I'm not going to lie, the very thought of Disney having it's hands on one of the most cherished parts of my childhood was very gut-wrenching idea. When it became a reality, I didn't know whether to feel petrified that they would gut Star Wars like a prize winning turkey, or if the saga being out of its aging and oddly reclusive owner's hands was a godsend. After all, while some of the films made had been adequate, Disney hadn't done Marvel much justice and hadn't even convinced Sony or Fox to join with them to have the X-Men or Spider Man join the pantheon.
Then The Avengers came out. Disney (that's right Disney), the same company that had dried out an atrocious film like High School Musical until all of it's hormonally stressed out teenage fan girls were either too old to care or had moved on to the next trendy thing pushed in their faces, created a film that is hailed by many as the greatest comic book superhero movie ever, aside from The Dark Knight. This one film changed a generation's view on Disney. The company that once held the mantra of "When You Wish Upon a Star" and "Your Dreams Will Come True", now can boast having a pantheon of Iron Man, The Hulk, Thor, and Captain America in their midst. It may not be the most traditional thing the company has done, but they're adapting to the times, something too few in Hollywood do.
But Star Wars is not the same as the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Granted, they all involve superhuman abilities and massive battles with aliens, robots and other superhuman beings, but there is something a bit different between Iron Man and Darth Vader. The characters in the Cinematic Universe exist as themselves. What do I mean by that? Simply put, the superheroes Marvel generates exist solely for themselves and the thrill of having these legends on the same screen at the same time. There's nothing bad about that, but it does put the universe in a different light. With Star Wars, the focus isn't on Han Solo, Obi-Wan Kenobi, or Princess Leia. It's on the journey and the entire universe. You travel to many different worlds, encountering many different creatures and watch as a small group of people rise up to save billions from an evil Empire and legion of darkness.
That particular reason is why I wouldn't be too opposed to seeing Star Wars involved in Kingdom Hearts. The places and scenarios may be different, but the overall journey and universe can exist with each other in total cooperation. If Iron Man or Wolverine appeared in Kingdom Hearts III, it would just be for a cash grab and we all know it. But if the story and universe that was created oh so many years ago by George Lucas could be interwoven with the struggles Sora and co. undergo when facing off against Xehanort, it would seem a bit more in place.
But by no means should we put our complete faith in Disney handling this whole thing properly just yet. Lest we forget the whole botched character introduction movies for The Avengers (The Incredible Hulk, Captain America: The First Avenger, Iron Man 2). But we cannot exactly demonize Disney just yet either. Can we really sit and say that the Star Wars saga is now in worse hands now, than they were in George Lucas's? The same guy who continually made ridiculous change after horrid alteration to his once magnificent film saga by adding such necessary things as a new Ewok song, CGI aliens in Jabba's palace, all of those dewbacks patrolling in Tatooine, and of course, the infamous "NO!" Darth Vader lets out in Jedi.
The same guy who has brought us Howard the Duck, Strange Magic (which was pretty damn bad BTW), Indiana Jones surviving a nuclear explosion in a refrigerator, Greedo shooting first, and JAR JAR BINKS, is the sane person we want running one of our childhood legacies? Sure it is his idea to begin with, but when a film saga has this much of an impact on our culture, it becomes the cultures, no matter how much George wants to argue. He created something that belongs to the public, and it is something that no matter how much he wants to change it like a cranky old man who refuses to give in to change, it will never return to being just his. Star Wars is just as much your movie as it is mine. It's every bit Bob Iger's movie as it is Alan Ladd Jr.'s movie. It's as much Harrison Ford's movie as it is Christopher Lee's movie. It is everyone's universe now.
I come bearing hope for those who refuse to do give into anything Disney related because of a nameless grudge against Frozen, Disney Channel, or Miley Cyrus. Disney is starting to make Star Wars related merchandise, and it's actually not sucking. And I'm not talking about Disney/Star Wars figurines they sell in the Disney Store or another Star Tours ride. I'm talking about a CGI Star Wars show. And no, I'm not talking about that overrated Clone Wars show that topped nonsense with even more nonsense and didn't even give me the benefit of having a Battle of Coruscant as the finale (like the other BETTER Clone Wars series did).
No, I'm talking about Star Wars: Rebels, a show that gives us the new supposed origins of the Rebel Alliance. For those who haven't seen it, I'll give you a brief fill in:
The show centers around Ezra Bridger, a fifteen year old thief who once lived on his own after his parents were killed for speaking out against the Galactic Empire. Ezra's life changes forever when he encounters a group of smugglers who routinely combat the Empire and seek to free enslaved races from their schemes. The group of rebels includes Sabine, a Mandalorian girl warrior, Zeb, the muscle, Hera, the pilot and brains, Chopper, an astromech, and Kanan, the leader. Ezra discovers that Kanan was once a Jedi in the Order who has seemingly lost his way and that he too has Force potential. Ezra and Kanan grow together as Master and Apprentice and begin to further raise their Force abilities while combating the Empire. But they are also being pursued by The Inquisitor, a very powerful Force-sensitive entity tasked by Darth Vader to hunt down other potential Sith or Jedi and either kill them or make them join up with the Empire. Along the way, the Rebels spread the message of rebellion to the likes of Wookies, scoundrels and many Imperial Senators alike, fighting for the freedom of the universe.
It's not Avatar: The Last Airbender or Teen Titans, but it's still a very good and thought provoking series. But most importantly, the series has been the first Star Wars product since The Empire Strikes Back that actually felt like Star Wars. I'll talk about one episode in particular: "The Path of the Jedi". After a brush with the Dark Side of the Force, Kanan begins to doubt both his training methods and Ezra's path as a Jedi apprentice. The two decide to go test themselves in an ancient Jedi Temple and undergo tests of the strenuous level. While Ezra suffers through visions of his worst nightmare (Kanan dying and him being unable to help his friends from the Inquisitor), both he and his mentor receive a spiritual guide in the form of Yoda (FRANK OZ!!!), who actually begins to speak and talk to them like he would have done in Empire. He gets into Ezra's head by asking him rhetorical questions and playing onto Ezra's deepest feelings and personal goals, but never rejects him because of his age or attitude (something I couldn't stand about the Prequel Order). When he helps Ezra find out the real reason as to why he wants to become a Jedi, he allows Ezra to find something that is vital to his journey as a Jedi. Kanan also begins to understand his own path in Ezra's path and begins to forgive himself for leaving the path of the Jedi behind after Order 66. In the end, both Master and Apprentice discover more about themselves and find themselves ready for the future of the Force.
Secondly, I would like to talk about the teaser trailer for The Force Awakens. The issue or blessing of teaser trailers is that they offer little to no information about the movie. For a movie with this much hype, it can be viewed both as a positive and a negative. It offered nothing but a few random screenshots of various scenes in the movie. On the plus side, the trailer didn't show off anything too meaningful, which does matter. If we an predict the plot of a movie before it even comes out, what is the point of seeing it? It may also mean that the film is not close to being finished and is still either being shot or edited, which means they are actually pushing for perfection. From watching the documentaries of the Prequels, it looks like everything about the film was done months before the film was finished and George and his flunkies just sat on their asses waiting for the deadline. So this is a good sign that JJ and his people are still working on this film and should still do so for the next several months.
The down side? Do we all remember the last time our expectations were through the roof over a new Star Wars movie? Remember waiting for hours upon hours to see the movie that's greatest contribution to society was JAR JAR BINKS? There is this lingering doubt surrounding the next Star Wars film, chiefly involving how disappointing The Phantom Menace was. I can see that, but I can't hold anyone accountable for something that hasn't been released yet. And besides, Disney would have to try pretty damn hard to ruin Star Wars after...THIS!
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