Oh man I am so glad you all are enjoying the episode on this level, this is exactly what I was hoping for.
@RogueLeader, you pretty much sum it all up. I think you’re right – Lucas, who is fiercely controlling over his movies and his business, ironically is the one who seeded the idea that there can be multiple versions of the same film…and being indirectly responsible for the phenomenon of fan edits.
If Lucas’s aim truly was, as he’s said many times, to create a modern mythology with Star Wars…well, there’s a certain amount of collective ownership that comes along with that. Though I don’t think he anticipated things like fan edits even being possible.
It does demonstrate the malleability of the “text.” Star Wars, though designed to be a cinematic experience, really lives on as an idea. There actually is no definitive text of Star Wars – there are too many versions to choose from with conflicting depictions of the same events! (Does Greedo shoot at Han first or doesn’t he?)
And yeah, the elegance of that TFA restructure not only makes it a better movie in general, but it creates a whole justification for all the other decisions the filmmakers made in making it a “retro” movie. The only reason to do that, it seems to me, is to contrast the few ways in which it differs from the original in order to make a point. I dig your idea about Rey tapping in to the dark side to defeat Ren – it would have made the trilogy’s whole theme of rejecting both dogmas and choosing a new path that much stronger. Alas…
@EddieDean You’re right on the money there. These movies are supposed to be fun above all else. I happen to find picking them apart and discussing them to be part of that fun (as I imagine everyone else on this board does). But the moment it stops being fun, I’ve learned it’s time for me to bow out. That’s actually a line I’ve been trying to strike with this podcast. It came about because I realized one of my favorite things about Star Wars was talking about Star Wars, and as someone who has done creative work in the past, I know that nobody sets out to make a bad movie or make a bad creative decision. It is so much more complex an endeavour. To that end, I try to foster a vibe of thoughtfulness if not outright positivity when we make critiques. I’m still trying to find that balance, and I try to “cast” the episodes with voices I know will bring certain energy to the specific topic.
Anyway, I can’t thank you guys enough for listening, and for Hal for being game to chat with some stranger on the internet.
Hal 9000 said:
The longer I live, the more earnestly I accept the message of the real worth coming with the proverbial “friends we made along the way.”
You are a very wise Jedi indeed, Hal.