This almost feels like vindication for everything I’ve said about Disney taking over Star Wars at this point…almost. So many people have told devoted Star Wars fans to get over it and grow up or something similar when speaking of how Disney has kind of ruined the franchise that it’s second nature to simply stop talking when discussing the story and how it’s kind of gone off the rails. But when Anthony Daniels, someone that’s been there for so long and has brought us one of the most recognizable characters, stands up for what the fans are saying then it takes on a new dimension entirely. After all, C-3PO has been in just about every movie but one and there’s even a rumor that B. Alan Orange of MovieWeb has continued that he might actually show up in The Mandalorian. It’s not confirmed honestly but it’s always possible. Now I agree that it’s best to simply take things as they are and move on, even though I too am disappointed with how the Star Wars story has done under Disney’s less than attentive eye, but at this point agreeing with Daniels is simply too easy.
The best part is that he’s not the only one that’s showed any displeasure with how the story has gone thus far as Mark Hamill has expressed absolute disbelief with how his character was made to react. Go on and raise your hand if you thought that bringing Skywalker back was going to end up leading to a massive lightsaber duel between Kylo and Luke, or maybe even a showdown between Snoke and Luke. That would have capped off the movie in a way that would have made it possible for a lot of fans to forgive just about anything we saw in the movie up to that point, but as you can remember unfortunately, that’s not what happened. Instead, Luke seemed content to stay on the backwater world where he’d been found, content in his hermit-like ways and ready to admit that he’d failed and couldn’t possibly be of any help. Does that really sound like the hero of the Rebellion that we remembered from Return of the Jedi? Daniels and Hamill have both expressed distaste for how the story has turned out thus far, but Daniels seems hopeful for the next installment which is somewhat uplifting.
If Disney has done anything to Star Wars, other than ruin it, it’s the softening of the edges that has resulted in a franchise that is slowly being turned cute and cuddly and way too emo to be believed. If you want proof of this keep in mind that Kylo is really more of a naive child that’s prone to throwing temper tantrums when he doesn’t get his way or something goes wrong. Rey is a part of the feminist agenda, no joke and no bias, in that she’s the strongest person in the room, she’s seen to upend and humiliate the supposed white male savior, and she’s able to accomplish in a short time what a man had to learn in a much longer time and with a lot more effort. Plus, anyone ever notice how the men in these films have played second fiddle to the women for a good portion of the time? Those that haven’t, such as Han, Chewie, and Poe, have either been killed, largely ignored, or made to feel somehow humiliated at times for not simply giving into the will of a woman. Some might call that justice, even poetic justice, and some might call it social justice, but in truth it’s another way to break down a franchise that’s been going strong for so long that it took one of the heaviest-hitting corporations in the world to finally bring it to heel. In other words, Disney took a franchise that had a serious wealth of material to use and said ‘nope, we’ve got other plans’ as they proceeded to stomp all over the hopes and dreams of the fans that had been looking forward to what the future held for a story that has been absolutely loved since it came out.
To hear two of the oldest stars that came up during these movies actually speak on this has been an eye-opener since they haven’t gone so far into the story as others might want but they have been the voice of dissent since their characters and the story around them have been changed in such a way that it’s kind of a slap in the face for the loyal fans that have been following the story for so long. Whether it’s simply the feminist agenda of giving more power over to the females in the franchise or the overall story and how it’s gone so far out of whack, Star Wars isn’t the same, and it’s not bound to self-correct anytime soon it seems. Teela Sammons of Odyssey has more to say on this matter.The Mandalorian
Follow Us
