No thanks, i've learnt my lesson.

all this Star Wars crap being made having to do with the new, god awful movies. a movie done like this, but having to do with Solo and Chewie would be soooo much cooler.

and he could absolutely do a pre A New Hope story about how Han and Chewie hooked up. has that been done, officially, by someone else?

I'm curios to see if Lucas redems himself with KOTCS. If he does then we've got something really cool to look forward to this august.

FUCK YOU, LUCAS!!!

For this, the new catch phrase will be, "intraquels", as they will cover gaps *from the middle* of previous films.

So, to watch the whole Star Wars series in all its glory, you'll need about 9 DVD players running concurrently, and the ability to toggle between them at predetermined times to properly insert the "intraquel" moments into every scene change in the original films.

In three years, a Special Edition of the Intraquels will be released, adding 20% more random background movement--creatures, ships, and tumbleweeds. Your experience of the Star Wars saga will not be complete without the extra depth that three more toaster droids and two extra Banthas in the background will provide.

Our pledge to fans: we will do our best to insure that no additional exploration of any beloved characters' histories or futures is presented, rather we will maintain our policy (official name: Diminshing Returns Policy) of instead creating new, weaker characters around which to base our adventures.

I respect your opinions and just wanted to offer some food for thought.

Lucasfilm Ltd. is a company, and no company can afford to NOT make money off it's intellectual properties. We will see sequels. They will be a trilogy. George will most likely be involved as executive producer, and there will be multiple video games/merchandise/spin-offs from the new trilogy. It will keep Lucasfilm running for another 20 years.

They will need a new cash cow after the upcoming MUTT WILLIAMS AND THE (insert some 50's sci-fi sounding title in here) trilogy.

For an amusing but fairly precise take on these notions: http://tinyurl.com/8k3uv

Did McDonalds ever top the Big Mac. Has the wheel been trumped yet for ground transport. Lucas made something so great that nothing could live up to it. Once you realize that, and you see the effort that went into these films. Maybe you'll trim down your cynicism a bit.

Imagine what the briefing scene from Star Wars (EP IV: ANH to you Gayquel lovers) would look like if directed by Lucas in FSOF (Fat Sell-out Fuck) mode: Tons of CG Alien bullshit, ladypilots, Jar-Jar bojangling as the de-briefer. Kinda funny to think about it. And anyone else sick of assholes defending the bullshit prequels because their snot-nose brat kids liked them? Fuck you and your hellspawn, tool.

The PT is about the "fall of Anakin Skywalker" according to George. In all the drafts of STAR WARS and the first few drafts of THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader.............are different people.

So, dumbass, make me eat a big ol' shitburger in front of everyone here at AICN and PROVE ME WRONG.

Having said that, I reckon with some heavy clipping/editing the prequels are salvageable.

> Don't make sense too me either. I mean You either like the OT, or
> you don't! And if you really liked it, nothing and I mean
> nothing, could change that.

That's just a dumb thing to say. Lots of things could change a person's love for a story. There are so many factors that go into *why* people like things to begin with, it would really strange if someone's perception of a particular story *didn't* change over time--especially when major new elements are added to the tale. You'd really have to be a mindless zombie to remain unaffected.

> The Prequel Ruined my OT is an excuse. I just don't see how one
> bad film ruins a good film or collection of good films.

Think, man! Why does anyone love the OT? Is it the sequential succession of images and sounds that endeared the OT to millions of people? Of course not. (Hollywood, take note) It was the story those images and sounds were telling.

Now, then, the prequel trilogy didn't simply add extraneous information to the original story, it added *integrated* information--new elements that not only described the context of the OT, but altered the implications of the OT itself.

What does that mean for the audience? It means it is now possible for a viewer to realize that they misunderstood the OT to begin with. The new information doesn't just add to what we know about the OT, it *changes* it fundamentally.

I'll give you an example to illustrate what I'm talking about:

In the original trilogy, Anakin Skywalker was essentially a mystery, but Obi-Wan and Yoda talked about him in hushed tones of awe, reverence, and regret. Anakin was an icon, a legend, but above all, he was a mighty hero who was tragically seduced by the Dark Side. His redemption in ROTJ was moving because we finally saw the face of this legendary hero, broken down and betrayed by his own weakness.

That's a pretty cool story.

When the prequel trilogy came along, we witnessed something different. This Anakin was a whiner, a romantic sap, a pouter. He was never an influential hero or icon, and certainly was not revered among his peers. His "seduction" by the Dark Side was anything but. In the grand scheme of things, he wasn't even really very important. Bummer.

But wait! This doesn't just affect our perception of Anakin. It also affects our perceptions Obi-Wan and Yoda, who originally led us to believe that this guy was once totally fuckin' awesome. Now we think less of *them*, too.

Same thing happened with the force and midichlorians. And Boba Fett. And on, and on, and on.

Of course, it didn't help that the prequels were poorly acted, disastrously directed, and completely lacking in thematic focus. But I believe Star Wars fans would have forgiven those things, if the story that Lucas chose to tell didn't actually *undo* what was originally "done."

I could go on, but I'm fairly certain no one is actually still reading at this point. :)

> Halloween has tons of shitty sequels and a craptastic remake.

Sequels and remakes are far easier to dismiss and ignore, as they don't integrate with the original story. Prequels are, by nature, a different beast altogether.

I think that a lot of people are confusing the fact that Lucas of course did have some backstory for the characters with a fully realized three script trilogy. George didn't even have the Episode III script done until after they started filming.

I do see your point though Captain Mal, I'm just speaking from my own view on the STAR WARS saga.

OT and PT both offer up excellent spaceship dogfights and other visual feasts. He has yet to disappoint in terms of cinematic experience. He has in fact, proven himself over and over again in that regard, even in his most recent work. The story does not have to be any better than it is to enjoy these films for what they were intended to be - a cinematic feast.

And don't try to assert that Lucas didn't care all that much about storytelling. For years he couldn't yammer on about anything other than the Hero's Journey, and his fascination with Joseph Campbell's work.

The prequels missed the mark as mentioned by a few clever clogs as the story lacks any real heart or likeable characters, they're all paper thin emotionally.

Gotta disagree with you, however, that the story in the prequels is "good on the same basic level as the story of the OT." The prequels are wildly unfocused in terms of theme, and particularly inept in terms of execution.

The OT told depicted a classical hero's journey that was painted with broad emotional strokes, was easy to follow, and was *lightly* sprinkled with humor, philosophy and romance.

The prequels, on the other hand, attempted to be a full-blown genesis story, a sweeping romance, a heroic tragedy, an epic political drama, *and* a cartoony action movie, all in equal measure. No film, "Star Wars" or otherwise, could successfully pull off such a thing, and the primary story (assuming Anakin's journey is it) suffers greatly as a result.