I tend to give George the majority of the credit whenever I pay my dues for whose most responsible for Star Wars because so often I see the narrative that he was never talented and the Prequels prove it. I just don’t see that at all. I see both his trilogies as collaborations and George as the leader who rallied everyone to fulfill his vision that he started and in some cases they expanded upon. I think he’s extremely talented. His creativity knows no bounds. It’s truly endless and filled with wonder. I see both the Prequels and Originals as flawed as I get older and can view things objectively but I still love them both completely, and in some cases I love them more than when I was a kid. I think often it’s when one grew up or what order one is exposed to the saga that determines what they consider to be Star Wars. We each have a generational tale and in some cases we fall in the middle. I think that’s some of why I can look at the first two trilogies as one of the same. They’re different from each other but they’re from one creator. I can see endless through lines and connections.
The same can be said for the kids who grew up with the Sequels. It’s what they know Star Wars to be. It may not feel like Star Wars to some of us older fans or even George and Marcia but it is to them as they haven’t been exposed to objective reasoning yet. They’re not restricted in their thinking yet of what something can and can’t be. I think that’s similar to how the older fans that do like them tend to view things. They tend to see the films as a pew pew adventure that have familiar elements to the three films they grew up with while others like me who love the Prequels and also the Originals view it as a collective whole of both trilogies that came before it. In turn I think we tend to be the most disappointed by the trilogy because it feels like everything we see Star Wars as was forgotten for familiarity on the surface level with the original three films while the other part of what we loved was ignored. To us they tend to forget the context and established rules that the Prequels expanded upon and added to the story the Originals told. In some cases it’s even things we feel the Sequels ignored in way of the Originals.
No one group is wrong and that’s a good thing but at the end of the day what George says is Star Wars to me is what the final word should aspire to continue and expand upon. At least I think with the Sequels. They should’ve given closure to his stories before moving onto different interpretations.
I loved that excerpt from Marcia. It’s great having her come out to tell her story and what matters to her. I really admire that like George she was concerned about raising her children. I can honestly see after today entirely why George was in love with her. She seems like such a warm hearted, fiery, and honest person. It really contrasts George who tends to be more reserved and a bigger picture thinker. They’re both warm hearted and because of that we got the makings of a beautiful story that continues to resonate with us and grow beyond us. It all started with one man though and she’s quick to point it out.
Thank you for including the videos. I was thinking about that first one today but wasn’t sure where I had first seen it. I look forward to revisiting it in a new light and viewing the second one. I’ve not seen it.