# Which entries in the Star Wars franchise might I like? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [April 6, 2024, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-entries-in-the-star-wars-franchise-might-i-like/999954 "2024-04-06T21:20:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2024, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-entries-in-the-star-wars-franchise-might-i-like/999954/41 "2024-04-08T01:20:05Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > It is “canonical” that the Force “is an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together.” Note “all living things”… 😛 Don’t we all have Midicholrians? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2024, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-entries-in-the-star-wars-franchise-might-i-like/999954/42 "2024-04-08T01:21:00Z")
We don’t talk about midichlorians. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2024, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-entries-in-the-star-wars-franchise-might-i-like/999954/43 "2024-04-08T01:29:03Z")
They really should have said that midichlorians are an _indicator_ of people who are strong in the Force, but don’t seem to actually give people Force powers- at least no attempts to do so by cellular manipulation ever worked. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2024, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-entries-in-the-star-wars-franchise-might-i-like/999954/44 "2024-04-08T02:10:08Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > I think _Rogue One_ is one of the best Star Wars movies. Up there with _The Empire Strikes Back_. I concur. It wasn’t really made for children, and is a LOT darker than a lot of the other _Star Wars_ films. I wouldn’t have called it depressing exactly; it’s not all bleak, considering the rest of the movies in the series. And you get to see how a Sith Lord would actually mow through normal mooks in one scene. It’s _impressive_ to put it mildly. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2024, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-entries-in-the-star-wars-franchise-might-i-like/999954/45 "2024-04-08T02:46:29Z")
> [@ParallelLines](#): > > For values (low, granted) of canon, yes. I mean, if you look at all the Star Wars RPG stuff, which was licensed by LucasArts (thus, LOW level of canon, and almost certainly no longer such) anyone (presumably not including some beings that detach themselves from the force (see the Thrawn trilogy I mentioned upthread) can use the Force, but most don’t use it in ways that are obviously as supernatural as trained Force Users of multiple traditions (Sith, Jedi, etc). So a sudden intuition, a lucky guess, a unplanned dodge, being extra persuasive right when you need to be… You say that about the Star Wars game produced by West End Games, but you still occasionally see stuff that was created in the game make its way into movies. I think the first mention of the Imperial Security Bureau was in a WEG sourcebook and of course it plays a big role in the Andor series. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2024, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-entries-in-the-star-wars-franchise-might-i-like/999954/46 "2024-04-08T02:50:52Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > You say that about the Star Wars game produced by West End Games, but you still occasionally see stuff that was created in the game make its way into movies. Yup; WEG put a lot of names to ships, alien species, etc. from the original trilogy for the first time, as well as coining names/ideas like the ISB, and Lucasfilm eventually used some of those names in the movies or TV shows, making them canonical. For instance, they coined the species name “Twi’lek” in 1987, which was eventually enshrined as canon by Lucasfilm, I think during the _Clone Wars_ animated series. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2024, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-entries-in-the-star-wars-franchise-might-i-like/999954/47 "2024-04-08T03:58:47Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Back in the day, the RPG products, the novels, the comic books, etc., lived in this “B-tier canon,” which meant that they were canon, up until Lucas decided to contradict them in an A-tier work. Yup, thus my “LOW level of canon” warning. But for those who haven’t played the RPG, it was a worthwhile discussion/confirmation that most “heroic” or named characters are indeed using the force… just not in obvious ways. > [@Odesio](#): > > You say that about the Star Wars game produced by West End Games, but you still occasionally see stuff that was created in the game make its way into movies. Some of that stuff was in the W.E.G., and some in the later D20 versions. Worked in very similar although not identical ways. And I have stuff from three different editions, that we often adapted from later editions to newer editions, or at least used for inspiration. ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2024, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-entries-in-the-star-wars-franchise-might-i-like/999954/48 "2024-04-08T04:47:47Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > They really should have said that midichlorians are an _indicator_ of people who are strong in the Force, but don’t seem to actually give people Force powers- at least no attempts to do so by cellular manipulation ever worked. Spoilers for a show and one of the later movies: This is the current plot of The Bad Batch in Season 3. Omega has a high M-count (and we do hear the word midichlorians again), has been tested by a Force user (I won’t spoil which one) and found lacking in any apparent Force abilities. The Empire is trying to capture her so that her blood can be used to make Force-sensitive Emperor clones, filling in the blanks on “somehow Palpatine returned” from the ninth movie. As for the topic, Andor is great if you like spy thrillers. It is Star Wars through and through but you could strip all the Star Wars out of it, set it in Afghanistan today and it would still work. It does not require extensive knowledge of Star Wars lore. The obvious references are obvious and there are some background deep cuts and Easter eggs for eagle-eyed fans. But if you have no idea what the Starkiller armor is or why it is special, you won’t miss anything when it shows up in the background. ---
**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:** [April 8, 2024, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-entries-in-the-star-wars-franchise-might-i-like/999954/49 "2024-04-08T10:56:49Z")
Did you end up finishing Andor? Last time I recall you stopped before episode 6 or so. I’ll add my voice for Rogue One and, especially, Andor. Andor is a tiny bit slow the first two episodes, but IMO becomes the absolute best Star Wars on screen since The Empire Strikes Back. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2024, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-entries-in-the-star-wars-franchise-might-i-like/999954/50 "2024-04-08T11:20:59Z")
I wouldn’t say that _Rogue One_ had a tragic ending. The good guys won. Their mission was successful. Sure, they died completing it, but their lives were less important to them than their mission, and they died knowing their deaths would save others. I’d call that sad, but not tragic. > [@iiandyiiii](#): > > I’ll add my voice for Rogue One and, especially, Andor. Andor is a tiny bit slow the first two episodes, but IMO becomes the absolute best Star Wars on screen since The Empire Strikes Back. I would also call it one of the best TV shows from the past 10 years. Not Star Wars shows - TV shows in general. ---
**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:** [April 8, 2024, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-entries-in-the-star-wars-franchise-might-i-like/999954/51 "2024-04-08T12:52:33Z")
I hope Lumpy doesn’t mind spoilers! ---
**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:** [April 8, 2024, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-entries-in-the-star-wars-franchise-might-i-like/999954/52 "2024-04-08T12:57:39Z")
> [@ParallelLines](#): > > anyone (presumably not including some beings that detach themselves from the force (see the Thrawn trilogy I mentioned upthread) can use the Force, but most don’t use it in ways that are obviously as supernatural as trained Force Users I like to think that Luke was already subtly using the Force, It’ss how he was able to “bullseye womp rats back home in his T-16”. He literally thought it wan’t that difficult, because he “had help” but didn’t know it There was also Chirrut Imwe, and his " _The Force is with me…and I am one with the Force._" He was obviously using the Force, and knew it. > [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > Don’t we all have Midicholrians? As noted above, I’m content to think they are a measure, not the cause. And you can’t tell me differently LALALALALA I can’t hear you ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2024, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-entries-in-the-star-wars-franchise-might-i-like/999954/53 "2024-04-08T17:03:39Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > I like to think that Luke was already subtly using the Force, It’ss how he was able to “bullseye womp rats back home in his T-16”. He literally thought it wan’t that difficult, because he “had help” but didn’t know it Yes, he is. In words of later works, Luke is Force-Sensitive. He can make use of it more easily, and more effectively than a non-Sensitive, and has the potential to train as a Jedi/Sith/Force-User. In the WEG versions, he’d likely have already by the time of A New Hope developed a low level of “Control” or “Sense”. People who _aren’t_ force sensitive, can still use the force as mentioned previously, but they (minor quibbles because you can add it _later_ in some of the RPG systems) won’t be able to be trained as a Jedi. So to sum up: “Normal” people use the force, especially “heroic” characters, but they don’t use it consciously (although their _player_ does in the case of an RPG). “Force Sensitives” do the above, but may also have developed skills that better take advantage of their “gut feelings, instincts, luck” and may be able to use their abilities both actively and passively, but are still largely _untrained_ and are working off more instinct and personally developed knacks. They also are more vulnerable to the dark side, when they use said abilities. “Force Users” regardless of the method of training, are force sensitives who are aware of their link, use it to perform abilities and train in one or more skills that deliberately draw on the force to accomplish feats. They are also much more swayed by the tides of the force, light and dark, and all their actions, not just those done by means of the force have a greater effect on such tides. Hopefully, this will end the digression - but it does inform a lot of my and my fellow geeks reviews of Star Wars content. We’d watch a show/movie and say things like “Darkside point for that!” or “He just spent a Force point!”. It was once of the things that made getting through the prequels and sequels easier, if you looked at them like not-particularly-good Star Wars RPG campaigns. * * * Which brings me back to something the OP didn’t mention, but I figured I would: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic video game. Yes, _very_ dated now, but the original SWKOTR single player game is one of the _best_ Star Wars stories ever IMHO, and is various flavors of cheap-to-free to play ($9.99 or less normally). And quite different, more than most, in terms of the results and story told if you embrace the Light V. Dark side stories. NOT a movie or TV show, but a great Star Wars story. The Star Wars Old Republic MMORPG also has a _generally_ good story, and I enjoyed playing against type, a “light side” Sith character, and dark side Republic Jedi are things, and are often quite nuanced. But since it’s multiplayer, some things don’t work quite as well. For example, their are multiplayer instances that cap each story arc, but each character has a chance to influence the cinematic sections, so you can’t always expect to have an answer that matches your chosen response - do it as a team with friends if that’s what you want. ETA - the first game I mentioned is a direct adaptation of the Star Wars D20 RPG, and the MMO is based off of (far less though) the first game, so I’ve gone full circle! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-entries-in-the-star-wars-franchise-might-i-like/999954.md?page=2)