The biggest problem that I have run into since I started working with Fanboy Comics is that I have started thinking about the things that I love. This has led to some depressing insights. For instance, I am pretty sure that G.I. Joe wasn’t a great show, and Voltron was probably almost as bad as Power Rangers. I am no longer much of a fan of superhero comics. (Don’t worry, Drew; Invincible still rocks my socks.) But, the thing that has given me the most heartache and distress has been the distance forming between me and Star Wars.
It’s been coming for a long time. I still remember the feeling of being not so in love with the changes Lucas made when he released the special editions of the original movies. I think I tried to ignore the hurt and concentrate on the good times I had watching the original trilogy and playing with my Hoth action figure set. Over time, I was able to adjust to our new relationship; the standards were lower, but the affection was still there. Then came the prequels.
No, I do not blame Jar-Jar or Jake Lloyd. Neither did anything good, but the movies were a hot mess. There were huge sections of each prequel that just dragged on and on and on. There were huge plot issues. (If R2D2 and C3PO met everyone, why did they forget, and why was the guy from Dexter suddenly Leia’s dad?) But, what really killed it for me is that they were sloppy. George Lucas needed a cowriter.
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This guy, who impressed the hell out of me, doesn’t fix the underlying problem. George Lucas doesn’t know what to do with Star Wars anymore, and I let that bother me. To be fair, I’m not sure that he knew what to do with Star Wars the second it came out. There were some cool things that he did, like inventing the first standard for quality that was widely accepted in modern movie theaters, but this is the same man that released the Christmas Special just one and a half years after he reinvented science fiction. I will not include a link to the special, because I like you and I want you to be happy. George (Do you mind if I call you George?) immediately went after the merchandising and left the sequels to other filmmakers. This is not how you establish yourself as a writer/director; this is how you become a mogul. This is what George does best.
While George Lucas was preoccupied running Lucas Film, Industrial Light and Magic, Lucas Arts, and everything else, these companies did great things and Howard the Duck. Then, George got the itch and set out to “fix” the original trilogy. I keep calling it that, but, at the time, we all just called it Star Wars. With this fix we got Greedo’s itchy trigger finger, Han stepping on Jabba, and countless other changes ranging from effects improvements to pointless alterations. My issue isn’t with changing the effects and tweaking the look of the film. My problem is that Georgey-boy was too heavy handed with this stuff. Instead of cleaning up the resolution and restoring the film, he made sweeping editorial changes. I don’t even care that much about the changes. I just want an opportunity to give Georgey-boy my money in exchange for a Blu-Ray copy of the original original trilogy. No, I don’t want to buy the prequels. Not ever.
I guess this is the part where I discuss my acceptance of our new relationship and try to grow as a person. What I have learned is that I don’t love Star Wars the way I used to. I still love it, and it will always have a place in my heart. I just don’t feel that same blind, wild-eyed passion that thrums through me. I love the setting. I love the myths. I love the sense of there being a real right and wrong. I even love the movies. From a distance.
