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Reminiscing about Star Wars, the old, the new, the past and present
MMO.Maverick
Member CommonPosts: 7,619
I think that most Star Wars fans have seen the Star Wars movies when they were a kid. I don't know if all Star Wars fans feel it like that, but reading the reactions and comments of people I bet that a large portion of them do: that Star Wars doesn't have the same impact and pulling of heartstrings anymore as it used to have when we were kids, when we first came into contact with the Star Wars universe.
Speaking for myself, I became aware of it when I saw the second trilogy, the prequels. Even if they looked spectacular with a lot of my favorite actors and actresses, they seemed to miss something. They didn't touch me in the same way as the first trilogy did. My first SW movie had been The Empire Strikes Back, and I recall that when I first saw it I was completely awestruck. It was phenomenal. When I started watching the other SW movies, that feeling only reinforced itself.
So, what had happened? When I started thinking more about it, I think it was more than just the difference between the first and second trilogy.
- The time period when you watched it. Those people that saw the Star Wars movies when they came out experienced it the strongest, but even till in the '90s the Star Wars movies stood apart from the other movies and worlds: there weren't many worlds presented this spectacularly and awe inspiring in movies as it was done in the Star Wars movies. Sure, there were richer scifi universes and worlds - I'd already read Asimov, Dune, Dan Simmon's Hyperion and others in the period that I saw Star Wars - but when it came to those scifi universes in movies, then none equalled the Star Wars universe in presentation and rich diversity.
However, when the second trilogy came out, other movies as The Matrix and the Lord of the Rings trilogy also had made their appearance, games presented complex, intricate worlds, and Star Wars didn't stand that apart anymore, it had equals in movies that showed the flaws in the Star Wars movies that became even more apparent in the prequels, namely that beyond the glamour and visual extravagance, Star Wars was in essence a simple fairytale story in a scifi coat, with a world view that lacked the depth, subtlety and complexity that other scifi stories showed. Even in movies.
- We have grown older. As said, most of us have seen Star Wars when we were kids, and Star Wars fitted that period in our lives perfectly, a clear good & bad side, a scifi fairytale story. No wonder that those movies awed us and touched that initial sense of wonder that are linked to that time of life: there was no Harry Potter yet, no Lord of the Rings movies, in essence Star Wars had no equals when it came to glorious scifi/fantasy worlds presented in movies. However, many movies, games, books and life experiences later, and I must admit that even watching the old trilogy again, it only evokes a glimmer of that first sense of wonder in me and a nostalgic smile, as so many things of when I was young.
I think that the Star Wars franchise in the former century had the advantage of having relatively little competition, so it was easier to stand out. Nowadays, however, the entertainment industry is saturated with a lot of great and spectacular worlds presented in movies as well as games, and a lot of strong scifi/fantasy franchises. Worlds that are also often richer, deeper and more complex than what Star Wars initially offers with the six movies. Thus Star Wars doesn't stand out so much anymore as it did the former century. To be frank, we as consumers are getting overwhelmed with a plethora of equally interesting worlds via all kinds of media - movies, tv, games - in a good way, but it makes it hard for Star Wars to jump out of the pack as it used to do.
That's why I think a company as Bioware taking up the Star Wars franchise with SW:TOR is a good thing: they are one of the few companies that I think that can bring the best from the old Star Wars feel and sensation, what Star Wars really offered, forth from it and highlight it. Actually, there's only 1 or 2 other combinations I can think of that would be as good. Any other company and I would have felt 'meh' and be a lot less interested. The Star Wars franchise itself isn't enough anymore to get me interested to play a game, and it hasn't been for quite a few years.
Well, those are my thoughts and feelings about Star Wars today. What is the opinion of you people regarding Star Wars, has it changed much with how you regarded Star Wars when you first came into contact with it? If so, what has changed, and why? (and if not, also why 
)
The ACTUAL size of MMORPG worlds: a comparison list between MMO's
The ease with which predictions are made on these forums:
Fratman: "I'm saying Spring 2012 at the earliest [for TOR release]. Anyone still clinging to 2011 is deluding themself at this point."
Comments
I didn't really grow up with star wars myself but i did like the movies. I think for most people, like you stated, it was their first of it's kind. Just like with your first MMO its something special.
I always did like the movies merely because it was interesting and the first sci-fi adventure i could get into. I think it had more to do with the characters for me then the actual storyline. Also the character development for me was really good. It gave good solid reasons for the hero doing what he must, but he also didn't come off as some super powered guy that could do no wrong. He had flaws, he was impatient, lacked wisdom, and had anger issues (just like good old daddy did), however deep down he was the good guy, trying to fight the good fight.
Thats what i like about those stories. Your the good guy, the hero but your not perfect. Thats what drew me to those types of movies. That and my dad playing them a lot at home.
The reason some of these movies may not hold the same awe is because they over time do lose some of their appeal but they never lose a place in our heart, as it brings back good memories of older times that always seem better then they actually were.
I'm glad a company like BW is bringing out this game as i'm confident they will make a MMO game i will enjoy for some time, which has been severely lacking in the past. I really need a second EQ. (that was my first MMO in case you were wondering)
Help me Bioware, you're my only hope.
Is ToR going to be good? Dude it's Bioware making a freaking star wars game, all signs point to awesome. -G4tv MMo report.
In 1977, I was 7 years old and my Dad took me to see Star Wars on opening day. I was completely blown away. It really spoke to me. I must have seen it a dozen times that year. I managed to get some of the hard-to-find action figures, but it took a while. There was a shortage that year. Marketers just weren't prepared for SW. Who was?
There is something about being a kid and being in the right place at the right time that can make Star Wars into more than a mere movie. It can become a mythology. And as some of you may know, George Lucas was influenced by the late great mythologist Joseph Campbell.
So, if you are an adult and you are looking for a way to rekindle the magic of a childhood SW experience, I recommend reading The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Without that book there would have been no Star Wars as we know it.
http://www.amazon.com/Hero-Thousand-Faces-Bollingen/dp/1577315936/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1291734732&sr=8-1
Im 26 and I have been an rabid star wars fan since my mom first showed me the movies as a child. I used to watch the original trilogy over and over again. I was not nearly as dissapointed in the prequals as most people although I did feel they set a lower standard. I believe that Star Wars has many more stories to tell in a universe that is extremely rich.
SW Highs:
Timmothy Zhan Books
Kotor
New Jedi Order Books
SW Lows:
Jar Jar
Clone Wars Cartoon
Playing: Tera, BF3, ME3
Waiting on: Guild Wars 2
For me, #4,#5, and #6 were the best followed by #3, #2, #1 in that order. I'm not so sure the reason why the first 3 were so successful was due to the competition. There were plenty of sci fi TV shows that saturated the TV sets like Battlestar Galactica, Buck Rogers, the original V, Star Trek, etc. I do think that they were just better movies. One of the reasons was because of the chemistry between the actors. It just worked. Their own little stories, the general story and the acting of those like Harrison Ford were just more interesting. It was funnier and more dramatic at the same time. In the newer movies, you have the ridiculous yoda scene where he is flipping all over the place with everyone laughing on what is suppossed to be a battle scene, not a comedy lol. The original 3 were just better movies.
It's similar to the Harry Potter movies. The first couple, everything was new and it was interesting to see Hogwarts. Then it became very dark with the new producer. Some liked this new action and pace, but I missed the charm of the original. In fact the current Harry Potter was the first one I felt I would have been fine renting it. I'm ready for an end to that series, but hopefully the last movie will be suprisingly good. That franchise didn't seem to help any of the Harry Potter Video games despite the movies success. If Star Wars is a great game, it will succeed regardless of whether the older generation clung to the original and the newer generation is not as into the series as much.
There Is Always Hope!
^This. Except I'm 35 and I kinda like the cartoon.
I want a mmorpg where people have gone through misery, have gone through school stuff and actually have had sex even. -sagil
Heh, yeah, I saw the cartoon pass by on tv on a saturday morning. It was an episode with a lot of space battles and planet exploration, but I was actually pretty amazed about the high visual quality that I saw, and that for a children's show and on tv. I hadn't expected that.
The ACTUAL size of MMORPG worlds: a comparison list between MMO's
The ease with which predictions are made on these forums:
Fratman: "I'm saying Spring 2012 at the earliest [for TOR release]. Anyone still clinging to 2011 is deluding themself at this point."
Funny that you mention it, because Massively had an article talking about the same person (see here).
Someone once told me that all stories can in their essence be traced back to 12 archetypal ur-stories on which they're based upon. I don't know if that's true, but there's a lot of recognisable archetypes in the story progression and characters of the majority of stories in books and movies and games (insofar story is present in a game).
The ACTUAL size of MMORPG worlds: a comparison list between MMO's
The ease with which predictions are made on these forums:
Fratman: "I'm saying Spring 2012 at the earliest [for TOR release]. Anyone still clinging to 2011 is deluding themself at this point."
I was 13 when I saw the first Star Wars and I too was blown away. But today when I watch those movies, it doesn't move me like it once did. But what I do still get into is the whole concept of Star Wars and the force. Also there are so many different alien species and cultures and so many different ways they react to one another. That alone stretches the imagination, but throw in the force and the possibilities are literally endless. There's just so much potential to Star Wars that really has yet to be tapped.
Interesting and understandable, Cyphers, but something that is different for me. I had not been a SW fan in the old days. No clue why, but that is how it was. I only became a SW fan when the old trilogy was newly brought to the cinema in preparation of the new trilogy. While I can see the story and characters in the first trilogy were much better, I always felt it sort of lacked the visual standards I expect from SciFi, and the 2nd trilogy did that way better. As I had not been a fan of SW since so old days, my perception/expectation wasn't so much formed. So I was able to enjoy it all as it is.
People don't ask questions to get answers - they ask questions to show how smart they are. - Dogbert
I agree. I keep trying to move my ceiling fan with just the force but it just won't budge lol.There Is Always Hope!
Yeah, ethnographic comparison proves there is a genuinely collective unconscious in the Jungian sense. Of course it can't be reduced to a particular story because the archetypes are more than mere literary devices. They are autonomous patterns in the human psyche.
One of the archetypes is the archetype of mana. It is this ancient archetype that the concept of the Force is based on. People who are in accord with that archetype are called 'mana personalities' and are typically shamans, psychics, sorcerers, Holy men. And now, Jedi.