Why A New Star Wars?

I'm sure the majority of anyone who may stumble across this blog at some point in some way has also had an interaction with the Star Wars franchise. For a long time it seemed that we would not in fact see another Star Wars trilogy come out of the woodworks. However, a few months ago it was announced that JJ Abrams would be taking directorial control over the new films. And to this my first thought was, "Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh."

I can't say I'm too excited about the new Star Wars films. The prequel trilogy in all honesty was not that fantastic. I mean it did it's job for the audience that it was geared toward, but it lacks several things that make the original film, (even excluding the other two sequels) so original and intriguing. If you don't agree then I hope you will take me up on the offer to watch this breakdown of Star Wars Episode I. The review is a bit long but it makes some distinct points that for the most part I would agree with. 

So without going into further detail about my chagrin for these Star Wars films, I want to approach the question, "Why make more?" Just off the top of my head I can come up with three reasons why this question should be asked:

1. The story is done: In terms of story, we have seen the hero's journey for our protagonist Luke Skywalker. He has discovered his real identity, his potential, and he has brought the Jedi back from potential extinction. To me, that seems pretty well wrapped up with a nice little bow. The series even ends with the influential characters in Luke's life celebrating with him (etherial, but still there) and looking onto him with great pride. After this a new character has to be created. I may be wrong, but the protagonist in the prequels was easy to go to because it established origins of the most feared man in the galaxy, Darth Vader. I will be interested to see the origins that these next three films explore, but I am not too confident that the story won't feel forced (no pun intended).

2. My audience has left: Now this doesn't mean there is no audience, it's just that the target demographic is obviously shifting. Based on the television spin-offs that have come from Star Wars, as well as the recent alignment with Disney, it is probable that the youth market is going to be the primary target, leaving behind those of us who were young and flocked to the screens for Episode 1. For those who grew up with the 70s Star Wars this definitely makes sense because now they can share in the same excitement with their kids. But because of this likely demographic, the next three films are likely to fall a bit short in intensity and plot. It's safe to say we can expect the same cartoon violence that we know from Star Wars, in fact there may be even more considering Lucas really pumped it up for the prequels, but this also means more than likely a shallower approach to the plot for the viewer. It will likely go the route of the spectacle.

3. It's completely out of Lucas' hands: This actually may be a good thing. The series definitely could use a fresh perspective. But, forgive me for being to adherent to the idea of the auteur, but with JJ Abrams directing, this just won't be the same old Star Wars. Different heads are coming at this project from seemingly very different angles. It will be interesting to see how JJ Abrams can distinguish his Sci-Fi movies (Star Trek and Star Wars) from one another in a way so that the artistic approach doesn't bleed from one to the next. The last thing I want to see is a derivative work that is too heavily influenced by a previous project.

Once again, all of this is just opinion. And you can choose to disagree, but these are some of the points that have me up at night thinking about how the next Star Wars films just might not compare to the cult of personality that I, as well as millions of other people, have created for the films. 

So "Why make more Star Wars movies?": I think the answer is simple though, and that is, in the world of film at least they know that good or not, people will go see these films. And that will result in the money, a lot of money. It's the nature of the business, and even if it dilutes the strength of the material, they are going to milk it as much as possible.