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Post #1182209

Author
Valheru_84
Parent topic
The Last Jedi: Official Review and Opinions Thread ** SPOILERS **
Link to post in topic
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/1182209/action/topic#1182209
Date created
12-Mar-2018, 7:46 PM

DuracellEnergizer said:

Valheru_84 said:

DuracellEnergizer said:

While I’ve washed my hands of the ST and all future SW films for the forseeable future, it’s hard for me to sympathize with these people. I’ll bet a sizable portion of them were the same smug, self-satisfied Lucas fanboys who mocked and heckled OOT purists just for wanting a proper restoration of the theatrical cuts. To that faction, I can only say: “Can you feel that, buddy‽”

Well one of these people is me and I want a OOT release, I liked the PT as a kid and still do with the right fan edit and I even liked TFA but I hate TLJ. So try categorising that 😉

“Non-standard non-purist”? 😛

Nice try 😛

If I’m after an OOT release though wouldnt that make me a purist?

DuracellEnergizer said:

I don’t doubt some of the signatories are the type of people you described but you can’t tar the entire group with the same brush as demonstrated above.

True. Still, I find the whole notion of creating a petition to strike a movie one doesn’t like from canon hopelessly immature and petulant. Now, I’m not a fan of official canon, and that’s been true since 2007; I don’t like most of the EU, I don’t like the SE or PT, and I don’t even like ROTJ. Yet never once did I entertain the notion of starting or signing a petition to get any of that decanonized; I’ve chucked out what I despise and replaced it with headcanon.

tl;dr: These people have to get over themselves and stop treating official canon as something which actually matters.

I think the petition creator realised this themselves, here are some of their updates for context:

Update 1

DEC 19, 2017 — Hey guys, I need to be honest here…

I put this petition up because I was upset and I was on strong pain medication. Last December I was in a vehicle accident and am still trying to get the surgery and such, it really messed up my knee and leg and put me in a wheelchair. If I sit up for a long time it really starts hurting.

So after spending the time to get to the movie, watch it, and get back I was in ridiculous pain. I was frustrated and medicated. So, I made this petition. It was a bad idea at the time and I feel that we are pooling our efforts in not a healthy direction.

While supporting this petition is important, and I too have a deep love for Star Wars, I recommend we maybe send this in a new direction. There are tons of people, and causes, who need help, and we are here for Star Wars.

I couldn’t get the help on GoFundMe to help pay for my surgery, and yet this gets this kind of attention? To the point that this petition has been in multiple news publications at this point? How many other people out there need help and can’t get attention?

I’m not comfortable with that…

I love all of the support, but we also know that Disney isn’t going to do anything, and with so many people, who have much better causes, who are struggling to gain attention it is a shame that this is getting this level of media attention.

So please, while we all love Star Wars, I urge every single supporter who signed this, to also take a few minutes to look at other petitions on Change.Org, ones that are important, or look at causes on GoFundMe. Places where we can make a difference that matters.

Thank you.

Update 2

DEC 20, 2017 — Oiy and vey this has been difficult…

Okay, it seems people mistook my last update and got an implied meaning that I never intended, so I am going to be as blunt and direct as possible.

I never slammed the supporters of this petition.

Contrary to what ComicBook.Com wrote (twice) first accusing this petition of being spoiler laden, and then second saying that I had reversed my position and slammed supporters.

Neither of those things happened. I still do not like this film. I only know that the petition, which was made in a moment of compromised common sense, can’t achieve the goal that was set for it. It was meant as a way to blow off steam, and in the grand scope of realism there is a 0% chance that Disney would strip TLJ from canon, and they absolutely won’t delay Episode IX to remake Episode VIII. That was a flight of fancy, and a sarcastic statement.

Do I think The Last Jedi is good? No. I feel that it doesn’t get characterizations correct. I feel that it was poorly written and that, intentionally or not, Rian Johnson insulted the hardcore fanbase repeatedly and made poor use of the assets he had available with regards to classic characters. Killing legendary characters off-screen then introducing new characters in roles that classic characters could have filled better and losing the emotional impact and weight those classic characters would have brought to the series. I feel that some of the decisions made hurt the franchise. I am still torn up about the ending.

I have not been, as some people accused, bought off by Disney. I wish I was bought off by Disney, I could use the money, but no I didn’t change my tune on the liking of this film. If you can please stop sending me threats I would greatly appreciate it.

What I did do, however, was urge you to all aim your signatures and donations into a better direction. That isn’t me saying you shouldn’t sign this petition to show Disney you’re annoyed at them. Please feel free to do so.

That being said, we have, at the time of me writing this, over 25,000 people in one place. We are all passionate about Star Wars. This is a tremendous amount of power that can be used for good. So yes, I still urge everyone coming here to sign petitions that are important, I urge them all to help people who are in need, because we are people and we are gathered, and it is the holidays, and that is just a decent thing to do.

This petition probably shouldn’t have hit this critical mass. Certainly not to the point that it has been featured in pretty much every news site out there. I shouldn’t be getting threats, and worse, over a petition, and I have been dealing with such all day.

So to clarify:

  1. No I don’t like The Last Jedi. I would actually love Disney to strip it from canon, I just know such a thing isn’t (and never was) a realistic goal.

  2. You should all help people, as we always should help people, because that is just a decent thing to do. My concern is that the popularity of this petition could pull the focus off of things that might be more important.

  3. You should not be throwing threats around at people. This was a way to blow off steam, I have said that from minute one, and show that people were displeased, but you shouldn’t be threatening people. That isn’t cool.

  4. To restate one last thing: “I am not slamming anyone who signed this.” I am passionate about Star Wars too. I didn’t like the Last Jedi. I was very upset at the film. I just don’t want people to have unrealistic ideas of what this petition can actually accomplish.

  5. I’m going to use this thing to do good… So each and every day I will use the ability to send out an update to direct people to worthy and good causes. Why? Because that is a decent thing to do.

Today I’m going to direct Star Wars fans to visit “A Force For Change”

https://forceforchange.starwars.com/

I’m not saying like the current film. I don’t. I’m not saying don’t sign this to show Disney you’re upset, by all means please do. I am saying that you can do that and still help people.

The Force Will Be With You, Always…

Update 3

DEC 21, 2017 — I have been asked to verify that I am who I say I am, because it may be that the Huffington Post would like to comment on this petition.

I have been in contact with Matthew Jacobs, and this was one of the few ways I could verify that he had the right person.

As always, sign if you want to sign, but please also take a few minutes of your day to help someone else. Thank you.

I reached out to them because people have been conflating this petition with a growing theory that all Star Wars fans who are displeased with the new film are members of the Alt-Right. We are, or at least I am, absolutely not.

The issues people with this petition have has nothing to do with race, gender, or creed of anyone and has nothing to do with real-world political affiliations. The majority of people in this petition are here because they feel that the legacy of Star Wars was mishandled and didn’t enjoy the film. Nothing more, or less.

My feelings are well known. I just didn’t want anyone who did sign this being caught in a very negative narrative, nor did I want anything I am a part of to be associated in the least bit, with the Alt-Right. This is about the characters of Star Wars.

As I have stated, this petition started as a way to blow off steam, but regardless of that, I didn’t want to risk that kind of an association.

Thank you and remember. Please take the time out of your day to help someone else.

I also want to thank the petitioners who have signed this as well. You are all passionate Star Wars fans. Though initially there were some really aggressive posts (I received more than a fair share of those) in the last day or so, this has become a pretty positive group. I am very thankful for that.

~Henry Walsh