Star Wars in 2019!

Let’s run down the year in Star Wars.  First, comic books, the Marvel Comics lines are coming to an end.  It started off promising with Jason Aaron writing Original Trilogy era stories, but they quickly became caught up in continuing stories that were going nowhere.  This was a problem with the original Marvel Comics stories.  The editorial direction is confusing.  Aaron provided some interesting stories, I really like the Obi-Wan flashbacks, and some reflection on the canon.  Kieron Gillen was the writer of the Darth Vader title, switched to the main title, and is now ending his run.  There was an opening of the eras with Age of Republic, Age of Rebellion, and Age of Resistance to denote Prequels, Original Trilogy, and Sequel Trilogy.  I did like Star Wars Adventures from IDW which were not concerned with canon and just told fun stories.  The only problem is that there doesn’t seem to be any place for them in any chronology.  

Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run, hyperspace jump, photo by the author.

The writers might be hedged in by the canon, but ultimately what we found is that the films, animated series, and The Mandalorian (up to now) don’t feature Sana Starros, Dr. Aphra, or Evaan Verlaine.  So if you have any of those comics, then they are irrelevant to the other canon works.  In some cases it is a shame, I thought it was interesting that Evaan Verlaine helps recover the Alderaanian refugees and lead the people in Leia’s absence.  This would have made a great connection to Last Jedi if Laura Dern’s character was Verlaine instead of a tacked on Vice Admiral Holdo, who was “introduced” in Leia, Princess of Alderaan (2017).  Never mind consistency or logic for that matter with Holdo working as a politician suddenly in charge of the Resistance military when we never saw her before.  This is the problem with Star Wars and the canon, an ancient dagger that needs to be decoded, well there is an archeologist with Dr. Aphra, but no we need to bring in Felicity!  Who of course has a past with Poe Dameron, but shows up nowhere in the comic book title Poe Dameron.  So in other words, you wasted your time and money with the comic books.             

Animated series, basically, Star Wars: Resistance.  It began last year, but the twelfth episode of season one began in 2019.  We had the appearances of Poe Dameron, Captain Phasma, and General Organa.  In Episode 17, Poe takes BB-8 since they have a mission on Jakku.  Then, we get the blast from Starkiller Base.  The Colossus Base heads off in a Battlestar Galactica journey chased by the First Order.  So the series can be headed one of two ways, first it could end up joining the ships attacking Exegol, which is weak since we don’t have Poe recognizing Kaz Xiono (Christopher Sean) or Kaz noting BB-8.  The Fireball in the background of ships is not a strong cameo.  Then, we have Kaz as a spy, but he works with Poe who is not a spy and not Vi Moradi who is the trusted spy working for Leia.  So if Kaz and Colossus Base ends up at  Batuu and brings whatever forces that Vi has raised to attack Exegol, that would tie in everything very well.  I would like Star Wars: Resistance forming the fleet which should have been done in Rise of Skywalker.    

Christopher Sean (Kaz Xiono) at EmpireCon.

Novels, Resistance Reborn seems to tie in Aftermath, the Poe Dameron comic book, and Battlefront II, but no characters from it, Ransolm Casterfo (from the novel Bloodline) or Zay Versio (Iden Versio’s daughter revealed in Battlefront II: Resurrection), show up in the movie.  So just like the comic books, there is no direct connection with the other media, again maybe a good read, but as a whole, a waste of time.  Force Collector is a novel about a character named Karr, also not in the film.  Alphabet Squadron is led by Yrica Quell who also doesn’t appear in Rise of Skywalker. So let’s focus on Star Wars: Pirate’s Price which ties into Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run.  Then, Galaxy’s Edge: Black Spire which continues the adventures of Vi Moradi by Delilah S. Dawson from her Phasma (2017) novel.  She lands on Batuu and begins to form the Resistance Base there.  Vi also does not appear in Rise of Skywalker as well as Black Spire Outpost.  

The connections from other media to the films seems to be back ends like Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. with the MCU, they connect to the films, but not the other way around.  An incomplete loop results in a closed off universe.  Rey and Kylo Ren appear in Galaxy’s Edge.  This appears to be the time before Rise of Skywalker similar to Disney’s California Adventure with the Infinity War period of the MCU.  Ask the characters about Thanos and the Infinity Stones and they will be confused.  The Avengers Campus should have screens identifying recent events so the time period will be clear.  The same with Galaxy’s Edge.  Of course, you live the adventure with Galaxy’s Edge and have your own stories.  Still, the key to it will be if Kaz and Torra Doza appear in Galaxy’s Edge.  Possibly CB-23 and other characters from Colossus Base.  This will be a strong connection with the Star Wars story.  If there are viewers of the animated series, they may be happy to see familiar faces IRL.  This is the cross promotion loop which may bring viewers to Star Wars: Resistance.  

The Mandalorian showing his Amban sniper rifle at the D23 Expo, photo by the author.

This leads us to the films.  A disappointment.  Again, there was tremendous potential for Star Wars with the backing of a studio and tie-ins.  One of the themes of Star Wars is of the father, Anakin becoming a father in the prequels, and his redemption in the Original Trilogy.  The theme of the Sequel Trilogy?  Um, sometimes you find out you are the descendant of an evil guy who just shows up 31 years later with parents no one has heard about even though an heir to an Empire would be known and protected.  Other times you are a stormtrooper with unknown parents and then go on adventures.  Star Wars was seen in through the eyes of the droids who were witnesses to all of the adventures.  At the end of Rise of Skywalker, do they turn over the witnessing to D-O and BB-8?  None of this connects to other media.  J.J. Abrams was so intent on mirroring the Original Trilogy that he bent and broke it.  There is still hope.  

The hope is The Mandalorian.  Eight excellent episodes.  Similar to Star Trek, if you lost hope in the movies, Star Trek: Nemesis, just turn to the series.  Favreau seems to have the Star Wars spark that was lost in the movies; tell an original story with new characters, don’t be tied down by the canon, tread new ground in the Star War universe and sprinkle in imagery from the rest of Star Wars.  I find the finale and really any hour of The Mandalorian superior to all of the Sequel Trilogy by a factor of ten.  I don’t want to see too many Star Wars characters showing up in The Mandalorian.  We know what happens with Red Leader and Dr. Evazan.  Rey is completely uninteresting, it’s all about Baby Yoda.  So let’s look at some of the inspirations.  The Magnificent Seven (1960), action and the classic story from another film we will cover, A Fistful of Dollars (1964), the Man with No Name is the mold for The Mandalorian, what is called a remake of Yojimbo (1961).  Which brings us to the samurai movies, first is Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance (1972) based on the manga, of course the cub is Baby Yoda!  Then, the original Seven Samurai (1954), Kurosawa-san’s masterwork, the basis of the fourth episode, “Sanctuary.”  You can also check out Yojimbo both films are highly influential to all of cinema.  The Mandalorian keeps the Star Wars hope alive and into a new year!   

#StarWars, #EvaanVerlaine, #ChristopherSean, #TheMandalorian