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Disney and Star Wars

Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2012 7:02 pm
by Kudos
Note: this post contains opinions that may be taken as inflammatory. Although this is not my intent, I feel I should warn those who are very opionionated about the saga, specifically, those who are for the aquisition of the company by Disney.

"It makes me sad."

That was the best way to express how I felt about the aquisition. I was sitting at the table, discussing the recent purchase by Disney with my family, and was just overwhelmed with a sense of despair. A sense that Star Wars had died, and I had seen the shots.

I've been a fan of the series for a very long time, starting with Episode 1 as a kid, and slowly working my way forwards to RotJ. The expanded universe novels and guides were fascinating, the games were addicting, and those experiences have turned me into the hardcore Star Wars fan that I am today.

But it was only in the last few years as I took to online communities, that I saw what people really thought of George Lucas and the series I loved. Instead of the sheltered "they're all awesome" view I had carried as a kid, I saw people who hated the very man who had given them this masterpeice.

Why?

I never understood it. But this I do get: Star Wars belongs to one man. I'm not talking about a company, I'm talking about an idea. An idea that seemed crazy, that was turned into an epic series. An idea that spawned devoted fans. An idea that causes intense conversations. An idea that creates communities of people for a common purpose.

And it was Disney's aquisition of the franchise that made me see this crystal clear. Disney can write as much as they want, they can bring back all the actors, props, sound designers, and cameramen, but no amount of money changes the fact that Star Wars is still George Lucas'.

And is that a bad thing?

The forementioned hostility towards a man we should be thanking has distressed me for such a long time. I don't worship him, no one should. And I'm the first to admit that Lucas is a human and makes mistakes. But should that stop us from digging in and loving every second of what he's made?

This hostility is even present in this forum! Are we really attacking the man that gave us this saga? Should a bad line or two stop us from wanting more? Should a cartoon series? Should a Gungan?

The answer is no. Expecting perfection from Lucas is simply not reasonable, and causes nothing but harm.

I still stand by the belief that the worse decisons by Lucas (the new Clone Wars and the Disney purchase) were actually made because of fan backlash! I can just see him saying: "Fine! You don't like how I deal with my own creation, you take it!"

I hate it. I think the community shouldn't be in joful anticipation for more films. I think we should be in mourning. Is this excessive? Pathetic? Nope. Just passionate.

I'm here because I love Star Wars. Scratch that. I'm here because I love George Lucas' Star Wars. And I will continue to love Episode 1, 2, and 3 as much as 4, 5 and 6.

But any more films Disney makes will have no place in my heart. Purely because: they're not Lucas' Star Wars.

So to any core fans whom I've infuriated, I offer my apologies (not for the statements, but for the wording). But remind yourself of this.

Lucas gave you this universe, not Disney, not anyone else. Do you hate the same man that gave you something you love?

Re: Disney and Star Wars

Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2013 4:00 pm
by Kelevra
A sense that Star Wars had died, and I had seen the shots.
It died in 1999. George pulled the trigger. Then ran it over and lit it on fire for good measure.

Lucas does NOT hold sole credit for the success of the original Star Wars films. The numerous individuals who worked with Lucas and constantly challenged his ideas are what largely shaped the franchise into the phenomenon that it ended up as. The most highly regarded film of the Saga - Empire, is actually the film that George had the least to do with. He wasn't even on set for most of the production, it was directed by Irvin Kershner in his absence.

Conversely, the trainwreck that was the prequels is what happens when George DOES have total control, and there's nobody around with enough guts to tell him that his ideas are awful. With Disney now in command, and people that actually know what they're doing (J.J. Abrams) directing, we might actually have something good come out of this.