Adam J. Whitlatch

I’m sure we’ve all heard and seen the jokes in light of yesterday’s announcement that Disney has acquired Lucasfilm, and with it, the Star Wars franchise. We’ve seen the Darth Vader with mouse ears, the Epcot Death Star, Mickey Mouse’s shadow looming behind young Anakin Skywalker, and the three suns arranged to look like Mickey’s head over Tatooine. Let’s just get all that silliness out of our systems and get down to brass tacks… what does this actually mean for Star Wars and Star Wars fans?

Did George Lucas sell out to the Evil Rat Empire? Or did he do what was best for the franchise? You want my honest opinion? The latter.

In recent years, George has just fallen completely out of touch with his fans. He’s gotten so caught up in the idea of perfection that he’s lost sight of what matters: He created something great. Star Wars doesn’t need fixing; it was never broken. It was a product of its time, and despite George’s personal insecurities about it, it still stands up very well after all these years.

George likes to shout to anyone that will listen, “They’re my movies!” Yes, George, they are. But you have to understand that you gave them to us. Does that mean we own them? Of course not. But should the great films we all fell in love with be lost and forever changed because you’re not satisfied? No. Steven Spielberg learned that lesson the hard way, but somehow it just never sank in with George.

Do I hate the multiple special editions? No. Not really. I hate certain bits, like Greedo shooting first and Vader screaming “Nooooooooo!” during the climax of Return of the Jedi, and Han stepping on Jabba’s tail has never looked right to me. But I still bought them, and I do find the changes interesting if for no other reason than the fact that they’re an intriguing look into George Lucas’ psyche.

Okay, no more beating up on George, because honestly I think that’s what ultimately led up to this sale to Disney. The fans have beaten up on George so much that he’s lost his passion for the franchise and, it seems, filmmaking altogether. He resents his fans, and I can understand why.

As for Disney, are they the best company to take the reigns? I think so. Look what happened with The Avengers. That was after Disney acquired Marvel. The mouse didn’t rape our childhood. Quite the contrary.

Now, as for the announcement that they’re going to release Episode VII in 2015, and thus (at least) two more movies every 2-3 years, I’m a little apprehensive about that. I’d like to see some more planning go into this. Two years to make a Star Wars film seems a bit bold when you consider how leery the fans are of this unholy union.

But I am excited. This has made me think back to 1999 when The Phantom Menace was released. I know it’s the “worst episode ever” and people hate Jar-Jar Binks and midichlorians, but I still enjoy the movie. I remember watching the trailer over and over online. I had the movie poster on my door. I was a senior in high school and I felt like a little kid. I’ve always been sad that my friend Scott, who died the year before, never got to see Episode I. He loved Star Wars more than he loved oxygen, and he never got to experience the full story of “The Tragedy of Darth Vader,” which at it’s core, is what Star Wars really is. This is why I love the movie Fanboys so very much, because it’s about a group of friends (one of whom is dying) trying to get a peek at Episode I before its release. (SPOILER ALERT!) At the end, when Linus sits alone in that darkened theater and the movie begins, I cry. (END SPOILER)

So don’t worry. Hannah Montana’s not going to be on the Episode VII soundtrack. Everything will be just fine.  And if it’s not, well… I have the original, unmolested trilogy on DVD. I can keep hoping for a Blu-ray release, and maybe the Mouse will grant that wish.

Remember, the Force will be with you… always.

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