Decanonize the Prequels

Renting the Prequels in the ... 1980s??

Decanonizing the Star Wars Prequels is not a new idea.  Since Disney announced that it would be acquiring Lucasfilm in 2012, the idea of nixing I - III from the Star Wars canon has quietly been mentioned here and there on the Internet. This blog will reintroduce and focus on the idea. First, a brief backstory of my experience with the prequel trilogy.

As a young boy in the late 80s, I remember being in my local VHS rental store, walking up to the counter and casually asking to rent Star Wars Episodes I, II and III. The lady behind the counter walked away and in a few moments returned with the original Star Wars Trilogy. Upon seeing the original trilogy laid out on the counter, I informed the lady that I meant Episodes I - III. She then stated that the movies she laid on the counter were the ones I wanted. Clearly not the Star Wars scholar that I was, I helped inform her by saying "You know when Star Wars starts with the yellow words, it says Episode IV, and The Empire Strikes Back says Episode V, and Return of the Jedi says Episode VI. I was wondering if you had Episodes I, II and III to rent?" My explanation was met with a confused look and the final comment of the exchange, something along the lines of "I don't think we have those."

I remember that experience because the Star Wars Trilogy were my favorite movies as a child and I always wondered why they were numbered IV - VI. Fast-forward to 1999 and the release of Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Now in my late teens, I actually didn't eat or drink for some hours before the seeing the movie to ensure that there would be absolutely no need to visit the restroom and thereby disrupt my chance to finally see Episode I (the logical thing of visiting the restroom right before the screening still left a chance of disruption which was therefore unacceptable). Although I didn't walk out of the theater hating The Phantom Menace, I wanted to like it more than I did. It certainly wasn't what I was expecting. Although I was excited to see Episodes II and III, the prequel trilogy left me unsatisfied.

Had I seen the prequels as a young boy when I wanted to rent them, I probably would have enjoyed them much more. Whatever the case might have been, like many fans of the original trilogy, I do not consider the prequels on par with the storyline and execution of the originals. In regards to the technical aspects of their production, the prequels are clearly superior to the originals as was expected with the new technologies they employed. But in terms of delivering an engaging storyline and characters that the audience cares for, the prequels are inferior to the originals by many a fan's estimation.

Let's First Be Honest: The Prequels Got a Few Things Right

In what might seem contradictory given the title and purpose of this blog, the prequels did have some good things in them. John Williams did not fail to deliver, there were some beautiful worlds and sets, the explanations of the Sith enriched the lore and the spectacular lightsaber duels are usually considered the better than those of the originals. Conversely, we often look upon the original trilogy with rose colored glasses and either forget or ignore issues that those movies had. Some even say that Revenge of the Sith is better than Jedi (although Episode III is the prequel I enjoyed the most, I place Jedi above it). However, the position of this blog is that the issues of the original trilogy are far outweighed by the issues of the prequels. The issues of the prequels may have been analyzed more than any other set of movies ever made and so I will not repeat such things here. What will be said is that the original trilogy had a magic that the prequels never replicated, but only rode the coattails of.

To be fair to Mr. Lucas, he had a monumental task in even coming close to expectations with the prequels after the cultural phenomenon that were the original movies. Had he delivered a cerebral epic like 2001: A Space Odyssey for Episode I, an adventure the caliber of Jurassic Park for Episode II, and a drama akin to Citizen Kane for Episode III, there still would have been a number of fans of the original trilogy who would have still not been satisfied. The nostalgia of Episodes IV- VI was going to be hard to repeat, especially given that the original trilogy represented the childhood of millions of fans and that these new Star Wars movies were made more than a decade later, without the original hunger and risk that launched the saga. However, the prequels were not just panned by hard-core fans who had predetermined that no Star Wars movies could ever be close to the originals in greatness. The prequels were panned by many for simply being lacking in a variety of ways on their own.

A New Hope

With the release of Episode VII later this year, there is hope again amongst fans that Star Wars magic can return. But I say there is another option for restoring Star Wars magic in addition to hopefully receiving a great sequel trilogy: decanonize the prequels and thereby pave the way for them to be redone at a future date.

As many Star Wars fans know, with the production of a new sequel trilogy, Lucasfilm has declared that the Expanded Universe after Return of the Jedi is not canon. Although some say that works of the EU were never canon, the basic fact is that the canon can change if those in authority over it say so. Could those in authority be convinced to decanonize the prequels if enough fans demanded it?

There are a few problems with decanonizing the prequels. Perhaps the simplest is that existing media of the prequels will always have Episodes I, II and III on their covers and in the opening crawls. But if decanonized, future releases can easily edit out any identification as Episodes I, II and III. 

Another problem with decanonizing the prequels is how they would be reclassified. Considering them Anthology (the new series of non-canon movies scheduled for production) might be difficult given the central storyline they represent. The other option would be to just consider the prequels alternate Star Wars fiction, or the "Founder's Backstory".

The "Founder's Backstory" option is what leads us to perhaps the largest problem with decanonization: even if executives at Disney and or Lucasfilm wanted to decanonize the prequels, such a move would be a major dis to George Lucas who wrote and directed all three prequels. "Hey George, you know that backstory you really wanted to tell for that universe you created? Well we thought we would say thanks by dropping those movies from the canon."

For the sake of argument, let's assume that both Lucasfilm and the Bearded One are open to the idea of decanonizing the prequels. I think a great many people would consider that a wise business decision on behalf of both Lucasfilm and Disney. Fans of the series, especially those who were disappointed by the prequels, would turn out in droves to see the prequels redone, especially if it looked like they were going to be redone according to the spirit of the originals. Just look at the revenue projections for The Force Awakens; its marketing message is clear: the spirit of the originals is back!

Here are the questions:

1) Should the prequels be decanonized?

2) If decanonized, how should they be reclassified, if at all?

3) If Episode's I, II and III were to be redone, how should they be redone?

Let the discussion begin!

DTP

P.S. Yes, George was right, these are, after all, only movies. That we can even debate whether some should be decanonized or not shows we are probably taking first world problems to a new level. But discuss this, we shall!

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