Why Star Wars Feels So Different Now
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- Опубліковано 6 лип 2024
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Let’s talk about Star Wars! What was it? How did it change over time? And where might it go in the future?
Sources:
Joseph Campbell - The Power of Myth: amzn.to/3myTeA7
Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction
1:52 A Star Wars Story
6:39 Myths and Allegories
12:20 The Inevitable Evolution
18:45 A New Era
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I told you my Star Wars story, now tell me yours! How did you find your way into this far away galaxy? What are your favorite Star Wars film/games...etc.?
I can’t remember when I first became aware of Star Wars, only that I knew the series had a massive impact on me. It’s something that will stick with me forever.
MOVIE BATTLES 2 - has the most complex dueling system of any game ive ever played. its got SBDs, droidekas, battledroids, soldiers, mandos, arc troopers, clones, jedi and sith and even george fucking lucas in one mode. its insane
The Clone Wars by Genndy Tartakovsky easily
Nice video man, you’re like the Werner Herzog of cinema.
OT on VHS, and then a bit later Dark Forces on PC. Add in Shadows of the Empire and Rogue Squadron on N64 and I was hooked.
I was four when I first saw Star Wars. I had no idea the world of magic that awaited me. Getting up at the end the film my young mind both blown and broadened I was told that there was a second film to watch. Naively I proclaimed that it would not be a patch on what I had just witnessed. It was The Empire Strikes Back. This remains even to this day the happiest moment in my life.
"The sequel trilogy felt like watching a discussion between filmmakers that should have been had before they made it."
Regardless of your stance on the specifics of these films, this is painfully apparent to everyone. The entire creative process was overtly an absolute mess. The creators can publicly claim they they had a plan all along, but the movies themselves prove otherwise.
It's a case where even if we were to believe that they knew what they were doing that makes the final product even more inexcusable in execution.
I'm not a fan of the sequel trilogy, even though it did have some fun moments, mostly because I never really felt like I had any idea what the hell was going on. Everything felt very disconnected and that made it hard to get invested into the characters. I wanted to like Rey and Kylo, hell I actively liked Finn. But the movies made it impossible for me to feel like there was any weight to them.
this is no surprise considering how woke they all were. Woke is feeling only, often confusing and by design inconsistent and illogical.
Cosnidering all this maybe this was all as it were to be? Anarchists destroying an order of a society struggling to survive. The last movie made me flip firmly to the dark side. I think Palpatine was a good guy now.
The plan was "make easy money from Star Wars fans" instead of "tell an impactful story."
@@RialuCaos You're correct that money is at the heart of the reason the sequels exist. Disney needed their $4B investment to pay off after-all. However, with the kinda of budgets SW movies have, these were clearly more than one-off movies for a quick buck. They wanted to build another cash cow like the MCU. Keeping fans coming back is critical for that.
"overly nostalgic JJ Abrams returned"
"Somehow Palpatine returned"
like poetry, it rhymes...
we should have gone farther in a few places
To be fair... After Rian Johnson's Star Wars movie, movie directors were avoiding Star Wars like it was the plague. (Remember that it was originally planned to have a new director for every sequel film.) JJ Abrams was (pretty much) the only director willing to follow Johnson...
@@blindlobster Dude what? Colin trevorrow got fired that's the reason JJ came back for eps 9 no director just avoided star wars.
It's absurd to think JJ had some kind of a plane. His movies are about dumb spectacle and mystery boxes with nothing in them. He has no intention of telling a meaningful story.
it's hilarious hearing LSOO talk so personally for this vid. Usually he's an amazing optimist but this is the saltiest I've heard him get. Which is still pretty durn respectful all in all. Class act. Luvvit.
Can tell he really hates the new Disney trilogies....
@@theunraveler I picture them coming to him and LSOO saying: "Hate you? No. I'm just very disappointed, son."
Went full lmao when he said he doesn't care why Rey got a yellow lightsaber, because he doesn't wanna watch it again
he balances it out at the end with an optimistic perspective.
@@tiberiius That's what makes him such a connoisseur :)
For me the problem with the sequel trilogy is that the Skywalker saga already had a satisfying end after episode 6. Rogue One and The Mandalorian showed how many more stories there are in a universe consisting of trillions of beings. I really doubt we'll see more stories like Rogue One, because how can Disney get merchandising out of it?
Look how successful the Mandalorian has been in relativity to the Star Was Trilogy sequel. The writing is arguably just as transparent but because they are all fresh characters it is still loved because of the Star Wars theme.
They should have NEVER spoken the Skywalker name again, spare for in reference.
Oh we will. The future of Star Wars seems to lie more in television, however, just like everything now.
Rogue one had one of the few merchandising successes with the new movies. New ships, new characters, new walkers, it's one of the few things people agree on. Rogue One was good. I'd actually like to Lando - the sequel to Solo - Solo was okay - not great but okay.
I disagree. Your opinion on the Skywalker saga seems to amount to you wanting the sacred to be left untouched, but LSOL did touch the point that it touching what is sacred gives us another glimpse on the meaning of life after the "adventure" is complete. Some myths do that.
For example The Myth of King Arthur and the knight of the round table. It begins the same way as Star Wars and the adventure reaches the same state as the conclusion of the Original Trilogy, but the myth doesn't end there. King Arthur and his knights go into their middle age and things get reeeeaal dark and gritty. It touches very deep analogies on the struggle of people finding a new purpose after what they thought was their great adventure was over. But those themes cannot be explored without desecrating the image of the myth.
The Last Jedi was the last movie of the new ones from Disney that I watched I couldn't bear to watch episode 9 even though I saw the first one in 1977
Wait... You really had a "Hans, are we the baddies?" moment? XD
It'll be worse if it happened with real life, to realise that you are standing on the wrong side all along. But it has happened many times indeed.
Always love a David Mitchell reference.
You are awesome
“I mean, we’ve got skulls on our helmets...”
OMG I loved this comment so much, made me laugh hard
Does anyone else just kinda want it all to stop? Like I wouldn't want more Lord of the Rings or Die Hard movies because they're freaking amazing. I just kinda want it to rest and enjoy its place among the other high-achievers in Movie Land. It's sapping the magic...
Yeah, there's nothing like adventuring into a new story-world for the first time :)
@You're probably touching yourself right now Many great movies end without closure. We are just left to wonder and fill in the blanks/ending in our own mind.
A friend of mine would have never watched any of the Star Wars movies if it weren't because of The Mandalorian so I kinda like the idea of more stories introducing more people to the world.
Even if wishing things to stay the same was justified, it is unreasonable, immature even. It is the nature of things to change and continue, not wanting that is the equivalent of being a nostalgic old man who wishes for the good old days to stay the same.
The more we explore these worlds, the sooner they become like amusement parks. Devoid of stories but full of meaningless distractions.
Because Hollywood is creatively bankrupt and greedy. They know rebooting or continuing a well established series is safer and with more return. It's a lazy attempt
I think you’d really appreciate Knights of the Old Republic, if you haven’t explored it already - the first two games (especially the first one) are the perfect microcosm of what Star Wars truly is. The first game provides another interpretation of the hero’s journey, with a highly satisfying narrative. The second game then serves to question the core philosophy of the films, and while flawed, provides some of the most complex and emotionally mature storytelling ever to have been associated with the Star Wars saga. I wish you had concluded with imploring viewers to explore these games because they are truly greater than the sum of their parts .
I concur with Knights of the Old Republic! There's plenty of interesting thoughts from the second game regarding the cyclical nature of the films.
The films didn't make me a fan of the Star Wars series - these two video games did.
I disagree about Kotor 1. It felt more masturbatory than mythical. All the men were tripping over themselves to follow reven, all the women were desperate to be his girlfriend, etc. I actually have a hard time with most bioware games now, for this very reason. The attempts to stroke the player's ego are too obvious.
@@FluffyBunniesOnFire If you're coming at these games off the back of modern gaming expecting them to hold your hand then you're gonna have a bad time. KOTOR shares the same old-school CRPG tradition as Fallout 1 & 2, Planescape: Torment, Baldur's Gate and Arcanum - they're not gonna hold your hand, but they allow for a huge amount of character customization and role-playing in the D&D sense. If this is your first try at a game like this then I'd seriously consider following a guide. Even if just to experience the storytelling firsthand.
@@teamhren1000 Well that's fair, but I can't say I felt the same about it. In a way KOTOR I serves as a a sort of wish-fulfillment in the Star Wars universe; you get to experience all the highs and lows from the movies (especially the original trilogy) and it generally maintains a swashbuckling and slightly corny atmosphere which is perfectly fine by me. I think you'll find that KOTOR II eschews this almost entirely in favor of more sinister and closed-off characters, and it's not possible to please everyone in your party.
@@Ammoniumbicarbonat oh I really enjoy Kotor 2. It has most of the same issues regarding the companions as kotor 1 (even krea praises the player in the end), but it was an excellent deconstruction of the star wars formula. I'm not much of a Joseph Campbell fan, and kotor 2 rather intelligently pokes at the thousand-faced hero.
I love how LSOO kind has this wise aura about the way he speaks, about how deep the videos are, then he says, "-And Rey has a yellow lightsaber because... I dunno." Reminds me of Oogway in Kung Fu Panda.
It's hard to bring something "new" to the world of Star Wars video essays, and I wasn't sure if LSOO was going to pull it off until about 3/4 of the way through this video with his claim that the true gift of Star Wars was the Universe it created, as opposed to the individual stories or films. Star Wars is more than a mythology, it's an ever-expanding world we can escape into then our own world becomes too much to bear. It can continue expanding, and will, as new generation of fans experiences different types of Star Wars stories. We will meet new heroes, new droids, new aliens, new planets, and some of them will be in video games or Tv shows, and that is more than okay, it's essential for the franchise to remain relevant. LSOO is my favorite channel on UA-cam. Thanks again for another amazing video essay. As usual, I got chills at the end.
I just wish the sequel trilogy had a plan
After reading The Making of Return of the Jedi, I'm not sure if Lucas or Kasdan had a concrete plan either (Marquand had little to contribute, too, aside from early scenes with Jabba's palace, and it seems he helped make the "Leia is your sister" scene connect.).- so much potential (especially for Vader's character) was unused, and the Emperor in the end still turned out goofy, as opposed to early drafts where he is serious and menacing.
Return was Lucasfilm's film, nevertheless, and ILM poured out a tremendous effort into the film (They made a TIE-fighter scene on a Xerox printer!).
Anywho, I think the trilogy with the best plan is still the prequel trilogy, especially since Lucas had time to mull over it in his head. In the OT, he had ideas and guidelines- but still revisions happening. Well, it seems that maybe a plan only needed to get past one man- true, in many cases, in relation to Disney, where it was harder.
@@theblindfoldedbirdwatcher570 After the experience of SW and ESB (both going over budget and over time) Lucas just wanted to wrap up ROTJ and tie up all the lose ends.
Nevertheless the ideas came, in general, from one man.
I think some people misunderstand what Lucas wanted to make. He wanted ESB to be darker than IV or VI. People thought he kind of fucked up ROTJ because they like the idea of a more bittersweet ending, thinking Kershner made SW better, and Lucas screwed up the end.
The trouble with the sequels was that you can't half ass a *continuation* of a 6 movie saga. People try to make out SW or the OT was 'made up as they went along', but it was also the *start* of the storyworld so it can be more flexible. It's the same with Alien and Terminator; the recent sequels just repeat similar beats rather than being thought out.
George Lucas had a plan, but Disney and/or JJ tossed it out.
Every system is perfectly designed to get the results it gets.
destroyed the star wars is.
A plan wouldn’t have saved them, Ben v
Only my new powers can do that
Clone wars season 7 had a final arc that was the greatest star wars ive seen in years
The best thing in Star Wars ever put on screen
I love how people just discovering your channel may be unsure about the intro to this vid (as much as I loved it I can see how others may find it fairly generic), but then if they stick around and give it a chance, BAM, minds blown :)
In 1977 there was nothing like ILM, no film had ever looked like that before. The effects were, for the time, pure magic. Everything that has been released since then has tried to reach that level. That's why the film had such a huge cult following and the people who saw it, at that time, are so attached to it.
It was the start of a whole new ball game in film making. Without that film, cinema, today, would not exist.
_Jurassic Park_ managed to capture that lightning in a bottle. Then, _The Matrix_ managed to do it AND also forever change action movies. I don’t know if a film since has, though. You begin to wonder if it’s still possible. VFX might give us films that look great, but something has leached out of the quality of screenplays today, and the likelihood of a film setting a new bar both visually and story-wise seems less and less possible. But I keep hoping…
The reason I loved Empire Strikes Back in a different way than other action films is that it wasn't just the hero succeeding all over again. Luke Skywalker had flaws, and tried to deal with them on his own. Yoda was more than a symbol of the old Jedi way, he was an actual mentor who was teaching Luke about life just as much as the Force.
Bro Battlefront was the BEST
I literally bought the second game for my friend just cause I didn't have a PS2 and he did.
@Orlando Rossano My man!
Battlefront I and II were so much fun, and it sounds as if the creator of this video is the same age group as I was. I'm just happy that I got introduced to the original Star Wars trilogy growing up on VHS and later DVD.
A very nice take on it. I especially enjoy the acknowledgement that Star Wars is now much more than just the mainline films.
My own Star Wars journey began with the special edition re-releases in the late 90s, however I didn't spend much time on the films. Instead I read a lot of the books, some of the comics (Dark Empire, Legacy), some of the games (Kyle Katarn, Kotor II), and a heck of a lot of time pouring over Wookieepedia and coming up with my own stories.
Not a single frame from Solo, I respect this shade
There are a few spliced in, but yeah, overall I think Solo was a good example of how not to expand a story
I saw one at the end but it was a panoramic shot of a ship.
Solo has its place in the story line.
It also has the highest potential for an offshoot.
Everyone agree Maul's character arc was far too short.
A Joker-esque film for Maul would be outstanding.
@@LikeStoriesofOld I don't think it was intended to expand the story. It was part origin story (using a lot of the original back story) and part Han Solo side adventure.
@@LikeStoriesofOld Solo and Rogue One were a hell of a lot better than the Sequel Trilogy.
@@jeremymenning56 clone wars did some justice for Maul, if you haven’t watched the show, I highly suggest. But yes a film about his story would be amazing
Like you I started with the Phantom Menace and likewise grew with Lotr. It was thanks to the curiosity and boredom during the pandemic that I decided to watch all Filoni's & company work in Clone Wars, Rebels and Mandalorian. Boy I had fun finally falling in love with this universe. I find the tales (Ashoka, Darth Maul's arc, his take on 66, the mandalorian culture and that lovely Firefly's inspired crew of Rebels) he added so refreshing to the franchise that at this point I just want more. Hopefully the spell carries on this friday.
I also rewatched many of their animation series while that. And it was very interesting to see f.e. developement of Ahsoka from the initial clone wars movie, where i found her to be especially annoying till the end. I got indifferent over to the end of the first two seasonst. Really grow to love her, developing over time. Developing over the CW-series. Reading the book, seeing her again in Rebels. Maybe upcoming in Mandalorian season 2. She developed from one of my most hated characters to my most beloved character.
To see that perception of a person (Ahsoka) can change that much is such a magical feeling. And that´s my Star Wars Story. Really feeling the power of change over time.
Right now if i had to decide, i could forget one universe and would be able to reexperience it. It would definitely be the Star Wars Universe.
Best description of the sequel trilogy I've heard. My feeling exactly. They will never mean much to me. The original trilogy and even the prequel trilogy have so much more substance as far as moving the Star Wars story along. Providing us fans with a view into this wonderful, mythical universe.
Great job on the video.
Prequels, while not executed well, really opened up whole Star Wars universe with it's amazing world building and story.
Here’s the thing, you can expand the Star Wars Universe, you can evolve the story, but in the end, you still have to make a good film.
What is a "good film"? Because personally speaking I think TLJ is a good film. Hell, I don't think the other 2 films were "bad" in the literal sense of the word. They were just... generic or bland.
My thoughts exactly.
@@JavierGomezX What a chump!
Didn't you hear? Disney burned all the books!
@@JavierGomezX I don't think mashing episode 5 and 6 together with no hooks when your the second movie in a trilogy makes a good film, and rise of Skywalker really proved that
The earliest Star Wars memory I have is of Luke hanging upside down in the Wampa’s Cave. I recall watching this with my older brother on VHS in the early 90’s and being curious about how Luke moved that Lightsaber w/out touching it. The Empire Strikes Back is my favorite film.
I was ten years old when I saw “A New Hope.” It was the most incredible experience! I was hooked at the beginning story crawl; I hadn’t seen anything like this before. Then when the empire’s cruiser flew overhead...I stayed in the theater and watched the movie three more times. This movie blew me away. Everything revolved around Star Wars.
I wish my kids could experience this feeling, this cultural icon that influenced so many people.
Thank you for another great episode!
I hope to see more stories like Andor that show us the real struggle of everyday people in the Star Wars universe, we’ve seen enough stories about the Skywalkers, Jedi and the Sith
For me clone wars finale was that "new great star wars movie" , it beared such emotions and the series gave so much depth to the characters we know and to characters we didnt know of or knew little about. I mean... when Rex cried.... feels man, feels everywhere.
I must have watched that finale arc four times. It made me feel like a kid again. It was well written, thought-provoking, and tragic. The humanity Ashoka displayed was one of the best moments this franchise has ever delivered.
Sometimes there’s a man
Well, he’s the man for his time and place....
The universe provides...
Unless that man identifies as a woman...I bet the Jedi put their pronouns in their Twitter Bios...
Big Lebowski references are never unwelcomed in my world
Dang, every time I watch one of these videos, I feel an incredible sense of introspection, philosophical enlightenment and optimism for the future of storytelling. Loved the video!
Ewoks. Droids. Duel of the Fates.
Naboo Starfighters.
"There's always a bigger fish."
PODRACING.
DROIDIKAS.
L E G O S T A R W A R S
“Rebel scum.” Said with perfect ironic understatement. I laughed.
The sequel trilogy feels like a movie that would play in a coruscant theatre and not an actual part of the universe
Thank you for another insightful commentary. And really, your ad at the end was absolutely perfect: the move from someone else's story--from a book or a movie--to writing your own: world building, story writing, RPG/sandbox play. Lucas at his best created both a saga with the initial Trilogy and a fascinating setting that can be a starting point for our own imaginations. The sheer volume of fanfiction, fanfilms, and open-ended RPG play is testimony to that.
I resonate strongly with what you've said in this video, and I have followed a similar path than yours, in loving Star Wars. I want to pour out everything your video made me felt, but I want to keep it short, and say that I was overwhelmed with the love for storytelling and honoring something fictional because of how it affected you as a kid. The reasons you make your videos feel strongly relative to the reason I am on my creative journey, and it is very inspirational to see that love shared towards something.
As a kid, if someone would have told me that in the future, there will be another Star Wars Trilogy and I would fall asleep in the theatre during the first film, stop watching the second half way through (and not even go to the theatre to see it) and have ZERO interest in watching the finale, I would have thought they were crazy! Thanks Kathleen Kennedy! You built that!
11:15 Anakin didn't receive unconditional love and turned to the dark side. Denying an aspect of reality (emotion) and thus repressing it leads to a shadow forming which consumes the unconscious human who doesn't know better.
Jung 101
The problem is the storytelling; look for the sources of the first trilogy movies. For example, look for Kurosawa and how he developed the story, not only on dialogs or personages but in what is now a death craft of cinematography. Scenes, camera movements, context which gives it a fundamental and powerful sustain.
It's not only shooting a camera or writing some lines. It's integrating all in one consistent way.
I really enjoyed your hopeful conclusion. To me, Star Wars is the joyful glee of being a child and getting utterly lost in this fantastical galaxy of heroes and villains and the sequel trilogy didn't hit that for me, but I hope that maybe some younger kids felt that. There's boundless opportunity for SW to recapture that magic, for me, and some like Filoni have made it clear they're capable.
An old friend of mine, who stubbornly refused to have anything to do with Star Wars because it was "nerdy", finally began watching the movies because she started watching the Mandalorian (solely because of Baby Yoda) because she wants to know the context of the story. I didn't expect Star Wars to become something like that series, but if it attracts more people to give this wonderful world an opportunity, then I am all for it.
The irony is that 20 years ago, "star wars fans" were put into the same nerd camp as people who enjoyed Star Trek. Then all you normies invaded and took it over.
@@swahiliranger1022 Welcome to the age of the Internet. Hopefully it will give birth to a world where there are no more dumb cliches and just people enjoying all manner of things because they like them. Not letting a group or their mere tastes define them.
@@swahiliranger1022 I don't think that's the case, just given to how huge the OT Star Wars was in terms of box office success. Gatekeeping with terms like "you normies" also does you zero favours - SW and many other IPs have been and always will be about mass appeal for sales, it is a business after all.
@@swahiliranger1022 They did the same with comics after Neil Gaiman and superheroes after RDJ's Iron Man. "Nerd" is barely pejorative now, if at all, and rather than "Star Wars is a good story," the fandom thinks, "Star Wars is a good franchise."
These last few minutes really gave me a strong sense of longing. I DO really want to experience all of these things you've listed there: a whole new universe to immerse myself in, with all of these excotic planets and environments, meet all of these facinating people and creatures... I want to detatch from this reality and explore a whole new one and enjoy it. I really, really want this.
The Path of Dreams, aka RAZ, is how humans can experience all of those things. It’s an ancient knowledge of dream portals. You have to focus with your Third Eye.
Yeah, I've heard about something like that almost 20 years ago. Tried it, didn't work for me. So, you know,I guess, I'll just keep playing computer and TTRPG games. Because that's how non-esotherical/non-spiritual humans can experience all of those things.
Walter Benjamin said that the function of a critic is not only to analyse an artwork, but to participate on it, to add something that wasn't there before but completes the masterpiece. He aspired to convert an essay about art into art itself. I've followed your journey for a long time, and I must say that he would be very proud of your work, I'm sure about that.
The message of Star Wars has reached one person. And he will continue to tell more of its essence.
As always you’re perspectives are multifaceted; thought provoking adventures in themselves furthermore your delivery is smooth and as professional as it gets. Thank You!
I'd argue that the prequels, clone wars as a whole, and the rest of the original EU had already been transitioning Star Wars from an internal myth into an allegorical universe. The Sequels just had to directly confront that reality.
Not at all. The internal myth was very real with the prequels. Look at Anakins conflict about his past and his mother and his grown hatred of the jedi for the simple reason they won't give him more power. The allegory of good and evil all around. The myth was absolutely real in the prequels 100%.
If you're looking for your definitive Star Wars experience, I heartily suggest the Knights of the Old Republic games. The graphics are a little dated now, but the stories are amazing.
How you continually make me cry every time I watch your content, it pops my brain
For reasons I don’t even understand, this video brought me to tears- well done.
How a media "justifies itself" to us can be its own discussion. Why do we choose our hobbies after all? However, Star Wars really did give me great times thinking of the world building. "How was the stuck in perpetual conflict? Why was the force broken?" I've had great times analysing these things, but it was time for me to let go. KotoR 1&2 (mainly 2) gave me the deconstruction that I wanted, the fantasy deconstruction. The new sequels gave the social deconstruction.
Nothing will be more representative to me than Kylo Ren metanarratively telling us to let go of the original movies, while siphoning all the life essence out of them. While it did have some metanarrative messages, it was too conflicted to me. I think the message of "letting go" from the original movies is applicable. Star Wars was never meant to be ... this, so I've decided to move on. I will probably not get the deconstruction that I was hoping for, don't see the point in waiting for a movie that will not come. There can be good projects in the future akin to the mandalorian, but I'm no longer the same person that will watch media in the same way.
While the optimist might see something that has potential to be new and fresh, I see something from the past that keeps on trying to justify itself to me even though I've moved on.
I was deep in the legends lore, having read a lot of books, but I am ready for new adventures :)
17:19 GOD i still dislike TROS and I agree with this statement.
TLJ have flaws but it a movie that want to break the franchise from the old convention to pay for new kind of story telling reexamine what the franchise legacy.
However JJ just like "NOPE LET COPY RETURN OF THE JEDI AGAIN"
The Last Jedi would have been better if it wasn’t trying to be a final act in the trilogy already
I don't love JJ, but I think his two movies were both rushed in the pre-production phase and tampered with by LF/Disney (because they were the start and end)
Also, a trilogy has to return to the ideas it established at the start, like all stories. It can't just float off into a different story.
In short the failures were; too little ambition in the start, leaving the story nowhere to go, and too little interest in how it was going to end with TLJ.
TLJ is a better ending than TROS, because all the setups from TFA are resolved; Luke dead, Snoke dead, Rey's path decided, Kylo's path decided.
@@Ruylopez778 They were resolved because they should have been resolved in the FIRST movie, instead of stringing people along with mystery boxes.
@@aolson1111 There are a lot of major problems with the sequel trilogy. Blaming everything on JJ doesn't absolve RJ, sorry.
And it doesn't absolve Iger or KK.
It was RJ's idea to kill off Snoke and Luke, and have Rey reject Kylo, and have Rey save the day, and Hux look stupid.
Please stop replying to me with your surface level take on things. It's boring.
This whole trilogy stinks of corporate interference. Look at how much of a mess SW is in all the other projects behind the scenes since KK took over. You can't blame it all on JJ even if you hate him for Star Trek, or whatever your problem is.
I really can't wait for your take on Andor.
This is one of the two best analyses of Star Wars I have ever seen,
and the most beautiful.
Thank you.
Mark Hemill should watch this one! Great as always my friend, helped me to see beyond what I was perceiving.
Oh this won’t be controversial... 🍿
Rarely if ever comment on vids. This was extremely well produced, insightful and expressed so eloquently. Thanks for what would have been a mammoth production effort.
It is a phenomenal experience to finally hear someone who didn't watch the originals first speak on Star Wars. Even my younger siblings who are gen Z and Alpha were shown the movies in production order.
I swear to god everytime I watch one of your videos, I get hyperfocused on it and I get brought to the brink of tears, because I feel so overwhelmed with inspiration and meaning.
Star Wars was already evolving with the old Expended Universe. Disney only stifled its growth.
Yeah, the essay chokes for me on that. All this existed already. We had tons of stories. And they didn't need to just kick Luke in the crotch.
While there was plenty i loved about the EU, theres also plenty of it, with regard to the main characters from the OT, that still wouldnt have fared well in live action on the big screen....Palpatine returning to finish what he started with Luke amongst them. Just like with the current crop of Disney era SW media....the EU had some homeruns AND some absolute turds
Thank you for articulating the thoughts that I have as well. We really have to move on and create original stories in the universe.
Wow, if anything, I'm mind blown with the myth/allegory contrast, as this actually sums into clear words the comparison between the classic trilogy and the modern one. They always felt so different (as many would agree) but I never managed to synthesize why. Thanks to your interpretation, now I can. Great video man, cheers.
I think the Mandalorian might be the future of Star Wars
this was so beautiful! I too was raised on the prequel stories and share in the feeling of missing out on the wonder of the original trilogy, and know exactly how that feels. it's so interesting to see how all of the modern-day stories go over with people, and it seems like every time they re-focus on the original heart of the story, fans across the board love them. specifically with everything dave filoni does.
So much has been said about Star Wars that it's really difficult to say anything new, or say anything about it in a new way. But my God, man! You did it!
I always keep coming back to this video. That last part is beautiful 🥲
Fantastic stuff as always. Loved the personal insight. I was really bummed when the Expanded Universe that were mostly the books was proclaimed "not cannon" with Disney's takeover of the francise. But then again, like you said, it was still Skywalker Saga. I was looking forward for the new trilogy to be both a new opening and a warm farwell to Luke and the team but I think The Last Jedi was to harsh in terms of getting rid of the old. Most people, me included weren't ready. In the end I haven't even seen The Rise of Skywalker. Luckly at the same time, stuff like Rogue One, Mandalorian and Fallen Order are made and those bring me the new New Hope ;)
Videos like this make me proud of being a Star Wars fan and grateful for growing up with the series. Thank you.
this was such a beautiful video, truly 1 of the best i have ever seen on UA-cam!
What I absolutely love about your story about playing Battlefront is that George Lucas's attempt at visual language completely worked. You saw the Stormtroopers and recognized them as being related to the Clone Troopers. You just hadn't realized yet what the Clones would become.
Hearing someone speak of Star Wars in a loving way is always beautiful. It reminds me why so many of us, myself included, still love Star Wars, faults and all. There's still hope for this universe.
That's not true about mythology, mythology connects us all together. Like Campbell said. "we need not do it alone all the world is gone before us " I really do believe that Star Wars failed because it removed itself from that original mythology of the story. Mythology grounds people to each other and to where they live and to everything around them.
that was the best piece of star wars UA-cam i have ever seen. love the video thankyou :)
this is so beautiful. every video you make is a joy to watch. lights up my day! thank you so much!!!
Another beautiful video. I think the Force Awakens had good bones. Great character introductions, great character concepts, but didn't do enough with them. The second half really shied away from what could have been. I would have loved for the story to focus on Finn's arc, a monomyth for an ex stormtrooper has such potential. Alas, what could have been.
At its core, Star Wars I think is most about that there is always hope. Whether that's to change yourself, someone everyone else feels is lost, or the world by taking down a fascist government, it's all about that hope.
Another fantastic essay, and the explanation of myth vs. allegory is not only useful to SW, but I think is worth thinking about in terms of how we receive an interpret all media these days; we mix these up constantly, and it interferes with not only how we view stories, but how we view others' place in our lives, and how we view ourselves. Star Wars and our relationship to it is an interesting place to start thinking about this.
Another great job dude! I enjoy watching your vids a lot. Keep them up dude!
This is the first novel take I've heard about the sequel trilogy in years. Thank you.
Thank you for sharing your personal narrative that built your foundation for being a Star Wars fan. I think that is important to note as we all have had different entrances into this Fandom, thus different expectations, beliefs and visions for what the Star Wars universe should contain or be about.
My Star Wars story is quite similar to yours, only my obsession started with a game called, "Star Wars Galaxies" which was an online MMO way ahead of its time. Been a fan ever since.
LSOO: "Let's do one about Star Wars."
Obi Wan: " Hello there."
That Rohan theme though, three bars is all you need.
I always look forward to you channel up loads.
Daddy I knew you’d return.
This is a really amazing conclusion that you've come to - one which is so refreshing given how divisive the star wars fanbase can be and how tired most of its discussions are. It truly feels like you've acknowledged the shortcomings of the franchise without antagonizing individual people, fans, or ideas which is incredibly impressive in its own right but is also a welcome change to someone who is so tired of the toxicity surrounding the franchise I grew up with (also by being hooked by the first Battlefront funnily enough). I especially loved your point about all fans having their own favorite story from the universe and how that shapes our view of the franchise as a whole; it really made me appreciate how wide the star wars galaxy is and how there really is room for everyone to enjoy some part of it
So thanks for this great content as always. I will never cease being amazed by your own standards of production and argumentation. As someone who's been trying for ages to get myself to write video essays, yours really come off as the absolute gold standard of what I should strive for.
So thanks for breathing some hope into my jaded eyes and lessening my frustration with a part of me that used to be so immersed in the fantasy of the far away galaxy to even notice its flaws. Think it might help me rekindle my old love a bit which is an amazing gift from a single video
Hope you're doing well :)
Great comment!
Star wars to me. One of the very few things my father and I did together ( watching a new hope when it came out) I never knew him and it makes me wish I did. Stay awesome.
this video provided some much needed closure that i didn't know that i needed. thank you.
I think people forget Rogue one, in my opinion it is the best of the modern starwars films
11:07 Your statement here about whether or not the Jedi were part of the problem was something that I was confused about for a long time as well.
But after watching through all of Clone Wars, which Lucas himself had a heavy hand in deciding the direction of, I'm now certain that at the very least it has retroactively been made so.
Ashoka's character arch is the embodiment of this idea.
I agree with your last thought about the importance of providing us with a different universe. Star Wars gave me a sense of wonder. A sense of something bigger being out there. Hope. That there's much to be discovered, learned, and fought for. It was all so beautifully shrouded in mystery.
Another great video!
I was asking myself what exactly I liked about Star Wars, and I realized it's not actually the movies but the universe that has been created around them. Content has been coming out for years in the form of games and books and others, building a fantastic universe to immerse yourself in!
I remember the exact day I saw the 1977 original film, (which was my true first experience for Star Wars) January 21, 2014. I myself can’t believe it’s already been 6 years. My father grew up on these movies and saw all three films of the original trilogy so it kind of felt natural that I would see these films as well. But also, I was born after the prequels, the clone wars (except season 7), the video games, the books, and the expansion of the mythology in general. And honestly as much as I enjoy and have good all six films at the time, it was exploring other stories in different mediums and seeing videos of battle predictions between jedi, and the lore of events, that something about this world when expanded, it made me see this world as not only about one story but a story about many events that have their own depth much like how I see my world. Later I would watch all the sequels and I would wonder why they felt so “off” to me. And as usual, I felt that you captured what makes a story so special. Thank you for giving me at least 20 minutes of reflection on this series and good memories that I have not thought of recently.
0:50 Kennedy: "Lol no we don't."
what
@@eliasdahlqvist7834 she said a while back that they don't have 500 page books or comics, which they did, and a lot of those at that
I really like these videos you do. You can tell you put a ton of time into them
Super video, I love Star Wars to bits and it really reminded me why I do. Thank you, chap. 👏👏👏
I saw the first SW movie, in a theater, with a huge crowd. It changed my world at the time, I think it changed everyone's world. Of course, it was the mythic elements that moved us so. Something about the times, perhaps, made us hungry for a story of a real hero and the defeat of evil. If they had stopped there, it would have been enough. They didn't stop though, and maybe that's okay. I haven't kept up with the saga; almost everything mentioned in this LSOO is utterly alien to me. I guess I outgrew the story, or I outgrew the need for a story. Adulthood, marriage, family, career. I became my own hero, I guess. Then a few years back I started writing a book, more of a trilogy, with a universe of my own creation. But I found that in my universe, it's difficult for me to make the villains villainous, or ever the heroes perfectly heroic and good. My storytelling is filled with challenges and misdirection, failures, redemption. Like, failure to do the right thing when it really mattered. And then doing the right thing even though it doesn't seem to matter at all only to find out that the universe, in its quiet and patient way, was watching and approved. This of course is exactly how life is when you look back on it from somewhere near the end. I may never finish my books before my own end. But that doesn't bother me. I wrote a book in my own way and when I felt like it, and it helped me let go. Like the characters I've created, I accept what life has to offer and I go forward clutching common but precious gifts. Forward to the stars, perhaps, though not without hardships.
Cancel episodes VII through IX and everyone will be quite happy.
The Last Jedi is the second best Star Wars movie to ME. And the fandom rejection of the sequels is fair. That same fandom rejected the prequels. Who cares….The fandom I guess ?
I still remember holding my dad's hand (now passed), feet sticking to the floor of the theater, frantically looking for four seats for us to sit in, as the start of return of the Jedi started to play on the big screen above our heads. I was 5 years old, and that was almost 40 years ago. I'll never forget it.
My mom took me to watch “A New Hope” when it re-released in theaters in the mid-90s when I was like 6… and my god I was blown away
Honestly the UNIVERSE of star wars is amazing and what Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni is doing with the new shows seems to be the way to go. Star wars feels perfect in a show format. Star wars is a massive world, and I love seeing these new stories set in the star wars universe. Each episode of the Mandalorian feels different each episode, it never gets stale due to the great writing and great direction in each episode. Under Jon Fav and Filoni im excited about the future of star wars.
You literally sound like somebody who works for those guys and is obligated to post this. I never even heard of those. Amen you mentioned.
@@PolishBehemoth I have a church dedicated to jon favreau, we pray and worship the almighty jon. nah I just liked the show, the star wars movies feel lack luster of late and having a show format feels more natural for starwars. I posted that comment like almost a year ago
The new trilogy is fascinating in how symbolic it is of how we treat each other these days. It's easy, for instance, to see FA as a story that wants to live in the past, and LJ as the progressive one that wants to move forward. Both have die-hard followings that hate the other, and both want only theirs to be the Star Wars that everyone else experiences.
It made a lot of sense to me then when everybody hated the third film, because most of the symbols in it have to do with healing things that are broken, and overcoming our differences to see we are all on the same side. It's asking us to do the same - and nothing makes a factionalist more angry than imagining the peace they are fighting for. We simply want the other side GONE.
I really enjoyed the third film, and found it to be the most emotionally successful of the new trilogy, as it seemed not to be denying the previous films, but asking me to hold seemingly contradictory ideas in my heart and love them both. Bringing together the old (FA) and the new (LJ) is a concept central to the series: the beat up old futuristic spaceship, for instance. Or the new-fangled techno laser sword version of old King Arthur imagery. That duality drives the story.
The lightsaber itself is used in ROS as a symbol of the dual 'sides' argued by the first and second movies: it is at once a deep, meaningful symbol and a dumb fetishistic toy to be thrown aside - both of these statements are saying the same thing: the meaning is real, but it is in YOU, not the fancy object. The new (the Rey) and the old (the Skywalker) merging into one - that's the meaning of her choosing that name. It symbolizes moving forward into the future while recognizing where you come from, and it says that your identity is your choice, not your destiny. It was very, very powerful to me.
But hey that's how I took it; I think its much more satisfying to take it that way, but that's just me. What's wild to me is that people hear this and actively want to change my opinion - often they are very angry I feel this way, and start in on a list of reasons why I'm wrong. And my question is: so what? What does it matter if I think this? Why argue so strongly to take someone's love away? What is frightening about my feelings here?
I've done the same thing myself - gotten into furious arguments over nonsense - a million times. But if the experience of Star Wars has taught me anything, it's that if I'm not willing to open myself up to loving something, or if I need other people's beliefs to align with mine so I feel good about my own love, then I'm probably not allowing myself the fullest experience I can have - and keeping myself from sharing what I love with others and vice versa.
This is the healthiest interpretation that i've seen of TROS. I've never seen it like this, like a reconciliation, but the point that you made about the light saber and the meaning that it has really "sells" it for me. I've only seen once TROS because i really had mixed feelings about it but this comment will definitely make me appreciate it more. Cheers man! :)
Most people would call that an inability to make up ones' mind.
@@Matteus2109 hahah I have definitely been accused of this before, so I hear you on that. I could be wrong, but I really think it's pretty purposeful, and is making a sort of yin/yang point - which fits into the zen base of a lot of SW storytelling. But at very least it makes it way more enjoyable, so even if it's accidental, I'd say give it a shot :)
@@marcos050901 Thanks, Marcos!
You have the right to believe and think what you want my friend. I respect your assessment. I don’t love everything about TROS, but I can see what you’re saying.
The problem today with society is everyone thinks they’re right. Why? Because everyone has a voice on social media. They believe they are “influencers” in some way, shape, or form.
But like Syndrome was saying in “The Incredibles”, when everyone is super, no one is. For some reason, people have use social media and start developing delusions of grandeur. Tommy or Christine from Minnesota think they have the same pull as a celebrity, athlete, or politician.
And make no mistake, I don’t hold popular figures in some high regard either - they’re imperfect humans like everyone else. It’s just TOO many people have a voice and are listening to too many voices.
Like what you like, share it in a non confrontational way and be at peace.
very well done! love it!!!
Great video, man :) what a hopeful end!!
The Disney Trilogy didn't so much "evolve" Star Wars as "mutate" Star Wars.
Most mutations are harmful. This was no exception.
Great description.
Rian Johnson on Luke skywalker and last jedi.
“If you look at any classic hero’s myth that is actually worth its salt, at the beginning of the hero’s journey, like with King Arthur, he pulls the sword from the stone and he’s ascendant - he has setbacks but he unites all the kingdoms. But then if you keep reading, when it deals with the hero’s life as they get into middle-age and beyond, it always starts to get into darker places. And there’s a reason for that: It’s because myths are not made to sell action figures; myths are made to reflect the most difficult transitions we go through in life. And that early part of the hero journey is reflecting, i think my intepretation, going from adolescence to adulthood where you finding yourself and you're winning. In order to address middle age and beyond in a really honest way, if you look at the myth like fisher king. It feel like disillusionment and lost. It felt like everything is changing. That is because they are honest and they have to be honest. That what they are there for. It would be a betrayal of them and luke skywalker as a character not reflect that and just to give us wack work version that we expected because he is up there with action figure plastic on our wall and stuff. If you want to take him seriously as a character, for me at least, it felt important for me to go to that round"
God Rian johnson is the only one under disney that tried to push the franchise
@Klackon I dont see how it is terrible for him to drink it
@Nishant Joshi I think his character is fine. Even perfect
@Nishant Joshi I think both has his merit. I think the ideas luke struggle to set example for next generation and become a living myth is a fascinating story one is more intensively human and flaws.
Thank you for another great essay! I was lucky to enter the Star Wars universe in early 90s when the story meant more than visual FX and I was young enough to get inspired by the Story! Or, perhaps I was in that age when people have open mind for the adventure, seeking my Path, eager to write my Life Story. and coming back to newer Star Wars movies I get a glimpse of that feeling when I firs entered this Universe of Real Adventure! Thank you for reminding of that! ;)
It was an entertainment franchise that existed between 1977 and 2012. I enjoy it as it was when it was authentic. It doesn't need to continue.