Mickey Mouse - Jedi Knight!

So George Lucas has sold Star Wars (or more accurately Lucasfilm) to the house of mouse! I have to admit I didn't see this coming at all. As a lifelong Star Wars fanatic, I have to say that this news has excited me greatly, particularly the revelation that Disney will produce 3 new Star Wars feature films with Episode 7 due for release in 2015.

What has however disappointed me, is the general cynicism and snobbery from my own generation at this news. I'm referring of course to the purists, the prequel bashers, to whom Star Wars isn't Star Wars unless it's the original trilogy, and in its unaltered (non special edition) format. Now, everyone has a right to their own opinion of course, but the arguments of these protesters are starting to feel a little lazy, repetitive, tired, outdated, unimaginative, and quite frankly irrelevant!

Like it or not, time moves on, things change and it's not 1983 anymore and never will be. New generations have become Star Wars fans, and shock, horror, many of them love the prequels just as much as the originals. My eldest son George is one of them. It could be argued that he prefers the prequels actually as he asks to watch them more often than the original trilogy. Does this invalidate him as a Star Wars fan? I don't think so. I personally don't care too much for the computer generated Clone Wars series, but that is simply a reflection of my own preference of live action over any sort of animation. George quite enjoys the Clone Wars himself and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that in my opinion.

Now, I'm not about to start arguing specifics in terms of why the prequels have their rightful place in the saga. I'd be on all day if I tried to do that. The point I am trying to make is that my generation cannot claim exclusive ownership of the Star Wars franchise just because we were kids when it first came out. We have no sort of moral high ground to dictate what is Star Wars and what isn't. Ultimately, it was George Lucas' story and he delivered it in the way he saw fit. What I will say is that all six of the Star Wars films have examples of questionable acting and dialogue, but at the end of the day they are pure entertainment movies aimed toward children. Why not just try to enjoy them rather than pick them apart?

No single generation can claim ownership of Star Wars. It belongs to everyone, and will continue to do so for generations to come. That is why I think there is a place for new Star Wars feature films, and it is totally counter-productive to dismiss them out hand when no one knows yet what they are going to be like. So I say booooo to the cynics and naysayers. Embrace more Star Wars. Have a little faith, and remember that even if you don't enjoy it, your kids just might!

Peter