A new saga

George Lucas had initially planned three trilogies while making the original films. The ‘sequel trilogy’ were to continue the stories of an older Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Leia. As the years went on and Lucas planned the ‘prequel trilogy’, he became less interested in the sequels and later declared they would never be made. Upon Disney’s announcement, it was revealed that Lucas had in fact written a story treatment for the upcoming trilogy and would stay on-board as a creative consultant.

The news of the ‘sequel trilogy’ finally seeing the light of day has divided fans. Some are unenthusiastic due to fact that the prequels were so poorly received. Heavily hyped, they alienated many fans who blamed Lucas for mishandling the overall story and introducing characters like the universally hated Jar Jar Binks. It was mainly this response that caused Lucas to retire from film-making earlier this year.

Others are elated that the original Star Wars films, highly regarded beloved classics, are to spawn a new saga. With a large universe full of characters, creatures and stories to include and take inspiration from, the options are limitless. To steal a line from Star Trek, ‘infinite diversity in infinite combinations’.

I see both sides of the argument. With endless resources and revenue, the potential for Disney to create a spectacular series of films with their new property is huge. Fans have waited almost 30 years for this ‘sequel trilogy’. If any of the new films are half as good as ‘The Empire Strikes Back’, they’ll be worth the wait.

By Kelan Headley