General Star Wars News

[Willmark]

Oh man, my favorite tactic, blame the fans. That's always a classic. The studios love that one.

Well not exactly. I've been told on here many times that it's my own head canon that made me disappointed in the sequels. It couldn't be the lack of a singular vision or story. Or how the legacy characters were handled. So nope. Still your fault, not Disneys.

Darn it. I thought we had it figured out. Back to the drawing board.

 

[Phroobar]

How about those with the most Star Wars toys get final say on anything Star Wars related? That should do it!

Not mine. I have better displays.

 

[_caleb]

BTW, there are some pretty awesome fandoms out there that I wish Star Wars fans could learn from.

The Walking Dead fan community, for example, is really tremendous. They've had 13 years of content, multiple series of very different qualities and approaches, yet it is one of the most welcoming, inclusive fun, and creative fandoms out there.

Producers interact with the fans and adjust the shows according to fan feedback. Now that the main show and primary spinoff are ending after long, successful runs, they're launching new and creative spinoffs that really seem to resonate with segments of the fan community (without any toxic reaction from segments who don't care) because there's something for everyone.

As a more family-friendly franchise, the fan communities around Star Wars should be much more like that.

 

[erasure fan1]

yet it is one of the most welcoming, inclusive fun, and creative fandoms out there.

I've never been to any event that star wars fans aren't welcoming. The overwhelming majority of fans are not toxic at all. I've been to comic-cons, toy shows, brickworld, star wars weekends, star wars nights at various events... Everyone has always been awesome. Yes their are toxic fans, but every fandom has them, even walking dead.

Producers interact with the fans and adjust the shows according to fan feedback.

Well it's hard to compare because Lucasfilm has not really been all that willing to listen to the fans. They've been more antagonistic with the fans than anything. They've done a lot of blaming the fans instead of listening to them. And while it's been better with Favreau and Filoni, there's still a lot of resentment from the fans for how they've run things. But theres a difference between being unhappy with a direction, and being toxic.

(without any toxic reaction from segments who don't care)

This is why I think your statement isn't really fair. The people who don't care, the loud mouths on the internet, the people harassing actors, they aren't fans, and like you said, don't care. So why do we keep lumping the fandom together with these people? Most are anti-Disney so therefore they will be against anything under their control. Just because fans don't agree with how the sequels came out or how Kennedy has run the franchise, doesn't mean they're toxic. Why does it seem the walking dead fans are better? Because comparing that and star wars is pretty apples to oranges. Star wars is the highest profile fandom in the world. If someone says something toxic about walking dead, it doesn't get blasted around the world at light speed like star wars. It's just not a fair comparison in my opinion.

 

[_caleb]

I've never been to any event that star wars fans aren't welcoming. The overwhelming majority of fans are not toxic at all. I've been to comic-cons, toy shows, brickworld, star wars weekends, star wars nights at various events... Everyone has always been awesome. Yes their are toxic fans, but every fandom has them, even walking dead.

Well it's hard to compare because Lucasfilm has not really been all that willing to listen to the fans. They've been more antagonistic with the fans than anything. They've done a lot of blaming the fans instead of listening to them. And while it's been better with Favreau and Filoni, there's still a lot of resentment from the fans for how they've run things. But theres a difference between being unhappy with a direction, and being toxic.

This is why I think your statement isn't really fair. The people who don't care, the loud mouths on the internet, the people harassing actors, they aren't fans, and like you said, don't care. So why do we keep lumping the fandom together with these people? Most are anti-Disney so therefore they will be against anything under their control. Just because fans don't agree with how the sequels came out or how Kennedy has run the franchise, doesn't mean they're toxic. Why does it seem the walking dead fans are better? Because comparing that and star wars is pretty apples to oranges. Star wars is the highest profile fandom in the world. If someone says something toxic about walking dead, it doesn't get blasted around the world at light speed like star wars. It's just not a fair comparison in my opinion.

Maybe I should clarify what I mean by toxic here. If someone claims to be a Star Wars fan, but goes out of their way to try to ruin the enjoyment others find in different aspects of it, this is toxic.

Just like here on these boards. Don’t believe me? Just try to write something about the positives of Bob Iger’s leadership, what a great addition Frozen was to the Norway Pavilion, or how much you’re looking forward to TBA.

Really nice people who love some aspect of Star Wars seem to really get into ruining the fun for people who like Kylo Ren or have fond memories of the pod racing sequences or whatever.

Maybe it’s because Star Wars is so huge and well-loved, like you say. But in my experience, for whatever reason, Star Wars fans seem worse than other fandoms in this regard.

 

[erasure fan1]

Maybe I should clarify what I mean by toxic here. If someone claims to be a Star Wars fan, but goes out of their way to try to ruin the enjoyment others find in different aspects of it, this is toxic.

Agreed. But I just don't think it's a star wars thing. Every fandom has these people. And like I said, I'm not sure those who are trying to "ruin" things are even fans.

Just try to write something about the positives of Bob Iger’s leadership, what a great addition Frozen was to the Norway Pavilion,

Well now that's debatable. Personally I think it's one of his worst decisions. I get what you are saying though. We have to be able to read the context of what someone is saying. I give a lot of grief to Kennedy and Lucasfilm for the choices they've made and how they have handled the franchise. But at the same time I've been extremely supportive of things like rogue one, mando, andor. I can put aside my issues if something is good. I've also said that Kennedy is a hall of fame producer that just isn't a great fit for star wars. That doesn't mean one is toxic.

Really nice people who love some aspect of Star Wars seem to really get into ruining the fun for people who like Kylo Ren or have fond memories of the pod racing sequences or whatever.

If someone is a really nice person, I have a hard time grasping that they are actively trying to ruin anything for anyone. We are on a discussion forum, we talk about the good, the bad, the ugly. Just because I don't like Jar Jar, doesn't mean I'm trying to ruin anyones love of him. And yes, there are people who were small kids when he was introduced that have extremely fond memories of him. Maybe I'm just blind, but I just don't see what you are seeing. I see a very small percentage of people being toxic in general. No more than any other franchise in my opinion. The big difference I see, with my dime store analytics, is that Disney and star wars are two of the absolute biggest fandoms in the history of the world. Therefore what you see is amplified ten-fold, especially from the group that has an axe to grind with Disney. Because that then gets picked up by the main stream media and reported as look at how toxic the fandom is! Again I'm not saying there isn't toxic fans, there are. They just get more exposure because of the status of the franchise making it seem like there's a bigger problem than there is.

 

[Phroobar]

Back when I was a kid, the only Star Wars we had outside of the theater were toys and magazines. We loved everything including the Holiday special. We didn't have anything else. We are spoiled by the huge amount of media these days. It is too much to pick from so we decide what is good and bad. Anyone that disagrees is thought of as an enemy that needs to "see the light".

 

[erasure fan1]

It is too much to pick from so we decide what is good and bad. Anyone that disagrees is thought of as an enemy that needs to "see the light".

I agree. Take last Jedi, most seem to fall into a love it or hate it stance. Personally I didn't like it as a whole and it's gotten harder to watch as time has passed. If someone loved it, whatever, like what you like. I'm not wrong and they aren't wrong. But what is true, is the film split the fanbase. We went from a plan of releasing at least one film a year to nothing for at least almost 6yrs. So it isn't all sunshine and roses. But I see a lot of pushback with this mindset. You get the toxic fandom, you're gatekeeping, Star wars isn't for you anymore, you don't want change... Like you said, you just haven't seen the light as to why everything is so great.

 

[Hawkeye_2018]

Back when I was a kid, the only Star Wars we had outside of the theater were toys and magazines. We loved everything including the Holiday special. We didn't have anything else. We are spoiled by the huge amount of media these days. It is too much to pick from so we decide what is good and bad. Anyone that disagrees is thought of as an enemy that needs to "see the light".

Agree. The brand has been overexposed. I don't what the solution is because you can't really put the genie back in the bottle at this point.

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

 

[Jedijax719]

 

[_caleb]

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Any chance they've let George tinker with it for this release (like he did with the theatrical re-releases of the Special Editions of episodes 4-6 in 1997)?

My recommendations:

• Re-animate Jar Jar Binks' slapstick scenes and redub all of his lines so that he isn't a blatant minstrel character.
• Re-dub all of Watto's lines, so that he's not a caricature of a Middle Eastern businessman.
• Re-dub all the Neimoidians' lines so they don't speak in that stereotypical "Asian" accent.
• Can we splice in an actor to replace Jake Lloyd?

Edits like these might give people a reason to go out to see a Star War in theaters.

 

[Phroobar]

At least this time it isn't in 3D.

 

[Phroobar]

 

[Joesixtoe]

Any chance they've let George tinker with it for this release (like he did with the theatrical re-releases of the Special Editions of episodes 4-6 in 1997)?

My recommendations:

• Re-animate Jar Jar Binks' slapstick scenes and redub all of his lines so that he isn't a blatant minstrel character.
• Re-dub all of Watto's lines, so that he's not a caricature of a Middle Eastern businessman.
• Re-dub all the Neimoidians' lines so they don't speak in that stereotypical "Asian" accent.
• Can we splice in an actor to replace Jake Lloyd?

Edits like these might give people a reason to go out to see a Star War in theaters.

Maybe Jar-Jar a bit, and I get it. However it's the wooden high school play dialogue that ruins the movies. Only the top quality actors like Liam and Ian could somewhat overcome. Also your number 2 and 3 reasons I've never heard anyone talk about. So In my opinion I don't think that would be much of a draw

 

[erasure fan1]

Also your number 2 and 3 reasons I've never heard anyone talk about.

It was pretty prevalent in the time after it's release. You don't hear about it too much anymore but I still do see it when the prequels get talked about.

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

It was pretty prevalent in the time after it's release. You don't hear about it too much anymore but I still do see it when the prequels get talked about.

It absolutely was.

The opening minutes of that movie on opening night were something to behold.

You could feel the energy just get sucked out of the room as a Star Wars movie started so flat with trade routes and negotiations and tea drinking and what not.

When the Neimoidians spoke it was like, how did no one think to say this might come across as bad.

The movie ultimately had lots of fun sequences and it was a good experience. Pod racing and the final battle brought me back to the theater more than once.

 

[_caleb]

Maybe Jar-Jar a bit, and I get it. However it's the wooden high school play dialogue that ruins the movies. Only the top quality actors like Liam and Ian could somewhat overcome. Also your number 2 and 3 reasons I've never heard anyone talk about. So In my opinion I don't think that would be much of a draw

I'm not saying changes like these would be a draw to get people to watch. I'm saying that the film could be greatly improved if they made these changes.

People noticed racial stereotypes in Episode 1 since it came out:

• A Galaxy Far, Far Off Racial Mark?
• Star Wars Accused of Race Stereotypes
• The Merchant of Menace

We all know George Lukas likes to tinker with his films after they've been completed and released. Why not keep tinkering, only this time correct some bad decisions instead of just adding more cartoon Jabba?

 

[Joesixtoe]

I'm not saying changes like these would be a draw to get people to watch. I'm saying that the film could be greatly improved if they made these changes.

People noticed racial stereotypes in Episode 1 since it came out:

• A Galaxy Far, Far Off Racial Mark?
• Star Wars Accused of Race Stereotypes
• The Merchant of Menace

We all know George Lukas likes to tinker with his films after they've been completed and released. Why not keep tinkering, only this time correct some bad decisions instead of just adding more cartoon Jabba?

We can go down a giant hypocritical rabbit hole of stereotypes if we wanted. But interms of the prequels since it has been brought up, yes I vaguely remember a little on the Asian aspect. But that was or isn't the reason why most individuals don't like(or aren't as fond of) the prequels. It might be for some sure, if that's your thing.

 

[Joesixtoe]

It was pretty prevalent in the time after it's release. You don't hear about it too much anymore but I still do see it when the prequels get talked about.

I do now remember a little of that, but it wasn't a make or break of the movies. The reason I forgot all about that is because I never see it mentioned anymore in any of the chats, videos yadda yadda.