# Star Wars preference: Digging into the past or seeing what happens next? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 19, 2016, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-preference-digging-into-the-past-or-seeing-what-happens-next/768992 "2016-10-19T00:09:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2016, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-preference-digging-into-the-past-or-seeing-what-happens-next/768992/1 "2016-10-19T00:09:16Z")
As Disney has amped up production of new Star Wars stories, we’ve got a lot of movies, books, shows, video games, etc in our future. What do you look forward to more and/or enjoy more: Digging into the past (the prequels, Clone Wars, Rebels, the Vader comics, Rogue One, Old Republic, the Han Solo project) or moving forward from the original story (the new episodes and any shows, movies, video games, books, etc that shoot off from those)? I know there’s a lot of vitriol over the prequel movies, but personally, as I’ve watched them with my kids, I find that I don’t hate them like I once did, and it actually has reminded me that I used to like them (as did a lot of people who now claim otherwise). Sure, some of the dialog is embarrassing and a lot of the acting is pretty wooden and there are some really clunky plots, but they introduce some cool characters and open the door to some great tv shows (CW and Rebels) which have helped me to appreciate Anakin’s and Obi-Wan’s story more. So for me, I am thoroughly enjoying the new stuff that leads up to the original trilogy (Vader’s and Luke’s past). I did like TFA and am looking forward to future episodes, but not at all like I look forward to Rogue One and new seasons of Rebels. I’m even looking forward to reading the new Ahsoka novel. What’s your preference? ---
**Author:** ![magnusblitz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@magnusblitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magnusblitz)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2016, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-preference-digging-into-the-past-or-seeing-what-happens-next/768992/2 "2016-10-19T01:15:23Z")
I’d prefer they work on new stuff. Working in the past is okay, but runs the risk of being overdone. I think it’s fine to take one character and fill in the gaps (I would be perfectly fine with an “Obi-Wan on Tattooine” movie that was something like a spaghetti western, or maybe Boba Fett in some sort of crime/action movie, for example). Rogue One looks like it’ll have a lot of new characters and only a couple of old ones show up in cameos, which is good. But the Young Han Solo movie sounds like a bad idea. Not only is there the risk of feeling like repeating the same stuff over and over (something TFA was already very guilty of) but sometimes it can change stuff in ways that aren’t good, such as the sequels ruining Yoda IMO by making him a lightsaber savant. There’s a big gap between ROTJ and TFA to fill in that should provide plenty of fertile ground for stories. ---
**Author:** ![iljitsch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/77aa72/32.png) [@iljitsch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iljitsch)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2016, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-preference-digging-into-the-past-or-seeing-what-happens-next/768992/3 "2016-10-19T09:20:34Z")
When does revisiting the past ever work? Sure, it can be clever, but cleverness is rarely very entertaining. On a somewhat related note, Star Wars is dead to me now. ---
**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:** [October 19, 2016, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-preference-digging-into-the-past-or-seeing-what-happens-next/768992/4 "2016-10-19T09:37:16Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Sure, some of the dialog is embarrassing and a lot of the acting is pretty wooden and there are some really clunky plots That’s plenty! Ugh. I do like the _Clone Wars_ and _Rebels_ series, I like the idea of _Rogue One_ and even the _Han Solo_ film (and I hope an Obi Wan film will be next) so I do love selectively exploring the past. But I **loved** _The Force Awakens_, and am so eager to see where the new trilogy goes, and ever after beyond. The fact that there are all new _Star Wars_ movies for the foreseeable future\* is mind-blowing, I really genuinely thought that would never happen! So for me it’s both, equally. \*Forever? Difficult to tell. Always in motion is the future ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2016, 9:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-preference-digging-into-the-past-or-seeing-what-happens-next/768992/5 "2016-10-19T09:50:28Z")
As much as I love the animated series and am super stoked for _Rogue One_, I’d prefer future stuff, _especially_ stuff that isn’t beholden to the EU (little saddened they brought Thrawn into _Rebels_. Just let the 90s go, people!). ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2016, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-preference-digging-into-the-past-or-seeing-what-happens-next/768992/6 "2016-10-19T10:49:25Z")
Future stuff. Except for an Obi-Wan movie (or trilogy!) with Ewan McGregor. ---
**Author:** ![Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/les_espaces_du_sommeil/32/308_2.png) [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Les_Espaces_Du_Sommeil)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2016, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-preference-digging-into-the-past-or-seeing-what-happens-next/768992/7 "2016-10-19T11:09:55Z")
Moving forward. I’ve never seen the prequels, partly because I’m not really interested in what happened before the original trilogy and partly because I didn’t want to destroy the latter’s magic. I waited until the critics started coming in before deciding whether I was going to watch them and what I read then put me off. _The Force Awakens_ was a very pleasant surprise, however. I expected it to be at least OK, probably a bit more than that but I thought it was pretty good, actually. Respectful of the original but not afraid to make some very bold decisions (Han Solo) and really entertaining. I’m not very interested in _Rogue One_ but I’ll admit that I find the idea of young Han Solo movie intriguing. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2016, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-preference-digging-into-the-past-or-seeing-what-happens-next/768992/8 "2016-10-19T11:17:05Z")
I like both approaches, and I have full confidence in Disney to make the prequel stuff good. They are doing worldbuilding, whereas George Lucas was telling the story he wanted to tell and didn’t really care what violence he did to his world and its rules in the process. We’ve also got quite a few years between Return of the Jedi and Force Awakens to explore, which they can do once they’ve recast Han, Luke, Leia, etc. IMO, Disney can do no wrong these days. Between Marvel, Pixar, their own animated brand, and Star Wars, they know what they are doing. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2016, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-preference-digging-into-the-past-or-seeing-what-happens-next/768992/9 "2016-10-19T11:20:21Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Future stuff. Except for an Obi-Wan movie (or trilogy!) with Ewan McGregor. This :). McGregor is just the right age to play a middle aged Obi-Wan having adventures on Tatooine. I still want more Darth Vader as well (not Anakin). I don’t know if James Earl Jones still has it in him, but I would love to see the adventures of Darth Vader that take place between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2016, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-preference-digging-into-the-past-or-seeing-what-happens-next/768992/10 "2016-10-19T12:11:38Z")
> [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > This :). McGregor is just the right age to play a middle aged Obi-Wan having adventures on Tatooine. I still want more Darth Vader as well (not Anakin). I don’t know if James Earl Jones still has it in him, but I would love to see the adventures of Darth Vader that take place between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. Really? To be true to the character, it will just have to be a lot of torture, genocide and the like. I don’t think Disney’s up for those kinds of movies. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2016, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-preference-digging-into-the-past-or-seeing-what-happens-next/768992/11 "2016-10-19T13:35:56Z")
I don’t mind the current approach of just doing both. Nostalgia and suspense both have their place, and I think interspersing them with each other make both more effective. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2016, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-preference-digging-into-the-past-or-seeing-what-happens-next/768992/12 "2016-10-19T15:00:21Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > Really? To be true to the character, it will just have to be a lot of torture, genocide and the like. I don’t think Disney’s up for those kinds of movies. You’re right. I think what I miss about him is that he’s one of those classic villains that you love to hate. Anakin (despite being the same person) and Kylo Ren aren’t really in the same league of villainy that Vader was in, and Palpatine was too behind the scenes except for part of Revenge of the Sith. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-preference-digging-into-the-past-or-seeing-what-happens-next/768992/13 "2016-10-26T04:43:36Z")
A few I would love to see a story set between ANH and ESB. Maybe, Vader discovering the new identity of the pilot who destroyed the Death Star. ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-preference-digging-into-the-past-or-seeing-what-happens-next/768992/14 "2016-10-26T04:53:45Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by **FlikTheBlue** > I don’t know if James Earl Jones still has it in him You don’t know if he still has what in him? The ability to talk? ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-preference-digging-into-the-past-or-seeing-what-happens-next/768992/15 "2016-10-26T06:16:57Z")
Maybe the problem is that I saw the SNL sketch of _Undercover Boss_ featuring Kylo Ren before I saw TFA, but I’ve not been able to take that movie seriously. Kylo is such a whiny, emo twit. He’s like the Holden Caulfield of _Star Wars_ villains (and yes, I find him even more annoying than Anakin the youngling-slayer). I think I’ll just stick with watching the original trilogy over and over… ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-preference-digging-into-the-past-or-seeing-what-happens-next/768992/16 "2016-10-26T06:16:58Z")
I can picture some episodic movies showing past adventures of established characters, but no more origin stories, please. They create more plot holes than they solve. ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-preference-digging-into-the-past-or-seeing-what-happens-next/768992/17 "2016-10-26T17:00:57Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > A few I would love to see a story set between ANH and ESB. Maybe, Vader discovering the new identity of the pilot who destroyed the Death Star. In case you have not seen this: > **[Darth Vader Learns Luke Is His Son](https://comicnewbies.com/2015/06/04/darth-vader-learns-luke-is-his-son/)** > > So this is now the official version of how Darth Vader learned that Luke Skywalker is his son, the information inadvertently  came from Boba Fett. From – Star Wars: Darth Vader #6 ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2016, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-preference-digging-into-the-past-or-seeing-what-happens-next/768992/18 "2016-10-27T23:39:24Z")
For me, it’s a big continuity flaw how they throw force adepts around, I was really hoping that Rogue One would just be about fighter pilots and espionage without any Vader cameos, but no joy, based on the trailer. They really should leave the force off of a young Han Solo movie, but we’ll see. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2016, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-preference-digging-into-the-past-or-seeing-what-happens-next/768992/19 "2016-10-28T00:00:26Z")
Mostly what I’d prefer are Star Wars movies that explore the genre without redefining it. I would be very happy watching the exploits of a young Han Solo living a mundane life of smuggling, gambling and good-natured villainy\*. I would be very happy watching a New Republic general root out a stubborn post-Empire Moff. - Perhaps an even better idea: resurrect the show Firefly as a Star Wars property. I do not want midichlorians, virgin births or prophecies (as in the prequels). I do not want aliens who can block the Force, Sherlock Holmes written as an Imperial admiral, or a proliferation of force users that makes you wonder who isn’t a Jedi (as in the EU novels). I do not want witches or ghosts or mystical god-like Force users on long-lost planets (as in some Clone Wars episodes, though I like the Clone Wars overall). > [@muldoonthief](#): > > Really? To be true to the character, it will just have to be a lot of torture, genocide and the like. I don’t think Disney’s up for those kinds of movies. You wouldn’t have to show anything worse of Vader than what we saw in ANH and ESB, and you could easily cast Vader in a heroic light if you put him up against an Outer Rim despot who is even worse. Vader frees the slaves would make a great movie (though obviously not on Tattooine). ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2016, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-preference-digging-into-the-past-or-seeing-what-happens-next/768992/20 "2016-10-28T00:15:04Z")
As a _gamer_ I’m strongly partial to the Old Republic when the Sith weren’t limited to functional duos. Movies? Eh - either go forward or go _really_ far back, i.e. the Old Republic again. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-preference-digging-into-the-past-or-seeing-what-happens-next/768992.md?page=2)