Blog Entry #5: Fixing Star Wars
It all started in the year 1977. Disco was still king, and bell bottoms were all the rage. My family was still living in the Washington D.C. area. At the time it was a few short months before we were to move to Portland, Oregon. My mother took my brother and I to a local theater in the area.
There we got introduced to a movie called Star Wars.
During my childhood in the 1980’s my brother and I collected our fair share of the Kenner toys based on the movies. Over the years my love of Star Wars has only become stronger. I love the premise of the series. And I have to say I can relate to many aspects of the Jedi as I'm a martial artist myself.
But in recent years a major problem has developed in the franchise. The mismanagement and the inappropriate insertion of modern politics. And the first to get the blame are Kathleen Kennedy and Disney. This commentary/essay will focus on the problems in Star Wars and my own ideas on how to fix the franchise. What the woke cult and bean counters can destroy I can resurrect and make better.
Now the first problem has to do with the bad product produced. Most of us can admit the Acolyte is a canon breaker and not even close to true Star Wars. In fact, the Acolyte is an absolute mess. And the bad behavior of some of the stars of that show hasn’t helped. Anyone with any measure of good business sense knows you don’t insult the fans and call them names.
You don’t insult your customers that's common sense.
Yet Disney, Kathleen Kennedy, and many of her cadre have done that. Never call customers ists and phobes when they're complaining about a bad product. Yet Disney and Kenedy have not bothered to listen to the legitimate complaints. This is a move that is very…unwise!
Many are still wondering why George Lucas sold Star Wars to Disney in the first place. Many think it was due to all the grief he got over the prequel trilogy. In truth when compared with the sequel trilogy the prequel movies weren’t that bad. Granted they had some flaws in them but they were still pretty good.
As for the sequel trilogy where to begin with the problems? The Force Awakens was on the bland side at best. The movie was a bit boring and cliched at worst. Rion Johnson’s addition in the Last Jedi was an absolute mess! The movie went off in so many different directions it was painful!
Carrie Fisher's death without a doubt didn't help either. And J.J. Abrams attempt at course correction in the Rise of Skywalker was an epic failure! So, the sequel trilogy has become a problem as has Kathleen Kennedy and Disney.
A recent release of documentation confirmed what many Star Wars fans suspected. Kennedy and her lot had no plan for the sequel trilogy at all.
And for something as grand as Star Wars it’s necessary to have a plan. Another problem is the quality of Hollywood writers has been in steep decline for some time. What caused this were several things.
DEI or forced diversity with no regard for actual talent has done this. Due to executives wanting to virtue signal and save a buck or two. And due to the fact these people are in such an intellectual bubble they can't see much past their four walls. Not the best place for creativity.
Kathleen Kennedy had all the material she could’ve ever needed in the EU. She could’ve helped bring Mara Jade, one of the greatest female characters in Star Wars to life!
And instead, she chose to go off in her own direction because of her own hubris. Former network executive Paul Cheto of the YouTube channel Call me Cheeto noted this.
Based on her hubris and the bean counters above her this becomes clear. There is no way Kennedy would’ve ever hired someone of say D.C. Fontana’s caliber of writing skill. Kennedy would’ve seen Fontana as a threat to her. Narcissism is a dangerous thing that can only destroy. Add in executive greed and enough said.
So indeed, the sequel trilogy is the biggest problem. But to be fair there are other problems. Because of the shenanigans of Kennedy, the fandom got divided. Thus, we have the Disney Star Wars lovers as one faction in the fandom.
But there’s another faction in the fandom known as the purists. These people don’t want any change or new ideas in Star Wars. With all due respect Star Wars needs to have some change and growth. It's infuriating trying to communicate these ideas for one reason. Every time someone tries to speak up the purists shut that person down.
Hence why I chose to write this article, because I will not get silenced by any side of the fandom. Also, I am not a political ideologue, I'm a writer who loves Star Wars and wants to see it be great again!
Certain facts must get understood about Star Wars. Mark Hamil is no spring chicken anymore. Harrison Ford should be enjoying retirement. And Carrie Fisher God rest her soul is no longer with us.
I understand Kathleen Kennedy has left a bad taste in a lot of fans’ mouths. But I would ask people to consider this. Because someone has some new ideas for Star Wars doesn’t make them a political ideologue. I have some new ideas for Star Wars but would never force my political beliefs on anyone. I’m a writer, my job is to entertain people.
As stated, whenever anyone brings up any ideas the purists silence them. And this sort of mentality isn’t healthy at all. There can be change and new ideas while celebrating and honoring the legacy of what came before.
Now for this next problem let me make this clear to all the Expanded Universe fans. This is not meant as a personal attack on you. I would never attack the fans in any way. This is a product criticism nothing less, nothing more.
Near the end of the Expanded Universe timeline a good old boys club developed among the EU writers. Experience and history have shown that good old boys clubs don’t end well. 99.9 percent of the time they end in total disaster.
A good example of this is what happened with Timothy Zahn a prominent author in the EU canon. His character Mara Jade as stated became one of the most popular in the fandom. Having listened to some Star Wars EU stories on talking books I can understand why. Mara Jade is the only woman worthy of being the wife of Grand Master Luke Skywalker. I found out a short time ago that she got killed off.
To be specific she got stabbed in the back by one of her nephews when he went Sith,
What’s even worse is Zahn was never told about this. Authors should never stab each other in the back. In the literal sense it’s a felony crime and in the proverbial sense it’s a major ethical no-no. What got done to Timothy Zahn’s character was one of the worst things ever done.
This is something that needs to get corrected. Besides Luke and Mara deserve at least some measure of happy ever after like Han and Leia.
Now that the problems in Star Wars have gotten laid out it’s time for the solutions. This is the part that’s always enjoyable. Because pointing out problems is easy finding solutions is hard. But if one works at it any problem can get solved. And the issue of Star Wars is not as hard to solve as people think.
Now people have often said “Star Wars is dead.”
It’s been especially loud since the Acolyte T.V. show. The Acolyte was a total disaster and Disney's attempts to cover it up made things worse. So yes, Star Wars is dead, “From a certain point of view,” As Obiwon Kenobi would best put it.
Intellectual properties can die, but then they can get revived. That said there are solutions that can bring Star Wars back.
Step 1: Make the EU canon again. This is something that is that simple. Bring back the EU and fix the errors made at the end to make it better than it was before. All while maintaining the integrity of the Expanded Universe timeline. And while at it give Timothy Zahn the respect his character deserved.
Many Expanded Universe fans have said Mara Jade got done dirty with what happened. I for one agree with that sentiment and believe this should get corrected as quick as possible.
Step 2: This falls in line with step 1. Get rid of the Disney Star Wars canon. With all due respect the Disney canon is a political propaganda filled mess. A while back Robyn from Anime America did a response video. It was about some comments from voice actress Coleen Clinkenbeard.
Said comments from Robyn apply here as well as in that Anime America video. What Robyn said was, “Keep your personal politics to yourself.”
Having had time to meditate on those words I’ve concluded that there is wisdom in what Robyn says. The Disney universe had no thought put into the writing. So, the entire sequel trilogy must go.
Now while we should get rid of that canon do not get rid of the characters from it! First off EU fans please hold off before getting out the torches and pitchforks. Allow me to provide some necessary context to what I mean. First off trashing all the characters would play right into Kathleen Kennedy’s hands. She could scream something like this.
“See-see-see! Star Wars fans are bigots and misogynists because they trashed my characters!”
I know the kind of dirty games charlatans like Kenedy like to play. And the way to beat these kinds of dirty games is to not play. I propose what Inigo Montoya from the Princess Bride would call, “Humiliation’s galore!”
Instead let’s take the characters back to the drawing board and fix them, that is make them better. A prime example of this would be one of the most hated characters in the sequel trilogy Rey. A character who is also known as Rey Palpatine and Rey Skywalker. I understand why so many people can’t stand this character.
Before I continue, I’ll say this. This is not a personal attack on Daisy Ridley or any strong female characters. I'm proud to say I can think of many strong powerful female characters that I'm a fan of. One example is Polgara the Sorceress from the Belgariad and Malloreon series. There's Erza Scarlett from Fairy Tail, Viconia Devir, Imeon, and Jahiera from Baldur's Gate 1 & 2.
So yeah, I don't hate strong female characters. And as for Daisy Ridley, I've never met her or seen any of her work, so I'll offer up no judgement.
I love a good strong female character. And there are so many examples of that throughout media. Now that said certain facts must get stated here. Folks Rey is a Mary-Sue, there’s no other way to describe her! It’s evident this is a power fantasy character for Kathleen Kennedy.
Now that said, that’s not to say Rey can't get fixed up to be a good character. I see a ton of potential in her if she's done right! For this Mary-Sue it's a matter of giving her character and backstory a complete overhaul. That's where the real work of a creative comes into play.
For starters I propose that Rey be a descendant of Jaina Solo, Han and Leia’s daughter. Rey has the look that says she could be a descendant of that family.
That way the EU could also get incorporated in with the redone Star Wars. Also, the whole idea of Rey being an offspring of Palpatine or a Palpatine clone, to that I say this. That idea is more than fifty shades of “No, no and furthermore no!”
Or as the Jim Varney character Ernest P. Warrell would best put it, "Ew!"
Force ghosts only appear to those who have come to know them well. Luke could see Ben Kenobi because in the short time they were together Luke came to know the former Jedi very well. Rey only knew Luke for a shorter period and never met Anakin Skywalker. So, the idea of her being able to see both is ridiculous!
Instead, I propose making her the daughter of a prominent General in the New Republic. She’s very close to her father as they’ve gone on survival trips to various worlds and fished together. So, Rey would know how to cook and clean her kills from hunting and fishing. But also, I'd give Rey things she’s not good at and times where she trips over her own shoelaces.
Serena from Sailor Moon didn’t start off as a powerful character. She had to work at it to gain her full power. So, let’s do the same for Rey. I have a devious idea here.
I propose having Rey’s parents divorced. That was before Rey’s mother became a Sith Lord named Darth Miasma. And her mother is a master of mind control and manipulation. Male Sith can be vicious but what about female sith? I suspect they can be as vicious and even more ruthless than their male counterparts.
Hence why a powerful female Sith or two in my idea for Star Wars would make some fantastic villainy.
Evil is not limited by race, gender, or sexual preference. Evil's an equal opportunity employer. In this idea Rey ends up getting taken control of by her own mother. Rey's mother then manipulates her into doing terrible things. All because Rey is over competitive because she wants to get her mother to notice her.
Because of which when Rey breaks free, she'll have to deal with her mother's betrayal.
And this is where my own original character would come in. His village on Tatooine got slaughtered by an insane Sith Lord but he got rescued by his uncle. In the years that followed he’s kept his force powers to himself. All because he’s afraid to use them as he believes the force is evil and causes nothing but death and suffering. And so, it would be up to Rey and her Jedi Master to help the original character to overcome his fear.
That way he can help Rey break free from her mother's mind control. And he can get severe injuries in the process. And this is before the final showdown with the big bad Sith lord leader.
Why would I do such a thing as this? Because while I'm a nice person I’m not a nice writer! It would help Rey, and the original character form a brother and sister relationship. Family can be a beautiful thing, can’t it?
Which of course brings up step 3 of fixing Star Wars. With all due respect I’ve made my thoughts on the original characters clear. So, for this I would set it many generations after the events of the EU. The original characters including Mara Jade get celebrated as heroes.
In this case the new characters must face off against six powerful Sith Lords. Said Sith are part of a group known as the Children of Korribon.
This idea I got from the anime series Digimon. I loved the Dark Masters story arc in the series. I felt said antagonists had the potential to cause havoc for the Digidestined. And they did not disappoint.
One of the Children of Korribon would say this at some point in the trilogy I have in mind. “Darth Plagueis was brilliant, but his idea had one major flaw in it. The one master, one apprentice approach puts everything in a single container. Such a move is very…unwise.”
I love the idea of heroes having to overcome powerful and intelligent villains. Victories are always so much sweeter when against an adaptable and smart villain.
This is one example of the kind of ideas that would make Star Wars better.
Step 4 Falls in line with step 3 consultancy work. Now I know the idea of a consultant causes the blood of many to run cold. Sweet Baby Inc and Black Girl Gamers have done a lot of damage with their extortion racket.
I understand the fear many have about it. But I'd like to offer up a counterpoint and context. Contrary to modern belief bad consultants and consulting firms are not anything new. They’re as old as human civilization. They existed before the times we live in, but it’s only now that this problem has become so pronounced.
I’ll be the first to admit I’m not the most well-versed in the EU universe. But I would love to work with someone who has the proper resource materials and knows the canon very well. Also, it would have to be someone who sets politics aside for the mantra of ‘Story, story, story.”
As for getting a good consultant who doesn't extort there's an answer to this problem. The solution is due diligence otherwise known as gatekeeping. To be fair it would take a little longer but if it keeps the activists out so be it. It's all about story not politics and some gatekeeping is a good thing.
Some would ask, "Hey Animeman, are you certain you could bring back Star Wars and make it better?"
This is going to sound rather audacious I realize. But the answer is, "Yes I can revive Star Wars and make it better!"
I’d love to have someone well versed in the EU help. That way I can shape and mold my ideas to fit in with the canon of Star Wars and the EU nice and neat. Because it’s all about showing respect for the fans.
I once said this to the fans of the Game franchise Might & Magic, now I’ll say it to all the Star Wars fans. I will be happy to prove myself worthy of your trust. At the end of this commentary will be some links. Among them will be one to my library of original content. As a writer I will prove that I can fix Star Wars and do so in a way that respects canon and the fans.
So, the major problems have gotten laid out along with some good solutions. As I said I’ll be happy to prove myself worthy of the trust of the Star Wars fans. They deserve some respect after what Kathleen Kennedy and her ilk have done.
Thanks for reading this essay/commentary. I hope I made my case for how Star Wars can get fixed and how I can help. Let me know your thoughts in the comments section. Did I miss anything? Are you an Eu fan who’d like to work with me on this? Did I do good or does my writing need work?
Let’ start a dialogue on Star Wars. And Constructive Criticism is welcome as your input helps me become a better writer.
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Until my next blog thanks for reading. Until next time stay true to yourselves, stay classy, and God bless you all.
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