Star Warts

l like movies. In fact, I like most of the movies that I see. Some people could say I’m not discriminating enough, and that’s fair. I think that I like to see the good in things, because enjoying things is more fun to me than just looking for flaws for the sake of doing it. Here are a couple examples.

Star WarsI have always loved the original Star Wars trilogy. The prequels aren’t very good, although the story itself is pretty interesting and there are a few cool moments. When it comes to the latest trilogy, I really like them. In fact, The Last Jedi is one of my favorites, despite how controversial it is. It’s very different from other Star Wars movies, particularly Luke’s story.

Star TrekIf you watch the original series, or The Next Generation, Star Trek is about peace and the evolution of mankind. If you watch the current movies, or Star Trek Discovery, it’s very different. It’s become far more action-oriented, and most people would probably say it’s not being true to the original vision.

Here’s the thing. I don’t care that the franchises are different now. People evolve, and stories change. Think about Harry Potter and the shift in tone from book 1 to book 7. It’s really not the same experience for the reader. And that’s the point. I don’t want things to be the same all the time. I like Star Wars Episode VII just fine, but the whole Starkiller Base thing makes me groan because we had seen it twice before. I desperately wanted something new. When you think about it, the Jedi way of life (no emotions, no relationships) was kind of doomed to fail, and I love that Luke finally saw through it in Episode VIII. I needed a new story direction, a breath of fresh air, and we got it. Everyone wanted Luke to be the wise sage who is the new Yoda. But his experience with Ben Kenobi obviously changed him. We’ll see what happens with Episode IX and Abram coming back.

Star Trek is a little different. I wasn’t so much tired of what it was, and I still love to watch the old episodes (which is why I really like The Orville; it’s basically the same show as TNG). But the new action stuff is still fun to watch. It’s light and fluffy, but does try to have a little of the same messaging. It’s enjoyable for a totally different reason from that of the older stuff. Think about Deep Space Nine. It's been a long time since I've watched it, but I remember it was much less sanitized and more bleak, but it doesn't get the same criticism. It was sort of a midpoint. 

For another example, I love Tim Burton’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I love the original as well; Gene Wilder is a marvel. I can like them both; it’s not a zero sum game. There’s no need to rank them or put one down to lift another. People seem to get mad when these things change, but they also complain when they stay the same, which is why I think people hate the recent Alien movies (Prometheus was too different from previous installments and Alien Covenant was too similar).

It’s weird to go on for so long about entertainment, but there’s probably a deeper lesson here about how we ourselves evolve and we shouldn’t hold ourselves prisoner to who we used to be, because we will inevitably change over time and we can direct that change and appreciate who we have become as we weather the challenges of life. But you know, whatever. Let's go build another Death Star.