ST The Sequel Trilogy: A Retrospective - Where Were You?

I was scrolling through Facebook and saw a meme with Mickey and friends posed with George Lucas. At first I thought it was just a joke, then I looked into it further. My initial feelings were apprehension and doubt mixed with a bit of excitement. That was until the EU was de-canonized, then I became jaded and cynical towards "Disney Star Wars". I wasn't impressed with the marketing for TFA and thought the trailers were lazy and relied too much on OT nostalgia. I also remember purposely spoiling TFA for myself because I couldn't believe what I was hearing about it....that being that it was essentially a soft reboot of the franchise and a remake of ANH...which ended up being true. I waited a few weeks to see both TFA & TLJ in theaters. And TLJ drained my interested in the ST, so I skipped seeing TRoS in theaters. However, I recently started giving the ST (and ST era) another chance. Now I can enjoy both TLJ and TRoS...but I still think TFA is a lazy reboot/remake that pandered to the PT haters and OT elitists.

 

I'm not sure that's entirely fair. The unfortunate truth is that there is no art without money, and if I myself sunk billions into buying Star Wars... I too would want to stick with a safe bet. That means that I would want something that in many ways resembles the original trilogy. To me... TFA is more than just a soft reboot of ANH. It actually does have heart, and I love(d) the new characters. I like that it has themes and ideas that the original trilogy did not have(such as the Storm trooper defecting when he is traumatized in the heat of battle). Both Rey and Finn have to find their bravery because both of them start out as reluctant heroes(which if I'm being honest, that's kind of how Luke was too, but I think his motivation, the impetus for his heroes journey was the loss of Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen).

Also... the fact that they do have (admittedly minor)callbacks to the prequel trilogy(The pod engines, the Pod racer flags at Maz Kanata's palace) shows me that they were trying not to be disrespectful to the prequel fans. I honestly believe they were trying to please all Star Wars fans. Of course... you know what happens when you try to please everyone. The consequences are not always the best in the world.

What's important to me personally(and forgive me for saying what I'm sure I've said before) is that IF they bring these original trilogy characters back, they need to come back for a solid dramatic purpose. No matter what anyone thinks about JJ or RJ... they gave Luke, Han, Leia, Chewie and Lando dramatic purpose in the ST. They were not there just for cheap nostalgia. I do admit, that's part of the appeal, but if they returned solely for that purpose, I too would not have been happy.

So with TFA I think they wanted to play it safe, said "Okay JJ, make something that mirrors A new hope in several ways, but give it new, fresh and interesting characters, give it heart, give it soul"... and that's what he did... in my opinion.

 

It was during my first semester of college. My roommate broke the news to me. Thought it was a joke at first until I read about it on the official website. The rest of the day (and week) was pretty wild!

I then spent the rest of my four years in college being wayyyy too excited for Episode VII. In hindsight, I wasted my time hyping up the movie for myself way too much, and regret not doing other things with my time while I was in college, but it is what it is.

At the end of the day, each sequel film, while flawed, still advanced my perspective of the entire franchise, and all three films still continue to inspire my own fiction in different ways to this very day.

So some good still came out of it, I suppose.

 

I don't remember exactly where I was, but I do remember being extremely excited. When some concept art leaked, I was overwhelmed with a sense of nostalgia and optimism for whats to come. We were actually going to get new star wars stories. The possibilities were endless. New, modern, non-robe wearing jedi. New bounty hunters and shady types. New worlds and conflicts. Just, new stories. I started lurking on SW forums for the first time since 2003. It was an incredibly happy and optimistic time.

 

I think I'd just arrived home from work and my brother in-law - at the time - informed me of what had happened. I was kind of in disbelief. I'm a big fan of Lucas and his works and I was less than pleased to find out that he wasn't going to be involved. However, at the same time, I was excited; because I knew or at least hoped it would be a complete disaster without his influence. I was pretty bitter about how fans and just the internet in general treated me as a prequel fan, and it certainly didn't help that the build up to the release of TFA they hyped the use of "practical effects" and tried to distance themselves from the prequels as much as possible as a marketing ploy. So all the people that trashed the prequels were getting exactly what they wanted, and just like Anakin making a deal with Palpatine to save Padme's life, things didn't quite turn out liked they hoped. Yes, TFA had a largely positive reaction, but many were less than impressed with the derivative nature of it. That was strike one. Then TLJ comes out two years later and this is the moment when us prequel fans really got our revenge. This movie - that proved to be the most divisive film in the franchise - essentially crippled all the good-will Disney had built up and was just the proper amount of getting a taste of your own medicine I could've hope for for someone that had been bullied for so long for their love of Attack of the Clones. I was in heaven. TROS came out and predictably blew the landing, and I ate up all the negativity from that as well.

What I love the most about the ST is how it's led to (along with TCW) a re-examination of the prequels. Thanks to their lack of cohesion, lack of vision, lack of imagination, and lack of reverence for not only the OT characters but even the newer ones that they established, they've in many ways become the black sheep of the Star Wars saga. If I could synthesize the schadenfreude I've felt and turn it into a drug, I would've died of an overdose a long time ago. I could not have asked for a better turn of events.

 

I was horrified when I learned Lucas sold to Disney and my gut reaction has been proven mostly right since. I have written a lot of my feelings about my history with Star Wars here.
https://vocal.media/futurism/the-dark-side-of-the-force

 

I was staying at my mother's condo in October '12, recouperating from a stroke, when I read the news. It had been the first time since my father's passing 3 years prior that I absent-mindedly had the impulse to call him.

My feeling was one of giddy curiousity. Since Anakin's story had already been completed, I no longer had much at stake emotionally in the quality of the movies, so I was free to enjoy the curiousity and speculation without anxiety. I knew that that worse case scenario, they'd be abominations (which IMO they weren't) and I could still enjoy 1-6 as a complete story.

And with John Williams' track record, I also had some giddy anticipation for his new themes when his involvement was announced/confirmed a little bit afterwards. Honestly, my biggest concern for the next 7 years was just whether or not JW would make it to the end.

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I remember being thrilled for about a day, before I realized what this probably meant. Corporate structures, low risk strategies, maximum return strategies … I do not oppose business men doing their business, but I started hoping some sort of artistic project would be born out of Star Wars. Some more daring and interesting movies … and tbh Rogue One and Solo got me hopeful. I had the same issues with TFA as everybody else, but I understood the “safe bet logic”. TLJ I simply forgave because … creative risks leads to creative failure sometimes … the TROS made this hole thing surreal. Actually the one thing I assumed Disney could easily pull off did not happen. They missed a long term plan.

 

And then Grogu came along and saved everything.

 

Surprisingly news of a new trilogy went largely under the radar for me until I heard of the trailer for TFA. I was stunned. A new trilogy. So I was excited.

Saw TFA opening night. Loved it and my wife did too. She wanted her own BB-8. I wanted the falcon. Hans death stunned me but I knew Ford wanted out so no surprise.

TLJ was out a week before I saw it. Emotional rollercoaster. Luke passing on. Very tough to watch. As a fan for over 40 years it was hard to accept.

TROS. Saw it a day after release. Loved it. Luke raising the x wing out of the sea for Rey was as emotional ás it got. Palpatine was back. It was hard to believe that the saga was over but as we all know it never really will be....

 

I was there in a movie theater

 

When I heard that Disney had bought the Star Wars franchise, I felt pretty optimistic about it. They'd done a fairly good job with the Marvel films, so I figured we'd get a quality product. When they announced that J.J. Abrams was going to direct, THAT'S when I knew we were in trouble.

 

I was optimistic until I found out about SKB. I still think TFA is a good movie, just not a good sequel to ROTJ.

 

I got an excited email from a friend and started a Google search. I found a picture of George Lucas surrounded by Disney characters in Star Wars get-ups. R2-D2 had a red dome, a pair of Mickey ears and George looked as if he’d rather be anywhere else in the world.

 

I loved the experience of the Sequel trilogy 100% until I began reading internet commentary. Then it shot down to around 97%

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This is really a dramatic change in how you perceive the ST. You can see what the internet can do.

 

I dislike the ST, but am not in the least bit upset with it because there’s so much other Star Wars content that’s markedly better.

 

I was in the writers room until they kicked me out.

 

I was at home. I heard the news of the new trilogy first and the Disney acquisition of Lucasfilm the day after. The first bit of news made me excited, but I was unsure about the second bit of news.

 

I first heard of Disney purchasing Star Wars and its plans to make a new trilogy from fellow Star Wars friends/fans. I was excited and optimistic. I remembered how I felt about watching the prequel trilogy in the theaters, which was a mix of joy and disappointment, and thought this was a chance to build upon those pros and cons.

After watching the TFA in the theater, I was ecstatic! It met my expectations, in terms of production, dialogue and character execution. I thought it was jammed with a little too much “stuff”, like blowing up another super weapon and Rey and Kylo already dueling in the first movie. Also, I was a little surprised that Rey won that duel, but I didn’t care in the end. Star Wars was back and I liked how it was done overall, and that it was a move away from the prequel-style production.

I was nervous before the release of TLJ. I was concerned that these new movies were going to move in a direction that favored the youngest of fans. And I think I was right to an extent. After my first viewing of TLJ, my first reaction was that this movie had moved away from me (like the humor), I didn’t connect with the new characters in TLJ, and the thinly veiled social commentary and making Rey a nobody and the equivalent of a “super hero” for audience empowerment was not really for me. But, I wanted to really like this movie, and I enjoyed most of it like the scenes on Ahch-To and Crait, and Rey and Kylo’s interesting dynamic.

Leading up to TROS, I will admit I had sequel fatigue. I made the mistake of unwittingly falling into the pit of the fandom’s toxicity on YouTube. What a mess. It kinda ruined everything for me. But, surprisingly I really enjoyed TROS. Sure, it was a wild ride, but I found myself having fun again. Rey was part of the story again as a Palpatine, and had in-world conflict that was meaningful to the Saga, and the themes of hope, redemption, and “some things are stronger than blood” resonated with me.

I can look back on the sequel trilogy now and say I like it, all of it, as a whole. Just like the other trilogies, there are things that didn’t work for me and things that did. That is part of the ride. You don’t get everything you want, but I like to see the bigger picture and enjoy Star Wars for the things that move me, even if they are the little things.

 

When it was first announced I was nervous. A SW with no Lucas just seemed unnatural. But then it was announced that the original cast was returning (including Harrison!) and that JJ Abrams (who at that point I was somewhat a fan of and seemed a natural fit) was directing, and the writer of the best SW movie was writing the film, and my excitement started rising. I loved the trailers and in the lead up to TFA I just threw myself wholeheartedly into the hype machine and was incredibly excited for TFA. Also in regards to the EU, I had become pretty unhappy with where it had gone and had stopped reading so I was kind of excited at the idea of a fresh start there too.

The atmosphere at the TFA screening was amazing, I hadnt experienced anything like it since the premiere of The Phantom Menace. It wasn't just a movie release, it was a celebration of Star Wars. And I really enjoyed the movie. Yes, it was way too close to ANH, but otherwise I thought it was a great new beginning and I was very excited about the future of Star Wars. I spent the next two years rewatching the film and discussing theories and reading every bit of tie in material. Loved Rogue One too, which only made me more excited about the future of Star Wars under Disney.

But then TLJ happened. I didnt hate the movie straight away, I just came out feeling deflated. All that build up in TFA for the return of Luke Skywalker, something I had personally waited 20 years for, and we got a cynical old sourpuss who is killed off. We got a main storyline that barely moved the story forwards at all from TFA, and did nothing to really answer any of the questions left by TFA and just felt very inconsequential. I didnt (and still dont) understand how the FO went from the end of TFA with Starkiller base being destroyed to ruling the galaxy in the space of a day, or why the rest of the galaxy and all the other Republic planets just didnt seem to be involved. I hated the way that the new main trio, who I loved in TFA and had great chemistry together were all split up for the whole film. Thought the whole Finn and Rose storyline was dumb and boring and the Poe and Holdo space chase story was pretty bad too. Over time with rewatches the movie just got worse.

And then came TRoS. At this point I still had a lot of hope for a great final film that pulled everything together and made the trilogy as a whole great (as RotS did for the Prequels). But it did the opposite. All it did was prove that they had no plan behind these films (making the years of theorising and speculating between films seem like a huge waste of time), and even though I disliked TLJ, the way that TRoS pretty much ignored or tried to "fix" it just made the trilogy as a whole feel like a massive mess. And it was just not a good film (though it did have some things I liked about it, more than TLJ did).

So today, overall, I really dont like the Sequels. I think honestly they are probably the greatest missed opportunity in the history of cinema. They could have been great, they could have set up a whole new era for SW to build off for years. Instead they're more like a pointless post-script to the OT that undoes everything the characters in those movies did. I still cant believe that they never bothered having the original trio together even once, or that we never even saw the Republic. But I will always have a soft spot for the escitement I felt at the release of TFA, it really made me for a brief moment feel like a a kid again.

 

I have lived in Florida now 7years since June 2015 I used to live in Maryland so I was most likely in my early 30s when the news broke I am now 41 years old so I was on my computer reading the news probably on this website and I went nuts in a good way screamed hollered jumped up and down I was so excited because I'm a huge Disney fan the movies TV and the Parks I similarly got excited when Disney bought the rights to 20th Century Fox Hulu and National Geographic! I'm pleased with everything Disney has done with Star Wars I also love all 11 star wars movies plus the Clone Wars movie TV shows books and comics and video games! This is a video about how I feel about the Star Wars movies!

 

This is less related to the sequel trilogy as a whole and more related to The Last Jedi. There was something that occurred to me after thinking about it for a while. I think that to a certain extent, a lot of people(myself included) can identify with Ben Solo because they know what it's like to be betrayed by family. Obviously, Ben/Kylo wasn't betrayed by Luke, but that wasn't his perspective(a certain point of view).

It's kind of like when you're a kid at home... it's late at night, you're walking around in the kitchen, it's dark in the house, Somebody opens fire, nearly killing you and instead hitting the wall only inches from your face. The lights come on... and you see it's your dad. You're breathing heavy, overcome with so many strong emotions, because on one hand, while an objective viewpoint might make it clear why dad did what he did... from the kid's point of view... his own dad almost murdered him and did something unforgivable. Maybe that's not the best metaphor to get my point across, but I think it works well enough for the point I want to establish.

So follow me here: Luke didn't know who Ben was... he was an intruder in the dark, a stranger, but the light comes on... Luke sees what he did, he sees how the situation looks to Ben, Luke obviously didn't do anything wrong. But from Ben/Kylo's perspective, it was a betrayal, and in that moment, Ben might have felt that Luke had murder in his heart. In that moment, trust was instantly destroyed, and evil was created.

This is the idea I've felt deep down ever since I first saw The Last Jedi back in 2017, and I don't understand what people don't get about it.

"The force is complicated,"
-Bastila Shan