Is it because this spring marks the twentieth anniversary of Revenge of the Sith? Or is it another factor? I wonder if there's some sentimentality at work. Twenty years ago we were a fandom united in spirit and purpose. Star Wars was something that we shared and had common ground over. It wasn't what it has devolved into. It was a purer, and more beautiful, work. Star Wars was one of the few truly good things in this world that could bring almost everyone together. The third installment of the Star Wars sequel trilogy was by all accounts going to be the absolute last film of the entire saga to be made. So we made the very most of that.
I like to believe that the old spirit of Star Wars is still there, beneath the mangled morass of corporate bungling driven more by agenda and less by the desire for good storytelling. But as it is, there are no more midnight madness-es for Star Wars. I don't know if there will ever be one again. It's something you kinda "had to be there" and be part of the moment.
It is a nice thing though to be able to report that all these years later and I still keep in touch with a couple of people mentioned in that post. Darth Larry (pictured), better known as Brian Hodges, is a much-acclaimed and accomplished cello player in the Pacific Northwest region. And the paths of Fonso and myself crossed a few more times, enough to now count him as a dear friend who has been there for me several times.
That is what Star Wars is best at doing. Forging not just friendships but bonds of family. Kathleen Kennedy and everyone else at Disney haven't understood that and quite possibly can't understand it. Star Wars under their management just isn't resonating with the fans as it should.
But, Star Wars has endured before. I well remember the "dark times" between Return of the Jedi and the publication of Heir to the Empire. That was eight solid years that we went without the saga being added to. If it wasn't for West End Games' Star Wars role-playing game we might have lost all hope. Sometimes we wondered if many people even cared about Star Wars at all. And then Timothy Zahn's first Star Wars novel came out and suddenly the mythology roared back to life. Star Wars hadn't died out at all. It just went into hibernation for awhile.
Star Wars right now is a mess. I watched two episodes of The Acolyte and gave up on it hard. Disney should disown that series just as it has other works in its history. Star Wars needs to be cleaned up. And made into something wholesome and agreeable to by everyone, especially children.
It has been that before. It can be that again.
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