I booted up my old laptop to get a file a couple months back, and this forum was in a tab in Firefox, which made me shudder, because firefox.
Anyway, that's when I posted once or twice about the recent movie and that was it really. I'm not as into Star Wars as I used to be, but I still enjoy talking concepts and stories with peeps, so I had a question for you guys, because it's probably my last vested interest. It seems like one of the main things that causes contention in discussions among this fandom, is that everyone seems to have their own version and their own interpretation on what this big beast Star Wars is. The recent EU debacle notwithstanding. This is essentially a thread asking you to present your own perfect version of what Star Wars would be. Anything you would change, add, remove or retain. Entire characters, races (genocide?), and story arcs are fair game basically.
Now I know mine is pretty simple, disregard everything but the OT and I guess, meh, throw in TFA except for it's mention of Sith and Kylo being another angry white dude in a black cloak with a red saber (that's important I'll come back to it). And that's really it for me. The only thing that bothers me about not just Star Wars but stories in general, is how an interesting concept or design is presented narratively or aesthetically in a way that could be done better.
My original interpretation of Jedi and Sith - after their EU and Prequel introductions - (they were never mentioned once in the OT and turned up in a draft in the script and that was it, as nothing but a title for Darth Vader) was much more broad and vague. They did not all look like design clones of Obi Wan. White dudes in brown/white/beige robes with primary colour lightsabers. What's even worse is that Jedi also became monotone, stoic, monk like entities with no personalities or interesting traits.
Break it all down to it's basic tenants as a young kid, I thought of them more like wandering Samurai/Ronin/Cowboys, scouring the frontier helping the helpless, even accepting food, shelter, hell maybe even money in return, they would definitely NOT be an organised entity with temples or statues in their image, there might be places of power sure, but that's really it. They're more like superheroes, not a police force or a church. The reason they help, is kind of the same idea behind Superman, they discover a power within them, which makes them feel responsibility for it. I thought of the Force more like a mysterious aspect, like a wind only they were feeling, a performance enhancing drug, like Jedi where lightning rods in a storm. You could think of it like they discovered nuclear energy, they were using it to help people, but if they dug too deep, it would erode them, until they exploded. This is what I thought Palpatine and Vader were. Men who looked too far into the abyss until it hollowed them out and made them slaves to it, like drug addicts, completely irrational, lacking empathy, just seeking more and more power again and again. This makes them far more interesting, emotional and tragic as characters. In terms of them both wearing black, it made sense because it was part of the IMPERIAL aesthetic. Nazi intimidation tactics. Sleakness etc.
In my version, not all Jedi would have lightsabers and Sith coooooouuuld still be used as a word, but not for an organised faction of evil dudes, but for the Jedi who lost, who fell into the dark deep recesses of the Force. And hell, a Jedi could use a red lightsaber if they wanted. And a fallen Jedi could use a white one if they wanted. It doesn't matter. The trick is not simplifying things into cartoon monopolies.
Jedi could use other weapons with sci fi flares, like staff weapons with concussive impact technology like the Graivty Hammer from the Halo games, or shield weapons, or even blasters. Star Wars was always more rag tag than that, it was practically drenched in old western lawless, gritty tonality and aesthetics.
So yeah, that's my perfect version. What's yours?
Anyway, that's when I posted once or twice about the recent movie and that was it really. I'm not as into Star Wars as I used to be, but I still enjoy talking concepts and stories with peeps, so I had a question for you guys, because it's probably my last vested interest. It seems like one of the main things that causes contention in discussions among this fandom, is that everyone seems to have their own version and their own interpretation on what this big beast Star Wars is. The recent EU debacle notwithstanding. This is essentially a thread asking you to present your own perfect version of what Star Wars would be. Anything you would change, add, remove or retain. Entire characters, races (genocide?), and story arcs are fair game basically.
Now I know mine is pretty simple, disregard everything but the OT and I guess, meh, throw in TFA except for it's mention of Sith and Kylo being another angry white dude in a black cloak with a red saber (that's important I'll come back to it). And that's really it for me. The only thing that bothers me about not just Star Wars but stories in general, is how an interesting concept or design is presented narratively or aesthetically in a way that could be done better.
My original interpretation of Jedi and Sith - after their EU and Prequel introductions - (they were never mentioned once in the OT and turned up in a draft in the script and that was it, as nothing but a title for Darth Vader) was much more broad and vague. They did not all look like design clones of Obi Wan. White dudes in brown/white/beige robes with primary colour lightsabers. What's even worse is that Jedi also became monotone, stoic, monk like entities with no personalities or interesting traits.
Break it all down to it's basic tenants as a young kid, I thought of them more like wandering Samurai/Ronin/Cowboys, scouring the frontier helping the helpless, even accepting food, shelter, hell maybe even money in return, they would definitely NOT be an organised entity with temples or statues in their image, there might be places of power sure, but that's really it. They're more like superheroes, not a police force or a church. The reason they help, is kind of the same idea behind Superman, they discover a power within them, which makes them feel responsibility for it. I thought of the Force more like a mysterious aspect, like a wind only they were feeling, a performance enhancing drug, like Jedi where lightning rods in a storm. You could think of it like they discovered nuclear energy, they were using it to help people, but if they dug too deep, it would erode them, until they exploded. This is what I thought Palpatine and Vader were. Men who looked too far into the abyss until it hollowed them out and made them slaves to it, like drug addicts, completely irrational, lacking empathy, just seeking more and more power again and again. This makes them far more interesting, emotional and tragic as characters. In terms of them both wearing black, it made sense because it was part of the IMPERIAL aesthetic. Nazi intimidation tactics. Sleakness etc.
In my version, not all Jedi would have lightsabers and Sith coooooouuuld still be used as a word, but not for an organised faction of evil dudes, but for the Jedi who lost, who fell into the dark deep recesses of the Force. And hell, a Jedi could use a red lightsaber if they wanted. And a fallen Jedi could use a white one if they wanted. It doesn't matter. The trick is not simplifying things into cartoon monopolies.
Jedi could use other weapons with sci fi flares, like staff weapons with concussive impact technology like the Graivty Hammer from the Halo games, or shield weapons, or even blasters. Star Wars was always more rag tag than that, it was practically drenched in old western lawless, gritty tonality and aesthetics.
So yeah, that's my perfect version. What's yours?
