The Saga Continues

So the big news this week (once you get past things like hurricane Sandy, campaign news, and celeb Halloween costumes) is that Disney has bought Lucasfilm and will be making 3 more Star Wars movies. This is a pretty freaking big deal.

Most fans have apparently not been taking the news well. I completely missed out on the announcement on Tuesday (this is what happens when you don’t have a Twitter account) and just saw it this morning. I’m still processing.

Undeniably, the original Star Wars movies are the best. When I do Star Wars do I dress up as Queen Amidala? Heck no! I go Princess Leia all the way.  BUT, unlike some other hardcore fans, I like the new trilogy. Is it as all around amazing and incredible as the original? No. Is it still good? I would say yes.

I am well aware of the inclusion of much hated characters like Jar Jar Binks. I don’t like him either, guys. It does appear that maybe some things like the pod racing scene, which is a bit long and involved, were added mainly for the chance to play around with the effects. And sure, Yoda flipping all over the place like a tiny, crazed chimp in Attack of the Clones is a bit distracting to say the least. But I hardly feel like these small things are enough to ruin the series.

I’m sure everyone has their own reasons for their prequel issues. And really, who am I to judge? Especially considering I still can’t get over the travesty that is X-Men: The Last Stand. So I will leave you to your own opinions, but I have decided to include some examples of the good parts of the movies.

3. Liam Neeson as a Jedi

Liam Neeson can do no wrong. He has been a God, he has been the best father/stepfather ever, a totally BAMF villain, and now he can be an awesome Jedi too. Actually this is inspiring me to have a Liam Neeson movie night similar to the Alan Rickman movie night we had back in college.

But anyway, Liam Neeson kills it as Qui-Gon Jinn. He’s wise. He’s resourceful. He is strong in the force. His lightsaber skills could perhaps use some work, but that’s neither here nor there. Whenever he call Obi-Wan his young padawan, I’m like, train me master!

2. Anakin’s Crazy Eyes

Say what you will about Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker – he has the crazy eyes down. This works for me. I think a large issue with the prequels is how Anakin Skywalker is portrayed. We expected him to be this larger than life amazing character that has an epic moral struggle before giving into the Dark Side. Instead, he’s a cocky, whiny brat. See, I can get over this. Mostly because I’ve decided his emotional issues work.

We know that Anakin needs to turn evil. We know that he also needs to eventually turn good again. So we need someone who’s emotionally unstable and prone to violence.

And Anakin delivers! Even when he’s an adorable child he’s impulsive and clearly emotional. By Episode II he has worked his way up to full out tantrums and mass murdering. I mean kinda for a good cause. Kinda.

1. Emperor Palpatine’s Evil Master Plan

Ok, seriously. When you consider all the little things and the massive amount of time it took Emperor Palpatine to become the emperor… it’s like the best evil master plan in the history of evil master plans! There were SO MANY things that could have gone wrong. It hinged on so many random people unwittingly doing what he wanted. It required excellent understanding of key players, exceptional manipulation, and impressive Force skills. Emperor Palpatine was willing to sacrifice whatever pawns necessary to achieve the greater goal.

Not only did he manage to achieve ultimate galaxy control (so keep in mind it’s even more impressive that his plan was to take over the galaxy. Generally villains can barely manage overtaking a country, let alone a world), he kept it up for almost 20 years. That takes skillz. Such serious skillz, they surpass mere skills.

Now having demonstrated some of the great things from the prequels, am I totally on board with the idea of a new trilogy? Honestly I’m torn. I can think of many, many things that give me pause. I’m an optimist though. I have to hope they’ll still turn out well. Regardless, I guarantee I go watch every single one.