The Order of Star Wars

 

May the Fourth be with you!

It is my May newsletter, and it is Star Wars Day!

I have little in the way of news this month—apart from that my first draft of the sequel to “Better the Millstone” now surpasses fifty thousand words!

And now, I ask that you indulge me as I write about one of my favorite topics: Star Wars—specifically, the order of Star Wars.

It seems that there are now numerous ways to watch Star Wars.

I recall seeing Star Wars in the movie theatre in 1977. It was truly a game changer, and the movie was probably the most visually stunning thing I had ever seen up to that point. Older science fiction, such as Star Trek, Doctor Who, Space: 1999, and 2001: A Space Odyssey, were bland and pale by comparison. Not in terms of color and splash, but in terms of being real. Star Wars looked real. The ships looked like they had seen real action, and the story a unique blend of science fiction, high fantasy, and space western that launched not only a new franchise but changed the face of science fiction.

But I digress.

Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi (we didn't call them by episode numbers back then). Those were it. At some point, the Holiday Special and Ewok programs came along for kids, and there were a handful of novels (Splinter of the Mind's Eye being the first). Other than that, we had Starlog and Omni magazines to read about science fiction related stuff, including Star Wars.

Until Betamax and VHS came along and home video took off, the only order you watched them in was "Star Wars (Nobody called it "A New Hope" back then)" in 1977, "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back" in 1980, and "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi" in 1983.

Until 1999, when "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace" premiered, there was only one trilogy and one order.

Now, you have prequel and sequel trilogies, and debates surrounding the order of watching the films. Which one is right? I've read that you should start newcomers with "Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens," as it is the most recent of the trilogy starting points, and have them watch Episodes VIII and IX, after which you go back and watch the original trilogy and then the prequel trilogy. Then,you have people who advocate watching them in the order they were released (original trilogy, prequel trilogy, sequel trilogy) and others who advocate watching them in episode order. Then, there's some kind of machete order that mixes everything up and drops Episode I.

None of that includes the non-trilogy films, such as Solo and Rogue One, and the TV shows.

So, without further ado, here is the Daniel Sullivan Order.

1.     Solo: A Star Wars Story

2.     Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

3.     Star Wars: A New Hope

4.     Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back

5.     Star Wars: Return of the Jedi

6.     Star Wars: The Mandalorian (all seasons).

Do as you wish with the prequel and sequel trilogies. I enjoyed both and they have their merits, but they also feel somewhat disconnected from the original trilogy. Same goes for the rest of the television shows.

A few words on the sequel trilogy. I enjoyed it overall, though a I said above, it felt disconnected from the original trilogy, this in spite of having the three main characters (Leia, Luke, and Han - played by their original actors no less!), three main supporting characters (R2D2, C3P0, and Chewbacca), and one of the primary antagonists (Emperor Palpatine, also played by the Return of the Jedi actor).

I found the films enjoyable, and I felt that the casts' diversity offered many more points of entry to the series than did the original trilogy (which consisted of nearly all white men and three white women, only one of whom had more than about three or four lines or five minutes’ worth of screen time).

At the same time, some of the choices were baffling—the complete jettisoning of the old “expanded universe”. Other baffling choices were the exclusion of Mara Jade, the all-off-screen collapse of Luke's Jedi Academy, and Luke's living as a hermit. Then there was the puzzling choice to name Han and Leia's son Ben. In the expanded universe, that had been the name of Luke and Mara' son—which made sense, given Luke's connection with Ben Kenobi. Finally, there was the wasting of the Captain Phasma and Rose Tico characters.

None of those things were deal-breakers, and I like the new characters and cast (all of them). But those things did make the sequel trilogy feel more like a reboot than a continuation. There is a lot to like in Episodes seven through nine, so I do encourage you to watch them if you have not already.

As far as the order of movies and film, I gave my opinion, but really, just watch Star Wars and enjoy what was for me, a transformative and impactiful sci-fi/space opera!

The Firing of Gina Carano

Like many of you, my wife and I have been watching “The Mandalorian” on Disney Plus. The character of Cara Dune was a favorite of ours, and it was unfortunate that due to the Actress’ exercise of her Twitter account, that character is unlikely to return.

Apart from reboots, recasting does not seem to happen any longer. I would like to see Cara Dune continue as a presence in the Star Wars universe, but outside of maybe comic books or novels, it seems unlikely.

The worst part is that this was completely avoidable.

Gina Carano had an ‘I dare you to fire me’ attitude about the pressure mounting on Disney remove her from “The Mandalorian” cast, seeming to double down on her unfortunate Twitter content with each calling on the carpet. Each time pressure mounted, she parroted the same tired line that others who have lost shows or roles for similar social media behavior have used: “They’re censoring conservatives.”

Of course, her comparison of being critiqued on social media for sharing false and debunked theories to the treatment of Jews in Nazi Germany was the final straw, and so, a beloved character has exited the series.

The sad part is that she was so perfect for the role. Gina looked the part, and as a top-level professional fighter, has the physicality that the role demanded. And she can act!

While I strongly disagree with her political stances, I was not among those pulling for her ouster. Yes, I am sad to see her go.

Having said that, I feel no sympathy for her.

This is 2021. Countless public figures and indeed, ordinary folk, have seen their careers flushed down the toilet over their behavior on social media. She had to have somebody telling her to knock it off, and even if she didn’t, a celebrity has no excuse for not understanding how their social media conduct can backfire.

This is a clear case of the actress proverbially shooting herself in the foot with a proverbial shotgun. Yes, this is a self-inflicted wound, not some cancel culture about conservatives.

Perhaps she should

Somehow, John Schneider, a conservative actor best known for playing Bo Duke, driver of an orange 1969 Dodge Charger named "General Lee", with a giant Confederate battle flag on the roof, manages to not alienate people, and maintains an air of class.

I have no doubt that Supergirl fans would have welcomed him had he appeared on that very liberal and feminist show.

Clearly, Carano's conservative views are not the problem.

I have nothing against Carano, and I do wish her well. At the same time, I have no sympathy for celebrities who cry foul when their misuse of social media bites them in the proverbial behind.