And that's one of the main reasons why I stopped being a completist years ago.
There were two main reasons:
1. Exploitation. I just opened my eyes and was tired of being taken advantage of by LFL and the licensees who are more than aware of many collectors' "I must get it all" POV.
I realize I may be in danger of becoming an apologist for all these evil companies like Lucasfilm and Sideshow who are constantly exploiting us fans (insert humorous sarcasm emoticon), but here's a reminder about SW merchandising and the completist...
Merchandising is the cornerstone of George Lucas' PRIVATELY OWNED empire. The reason why Lucasfilm is not a publicly traded company, and therefore subject to hostile takeovers, shareholder whim, and creative control
by Japanese and Saudi billionaire investors, is because Lucas has managed to retain ownership of everything. He's retained ownership over all his creations because of MERCHANDISING.
I've had this discussion with dozens of people. The profits from the SW films are but a FRACTION of LFL's bank account. It's the monies from all the toys, games, collectibles and such that make SW the sole property of its creator, which is UNHEARD of in modern film (unless you are Sundance festival indie filmmaker).
Who owns Superman? "Warner Bros., Adam." Who are the Warner Bros? They all died years ago. Who owns Superman NOW? "Uh... the shareholders of Warner Bros." Well, who are they? Most of us don't know. The ownership of Superman changes from decade to decade, depending on who owns stock in Time/Warner Communications.
Wouldn't it be cool if Jerry Seigel and Joe Shuster (and their estates) still owned Superman? If Superman's creators still had stake, interest, and a say in the Man of Steel's direction? It'd make you feel a little better about how they got ripped off when they sold the rights years ago....
Now, what if the only way Seigel & Shuster could hold ON to Superman, was through merchandising? Tons of Superman CRAP, flooding the markets and making the brand a dirty word, just to keep Superman out of the hands of corporate investors and shareholder whim. Would that be a small price to pay to keep a beloved creation in the hands of its creators?
SW Merchandising is part of it all, we must accept it this. Much like Seigfried & Roy accepting the danger of being bitten by tigers at work. STAR WARS merchandising is part of the beast that is STAR WARS, and it will NEVER go away. It will never 'get better'. HASBRO will CONTINUE to repaint spaceships and characters to match last year's profits until LFL comes out with new SW tv shows to fuel the merchadising machine anew. It will go on & on. There's nothing you or your griping can do about it.
What is our recourse? Well, if you are a completist, you better start playing the lottery, or become selective. If you are NOT a completist (like me), then you just get WHAT YOU LIKE. Personally, I love STAR WARS. And I love 12" action figures. But I do NOT get every 12" STAR WARS that SS puts out. It either has to be a character I like, or such a phenomenal toy that I can't bear to be without it.
As I said, I'm not trying to be an apologist. But when I get upset about something, I try to figure out WHY it upsets me. It doesn't change the cause, but somehow KNOWING the reasons makes it easier to swallow.
I have a long, drawn-out theory as to why the SW Prequels aren't even close to the story & character quailty of the originals (I won't bore you with it here, it requires about 20 minutes to tell & a pitcher of margaritas). I've laid it on a few colleagues & friends in the past. Usually when I finish, the response is "Well, that's no excuse!!!". I point out that I never promised an excuse, all I offered was, that I might have a reason, just a plausible exlanation to the "Why, George Lucas, WHHHYYYY!?!?!?" rants that some SW fans like to go on.
My theory doen't make anything better, it doesn't improve any performances or suddenly make Jar-jar evaporate. It doesn't fill in plot holes, nor will it take you back to a time when STAR WARS was better than BATTLESTAR GALACTICA. It just makes the dissapointments in the Prequels easier to swallow, and for some reason the little bits that are really excellent SW all the more succulent.
All I'm suggesting through this LONG and useless post is that, if we take a minute to try to understand the things that confound and frustrate us (like this barrage of SW merchandising), it can make those things easier to bear as burdens.
If you're just into complaining, well.... I can't help you there. Rant away, Gunga Din; try some decaf while you're at it.
-AH!
