I am enjoying most recent Star Wars material. I'm firmly on the side of the The Last Jedi. I was less keen on Solo, which I felt was unnecessary. But here are a couple of little peeves I have even as a fan of the new stuff, that I just personally find bother me. They aren't a big deal, but I would have liked to have seen them handled differently. What would your little peeves be?
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1). The New Republic playing no part in the New Trilogy
A big theme of the prequels was the downfall of democracy, and how civilization succumbs to corruption, personal or institutional. The pattern of decline (prequels), redemption (originals), and creation (sequels), would have been a nice symmetry - beginning, middle, end - although symmetry isn't everything. Some people suggest this was George Lucas's vision for the sequels.
Instead, the New Republic so far hasn't featured much in the sequel trilogy. Contrasting the decline of the old Republic with the establishment of an ethical New Republic (which must still face down evil), might have been a very good theme, that showed you can hope for a better society. If they ever do episodes 10, 11 and 12, I would like to see this, and an end the main saga.
2). The Emperor's palace
Just a little one for me personally, but thought I would mention it. In the new EU, the Emperor, apparently lives in the Jedi Temple. It has become the Imperial Palace on Coruscant. I can understand that he might want to spite the Jedi by doing this, but....
The Jedi Temple
The old Imperial Palace
...although the use of old buildings for new purposes by tyrants is not unheard of, I sort of feel like Darth Sidious is more the kind of ruler who would have constructed something of a magnificent statement of power, fortified beyond all reason, rather than adopt an existing building. The old EU palace was exactly that; a huge edifice bigger and more fortified than anything else on Coruscant, in the Sauron school of Dark Lord-smanship. Coruscant was even renamed Imperial Center, adding a bit of Leningrad/Stalingrad style convention to the Empire's flavour.
3). The art style and technology in some EU comics, and EU cartoons
Okay, the older Dark Horse comics, especially surrounding the Battle of Ruusan, had some hokey stuff in (flying wooden sailing ship.... let's forget that happened). But I sort of feel like something is off with some of the new stuff.
Star Wars is deliberatly anachronistic; it used WW2 guns as blasters, WW2 dogfight patterns for it's fighters, an early Hollywood epic score at a time when disco was the fashion. But I feel like perhaps there is a bit of a creep toward using modern post-cyberpunk science fiction tropes, such as the ships above having an Iron Man type feel complete with glowing trails, rounded features, glowing details on planets, etc.
4). The elimination of most post-ROTJ phase of the Galactic Civil War
In the old EU continuity, the death of Emperor Palpatine was not the end of The Galactic Empire. The cleanup took years longer. Wedge and Rogue Squadron eventually helped liberate Coruscant. The New Republic faced a long campaign.
In the new EU continuity, there are still a few warlords who rise after the fall of the empire, but the events are less involved, with no Ysenne Isard, Thrawn, Rogue Squadron, four year campaign, etc. Some old EU stuff deserved to be erased, it was at such variance with the Star Wars vibe. But the immediate post-ROTJ stuff was decent. And it was replaced almost as an infodump in a couple of novel, shutting down possibilities.
5). The focus on existing characters in fanwanky ways
Darth Maul. People meeting the same folks in a big galaxy. That kind of stuff. We didn't need the Solo film really, we could have done with another Rogue One, although even that leaned close to the original trilogy. A new group of characters. A new era. New epic events that are painted across a broad canvas. Hopefully that is what the Rian Johnson Trilogy will be, or the other one by the GoT writers.
Bonus:
Han Solo is a source of comic relief. He is also at times not heroic. Always was portrayed like this. But the guy also flies a light freighter as if it was a starfighter. I can understand wanting to subvert things, and the whole school of portraying heroes as clutzes, because heroes are human and imperfect in real life. But there was also steely-eyed pilot under that, and a moral core. Someone who was confident in one area at least. Don't overplay the 'accidental hero' thing; making Chewie's rescue less of good hearted deed and more of an piece of mutual opportunism.
Tropes are tropes because they are powerful if done right, and pull on our heart strings. I quite liked the idea of a man who had been treated badly himself taking pity on a caged alien. I dunno if I like the man having met his best friend and lifelong brother in a less idealistic way.
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1). The New Republic playing no part in the New Trilogy
A big theme of the prequels was the downfall of democracy, and how civilization succumbs to corruption, personal or institutional. The pattern of decline (prequels), redemption (originals), and creation (sequels), would have been a nice symmetry - beginning, middle, end - although symmetry isn't everything. Some people suggest this was George Lucas's vision for the sequels.
Instead, the New Republic so far hasn't featured much in the sequel trilogy. Contrasting the decline of the old Republic with the establishment of an ethical New Republic (which must still face down evil), might have been a very good theme, that showed you can hope for a better society. If they ever do episodes 10, 11 and 12, I would like to see this, and an end the main saga.
2). The Emperor's palace
Just a little one for me personally, but thought I would mention it. In the new EU, the Emperor, apparently lives in the Jedi Temple. It has become the Imperial Palace on Coruscant. I can understand that he might want to spite the Jedi by doing this, but....
The Jedi Temple
The old Imperial Palace
...although the use of old buildings for new purposes by tyrants is not unheard of, I sort of feel like Darth Sidious is more the kind of ruler who would have constructed something of a magnificent statement of power, fortified beyond all reason, rather than adopt an existing building. The old EU palace was exactly that; a huge edifice bigger and more fortified than anything else on Coruscant, in the Sauron school of Dark Lord-smanship. Coruscant was even renamed Imperial Center, adding a bit of Leningrad/Stalingrad style convention to the Empire's flavour.
3). The art style and technology in some EU comics, and EU cartoons
Okay, the older Dark Horse comics, especially surrounding the Battle of Ruusan, had some hokey stuff in (flying wooden sailing ship.... let's forget that happened). But I sort of feel like something is off with some of the new stuff.
Star Wars is deliberatly anachronistic; it used WW2 guns as blasters, WW2 dogfight patterns for it's fighters, an early Hollywood epic score at a time when disco was the fashion. But I feel like perhaps there is a bit of a creep toward using modern post-cyberpunk science fiction tropes, such as the ships above having an Iron Man type feel complete with glowing trails, rounded features, glowing details on planets, etc.
4). The elimination of most post-ROTJ phase of the Galactic Civil War
In the old EU continuity, the death of Emperor Palpatine was not the end of The Galactic Empire. The cleanup took years longer. Wedge and Rogue Squadron eventually helped liberate Coruscant. The New Republic faced a long campaign.
In the new EU continuity, there are still a few warlords who rise after the fall of the empire, but the events are less involved, with no Ysenne Isard, Thrawn, Rogue Squadron, four year campaign, etc. Some old EU stuff deserved to be erased, it was at such variance with the Star Wars vibe. But the immediate post-ROTJ stuff was decent. And it was replaced almost as an infodump in a couple of novel, shutting down possibilities.
5). The focus on existing characters in fanwanky ways
Darth Maul. People meeting the same folks in a big galaxy. That kind of stuff. We didn't need the Solo film really, we could have done with another Rogue One, although even that leaned close to the original trilogy. A new group of characters. A new era. New epic events that are painted across a broad canvas. Hopefully that is what the Rian Johnson Trilogy will be, or the other one by the GoT writers.
Bonus:
Han Solo is a source of comic relief. He is also at times not heroic. Always was portrayed like this. But the guy also flies a light freighter as if it was a starfighter. I can understand wanting to subvert things, and the whole school of portraying heroes as clutzes, because heroes are human and imperfect in real life. But there was also steely-eyed pilot under that, and a moral core. Someone who was confident in one area at least. Don't overplay the 'accidental hero' thing; making Chewie's rescue less of good hearted deed and more of an piece of mutual opportunism.
Tropes are tropes because they are powerful if done right, and pull on our heart strings. I quite liked the idea of a man who had been treated badly himself taking pity on a caged alien. I dunno if I like the man having met his best friend and lifelong brother in a less idealistic way.
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