"In my day," he said, leaning back in his rocking chair and taking up his whittling, "we didn't have no 'Episode IV: A New Hope.' We had 'Star Wars.' And we were grateful to have it."
And it's true. We were.
A great deal of mental energy has been burned up analyzing why the original film was a blockbuster. Culture pundits have focused on the American malaise from the war in Vietnam, Watergate, and the national hangover from all of the 60s activism. Names like Joseph Campbell and Akira Kurosawa have been invoked.
But I was there for the first run. I know why it was a hit. It was a film about heroes, robots, space wizards, starships, and lightsabers. It was fun. And no one had ever done anything quite like it before. The special effects may look a bit tame now, but this was years before the advent of CGI. And personally, I think they still hold up. To my 11-year-old eyes, it was the most magical thing that had ever been done. Hell, I still get a lump in my throat when I hear the opening strains of the main title.
I sat through the Prequel Trilogy for one reason only. I wanted to see the emergence of Darth Vader. I had been waiting since 1977 to see that, and I stuck it out through three movies. Why? Because growing up, I cared about those characters. I cared about Luke, Leia, Obi-Wan, Han, Chewbacca, the 'droids, Lando, and Yoda. I even cared about the arch-villain Darth Vader. I was invested in those characters and their stories. "The hero's journey" and the other themes may have played a role. But I cared about those people.
My wife and I took our grandson to see "The Last Jedi." I was not impressed, and neither was he. The story dragged, was poorly crafted, and hastily slapped together. The characters were wooden and undeveloped. I wasn't interested in any of them, including Luke Skywalker, for crying out loud. Rose and Finn had some promise, but it was clear they had been added so Disney could say, "Look! We have a black man and an Asian woman! Yay, us!" It was an insult to the characters and the actors.
Another Star Wars film is apparently in the offing. And, as with the last series, it would appear that the PC pigeons are flapping their indignant wings and gearing up to let loose another salvo of green and white deposits on the entertainment windshield.
Disney hands over the $67 billion Star Wars franchise to a Pakistani feminist activist
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) January 3, 2024
Obaid-Chinoy on the new film she will be directing for the franchise:
"We're in 2024. It's about time we have a woman shape a story in a galaxy far, far away." pic.twitter.com/inhZHZrpHV
So, what is important here is the director is a woman of color. That's what matters. Not the storytelling, not the mythos, not the plot. Just that we have a woman in the director's chair. Am I being overly sensitive? Not the Bee quotes Obaid-Chinoy as saying, "I enjoy making men uncomfortable." Well, geld my Bantha. Who could have seen that one coming? She's a woman. Fine. She's Pakistani. Who cares? She doesn't like men. I don't think I'll take my grandson to that film either.
Bounding Into Comics reports that the new flick will be centered solely around the character Rey. That's good because she hardly got any screen time during the last set of films. The outlet mentioned an interview that Obaid-Chinoy gave to Variety in which she said, "I’ve always kicked open doors that were previously closed, and I think my feeling is that there is a critical mass of women who have begun to move forward in places that were previously closed to them.” So that's what it's about now? Kicking in doors, busting ceilings, and smashing the patriarchy? I was there from the start, and Star Wars was a smash hit with people of all races and both sexes. You know, not that long ago, in a galaxy not very far away, Star Wars was for everyone.
Let's be clear about two things. First, at this point, white men know that when it comes to pop culture, we are what the Washington Generals are to the Harlem Globetrotters. We're there to look bad and lose. And most of us really don't care. Second, Star Wars fans are not sexist, racist, or whatever- phobic. They just love their franchise. They want good stories and characters about which they can care. They recognize when someone is trying to wreck it for no other reason than to score some woke points. Or phone it in for the money.
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If you are hungry for more of the Star Wars universe, may I suggest ditching the mouse and looking into the fan films? I discovered them quite by accident one dark and stormy night while my wife was working the evening shift. Somehow, a Star Wars fan film came up in my YouTube recommendations. Since I wasn't going anywhere and had the evening to myself, I decided to put up my feet, crack open an IPA, and dive in. And a fair share of them stunk. Many were adolescent boys running around what appeared to be National Forests and state parks, trying to whack each other with lightsabers. But there were quite a few pleasant surprises. In my humble opinion, as someone who usually stays away from pop culture, here is a Star Wars fan film masterpiece:
The difference between this film and the self-serving, politically-sanitized, mewling offerings of Disney is that this film, like many others, was done as a labor of love. The filmmakers cared deeply about the franchise and did their best to create something of substance. And they also showed that they cared about the art of making movies. One of the indicators is the minimal use of special effects. There are no lightsabers, no blasters, no stormtroopers or TIE fighters. It's mostly dialog. By the end, I was invested in the characters.
It is clear the filmmakers love Star Wars and wanted to add another dimension to the lore. This is what Star Wars fans want as well. They are looking for someone who loves the Star Wars universe as much as they do and is devoted to telling a good story. And the majority of them could not care less about race or sex.
Disney can't seem to get a handle on that. It isn't even trying.
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