Star Wars: The Force Shall Free Us All
Posted: Tue Dec 19, 2017 12:06 amA long time ago, in a place far away from where I live, a man created a story. George Lucas, a man now simultaneously revered and somewhat reviled, created a universe which has stood the test of time and has become a legend. This is his story:
It was about a farm boy named Luke Skywalker. He lived in the frontier fringe of entire galaxy full of people, bustling to the brim with aliens of any and all possible descriptions. This kid was destined for greatness, yet he did not know it. After his parents were killed by the ruling Galactic Empire, he followed a friend and mentor off-planet in an effort to seek out his heritage, a heritage lost to time. Legend had told of a more civilized age, where there were a group of people who stood against tyranny. Their icon was a powerful weapon, known as a lightsaber. Together, Luke and his mentor, Ben Kenobi sought out people who remembered the old ways and challenge the Empire. Along the way to their destination, it was discovered that a weapon of mass destruction had been used against an entire planet of people who sheltered the this Rebel Alliance. United more than ever to challenge the Empire, Luke evaded capture with their newfound traveling companions (who wanted nothing to do with a confrontation) from a powerful warrior of the Empire known as Darth Vader. But it came at a cost. Ben Kenobi sacrificed himself to see them off. With knowledge that had been picked up along the way, Luke Skywalker and his increasingly sizable entourage escaped to a Rebel Alliance base, who then took that knowledge and utterly destroyed the weapon of mass destruction, and crippling Darth Vader.
While I've put this story very simply here, this was a story that captivated everybody's minds everywhere. This was a story that was designed to stand alone. An episode, taking place in the unseen story of an entire galaxy. The world enjoyed the story so much, the praise was overwhelming. George Lucas took this to heart and decided to continue the story of Luke Skywalker, whose role in his galaxy was just beginning. Two episodes later, George Lucas finished Luke's story, to the adoration of many. But . . . the story wasn't complete. Lucas had built episodes 4 -6 and people clamored for the origin story. And so ~20 years later, the prequel trilogy began to come out. Lucas' vision burned many people when he made Episode 1, a movie intended to appeal to a family friendly audience. Lucas continued his work and set out to create a grand epic of a tale. Admittedly at the cost of character credibility, at times, which certainly did not help people who had adored the Original Trilogy. And so spawned the movement of originalists, who wanted more Star Wars and wanted to recreate the atmosphere of the OT. Lucas had given away his empire to Disney, who in turn gave people the opportunity to do exactly that.
The story of Star Wars inspired people over the years to build upon the galaxy that Lucas had created. And while the stories that spawned from this movement weren't a part of Lucas' vision, he gave people license to create their own work. Great works have been created in the name of Star Wars, that many respect today. Grand Admiral Thrawn. Knights of the Old Republic. The Yuuzhan Vong. These may be the grandest and/or most liked of works that have been created, but there are so, so, so many works out there that fill out a galaxy rich with new stories, filling out an entire history of existence. These stories are works of love for Star Wars, the people who create these want to see more Star Wars just like everybody else.
It was about a farm boy named Luke Skywalker. He lived in the frontier fringe of entire galaxy full of people, bustling to the brim with aliens of any and all possible descriptions. This kid was destined for greatness, yet he did not know it. After his parents were killed by the ruling Galactic Empire, he followed a friend and mentor off-planet in an effort to seek out his heritage, a heritage lost to time. Legend had told of a more civilized age, where there were a group of people who stood against tyranny. Their icon was a powerful weapon, known as a lightsaber. Together, Luke and his mentor, Ben Kenobi sought out people who remembered the old ways and challenge the Empire. Along the way to their destination, it was discovered that a weapon of mass destruction had been used against an entire planet of people who sheltered the this Rebel Alliance. United more than ever to challenge the Empire, Luke evaded capture with their newfound traveling companions (who wanted nothing to do with a confrontation) from a powerful warrior of the Empire known as Darth Vader. But it came at a cost. Ben Kenobi sacrificed himself to see them off. With knowledge that had been picked up along the way, Luke Skywalker and his increasingly sizable entourage escaped to a Rebel Alliance base, who then took that knowledge and utterly destroyed the weapon of mass destruction, and crippling Darth Vader.
While I've put this story very simply here, this was a story that captivated everybody's minds everywhere. This was a story that was designed to stand alone. An episode, taking place in the unseen story of an entire galaxy. The world enjoyed the story so much, the praise was overwhelming. George Lucas took this to heart and decided to continue the story of Luke Skywalker, whose role in his galaxy was just beginning. Two episodes later, George Lucas finished Luke's story, to the adoration of many. But . . . the story wasn't complete. Lucas had built episodes 4 -6 and people clamored for the origin story. And so ~20 years later, the prequel trilogy began to come out. Lucas' vision burned many people when he made Episode 1, a movie intended to appeal to a family friendly audience. Lucas continued his work and set out to create a grand epic of a tale. Admittedly at the cost of character credibility, at times, which certainly did not help people who had adored the Original Trilogy. And so spawned the movement of originalists, who wanted more Star Wars and wanted to recreate the atmosphere of the OT. Lucas had given away his empire to Disney, who in turn gave people the opportunity to do exactly that.
The story of Star Wars inspired people over the years to build upon the galaxy that Lucas had created. And while the stories that spawned from this movement weren't a part of Lucas' vision, he gave people license to create their own work. Great works have been created in the name of Star Wars, that many respect today. Grand Admiral Thrawn. Knights of the Old Republic. The Yuuzhan Vong. These may be the grandest and/or most liked of works that have been created, but there are so, so, so many works out there that fill out a galaxy rich with new stories, filling out an entire history of existence. These stories are works of love for Star Wars, the people who create these want to see more Star Wars just like everybody else.
