Irony of ironies…
Could it be that Star Trek has shown us the way to save Star Wars.
Before I explain, let me first qualify this by saying that I don’t necessarily believe that Star Wars needs to be saved. Sure the second trilogy pails in comparison to the first and George has taken a few liberties with the story and of course with his commercialization of the franchise (but these days…who hasn’t? I mean, have you seen the Kingon Burger King commercials?). But in the end I still believe in George and the vision that he created, for better or worse.
But back to the Trek. If you haven’t seen the newest entry in the series, what amounts to a “reboot” right now, I encourage you to. No spoilers are ahead so even if you haven’t feel free to read on. The new Star Trek is real good, pretty much great. It totally revitalizes a stale franchise that was relegated to various forms of television in recent years that were becoming increasingly unsuccessful (hmm…sound like another sci-fi film franchise set in space we know?). It seemed like it might be headed for oblivion, leaving fans to think fondly of the memories of Star Treks past.
But then something weird happened. The series was handed over to a young director and even more, a fan. Someone who enjoyed the series and wanted to return it to its former glory. And that’s just what he did. Not rampaging through the past events or rewriting the canon, but paying homage to it. By revitalizing it. J.J.Abrams has saved the franchise and given it new life at least for the time being. People are excited about Star Trek again, and a new generation is learning the names of Kirk, Spock and “Enterprise”.
George…I mean…Mr. Lucas, if you are reading this please, consider the lesson.
Let someone else make a Star Wars film. This wouldn’t even be uncharted territory. The best of the Star Wars films wasn’t even directed by you (Empire Strikes Back). You don’t need to fade away into the ether; just step aside and let someone else help you realize your vision. Someone like…Joss Whedon perhaps?
Collaborate on a story, guide him in the right direction as far as the concepts and rules of the Star Wars universe are considered; but then let him go. He and others grew up loving this franchise and can help take it in the right direction.
People want more Star Wars George. Yes even the ones who call you a sellout and a no talent hack. They just don’t want another Episode I. They don’t want another Jar Jar. They want the Star Wars they grew up with. The Star Wars they fell in love with that first time. They want lightsabers, space battles, Jedi and Sith, the Force (sans midi-chlorians) and awesome characters like Han Solo and Boba Fett(more girls in metallic gold bikinis might not hurt either).
Please George…give it a chance. It’ll give you time to focus on all the other projects that you’ve put off for so long. If not Whedon then some other talented director or writer who grew up sleeping in Luke pajamas and practicing Force Grip on his sibling.
Who knew that one day Star Wars fans might be saying “Help us Star Trek…you’re our only hope”?