Are the Star Wars Sequels Canon?
Are the Star Wars Sequels Canon?
Welcome back everyone to the Meisterblog! It’s been a while, I’ve missed you and would like to embrace you with a hug and a summer’s kiss mwah. It’s good to be back, but I will admit, the blank white page in front of me is blinding…and maybe a tad intimidating. I don’t think I’ve written anything noteworthy in about five months, so this paper is gonna pretty emotional. Be ready for that.
Ok ok, enough intro… let's get started with why you’re really here. I’ll start with an introduction.
It is no secret that many believe that the Star Wars franchise hasn’t returned to form since the 1980s. This belief was cemented in 1999 with the release of Phantom Menace…then in 2002, BUT NOT 2005. Most of us thought Star Wars was done, so imagine how thrilled we all were when The Force Awakens was announced! Then The Last Jedi happened. This Rian Johnson film is arguably the most controversial Star Wars movie in existence. Twitter has been a battleground for years because of it. To some, the movie is a solid 10 out of 10, and to the others, it’s a different kind of solid. All of that being said, this article isn’t about The Last Jedi being good or bad, it’s about whether or not the sequels are canon and how The Last Jedi is responsible for it all.
If you have been active on any social media, you would know that Star Wars is a hot topic right now. At the time of writing, it’s mostly about Cad Bane, but the small percentage that isn’t about that red-eyed, blue skin, cowboy…purple people eater (Sorry…I did try) is talking about the Sequels. I’m personally under the opinion that the reason this conversation is on all of our tongues is that it’s hard to enjoy Star Wars right now, knowing that it's leading in a direction that none of us care for. At least with the prequels, we knew it was heading in a good direction.
I believe that Disney knows all this. They know they messed up, even if they don’t want to admit it…which they don’t. And, they don’t have to! They. Are. Disney. I guess the biggest question now is, why wouldn’t the sequels be canon? What has changed since The Last Jedi and now (And how is The Last Jedi responsible for it all? Shush, I’ll get to that). Why would the decide to wipe away three movies that they spent millions on? Because of Din motherf***ing Djarin, the Mandalorian. A character who was introduced or popular in 2017. All Disney had in 2017 were the characters from the Originals and the Prequels. No Mando, no resurrected Boba Fett, no Ahsoka (I know, but you know?), no Grogu, no Cobb Vanth, and no plastic surgery Luke Skywalker (and the list keeps on growing). In the short time that we’ve seen these characters on screen, they’ve already filled our heartholes way more than Rey or Finn ever have.
I rest my case
And now I immediately unrest my case!
I mentioned plastic surgery Luke Skywalker. Which obviously refers to the de-aging effect used on the character. Let’s talk about the fact that in The Book of Boba Fett: Chapter 6 we saw Luke, talking, movies, and interacting with other characters. Sure it’s not much, but let’s look at the first time they de-aged a character. In 2016s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. We actually saw two characters get this computer-generated spa treatment. Grand Moff Tarkin and Princess Leia. All they did in that movie was stand and talk. And, now? They’re jumping, running, and flipping. That’s what six years can do. Imagine five more. Or ten. Imagine where that technology will be.
I hope you can forgive that those are my two major points. I know this isn’t a lot and it’s certainly all speculative, so really the question remains, why would they wipe them from canon? Why would they erase them from history? I personally think they would make way more money by making a new finale with the new modern characters, but that’s not why Disney would do it, and it’s definitely not because we all complained. It’s because the creatives behind the camera want to give us something we can enjoy, something that we can love, something that will make us all feel like kids again. Does Disney care about us? NO! Of course not. Disney would probably rather have us saluting Mickey Mouse than watch a movie, but the creatives do. With them there is hope, and with hope, nothing in the galaxy is impossible.
Lastly, I would like to wrap up this article by addressing two things. My main counterexample to all of my arguments and how The Last Jedi s responsible for the fall of the Sequels. My main counterexample is Galaxy’s Edge. Disney’s Disneyland (World?) theme park. They put a lot of time and money into that, but I think they could be convinced. I got a business meeting with Kathleen Kennedy later so I’ll let you know how that goes. Now the big question remains. The Last Jedi.
Ok so listen. I mostly just wanted to have that super suspenseful sentence at the end of my introduction. It was largely unimportant to the article. I do feel like Abrams overcorrected after The Last Jedi and ruined the entire sequel trilogy, but yeah. You got duped, bitch!