Do you think they should/will reboot the Star Wars prequels?

[Venardhi]

The Prequel Trilogy is already "well-recepted by most fans" as-is.

The fans who didn't appreciate the 99-2015 materials stopped giving a shit. They(we) left the online communities out of frustration and apathy. When the Star Wars media we actually liked became an ever-shrinking fraction of the whole, why would we bother? So while what you say is true (from a certain point of view) the current group of fans are self-selected to like the prequels. The rest of us moved on with our LaserDisk rips and accepted Star Wars wasn't for us anymore, until TFA rekindled our interest, and now we find a new fan community that most of us don't care to be a part of because. . . well look at this thread or the other one about the prequels.

 

[Prax]

Oh come on...
Those who hate, or "don't care for" the Prequels don't appear to have moved on at all. They travel from video to video and forum to forum with evangelistic furvor spreading what is effectively negative P.R. for a man, and his movies that are going on 20 years old. By 1999-2015, I assume you're referring to more than just the movies. The prequels didn't replace all the other SW material begun in the early 90's. It continued on till 2014.

By your last sentence, you really come off as bitter that there are prequel fans out there. It's just a movie. There are thousands more out there. Moreover, what are these Prequel threads you refer to? "Should/will they remake the prequels?" Obviously someone who shares your feelings. And then there's "Poll-Why do you hate the prequels"

 

[fireproof78]

I enjoy discussing the PT regardless of my opinion of them.

That doesn't require hatred, bitterness, bile or hard feelings.

 

[Prax]

Don't deny it. You've seen the types I'm talking about. I have a quote for you, which may be slightly paraphrased...by the late, great Roger Ebert: "It is always the better position to be defending a film you love, then tearing down(apart?) one you don't."

 

[fireproof78]

Don't deny it. You've seen the types I'm talking about. I have a quote for you, which may be slightly paraphrased...by the late, great Roger Ebert: "It is always the better position to be defending a film you love, then tearing down(apart?) one you don't."

I have friends who are that way, been part of a Star Wars fan club, have done costuming, discussions, and the like. That doesn't mean a broad brush stroke definition is necessary or appropriate because I've encountered a wide variety of opinions. Even my own opinion is one that is unusual in that I enjoy AOTC among all the PT.

I enjoy all of Star Wars discussions, learn more from other viewers, and have developed a different perspective from even these postings. @Reverend in particular speaks in a way that I often find interesting, and have view the PT in a little bit of a different light.

Discussion should be the free exchange of ideas, not the accusations of bitterness and hatred.

 

[Smellmet]

I have friends who are that way, been part of a Star Wars fan club, have done costuming, discussions, and the like. That doesn't mean a broad brush stroke definition is necessary or appropriate because I've encountered a wide variety of opinions. Even my own opinion is one that is unusual in that I enjoy AOTC among all the PT.

I enjoy all of Star Wars discussions, learn more from other viewers, and have developed a different perspective from even these postings. @Reverend in particular speaks in a way that I often find interesting, and have view the PT in a little bit of a different light.

Discussion should be the free exchange of ideas, not the accusations of bitterness and hatred.

Yeah it's just sooo easy for forums like this to descend into divisive, often petty arguing. I've found the Trek BBS to be one of my favourite sites of the last few years, and have found that it's actually been the key that has truly unlocked my fandom in a lot of ways. I've enjoyed seeing other people's angles and perspectives and I've had a couple of ding-dongs on here but I can usually be the bigger person and back away from the keyboard on the whole. I've really got better things to do.

Back to the topic, I've definitely started to view the PT in a different light, but only very recently, ironically after discovering the thread we were discussing about practical effects. I went to see TFA on the big screen and enjoyed it at the time but ultimately was a bit 'meh' once I saw it on disc, Rogue One, however really got me back into SW, and I started going in this section of the BBS (for the first time in fact), then the Jedi Council Forums and so on from there, then I felt like the time was right to re-evaluate these movies after over a decade passing and a new generation of films being released. They're really not anywhere like as bad as some people make, you'd swear they were 'Battlefield Earth' bad the way people slate them. I think there's a lot to like with them, and still offer a lot if you just want to watch blockbuster eye candy, but they're riddled with problems, and some people, understandably can't look past some of those problems, as they're fundamental to their enjoyment. I'm nearly 43 and I grew up with the OT being the only Star Wars and I can just sit back, relax and enjoy the visuals, adventure and drama unfold, one man's meat is another man's poison and all that. I like them, but don't love them (ROTS excepted). They are part of the canon now and should not be remade. Though I wouldn't say no to a 'Special Edition' clean up of effects in the future, but that's it.

 

[Reverend]

The fans who didn't appreciate the 99-2015 materials stopped giving a shit. They(we) left the online communities out of frustration and apathy. When the Star Wars media we actually liked became an ever-shrinking fraction of the whole, why would we bother? So while what you say is true (from a certain point of view) the current group of fans are self-selected to like the prequels. The rest of us moved on with our LaserDisk rips and accepted Star Wars wasn't for us anymore, until TFA rekindled our interest, and now we find a new fan community that most of us don't care to be a part of because. . . well look at this thread or the other one about the prequels.

Speak for yourself mate. While I'm too young to have been around when the OT came out, I am old enough to remember the last of the Kenner figures still being on shelves, the Ewoks & Droids cartoons being on the telly and the trailer for 'Willow' proudly touting "from the makers of Star Wars!" So yeah, I class myself among the original fanbase as I was in my late teens when TPM came out and mid-20's by the time of RotS. They didn't rock my world, but is was still clearly Star Wars and I went to the cinema to see all three in the first week of release and enjoyed the all to different degrees and in different ways.

Though all that, the only time my interest ever waned in the franchise was *after* the prequels were done and all there was was the EU, which went from inoffensively mediocre to absolutely bloody awful. That plus the fanbase--or I should say the vocal buggers on the internet--only seemed to be interested in two topics: 1) how awful the prequels and SEs were and 2) whether or not Star Wars was better or worse that Star Trek. Two lines of discussion I find utterly tedious.
The way I see it, even at their worst the prequels at least aspired to *something*, which is more than you can say for 90% of the unimaginative dreck coming out from DelRey and sadly, yes Darkhorse as well by that point.

In the grand scheme of things I wasn't away for long because TCW came out about four years later and despite an uneasy start (like most good shows) it at least felt like Star Wars again and I've not wavered in my interest since. So no, I don't agree with you characterisation that the younger fans are "self-selected to like the prequels" while the older generation have sailed off into the Grey Havens, clutching their Despecilized Editions.

You can't seriously divide all of Star Wars fandom into two monolithic categories. It's simply inaccurate. I've seen just as many millennials who grew up with the prequels bemoan TFA as I have older gen-x'ers and just as many from both generations to say the exact opposite.

Dislike the new stuff all you want on principle. That's your prerogative. But don't lump all of us old-timers in with the miserable farts that can't accept change in any form or comprehend that movies that were made for kids 40 years ago are still primarily being made for kids today, just not the same kids as before. They're movies about space wizards and laser guns for goodness sake! If you can find joy in that, at least allow the kids the right to find it in their own way and stop pretending the old fans are a persecuted minority!

 

[Ithekro]

You want to find a persecuted minority, look for Jar Jar Binks fans. They do exist, I assure you.

 

[fireproof78]

Yeah it's just sooo easy for forums like this to descend into divisive, often petty arguing. I've found the Trek BBS to be one of my favourite sites of the last few years, and have found that it's actually been the key that has truly unlocked my fandom in a lot of ways. I've enjoyed seeing other people's angles and perspectives and I've had a couple of ding-dongs on here but I can usually be the bigger person and back away from the keyboard on the whole. I've really got better things to do.

Back to the topic, I've definitely started to view the PT in a different light, but only very recently, ironically after discovering the thread we were discussing about practical effects. I went to see TFA on the big screen and enjoyed it at the time but ultimately was a bit 'meh' once I saw it on disc, Rogue One, however really got me back into SW, and I started going in this section of the BBS (for the first time in fact), then the Jedi Council Forums and so on from there, then I felt like the time was right to re-evaluate these movies after over a decade passing and a new generation of films being released. They're really not anywhere like as bad as some people make, you'd swear they were 'Battlefield Earth' bad the way people slate them. I think there's a lot to like with them, and still offer a lot if you just want to watch blockbuster eye candy, but they're riddled with problems, and some people, understandably can't look past some of those problems, as they're fundamental to their enjoyment. I'm nearly 43 and I grew up with the OT being the only Star Wars and I can just sit back, relax and enjoy the visuals, adventure and drama unfold, one man's meat is another man's poison and all that. I like them, but don't love them (ROTS excepted). They are part of the canon now and should not be remade. Though I wouldn't say no to a 'Special Edition' clean up of effects in the future, but that's it.

I have also been seeing the PT a bit differently, owning to (in no particular order) posters here, Youtube theory and explanation videos, as well as Clone Wars series.

That said, my initial reactions to the PT are still there, and the idea that in order to appreciate the PT they have to be taken within the context of TCW series, books and comics, is frustrating to me. I didn't have those when I watched the films initially, or on repeat viewings. I still hold the opinion that the films should be viewed as films, and self-contained stories. And, viewed as those, I can enjoy them, but still think they could have been done better. Pretty sure I encountered similar arguments towards Star Trek (2009)

Do I want them remade? No, of course not. People enjoy them and should be allowed to do.

 

[Prax]

I have friends who are that way, been part of a Star Wars fan club, have done costuming, discussions, and the like. That doesn't mean a broad brush stroke definition is necessary or appropriate because I've encountered a wide variety of opinions. Even my own opinion is one that is unusual in that I enjoy AOTC among all the PT.

I enjoy all of Star Wars discussions, learn more from other viewers, and have developed a different perspective from even these postings. @Reverend in particular speaks in a way that I often find interesting, and have view the PT in a little bit of a different light.

Discussion should be the free exchange of ideas, not the accusations of bitterness and hatred.

I did not make the generalization. I was responding to the statement that did. And his last sentence certainly does sound bitter.

 

[LJones41]

The fans who didn't appreciate the 99-2015 materials stopped giving a shit. They(we) left the online communities out of frustration and apathy.

And yet, many of these fans are still posting messages on forums and posting articles on the Internet about how terrible they were. They're still bashing the films, despite the fact that the last one - "Revenge of the Sith" - had been released in the theaters nearly twelve years ago. Even when they are commenting on other "STAR WARS" movies and television shows, these fans continue continue to find a way to make some negative comment about the Prequel movies.

They still give a shit. Why, I do not know.

Even my own opinion is one that is unusual in that I enjoy AOTC among all the PT.

Personally, I share your feelings. In fact, "AOTC" is one of two SW movies that I enjoy more than the others.

 

[fireproof78]

I did not make the generalization. I was responding to the statement that did. And his last sentence certainly does sound bitter.

Fair enough but perhaps asking if they are bitter would be more appropriate.

And yet, many of these fans are still posting messages on forums and posting articles on the Internet about how terrible they were. They're still bashing the films, despite the fact that the last one - "Revenge of the Sith" - had been released in the theaters nearly twelve years ago. Even when they are commenting on other "STAR WARS" movies and television shows, these fans continue continue to find a way to make some negative comment about the Prequel movies.

They still give a shit. Why, I do not know.

Because some people think it should have been done differently, and other enjoy discussions and the exchange of ideas.

 

[LJones41]

Because some people think it should have been done differently, and other enjoy discussions and the exchange of ideas.

All this tells me is that those who dislike the PT still give a shit.

What I find interesting is that many of those fans and the media who do bash the PT, seem unwilling to admit that there are a lot of SW fans who like or love the Prequels.

 

[fireproof78]

All this tells me is that those who dislike the PT still give a shit.

What I find interesting is that many of those fans and the media who do bash the PT, seem unwilling to admit that there are a lot of SW fans who like or love the Prequels.

Possibly a confirmation bias. Again, different circumstances for different individuals.

I didn't really care for most of the EU, but I still cared about the fact that Star Wars books were being published. I didn't like the material, but it's a part of Star Wars so I did care that the world continue. Perhaps a distinction without a difference, but that's how I feel about it.

 

[Venardhi]

blather!

I never said I was including everyone in that or that it was a binary thing. I'm not going to add qualifiers to every goddamn post in this forum when it is clearly not necessary for someone who takes half a second to comprehend what I'm saying. I was 13 when the prequels started coming out. I wasn't a bitter old man, but I did watch this fan 'exodus' happen and I was part of it. I was deep into it even through the release of RotS (which I "lined up" for out on the sidewalk for days with friends in front of the Chinese theater in Hollywood in spite of not liking the new movies because of my love for the universe and the fans.) as more and more of my friends both personal and online lost interest in the franchise, sold collections and costumes and moved on to other things like Star Trek or Harry Potter. An argument of your anecdotes vs mine doesn't seem worth continuing though.

 

[LJones41]

Possibly a confirmation bias. Again, different circumstances for different individuals.

I didn't really care for most of the EU, but I still cared about the fact that Star Wars books were being published. I didn't like the material, but it's a part of Star Wars so I did care that the world continue. Perhaps a distinction without a difference, but that's how I feel about it.

Like you, I didn't really care for the EU books. But I was upset that Disney had them declared non canon, because I had viewed them as part of the saga.

 

[Venardhi]

All this tells me is that those who dislike the PT still give a shit.

What I find interesting is that many of those fans and the media who do bash the PT, seem unwilling to admit that there are a lot of SW fans who like or love the Prequels.

1. Yes, I give a shit about the new stuff coming out.
2. Plenty of people enjoy them. I just deny that they're a majority or that their enjoyment somehow makes them good movies.

 

[Prax]

There's no way to quantify "good" or "bad" when it comes to art, but based on the critical reception of the two trilogies as they were released, they were rated about the same.

 

[JD]

I know I'm a little late addressing the original topic, but there really is no way to reboot just the prequels, especially now that "everything is canon". The novels, comics, Rebels, and TCW just used way too much from the prequels for you to just redo them without having to completely reset all of the tie-ins. We just had the whole original EU declared "Legends" and I'd hate to see that happen to the new stuff that just started. It would really be a shame to decanonize Rebels and TCW, which would be a shame since they are two of the best things the franchise has given us.
Hell, if you count Genevieve O'Reilly as Mon Mothma, and Jimmy Smits as Bail Organa as prequel content that means we'd either have to decanonize Rogue One too.

 

[Smellmet]

In fact, "AOTC" is one of two SW movies that I enjoy more than the others.

What's the other one out of interest?