Star Wars Expansion

So if you haven't heard the news...Lucasfilms has been bought by Disney. George Lucas has surrendered control of his franchise, which has opened the doors for more Star Wars, as Episode VII has already been announced. 

As a major Star Wars fan, I'm exceptionally excited. But as a Star Wars fan I am also completely skeptical. Don't get me wrong, I like the new prequel trilogy (even to some degree Episode I) more than most. But I also recognize that there is no real comparison to the original trilogy which captivated me. And I am in the group that despises the special edition of that trilogy in favor of the old effects, less wampa screen shots, no digital Jabbas, and most importantly - I subscribe to a world where Han shot first!

I thought I'd throw a few thoughts out there to help us, and Disney, prepare for another chapter in the Star Wars universe.

1. If Disney wants to start off right, the best thing they could do is release the original trilogy onto Blu-Ray. Many fans never went on to blu-ray because it has only been offered in the special edition. I may be wrong on this, but owning Lucasfilms should give them the right to do so (although knowing Lucas, he may have found a way to prevent that from happening, since much of Lucas' passion around Star Wars was that others would not have control over it). Such a gesture if possible should be done. It would immediately convince thousands, maybe even millions of fans that Disney has the right idea. It would give them early support.
2. The fact that the original trilogy is so popular is something that Disney ought to pay attention to. For such a money driven organization, the best thing they could do is figure out what the original had that the new series did not. Some, although not all can be replicated. A lower reliance on Green screen sets (which affects actors and lighting, atmosphere of the show, large and elaborate sets are noticeable to a viewer) and better casting would be two great places to start. 
3. But not everything can be replicated. The culture of the late 70's, the uniqueness of the Star Wars story in film, and the surprise against little expectations are things that Disney cannot replicate. Nor can they compete with the pure nostalgia we fans have from our first love. Therefore, we as fans need to while demanding better movies not be utterly disappointed when the film does not stand up against Ep. IV-VI. For the majority of us, there is little that will ever really change that. And we ought not hold our love for those episodes against these new ones, or we will never enjoy them.
4. Keep it live action. The Clone Wars show/movie just is not the same kind of experience. It's great in that it provided expanded adventures in the Star Wars universe, but the fans want live action. Once you stamp the words "Episode" on it, you are committing to a quality that requires this. You can use animation to continue to expand the universe, but the films are a different matter.
5. Speaking of the expanded universe, that is what this ought to be. The burning question for me has been will Episode VII literally carry the story from Episode VI onward or be a whole new story? And my thought is it should really be something different. This will help also in keeping people from comparing it too much to the original trilogy. But after seeing Indiana Jones years later, Rocky Balboa in a fatter physique, we don't need to see our beloved actors all older and involved. A Cameo, or maybe one or two of them having roles (but not the lead role) would be fine. Lucas tried to put too many characters from the original trilogy into the new one, which merely subjected us to things like Boba Fett as a little brat or inconsistency in R2 and 3PO's exposure to people like the Lars family, Yoda, and Obi-Wan. But along with just the problem of continuing stories that ought not be continued or seeing actors who aged poorly is the fact that the overall story there has been completed. The narrative of Vader's redemption, Luke's Hero Journey, the Rebel's defeat of the Empire have all been completed. The prequel trilogy, with the exclusion of Episode I, also served this narrative. We ought to then like the Machete order which not only found a great way to knit Episodes II-VI together but took Episode I as a movie that can be better respected when seen as outside the original saga, a greater piece to the universe, that is what Disney should do here. And they need to pay attention, because the Pirate's movies did not do this well. They would make a movie with no clear need for a sequel, then try to reopen the movie with a two-parter making a trilogy that really do not go together but try to, then they added another movie. Moral of the story, don't try to interconnect or build too much from Episode VI. Make it a distinctly different story, and don't try to resurrect old characters/problems from the original trilogy, which takes away from that story and its finality.                                              
6. Along with not trying to undo what Episode VI did, Episode VII should also not try to replicate the story itself. One of the great things Lucas always did was see a great arc between his movies that made it so they were never just repeating the same story. While this will be independent of that story, it should see the strength of Star Wars being that watching them is never like watching all the Friday the 13th movies, it isn't the same story over and over. So don't try to mimic this story. Real thought should go into the next saga and what the epic adventure will be. If we're waiting for anything, it is another great adventure to be drawn into, not repeat, since the first will always be better.
7. Which also reminds me of this. If I began by saying perhaps the best thing Disney could do would be to release the original trilogy, and mentioned the deep hate many fans have over the special editions, then let me say this: the worst thing then that Disney could ever do is decide to remake the original trilogy. The instant they try that, ever, it will be a disaster. Remaking popular movies is a major movie trend the last ten years, do not do it. We should not be remaking good movies, we should be remaking movies that could have been good but for one reason or another were not the hits they could have been.
8. Use George Lucas for what he is good at. Lucas has immense vision. He can picture Star Wars in amazing ways. He will still be involved in Star Wars, and he can help push the limit, or more importantly, his imagination of this universe can help writers find a niche within it that would be worth doing movies on. He also does have a good sense of over arching story arcs, being well studied in the broad concepts and impact of mythology. This is largely what he attributed his success with the original Star Wars to. This may best be seen in Empire Strikes back. Lucas had the vision for the film, but neither directed it nor wrote the script. He was highly involved, but wasn't allowed to let his broad vision or love of visuals interfere with the movie (which I think was a major issue in the prequel trilogy's formation). When Lucas is not in control, but used to help develop the movie, he can be a real gift for it.
9. Include lightsabers and use of the force. One thing the prequel trilogy had going was some awesome lightsaber duels and it stretched the limits of what one can do with them. Whatever the new story is, it should include this element which is one of the things that makes Star Wars unique compared to other space dramas. As fans, we also should taper down our expectations following Episode III. That is, the lightsaber duel in Episode VII should not have to show that fight up. Especially because that is a climactic battle that has a lot of story and anticipation built up in it. Therefore a fight of that sort should be reserved for later episodes. This way the movies do not over-focus on how to constantly one-up the previous fight taking away from story or making ridiculous and unnecessary choreography. I think it is fair to expect some fights with some of the energy and skill of the duel in Episode I, but lets taper expectations for our own sake and for the saga's sake. Let truly climactic battles come at climactic moments. 
10. And every good Star Wars movie deserves good villains, with staying power. General Grievous and Darth Maul were barely around before they were gone. Count Dooku was a pitiful villain. The series really would have been better had Maul made it to Episode III, as he appeared on screen with an almost Boba Fett kind of popularity. Learn from the prequel trilogy that the story is better served when there is a main villain sustained. You can introduce additional villains, but we want them to be of quality and last more than 1 1/4 movies. 
11. Listen to the fans. There is so much fan material, novels, documentaries, fan films, and the like out there that the universe has expanded on its own already, and it could be a great place to start. Disney will never satisfy everyone, but if they make major mistakes or alienate fans early, they will be in for a rough ride. Disney also then needs to let fans still be creative, Disney has a reputation for taking legal action against anything that so much as includes a reference to someone they have the rights to. But to start doing such action against fan films for example would have horrible consequences. Don't become an empire to the people.
12. Get John Williams on board now! One person who has delivered from start to finish in this series is Williams. The fifteen adults who have never seen Star Wars still know the Star Wars music. And he knows how to heighten the action, emotion, and ground the universe through that beautiful orchestral sound. It probably won't be cheap, but Williams is one of if not the best in the business, and he has made a living of making memorable music for movies, and Star Wars has been one of his crowning achievements. He even did better in the new trilogy than the original.
13. Show us something we haven't seen. As part of the new story, introduce something to the universe we have not seen in the other movies - a problem truly great, an organization only read about in the books. One thing that both Episode IV and Episode I had was they opened up a new world for us. Indeed most of the people who left the theaters after Episode I were clamoring on about: the lightsaber fight (which was to a whole new level) and just the radically different and wide experience in the Republic era of the universe. As Episode I showed something new is not enough to make it good, but it is a great start, and it gets people excited for the movie and the series, which is important for a new start. To make a distinctly new saga, open it in a way that expresses that, and makes people want it.

Well I suppose that is a start. I am ever excited, and equally nervous. As you can see, there is a lot that could go wrong here. But Disney will hopefully be smart enough to realize what is at stake in their takeover and continuance of Star Wars. 

Another thing to throw out there, not too long ago Lucas was trying to find a way to make movie effects economical enough for a live action Star Wars tv show, that would take place between the time of Episodes III and IV, and he supposedly had 50 hours of script already worked up. This could be an interesting thing for Disney to also continue to pursue. While it could be a further embarrassment of the prequel trilogy or even worse like the old Star Wars Christmas special, it would also be worth doing, because there is a lot of great stuff it could focus on that would require few actors from the movies. Most importantly it could focus on the oppression of the Empire under Vader and the birth of the rebel alliance. It could feature Vader hunting down surviving Jedi, the oppression of the wookies, and the strained and dynamic relationship between a younger Tarkin and Vader. So long as it is not trying to give us Han Solo, or "Ani" age Luke but really focuses on the Empire-Rebellion it could definitely be good and worth doing, since the birth of the rebellion was a story cut from Episode III and the movement from the Empire beginning in applauds in Episode III to people cheering its end in Episode VI is never shown. Even if a way to make such a high effects show happen could be found, it would need to be taken with a bit of salt and less enthusiasm/critique to be able to thoroughly enjoy it as it is a show. And the prospect of weekly Star Wars would be good, and while it would actually be its own thing, it would still have a purpose in the saga story. 

In the end, what I want is more Star Wars, and I'm willing to endure some bad ideas to make it so. I want the universe explored. I want Disney to not mess this up and make it a complete disaster of the transition. By announcing Episode VII they have already gotten our attention, now they gotta keep it. Lucas can relinquish the bitter struggle he had with fans, and maybe be involved in something where the screw-ups are not entirely his fault. Here's to hoping that the next three years are used wisely (the movie is expected to be released in 2015) to make a movie that people are still talking about in 30 years.