Annlyel James 
Annlyel explores why Disney is afraid to move beyond the boundaries we have grown used to in Star Wars…
When it was announced that Disney was acquiring Star Wars in its mass repertoire of properties I was definitely skeptical. Could the House of Mouse really make Star Wars incredible? Well, thankfully, these many years later, I can proudly say that Disney has done a remarkable job revitalizing this franchise. And while the movies are really good and have introduced some truly awesome new things we’ve never seen before it still seems that Disney is afraid to move beyond the boundaries we have come to grow used to with this franchise.
For example; both Star Wars stories (Rogue One and Solo: A Star Wars Story) were set in the years after Revenge of the Sith and before A New Hope. And if we had gotten that Obi-Wan Kenobi standalone film it would’ve been in the very same timeline block.
The Force Awakens, clearly an incredible movie that helped reinvigorate Star Wars‘ fans’ love of the franchise, was also seen as a remake of A New Hope as it introduced a new Death Star in Starkiller Base, killed off Han Solo in a near same fashion as Obi-Wan Kenobi, told a story about a young person from a planet of sand who would be heralded as the galaxy’s new hope of sorts, and featured a villain that was practically a Darth Vader rip-off, which was of course intentional for Kylo Ren’s story.
Creativity is what makes certain movies shine while others don’t. Marvel has managed to wow us over the years because the creativity level is astronomical. The actors cast to play these superheroes are all different and bring their own style to these movies. Every film’s tone feels personally accurate to the character and it keeps us refreshed. It’s why we can see three Marvel movies in a single year and not get Marvel fatigue. Think of last year for example.
There was Black Panther, an origin story of sorts with an ethnic vibe that hasn’t been seen in the MCU before. Avengers: Infinity War was an epic culmination of all the films that had come before with some rather serious tones to it. And then there was Ant-Man and the Wasp which was simply a fun film for the whole family with a lot of comedic aspects to it. Each of these films is COMPLETELY different and that’s why the minds behind the Marvel franchise are so brilliant.
Star Wars has delivered us some interesting moments here and there but everything just feels so similar. Between the fact that every major woman in Star Wars besides Vice Admiral Holdo and Rose has been a brunette or the simple realization that we can’t seem to get away from planet-sized weapons of destruction, this franchise has caused many people, for the first time in this franchise’s history, Star Wars fatigue.
Rian Johnson at least tried to present something new to this franchise with The Last Jedi but instead, he alienated a large chunk of the fandom by creating some ideas that upset certain Star Wars fans royally. I, however, applaud him for bringing new concepts to the table that were truly special like the Force connections or the idea that Force ghosts can still interact with the living world.
But, if you think about what Star Wars is offering us in the next two to three years it looks like this lack of imagination will stick with us for quite some time. The Mandalorian isn’t a series that is set in a timeline we’ve never visited before. It’s going to take place between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens; a safe concept of course. And the Cassian Andor series–which I’m super excited to see by the way–is going to be yet another story that is probably going to be told between the years of Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. Go figure.
With the simple fact that the lore of Star Wars is so extensive, it seems kind of silly that Disney can’t seem to get away from things we’ve seen since 1977. Now I’m not getting Star Wars fatigue, far from it, and I am very excited for everything ahead, but I do notice the lack of creativity and it definitely is concerning.
Hopefully with Rian Johnson’s new trilogy and the trio of films set to be helmed by the minds behind Game of Thrones this franchise will finally, in Master Kenobi’s words, “Take our first steps into a larger world.”
The Future of the Force. The future of pop culture writing.
Annlyel James is a Senior Correspondent of The Future of the Force. She is passionate about Star Wars and Marvel but loves a wide variety of movie genres. Aside from her role with Future of the Force she also writes for her blog: annlyelonline. Follow her on Twitter where she channels the Force frequently!
Another thing about marvel movies is the consistency they put into the character arcs during writing. Every action a character does in their sequel sticks very well to their previous actions.
I know! It’s incredible. Sometimes I like to look back at the earlier Marvel films in the MCU and it’s amazing to see how relevant the characters’ stories are in those films to where they are currently.
Marvel is a well-oiled machine and that’s why I love Marvel. ‘Star Wars’ has a long way to go before it can reach the same seamless efficiency with its various movies and characters.
Thanks for the comment. 🙂