Cautiously Optimistic... The Prodigal Fan Returns

Star Wars - A Tale of Two Trilogies

The mythos of Star Wars is built around a core of three movies. The original trilogy captivated audiences across the world in 1977 and today. George Lucas utilized cutting edge practical effects, an engaging narrative, and the fantastical combination of science fiction and fantasy as the backdrop for what has been deemed “space opera.” The 1970s and 80s films have lived on to become part of the American cultural monolith into the present day.

The mythology or world of Star Wars is fascinating to me and more than a few others. Lightsabers, the force, alien planets and life, and huge space battles were just part of what defined the films. In addition to these superficial elements, they possessed a strong message that at its core focused on believing in oneself, not falling to temptation, and the power of family to redeem.

The overall narrative was relatively simple; however, the beauty and intrigue of Lucas’ world and the strength of his characters kept nerds like me salivating for more. The way that I could identify with different aspects the characters drove their appeal for me. The connection I feel with the characters and stories brings me back again and again.

The deeper lore that I crave was teased and set up by these films; however, I find the strength of these films in the characters and how they interact. The broader scope of expectation for modern Star Wars is absent from my viewing of these films.

They created the expectations for me and I expect that projects set within their universe to rhyme or connect logically to the universe physics set out here. Furthermore, the expansionary nature of the franchise's development allows for seemingly insignificant remarks or set pieces from the originals to be elaborated on in greater detail later.

This provides an opportunity for an ever increasing and intertwined web of connective tissue from the oldest to newest properties. I love this because it fleshes out the history or current aspects of the galaxy in ways that make it feel more real (as opposed to siloed within its own fantasy reality, which to be fair it is).

George Lucas continued to build out the universe with the prequel trilogy released in the late nineties and early 2000s. The prequels' goal was to outline the demise or fall from grace of fan favorite villain, Darth Vader. In doing so, George tied this individual story to the wider geopolitics of the late Galactic Republic era and intertwined them to the point that one almost couldn’t exist without the other. By this, I mean that understanding the political game being played by Palpatine, Padme, and the rest of the Galactic elite is not only interesting to me but paramount in understanding the narratives around some of the franchise's most popular characters.

I think this is often overlooked and one of the reasons the films were initially criticized (Jar Jar and some poor dialogue choices being the other main points of chagrin).

The narrative choice provided for an opportunity to massively increase the scope of the Star Wars universe beyond a family story and really dive into the weeds of what else is really going on in this galaxy. It is a choice I commend and scold George for. He didn't go far enough into it and really only teased it throughout the prequels. Deconstructing the nature of large pluralistic democratic or republican government elevated the prequels for me and as a child helped lead me to question the natures of my own reality.

The original trilogy had referred to the wider organization of galactic government (the imperial senate, regional governors, and most notably the Emperor himself) in a very small way. It also highlighted the organizational (and some rough insights into the promotional structure) of the Imperial Navy.

Widespread bureaucracy and hyper pluralism were not topics the first three movies set out to explore or really even considered. They weren’t needed and would have taken away from the breath and originality of Lucas’ imagined galaxy. In the following clip from A New Hope they are discounted as irrelevant thanks to the Death Star. The story didn't need that element because in my mind it didn't fit with the characters or narrative choices made in that trilogy.

I find it endearing how the original movies have a large amount of mysticism about them. They intentionally withhold information about the nature of the universe the story is set in. The main example of this is the Force. The original movies outline its ability to be channeled by individuals known as Jedi and also by our primary antagonists, Darth Vader and the Emperor. The ability is clearly made out to be very rare and something to be scoffed at across the galaxy. Both Han Solo (below clip) and an Imperial officer (above clip) make disparaging remarks about the nature of the Force to Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker respectively. This is important because it reflected how audiences received new revelations about the Force in the prequel movies. It also helped to provide a blueprint for later content about how best to tread the line between explanation based world building and holding true to the mystic ideals of the originals.

The second trilogy, more widely referred to as the prequel trilogy, shifted from this mystic tone and took on a more scientific and political perspective. This is the other part of the blueprint I mentioned for future world building. A scientific world building approach isn't a bad thing as it offers a new lens and insight towards the universe; however, it was a dramatic shift in tone from the first three movies. Furthermore, for those who had not been exposed to the extended lore published after Return of the Jedi it presented a massive and perhaps unwieldy expansion to the galaxy far far away.

It was unwieldy because it was unsure of itself. Was it a deep lore comic book movie or a story about universal politics and values?

For a galaxy chock full of aliens, the brief insights into entirely non-human culture were brief in the originals and on some levels implied an inferiority of non-humans in regards to humans.

The first scene in The Phantom Menace begins to address this and by virtue expand on the nature of the Star Wars universe by showing an alien race (the Neimoidians) blockading and planning on invading a primarily human populated world (Naboo). This did little to address alien culture and the depiction of the race as corrupt and greedy continued the general tradition of othering within the Star Wars universe. However, it did cultivate the notion that aliens were on roughly the same playing field as humans technologically and in terms of influence or power.

Even as pawns of the main villain, the Neimoidians were a step into a larger world of alien life.

The scene also introduced politics into Star Wars through the Jedi’s mission to negotiate with the Trade Federation (Nemoidian) blockade/invasion. It not only introduced politics, it introduced some very real and relatable aspects of a made up government. The primary relationship being the (honestly should be implied) hyper pluralistic attitudes of the various representatives from systems and large corporations throughout the galaxy (yes, corporations directly represent their own interests in government).

Showcasing the Trade Federation invansion also offered insight into one of the most important aspects of the prequels, the decaying fabric of the Republic. It demonstrated this through the lack of fear for bureaucratic retaliation from the Republic, despite their impending invasion of another Republic world. The example of a democratic government's failure to protect its own citizens was a tone shifter for the franchise that would remain (to my pleasure) in the best properties within the universe.

Grey ideas, situations, and characters offer for intriguing consumptions. It was a step Star Wars had to take in order to evolve into something greater than one trilogy. Good things can become twisted and ugly (Anakin Skywalker cough cough). The 'good' guys couldn't always be good and some villains may not be what we perceive at first light.

Tying Anakin's fall to the fall of the Republic created an incredible parallel metaphor which provides an immensely successful narrative theme across those three movies on a character and a more meta level as well. The series was diverging from high fantasy and going towards something I find all that more intriguing. Something a little more real or gritty if you will.

It is clear that Lucas was creating an intentionally flawed world that he could exploit for far more interesting narrative purposes later. This approach is fundamentally different to the approach of the original films in its pro-expansion nature and deviance from a black and white take on good and evil (elements of high fantasy I alluded to earlier).

The prequels offer a more critical look at the Star Wars galaxy. The Jedi are stated to be servants of democracy (a democracy that massively empowers corporate interests and a degree of discrimination against non-human races), this is important because it moves the Jedi from being strictly practitioners of good magic to something that might be manipulated or made to serve corrupt powers.

To me, this offers a chance at fundamentally expanding on why the Jedi met their downfall. It also moves them away from being an order of heroes above the rest of the galaxy. For all their ability, power, and wisdom they are inherently fallible. This message became integral to the fabric of the content to appear later.

The tonality change opened the movies up towards informing their audience about some specific aspects of the Force. The Tatooine arc in The Phantom Menace served up the first dish of scientific realism to some of the mystic elements of Star Wars. This being the revelation of the midichlorians. These microscopic life forms were highly concentrated in the blood of individuals who naturally possessed a strong connection to the Force.

Midichlorians to a degree imply a certain natural ability with the Force and the final acts of the movie confirm this through repeated demonstrations of Anakin’s remarkable abilities even at 10 years old. He performs the Jedi Council’s tests of his force abilities easily and without any training. Much like his son in A New Hope destroys a planet killing space station, Anakin pilots a foreign star fighter and successfully destroys the Trade Federation command ship responsible for subjugating the planet Naboo.

This element of connective world building extended the continuity between the original film and the first prequel. As a narrative choice that’s extremely important to me and why I appreciate many of these worldbuilding Easter eggs that Lucas chose to include within the film.

Prior to this it was not clear within universe why Jedi and their Sith enemies had been able to harness the magical powers of the Force. However, in my mind there had to be some explanation for it. Han Solo doesn’t seem to believe in the Force yet Luke with limited training is able to become extremely powerful through his connection to it. There has to be some reason for this disparity.

If everyone could do it why is Obi-Wan Kenobi residing as a hermit on Tatooine and watching over Luke? The midichlorians rectify this 'error' for me and emphasize a lot of the connective tissue I'm looking to identify when consuming Star Wars media.

The scientific tone used to identify the complicated politics of the galaxy and biological nature of the Force in the prequel films represented a change in how Star Wars stories were told on screen. The trend allowing for more creative license and expansion in new content and across different properties.

As long as it rhymed with the six stories created by George Lucas.

Star Wars - A Space Opera

Now I don’t know a lot about the opera; however, one word that instantly comes to mind when I think about it is drama. The association is fitting for Star Wars, even though there is certainly a dearth of singing numbers within the franchise (outside of Jabba’s Palace and the Mos Eisley Cantina that is). Furthermore, the idea of a space opera is rather ridiculous on the surface and the series leans into this to great effect. Embracing the ridiculousness of its setting is to be admired in Star Wars. Scenes with a certain level absurdity to them can create an added cinematic spectacle.

This has taken many forms throughout the franchise. In A New Hope there is a scene that includes a princess trapped inside the Death Star’s garbage compactor that was infested by a lethal monster. On the other hand, The Empire Strikes Back has a scene towards the end where key villains Darth Vader and Boba Fett initially appear to be hosting the rough equivalent of a dinner party for our unsuspecting heroes as well as ambushing them at the same time.

Darth Vader and Lando's 'dinner party' in the Empire Strikes Back.

Vader's line is so perfectly encapsulatory of his feelings within the film regarding the apprehension of these 'fugitives' and at the same time provides a lighthearted humorous tone for our heroes capture. The complete juxtaposition of this double meaning within dialogue is intriguing and works to create a moment of absurdity out of seriousness.

Another example of this occurs in Revenge of the Sith, when the Grand Master of the Jedi Order (Yoda) duels the Republic’s head of state (or Dark Lord of the Sith, Sheev Palpatine) in the Galactic Senate Chamber.

I love this image. The real life equivalent of a sitting US President going at the Pope on Capitol Hill in the United States Senate. That's a hilarious image given the context and its low likelihood of happening. It also happens to be a defining moment in Star Wars.

Sidious (top left) and Yoda (top right). Two of the most powerful Force users ever battle within the Galactic Senate chamber (bottom) in an era defining confrontation.

It is important that Star Wars stories retain this element of ironic instances or situations that create high drama by their location, timing, or general nature of their participants. These situations can provide a dark sense of comedy or increase the stakes of an already important event. It’s a consistent aspect of the franchise that in my mind reflects its self-described nature as a space opera.

Due to naturally assumed plot armor for major characters, this feature of the franchise is fun for me because it creates a sense of excitement or tension that does not necessarily revolve around fears that one of the heroes (or villains) might die. This allows for more interactions between our heroes and villains to take place that do not result in a final “confrontation for supremacy” or some type of final climatic meeting upon their initial encounter. I enjoy this because it creates a sense of relationship between these typically diabolically opposed forces through dialogue, in addition to sequences of combat.

This key facet of George Lucas story telling is epitomized by Dave Filoni within The Clone Wars television series I adore so much.

The example that immediately comes to mind is from a season two episode entitled, “Senate Murders.” The episode focuses on the members of opposing political factions debating the expansion of the republic military budget (to produce more clone troops). The opposition faction is led by some of the most well-known advocates of democracy in the Star Wars universe, Padme Amidala and Bail Organa (Leia’s adoptive father).

The faction in support is led by the Kaminoans (who themselves produce the clone troops) and the Banking Clan (loaning the Republic money). Both of these representatives had interests to continue the war and thus were in favor of increasing a budget that would further that aim (in The Clone Wars the two primary armed forces were manufactured, clones and droids).

The plot kicks off when one of Padme’s opposition allies is murdered and she works to investigate. Following the conclusion of the investigation, Padme punches an aide responsible for the murder of her colleague and disarms her within the Supreme Chancellor's office.

This scene was so outrageous I thought to myself that I might be witnessing the peak of space opera.

In addition to absurdity, this episode also epitomizes the worldbuilding nature of engaging with Star Wars content I desired the prequels dive further into.

The episode does so by highlighting the various positions of systems and political affiliations within the Galactic Republic during the Clone Wars.

In addition, the final scene showed an outwardly fatherly Palpatine (secret Dark Lord of the Sith) outlining to Padme how the act was a step to “lead them to peace” (CW S2 Ep. 15). It’s such a small line; however, it demonstrates a fundamentally dark aspect of Palpatine’s character to the audience that the in universe characters don’t pick up on because of his gentle fatherly persona and tone. He is stating, more or less, that peace is achieved through force and fear (as he demonstrates when he forms the Galactic Empire and executes Order 66 in Revenge of the Sith). Much like midichlorians did for the prequels, in depth politics provided greater context to not just the show’s narrative, but also the narrative of the Franchise as a whole.

Space opera ties together all eras of Star Wars content by providing a continuity of confrontation style that is familiar and effective to digest. Furthermore, it leans into the ridiculous and childish aspect of its setting by creating situations that likely couldn't occur in a world as serious as the galaxy far far away can be portrayed to be.

The clip epitomizes space opera in The Clone Wars and the humorous drama location and stakes combined can create.

Star Wars - Animated and on TV?

I remember as a kid when Star Wars: The Clone Wars came out I was originally apprehensive because Star Wars on the big screen has to have real people right?

I couldn't have been more wrong.

Each season of The Clone Wars (seven seasons) is between 10 – 20 episodes of approximately twenty five minutes in length. This type of canvas is perfect for world building on account of a lack of pacing concerns. Films often feel the need to not capture their audience's time for too long or not focus too much on scenes that don’t advance the plot directly. The longer form type of storytelling in The Clone Wars is more engaging to me because it allows for larger and smaller arcs to be told in tandem that reflects a more wholistic representation of the events occurring in universe.

In addition, plots do not have to wrapped up within an episode. The increased creative license to expand the universe is one advantageous element of moving primary Star Wars content into the television/streaming space. The amount of world building that is achieved across the show is immense. Since most episodes reflect similar levels of universe development as “Senate Murders.”

The Clone Wars series set out with an objective to adjust Anakin Skywalker’s character image after he had been accused by certain portions of the fandom of not delivering on what the Chosen One and hero of the Galactic Republic should have been within the prequel films.

The show demonstrated the character at the peak of his light side power and generally well intentioned morals; however, the show explored the darker elements of his nature as he and the show aged (to my immense viewing pleasure). It was also tasked with fleshing out some of the franchises newer characters from the prequel trilogy (Dooku, Grievous, Mace Windu etc.).

There was an overt goal to enhance or launder the prequels in a sense. Enhanced is a more apt term for those, who like me, enjoyed the prequel films and resonated with the emotional battles and weight of expectation depicted in the character of Anakin Skywalker.

In the latter seasons these moments were more real and related to Anakin as a man or character. This narrative parallels closely with the Anakin we see in Revenge of the Sith. But, I was more captivated by the spiritual (in a sense) analysis of his character or chosen one destiny alluded to in the prequels. This was demonstrated in the Mortis arc which utilized three deity figures (father or balance, daughter or light, and son or dark) in a distant realm (Mortis) to demonstrate his power as the chosen one by subduing the realm as only the Father previously could. However, the episode also highlighted his eventual fall to the dark side in Revenge of the Sith through his interactions with the son.

It was one of my favorite episodes of the series due to the immense amount of world building, foreshadowing, and character development that happened for Anakin and his Padawan Ahsoka.

It furthered layered the tissue connecting the prequels, original trilogy, and The Clone Wars. It also represented one of the early successes of The Clone Wars hybrid approach to world building that focused on the scientific specific from a mystic lens.

The Clone Wars achieved these deep character narratives by reverting to something that is kind of classic Star Wars and harks back to the 1977 original. The whiney teenage force wielding sensation has been used to depict both Luke and Anakin Skywalker in A New Hope and Attack of the Clones respectively.

The Clone Wars supervising director Dave Filoni leans into this when creating the character Ahsoka Tano to take on what amounts to the co – lead character (and the later the primary protagonist) with Anakin. This is important because it shows to Anakin and the audience a reflection of himself in many respects. Her personality was not always likable (like his) and she often succeeds when we might rather she didn't.

This provided space to work with the character. Filoni embarked on season long arcs of character and relationship development between her and Anakin. The lessons Anakin and Ahsoka learned together gave greater context to Anakin’s relationship with his own master. Through the show and what we saw of him in the prequel trilogy, specifically in Revenge of the Sith.

It was almost like taking a character and giving them a mirror to look into in the hope that might change what we all know is to come. It's a narrative choice that I enjoyed and helped drive the intense emotion I felt around Ahsoka's appearances beyond The Clone Wars.

The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels series continued in the prequel tradition of explaining different aspects of the Force in a scientific way; however, they did so in ways that reflected the original mysticism surrounding it of the original trilogy. Both shows explored the idea of larger beings more powerful in the force (Mortis gods and Bendu specifically) than those we typically have seen on screen (Jedi and Sith). When The Clone Wars delved into the mystic it was always from a chosen one gaze. This was important to the show as its main character was the chosen one or as some on the internet refer to him, space Jesus.

In the aforementioned Mortis episode arc, Ahsoka was revived by the daughter's spirit and became roughly her reincarnation in physical form. Therefore, we see two individuals who are uniquely connected the Force and force deities (Anakin and the father; Ahsoka and the daughter). I really enjoyed this as the symbolism and the potential foreshadowing for Ahsoka going forward within the Disney Star Wars projects is really quite powerful.

Whereas Anakin embodies balance as the chosen one, Ahsoka strictly embodies the light side of the Force and is unjustly kicked from (and later turns down the chance to return to) the Jedi order. The foreshadowing towards the Jedi’s downfall through possibly the embodiment of the light side of the Force leaving the order that “serves” the light side of the Force is an exquisite narrative touch. This type of layering has been part of what has made the animated shows the most enjoyable and effective Star Wars content for me.

Rebels took a lot of the more mystic Force lore and delved into it from a more fundamental perspective. Ezra Bridger is special in that he is connected to the Force and has a seemingly special connection to animals that is explored throughout the series. However, he is not the chosen one. His battles are his own and present an internal struggle that is far more grounded.

His connection to animals through the Force provided a gateway to explore its aspects in universe from a somewhat more general perspective. One that in my mind had been missing from the movies due to them primarily being a story about the Skywalker’s. For instance, in the final season arc of Rebels there is an episode entitled “The World Between World’s that explores some of the lore behind the Mortis deities through art (an exceptional vessel for religious symbolism in the real world as well).

The artistic depiction of the Mortis Gods in Star Wars Rebels at the Jedi Temple on Lothal.

In the episode Sabine Wren (an ally of Ezra’s) discusses the images from a perspective of only symbolism (harking back to the imperial officer and Han Solo’s comments about the Jedi religion in A New Hope); however, we as the audience have the benefit of knowing these deities are in fact real.

Despite this knowledge, the episode never reveals to us that the deities are real (only heavily implies such). This demonstrates the effectiveness at using different lens to tell stories in order to create a more holistic view within a fictional world. Moreover, the attitudes displayed worked to create that connection and had an increased believability thanks to the rhyming nature of them with the attitudes on display in A New Hope.

The episode reconnects back to Ezra and his connection to animals by having a portal in the Force (basically a gateway or connection to all other points in time) revealed to him by activating the artwork being studied within the Lothal Jedi temple. And then interacting with the native Loth-wolves enchanted on the mural in front of him and Sabine. However, should any other force user have possessed the art knowledge of Sabine Wren they could have also accessed the portal until it was destroyed.

This was a special moment because it further enhanced the mystic nature of the Force that could be tapped into; but not fully understood in universe due to the portal’s apparent destruction.

The episode also demonstrated an extremely powerful message about the importance of being able to let go or understanding someone’s sacrifice. I think the emphasis on loving fiercely with a lack of attachment in Star Wars is one of its most powerful messages. This episode encapsulated that and progressed the in universe lore or power of the Force to places I don’t think anyone in 1977 thought that it would go.

This theme of expanding the lore within the mindset of George Lucas' Star Wars is part of what makes the animated series so enjoyable. It's also why as a fan I became so discouraged with the Disney sequels after witnessing the care and devotion given to these series under George Lucas and Dave Filoni. The contrast with the approach it appeared Disney had when making the sequel movies couldn't have been more night and day.

A Hyperspace Whale Sized Diversion

These clips show highlights of the Rebels Season 2 episode in which purrgil were introduced.

Rebels further developed the lore of the galaxy far far away in ways beyond the Force through the force as well as outside of it. For instance, through Ezra’s Force connection to animals he was able to understand some of the motivations of large space whales (or purrgil) to the point that what usually would have been a nuisance became an ally. Furthermore, in the episode's final arc the purrgil are seen devouring unrefined starship fuel and depart into hyperspace. Provoking wonder in our heroes eyes as well as ours.

This put to bed an earlier myth put forth by the crew about this organic life-form's ability to travel in hyperspace. The ability is confirmed and adds another dimension of abilities to the large space creatures we've seen throughout the films and series (and really began in The Empire Strikes Back).

This is the type of thing that a more indignant version of me may have scoffed at or not appreciated at one point in time or another. However, I was right there in awe with the crew as the episode revealed more and more about these incredible creatures. It was a cool moment of self reflection personally for me tied to a cool moment in the show.

An example of non-force related worldbuilding occurred as double agent Kallus was attempting record private conversations of his Imperial superior Grand Admiral Thrawn. He does this by using a mouse droid (a tiny wheeled droid seen first in A New Hope and had to this point appeared, at least to me, extremely useless outside of perhaps giving directions on large space stations) to slip in a ventilation shaft and record the meeting. Kallus is unsuccessful and found out; however, that’s a testament to Thrawn’s brilliance and not the failure of witnessing new uses of old in universe tech.

I found this strategy ingenious for Kallus to employ solely because it harkened back to the original trilogy and answered a question I’d had when I first saw mouse droids, why do they exist? I found my answer and building those type of expansionary world building connections is key to what makes watching Star Wars special to me. The more things are explained in Star Wars, the less able one is to understand it (much like our own world there is a desire to oversimplify) and isn’t reductive of the tone the original trilogy laid out.

The animated features of Star Wars quickly became my favorite pieces of of content set within the galaxy far far away. They won me over despite my original (misguided) misgivings and now I am one of their biggest advocates. Goes to show what first impressions mean in regards to entertainment or honestly otherwise. Each story arc improving and fleshing out different aspects of the political, cultural, technical, biological, and mystical elements within the Star Wars universe.

The MCU - Cinema for the Uncinematic (Me)

At this point you may be thinking to yourself that movies are inherently bad and every large scale franchise should follow The Clone Wars, Rebels, and Game of Thrones model and take that shit to TV! However, making a story longform as fuck (if PG-13 movies get one so do I) is no indicator of success if the last 2 seasons of Game of Thrones are any indication. But I digress. Movies can be just as effective vessels of storytelling and world building as television shows.

Movies often have a lot more plot lines right in your face and may have to restrict some of what you know about the world based on what the director/producer consider to be must know/see. Episode long diversions on the adventure of some lost droids are not going to make the final cut.

This is not inherently bad as the example I just referenced from Star Wars is one of the slowest Clone Wars episodes imaginable. The point being, you can make mistakes in either medium and if you are looking for an example of how to minimize mistakes across a vast number of films (mainly) and some other media there is one name that stands above the rest.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Twenty Three main films provide the first chapter for a universe that has dabbled in television but made cinema its bread and butter. They’ve accomplished this by remaining true to a degree to what superheroes embody in the comics and integrated magical/”comic bookie” elements later on into a world that had been cultivated for some semblance of realism through the first couple movies, Iron Man and Hulk.

I would consider my knowledge of Star Wars to be relatively sweaty (extremely deep and really just too much). My knowledge and perspective on the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU from here on out, aight) is fairly normie or mainstream. This means I’m approaching the MCU with a slightly different critical perspective than I view Star Wars.

The Star Wars extended universe or “legends” holds some of my favorite stories (KotOR, KotOR II, and Heir to the Empire to name a few). Contrastingly, I'm not sure I could confidently name my favorite Marvel Comics run. I've read Marvel comics, but I haven't read enough of them or surrounded myself in them to a degree that would allow me to do so confidently with the right knowledge like I can in Star Wars. Thus, I am more immersed in Star Wars and I think that is something that may have led to my harsher critiques of certain aspects of it. Not to say that I think the MCU is perfect; however, I think it’s fair to say and acknowledge that my expectations are generated from a slightly different place.

It might be fair to say I have extensive “comic book” like knowledge of Star Wars but not Marvel (Ironic… see I can’t help but throw in a Star Wars joke).

My exposure to superheroes came primarily through these movies and the expanded lore of comics and other media is not as much a part of my breadth of primary knowledge. However, speculation about future events in the MCU based on the comics is one of my favorite activities to engage in online. This is mainly because the basis for all of these movies originated somewhere in the comics. Furthermore, they have continued to draw off of them to varying degrees as the film universe has developed. Moreover, Marvel Studios has built up a credibility with me (and many other fans) due to their ability to adapt already established properties in a way that makes sense and is enjoyable for the widest possible audience.

This distinction is important because it provides accessibility to segments of the audience (like myself) who weren't ready to dive into of the deep complex nature of comic book lore.

The MCU - An Adaptation

The basis in comic book stories has allowed for producers and directors to operate within the parameters of an established and accepted universe on more of their own terms. The beauty of this system is that the lore of these characters, places, events, etc. is widely known and recognized by many fans. This creates “oh shit” moments for fans who are seeing events from the page play out in front of them in all of the 21st century’s CGI glory.

This is awesome!

It creates special moments for hardcore fans and brings normie fans like me into the lore of the much more fantasy esque nature of the comics. This is crucial for me because when I was younger I often found the boots on the ground heroes fighting crime or some “national” threat to be great. However, later I began to find them reductive of the full potential of the superhero genre as I became more engrossed by it. The genre by nature is fantastical and ought to embrace that.

The MCU has introduced magic gradually throughout the phases of release for films. It remains one of my favorite elements of their work within the MCU because it helped me to understand as a kid that I was reductive of the superhero genre and not the other way around. Moreover, the MCU didn't throw magic in audience's faces all at once in a way that would confuse those like me who weren't aware of or ready for magic and superheroes to mix (but totally and utterly DOWN).

The basis in comic book lore has also allowed for some extensive character development that isn’t possible for a lot of other films. The crossover nature of the series allows for characters to change over the course of multiple films/in universe events that they have ties to through the connections they make and the actions they take within the MCU.

This is because many of these transitions weren’t concepts that had to be created. They merely had to adapt or embody the major aspects of characters from the comic runs in an intentionally segmented way (mind you the nature of comics helped segment stories or character development anyway). This provided for greater a worldbuilding focus within their movies because characters likely only had to grow/change a little bit (if at all) over the course of the movie.

Worldbuilding easter eggs are awesome in so many ways. So for those of you who are confused these are scenes that Marvel has often placed in the middle or the end of credits (not always as they sometimes place these within the main narrative).

In some cases they are simply Stan Lee making a cameo in one project or another. They vary in importance, but are fun to find all them same.

A focus on dramatically expanding the cinematic universe began from the very first movie’s end credits scene and similar easter eggs have become standard fair for all MCU projects since. They are an extremely effective tool for cinematic universe creation. This is because it allows them to highlight something new or create comic relief in a way that teases future projects to keep fan interest and hype alive even in down times for the studio (which by that I mean the few months a year they Marvel Studios isn’t releasing one thing or another).

The recent limited show WandaVision made use of them throughout the show to help set up (or let down?) the upcoming episodes and some of the projects that will follow it. Within this show this happened a few times for better or worse.

For Instance, in the second to last episode there was a mid-credits scene that teased a big character reveal in the finale, White Vision. It had been theorized by many fans of the comics that he would show up in some form (villain or hero) during the series. The moment was incredible and led to a weeks worth of speculation on what he might be up to in the last episode.

I like how they handled this because as important as White Vision likely will be to the MCU, his role in WandaVision was rather small. The show itself primarily focused on exploring Wanda's mental state following the loss of Vision and the blip. Therefore, personally I would’ve found it extremely distracting for this new version of Vision to show up right as we’re hitting pay dirt on Wanda’s story in the main runtime of the penultimate episode.

This short clip is nearly the entirety of White Vision's appearance within the final episode (mind you this is also at the beginning). He leaves you pondering him and what on earth he could be doing.

The attention is primarily drawn to him and his appearance in the MCU and not exactly what he's doing within the show. This is also why I would have been so distracted and disappointed if he had been teased during what I felt was a Wanda driven story.

However, this is what makes this type of worldbuilding so effective for me. Instead of placing a cumbersome scene in an episode where it doesn’t really fit, the show creators were able to tease an upcoming reveal in the final episode without breaking off from the focus on Wanda.

In this way, I get to be hype about White Vision and what that means for the broader MCU. Without it detracting from an ideal episode narrative that left off on a cliffhanger. I don't have two cliffhangers planted within my mind right away.

I love that the credits allow me time to properly digest what I've just watched and usually prepare for what I might see after them. I'm even more appreciative of the MCU for understanding this and making expert use of that.

The show also provided an easter egg in the form of Monica Rambeau’s origin story. She gains the power to absorb and replicate any type of energy she comes into contact with (now this isn’t explained in the show it is just demonstrated that she now has some form of likely “mutant” powers). This was a huge development for the MCU and was handled in a very casual way that I found appealing. The show used elements it had already explored for narrative purposes earlier (the Hex or Wanda's Hex) in order to introduce a new superhero.

This clip demonstrates the very ambiguous (our friends on YouTube have thankfully filled us in on them) but obviously clear acquisition of powers by Monica.

During her third passage through (second entry) Wanda’s hex the barrier scrambled her genetic code and granted her superhuman abilities. I found this to be a unique way of taking a side character in one show and giving them an origin story within a story that’s not their own per se (since origin story movies are kinda played out. Not totally though, don’t get it twisted I’d rush over to Disney+ to watch a new one right now). This was cool, since for me it implies that the next time we see her on screen it’s going to be in a much more accelerated capacity than some other heroes have been introduced.

That’s not to say origin stories aren’t important; however, the diversification of how that’s tackled is extremely compelling. It is the choice to subvert the idea of a big drawn out origin story and instead using what is right in front of you narratively that I find so appealing. It's an efficient use of my time. As I noted when talking about Star Wars, it's important for fantastical stories set in the same universe to have a familiarity while not feeling like carbon copies of projects that have already been made.

These choices within adaptation and fantasy universe world building are what set the MCU apart and why I hold it in such high regard. It also furthers my cautious optimism that when adapting legends stories into Star Wars Disney will take similar care in creating a standout product.

The MCU - Connecting the Magic Dots

Building off of the easter egg and world building successes I outlined. I wanted to demonstrate the effectiveness of Marvel Studios ability to adapt comics on screen. I felt it would be prudent to focus on the MCU adaptation of magic. The slow burn on magic that the MCU has utilized has a way of getting people on board with shit they might not have thought they would be.

As a kid I thought about super heroes in a pretty standard way. They had crazy powers and used them to help people by saving them, fighting crime, and occasionally combatting some crazy villain like Dr. Octopus in Spider Man. Furthermore, older superhero movies my parents had shown me did not really resonate at the time (how could I have ever hated Batman Returns growing up???).

The two film experiences I had in the MCU changed that for me (the first two films I saw if you could believe that). They were Iron Man and Thor.

I was around eleven or twelve years old when chanced across the MCU hanging out with my cousin David. He was a few years older and really wanted to watch Iron Man. As far as I can recall, I was fairly neutral on the matter.

The first thing I thought after he showed me the film Iron Man was that wow, superheroes aren’t for kids or at least they don’t have to be! For the rest of the night I was thinking about how sweet Iron Man was and how I wanted a suit just like that.

David was going crazy about the potential team up of the Avengers teased in a mid-credits scene. This would hit home for me later; however, I wasn’t ready to process anything beyond that this movie was violent, funny, and a joy to watch. It opened my eyes to what a good superhero movie could be and appealed to the sense of adventure, wonder, and amazement I seek out in film and other media.

Despite this (and I mean it's so damn obvious), I wouldn’t fully comprehend the scale of the lore in the film series until after I had seen Thor. It was then that the world building basics from the comics that my cousin had been so excited about even clicked for me.

Thor was the first MCU film that really addressed magic in any kind of meaningful way that a normie like me would understand. First, I saw a bad ass Thor summoning mystical lightning bolts from the heavens until being banished to Earth. He was rendered powerless for his hubris.

So that was dope.

But the magic disappeared fairly quickly? It reappeared in the dialogue between the films main characters Thor and Jane Foster.

Thor’s interactions with his rescuer Jane were awesome because she is trying to understand a fundamentally magic event (the Bifrost that brought him to earth) scientifically. On the other hand, he is trying to come to terms with a normal life on earth without his godlike power.

One line sticks out to me specifically for how well it would tie the MCU together. Moreover, it also serves as a reminder of how little we know about our own universe.

Thor comments that in Asgard (Viking god realm for those unitiated in Norse mythology or the MCU) what on earth we call science and magic are actually “one in the same.”

This was an incredibly stripped down way of introducing the concept of magic in a movie.

Usually magic is not something that anyone can achieve; however, in the MCU (thanks to this line) it is something that can be aspired to (or even understood?) somewhat through a combination of alien materials and highly advanced technology.

The movie also reframed how I viewed the Bifrost and other pieces of Asgardian magic in my mind. They half became pieces of Asgardian technology.

It’s a unique dynamic that provided for a substantial amount of world building within the film series. Now that the cat was out of the bag, the MCU could delve into magic at their leisure and on their terms as opposed to the audience’s. The standards had been laid out in a way that made sense to me and could be adapted to other characters or powers and still make sense.

This is exemplified in two MCU projects specifically, the movie Dr. Strange and the recently released streaming series WandaVision. I now find magic to be my favorite element of the MCU. In addition, to being a perfect example of the effective world building and storytelling that can take place on screen.

Magic was easily accepted by mainstream audiences (it’s a fantasy movie) and because it was built up to. Marvel Studios didn’t throw witches and wizards full on in our faces until they had created a continuity of magic through more established heroes. Despite these elements being mainstream within the comic book lore, they were not always common elements of superhero movies prior to the MCU. Following Thor, magic became a generally more common feature within projects across the MCU.

The Tesseract (a magic space cube housing one of the six infinity stones) that was first teased in Thor showed up again in Captain America: The First Avenger and the first team up movie, The Avengers.

This was important continuity for the endgame of the MCU's third phase that was being built into the world from the very beginning. However, it also helped to establish a continuity of magic that would be developed gradually across phase two (with a specific emphasis on Thor: The Dark World, yuck I know. Honestly didn’t want to bring it up so moving on).

To counteract that abomination, let's point out that Avengers: Age of Ultron introduced the incredibly magical Wanda Maximoff (or Scarlett Witch) and began to move away from more mainstream heroes into some heroes that hadn’t graced film screens.

Wanda is an example of a character I hadn’t heard of prior to her introduction in Ultron. Her story and powers added an incredible depth to not only her debut film, but the series overall. I liked that she was a real wild card and had a seriously limited grasp of her powers but an insane natural ability.

Her power level was almost unmatched, but her knowledge was low and would allow me to grow in understanding with her. A hero's journey if you will.

This works because it doesn't hold her back as a superhero in her early appearances; however, it provides substantial complication due to the limited understanding in universe and out of what exactly she can do.

Continually a supporting character for her first appearances in the MCU, Wanda Maximoff finally got her moment to shine in the 2021 limited show WandaVision.

WandaVision was important to the MCU for a multitude of reasons. It was one of the first projects of phase 4, explored ramifications of the blip (this was some mass universal genocide that Thanos committed at the end of phase 3 in Avengers Infinity War. That was you know magically induced and reversed), and some major world building for the universe as a whole.

The show exemplified much of what made The Clone Wars and Rebels so intoxicating to immerse myself in. The longer form media was newish for the mainstream MCU and executed quite exceptionally (There had been Marvel shows made on TV and streaming services like Netflix. Agent Carter comes to mind, but despite their official presence in the MCU there has been no tie in between them and the MCU movies and the new Disney+ shows. That’s not to say they’re not cool or important; however, it does mean my exposure to them is limited).

The show used its episodic format to leave cliffhangers, tease some potential Easter eggs across episodes, and create a general air of mystery around the in universe setting and plot to be paid off in the show’s final episodes.

The first few episodes focused on a sitcom starring Wanda and her husband Vision. This was strange and the continually changing decade theme of each episode was rather odd as well.

The end of episode 3 and episode 4 were really where the major world building started and the plot (in my mind at least) really took off.

We find out Wanda is controlling thousands of people with her magic to do exactly as she says within the town her and Vision are residing in for the sitcom (which is being broadcasted on certain frequencies outside the hex).

This clip demonstrates the untamed and raw nature of Wanda's power. She doesn't know whats happening and neither do we. The creation of the Hex was accidental and conceived through grief. It wasn't something she learned in a book or in a science lab; however, the show worked a lot to demonstrate that there were ways she's could learn to harness and control it.

Woah, catch your breath. If that was a lot? I feel you. And for a mainstream audience in 2008 it might have been (actually, who am I kidding this would have probably flopped so hard); however, in the 2021 phase 4 MCU it was almost just par for the course.

This of course is due to, in my mind, the introduction of the Sorcerer Supreme in Dr Strange.

Dr Strange was a movie that knitted the MCU together a little more tightly and clearly following its release in 2016. It was also super dope and had a trippy vibe that was turned to again later in the show WandaVision (which also explored magic heavily, coincidence? unlikely...).

Anyways, Dr. Stephen Strange started off as basically the Tony Stark of specialized surgical medicine. He was a savant (knew it) and was extremely arrogant in the way he conducted himself. Self-caused personal tragedy (the loss of motor skills would be devastating to a gifted surgeon) sent him in a downwards spiral until he met someone who had been healed of their body paralysis miraculously.

Seeking out this healer brought him into contact with the Ancient One who reveals things such as the Astral Plane and multiple other dimensions like the Dark and Mirror dimensions (basic explanation: magic in the earth dimension draws power from other dimensions to create spells and the Astral Plane is basically like the magic soul plane that wizards can go to and chill in or learn things while doing other things. As far as I can tell).

This all happens at a MCU wizard school (Kamar-Taj) that provides the perfect backdrop to have this information dumped on us. Strange provided an excellent conduit for me as he came in to the training as a skeptic and nonbeliever. Making his eventual belief a resounding confirmation of the presence of now high level and controlled magic within the MCU.

The movie also demonstrated consistently how magic power could be channeled from or through an infinity stone by the Ancient One and Dr Strange’s use of the Time Stone to enhance there own power.

The world building achieved here was super important and executed in a way that I really enjoyed. Previously, infinity stones had been shown to have power on their own and able to be controlled with devices such as Loki’s scepter in the original Avengers. Dr Strange focused on their relation to magic (I mean like 70% of this movie was exploring magic so expected to be fair) and the general power enhancement they grant. This was key to the believability of Thanos power in Avengers Infinity War as he wielded all six infinity stones (for anyone not steeped in comic book lore that is).

For me personally, this was dope because it continued the gradual introduction of magic elements throughout the series of films. Despite the film on the surface appearing like it delved headfirst into magic (which the movie certainly did in a lot of different ways).

The logical steps from magic is technology or science to magic is untamed to magic can be tamed or studied is a circle. It reaffirms the idea that magic can be aspirational or accessible too many different people in many different forms.

I find this take on magic refreshing. It's not hidden and kept a secret from those who may need it like in Harry Potter. It's not based on being blood of the dragon or of the first men like in A Song of Ice and Fire. Its not due to a high concentration of certain organisms in your blood like in Star Wars.

In the MCU magic is almost tangible. It can sometimes feel like it always was. I would argue that aura is the careful work of crafting a believable world that evolves slowly in order to shift as many minds into perceiving it as so.

Or at least that's how it worked for me.

The MCU - Worldbuilding Within our Reality?

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Episode 5 of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier brought Sam and Captain America's shield face to face with Isaiah in order to hear what exactly his story was. It was an extremely moving scene that elevated the show's characters by offering them each agency like they may not have had or viewed it before.

The MCU's work in adaptation has been known to cherry pick elements of certain stories and combine them with another narrative or combination of narratives they are adapting for a film or show.

The adaptations of some smaller elements from specific comic book stories or a hybridization of multiple comic runs present opportunities for creators to tap into some more niche stories, characters, and ideas not explored generally in the MCU.

My favorite example of this type of adaptation is in the streaming series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier through the introduction of the character, Isaiah Bradley, to the MCU.

Introduced in the comic, Truth: Red, White, and Black, Isaiah Bradley’s character has been praised for its depiction of a black superhero and the obstacles/abuse that he has had to face as such; however, some have criticized the comic for reinforcing stereotypes of black Americans.

I personally find the story highly compelling not only for the in universe MCU reasons (there was an American super soldier between Steve disappearing and Steve reappearing that almost no one knew about. On top of that, he kicked prime Winter Soldier’s ass), but mainly the fact that this story can explore some real world racial dynamics and perspectives that exist in the United States. Applying direct national concerns to a fictional universe adds a layer of realism to the world that allows for the incorporation of emotion from reality to slip into a fictional reality.

I love that blurring of lines between what is and what is not.

This is being shown through the lens of HYDRA controlling vast swathes of the US government.

Is this the best way to demonstrate the evils and other atrocities committed by the US government, specifically towards black Americans?

No.

The US government doesn’t need a pseudo NAZI/Soviet secret paramilitary organization controlling it in order to commit acts of evil in the real world or the MCU. However, for better or worse I am of the opinion that it certainly makes the issues more palatable for sections of the audience who don’t believe that racism is still a real problem in this country. Or those would rather not think about it when they go to watch a superhero show. However, that doesn’t mean that the tackling of real world topics is handled distastefully.

One of the most interesting examples for me was the subverting of expectations on a random police stop.

Bucky (Winter Soldier) and Sam (Falcon) are stopped by cops because they are having a disagreement and the cops naturally assume that the black man, Sam, is aggravating or doing something more or less unsavory to Bucky (a white man).

As the scene progresses the cop proceeds to call in backup before recognizing that Sam is in fact one of the Avengers. He begins to deescalate the situation when he recognizes Bucky also is an Avenger, but one with a missed court mandated therapy and an outstanding arrest warrant. He was then taken into custody.

I found this scene to be highly effective at playing with certain stereotypes in our mind and at the same time having us critically look at them from a point of observation like a sociologist may.

This type of narrative is not really something that could be achieved in Star Wars without significantly importing our problems into their universe. However, it does present an outstanding example of how to handle a subject full of depth and nuance within a 'comic book' show.

From where I'm standing Disney Star Wars could achieve a level of profoundness or social commentary similar to this by tapping into the timeless politics infused within the universe since George first envisioned a farm boy on a backwater world becoming a galactic hero. Or even more insightfully it could continue with the deconstruction of democracy outline that began with the prequel films and was cemented in The Clone Wars.

The messages of the MCU might be more poignant or topical because of the nature of the fantasy setting within a version of our planet; however, that shouldn't stop Disney Lucasfilm from trying to tap into similar emotional notes when creating there own projects.

Disney - A Spotlight of Darkness

Disney as a company was always going to try and parlay its success with Marvel Studios into Lucasfilm and Star Wars (by success I mean the typically widespread approval of MCU projects as opposed to Star Wars often divisive projects). For instance, the sequel trilogy was a financial record breaker; however, I (and many others) felt betrayed by the apparent lack of a plan or overarching plot, poor character development, and rough writing.

The biggest example of this modeling was the recanonizing the vast majority of pre Disney extended universe content (all the sick novels, video games, comics etc.) as not being part of the official Star Wars continuity.

This spotlight of darkness eliminated HUGE swaths of the Star Wars continuity and presented Disney with an opportunity to maybe adapt them like they've done with Marvel Comics in the MCU. To much to hope for? Maybe....

The rift was created before the sequels were released; however, it does not appear that these stories heavily influenced them (Outside of a son of Han Solo turning to the dark side. And if we're being honest Ben Solo/Kylo Ren was a Walmart Jacen Solo/Darth Caedus at best).

Only later did Disney seem to realize the goldmine of stories and characters they had to draw on. As Filoni had done pre-Disney acquisition in The Clone Wars and after as well.

Above, Filoni Re-Canonizes Darth Bane following his erasure from continuity by Disney in season 6 on the Clone Wars Filoni had been drawing links from Clone Wars to the EU/Legends since the earliest days of the show. Below, the EU/Legends fan favorite Quinlan Vos was saved from de-canonization due to his appearance in the Season 3 Clone Wars episode, The Hunt for Ziro.

An undercover Quinlan Vos on Tatooine in Star Wars The Phantom Menace. An example of expansionary worldbuilding Quinlan was an extra who looked so intriguing that a Jedi character and undercover narrative were built around him.

Filoni is kind of the break the mold guy in all of this relating to Star Wars. The Clone Wars was great and had links to legends pre-Disney (EU material at the time) and it was also great and had links to legends post-Disney.

This could become an entire diatribe into Disney’s scandalous behavior in reducing some of the best Star Wars stories to irrelevancy. However, I will refrain and choose to look at the positives of this decision (little that there are… RIP to Revan, Mara Jade, Kreia, HK-47, Jacen, and Jaina Solo...).

However, on the business side of things it makes sense. Lucasfilm has oft been divisive amongst even the fiercest supporters of Star Wars.

The Plan - Model a studio that has consistently divided the fanbase on a studio that has more or less been universally praised for its film work in adaptation.

Seems like it can't miss.... And based on the ability to successfully adapt Marvel Comics, Disney should be able to find similar success in reintegrating Legends characters and stories into the fabric of 'canon' Star Wars.

I don't love the rift between the two collections of stories, but I understand it.

In continuing to prove just how adept a studio can be at adaptations Disney and Marvel Studios reaffirmed their skill within the series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

Marvel Studios is situating itself once again to adapt even more comic stories to the big screen by introducing normies to comic book staples like US Agent (John Walker) and portraying a more comic accurate (and in my mind favorite character on the show) Baron Zemo to great effect in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

The show primarily highlights the more grey or ambiguous nature of heroes that aren’t perfect (whether personally or due to the institutions that created or supported them). Bucky, Walker, and Zemo all fall into this category.

Playing this up a lot is Baron Zemo as the anti-hero (transitioned from more traditional villain). This is a delightful narrative touch surrounding the show. Down the road could this portrayal be setting him up as a potential member of the anti-hero/villain squad, the Thunderbolts?

We can only speculate for now.

That's the beauty of having an adapted narrative. Speculation is rampant and other nerds will dig through any source material to find potential clues as to what may happen.

The longer form show is ideal for this type of deeper character building. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier pulls from the WandaVision model and uses itself as an origin story for the aforementioned John Walker/US Agent. They are looking to recycle their format of adaptations into an even longer narrative and develop a new secondary character over the course of a major show marketed as Sam Wilson and Bucky's time to shine.

This is Sick.

Specifically because I don’t read comics and love to watch shows that go deep into character development and at the same time keep some things murky.

As a typically non-comic reader, I myself may be more in the dark than others. Not going to lie, finding things out and enjoying them in the MCU with the rest of the normies is a vibe.

For instance, spending so much time on John Walker’s origin story as US Agent has been criticized by some fans who felt that this information was already known and did not need to be addressed. I think the correct choice was made not to assume this info and introduce him as an immediate anti-hero/villain in another project as US Agent.

Witnessing his fall from grace and demonstration of some of America’s worst values as Captain America is graphic and raw.

This has allowed the normie section of the audience to be able to connect with him in ways that we wouldn’t have prior to this. For example, we see the general time frame Walker becomes ‘super human’ by taking the super soldier serum and the ramifications of that in real time as opposed to through dialogue (in a future piece) or some short flashback.

However, the show keeps us in the dark about when exactly he took it despite providing all the needed context to know that he did and what likely drove him to do so.

I enjoyed this choice and think it lends itself well towards the show’s secondary objective of introducing US Agent to the MCU. Walker taking the serum wasn’t the important point. The important point was all the reasons why he felt that it was the only option.

The deliberate choice not to include a scene of him taking it is extremely effective because it reduces the importance of the serum in the my mind and highlights John Walker’s mental anguish or struggle.

The interactions between Falcon, Winter Soldier, Walker, and Zemo are filled with a darker undertone and some drier humor on the surface. This is reflective of some but not all the elements of space opera and has been a key driver of the show for me.

Sam (Falcon), Bucky (Winter Soldier), Baron Zemo discuss Marvin Gaye, among other things, on board Zemo's Jet in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

It has created a fascinating dynamic that looks exciting to dive into in future MCU projects. Throwing them all together without context wouldn’t work in a movie for wider audiences because of the amount of character building that needed to take place on screen to set up further arcs for these characters, all of them.

The TV show format provided the ideal canvas.

Marvel Studios head honcho Kevin Feige is quoted as such: “We try to make the stories unfold in a way that if you are following along and have seen what has preceded it, you'll be right up to speed. And more importantly, if you haven't, you'll be up to speed.”

I find this perspective to be key in why the MCU works for me and probably so many other people.

Those in charge have found a way or at least attempt to make things make sense for longtime fans and new recruits alike. Projects can be enjoyed without context on the surface level due to intriguing and exciting stories or through an emotional connection to the characters through a deeper breadth of knowledge.

Only through skillful adaptation has this delicate balance been achieved.

Returning to the canon rift in Star Wars and how thats been handled.

The most recent examples of the MCU using another character's show as an origin story has some of its roots in the reintroduction of one of Legends' favorite creations back into the official continuity. Demonstrating an adeptness for adaptation within the overall Disney studio when they take the care to respect the stories they touch.

Timothy Zahn’s phenomenally written character, Grand Admiral Thrawn was brought back into the Disney continuity almost immediately after he was removed through the recanonizing ordeal (1 year roughly).

It remains one of the better examples within Disney Lucasfilm of adapting characters to their continuity.

In 2015, the original Thrawn creator published the first (of now many) official Disney Star Wars continuity novels focusing specifically on the Chiss Grand Admiral. Additionally, in the year following the first book's release the animated series Rebels brought him in to become the primary antagonist for seasons 3 and 4.

The show version was immensely popular and brought many non-legends fans up to speed on Thrawn. It reminds me of my own enjoyment witnessing John Walker on the screen for the first time and how I've enjoyed learning about a totally new character on screen.

The villain debuted in the now legends novel, Heir to the Empire, he subjugated the galaxy through force of will (Some would call it brutally efficient ruthlessness). However, in the original novels and in his new canon appearances across media Thrawn is given more than one appeal to his more positive character traits (leading him almost into anti-hero territory). These differ somewhat from the typically gruesomely ignorant methods of the Empire. He possesses an exceptionally brilliant strategic military mind and a keen eye for the intricacies of the art of different cultures across the galaxy that he incorporates into his tactics (the dude is fascinating you can see why they brought him back so quickly).

Above: Clip of Thrawn using his knowledge of art and tactics to outsmart Hera and Ezra in Rebels.

Here's to my hoping that more extended universe or 'legends' characters and stories are brought back into the official fold with the skillfulness of Grand Admiral Thrawn's second debut, John Walker's MCU debut, and Baron Zemo's reinterpreting (specifically looking at Revan and KotOR Disney... Currently sitting out in the Star Wars wilderness wasting away despite the brilliance of both KotOR and KotOR II as stories and video games).

The original Thrawn trilogy (above left) released in the 1990s. The first three new canon Thrawn novels (above right) written by Timothy Zahn (his origin story with the Empire).

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Disney - Once Upon a Time Star Wars had a Plan

Connecting properties across time is difficult, but connecting properties currently in development with one another can be just as much of a hassle. Even as Disney whiffed on an entire trilogy, they still managed to put out a lot of great content that expanded or connected the Star Wars landscape in some highly integrated ways.

This is important for me because of the demonstration of competence from portions of Lucasfilm amidst the relative disasters of JJ Abrams (twice...) and Rian Johnson.

The first example of cross property world building (evidence in my mind of some kind of a plan and therefore a respect for the characters, narratives, and themes I've held dear) in Star Wars since Disney took over has been the continued focus on the effects of Order 66 across the galaxy for various surviving Jedi, Clones, and their associate's.

The video Game Jedi Fallen Order explores Jedi protagonist Cal Kestis' trauma at failing to save his master from death in Order 66 as he strives to walk the path of the light. Contrastingly, the game pits Order 66 and disillusionment as the reason that Taron Malicos (the penultimate villain and rogue Jedi) fell to the dark side on Dathomir. He continually tries to turn Cal away from the light through appeals to his own dark side that Cal can certainly relate to from his own trauma.

Additionally, Disney's Season 7 of The Clone Wars put perhaps the most emotionally wrenching moments of Order 66 on screen in ways that even Revenge of the Sith would not.

Watching Clone Captain Rex turn on Ahsoka and her belief in in his character resulting in them refusing to kill their fellow soldiers who had turned on them was Star Wars at its zenith.

The raw emotion I felt at Ahsoka still going and burying each of her fallen clone comrades who had turned on her at the end of the episode touched my heart in some very real ways.

Furthermore, Disney built onto this specific storyline when in Rebels Jedi Survivor Kanan Jarus is exceedingly untrusting of Captain Rex. This is because he is a clone and they wiped out most of the Jedi during Order 66 after serving under them for the entirety of the Clone Wars, despite Ahsoka imploring him to trust Rex. Ahsoka knew Rex wouldn't hurt Kanan and his companions because she removed the programming chip which sent the order through. However, Kanan is skeptical these programming chips exist at all and believes they were a cover story to protect the clone troopers.

The exploration around the trauma of Order 66 is incredible to see and appears to be manifesting in a similar way through the current exploration of the consequences surrounding the blip for individuals and groups in 2021 MCU streaming shows.

A further example of Disney transitioning into cross property world building in Star Wars that is reminiscent of the MCU is through the Gathering. Through a continued emphasis on it they have shown how various Jedi have approached the ritual across the timeline of Star Wars.

This reference point not only builds on the foundation of one of the universes critical elements (Lightsaber construction), but also linked in a cool way for me personally as I moved across the different Disney content and was able to see and make these connections for myself.

The Clone Wars season five featured an episode arc that began with Yoda and Ahsoka traveling to Ilum with younglings for the ritual to receive lightsaber crystals as thousands of Jedi had done before them. This presentation showed how this occurred during the years of Jedi prominence in the Republic. Each youngling had their own trial or fear to overcome and were guided in some very limited ways by Yoda and Ahsoka.

This is the iteration from which the other interpretations have been modeled; however, they rhyme with one another so as to be unique but still true to the universe.

The video game Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order explores this in its post Order 66/Jedi Purge frame of reference and Jedi protagonist Cal Kestis is required to figure out the puzzles to enter the crystal caves on his own as he has no master to guide him (very unique in Star Wars that an apprentice be studying almost on their own).

Below: Clip from Fallen Order shows the conclusion of Cal's Gathering.

Next up is Ezra Bridger (in Rebels), his Gathering experience shows us how one without access to Ilum (the traditional location of the Gathering) might be able to obtain a kyber or lightsaber crystal. He undertakes a similar journey to Cal and The Clone Wars younglings; however, he is on his home world of Lothal within an ancient Jedi Temple.

I found this interpretation of the Gathering to be my favorite because it offered a lot of insight into the post Republic era of the original trilogy and alluded to the mystic powers of the Force through Yoda's unique cameo.

Above: Younglings approach the old Jedi Temple on Ilum for the Gathering in The Clone Wars. Master Yoda and Ahsoka wait for the remaining younglings to return (or not with their crystals) from the Gathering.

Above: Clip from Rebels of Ezra's Gathering.

A final cross property world building item to note is the connection between the Death Star (in the original Star Wars: A New Hope) project (codename Stardust), its stolen plans, the Geonosians who started its construction, and Saw Gerrera trying to discover it. This all spread across the prequels, The Clone Wars, Rebels, Fallen Order, and the feature film Rogue 1.

The film created a direct link to the original film by explaining what some felt was a plot hole (the exploitable weakness in the Death Star) and gave a story to the only alluded 'Bothan spies' in A New Hope. Seeing familiar players dealing with this project or hearing their names associated with it bring an incredible link across a vast array of properties made under the Disney Star Wars license and create a desired feeling of planning or interconnectedness among them.

The net three clips demonstrate the interconnectedness Disney created between A New Hope, Rogue 1, and Rebels.

Top Down: Saw as a young freedom fighter being trained by the Jedi in The Clone Wars.

Left Bottom: Saw as he appears in Fallen Order on Kashyyyk talking with and planning an assault with Cal. Cal and Ezra both see Saw as a man of action in their time with him, but later have reservations about the levels of violence he's willing to undertake. Dave Filoni and other crew going over their desire to create a connective tissue between Rebels and Rogue 1.

Top down: Geonosian Leaders download and prepare to smuggle original Death Star plans off world in Attack of the Clones. Vader and Sidious admire the beginning of Death Star construction above Geonosis in Revenge of the Sith. The Rebels crew arrives above Geonosis only to find...

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I am in complete awe of the love and care given towards weaving these old and new storylines together in a way that benefits the greater lore of Star Wars. It is certainly one of the beauties of expansionary creation. If the dots are being connected in a way that makes sense and is interesting, it doesn't matter that that may not have been the original intention or direction a line or object that is being elaborated on pointed to.

I enjoy the air of developmental mystery that can exist through that.

Although typically used to interconnect a fandom positively, cross property world building can be seen where none exists. Or set as bait for fans? You take your pick. An example of cross property world building and potential easter eggs gone awry was presented in the form of Pietro (or Fietro) Maximoff (Quicksilver, dead in the MCU continuity at the time of appearance) in WandaVision and played by the 21st Century Fox version of the character’s actor, Evan Pieters.

The casting led to many wild fan theories and speculation about a potential breaking of the multiverse and the incorporation of the Fox X-Men into the MCU as 'mutants' due to recent acquisition of the character licenses by Disney from 21st Century Fox.

He was teased to be the real Quicksilver in his brief MCU appearance. By the end it was revealed he was a total random under the main villain's (Agatha Hardwick) control.

To add insult to injury for many, his MCU name was revealed to be Ralph Bohner. This represented not so much a slap in the face to me, but to other comic book fans who had been dreaming of an official mutants introduction into the MCU through WandaVision and Evan Pieters.

It wasn't just that theories and hype outweighed reality. It was that many of these individuals within the Marvel fan community felt disrespected by a studio that usually takes them pretty seriously. It was a red flag amidst a lot of green ones.

I personally (childish as though it may seem) enjoyed the Bohner joke because I hadn’t set myself up for the expectation of some crazy reveal.

This is I think where my difference in fan perspective between the two universes really comes to light. If this had occurred in Star Wars I doubt I would have been so amicable towards it. However, I was enjoying the show exploring magic in the MCU. And when magic is involved things are not always as they seem (hence no Fox universe Quicksilver/multiverse madness coming to the MCU and instead, Ralph Bohner).

This is a much more normie attitude, (I think) but reflects who Disney is attempting to target with these shows since many people are like me and find these stories fascinating, but don’t love the format of comics. This is big though. Once the mainstream MCU fans catch up in some ways to comics fans through shows like WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and Loki. It will allow for some pretty culturally monolithic moments on the level of Endgame and Infinity War with an even broader, more interesting, and diverse character set.

Adaptation has always been the MCU's bread and butter so it's interesting to see them stumble so late in the game. However, for the most part I don't think this is indicative of a crumbling adaptive team. It appears a lot more like a misguided joke. Marvel Studios likely thought the fans would enjoy and hopefully this results in a recalibration for the studio and Disney as a whole in terms of adapting new properties to their own current ones.

The main point here being that I had to work somewhat hard to find a real MCU misstep in this regard and wouldn't have had to do the same in regards to Star Wars. In fact, I had some difficulty in finding examples of this being done well by Lucasfilm (they introduced Revan to Canon from the BioWare masterpiece KotOR as the name of a legion of Sith Troopers in one of the worst movies in the franchise's novelization (The Rise of Skywalker). You don't even have to know who Revan is to understand how disrespectful that is to his character, story, and fans).

I wanted to highlight how neither studio is all good or all bad. There are elements of each tied in both; however, I think it's clear which one has continually satisfied me and the majority of its fans despite the recent misstep in cross property worldbuilding (not doing it!).

The Disrespect felt by fans was REAL! Check out Youtuber and MCU nerd theorist Tokiya Ch.'s thoughts on the Fietro potential bait situation in 2021's limited series WandaVision. I thought this clip was a hilarious way to deal with the pains/disappointment sometimes associated being a franchise fan.

Disney+ - Streaming to Prosperity

Disney+ is changing the game in content distribution. Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm are lurking nearby and taking maximum advantage.

The transition into streaming television on Disney+ has been beneficial for both Star Wars and Marvel in a couple of ways. The first being that hype is sustained over a longer period of time as Disney only drops one episode of a show at a time (as opposed to the Netflix model which dropped entire seasons at once and was the advent of binging).

Due to this policy, I have been looking forward to Friday mornings for a couple months now knowing that I’ll have some new Star Wars or MCU content to enjoy (The Mandalorian season 2 => WandaVision => The Falcon and the Winter Soldier => The Bad Batch).

This is just good business in that it keeps people subscribed to your service for extended periods of time. Along the same lines, the slow burn of episode release cultivates a culture online of speculation, debate, and discussion about the next episodes to air.

This can have negative ramifications (Ralph Bohner and the Quicksilver fiasco), but more likely it just provides another stream of advertising that may get more people to head over to Disney+ and watch the show.

The second big reason this is beneficial is more of a personal one and it’s something that I’ve alluded to, then rejected, and am now coming back to.

Well done television is just superior to movies.

The narrative and storytelling possibilities are so much deeper.

If utilized correctly the extended runtime of a television season can leave viewers feeling like they wanted even though they have just been given exactly that. Giving fans more and not less certainly feels like the right move for a company hell bent on profit.

Dialogue heavy scenes may not be what many expect from a comic book movie. However, it’s essential that they are there in order to provide some differentiation between itself and the original comic book properties.

In a streaming series this can be emphasized to great effect (and has been in WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier). Long drawn out action sequences are sick; however, they’re even more sick when there’s emotion and in universe stakes on the line that we as an audience are attached to.

Meaningful as opposed to mindless/endless action achieved through dialogue worked in the animated Star Wars shows, Rogue 1, and The Mandalorian.

It makes sense that this model is being used across Disney Studios. I honestly hope they keep using it. Minimizing action to a few sequences and spending the rest of an episode fleshing out characters or in universe problems through dialogue is much more reminiscent of the novels that I've enjoyed.

The MCU and Star Wars need to continue to tread this path of hybridization between streaming television and film. By providing the comic bookie or more in depth lore elements without becoming a live action comic.

Television as a medium is very different to comics and it should make sense that they prioritize different aspects of storytelling around characters and world building.

I think that the final arc of The Clone Wars (distributed by Disney) is the key to how these franchises should operate going forward in order to maximize narrative satisfaction and satisfy fan expectation.

The final arc was a four part movie that continued each right from where the last left off. This is different even from singular arcs within The Clone Wars and Rebels that would pick up nearby where the last episode left off.

This strategy let them draw upon the strengths of both television and movies as a medium. Building up to a movie-type final chapter through the longer form narratives and character development of television season creates the ideal opportunity for high doses of meaningful action within a typical movie’s 2 hour window.

This also prevents films from having too ‘set up’ action that will be paid off in a subsequent film. A critique of The Phantom Menace is that it is setting up plot that it doesn't cash in on. Doing that setup on a television show may have reduced some of fan disappointments in the film (although nothing can fix the presence of our lord and savior Jar Jar Binks in just about every scene).

I have confidence that Disney is going to take this approach going forward and I hope it is as successful as I forsee.

The Clone Wars and Rebels continuity has been connected to the massively successful Mandalorian through careful work by show runner Dave Filoni and joined by Jon Favreau. An entire slate of shows featuring many characters introduced in The Mandalorian or the animated shows have been announced in live action or continued animation.

My fanboy dreaming brain is conjecturing an Avengers style team up or crossover between my favorite Star Wars characters.

The emphasis on streaming shows in the MCU with ¾ of projects in early 2021 so far coming in the form of a show (WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and Loki). Only Black Widow retaining a spot on the big screen. It demonstrates a positive trend in my favorite video medium that I can only appreciate.

This is also important because it harks back to Kevin Feige’s quote about making the MCU accessible to anyone without context. I think a part of that is getting the current fanbase on an even more level playing field with some of the comics nerds. Either way, the choice to delve deep into the psyche of its characters during a very traumatic/transitional period in the MCU is ideal.

Adding increased context and stakes through character development and longer form narratives is only going to improve one of the best received Intellectual Properties in the world (Marvel Cinematic Universe) and return another (Star Wars) to its place around the summit.

As I look over what Disney has done and is yet to do within these properties, I hold out with a cautious optimism that the stories told within these universes prioritizes the elements I hold dear.

The Prodigal Fan will return in About the Project and Me