Jedi Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Lucas

Rodney 45 Comments

The Star Wars Universe is something of an inspiration in that it has such a wide and diverse world within and without.

On the inside it is a world that has 6 movies, 2 Tv Movies, 4 Animated TV series, (Even a Christmas Special in a world without a Christmas) a good number of comic book runs, and more novels than any other series has ever spawned.

On the outside we have the largest social network of fans with one common thread. Their love and hate for this series.

Now let’s leave the money out of it. I don’t think Lucas “needs” the money. I am sure that had some motivation in the begining, but after the original trilogy his world was pretty self sufficient. So lets leave all that out of the equation. Ok?

In a quoteabout aging by an author unknown

In his late years Pablo Picasso was not allowed to roam an art gallery unattended, for he had previously been discovered in the act of trying to improve on of his old masterpieces

John may have given up the faith on Star Wars, but frankly I have no issue with Lucas returning to the blackboard to bring out a “new” version of his own work.

I am talking more about the special editions and the improvements offered therein. Some people argue that the Special Editions were not required, but being the artist that he is, he has the right to fix it. But those who think they know better will argue the point. Say he shouldn’t. Leave well enough alone.

This is where the illusion lies.

The thing is that these films belong to Lucas. They were born of his imagination. Influenced by his own favourite films and breathed life into a vast universe of tyranical military leaders and a fledgling rebellion. And the mystical Jedi and their Force.

Its not yours.

Like it or not, Lucas can move, create and breath more life into any part of this world. He even has the right to enlist others to do the same under his watchful eye.

I used to be in the camp of hating change. But I long ago discovered that change can be good. Things change in an effort to be better. Add more. Provide more enjoyment. Its the best of intention.

The Star Wars Saga started with a New Hope, but then the Empire Struck Back and then the Jedi Returned. But as ground breaking as all that was, 20 years later technology caught up and Lucas thought it would be a good idea to do what he envisioned in the 70s and people both applauded and criticized him for it.

But keep in mind that Lucas himself opposed change too. It was far too long a wait to see the Original Trilogy on DVD – a format comfortably adopted by all studios.

Then Lucas returned to his fantastical world with the prequels and all bets were off.

Clearly this man had lost his mind. This artist was told to stay out of the gallery. Your “improvements” are not welcome.

I have to tip my hat to him for trying. And thank him as well.

You know, it may not have turned out the best for everyone’s tastes but for the most part its more hit than miss.

Notice how the Medichlorians were not mentioned again after Phantom Menace? Notice how JarJar was reduced to a cameo role? – a tool of Palpatine’s ambition. Even Lucas had to admit his own misses and steers around them from that point on.

I love Star Wars. The franchise is very dear to me. Every chapter and every chance I get to escape this world and venture into his is a treat for me. But just like this world, there is no guarantee I will love it all.

I don’t defend the flaws in Star Wars however I love it enough to overlook them. And I don’t mind the artist wandering his gallery considering his own works.

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45 thoughts on “Jedi Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Lucas”

  1. I liked all the Star Wars, some more than others (Ep.1&2). Though I did like the lightsabre fight in 1 and the fight with digital Yoda in 2. Too kiddy? GL said himself that he made Star Wars for young people and kids.

    1. 3R!C…the point is that ESB especially is the most mature of the movies and quite dark for younger viewers. I was 10 when I saw it and quite scared.

      THAT is EXACTLY what the series needed for the prequels, and needs for any future TV/movies.

      Not CG cartoons or Ewok movies.

    2. how the hell were you scared when watching Empire Strikes Back? there is nothing scary about the film whats so ever, but of course i was watching Friday 13th films when i was like 6 or something.

  2. Wow Rodney this is what I have been trying to say for years but could not find the right words..

    Every time I have this discussion in the future I shall reference to your post.

    I could never have summed it up as nicely as you have done.

  3. Here’s my take…many of you have heard it before.

    GL is a great storyteller. That is to say, he comes up with great story concepts.

    However, ESB and ROTJ were NOT directed by GL. And in fact, the best film in most peoples opinion(s), ESB was mostly not written by GL either.

    I just imagine SW films (Mostly in the expanded universe) directed by Ridley Scott, Tony Scott, Peter Jackson, Steven Spielberg, Guillermo Del Toro, maybe even James Cameron!

    Also, GL DID in fact, kid down the prequels way too much. Him and Spielberg also kidded down IJ4, too much.

    Both franchises needed to push the envelope, and did in the 80s. In the 90s they became just another CG festival.

  4. If McDonald’s had not introduced salads and breakfest burritos, stoppped making Big Macs and Quarterpounders and instead expanded thier line of Happy Meals, it would be exactly the same as what Lucas has done to Star Wars.

  5. I generally agree with Rodney here 99% – heck, come this March (?) Howard The Duck arrives on DVD and Blu-Ray in R1. So perhaps, as time goes on, folks forgive and forget…I don’t know if there is a DVD/B-R release of another Lucas production, ’94’s Radioland Murders, but if there isn’t, it would not surprise me if there was one down the turnpike.

    I for one didn’t have any problem what-so-ever with the recent SW films but one, I even tolerated Jar Jar.

    Now, if we started on last summer’s ‘Clone Wars’ ?
    I will forgive. I won’t forget.
    Hence the 1%.

  7. My main problem with the SE’s and the prequels was the dumbing down of the material and make it more kid friendly. And the fact that his kids had a say in the material says allot about him.
    It’s the same thing with Spielberg when he tried to change E.T. to fit some PC bullshit idea that was utterly unnecessary.
    It’s like when these two had kids their balls as filmmakers dropped off.

  8. ALso, I might add, it “feels” like so much of Star Wars now is tailored specifically to market merchandise. He realized having rights to the toys and other stuff made him lots of money and now it seems like Star Wars is way saturated.

    But overall I did actually like the special editions.

  9. I would say my frustration with the special editions of the originals had to do with two main issues:

    1) The update to Greedo changed the character of Han.

    2) His uterly missed the opportunity to update the computer graphics, especially with regards to the Death Star attack briefing sequence.

    My dissapointment with the prequels is much the same as davej. I just feel so much potential was thrown away regarding the rich universe and characters they had to flesh out. Darth Vader is one of the all time best villians ever and I would have preferred a better story for his transformation.

    Also, the tone of the movies seems to have gotten more childish instead of growing up with the audience. Even Harry Potter grew up with its audience as it went on.

    4. I’m not trying to be snide. But Wikipedia is not a vary reliable source. Did you check out the link I posted? I did a rough count and came up with over 400 titles. And thats not counting the eBooks, Omnibuses, anthologies and compilations.

    6. While Trek does have more in novels, TV and films…
      quantity does not necessarily equal quality.

      I’ll talk books for a minute. With the possible exception of those based on varied episodes (such as “All Good Things” from TNG or “Way Of The Warrior” from DS9) and some of the Shat’s works, I gave up on those things ages ago. I can’t stand them.

      But I look at some of the early “Star Wars” spinoffs in books such as “Splinter Of The Mind’s Eye” by Alan Dean Foster or the Han Solo series from the late Brian Daley? Loved them and still dust them off now and then. Today, Tim Zahn puts out a SW novel, it shoots to the top of NYT best sellers. Trek can’t do it unless Shatner’s name is on it.

      Just sayin’.

  11. He does have the right to do as he wishes but I don’t understand why he keeps on working on the same goddamn idea (i.e. Star Wars) rather than creating new ones.

  12. Lucas as artist certainly has every right to revisit his work, and expand on the storied universe in film as he did with 1,2,3. But fans and viewers of his work have every right to criticize it as well and express their pleasure or displeasure with the results.

    As far as I am concerned, ep 1,2,3 utterly failed. It wasn’t just Jar Jar or annoying kid Annikan or medichlorians. The small improvements that he made by excluding them in the later films (2,3) were sill overshadowed by the fact that Lucas failed to tell a compelling story about the fall of Anakan as Jedi and the rise of Darth Vader.

    By the end of the 3rd film, Lucas had managed to reduce a figure of mythic proportions to laughing stock through the way he treated the fall of Anakan. He destroyed the mystique of his central character.

    Before the release I loved the idea of the prequels. After, I wish they hadn’t been made. Again Lucas does have the right to do as he wishes, but ultimately all the scorn is well placed.

    1. I honestly think that your assumption that “scorn is well placed” is simply your opinion. Nothing more.

      You are entitled to your opinion, and if you notice I didn’t insist that anyone change their opinion. My article was simply to express how despite the flaws, I can still find enjoyment in the series.

      There are more strengths than flaws. Focusing on the flaws is the choice that leads to displeasure. Much like the title of the article implies.

    2. Fair enough, my opinion is that the scorn is well placed. This wasn’t an assumption though, it was a conclusion that I arrived at upon viewing the films and considering what is wrong with them – which of course is relative to my tastes to some extent. I certainly don’t suggest that you or anyone else can’t seek to enjoy them if you wish.

      Most films have to be enjoyed despite the fact that there are flaws because every film has its shortcomings. The question is whether or not one can salvage enjoyment from a film despite this. Is it worth the time? For me, and many others, the prequels can’t be redeemed. The problems with the prequels were much greater than the inclusion of jar jar and the like. The central one for me was that this trilogy failed to tell a compelling story about the rise of Darth Vader. More than that it diminished the mythos surronding the character.

      The strategy of focusing on the positive aspects only works if those aspects are really worth it. Otherwise its a waste of time. In your opinion it was worth the while, it certainly is not in mine.

  14. I am a lifelong SW fan and I enjoyed the prequels immensely. I have had some problems with what Lucas has done as far as enhancement of the OT as well as some of the things he did in the Prequel trilogy. But as stated, it is his property to do with as he sees fit. One thing I am sick of hearing is how he did the Prequels for money. He was already an extremely rich man before he did that, so to say his main motivation was money is, IMO, extremely stupid. He tried to correct mistakes as he went along, and overall I think that he did a good job with the prequels, taking a story that we know the ending of but making it enjoyable and compelling to watch. It is one thing to know the story but to see it unfold on screen is different. Ok, Hayden Christensen was not the best actor, but he was not as universally awful as a lot of people say. He was adequate for the role. Granted I would have liked to see a really great performance for Anakin, but Christensen was fine in the role, and whatever he did wrong in Episode II I feel he made up for with a stronger performance in Episode III. I really feel like Lucas tried his best to give us something different, yet at the same time familiar. The hate spewed at Lucas is uncalled for IMO, but some people just live to hate and bitch and complain.

  15. Leon the Iguana, by your flawed logic then EVERY film is not art. And every comic book is not art either. And every poor artist failed being an artist as soon as anyone bought their work.

    Your narrow view on what qualifies something as art is your flaw, not mine. You can tell me all day long the sky isn’t blue because you feel it doesn’t deserve the title but it doesn’t change the facts.

    Anything created out of nothing is an art. Music is an art. So the musician sharing his craft on the street corner for pocket change is no longer an artist because money is involved?

    Thats weak.

    1. Rodney,

      Weak it may be, in your opinion, but calling my point flawed because you don’t like it isn’t much of an argument.

      Firstly, I’m not saying that ALL film, music, illustration, whatever isn’t art – I’m saying that when your original stimulus is the desire to profit, it ceases to be art.
      Secondly, is it not sheer arrogance and/or ignorance to imply that calling one thing ‘art’ means it is better than another thing which I have called ‘a media product’? Surely you’re not saying that the quality or desert of something is inherently more worthy because you call it ‘art’? I have seen, watched and heard plenty of ‘art’ which is basically worthless – just trawl MySpace for a few hours! Whereas collaborative media constructs, such as Star Wars, are really very, very good. But, they’re not art. I’m not saying it’s less than art, or that all acts of creativity should aspire to be classified as ‘art’, or that these – as you put it – ‘poor’ artists stop being artists as soon as anyone bought their work. I’m simply saying that anything created solely for profit, by mass media distribution, is not art. It’s media.

      I implore you to open your mind to this dichotomy – art has, for a long time, been associated with beauty and ‘goodness’, but that’s not what I’m saying. Read my argument again, but leave behind this notion that I am saying star wars is not worthy, or that media products are not as worthy as art. I hope you’ll see the original point of my argument.

    2. I see the original point. You felt that because Lucas created this world and epic story that it failed to be art since it was intended for a movie. Just because money was involved?

      Advertising is an art and its entire purpose is driven by money. Still a valid artform.

      You discredit any artform that is created just because money is involved. Why is the art no longer an art just because they benefit from it financially.

      Do artists not benefit in other ways too? Art communicates. It shares and it inspires. So if someone creates art for someone else to appreciate it isn’t art?

      So the “art” on myspace isnt art because its garbage, but Star Wars is good so its not art.

      I don’t have to open my mind to your limiting definition. You choose to alienate things from the art world because you don’t agree with their intent. That doesn’t change the definition of the word.

    3. Rodney,

      I’m not discrediting anything, and I don’t see how you can describe my definition as limiting. I just don’t think that collborative creative efforts can be labelled simply ‘art’. The elements used to make then up are, sure, but the final product is not.

      I’m going to sidetrack here;
      “And I don’t mind the artist wandering his gallery considering his own works.”
      Exactly which works has Lucas created? Ralph McQuarrie designed most of the Star Wars universe. Lucas said ‘Yes’. Ben Burtt did the sound, ILM did the Special Effects, the cinematogapher decided on the shots which had been pre-planned by the storyboard artist (not lucas), the actors created the characters from a very thin script. The Plot of Star Wars is ripped off from The Hidden Fortress. Okay, so Lucas knew which movie plot to reuse. Many elements, Spice, Sand Planets, Gold Robots, Cowboy Spacemen, etc. were ‘homaged’ wholesale from many other sources. Lucas is the ultimate Magpie, the template for the Tarantino generation, but if I make a collage of postcards from the Louvre, can I really be called an artist?

  17. Star Wars is not a work of art – it is a media product. It is a collaborative blend of art and industry, designed for two purposes. The first, To Entertain, feeds directly into the second, Profit.
    It is NOT a work of art. A work of art is a stand alone work, and profit is not the aim – have a look at how many artists died poor and unknown until after their deaths – whereas a media product is something which is created specifically for a target audience. Therefore, I would argue (and it can never fully be decided one way or another) that a construct intended for a target audience, which only lives and grows by taking money from that audience, belongs to that audience and if the 1977 Star Wars was what people fell in love with then that should remain in the public domain for us to purchase if we wish – GL can add any number of special editions of 3D editions or sequels or prequels he wants, but the fact remains – the choice of which to view should remain with us.

  19. so………ok ya i loved star wars and all but i learned long time ago moderation with everything is good….star wars is a great fantasy universe….i personally can give a crap less about the last 3 films cause i love the future stories in the books….or the stories of the obscure characters as told in the books….to me i didnt really care about the science of the force etc…..i allready really new it deep down…..to me i would much rather see lucas make a movie about the twins or anakin jr etc…..future story line is the best IMO

  20. as long as someone limits the amount of green screen he can use in any new SW movies, im good

    i mean, after episode 3, is it any surprise that his newest SW movie is fully CG?

  21. i like to think that lucas died after empire strikes back and his clones took over skywalker ranch and just started mass producing this shit because its like the only thing they know how to do so they just keep doing it.
    and i think they are totally dependent on screenwriting software.

  22. i didnt mind the special editions of the original trilogy and the phantom menace sucked monkey balls but it had its moments(few) but other than that i enjoyed episode 2 and i think episode 3 is the second best next to empire strikes back.

    @everybody
    im not a die hard star wars fan, so dont kill me(joking)

  23. Surprisingly, I reached this point quite a few years ago. I found a lot to like about the prequels – including (especially) the much maligned Phantom Menace. Here was a SW film that played its cards close to its chest and catered for the fans that understood all the nuances.

    Sure, Jar Jar was annoying – but not much more so than the ewoks. I wasn’t so bothered by the midichlorian idea since the force potential has long been established as having a genetic link. It’s simply a measure of potential – not how strong/good/bad etc. you are. You might as well compare the hulk’s muscle tone (when he’s a “Banner” to Bruce Wayne’s for all the information it gives you.

    When all is said and done, we’d all like to keep various stages of the artists work (like Michaelangelo’s “half-finished” works) but it’s the artist’s prerogative to change whatever they feel like.

  25. I agree as well for the most part. I love watching almost everything Star Wars and am ravaging through the Expanded Universe as well.

    I believe there is far more to love in Star Wars than there is to complain about. So I choose to focus on the things I love and just enjoy them.

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