Sequel September: Star Wars

With everything from Legend of Korra in mind, we continue with our September dive into the art of the sequel. Next on the list: Star Wars.

This franchise has had more ups and downs than the tidal cycle. The original trilogy, The Clone Wars and Mandalorian shows, many of the video games, and several books have had strong positive feedback. On the other hand, the prequels, sequels, other books, and a certain holiday special that shall not be named (lest we summon the Force-Ghosts of Life Day Past, Present, and Future) faced negativity.

For the sake of this post, I will restrict this analysis to the nine main movies, of the prequels, originals, and sequels. For, they are most relevant to this subject.

I would say that the prequels and sequels are the equal but opposite reactions to the other; what one trilogy did poorly, the other did a one-eighty for, and vice versa. Sometimes, the reversal is for the better; other times, it creates something equivalently bad albeit from a different direction.

Which brings me to the fourth principle of sequel writing: subsequent installments should learn from the shortcomings of their predecessors, so that the series itself improves.

Or, as a wise man once said: “R2, we need to be going up, not down.”

Speaking of prequels memes, that’s the next point on this. Meme-ability, and memorability. The dialogue in that trilogy is cringey and cheesy, but it sticks in the mind, with many quotes being iconic from a comedic perspective.

Compare to the sequel trilogy, whose dialogue was adequate, but mostly forgettable. It is like pouring a truckload of concrete on a dumpster fire; you extinguish it, but now the dumpster has a concrete brick filling it up and making it unusable.

Then, there is the matter of the short versus long term storytelling. The prequels had lower quality films, but the overarching plot is well done and even is a haunting statement on how easily tyranny arises. The sequels had mostly better movies, but the story across installments was disjointed and inconsistent. Many positive qualities of these trilogies carry a major caveat.

The prequel protagonist, Anakin Skywalker, is whiny, annoying, and rarely behaves in a manner befitting the man who becomes the iconic Darth Vader. Yet, his skills are more realistic, where he loses against more skilled opponents, and has to train to use the Force and a lightsaber. And, he has a more definitive arc around his relationship with Jedi principles and those close to him.

Rey has no unlikable personality traits (though that could simply be a byproduct of having minimal personality traits), making her more agreeable on-screen. Yet the way she becomes an instant expert in Jedi skills with no training is a drawback, because she is robbed of character growth. A hero needs to not begin their journey at full power, so we can see them develop their capabilities alongside their mentality and learn from mistakes.

In other words, one protagonist is largely unlikable and an embarrassment to the franchise, but has clear character traits and a cohesive story. The other is more amiable, but is not a full enough character to invest in, and lacks development.

So, how do the recent films stack up with my other rules of sequel-writing? As listed below:

1. A sequel should maintain a critical balance, one part honoring the traits that made the original good, and the other part creating a new story with its own identity.
2. A sequel should demonstrate the reasonable consequences of what happened in the previous installment.
3. A sequel should reinforce the messages and spirit of the original, while also expanding it and showing new challenges.

The Force Awakens did these to an extent. It went back to basics, telling a story similar in structure to A New Hope. Some of the characters did have their own identity (Kylo Ren and Finn), giving enough promise. The events leading up to it (reestablishment of the Republic, the First Order a reactionary attempt to reestablish the Empire, the collapse of the New Jedi Order) all were plausible consequences. It kept the spirit of A New Hope, of people fighting for liberty against the rising Snoke.

The Last Jedi then promptly attached all that potential to cinder blocks and tossed it into the river. Finn was sidelined (which his actor, John Boyega, has called out), which got worse as the trilogy progressed. Luke attempting to kill his own nephew, when the younger version of himself was willing to take lightning to redeem his father, is an unreasonable u-turn of character. The new challenge of Snoke was eliminated without any development. There are many ways that this film undid the bricks they had laid down in its predecessor, not just halting the house’s construction but tumbling it all down on their heads.

And, The Rise of Skywalker suffered as it tried to overcompensate for all this. The writing was as rushed as its plot. Palpatine’s return was unearned (but, at least they finally gave Rey character development as she struggled with the legacy she inherited). Ben Solo’s arc was rounded out well, but the other characters (Finn, Rose, Poe) were left behind.

Changing writers and directors played into the inconsistency of the series. It changed direction more times than a compass surrounded by super magnets.

But then, is the sequel trilogy not a microcosm for the Star Wars franchise itself? What is The Force Awakens but the promising start of the originals? What is The Last Jedi but a disappointing butchery of this potential like the prequels? What is The Rise of Skywalker but the sequels trying to repair the damage done, at its own expense, while still failing?

We can all learn from what the Star Wars film progression has done. A case study of how the inverse of something bad is not always good, and how learning from your mistakes should not mean forgetting the parts of your errors that did have truth in them.

And now, my ratings:

	The Force Awakens	The Last Jedi	The Rise of Skywalker
Plot:	3	2	2
Character:	3	1	2
World-building:	3	1	2
Details:	3	2	3
Misc:	3	0	3
Total:	15/20	6/20	12/20

For an average of 11/20.

What are your thoughts on the Star Wars sequels? Do they have redeeming characteristics that you enjoy?

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