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Post #1477476

Author
Stardust1138
Parent topic
What do you think of The Prequel Trilogy? A general discussion.
Link to post in topic
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/1477476/action/topic#1477476
Date created
26-Mar-2022, 4:00 PM

RogueLeader said:

rocknroll41 said:

I grew up with the PT, so I have a soft spot for it. That said, I think my entire generation lost IQ points because of these three movies…

I also think TFA wouldn’t have played it so safe had the PT not been so asinine, which therefore would’ve led to a less-confused TLJ and TRoS.

This is an interesting thought. I’m definitely in the camp that thinks JJ Abrams was the primary reason the Sequel Trilogy went retro. I think JJ was definitely a part of that first generation of fans who grew up with the OT and was disillusioned by the PT. If the PT had been received more positively by that generation, I definitely think the overcorrection Abrams tried to do with the ST wouldn’t have happened.

What’s more ironic is how I think the decision to go “retro” with the ST was made just before the PT/Clone Wars generation was old enough to start having a major voice online. It’s possible the release and reception of TFA contributed to a lot of people looking back at the PT more fondly, but it does seem the shift began in-between the ST’s announcement and after TFA’s release (2013-2016). So I wonder if the ST had began production just a few years later, if things would have been different. Honestly I think even a different director would’ve led to things being different, but it sort of feels like a chicken and egg situation to me.

That’s mostly exactly how I see it. The shift was happening in the time before the first trailer for The Force Awakens came out as I remember talking on another forum about how the Prequels would tie into the new trilogy and about The Clone Wars series. We would also discuss the Prequels in general but it was still being trampled on in some circles. This seems to be in part what Disney saw as the majority of opinion and it didn’t help having someone like J.J. as head of kickstarting their trilogy with friends who equally shared the same opinion at the time of not liking the Prequels to put it mildly. J.J. was mostly diplomatic about it during the lead up to The Force Awakens (except for two times where he showed what he really felt) but you could tell he was playing towards pleasing Original Trilogy fans only. J.J. is definitely the major factor with regards to the Sequels but it was equally Disney in general I think too as they did cancel The Clone Wars in favour of Rebels. It was certainly cost but Rebels is definitely more Original Trilogy in style on the surface in certain ways since it’s inspired by Ralph McQuarrie heavily. That’s not to say The Clone Wars wasn’t inspired by him though as it was. Rebels though was more so and is one of the best parts of Disney Star Wars I’d argue because of its more direct influence from Ralph but it never felt beholden to it like the Sequels do with the Original Trilogy. This is not what you want to continue into the trilogy set after the Battle of Endor. Even George talked about it in regards to the Sequels to Charlie Rose (in the infamous interview where he called Disney what he did) subtly by saying J.J. had a different approach for vision from him in how Episode VII should go. You can truly see it in how concept art during the development of Episode VII got progressively more retro and like the Original Trilogy as it went along when George left and J.J. took control of the project. Nobody stepped up to challenge Disney or J.J. as it was agreed by all of them to go in a different direction to what George left them. Bob Iger discussed this in his book.

George never liked doing the same things with his world building and even the stories themselves. His whole Sequel Trilogy was meant to be about gangsters trying to overtake the New Republic. It’s a natural conclusion I think that builds off the power vacuum created by the Hutts and Empire falling instead of Rebel Alliance and Empire 2.0. It has nothing to do with the fans of the Prequels themselves but what J.J. feels is Star Wars. He doesn’t like the look of the Prequels. He’s openly admitted it. His whole mantra was giving fans what he wanted. He spoke on our behalf. It was personal wish fulfillment at its finest. He also loved his practical effects. Ironic considering The Phantom Menace has more practical effects than The Force Awakens. That and the Prequels in general have more practical effects than the entire Original Trilogy combined. It’s even more ironic in how it worked for so many initially and is contributing to the lack of anything truly new in Star Wars since. It also explains why they’re trying to win over the Prequels generation now but not committing to it fully as they don’t want to lose Original fans. Yet they also want to appeal to a general audience member. Yikes! Alienating and inconsistent much? This is why you should never try pleasing anyone but make stories for yourself.