the issues with Leia and Han as well. 3 films is enough to do that in my opinion. For certain reasons (Ford not in on it, marketing, the strong female Jedi vibe, etc.) KK and company did it this way.
     
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  11. 2Cleva

    2Cleva Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 28, 2002
    I think the original reason was to turn the page was to market new heroes for business purposes because Skywalkers are tied to GL's creation, not Disney's. I also suspect the OT is so closely aligned with actors/actresses who were alive upon acquisition (RIP Carrie), that they wanted to have separation from them as well. But they also knew the fans wanted to see them again so they shoehorned them into the story.

    Walking around Hollywood Studios earlier this month, it was notable in the marketing. Yes - obviously plenty of OT-tied merchandise (much more than ST, almost nothing of PT), but when it came to some things - there was notable absences. For example - anything with Luke's name/face on it (shirt, hat, lightsaber) was non-existent. All the stores had Vader, Ren, and Rey's lightsaber replicas (yeah - that last part...) but Luke's wasn't available any longer. There were his/hers Leia/Han shirts with their faces on it. But that was it. All the other images were characters who were non-human, vehicles or masked. For autographs it was Chewbacca, Ren, and BB8. Now - one could say - its just easier to do characters with masks, yet they had a perfect Captain Sparrow impersonator, as well as of course the Disney princesses. Oh yeah - there were Stormtroopers. Plenty of them walking around.

    What also was notable was the lack of pushing any particular character except the droids. In the rides, imaging, etc.. that's all that was really focused on - C3PO and R2. Nothing of any other character - ST or OT, except Chewbacca. When comparing this to the other attractions at the other Disney Parks its clear Disney doesn't know how its going to market Star Wars. Even with the new Galaxy Edge, its not focused on any character - which is the formula Disney has used to great success.
     
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  12. Master Jedi Fixxxer

    Master Jedi Fixxxer Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Oct 20, 2018
    All of this, except from the last couple of sentences, for me.

    I for one, am very excited to see non-Skywalker Star Wars films, and I don't think that a Skywalker is a necessary term for a SW movie to be captivating. Having said that, there is no reason to declare an end to the Skywalker saga, nor exclude the possibility of having another Skywalker appearing in a future SW movie. There could still be a movie set between Episodes 6 and 7 in the future, like we had Rogue One (a sequel prequel). And there could still be ascendants in the far future, for all we know. I can also live with a conclusion to the Skywalker story too, as long as it's a good one (which I sincerely doubt at this point).
     
    Last edited: Nov 20, 2018
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  13. DARTH_BELO

    DARTH_BELO Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 25, 2003
    I feel like the main saga has to get to a point where the story resolves in some satisfying way eventually. I also think that it simply opens the door for Disney/LFL to start branching out and exploring other parts of the GFFA-something IMO they really would not be able to successfully do until the Skywalker story is completely told.
    I do agree however that none of the other SW releases after the Skywalker story is resolved will likely perform as well as the main saga has this many years. To many, not all-but many, SW is synonymous with Skywalker.
     
  14. Rodie

    Rodie Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 16, 2014
    There are a lot of expectations that come with a "Skywalker Saga" movie. I think Disney wants to move beyond that to a realm of SW movies and TV streaming shows that have a lot less "baggage" and expectations put on them. They want wide open possibilities and less pressure to conform to what has come before... So 7-9 are designed to bring the Skywalker Saga to a close. Hence, Han and Luke are killed off, R2 and 3PO have very small roles, and Leia will likely evolve into a background character (out of necessity sure, but she's handing over the reigns even at the end of TLJ)

    Still, I think it's possible that we see a ST character continue on in a future movie or streaming series. (See: Cassian Andor from Rogue One returning to Disney+) Maybe Poe gets a series and or stand-alone film down the line...Maybe Keri Russell or another character introduced in Ep 9 gets a spinoff on Disney+...
     
    Last edited: Nov 20, 2018
  15. 2Cleva

    2Cleva Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 28, 2002
    Biggest surprise I've had with Disney that ties to this - who is the face of Star Wars going forward?

    I thought it was going to be Rey after TFA. TPTB obviously had different ideas after seeing TLJ. Kylo, although the main villain, isn't marketed to the masses as the face of Star Wars. The movies/tv shows are targeting different things but none of them are the front and center.

    Marvel made Iron Man the face initially until they got their foundation. Now they can move on from him and still go strong. No clue what Lucasfilm is doing. A Skywalker would be the easiest answer but they sure aren't embracing it.
     
    Last edited: Nov 20, 2018
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  16. Rodie

    Rodie Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 16, 2014
    Baffling really.
     
  17. 2Cleva

    2Cleva Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 28, 2002
    Thinking about it more - the face of the brand probably has been the Millenium Falcon. From the movies, to the merchandise, to even the theme park rides. The new Galaxy Edge has a new ride focused on it. At the current entrance to Galaxy Edge there is a giant entryway (almost Jurassic Park size) and its blocked by a painting of the Falcon with some generic droids (including R2 unit and a protocol droid).
     
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  18. Darth_Bertie

    Darth_Bertie Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Mar 30, 2014
    If the Skywalker Saga ends now, with IX, I would say it would make sense. While repetitive, it does make sense that the offspring of the OT3 falls to the dark side. Which is the base of this ST, how Ben falls to the darkside, corrupting the OT heroes legacy.

    The alternative for the Skywalker saga to continue is only making Ben return to the light and have the next set of movies be about his offspring.

    We instead have a new trio of heores that has learned from the previous cast. Neither of them is the offspring of a previous heros, which allows Disney to move forward while still having the OT cast to come back here and there.

    Disney is not after a single face for its franchises. Iron Man was the face of Marvel, but he is about to pass the title to others. In a universe with multiple heroes, Disney prefers to market several of them.

    The danger is to have your IPs end like Pirates, which was too Jack Sparrow dependent.
     
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  19. 2Cleva

    2Cleva Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 28, 2002
    Marvel built up a face in Iron Man that fans love that then enabled them to pass the torch a decade later.

    Kylo Ren as the face of Star Wars? Fans ain't buying that. Who is Ben? Nothing good has been told or shown about him.
     
  20. dlbates

    dlbates Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 30, 2014
    So they can open up the universe in order to make more money. I wouldn't be surprised if they stray away from the Jedi also. Disney bought Star Wars for the brand name. They will probably use it to attract every niche out there. You'll have more Rogue One style war movies, bounty hunters, scavengers, comedic droids, smugglers, Soldiers but the main storyline will probably be phased out. I hope the Game of Thrones writers do an Old Republic trilogy and actually use the Jedi and Sith. If it's about random soldiers or bounty hunters I'll be disappointed. They have a huge opportunity.
     
  21. Birkendoc

    Birkendoc Chosen One star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 20, 2001
    Marketing.

    It's a marketing catch phrase. Want to see how nine film arc comes to a close? You market it this way.

    Actually a lot of people do. Remember, this forum and its dislike for the ST is not a true representation of the the general audience. The new characters have bee very well received when you look at the general audience.
     
  22. miasma

    miasma Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 29, 2013
    I've seen quite a few kids wearing Kylo Ren backpacks.
    But in spite of that, Kylo obviously isn't meant to be the face of the franchise going forward if Ep9 will be the end of the Skywalker saga.
    One of the cool things about SW is that it has plenty of "faces" that are instantly recognizable. In this new era alone, we get Kylo, BB8 and Rey as faces that everyone knows right away. The new B&W films and RJ trilogy will surely introduce more instantly recognizable faces.
     
  23. Darth_Bertie

    Darth_Bertie Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Mar 30, 2014
    Not to mention SW has existed for more than 40 years. How many popular heroes did Marvel have besides Spiderman?

    Disney will keep milking Vader's image. It is a masked charscter, which always helps. Same with Kylo in TFA.

    Rey is the real ST hero, if she has been sidelined is because Luke needed to be in the story, which is what many fans demanded.

    Putting an end to the Skywalkers also means the next set of movies will have an unrelated hero. Fans won't spend 4 years making side by side comparisons between the new hero and the previous one, nor mentally collapse when it is revealed the new hero is not related.
     
  24. Miles Lodson

    Miles Lodson Chosen One star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 10, 1998
    The Skywalker saga really ended with ROTJ. As much as I have enjoyed the ST, it is also hard to square with how things ended in ROTJ.

    Someone earlier said the ST has been a transition away from the OT3 and the Skywalker saga, and I agree with that. Disney wants to break free from the OT3 - as evidenced by the ST not focusing on them, the new theme park attractions not focusing on them, etc.
     
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  25. AhsokaSolo

    AhsokaSolo Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Dec 23, 2015
    I wanted the Skywalker Saga to continue initially, because I wanted Luke to rebuild the Order in his own way and for it to be remembered as Skywalker’s Order. That doesn’t mean I expected a Skywalker to always be the protagonist, but I certainly didn’t expect the family to die off in misery and evil.

    But now I can’t wait for the Skywalkers to end so they can move the story forward and I can forget about the ST. RotJ will be the end of the Skywalker Saga to me.

    Do you have any data to back that up? I’m around a lot of young people and we all know people in the general audience, clearly. I see literally zero enthusiasm for the new characters. OT toys continue to sell better by every account I’ve seen. The top selling SW comics are about the OT characters. On Halloween this year, I saw virtually no SW costumes, but of those I did see, they were not ST characters. When my friends and family are sitting around talking about franchise films, people are much more likely to talk about Marvel and DC than SW. I see a lot of confusion about Disney SW with the timeline and whether Jyn and Rey are even different people. That’s confusion rooted in a lack of caring. It’s not because it’s actually confusing if anyone wants to understand the SW greater universe. The only upcoming SW content that I’ve seen generate excitement with kiddos is the new TCW season. I see no anticipation for the final installment of Rey’s story. When the trailer drops, I feel like the reaction will be “oh yeah, is that story not over?”
     
    Last edited: Nov 21, 2018