In my introductory post, I mentioned that I would be blogging about some controversial subjects, and Star Wars is likely what I will be discussing the most.
Over the last several years, however, I have had a harder time calling myself a Star Wars fan. This trend began when I started getting involved in the online Star Wars fan industry. It seems that there, the definition of being a Star Wars fan, in addition to the ground rules I laid out in the previous paragraph, includes spewing as much hate as possible towards George Lucas, the saga's creator, endlessly complaining about the prequel trilogy and the special editions of the original trilogy, and putting down anyone who doesn't conform to this line of thinking.
Obviously, I'm being very general, because hardly every Star Wars-related webpage has content of that nature, but so many do. If this was what you had to do to call yourself a Star Wars fan, then I didn't want to be one anymore. Why? Because I passionately love the prequel trilogy (Episodes I, II, and III) and consider them to be highly underrated films. I also have no problem at all with the special editions of the originals, although admittedly I don't have the proper background to take sides on this debate. I have actually never seen the unaltered cuts of the originals (Episodes IV, V, and VI), but I do know the bulk of the changes that have been made in the special editions. From my perspective, these changes have no effect on any of the elements that made Star Wars what it was to begin with, and it seems a little irrational to me that so many fans are complaining that the unaltered cuts are no longer available, because the cuts that are available tell the same story with the same characters. Like I said, though, take my words with a grain of salt. I haven't seen the unaltered cuts, so I'm not in the best position to judge. The one change I can kind of understand people getting angry about is the infamous who-shoots-first scene, but even then the anger over it seems really blown out of proportion. For my money, the scene works either way, because in both versions the intentions of both characters were quite clear.
The prequels, though... I have a lot more to say in regards to their effect on me as a fan. After seeing all three of them for the first time in 2005, I was blown away at how much I loved them. Yes, you read that right. I loved the new worlds, ships, droids, aliens, characters, stories, and inner struggle that all the protagonists went through over the course of that trilogy. I even loved Jar Jar Binks. Again, yes, you read that right.
For a while after I entered the online Star Wars fan industry, I got somewhat bitter after seeing the non-stop hate spewn at them from nearly every corner of the web. I've seen YouTube comments telling anyone who likes the prequels to kill themselves, I've seen people getting applause for jokes about murdering George Lucas, and I've seen online film channels repeatedly taking potshots at the prequels despite making their opinions about them very clear on multiple occasions. I've even seen some of the prequel fans on the Internet snap under the hate and respond to the criticism in a very rude and derogatory manner.
A common phrase prequel fans have used is, "If you don't like the prequels, you're not a true Star Wars fan." I myself said something to that effect when I wrote a rather angry rant on my Facebook page in January 2013, after Disney cancelled the 3D releases of Episodes II and III that were scheduled for that fall. (Being introduced to the saga in 2004, Episode III was the only one I was able to see in theaters, and I was highly anticipating the opportunity to revisit the entire saga in this venue.) I've realized, however, that that's a hypocritical statement on our part. Fans of Star Wars don't have to like every single Star Wars product ever released, in the same way that fans of the Harry Potter books don't necessarily have to like the movies to remain fans. The prequels are movies, and movies are a form of art, and art is subjective. I'm not trying to say anyone is "wrong" for liking or disliking the prequels (or any other form of art). Different forms of art resonate better with different people, and when fans of one artist or series of artworks can bond over their shared love of this art, or when they can politely discuss their differing opinions or theories about said art, it almost always creates quality memories.
If two Star Wars fans disagree about something, however, they're quickly at each other's throats, both trying to assert their positions as the objective "right" way to look at whatever they're debating over. Compare that to the calm disagreements that arise in other fandoms, and you'll see why lazypadawan of the Star Wars Prequel Appreciation Society wrote a post about "The Fractured Fandom" last fall. The fact of the matter is, there will never be a time in which every single Star Wars fan will agree on which episode is the best one. There will never be a time in which every single Harry Potter fan will agree about who should have ended up with who. There will never be a time in which every single Lord of the Rings fan will love or hate the Hobbit movies. There will never be a time in which every single Disney Animated Canon fan will agree on whether or not Tangled is better than Frozen. What's the point? The point is, stories can resonate with different people for several different reasons, and trying to force your opinion of one story down the throat of someone who has a differing opinion will likely get you nowhere. All that does is fracture the fandom more.
I like the Star Wars prequels slightly more than the originals. I still like Jar Jar Binks. I like the different worlds. I like Jake Lloyd and Hayden Christensen's performances as the younger Anakin Skywalker. I'm not bothered by the political exposition. I have nothing against the concept of midi-chlorians. I like the updated effects in the special editions. I don't care whether Han shoots first or not. I have not seen Episode VII for personal reasons, and I don't plan on seeing Rogue One this winter.
Am I going to force you to agree with all of this? Of course not. If you disagree with one, or even all, of the sentences in the above paragraph, feel free to. I wouldn't dream of accusing you of not being a Star Wars fan if this were the case. In future writings, I will likely expound on why I feel the way I do about these aspects of Star Wars, sometimes using evidence from the films to back my opinions up, but I will never assert these opinions as the one-and-only-view-you-can-possibly-have-to-call-yourself-a-Star-Wars-fan.
I agree with lazypadawan in that right now, the Star Wars fandom is fractured. I think a big step in repairing it is simple acceptance, writing about what you like rather than what you dislike, expressing yourself in a calm, respectful manner, and most importantly, agreeing to disagree.
May the Force be with us all.
Count me in as a fan...of the prequels and of your prose
ReplyDeleteI'll admit that I can get a bit militant from time to time, since these films mean a lot to me and every "objective" criticism I've heard has either been a completely subjective matter, a misunderstanding/misrepresentation, or something that is also true of IV-VI as well as 90% of things popular with mainstream geekdom in some capacity. It's not fair, and I'm going to correct the facts the best I can.
ReplyDeleteBut I always try to be very careful to point out that I couldn't care less whether or not people LIKE the movies. Art is 99.99% (repeating of course) subjective, and the remaining fraction of a percent that deals with objective technique are still more guidelines than actual rules. Like what you want to like, dislike what you want to dislike. I'll discuss it with you, but I will never tell you you "should" like or dislike anything. And if you do that to me, I'm going to call you out on it.
Episodes I-III, in that little fraction of a percent that deals with objective guidelines, are just as good movies as IV-VI. As good if not better than Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, or anything involving a superhero. Many films are comparatively well-made while having wildly different reactions. What makes Avengers so "amazing" and 2003's Daredevil so "terrible"? I like both, I even like Daredevil slightly more. Avengers does age better technically, but they both have flaws. But they both have strengths.
So, I guess my point is: I can't stand hypocrisy and baseless hate, even regarding something as arguably inconsequential as media. So yeah, I'm going to fight it. But never mistake my intention - I'm not trying to shove my opinion down your throat and say you have to like something I do. Just don't you dare tell me I'm wrong for liking it.
I totally understand and agree with you 100%. I can't fault someone like RLM for not liking the films, but I'm still going to call him out on ignoring evidence the films present that work against his claims. And the subjectivity part is so true. For what it's worth, your blog was one of my biggest inspirations for starting this.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletegreatly enjoyed your essay and I'm passing it on to some other fans. I'm a fan more of the OT but I'm planning to give the PT another shot now that I have the whole box set.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm also not seeing Rogue One. Also wished I'd skipped TFA, although seeing it brought my SW fandom back...not because I liked the movie, but the opposite. But I'm not going to tell fans of the new movie they're not SW fans, as is being done to those of us who don't like the new direction. Sigh.
I'm looking forward to reading more from you!
Very well done. Excellent essay & I look forward to reading more of your blog.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to the cancellation of AOTC and ROTS in 3D, I share your disappointment. I was really looking forward to seeing both films on the big screen again. I was fortunate enough to see all six films on the big screen at Celebration Anaheim, but I would still love it if Disney would do a general release of all six films again. I am doubtful they ever will because they would probably have to fight with Fox over distribution rights.
Concerning the special editions, speaking as someone who grew up watching the "unaltered" versions on VHS, I prefer George's final cut (as he calls them). There is no difference between the two versions in terms of story. What is different - world building. The original cuts of 4-6 have very little, particularly A New Hope, world building, which I think is one of the primary reasons George made the special editions in the first place. He wanted the audience to have a sense of how immense and bizarre this universe of his could truly be. The original cuts are not as effective at conveying this concept as the special editions are. I understand why someone some people are overly attached to the "unaltered" cuts- if that is the version you saw at theater, then it is the version you have the fondest memories of.
My first experience with Star Wars at the theater was with the special editions and I have several fond memories of that experience. But that doesn't mean that everyone else has to have an identical experience to mine in order to call themselves a Star Wars fan.
One last note, I saw TFA at the theater once when it was released & that was enough. I am uninterested in seeing its sequels. If I can't have George's story of what happens next, then I will just stick with the EU. I am curious about Rogue One, mainly because it will feature a character from The Clone Wars and because it looks like they will actually do some world building in this film.
May the Force be with You!