A Long Time Ago in a Blog Far Far Away...

First of all, I want to start off by saying that Star Wars is my favorite movie series of all time. Even thought the new trilogy was not as good as the original, I could not get enough of it. I could have a sixteen hour Star Wars marathon every weekend and it would still be awesome. George Lucas' creative mind and ability to tell these stories through film is why I first aspired to writing in the first place. If it were not for these movies, I probably would not have ever taken a theater class, I would probably not be enrolled in an astronomy class this semester, and I may never have decided to major in English with the dream of writing my own screenplays one day. They could make fifty more movies and I would still spend 8 bucks to see it in theaters over and over again. If they can make a million James Bond movies, then they can afford to make more Star Wars movies.

Here are a few ideas for new movies. It would be cool to see the story of the Star Wars universe told through different directors to provide different perspective.

Star Wars Origins: The Han Solo Story- Directed by Quentin Tarantino, this film would explain how Han met Chewie. To maintain accuracy in the dialog, large portions of the film would be spoken in Wookie with subtitles. This movie will also explore Han Solo's early life and his relationship with his veteran starfighter pilot father (played by Clint Eastwood). Samuel L. Jackson will reprise his role as Mace Windu since frequently collaborates with Tarantino anyway.

Star Wars Origins: Boba Fett- For a character with such an awesome mask, suit of armor, and combat accessories who appears in half of the movies, we know surprisingly little about him. We know he was an unaltered clone of the bounty hunter Jango Fett (whose genetic code was used for the Republic clonetroopers and the Imperial stormtroopers) who raised Boba as a son before he was killed by Mace Windu in the Clone Wars and he was hired by Vader to track down the Millennium Falcon, but that is about it. He is maybe ten years younger than Darth Vader and made a name for himself as a successful bounty hunter during the Galactic Civil War. How did he become the man he became without his father? This movie could have the Clone Wars as the backdrop of the story but Boba is not strictly part of either side. It would be sort of like the way the characters in The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly are part of the Civil War but it is not their main motivation. He would also come in contact with Han Solo, Chewbacca, and Lando Calrissian as Han and Chewie were involved in the spice trade and Lando had a gambling problem before any of them joined the Rebel cause.

It's a Trap: The Untold Story of Admiral Ackbar- I want to know more about these minor characters who all of a sudden have big roles in the Rebel Alliance in Return of the Jedi. I would also be interested in a movie about Nien Nunb, Lando Calrissian's funny looking copilot from the Battle of Endor. Ackbar is intriguing because he is a high ranking officer in the Rebel Alliance but we never hear about him until the last movie. This opens the doors for many more movies to be made about the other things that were going on in that galaxy when the cameras were focused on Luke, Leia, Han and the gang. Maybe Ackbar led the liberation of his home planet, Mon Calamari. Maybe he has more importance than just being the guy who says "It's a trap!" Other characters may "have a bad feeling about this", but Ackbar knows when it is a trap.

The Tale of Two Planets: The Childhoods of Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa- We know that Luke grew up with his Aunt and Uncle on Tatooine and Leia with her adopted royal parents on Alderaan, but what was it like? What was Obi Wan Kenobi doing that made Uncle Owen think he was just a crazy old man? Did either of them show ability in the force at an early age? Shia Labeouf could play teenage Luke and Ellen Page could be teenage Leia. This film could also show the completion of the first Death Star and Han and Chewbacca's beginnings in the Kessel spice smuggling business. Liam Neeson could also reprise his role as Qui-Gon Jinn as he teaches Obi Wan and Yoda the art of becoming a ghost in the force after death.

Star Wars Episode VII: Attack on the New Republic- If none of my other ideas are good, this is still one to see ten times in Imax. With Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, and Billy Dee Williams reprising their original roles, this film will be about the struggles of the New Republic leadership struggling to maintain peace in the galaxy. Set thirty years after Return of the Jedi, Leia Organa Solo is the Chancellor of the Galactic Senate. Her husband, General Han Solo, is the highest ranking military officer who is not a Jedi. Luke Skywalker is the head of the Jedi Council. Chewbacca is the Senator for his home planet of Kashyyyk, Lando Calrissian is the Senator for Bespin City, Wedge Antilles is the Senator from Corellia, and C-3PO and R2-D2 are still around providing their useful (in R2's case) or annoying (in 3PO's case) service. One issue that needs to be addressed is the anarchy that has ensued after the death of Jabba the Hutt on the already chaotic planet of Tatooine. Another problem is that their are still legions of stormtroopers ordered to attack the Rebel Alliance as they have not received the message that Emperor Palpatine and Lord Vader have died. Even in their advanced years and rusting circuits, this ragtag band of rebels will be able to save democracy and the rights of all law abiding citizens even if the have to use less than democratic methods to do it.

George Lucas created a universe of possibilities when he created the Star Wars franchise. there are so many different things that could happen and so many characters to explore. They have been explored in novels, comic books, and fan-fiction, but the movies were always the best expression of the story and tradition. There is something intangible that is not there on paper. Perhaps it's the music of John Williams; perhaps it is the voice of Alec Guinness beckoning through deep space, providing sage advice when Luke needs him the most; perhaps it is the character development with the combination of A-List stars like Harrison Ford, Natalie Portman, Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, and Samuel L. Jackson along with those actors only famous for their Star Wars roles like Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Ian McDiarmid. Whatever the intangibles may be, I would still get excited to see more sequels and prequels and even non-related-spin-off-but-in-the-same-universe-quels. Other hard core Star Wars fans were disappointed with the prequels becasue they supposedly tarnished the integrity of the original trilogy, but I believe that it made them better. It opened the eyes of people who were not impressed with the originals because of the inferior special effects and the enthusiasm that the A-Listers cast in the new movies made them all the more exciting. Even Attack of the Clones which did not have as strong of a plot as the others, made up for it by showing us why Yoda was the greatest Jedi Master and pieced together the transition from Noble Republic to Evil Empire.

As creatures around the galaxy celebrated the fall of Emperor Palpatine and the second Death Star on worlds from Endor's moon to Bespin City, from Coruscant to Naboo, I could not help but wonder what was next. It is true that no movies have been made about after the Battle of Endor, but that cannot possibly be the end. Galactic infrastructure needs to be restored. The story of France does not end with the storming of the Bastille, and the story of America does not end with the Battle of Yorktown. Maybe it will never truly end. People come and go and live and die, but well made droids can last ages longer. Perhaps our grandchildren will still see movies about the future of that galaxy, with C-3PO and R2-D2 still caught in the middle of it all...