# Should Disney Remove The Prequels From Canon? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 18, 2016, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-disney-remove-the-prequels-from-canon/743481 "2016-01-18T07:36:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lorne\_Armstrong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@Lorne\_Armstrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lorne_Armstrong)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2016, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-disney-remove-the-prequels-from-canon/743481/1 "2016-01-18T07:36:19Z")
I am going to say yes. The entire memory of those three bowel movements should be wiped from the face of the earth. We can all pretend that they were just a dream, a really horrible dream. A proper prequel trilogy could follow at some point. One without kids, massive CGI, themes about taxation of trade routes, frogs with light sabers, and Jar Jar Binks. Oh, and of course without the most evil being in the SW universe, Hayden Christensen, a worse actor than Bubba Smith. The Star Wars galaxy can be set right again. Anakin did not build C3PO, Darth Vader doesn’t hate sand, nobody screams “Nooooooo,” and the story will actually be something we can care about. And without the racial stereotypes of the prequels, too. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2016, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-disney-remove-the-prequels-from-canon/743481/2 "2016-01-18T08:39:51Z")
> [@Lorne\_Armstrong](#): > > nobody screams “Nooooooo,” [Not even Luke](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbeR6uYxU50)? Anyway, I’m not sure what mechanism you’re proposing for disavowing/disinheriting them. Maybe they’ll leave them out of the will? ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2016, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-disney-remove-the-prequels-from-canon/743481/3 "2016-01-18T09:08:09Z")
I am going to say no. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2016, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-disney-remove-the-prequels-from-canon/743481/4 "2016-01-18T09:16:02Z")
As much as I wish the Prequels were better, they’re not entirely made up of useless information that is significant to canon. Any remakes would keep those broad points anyway. If you watch the _Clone Wars_ cartoon series, a lot of what was wrong with the prequels is addressed and adjusted in a much more interesting and dramatic way. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2016, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-disney-remove-the-prequels-from-canon/743481/5 "2016-01-18T09:29:53Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > Anyway, I’m not sure what mechanism you’re proposing for disavowing/disinheriting them. Just re-release the first three totally reworked, and then announce they are As They Have Always Been. That’s how it worked with Star Wars wasn’t it? Pardon me “A New Hope”. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2016, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-disney-remove-the-prequels-from-canon/743481/6 "2016-01-18T11:17:40Z")
I thought this was going to be a thread about **Monsters University** or **Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue** , et al. ---
**Author:** ![iljitsch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/77aa72/32.png) [@iljitsch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iljitsch)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2016, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-disney-remove-the-prequels-from-canon/743481/7 "2016-01-18T12:35:56Z")
> [@Lorne\_Armstrong](#): > > A proper prequel trilogy could follow at some point. Be very glad we’re not standing on a catwalk over a big chasm, because I would be sticking a light saber in your guts for even suggesting this. The whole problem with George Lucas was that he couldn’t leave well enough alone and kept coming back to tinker with old stuff. Yes, the prequels have some big issues. If you want to pretend they don’t exist [in the Star Wars universe], go right ahead. But two wrongs don’t make a right. New prequels aren’t going to have Jar Jar or that whiney 8-year-old kid that can magically do stuff that most adults can’t. But the inherent problem with the prequels is that they start during a time where everything seems to be mostly ok. It’s hard to come up with an epic goodies against baddies story in such a universe. So even competently made prequels will be problematic. Just make new stuff. Please. ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2016, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-disney-remove-the-prequels-from-canon/743481/8 "2016-01-18T12:37:00Z")
I don’t know what you’re all talking about. There were no SW prequels. Just like there were no Matrix sequels. _sticks fingers in ears and shouts “La la la laaaaa”_ ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2016, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-disney-remove-the-prequels-from-canon/743481/9 "2016-01-18T12:52:47Z")
If the films entertain you. then enjoy them. If the films do not entertain you, then ignore them. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2016, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-disney-remove-the-prequels-from-canon/743481/10 "2016-01-18T12:57:04Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > If the films entertain you. then enjoy them. If the films do not entertain you, then ignore them. This. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2016, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-disney-remove-the-prequels-from-canon/743481/11 "2016-01-18T12:57:37Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > Just re-release the first three totally reworked, and then announce they are As They Have Always Been. They could not possibly be “reworked” into anything worth keeping. The only way to reclaim those slots would be to make entirely new movies, with entirely new characters and scripts. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2016, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-disney-remove-the-prequels-from-canon/743481/12 "2016-01-18T13:03:21Z")
> [@iljitsch](#): > > But the inherent problem with the prequels is that they start during a time where everything seems to be mostly ok. It’s hard to come up with an epic goodies against baddies story in such a universe. So even competently made prequels will be problematic. There’s no reason that has to be. “For over a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic.” How did that come to be in the first place? What was their greatest challenge during that time? How did the Empire bring them down? That’s vast territory for epic storytelling. The Lucas prequels completely missed the first two questions, and gave a ridiculously weak and puny answer to the third. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2016, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-disney-remove-the-prequels-from-canon/743481/13 "2016-01-18T13:10:24Z")
I’m going to say no. That would fall into the category of “partial reboot”, something which I doubt would work well at all, no matter how good the new prequels were. Now a full reboot might be something Disney may consider way down the road, maybe 20-30 years from now. They can start with a reimagined prequel trilogy then. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2016, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-disney-remove-the-prequels-from-canon/743481/14 "2016-01-18T14:53:13Z")
If they just edited out the scenes retconning Artoo and Threepio into Ani’s backstory–oh, and Tatooine!–I think the prequels would be acceptable. They’re kid’s movies, they’re meant to be a bit goofy. Those retcons were a bit counter-intuitive, though. Actually, if you want to fix Star Wars continuity, you really need to retcon Vader being Luke and Leia’s father, so RotJ has to go too. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2016, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-disney-remove-the-prequels-from-canon/743481/15 "2016-01-18T16:24:36Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > Actually, if you want to fix Star Wars continuity, you really need to retcon Vader being Luke and Leia’s father, so RotJ has to go too. **WARNING: THE FORCE AWAKENS SPOILER BELOW** But if you retcon that, you need to get rid of Episode VII as well, as the fact that Kylo Ren is Han and Leia’s son, and thus Darth Vader’s grandfather, is an essential part of the plot. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2016, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-disney-remove-the-prequels-from-canon/743481/16 "2016-01-18T17:07:44Z")
There’s nothing inherently wrong with this idea. Hollywood does it all the time. Remakes, retellings, redos. From _The Ten Commandments_ all the way to\* The Amazing Spiderman\*, stories get remade. If they thought they could make a buck doing so, they’d remake the One, True Star Wars in a heartbeat. But artistically, even if they made it as good as TFA, that’s not much of an improvement. All that time, effort and money, and they make a movie that’s about as good as RotJ. Does anyone think a remade prequel trilogy would be THAT much better than the current three? ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2016, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-disney-remove-the-prequels-from-canon/743481/17 "2016-01-18T17:13:47Z")
Jar Jar Binks ruined my life. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2016, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-disney-remove-the-prequels-from-canon/743481/18 "2016-01-18T17:20:46Z")
> [@sandra\_nz](#): > > I don’t know what you’re all talking about. > > There were no SW prequels. > > Just like there were no Matrix sequels. > > _sticks fingers in ears and shouts “La la la laaaaa”_ It might have been more effective if you had waved your hand when you said that. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![erysichthon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@erysichthon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erysichthon)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2016, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-disney-remove-the-prequels-from-canon/743481/19 "2016-01-18T17:32:27Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > Jar Jar Binks ruined my life. I know. [I saw your video](https://youtu.be/bMW3gIu2C_s). ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2016, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-disney-remove-the-prequels-from-canon/743481/20 "2016-01-18T17:33:52Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > As much as I wish the Prequels were better, they’re not entirely made up of useless information that is significant to canon. Yes, I say keep the best information, but remake the prequels to be more fun and more in line with the spirit of Episodes IV-VII. Yes, I included VII in that group. > [@sandra\_nz](#): > > I don’t know what you’re all talking about. > > There were no SW prequels. > > Just like there were no Matrix sequels. > > _sticks fingers in ears and shouts “La la la laaaaa”_ Hey, sandra\_nz. Come over here. That’s right, this way. I have something to tell you. HIGHLANDER 2! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-disney-remove-the-prequels-from-canon/743481.md?page=2)