With Rogue One, the concept of a new kind of prequel was introduced, which leaned heavily into the notion that it's always darkest just before the dawn. Meanwhile, Solo attempted to offer a slightly more playful and lighthearted moment a bit earlier in this "dark of night" phase. But, before these new "Star Wars Stories," there were the original prequels designed to show us all how the night fell in the first place. It began in a sort of moment of twilight, when a hidden threat, a phantom menace, was creeping upon a fragile republic, which was losing faith in its leadership. It progressed into a sort of long dusk, only to end in a moment of darkness so deep that it seemed that the very light of hope had been sent scrambling forever into hiding. Yet, that hiding was just a matter of waiting for the dawn.
Thus far, I've kept the prequels as a sort of can of worms I've chosen not to open. There are a number of reasons for that, beyond simply that it's not exactly my favorite aspect of the universe. Even more basically, I thought, if I were to comment on them, where would I start?
I could add my voice to the chorus of commentators who have already pointed out the illogical nonsense to which Jedi apparently ascribe, as revealed by the silly Obi-Wan quote: "Only a Sith deals in absolutes" (one of a great many absolute statements that the Jedi follow).
On one hand, I could say many positive things about how accurately the subtlety and insidiousness of evil is depicted in the brilliant scheming of Palpatine.
Or perhaps I could reflect on the good and the bad of the understanding of the Jedi commitment to celibacy, comparing and contrasting it with the understanding of celibacy in the Catholic priesthood and religious life. These views on celibacy, namely that of the Jedi and that of the Catholic Church, are quite distinct from one another and might bear an interesting blend of similarities and also very significant differences. Unfortunately, the only perspective the movies offer us of what the Jedi intend in this commitment is from one who doesn't seem to understand it very well, and whose rejection of it leads to his downfall.
On a related topic, I could comment about how obvious it was - and certainly should have been to a strong and intelligent woman like Padme - that this same confused young Jedi's romance was never healthy or stable.
Perhaps I could focus a post on the notion of the prophecy of the chosen one, and how it seemed to be a compensation for the fact that Anakin turned out not to be the kind of character that most viewers would sympathize with. Much effort was seemingly put into showing the brokenness of Anakin's nature (even at the earliest stages) which showed him as being quite susceptible to the influence of evil from the beginning. This was done so effectively that he didn't really seem to possess much of the natural goodness and virtue that might have been expected from some of the high praise spoken of him in the original trilogy. Thus, it seemed as if some other basis had to be established for the high expectations that many of the Jedi had for him. Whether it was the original intention or not, building the story around a prophecy was one potential way of compensating for that narrative predicament, even if it did mean that something as silly as the midichlorians would be needed to establish a key reason why a Jedi Master would associate this young slave boy with this prophecy.
However, this final thought seems to point us to what might be the best aspect to focus on. Isn't it interesting how Lucas chose to show us so many of Anakin's faults, and particularly in manner that resembles some of the character traits that would be passed on to his son?! When we think of the impulsive and emotional young man that made both Obi-Wan and Yoda nervous when he left his training on Dagobah to go rushing into a trap at Bespin, it gives new meaning to the fact that this is "the son of Anakin Skywalker."
This can help us appreciate even more strongly the fact that Luke was not mastered by these qualities. He was not doomed to be a villain, but was even capable of helping his father realize that it wasn't too late for him either and that he need not be identified by his weaknesses. The most striking scene in the entire trilogy might be the tears we see on Darth Vader's face, after he carried out the command to slaughter his master's own allies, now revealed to be mere pawns, whose lives had absolutely no value to him. This moment enables us to see with our own eyes the conflict that Luke could sense within him. We saw that beneath that menacing mask was the pain of vulnerability and desperation, to which the pride of this young man was desperately clinging, grasping at greater power, as the only hope of eventually overthrowing his wicked master.
The fact that Lucas did a good job of helping us to understand the man beneath the mask, and particularly by honing in on those character traits that came natural to his son, actually helps to set the stage for the sequel trilogy.
First, consider Ben Solo (Kylo Ren). Many fans complain that he is not a villain nearly as menacing as Darth Vader. Well, my first reply to that is that that is part of the point! Personally, I would have found it far more tiresome if they had made it their goal to simply make everything an amplified version of what they had already done, such as trying to have a villain even more menacing than Darth Vader. But, my second reply is that he may not resemble Vader as much as he would like to think, but he does resemble Anakin. By accentuating the character traits that might run in the family and showing how this might include both being very powerful and also being plagued by some character defects that led Anakin to ruin, and very nearly caused his son to fall right into the snares that he and his evil master would set for him, the creators of the sequel trilogies were left with a very interesting template for what Anakin's grandson might be like. Granted, Ben has a lot of unique hang-ups of his own, just as no one is an exact clone of any of their ancestors. But, it still is not hard to believe that this emotional and impulsive young man with far more power than he knows what to do with is a Skywalker.
Next, consider the portrayal of Luke in the sequel trilogy. I know this is another point in which many of my fellow fans will disagree with me, but I've already stated my case (here and here). Some criticize the sequel trilogy for its creators' choice to use so many elements of the narrative structure of the originals as a starting point into which to introduce variations. Personally, I would have been disappointed had they not done this. The specific narrative structure of a trilogy has always been an important part of the story. Had they not engaged that narrative structure in the final trilogy, it would have felt even more disjointed and certainly not like a complete whole, once all nine episodes were finally complete. The interesting aspect of how they have done this is that they took seriously the question of what would happen when the young upcoming heroes of the original trilogy step into very different roles within the narrative. Han Solo is a very different character than Obi-Wan Kenobi! So, it would be very interesting to see how differently things would unfold when he steps into the same role within the narrative that Obi-Wan previously occupied. Again, I know many fans disagree, but I think Abrams executed this marvelously. Similarly, the role occupied by Yoda in the narrative of the original trilogy - that of the wise old master, who is now a little bit out of his mind as he lives isolated in a remote and secluded exile, prompted by his failure, until his solitude is disrupted by a enthusiastic young would-be Jedi seeking training and guidance - would look quite different when it is occupied by "the son of Anakin Skywalker." All the more so, when one considers how deeply personal the failure that sent him into exile is and how it is intertwined with the unique character arc of his disturbed nephew, the resulting picture when the young heroine comes seeking his supposed wisdom would be quite a different picture indeed. I must say that this was not the most disappointing part of that movie, but was fairly well done overall.
The fact that Lucas did a good job of helping us to understand the man beneath the mask, and particularly by honing in on those character traits that came natural to his son, actually helps to set the stage for the sequel trilogy.
First, consider Ben Solo (Kylo Ren). Many fans complain that he is not a villain nearly as menacing as Darth Vader. Well, my first reply to that is that that is part of the point! Personally, I would have found it far more tiresome if they had made it their goal to simply make everything an amplified version of what they had already done, such as trying to have a villain even more menacing than Darth Vader. But, my second reply is that he may not resemble Vader as much as he would like to think, but he does resemble Anakin. By accentuating the character traits that might run in the family and showing how this might include both being very powerful and also being plagued by some character defects that led Anakin to ruin, and very nearly caused his son to fall right into the snares that he and his evil master would set for him, the creators of the sequel trilogies were left with a very interesting template for what Anakin's grandson might be like. Granted, Ben has a lot of unique hang-ups of his own, just as no one is an exact clone of any of their ancestors. But, it still is not hard to believe that this emotional and impulsive young man with far more power than he knows what to do with is a Skywalker.
Next, consider the portrayal of Luke in the sequel trilogy. I know this is another point in which many of my fellow fans will disagree with me, but I've already stated my case (here and here). Some criticize the sequel trilogy for its creators' choice to use so many elements of the narrative structure of the originals as a starting point into which to introduce variations. Personally, I would have been disappointed had they not done this. The specific narrative structure of a trilogy has always been an important part of the story. Had they not engaged that narrative structure in the final trilogy, it would have felt even more disjointed and certainly not like a complete whole, once all nine episodes were finally complete. The interesting aspect of how they have done this is that they took seriously the question of what would happen when the young upcoming heroes of the original trilogy step into very different roles within the narrative. Han Solo is a very different character than Obi-Wan Kenobi! So, it would be very interesting to see how differently things would unfold when he steps into the same role within the narrative that Obi-Wan previously occupied. Again, I know many fans disagree, but I think Abrams executed this marvelously. Similarly, the role occupied by Yoda in the narrative of the original trilogy - that of the wise old master, who is now a little bit out of his mind as he lives isolated in a remote and secluded exile, prompted by his failure, until his solitude is disrupted by a enthusiastic young would-be Jedi seeking training and guidance - would look quite different when it is occupied by "the son of Anakin Skywalker." All the more so, when one considers how deeply personal the failure that sent him into exile is and how it is intertwined with the unique character arc of his disturbed nephew, the resulting picture when the young heroine comes seeking his supposed wisdom would be quite a different picture indeed. I must say that this was not the most disappointing part of that movie, but was fairly well done overall.
The point is that the role of these two characters - the second and third generations of the Skywalker family - in the sequel trilogy can be better appreciated because of this broader view of the whole family we are given, thanks to the closer look at Anakin's character in the prequels. In general, the portrayal seemed to lean very heavily into his weaknesses, to the point that many viewers were left thinking "oh yeah, this kid is definitely going to end up as a sith!" Nonetheless, there is a definite tension between his potential for good and his susceptibility to evil. This tension is joined to the fact of how much he was manipulated by Palpatine's scheming, so that we are left still wanting to hold out some hope for his redemption. The night falls, only to leave us waiting for the dawn, however long of a wait it may be.
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To be concluded...
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