Star Wars Saga (OT/PT/ST) Discussion Thread

[jaztermareal]

Hardly news to most of us who have been following things but nice to see the issue is gaining mainstream attention. Disney know they are failing but "stakeholder capitalism" is not concerned about profits, it is concerned with delivering the "message"

 

[jye4ever]

Ok but hold on for a second.

I hate “the message” as much as anyone else BUT….

The movies and TV shows weren’t free to make.

They didn’t just pay 4 billion for the brand and then their financial responsibilities were all done, heck no, they also paid a **** ton of money to make and market those movies and TV shows.

Now had they NOT spent a penny to make any of those movies and TV shows and then still not made a proper ROI THEN I would go ahead and say that they are failing miserably.

 

[jaztermareal]

Ok but hold on for a second.

I hate “the message” as much as anyone else BUT….

The movies and TV shows weren’t free to make.

They didn’t just pay 4 billion for the brand and then their financial responsibilities were all done, heck no, they also paid a **** ton of money to make and market those movies and TV shows.

Now had they NOT spent a penny to make any of those movies and TV shows and then still not made a proper ROI THEN I would go ahead and say that they are failing miserably.

After 5 movies, multiple lines of merch and what, 7 shows? They should be making profit by now.


They took what was once the most profitable franchise and made movies that alienated and divided audiences resulting in diminishing returns (sequel trilogy) or bombed (solo), made shows that lowered the brand further sending some people to the point of brand apathy (BOBF, Kenobi, Mando s3, Ahsoka), the merch based on those sub par entries sold so poorly that the very bread and butter of merch, the star wars figure line under Hasbro, was almost non existent by the time of Rise of Skywalker and the mess was a primary reason Toys R Us died.

The brand purchase should have been profitable already, it is not, and the more damage they do to the brand the less likely it will ever result in profit as more projects bomb and more merch sits in discount stores.


The fact is, in their drive to change the star wars brand to fit their own ideals Disney is failing their financial responsibilities. They know what would make profit. High republic crap ain't it, but that is what they are pushing with now a high republic based show due to release. They took the most beloved boys brand (that girls already loved too) and tried to appeal to a different (non loyal) audience while injecting their socio political ideology into it. The brand is failing as a result and currently is laid in a hospital bed in critical condition, the doctors unsure if it will pull through or if it will continue to spiral into death, delayed only by life support machines.

 

[Warthog81]

I was thinking recently about Star Wars and my reaction to each movie when I first saw it, am interested in the opinions of others and how they felt when they first saw the movies:-

Ep4 :- First saw it in 1993, totally blown away, made me a fan for life.
Ep5 :- First saw 1994, totally blown away.
Ep6:- First saw 1994, totally blown away.
Ep1:- 1999, Never been so disappointed in my life, first few minutes ok then Jar Jar, also so much CGI. Sold my entire vintage collection, almost stopped me being a fan.
Ep2:- 2002, My cousin told me it was much better then Ep1, went with him to see it at cinema, almost fell asleep, did nothing for me at all, so much CGI.
Ep3:- 2005, refused to go to cinema, my cousin got me to watch it on DVD at his, no interest.

Since then I have watched the prequels again, don't hate them as much, some of the designs are ok, I still think we could have had much better movies.

ST, saw Ep7 at the cinema, enjoyed seeing Han and Chewie on the Falcon, the rest........
Never seen Ep8 or 9, my Cousin told me best not to see them as they were that bad.

Rogue One, so, so,

Solo, weak.

Clone Wars, mostly fantastic, wish they could have done more of it.

Tales of the Jedi fantastic, more please.

Rebels, ok.

Bad Batch, don't care about it much.

Mando, Season 1 and 2, good, Season 3, not good.

Andor, great.

Book of Boba Fett, disappointing.

Kenobi Show, disappointing.

Ahsoka, disappointing.

 

[Sweet Rabbit]

Disney needs to take a break from Star Wars for a few years. The brand is too diluted now

 

[Warthog81]

While I can appreciate some of the design work and a few sequences now, it's hard to put into words how profoundly, confusingly, shockingly bad the PT was for me. Like it took years to process and come to terms with, a grieving process with weeping, lashing out and stoic reflection.

Yet the ST made me a touch nostalgic for them, with the PT's unabashed attempts at fun, breaking new SW ground and direct connection to GL.

I agree with all you said.
At the time I found the PT just so very bad.
I think maybe around 2011/2012 is when I gave them more of a chance.
The ST also made me think that the PT were not totally as bad as I remember.

 

[ironwez20]

Diluted isn't the word I would choose.

Completely destroyed. And they think a rey movie will bring in movie goers? They are insane. Seriously.
I’m not a KK hater or anything but she kinda seems like she hates Star Wars and doesn’t really want to improve or give fans what they want she just wants to double down on the bad. It’s weird

 

[Warthog81]

You forgot the prequels to the prequels: the SE releases.

The god-awful, multi-attempt CGI Jabba, the Ewok eyeballs, staggeringly misguided CGI Jabba's band sequence and beginning of the long journey of the Greedo redux is always worthy of discussion as prelude to the PT era.

It was as if the day after the premiere of ROTJ GL was kidnapped and replaced with an evil twin who got straight to work soiling the real GL legacy: ewok movies unbelievably bad yet begun just months after the OT, blandly bad Disney rides, weirdo Japan stage shows, the destructive money grab of the SE and unholy launch of PT... all within about 15 years of the end of the OT.

The only small saving grace in any of this was that CGI was not available at the time the Ewok movies.

I think the J Geils Band's "Centerfold" song pretty much says it all for the vast majority of post-OT SW.

Argh yes the SE releases! I hate the added CGI, I dislike those rat like things as they drive into Mos Eisley, also the change with Han and Greedo etc. I wish that Disney would release proper versions of the original theatrical releases.

 

[wormlander]

I was thinking recently about Star Wars and my reaction to each movie when I first saw it, am interested in the opinions of others and how they felt when they first saw the movies:-

Ep4 :- First saw it in 1993, totally blown away, made me a fan for life.
Ep5 :- First saw 1994, totally blown away.
Ep6:- First saw 1994, totally blown away.
Ep1:- 1999, Never been so disappointed in my life, first few minutes ok then Jar Jar, also so much CGI. Sold my entire vintage collection, almost stopped me being a fan.
Ep2:- 2002, My cousin told me it was much better then Ep1, went with him to see it at cinema, almost fell asleep, did nothing for me at all, so much CGI.
Ep3:- 2005, refused to go to cinema, my cousin got me to watch it on DVD at his, no interest.

Since then I have watched the prequels again, don't hate them as much, some of the designs are ok, I still think we could have had much better movies.

ST, saw Ep7 at the cinema, enjoyed seeing Han and Chewie on the Falcon, the rest........
Never seen Ep8 or 9, my Cousin told me best not to see them as they were that bad.

Rogue One, so, so,

Solo, weak.

Clone Wars, mostly fantastic, wish they could have done more of it.

Tales of the Jedi fantastic, more please.

Rebels, ok.

Bad Batch, don't care about it much.

Mando, Season 1 and 2, good, Season 3, not good.

Andor, great.

Book of Boba Fett, disappointing.

Kenobi Show, disappointing.

Ahsoka, disappointing.

Up to and including Rogue One, my own list and opinions/verdicts are virtually identical (I did watch the OT in the early 80's though). However, I've never felt the urge to revisit the prequels, nor to watch Solo. If I could go back in time and skip ep.7 entirely I'd do it in a heartbeat. I also consider Mando seasons 1 & 2 to be highly entertaining "companion pieces" to the OT. Although I personally cannot stand the animation style of the Star Wars cartoons, I hear there's some good world buildning to be had in there. The characters that made it into Mando were interesting enough i.m.o. I decided to give both Andor and BOBF a chance but didn't even manage to sit through their pilot episodes (albeit for totally different reasons). I don't expect there'll be any worthwhile SW projects in the near future, but that's ok as long as I have my Despecialized Edition OT standing by...

 

[Khev]

I know a lot of longtime fans feel that SW is forever tainted but I'm just so glad that for me the original theatrical OT really do still feel like a completely separate Saga from a completely different time (cue Old Ben's quote here.)

All the junk in the PT and later seem linked to the OT SE's (which I don't consider the true OT) therefore allowing the original theatrical releases to exist on their own little untainted island. Thank God HD versions are finally easily accessible and will be forevermore.

 

[jye4ever]

 

[ZE_501]

Star Wars has become David Bowie for me. Kind of; it's not a one-to-one analogy.

I was lucky enough to see Bowie perform twice and have enormous respect for him as an artist. Yet in his lifetime he produced a massive body of work and took many risks -- most of which doesn't actually resonate with me. A glance at my Bowie playlist reveals 21 songs. One hour and forty-three minutes culled from a lifetime of work.

The bulk of his work that I don't appreciate has no bearing on what I do enjoy.

I enjoy the OT first and foremost. Appreciate Rogue One, Solo, and Andor plus some Mandalorian episodes on their own merits, and don't care about the rest. It is what it is.

 

[Wor-Gar]

Ironically, Disney is making Star Wars more strange "Bowie" every day... in fact, isn't one of the characters in Acolyte essentially Ziggy Stardust?

 

[Mondragon]

Ironically, Disney is making Star Wars more strange "Bowie" every day... in fact, isn't one of the characters in Acolyte essentially Ziggy Stardust?

LOL [sadly] is that the Laura X-23 character, Dafne Keen Fernández? They should have put lightsaber blades on her feet!
Loved her in Logan, and was looking forward to seeing her again in Deadpool & Wolverine. Hope this doesn't taint it all.

 

[Wor-Gar]

She's on the hunt for the spiders from Mars.

 

[ironwez20]

I know a lot of longtime fans feel that SW is forever tainted but I'm just so glad that for me the original theatrical OT really do still feel like a completely separate Saga from a completely different time (cue Old Ben's quote here.)

All the junk in the PT and later seem linked to the OT SE's (which I don't consider the true OT) therefore allowing the original theatrical releases to exist on their own little untainted island. Thank God HD versions are finally easily accessible and will be forevermore.

Yes and I am blessed to be part of the golden era

The pt era !!!

 

[Mondragon]

View attachment 699096

 

[Khev]

LOL is that the Laura X-23 character, Dafne Keen Fernández? They should have but lightsaber blades on her feet!
Loved her in Logan, and was looking forward to seeing her again in Deadpool & Wolverine. Hope this doesn't taint it all.

That is just so stupid looking.

 

[Mondragon]

She's on the hunt for the spiders from Mars.

 

[jye4ever]

Guys…guys…my dear online friends.

Hell some are almost family.

No not almost, you are family.

I was there opening weekend for the OT.

I hate KK with a passion.

But my friends…my family…

This belongs on my SW shelf…

AS MUCH AS THIS DOES…

Luthen’s main monologue on that windy Coruscant-ESB like skyscraper bridge in Andor is as good as anything from the OT.

No, it’s actually better than 50% of ROTJ!

I want a Luthen HT!

No scratch that.

I want a Luthen from Inart with rooted hair lol

Was Luthen wearing his posh wig during that epic monologue?!