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Opinions Change

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I wouldn’t want this thread to descend into a debate over this vs that, but rather a discussion of how opinions have changed regarding various aspects of Star Wars and why.

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I grew up with the Originals and loved everything Star Wars. I was very much looking forward to the Prequels, but when they arrived I was very mixed on them. I loved some parts and absolutely hated others. Clone Wars and The Clone Wars were released, and I didn’t like the animation style or the expanding of the Prequels. I had a very specific idea of what Star Wars was and this was not it. It was a difficult time for me because Star Wars was important and I didn’t like what it was becoming.

Rebels was released and even though I still didn’t like the animation style, it was more like the Originals. I liked seeing the Rebellion against the Empire get started and everything from the ships to the sounds had the feel I wanted.

Then came The Force Awakens. This was the start of everything changing for me. It was somewhat closer to the Originals, but very far from everything I disliked about the Prequels. My Star Wars joy soared to the heights of my youth! Content I enjoyed! Suddenly everything seemed possible again and Star Wars wasn’t locked into a style I didn’t like.

By this time, the Clone Wars had become immensely popular among Star Wars fans. I decided to give it another try. Now that Star Wars was under new management I saw things differently. The option of having something other than Prequel era and style made me less critical and more appreciative of not just The Clone Wars, but the Prequels themselves. I saw them more as a unique product of their own time. The parts I didn’t like seemed to not matter and I could just enjoy the parts I did because I had other new Star Wars again that was completely different.

My idea of what Star Wars was had changed. I knew Star Wars would only get wider and we’d be seeing all sorts of different things. Each generation would have their own take on it. I’d always have my beloved Originals, but I could also enjoy seeing new things too. All of this was a good thing. It’s why Star Wars would live on.

This mindset is probably why I didn’t have a problem with The Last Jedi or The Rise of Skywalker. I don’t think every criticism of those movies is valid, but I certainly see flaws. The older me now acknowledges many flaws in the Originals as well. Star Wars remains very important to me, I’m just more forgiving. I think embracing more variety combined with the large amount of content on the horizon has just made me feel all of Star Wars is enjoyable to a varying extent and it’s a great time to be a Star Wars fan.

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This is not a critique of anyone’s tastes. Everyone is free to like or dislike whatever they want for whatever reason. We all enjoy things differently. This is just my Star Wars journey of sorts. I’d be interested to hear everyone else’s as well.

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My opinion of the sequel trilogy changed,i sort of hated them until i saw the rise of skywalker, i’ve pretty much come to like them a lot.

Sure they are a different take than the EU on how Han, Leia and Luke were handled as characters.Different doesn’t mean bad.

I also really like Rey, Poe and Finn as characters.

I also like Rogue One, Solo, and the Mandalorian.

It really isn’t my Star Wars anymore and that is okay. My nephew and nieces love the Disney stuff. As my eldest nephew liked the prequels. I’m an Original original trilogy and Legends/original EU guy and that is fine.

I also respect Rian Johnson as an artist and director even though the way he did that movie Last Jedi isn’t how i would’ve done it.
But i agree with him on how there is a natural progression and organic way a story unfolds, and then there is a fanservice checklist. What he did with Luke is correct for the new trilogy because it isn’t his story anymore its Rey’s. I also have a ton of respect for the set designers, prop makers, art directors and artists, costume makers and special visual effects technicians along with the cinematographers and John Williams and musicians.

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This is a great thread idea! Not a lot of my Star Wars opinions have changed over the years, but The Rise of Skywalker is probably the biggest instance of that: I enjoyed immensely it on a first watch, carried along by the revelations and the cinema experience, but when I went to see it a second time I found that it wasn’t a very rewatchable film for me. Ever since my opinion of it has deteriorated, and its massive missed opportunities sting the most. However, after I read the 1st draft of ‘Duel of the Fates’, I was able to see the virtues as well as the let-downs of TROS.

My opinions on the prequels have fluctuated a bit; for ages TPM was my favourite in the trilogy, then Revenge of the Sith overtook it, but I occasionally become compulsive contrarian and reverse my opinion because most of the fans who view ROTS as a masterpiece are often such dicks to others. It’s irrational of course, but it just depends whether I choose to focus on the movie’s highlights or its flaws. This isn’t the only instance of me changing my opinion because of fan attitudes. After seeing The Last Jedi, I was conflicted; it was a bit overwhelming and the film needed a rewatch, but before I got to that point, I saw the wave of hate and abusive messages directed towards Rian Johnson and the cast on social media. Defending them made me love the film.

The original films are as beloved to me as they ever were.

“Remember, the Force will be with you. Always.”

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JadedSkywalker said:

My opinion of the sequel trilogy changed,i sort of hated them until i saw the rise of skywalker, i’ve pretty much come to like them a lot.

This is an interesting one: I loved them until I saw The Rise of Skywalker! It’s weird how that one movie has retroactively influenced how I feel about the other two films. In the end I think they’re well-made movies, or at least TFA and TLJ are, but I don’t like the rehash of Empire vs Rebellion with Palpatine as the main villain. I need to read more Legends novels beyond the Thrawn trilogy but I already think I might take those instead.

“Remember, the Force will be with you. Always.”

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As a kid, TESB & ROTJ oscillated between being my favourite entry of the OT, with SW '77 my least favourite. Today TESB is firmly my favourite, my regard for SW '77 is much higher, and I hate ROTJ.

I liked TPM & AOTC as they were coming out, but even back then I knew something was off, though I couldn’t put my finger on what it was. Once I saw ROTS, it all became clear to me. Today I absolutely loathe the prequels to the innermost core of my being. The good elements the PT fanboys all fawn over do nothing to improve them; they only serve as painful hints of what these films could’ve been under a competent filmmaker.

I didn’t like TFA from the get-go, but I desperately wanted to believe the ST would serve as the SW renaissance I had been yearning for for so long, so I gave it a pass, hoping TLJ would make up for its shortcomings. I watched the first forty-odd minutes of TLJ; I was bored, I was disheartened, I shut it off. I haven’t touched TROS in the slightest, and I won’t.

I loved R1 the first time I watched it, but my opinion has fallen with each subsequent viewing since. It’s still the best SW film since 1980.

Never watched Solo. I’ve considered it, as Emilia Clarke makes me horny, but my libido isn’t that strong (and it’s pretty goddamn strong).

I have little-to-no interest in The Mandalorian and any other spinoffs. Certainly not enough to pay to watch them.

My opinion on the Legends EU remains the same now as it did half a decade ago: 50-60% of it is garbage, but that remaining 40-50% I either adore or enjoy.

NuEU is insipid pap.

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No offence meant at all Duracell, but for a Star Wars fan it sounds like you really hate most of Star Wars!

In all seriousness, I think you should give Solo and The Mandalorian a go. I found Solo entertaining enough in the cinemas, despite my prejudices against it, and The Mandalorian’s just great. Those who say the sequels put them off Star Wars, often also say that Mando is the best antidote.

“Remember, the Force will be with you. Always.”

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jedi_bendu said:

No offence meant at all Duracell, but for a Star Wars fan it sounds like you really hate most of Star Wars!

I don’t think he even identifies as a Star Wars fan. He’s pretty much just here to shitpost.

My preferred Skywalker Saga experience:
I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX

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Well, shitposters welcome too. Although in Duracell’s defense I’ve noticed his ‘Ultimate Star Wars Saga’ concept gets a bit of attention in the scriptwriting section.

“Remember, the Force will be with you. Always.”

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I don’t know if this technically counts as an opinion changing or just a time when I was flat out wrong, but here goes.

I love movies and the theater experience, nothing else like it, but TV is a nostalgic format for me too. I’ve always wanted a live action Star Wars series since I was a kid watching Battlestar Galactica and Buck Rogers. When I heard they were finally making a Star Wars series and it would be about Mandalorians, my heart sank. I wasn’t very interested in Mandalorians but worse, I thought it was going to be so unpopular it would fall so flat and destroy any interest in making future Star Wars series. (I know right!)

There was no way I wasn’t going to give it a chance though. I loved it from the very first scene. I know it may be blasphemy in these parts, but The Mandalorian has become my favorite Star Wars content of all. That’s a pretty big turnaround. I love every aspect of it, especially the score. I think it perfectly blends old with new and binds the galaxy together.

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StarkillerAG said:

jedi_bendu said:

No offence meant at all Duracell, but for a Star Wars fan it sounds like you really hate most of Star Wars!

I don’t think he even identifies as a Star Wars fan. He’s pretty much just here to shitpost.

For someone who spends as much time on Star Wars rewrites as he does, and has read as much EU-content, he is certainly not just shitposting.

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I have never really disliked any part of the mainstream saga. There’s just the ones I genuinely love and those who I just kind of enjoy to some extent even if I’m not crazy about them.

I’m a late-nineties/early noughties child, so I grew up with both the SE originals, prequels and 2003 Clone Wars, and my dad made me watch them in chronological order. My favorite was Return of the Jedi, and though I wasn’t a big fan of the films during my childhood I still could recall entire scenes and dialogues from it, being particularly fond of the Jabba Palace sequence and the space battle of Endor.

Around the time I was a teenager I rediscovered my love for Star Wars, but more importently, my appreciation for the originals. I remember Empire used to be the least memorable for me, but after I gave it another chance I came to love it. On the other hand I grew a bit sour on the prequels, with the exception of most of Revenge of the Sith. It was around that time that the 3D Clone Wars series had reached its peak and I started watching it after giving it a pass for its two or three first seasons. I got really hyped for TCW, and thanks to that show I began to like the prequels more in retrospective, and the Republic era of canon became my favorite (despite the OT remaining the best movies without a question).

I remember I got enthusiastic after TFA, despite finding it formulaic. TLJ was a weird one for me, because I was pleased with it the first time but after some time I got caught in the backlash (since then I’ve slowly embracing it again). I liked TROS but the feeling of what could have been left me underwhelmed with the entire trilogy. Rogue One and Solo had worked for me, but what kept me from giving up was the Mandalorian. I loved both seasons and I’ve come to realise the upcoming content will make more happy about the sequels in retrospective, much like I had grew to appreciate the prequels before. So I’m at peace with the movies and excited for what’s to come!

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I grew up with the mindset Phantom Menace was the worst of the prequels; which admittedly was influenced by the fan consensus.

I still don’t think TPM is necessarily a good movie, but of the three prequels, it felt the most like a Star Wars movie.

I had more fun at the theatre when they re-released it in 3D during 2012 than I did during the Avengers, Skyfall, and The Dark Knight Rises.

I also thought Attack of the Clones was awesome when I first saw it at my friend’s birthday party during opening weekend.
Nowadays, I find AOTC to be the worst of the prequels by a distant mile.

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jedi_bendu said:

JadedSkywalker said:

My opinion of the sequel trilogy changed,i sort of hated them until i saw the rise of skywalker, i’ve pretty much come to like them a lot.

This is an interesting one: I loved them until I saw The Rise of Skywalker! It’s weird how that one movie has retroactively influenced how I feel about the other two films. In the end I think they’re well-made movies, or at least TFA and TLJ are, but I don’t like the rehash of Empire vs Rebellion with Palpatine as the main villain. I need to read more Legends novels beyond the Thrawn trilogy but I already think I might take those instead.

This is where I am as well. The ST had some promise until TROS decided to abandon it. I don’t hate the first two movies now, but only because I don’t treat TROS among my personal canon.

As far as my opinions changing over time, I’ve definitely grown to appreciate the original films more over the years as more and more ancillary movies and shows have been released. The originals feel more and more like a different genre, even considering the Mandalorian.

You probably don’t recognize me because of the red arm.
Episode 9 Rewrite, The Starlight Project (Released!) and ANH Technicolor Project (Released!)

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RicOlie_2 said:

StarkillerAG said:

jedi_bendu said:

No offence meant at all Duracell, but for a Star Wars fan it sounds like you really hate most of Star Wars!

I don’t think he even identifies as a Star Wars fan. He’s pretty much just here to shitpost.

For someone who spends as much time on Star Wars rewrites as he does, and has read as much EU-content, he is certainly not just shitposting.

I mean, I’m not denying that he used to love the franchise. But even he has admitted that he stopped enjoying the franchise after Phantom Menace was released. Which just brings us back to the topic of the thread.

My preferred Skywalker Saga experience:
I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX

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I have a love-hate relationship with SW. How far and how often the pendulum swings in either direction will depend on my emotional state at any given time.

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I used to like the PT almost as much as the OT, and while I didn’t necessarily LOVE Jar Jar, I thought he was pretty tolerable (probably because I read the books more than I watched the actual movies, so I understood that he meant well, he was just a bit clumsy). But as I got older and started using the internet more, I found out how much Star Wars fans HATED the PT, particularly Jar Jar’s supposed omnipresence. Of course I still like the PT a lot and think the story is on par with that of the OT, but now that I’m a lot older than I was in 2005-2012, I recognize that they definitely have their technical flaws, and I don’t enjoy them nearly as much as I used to.

As for the ST, I wasn’t too thrilled when they were announced, since it would render the Rebels’ triumphant victory over the Empire meaningless since they would BASICALLY come back, just with a new name. Besides, George explicitly said “There is no Episode VII”…[siiiiiiiiiighh]… Anyway, when I saw the first teaser trailer for TFA in 2014, I was stoked, nevermind that I thought it was wholly unnecessary. When I first, saw TFA, I loved it and genuinely thought it had promise, even if it was basically just a really-well-made rehash of ANH… When I first saw TLJ, I didn’t like it at first. I thought the whole subverting-expectations-for-the-sake-of-it gimmick was nothing more than a gimmick, although I did appreciate that Rey’s parents were (at the time) just “nobodies”. And THEN came TROS….yeah I hated it and my opinion of it hasn’t changed since I saw it one year ago today. I thought TFA just being a rehash of ANH would just be a one-off thing, but by the time the trilogy was finished, it had basically turned into a rehash of the OT, complete with the second installment being TESB on steroids. TROS made me appreciate that TLJ tried to stray away from the formula (no matter how badly it did it), but overall it tainted my opinion on the previous two installments knowing how the trilogy would end.

I hate the Disney Channel Live Action Universe

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Films:

I grew up with the Prequels and Originals simultaneously. I did go through a period of time where I listened to the critics with regards to the Prequels as it was hard not to as it used to be everywhere but over time I realised I shouldn’t let others define what I can and can’t love. For the record I love them. They’re my favourites and that’s okay. My enjoyment in them has only grown as I’m older and can see all the layers and hard work George and team put into them. The Originals are equally my Star Wars and I love them too. Luke and Anakin were always my favourite characters. The Original Trilogy is timeless. I can’t quite explain but every time I see Binary Sunset I feel just like Luke. Anakin’s redemption is a beautiful act of love. Simply put the two trilogies tell a beautiful story that feels complete yet has room to further the story if one wants to continue it.

And so it eventually happened but not with George’s treatments but a story Disney decided to tell.

The Force Awakens - I really liked it a lot. I realised it was a modern spin on the classical story motif of the previous six films but I still really liked it and even loved certain things like Rey. I did wish there were more of an original story, original design choices, and better world building but I was sure that would come in the subsequent films and we’d get satisfying answers to the questions raised through the mystery boxes.

In retrospect, I can’t watch it. The film does nothing for me. It feels like a corporate remake to appease the fans. I want to like it but I just can’t get into it.

The Last Jedi - I liked it but I didn’t love it. I was very overwhelmed and burnt out by the time of Crait that I was ready for it to be over. It had beautiful cinematography, interesting new ways of using the Force, and some fun and interesting moments like the fathier chase and Rey and Ben/Kylo’s relationship. I thought going in they’d have a relationship of some kind but more likely as siblings who represent the two sides of Anakin’s legacy to eventually team up to bring Balance to the Force. That didn’t entirely happen. I had a lot of issues. Namely with the non Star Warsy humour, tension being immediately undercut by a joke, Luke tossing the lightsaber, Yoda lighting the tree on fire, Rey Nobody as we’ve always had nobodies as Force sensitive and Jedi, Snoke being a Nobody because it undercuts the significance of him separating our heroes and turning Ben to the Dark Side, meta commentary, non Star Warsy dialogue, and quite a bit more.

In retrospect, I still have many of the same issues with it as it breaks a lot of lore and canon (as do all these trilogy films) but I really like it more now for what it is and consider it to be one of the better Disney era films. It’s beautifully made in most ways and has some interesting ideas. It took some chances and some of them do land. It at least tried something different to a certain degree but it came at the expense of the saga as a whole. (So did The Force Awakens and The Rise of Skywalker to be fair.)

As with Luke I don’t love his portrayal but I don’t hate it either. I can go both ways. I think it would’ve been better if we saw him get this way. A very big problem I find with this trilogy is we don’t get to see any of the interesting story points as they’re pushed to the backstory for Rebels 2.0 versus Empire 2.0.

The Rise of Skywalker - I had fun the first viewing. I definitely felt uncomfortable with Rey being a Palpatine but I just rolled with it. I didn’t like her declaring herself a Skywalker but I think I would’ve liked it more if she stayed random and did so after we see her parents leave her on Jakku. That may have worked a little better.

In retrospect, I’ve only seen it once all the way through honestly. So I don’t think it’s fair to give a full on opinion and breakdown. I will say though I don’t love it but I don’t hate it either. It has some great moments like Luke and Leia training together (so long as I don’t consider context) but it also has lots of problems with pacing and macguffins. It’s very cluttered and doesn’t know what it wants to be sometimes.

Rogue One - I enjoyed it but didn’t love it. I loved Chirrut and Jedha, the introduction scenes, and some other things. I honestly didn’t really take much time to reflect on what I thought of it as I was so busy thinking about what would happen in Episode VIII and IX.

In retrospect, it’s my favourite of the Disney era. I love how it expands the lore but respects what came before it as it has references to both the Prequels and Originals. It captures the spirituality with the Force through Chirrut and Jedha. I feel unlike the other Disney films it fits right in line with George’s six films in this way. The others seem to lean more heavily towards the Han Solo side of the stories. It has really good characters, fantastic cinematography and world building, and all around gives the opening crawl of A New Hope an interesting story to link up to. I’m still not entirely comfortable with the CGI characters but it’s a minor nitpick compared to everything else offered in the film.

Solo - It was okay. I didn’t hate it or love it. It was okay. It had some good moments. However it also felt too topical and modern a lot of the time. I liked Qi’ra a lot though.

In retrospect, I feel the same way about it as I did when I first saw it.

TV Shows:

The Clone Wars - I’ve not watched every episode but I love everything I have seen. I especially enjoyed the Mortis Arc, Yoda Arc, and The Heroes on Both Sides Arc.

The Mandalorian - I’ve not watched it.

Rebels - I liked it then and I like it now. I especially enjoy when it delves into the Force and Darth Maul.

Resistance - I’ve not watched it.

All and all, I’m trying to learn to seperate Disney Star Wars and George Lucas Star Wars. It will never be the same for me. I’ll always prefer George’s story but I’d like to hope I get to a point where I can enjoy the Disney era more. It’s hard to do though when everything relies heavily on nostalgia and member berries. It feels more corporate now instead of being made with a vision and for the desire to tell stories. I’m happy to see Mandalorian do well and I may give it a chance at some point but I’m not ready. I’m burnt out by Disney Star Wars.

“Heroes come in all sizes, and you don’t have to be a giant hero. You can be a very small hero. It’s just as important to understand that accepting self-responsibility for the things you do, having good manners, caring about other people - these are heroic acts. Everybody has the choice of being a hero or not being a hero every day of their lives.” - George Lucas

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Loved the PT when I was a kid, but then grew to hate it.

Used to think ESB was perfect, like everyone else, but now I think it’s overrated.

Used to dislike TLJ cause it didn’t feel like the middle act of a trilogy, but then I adapted the “fuck trilogies anyway” mindset, so now I love it.

And opposite to that; I used to like TRoS for “ending the saga,” and then I developed the “fuck the saga” mindset, so now I hate it.

http://henrynsilva.blogspot.com/2023/10/full-circle-order-new-way-to-watch-star.html?m=1

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I do not really have any significant examples of changed opinion, since I normally get it right the first time.

While this does not really count as a changed opinion, I was however reluctant to try KOTOR when it came out, because I thought it was going to be some PT stuff. I did eventually gave it a try a couple of months after the release and it was (still is) one of the best Star Wars things ever made.

Years later, I was reluctant to try SWTOR too, but for a different reason (because I hate MMORPG since it takes one out of the story). I gave it a try at the release, and again, it was one of the best Star Wars things ever made (at least the original game content, most of the expansions were kinda shit). And it turned out that MMORPG elements could be ignored and the game could be played as a single-player with full story immersion.

真実

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The first Star Wars film I’ve seen in the theatre was Attack Of The Clones. Each film I saw on the big screen up to and including Rogue One I’ve initially really loved and the cracks only begun to show with time.

The last three Star Wars films seemed really disappointing from the get-go. Can’t tell if they were really that much worse or I’ve just become a cynical asshole. Possibly both.

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imperialscum said:

I do not really have any significant examples of changed opinion, since I normally get it right the first time.

Have you cleaned your mirror lately?