The other is the "In the Empire's Service" storyline of the X-Wing comics, centering around Baron Soontir Fel and his 181st Interceptor Wing. Noble family, true believer, serious officer and pilot... After the Emperor's death, the squabbling of various factions and "warlords" sicken him and he decides that if that's what the Empire's become it deserves to die. Plus he's married to Wedge's famous actress sister and that's led him to respect his adversary. So when he finds he has more respect for them than the Empire, he hands himself over.

I forgot about Fel! I still am bummed that they never had a story where Wedge found his sister. I think later on Fel says she is with him and is fine, but unless I missed something that was all we got.
 
Some ideas:
1) a series focused on smugglers during the empire (maybe like a descent into darkness type story where some person gets involved since they need money).
- Thinking what would be the twist to get people to watch, I think the reveal (maybe after several smuggling runs) would be that the cargo they are shipping is kyber crystals, maybe because the Empire deems them illegal to trade. I feel then that the delivery target would be jedi allies or jedi themselves, bringing them into the story.

2) a focus on the rebel spies, maybe a deep delve into their more grey morality. That could be interesting and force/jedi free.

3) some seperate force sect that has their own interpretation of the force and seeing their story. Still relies on the force and will probably inevitably have a confrontation with jedi and sith as the series goes on though.

I do think a series of a jedi and padawan just traveling the galaxy and righting wrongs through mediation (and very very rarely force like twice a season) could work well but that relies on the jedi schtick again. Maybe change it to some random empire law enforcer, showing where the Empire wasnt all bad and that the empire itself isnt all just evil might work (and since jedi are rare, no force or jedis mentioned).
I just want there to be more of a variety of foci, instead if it always coming back to Jedi and the Force. It's a big universe, with lots of people in it, and while you can have the Force poke its head out now and then, I think it makes the Jedi stuff more special that way.

Virtually every piece of Star Wars content that has come out since the mid 90s has had some connection to Jedi and/or the Force. Comics, games, movies, TV shows, it always is there and it almost always pulls focus. Non-Force/Jedi stuff has been the exception, not the rule. As a result, other stuff just ends up ignored. I'm glad that we now have things like Rogue One and Solo and Mando, but it took ages for those things to happen, and even then they're still the minority of stories.

I think that the insistence on the Force and stuff makes it a lot easier for stories to be about the whiz-bang stuff rather than people, and that's to the detriment of the storytelling. The worst of the mid-90s era novels were like that.


Then again so much of the stories in this world rely on either Jedi/ Sith conflicts and Rebellion/ Empire conflicts.
Which is why we end up with the same story over and over and over again. It's tired. We just endlessly reiterate the same old story. This is why Star Wars needs vision and to break the mold. It's what I was excited about at the end of TLJ where things could really go in any direction...until they went to recycle ROTJ only embiggened.
I was less bothered by this than most, I think, probably because I'd played the Dark Forces/Jedi Knight games and they had Force healing. But yeah, it just kinda came out of nowhere because WHOCARESITSAJJROLLERCOASTERWHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!
Here you go (main character doesn't defect though, that's sort of Dark Forces):

View attachment 1505440
Yeah, but even then, you became the Emperor's Hand if you accomplished the secret mission goals. So, kinda sorta force-y.
X-Wing, Tie Fighter, and X-Wing vs Tie Fighter on my Windows NT PC.....countless, countless hours playing those games, late into the night. (y)
Big sigh.
Don't forget X-Wing Alliance!
I want episode X to be about the Bothans trying to seize power from whatever remains of the New Republic. That conflict could lead to the creation of Rogue Squadron, where the NR attempts to show the galaxy that they won’t let disarmament happen again, as well as being an alliance building exercise with the systems that stayed independent in the FO/NR conflict.

The Bothans can stress that the remnant NR is built up of very green personnel from the direct lineage of the people that failed the NR in the first place. Basically make up for the effectively nonexistent political intrigue in the sequels.
I think we're waaaay overdue for a focus on internal discord within the nominal "good guys" side after a period of peace and rebuilding. And preferably, NO MORE ERSATZ EMPIRES.
I'm cool with this. Hayden's a better actor than he gets credit for, largely due to direction and writing being wooden. I mean, Natalie Portman, Ewan MacGregor and Liam Neeson are all fantastic actors and their performances were, you know, ok. It's the writing that's wooden, not the performances. There's only so far a good actor can elevate the written word, and I don't know anyone who could deliver "I hate sand. It's rough and coarse and irritating and it gets everywhere" convincingly, even if the goal is to sell Anakin's awkwardness.
 
I just want there to be more of a variety of foci, instead if it always coming back to Jedi and the Force. It's a big universe, with lots of people in it, and while you can have the Force poke its head out now and then, I think it makes the Jedi stuff more special that way.

The big issue here is the marketing strategy and managing expectations imo. You could essentially make a show like Firefly (just replace Mal with some new smuggler and the government with the Empire) and you got a space smuggler story. While refreshing, you will get fans asking ehy is this Star Wars, wheres the jedi and lightsabers. The big fan cheer when Luke appears at the end of Mando S2 confirms this for me.

I was less bothered by this than most, I think, probably because I'd played the Dark Forces/Jedi Knight games and they had Force healing. But yeah, it just kinda came out of nowhere because WHOCARESITSAJJROLLERCOASTERWHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

It still bothers me since I do think of force healing as an example of gameplay/story segregation where the mechanics in a game are made to make the game challenging but enjoyable while not being available in the actual story to maintain tension and consequences. Its why you cant use a phoenix down to revive Aerith after she dies in FF7. Video games also encourage the marty sue with the protagonist being the most powerful and the center of everything because the player is the main character. We like being that person and taking actions as that OP person. We dont like watching someone else be that though.

I think we're waaaay overdue for a focus on internal discord within the nominal "good guys" side after a period of peace and rebuilding. And preferably, NO MORE ERSATZ EMPIRES.
And this should have been the focus of ST imo. Forces with different interests usually ally to combat a central big bad guy but once that external threat is vanquished, the winners always fall into in-fighting. This can be seem throughout history (French Revolution, Russian revolution, WW2) and even modern day (goes into politics so wont delve into it).

It seems silly to me that the Rebels would remain united after the fall of the Empire and that there wouldnt be an internal power struggle. This would have resulted in a far more grey Star Wars (no clear good guys or bad guys) which fits the more mature fans who grew up with OT. The ST could focus solely on rebuilding the galaxy and figuring out how to do it roghtfully as more and more issues arise now that the Empire is gone.

It would also fulfill Kennedy’s desire to make Leia the “one” in the end. This struggle cant be solved through force with Luke waving his saber (well not the right way) but would need to be done through negotiation and diplomacy which only Leia has experience in.
 
SW is suffering from the same problem of outsized expectations that gradually killed the 'Terminator' franchise.

T2 was a monster. Financially, dramatic stakes, etc. But they kept trying to repeat & live up to it with every subsequent movie. If they had dialed back the movie budgets & expectations after T2 then the franchise might still be healthy now. The only good stuff after T2 was the TV series in the late 2000s when it actually was dialed back.

Star Wars needs to bring down the stakes & budgets and work on building the universe apart from the Lucas-era characters/families. They can't keep blowing up death stars & balancing the Force & defeating the Empire every 6 or 7 years. Final-battle conclusion events like ROTJ happen once in a generation.


Marvel is huge. Marvel sold a lot of movies and then concluded with the gigantic hit/event movie 'Endgame.'

You know what Marvel can't do now? They can't release 'Endgame 2' next year and repeat that kind of success. If they spend the next decade doing smaller-hit movies, rebuilding the storyline with a ton of careful planning & consistently good product . . . they might be able to deliver something the size of 'Endgame' again in the 2030s. Trying to reproduce that hit before it's been earned again would only harm the franchise.

It's a hard lesson for a big corp to accept. I hope Disney wises up & accepts it before they do any more damage to SW. They need to buckle down and give the public several years of SW content that is lower expectations + high quality.
 
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The big issue here is the marketing strategy and managing expectations imo. You could essentially make a show like Firefly (just replace Mal with some new smuggler and the government with the Empire) and you got a space smuggler story. While refreshing, you will get fans asking ehy is this Star Wars, wheres the jedi and lightsabers. The big fan cheer when Luke appears at the end of Mando S2 confirms this for me.
Yes, but that's also something that can be shaped by future projects. The more variety there is available, the less people will say "It's not Star Wars without [thing that the previous movies had.]" To be clear, I'm not suggesting that this is what you're saying, but when folks insist upon taking surface level elements and saying "It's not Star Wars without this," I see that as incredibly narrow-minded and betraying a lack of understanding of what makes for good storytelling. You can do a Star Wars tale that has no Force in it at all. You can do one that has no Empire or Rebels, too. No Jedi, no Sith, etc. You do need certain recognizable elements, but again, if Star Wars is a setting or a genre then what you need are some of the conventions of that setting/genre and that's it. The rest is all story.

Put another way, "It's not Star Wars without [thing]" is like saying "It's not a horror movie without naked teenagers being butchered" or "ghosts" or "werewolves" or whatever. Or saying "It's not a western without a high noon showdown." Or "It's not a spy movie without gadgets." Actually, I'd say a lot of the fans of Star Wars seem to be of the opinion that "It's not a spy movie unless it has a guy who's James Bond who says Bond James Bond in a casino while playing cards." Like, it's that level of myopia.

It still bothers me since I do think of force healing as an example of gameplay/story segregation where the mechanics in a game are made to make the game challenging but enjoyable while not being available in the actual story to maintain tension and consequences. Its why you cant use a phoenix down to revive Aerith after she dies in FF7. Video games also encourage the marty sue with the protagonist being the most powerful and the center of everything because the player is the main character. We like being that person and taking actions as that OP person. We dont like watching someone else be that though.
Yeah, it can undercut the drama. I think it can also improve the drama, but only if it's handled well.

And this should have been the focus of ST imo. Forces with different interests usually ally to combat a central big bad guy but once that external threat is vanquished, the winners always fall into in-fighting. This can be seem throughout history (French Revolution, Russian revolution, WW2) and even modern day (goes into politics so wont delve into it).

It seems silly to me that the Rebels would remain united after the fall of the Empire and that there wouldnt be an internal power struggle. This would have resulted in a far more grey Star Wars (no clear good guys or bad guys) which fits the more mature fans who grew up with OT. The ST could focus solely on rebuilding the galaxy and figuring out how to do it roghtfully as more and more issues arise now that the Empire is gone.

It would also fulfill Kennedy’s desire to make Leia the “one” in the end. This struggle cant be solved through force with Luke waving his saber (well not the right way) but would need to be done through negotiation and diplomacy which only Leia has experience in.
Yup, exactly! Or like, you'd have a generation or two of peace, but by the third generation, someone's angling to screw it all up again and now you have internal breaks. I'd also leave the Sith out of it. You can have evil without the Sith.

SW is suffering from the same problem of outsized expectations that gradually killed the 'Terminator' franchise.

T2 was a monster. Financially, dramatic stakes, etc. But they kept trying to repeat & live up to it with every subsequent movie. If they had dialed back the movie budgets & expectations after T2 then the franchise might still be healthy now. The only good stuff after T2 was the TV series in the late 2000s when it actually was dialed back.

Star Wars needs to bring down the stakes & budgets and work on building the universe apart from the Lucas-era characters/families. They can't keep blowing up death stars & balancing the Force & defeating the Empire every 6 or 7 years. Final-battle conclusion events like ROTJ happen once in a generation. You're lucky if your franchise can produce that kind of thing twice in 25 years.


Marvel is huge. Marvel sold a lot of movies and then concluded with the gigantic hit/event movie 'Endgame.'

You know what Marvel can't do now? They can't release 'Endgame 2' next year and repeat that kind of success. They will be lucky do that again before the 2030s.
I see Star Wars as starting to have a lot of similarities with the Gundam franchise. A whooole lot of Gundam series hit the same beats over and over and over again, reiterating -- with some variations -- the original or whatever the last really popular one was. There's also been innovation, but it seems like there's always this desire to re-tell the original story again with a slightly different gloss. And sure, it's entertaining, but it's also pretty limiting. I love the franchise, but I also see it as too prone to remaining hidebound by tradition.

I don't want Star Wars to do that. I want to see real variation -- and the good news is we are! That's what I love about Mando and Rogue One and Solo. They play on familiar aspects, but tell really different stories. I want a lot more of that. That way when another Jedi-fest shows up, it'll be cool and interesting, not old hat. And even then, it can be a different story altogether from what's come before.
 
Right now I would rather have Disney tap the brakes and instead of doing big SW movies that might fail, concentrate or smaller series like the Mandalorian. That way if they start something that doesn't click with fans, they can do the season and switch to something else. Sort of like the old "Tales of..." books or Star Wars Tales comics (except make it canon and get rid of the goofy stuff). I think The Mandalorian shows that they have the tech to make tv shows with decent FX that still looks good with a smaller budget.
 
Yes, but that's also something that can be shaped by future projects. The more variety there is available, the less people will say "It's not Star Wars without [thing that the previous movies had.]" To be clear, I'm not suggesting that this is what you're saying, but when folks insist upon taking surface level elements and saying "It's not Star Wars without this," I see that as incredibly narrow-minded and betraying a lack of understanding of what makes for good storytelling. You can do a Star Wars tale that has no Force in it at all. You can do one that has no Empire or Rebels, too. No Jedi, no Sith, etc. You do need certain recognizable elements, but again, if Star Wars is a setting or a genre then what you need are some of the conventions of that setting/genre and that's it. The rest is all story.

Definitely true. In a sense, Mando was a step in the right direction but they need to go further. I do think Star Wars is at enough of a crisis that taking a big risk is worth it. Doing something like a pod race or speeder series, unrelated to the war and just different aliens competing in a thrilling race in different areas with human drama could be a nice kick in the pants.

Yeah, it can undercut the drama. I think it can also improve the drama, but only if it's handled well.
I think another big issue with force healing is that this is the force power that Anakin was seeking and went to the dark side to get. This power is the equivalent of the holy grail in the Star Wars universe and Rey just kind of gets it with no real fanfare. It doesnt have any drawbacks (unless you are reviving someone else I guess) and its treated like cool new powerup.

Yup, exactly! Or like, you'd have a generation or two of peace, but by the third generation, someone's angling to screw it all up again and now you have internal breaks. I'd also leave the Sith out of it. You can have evil without the Sith.

Yup. Not every good guy is good. Having some peace could work (Leia could be defacto Chancellor) but once the old guard is gone, there is again a power vacuum that people will fight over (Stalin vs Trotsky after Lenin died). I would leave out the Leia being the one who will be the savior of the galaxy which seemed to be what the writers were going for since Leia wont take center stage though.

I see Star Wars as starting to have a lot of similarities with the Gundam franchise. A whooole lot of Gundam series hit the same beats over and over and over again, reiterating -- with some variations -- the original or whatever the last really popular one was. There's also been innovation, but it seems like there's always this desire to re-tell the original story again with a slightly different gloss. And sure, it's entertaining, but it's also pretty limiting. I love the franchise, but I also see it as too prone to remaining hidebound by tradition.

I don't want Star Wars to do that. I want to see real variation -- and the good news is we are! That's what I love about Mando and Rogue One and Solo. They play on familiar aspects, but tell really different stories. I want a lot more of that. That way when another Jedi-fest shows up, it'll be cool and interesting, not old hat. And even then, it can be a different story altogether from what's come before.
Also why Im not so excited about the upcoming new series. Ashoka could introduce new concepts as Ashoka travels the galaxy and maybe learns new concepts different from jedi and Sith but I cant see how much Obi Wan can explore without really breaking canon (I like Ewan but Obi Wan needs to stay on Tatooine to watch over Luke and I dont see Obi Wan hanging out at the bars. I really hope they dont do Obi Wan knows how to force project…
 
I think another big issue with force healing is that this is the force power that Anakin was seeking and went to the dark side to get. This power is the equivalent of the holy grail in the Star Wars universe and Rey just kind of gets it with no real fanfare. It doesnt have any drawbacks (unless you are reviving someone else I guess) and its treated like cool new powerup.
You could work something like that into the narrative of the ST, but not if you need to include a pulse-pounding action sequence every 10-15 min in a 2hr 20m film. There just isn't enough time, unless it's some climactic thing that she achieves. Example: Rey is the result of a vergence in the Force (Actually, Rey and Kylo/Ben together). Her amazing powers come as a result of the living Force imbuing her with aspects of both Dark and Light side, as it has done with Ben they each heighten both aspects in each other, and when one swings more to the Dark than the Light, the other gains immense power of the opposing side. But together, at most points, they represent perfect balance. A "reset" of the Force, if you will. When Palpatine rises as the result of Sith manipulation, it throws the balance off and presents a threat, which gave rise to the need for a vergence. So, the Force recalibrates. You could then have a scene in which Ben, in a climactic moment, takes on the burden of a ton of Dark Side energy, unleashing his hatred and rage at Palpatine and the Knights of Ren, utterly decimating them in the most brutal fashion he can, but which Palpatine just laughs at because he thinks it's strengthening him (and indeed, it would). Unbeknownst to him, though, Rey is feeling the Light Side surge within her at that moment, and she uses her Force healing abilities to channel immense Light Side energy into Palpatine himself, effectively snuffing out his Dark Side powers, physically restoring him to the worst possible thing he could imagine himself to be: an ordinary man. His Sith followers then descend upon him and destroy him, and begin to fight amongst themselves, weakening each other the entire time, and allowing the New Rebellion time enough to destroy the planet.

Or, you know, something like that. I just whipped this idea up in about 5 minutes while sipping coffee. All I'm saying is that you can work such a power in to a narrative in a way that highlights how important and special it is, instead of just "Oh also that's a cool thing I can do now but which I'll never do again." Like, I don't remember, but why couldn't she then use that ability to save Ben at the end? It's just not that well thought through.
Yup. Not every good guy is good. Having some peace could work (Leia could be defacto Chancellor) but once the old guard is gone, there is again a power vacuum that people will fight over (Stalin vs Trotsky after Lenin died). I would leave out the Leia being the one who will be the savior of the galaxy which seemed to be what the writers were going for since Leia wont take center stage though.

Oh, at this point, I'm accepting the ST as canon and just saying that it's something I'd hope they'd do in the future. So, having defeated the First Order, which kinda makes sense as Space Neo Nazis after the Space Nazis were defeated, you wouldn't then have yet more Space Neo Neo Nazis requiring a plucky New New Rebellion to defeat. You'd have internal dissent and warfare within factions of the newly established government, and maybe the rise of some new Dark Side power. You can still include elements taht have been consistent within Star Wars, but without doing a beat-for-beat replay of the same old stuff.
Also why Im not so excited about the upcoming new series. Ashoka could introduce new concepts as Ashoka travels the galaxy and maybe learns new concepts different from jedi and Sith but I cant see how much Obi Wan can explore without really breaking canon (I like Ewan but Obi Wan needs to stay on Tatooine to watch over Luke and I dont see Obi Wan hanging out at the bars. I really hope they dont do Obi Wan knows how to force project…
I'm up for Obi-Wan because I love Ewan in the role and I'm curious to see how they handle him as, effectively, a Ronin. Could be something like the old Yojimbo movies. Likewise, balancing a duty between watching over young Luke, and keeping the peace, while also dealing with survivor's guilt. Hell, that could be the whole focus of the series itself: a character study of a man who has accepted a duty imposed on him by his old Master, but who is shattered by surviving the Jedi purge, despondent at the devastation wrought on the galaxy, desperate to do something more but torn between his sense of larger duty and his sense of what he sees as a smaller duty (protecting Luke), who eventually comes to find purpose in his existence and resolution of his guilt by being wholly invested in his new task of watching Luke and -- in his mind -- protecting the last best hope for the future.

Ahsoka I'd love to see exploring other Force concepts than just Light Side/Dark Side and Jedi/Sith. They seem to have set her up in that fashion. That, too, could function as a Ronin-type character: the lone, masterless samurai wandering in a world that no longer fully makes sense to them, doing what they can to survive while holding to their ideals.
 
Kenobi will end up being a variation on The Clone Wars, just like Mandalorian season 2 ended up being. It's going to retcon so much canon, including the original film because it's going to have a rematch between Anakin and Obi-Wan that's going to undercut and diminish the tension and meaning of that entire fight and possibly even try to "top" the fight in ROTS. As much as I love the idea of Ewan returning and the show runners doing a character study, because I think there is a kernel of a story in that, I really think the capacity of the writers to create things without it turning in to one endless lightsaber battle is slim to none. I want to be hopeful about it, I really do but after Season 2 of Mando and years of being delivered more of the same, more of the same, I've given up on expecting them to be able to deliver.

I applaud the efforts of those who've attempted to push the story in new directions, even if I think those efforts failed, but I just think it's such a delicate line to balance to the point where there is little middle ground. There are few with the capacity to ride that line of bringing something new to the table without diminishing the meaning of the old. Not to mention it will always boil down to what sells. Sadly it's rarely about story and more about the bottom line, despite the marketing ploys to try and convince the fans otherwise. I have no doubts about the sincerity of the creative teams involved or the passion of the production who make these projects, but I just think either their scope ends up being too miopic or they deviate so far from the familiar that they miss the point entirely.
 
You could work something like that into the narrative of the ST, but not if you need to include a pulse-pounding action sequence every 10-15 min in a 2hr 20m film. There just isn't enough time, unless it's some climactic thing that she achieves.

I agree that force healing could have been done well but more foundation would be needed. Maybe Luke was seeking the power to heal Ben of the darkside, hence establishing force heal can “cure” the dark side. I really disliked the dyad concept in TLJ because it implies a removal of training. Rey doesnt need to train because due to the dyad, she will always be equal to Ben regardless. If they made it like she could access an equal amount of force but need training to properly wield it, it would still maintain tension though.

Or, you know, something like that. I just whipped this idea up in about 5 minutes while sipping coffee. All I'm saying is that you can work such a power in to a narrative in a way that highlights how important and special it is, instead of just "Oh also that's a cool thing I can do now but which I'll never do again." Like, I don't remember, but why couldn't she then use that ability to save Ben at the end? It's just not that well thought through.

Agreed. I think the implication is just that while she can force heal to cure wounds (possibly even fatal wounds) without issue, she cant bring back people from the dead without dying in return. Poorly explained but I think that was the implication and hence why Ben died to save Rey.

I'm up for Obi-Wan because I love Ewan in the role and I'm curious to see how they handle him as, effectively, a Ronin. Could be something like the old Yojimbo movies. Likewise, balancing a duty between watching over young Luke, and keeping the peace, while also dealing with survivor's guilt. Hell, that could be the whole focus of the series itself: a character study of a man who has accepted a duty imposed on him by his old Master, but who is shattered by surviving the Jedi purge, despondent at the devastation wrought on the galaxy, desperate to do something more but torn between his sense of larger duty and his sense of what he sees as a smaller duty (protecting Luke), who eventually comes to find purpose in his existence and resolution of his guilt by being wholly invested in his new task of watching Luke and -- in his mind -- protecting the last best hope for the future.

Ahsoka I'd love to see exploring other Force concepts than just Light Side/Dark Side and Jedi/Sith. They seem to have set her up in that fashion. That, too, could function as a Ronin-type character: the lone, masterless samurai wandering in a world that no longer fully makes sense to them, doing what they can to survive while holding to their ideals.
I dont think a ronin narrative works for Obi Wan because a ronin requires travelling to right the wrongs s/he sees, like a wandering cowboy. Obi Wan needs to stay on Tatooine and close to Luke to make sure he is safe.

The best character for this would have honestly been Ben after ST imo. Alive but needing to repent for his crimes as Kylo Ren, Ben could travel to various planets to correct injustices and figure out his own path of redemption. We never saw a reformed dark sider (apart from maybe Revan) so that story has interesting potential combined with opportunities to explore the universe.

Ashoka could be interesting if she has gone “grey.” She could learn from the night sisters, find Sith holocrons, and provide a different view of the force. She was also burned by the jedi order so it could be enlightening if she reflected on what she thought was wrong about the jedi.
 
Sadly it's rarely about story and more about the bottom line, despite the marketing ploys to try and convince the fans otherwise. I have no doubts about the sincerity of the creative teams involved or the passion of the production who make these projects, but I just think either their scope ends up being too miopic or they deviate so far from the familiar that they miss the point entirely.
To be fair, it's almost always about the bottom line, this is Hollywood we're talking about. Outside of small indie films, all studios are concerned about the bottom line. Disney isn't producing all of this Star Wars content because the suits just absolutely love Star Wars, they're doing it because it can make them money. They have an expensive streaming service that needs to compete with the likes of Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime so they need content to get more subscribers which makes them money. No major studio, TV or movie, has been about the story or the art for a long time, they're all in the business of making money, producing TV shows and/or movies is just how they make their money.
 
As someone who is trying to start a business I'm fine with that aspect of it. I just wish the people writing these better understood this property enough to find a balance between making money and delivering quality content. Making a true wonder of art may not be in the cards but delivering something decent is not impossible. I've seen rare glimpses of it but they're too rare.
 
Kenobi will end up being a variation on The Clone Wars, just like Mandalorian season 2 ended up being. It's going to retcon so much canon, including the original film because it's going to have a rematch between Anakin and Obi-Wan that's going to undercut and diminish the tension and meaning of that entire fight and possibly even try to "top" the fight in ROTS. As much as I love the idea of Ewan returning and the show runners doing a character study, because I think there is a kernel of a story in that, I really think the capacity of the writers to create things without it turning in to one endless lightsaber battle is slim to none. I want to be hopeful about it, I really do but after Season 2 of Mando and years of being delivered more of the same, more of the same, I've given up on expecting them to be able to deliver.

I applaud the efforts of those who've attempted to push the story in new directions, even if I think those efforts failed, but I just think it's such a delicate line to balance to the point where there is little middle ground. There are few with the capacity to ride that line of bringing something new to the table without diminishing the meaning of the old. Not to mention it will always boil down to what sells. Sadly it's rarely about story and more about the bottom line, despite the marketing ploys to try and convince the fans otherwise. I have no doubts about the sincerity of the creative teams involved or the passion of the production who make these projects, but I just think either their scope ends up being too miopic or they deviate so far from the familiar that they miss the point entirely.

I really hope the only thing Hayden will do in the Kenobi show is either as Vader unmasked or flashbacks of Anakin. If they IN ANY WAY, have Obi-Wan and Vader face off in a duel, or even talk, it will completely undercut the original Star Wars. I can't see them being that out of touch with the source material, but the Sequels are right there.
 
Kennedy herself has said that they will have "the rematch of the century." So there's that. Straight from the official Star Wars website.


It has also been confirmed by Ewan himself regarding intense lightsaber training and hand to hand combat choreography. And before anyone tries to debunk this source, the Hollywood Reporter itself conducted the interview with McGregor so this isn't a fan report, but a formal interview with the star himself.


I think it's a huge mistake to have them face off and robs the scene in ANH and even ROTS of any meaning if they encounter each other in the gap between trilogies. I also think it's a huge mistake to have Kenobi leave Tatooine. The entire reason he's there is to protect Luke from a short distance. It doesn't make sense for him to planet hop and risk exposing his own whereabouts or Luke's, especially given that he's a fugitive of the Empire. But you know, there's money to be made and lightsaber battles to be had.

I would love a more subdued series with localized adventures and a character study of him dealing with his grief and loss. You know, show off all that acting talent Ewan is known for. Have some action and adventure but balance that carefully with some more weighty personal drama that takes center stage of the series. If the action and adventure aspects are rare, it would make them shine all the more in contrast to more dramatic stuff. But I doubt we'll get much of that.
 
ugh what a lack of artistic integrity and creativity.

Yes lightsaber fights are cool but thats not what makes them meaningful. The Obi Wan vs Anakin fight in 3 is meaningful because it is the culmination of two best friends standing opposite each other with positions they have to defend with their lives. Its tragic because we see how far Anakin has fallen, that we see the death of Anakin here and the birth of Vader.

Although Im mixed about its cannon inclusion, the final Maul vs Obi Wan fight was also a thing of beauty. Ended in one stroke but the choreography, representation of the battle, and the ending all held a ton of meaning that was built up for years.

And the final Luke vs Vader is quite simple in terms of choreography (relative to PT) but its much more exciting and impactful because of its contrast to V.

I know it was mentioned before that Hollywood is a business and they need to do whats going to make money but sacrificing the art is the wrong move. Hollywood ultimately sells art to entertain the audience and if the customer doesnt find that art appealing anymore, they arnt going to buy it.

I think a great case study is Game of Thrones vs Breaking Bad. Both were juggernauts in their time but BB persists as a work of art because the creators kept their integrity and ended the story on their terms. Its why BB spinoffs (better call saul and the movie) still generate hype and BB is still recommended as must watch tv.

In comparison, GoT “went for the money.” Cheap twists, butchering storylines for views and subverting expectations, GoT has established its legacy as a trashfire that no one cares about, not even the fans. Hell, some fans talk about how they dont bother rewatching the show even during quarantine because they know the ending is so bad they have no interest and there is minimal hype for the spinoffs.
 

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