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Will the anthology films be a repeat of the prequels?

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Up until recently, I though the anthology series was a great idea. Now, not so much. In a tumblr blog called Star Wars 1999(project to rewrite the prequels), he lists one of the many failings of the prequels : it’s backstory, NOT story. All the prequels do is retell the fall of Anakin in more detail. Doesn’t matter how well done it is, it’s still more of what we already know. It makes me question whether or not we even need prequels, and if we might be better off if “Episode 5 : The Empire Strikes Back” should have just been called “The Empire Strikes Back”.

Look at the anthology films in progress

  1. Rogue One : How the Rebels captured the plans for the Death Star
  2. Han Solo : How Han Solo became the person we met in the Mos Eisley cantina
  3. Boba Fett : How Boba Fett… became Boba Fett
  4. Probably maybe Obi Wan but I feel that bird flew in Episode 3 and it would just be overly melodramatic and it steps on prequel territory(this movie isn’t happening)

They are ALL backstory. We already know the rebels got the plans for the Death Star. We already know Han Solo is a smuggler. We already Boba Fett is awesome. Do we really need movies just fleshing out details?

Rogue One is the biggest offender. Maybe if it has good characters with stories we haven’t seen yet, it might not be backstory. Hopefully, it won’t be like Star Wars Rebels where every character is “Oh, the Empire did something bad to me. That’s my motivation for being a Rebel”.

Han Solo might have some potential for us to have a new story, but I think it’ll be very similar to his arc in the original trilogy. He goes from selfish smuggler to hero. Make it more like “A Good Story That Just Happens To Have Young Han Solo As The Main Character” and not “Han Solo Begins”.

Boba Fett is likely to have the most potential for an all-new story. Since the prequels sucked all the mystery about him, an anthology about him doesn’t bother me that much. All we know is that he’s a clone, his dad died, and he became a bounty hunter, feared across the galaxy. Clones(at least in real life) have very short lifespans, so maybe ALL the clones are dying, Boba Fett included, and the movie is about him trying to survive. How would Boba Fet t react to the fact that his dead father was cloned, and none of the clones recognize him. It could even include him getting out of the Sarlaac and somehow redeeming himself afterward.

tl:dr The prequels sucked cause they were just backstory and not story, and the anthology movies are all prequels.

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Yes, that danger is a distinct possibility.

Oh, well, if it happens, it happens. I’m already proficient at ignoring uninspired fare; I’ll just toss 'em out with the rest of the pointless crap.

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The original Han Solo novels are backstory, but well written and a lot of fun. It’s sad Brian Daley isn’t around to pen a script, as he knew what made Han tick.

Rogue One feels like it might be in the vein of a World War II action movie. Somewhere between The Dirty Dozen and The Guns of Navarone. Knowing who won the war or a certain battle doesn’t mean you can’t tell a compelling tale against that backdrop.

Boba Fett could go in just about any direction. If they stick to the concept he operates by a code, he can be a bad ass, ruthless, and still have the audience on his side. And maybe they will have the guts to never show what he really looks like. The few EU novels I read had him using disguises on occasion to track down a quarry.

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Where were you in '77?

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SilverWook said:
Boba Fett could go in just about any direction. If they stick to the concept he operates by a code, he can be a bad ass, ruthless, and still have the audience on his side. And maybe they will have the guts to never show what he really looks like. The few EU novels I read had him using disguises on occasion to track down a quarry.

I hope they don’t show us what he looks like. If they do they’d have to basically retcon the whole Clone thing, since I highly doubt they’d get the actor from Attack of the Clones to take the role.

The Person in Question

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I really wish these Anthology films could explore Star Wars stories that weren’t so closely tied to the films. Luscasfilm went back 4,000 years before our main Star Wars story takes place and really knocked it out of the park!

For now, I’m sitting on the fence. I welcome well written character driven Star Wars stories (since that’s what these films will have to pull off when we know the overall story outcome), but if it fails to deliver… well whatever I guess. They tried!

The Rise of Failures

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The Anthology films dont come with the baggage of being part of a trilogy. The directors are free to do as they will.

Star Wars was created under the assumption there would be no sequels. Lucas took his best ideas from his saga and crammed them into the '77 film. It is an excellent piece of standalone cinema as a result.

The Han Solo films can be done very well with a charismatic actor. In fact, Solo could easily become a successful serial. Just a bunch of one off space adventures. I hope they keep the emo out of it. I dont really care to see his orphan childhood.

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SilverWook said:

The original Han Solo novels are backstory, but well written and a lot of fun. It’s sad Brian Daley isn’t around to pen a script, as he knew what made Han tick.

Rogue One feels like it might be in the vein of a World War II action movie. Somewhere between The Dirty Dozen and The Guns of Navarone. Knowing who won the war or a certain battle doesn’t mean you can’t tell a compelling tale against that backdrop.

Boba Fett could go in just about any direction. If they stick to the concept he operates by a code, he can be a bad ass, ruthless, and still have the audience on his side. And maybe they will have the guts to never show what he really looks like. The few EU novels I read had him using disguises on occasion to track down a quarry.

Doesn’t matter how good it is. It’s still backstory. Backstory is not good because it’s already been spoiled. I just hope they take the time to do more than flesh out the backstory.

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TavorX said:

I really wish these Anthology films could explore Star Wars stories that weren’t so closely tied to the films. Luscasfilm went back 4,000 years before our main Star Wars story takes place and really knocked it out of the park!

For now, I’m sitting on the fence. I welcome well written character driven Star Wars stories (since that’s what these films will have to pull off when we know the overall story outcome), but if it fails to deliver… well whatever I guess. They tried!

Uh, sorry to tell you, but the Old Republic is no longer canon. RIP Darth Revan and Darth Bane.

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StarChewyWar said:
Uh, sorry to tell you, but the Old Republic is no longer canon. RIP Darth Revan and Darth Bane.

There’s no official word from Disney. It’s in the grey zone for now since it’s story related material that doesn’t contradict the main films/new canon.

But what I’m saying is that good Star Wars stories CAN be told when they’re set far apart from the main films. Something either set far in the future or far in the past.

The Rise of Failures

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TavorX said:

StarChewyWar said:
Uh, sorry to tell you, but the Old Republic is no longer canon. RIP Darth Revan and Darth Bane.

There’s no official word from Disney. It’s in the grey zone for now since it’s story related material that doesn’t contradict the main films/new canon.

But what I’m saying is that good Star Wars stories CAN be told when they’re set far apart from the main films. Something either set far in the future or far in the past.

Yes, there was. Everything as of 2014 that are not the six movies and the Clone Wars show and movie are not canon. It’s almost 2016 now I know, so obviously the Force Awakens and Rebels and the new Expanded Universe are canon. Besides that, an Old Republic anthology would step on the toes of the prequels, and nobody wants to be reminded of the prequels.

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StarChewyWar said:

the Force Awakens and Rebels and the new Expanded Universe are canon.

There is no canon. Canon is a lie. All that exist are a myriad of fictional stories and personal taste.

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StarChewyWar said:

SilverWook said:

The original Han Solo novels are backstory, but well written and a lot of fun. It’s sad Brian Daley isn’t around to pen a script, as he knew what made Han tick.

Rogue One feels like it might be in the vein of a World War II action movie. Somewhere between The Dirty Dozen and The Guns of Navarone. Knowing who won the war or a certain battle doesn’t mean you can’t tell a compelling tale against that backdrop.

Boba Fett could go in just about any direction. If they stick to the concept he operates by a code, he can be a bad ass, ruthless, and still have the audience on his side. And maybe they will have the guts to never show what he really looks like. The few EU novels I read had him using disguises on occasion to track down a quarry.

Doesn’t matter how good it is. It’s still backstory. Backstory is not good because it’s already been spoiled. I just hope they take the time to do more than flesh out the backstory.

Nope. SilverWook is completely right. Just because you know the outcome (or a part of it) doesn’t mean the story or the film is bad or not worth telling. I’m not saying the anthology movies are going to have stories that are completely worthwhile (I’m optimistic, but a little skeptical myself) but to just say without any doubt that they’re not good because they’re backstory is ridiculous and quite narrow-minded.

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Why make a movie about the Titanic? Everybody know the boat sinks already. 😉

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Where were you in '77?

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SilverWook said:

Why make a movie about the Titanic? Everybody know the boat sinks already. 😉

But if the Titanic would have reached New York it would be a really dull movie.

I get your point, but we need some stakes for the movie. Rogue One could have them, if the characters are unknown, they could all die. But Han Solo and Boba Fett… I really hope they have some interesting stories to tell because I really am worried about how good they turn out.

And in the time of greatest despair, there shall come a savior, and he shall be known as the Son of the Suns.

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Have we actually gotten any confirmation that they’re making a Boba Fett movie? We’ve heard a lot of rumours, but not to much concrete information.
Boba Fett may be popular, but Disney have been clever so far to not bring up PT-canon in the movies. That’s not to say a Boba Fett film wouldn’t work, but they’re going to have to be very careful to manage to please as many fans as possible.

Star Wars is Surrealism, not Science Fiction (essay)
Original Trilogy Documentaries/Making-Ofs (YouTube, Vimeo, etc. finds)
Beyond the OT Documentaries/Making-Ofs (YouTube, Vimeo, etc. finds)
Amazon link to my novel; Dawn of the Karabu.

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DominicCobb said:

StarChewyWar said:

SilverWook said:

The original Han Solo novels are backstory, but well written and a lot of fun. It’s sad Brian Daley isn’t around to pen a script, as he knew what made Han tick.

Rogue One feels like it might be in the vein of a World War II action movie. Somewhere between The Dirty Dozen and The Guns of Navarone. Knowing who won the war or a certain battle doesn’t mean you can’t tell a compelling tale against that backdrop.

Boba Fett could go in just about any direction. If they stick to the concept he operates by a code, he can be a bad ass, ruthless, and still have the audience on his side. And maybe they will have the guts to never show what he really looks like. The few EU novels I read had him using disguises on occasion to track down a quarry.

Doesn’t matter how good it is. It’s still backstory. Backstory is not good because it’s already been spoiled. I just hope they take the time to do more than flesh out the backstory.

Nope. SilverWook is completely right. Just because you know the outcome (or a part of it) doesn’t mean the story or the film is bad or not worth telling. I’m not saying the anthology movies are going to have stories that are completely worthwhile (I’m optimistic, but a little skeptical myself) but to just say without any doubt that they’re not good because they’re backstory is ridiculous and quite narrow-minded.

Well, maybe you are right. I just hope the Anthology films are good.