Expectations of Episode VII - Part One (The Tone)

What are my expectations the Episode VII?

I agree that one's opinion of the Original Trilogy (OT) and the Prequel Trilogy (PT) greatly depends on your point of view (in other words...how old you were when you saw the films, and in what order).  But there WERE some key differences between the OT and the PT they differentiate between the two eras.   I think the most significant is character interaction and storytelling style.

The characters in the OT related to one another organically.   They were just fun.   Had it only been the 1977 film, Star Wars could have been a one-shot classic like Jaws or The Goonies.   That enough would have locked it in our collective subconsciousness.  But what made the saga so long lived were the pathos and relatable trials of the heroes in ESB and ROTJ.

Luke was shown as he grew as a man from an impetuous, cocky, idealistic youth into a...ok...he was still pretty impetuous, cocky, idealistic and young by the end of ESB, but you could SEE through his many failures (the cave, the ship in the swamp, the duel on Cloud City, etc.) how he gained the wisdom and patience to begin to truly face his demons in ROTJ.   The films SHOWED the steps of his journey and where his turning points were.

Anakin's story never quite left the outline stage.   His story was TOLD to the audience through exposition.   The action on the screen rarely showed his developmental story.   Sure, there were a few sequences that showed his character (pod racer = bravery; Coruscant speeder chase = determination; sand people slaughter = giving in to hate, etc.).  But very little was conveyed more than very superficial concepts.

I know that the OT was not a Shakespearian drama or a Tolstoy novel, but (especially compared to everything that preceded it), it just felt real.   Chewbacca was not a man in a costume.   Artoo was not a prop.  Mos Eisley was not a set.    Luke was not an actor...he was a real person gazing at the setting twin suns of Tatooine (enveloped in the sweeping John Williams score) feeling alone and trapped, thinking only of a desperation to reach out and explore beyond the horizon and to take the first step into a larger world.  We, as the audience, felt that longing in ourselves.

However, a wide eyed Anakin TOLD Qui-Gonn that he wanted to be the first to see all the stars.   The old lady in the market TELLS Qui-Gonn how much a good boy Anakin is.  Qui-Gonn TELLS Obi-wan that the boy is powerful.  We, as an audience barely get to witness any of that.   

The story really is not much more complex between the OT and the PT.  But the execution is vastly different.

I loved the PT...saw all in the theatre several times.   But my soul is filled by Luke's journey and my passion is filled with Liea and Han's combined destiny.

Like many, I am looking forward to the Sequel Trilogy (ST) even more than I was looking forward to the PT (before I saw the PT).   The first reason is that from everything I have seen of his work, JJ Abrams shares my feeling on what made the OT timeless and entertaining.   He has been crafting Episode VII since he first picked up a camera.  This is not a guarantee that it will recapture the magic (a near impossibility due to how vastly different the OT was from everything that came before it) but of all the filmmakers of our generation, JJ has the best chance of getting it right.

The second reason is even more significant to me.   When TPM came out, I was a 26 year-old single guy seeing the first new Star Wars in over a decade.   After ROTJ came out, it never even seemed like there would EVER be a new Star Wars movie.  But when the lights go down at The Uptown Theatre in Washington, DC in December 2015, as a member of Star Wars: The First Generation (the first generation that saw the OT as children), I will be sitting between my son and daughter as they get to go on a brand new journey to a Galaxy far, far away in a way that can not be matched by a small DVD or Blu-Ray.

Star Wars is meant to envelope the audience in a sweeping John Williams score and take us on a personal journey to escape the feeling of being alone and trapped, and gives us the ability to explore beyond the horizon and to take the first steps into a larger world.

It provides a shared vocabulary to search deep inside of ourselves to bring out the best that we can be, to face our fears and to avoid the quick and easy path.  

Excitement...adventure...a Jedi craves not these things.  Only when we are calm, at peace. Passive. Seeking introspection for knowledge and defense, never for attack. 

Only then can we know the good choices from the bad.

So, yeah...my expectations are pretty high.   I'm ready for the worst...but hoping for the best.

For Expectations of Episode VII - Part 2 (JJ Abrams) see here: http://rosie-verses.blogspot.com/2014/09/expectations-of-episode-vii-part-two-jj.html