Fans loved the series and the expanded universe acting almost personally involved in protecting its integrity and honor while they themselves hate and complain about over 50% of the material. It's wild. I am a Star Wars fan, so much so that I have watched the television Star Wars Holiday Special. That is everything wrong with 70s TV in one not so neat package. It's so bad that Lucas refused to release it on VHS, DVD, Blu-Ray or even audio cassette. Of course, what is done in secret will be brought into the light, and what you dd n public and are ashamed of can never be erased, especially as long as YouTube exists.
Yes, I am a Star Wars fan. I am even a Lucas fan, and while this may paint me as the stupid one to other fans and cause some to stop reading at this point (if anyone is), I like almost everything about the SWU. I liked the Ewoks when Return of The Jedi came out, and I like them still. I liked that they made Anakin a petulant know it all, spoiled whiny brat. Those guys turn into angry jerk villains quite often, so I felt it one of the more realistic aspects of Star Wars. I liked Jar Jar from the start. I Still do. I thought he was hilarious. I didn't find him anymore derogatory than the Trade Federation characters or C3-PO. I think he was there for the comedic relief and for the kids, like the Ewoks, but I think Jar Jar was underestimated too, and while Disney didn't go this route I also think the theory presented in the video below is an interesting one that might make you Jar Jar haters rethink things.
Anyway, speaking of Disney, I also had zero problem with that sale. First, Lucas can do what he wants with Star Wars and anything else he creates. We act like he owes the fans some say in what happens to it for some reason, but he doesn't. Secondly, remember all the complaining about what Lucas had been doing? Why assume Disney would do any worse? I know when we hear Disney we think Mickey, but this is the company that gave us Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland. The Narnia movies, The Pirates of the Caribbean series, just to name a few really well done sci-fi, fantasy films. And I happened to love Episode VII, despite screaming and nearly crying at that one part.
And speaking of Han, that would be the one thing that gets me. Han.....shot.....first. Changing the scene with Guido is the one change that Lucas made in the original trilogy that didn't just expand or enhance or even detract from the original story but changed it...drastically. I own a copy of the film in its original form, and I prefer it, even with it's poorer color and effects, because Han shoots first. I hate that change, because it totally changes the story and character of Han Solo and because the past can't simply be rewritten, no matter how much we'd like to alter a few scenes here and there.
In an interview with the Washington Post, Lucas defended the controversial change as keeping in line with the principles of Star Wars. "Han Solo was going to marry Leia, and you look back and say, 'Should he be a cold-blooded killer?'" he explained. "Because I was thinking mythologically — should he be a cowboy, should he be John Wayne? And I said, 'Yeah, he should be John Wayne.' And when you're John Wayne, you don't shoot people [first] — you let them have the first shot. It's a mythological reality that we hope our society pays attention to." Whatever, Han shot first. *
I disagree with Lucas here, because it didn't happen that way. I feel a little like the crazy Annie Wilkes screaming about how the hero went over the cliff in Misery, but it's true. Changing things to make it work just irks me. And never mind the reality that many a man who has married a princes in history has been a cold blooded killer and a great argument that Han shooting first still fell under the category of self-defense (Guido was going to kill him, and the best defense is a good offense and all) by changing the scene to make it more palpable with the idea of Han's future character he goes directly against his entire Darth Vader story line, the aspect of and hope for redemption.
But as much as it bothers me that Lucas tried to change the perspective on Han and his character by changing a detail about his past, don't we all too often do the same thing? How easy and natural is it to just alter the way we tell our version of some event or multiple events to make ourselves not look as bad, as wrong as degenerate as we were at the time? I was a selfish jerk who did this horrible thing, but if you understood why you wouldn't think so badly of me. I did indeed do that, but if you only understood the circumstances or what happened to me in the past you wouldn't judge me as harshly. We want so badly to excuse and justify our past in order to be seen as less unrighteous or at least justify the evil we have done.
But when we alter the truth of our history we diminish the redemption story of our lives, and we steal some of God's glory for the work of forgiveness and grace in our lives. We attempt to redeem ourselves with lies and make ourselves look better than we are or were, when the truth is that only forgiveness can justify us. The Blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony is a mighty weapon with which we can aid in freeing captives from the enemy. There is a promise that in finding relationship with God and freedom from our addictions and self centeredness we will not regret the past nor wish to close the door on it. We will see how our experience can benefit others. But that weapon is weakened and the benefit is lessened when we selfishly hide and alter the truth of that testimony.
The truth is that Han shot first, and the contrast between who he was with who he became is part of the greatness of the story. I shot first too. Many times. I acted solely in my own self interest too many times, and others were damaged because of it. So have you. Justifying and excusing it doesn't make us look any better and doesn't change the truth that we weren't worthy of praise but lived as enemies of God and His love. But honestly acknowledging the truth of actions and motives and then contrasting who I was with who I am today, because of the power and grace of God is not only staying true but is a much better story of redemption that can give hope to other broken degenerate enemies of God.
I was a selfish man, who did too much damage to my own life and the lives of others. But God. I am not who I should be, but I am also not who I was, thanks to the amazing love and restoring power of God. The force that changed my life into something worth living and made me a man who doesn't have to live in shame can do the same for you. We all need redemption. And we can't redeem ourselves, no matter how we change the story. But God.
* This paragraph came from the excellent article on the topic of the change to the Han/Guido scene found at Movie/fone.
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