A few years back, I wrote my Star Wars-related commentary called A Star Wars Retrospective, in which I shared memories of watching the six Star Wars films spanning the original trilogy from 1977 to 1983 and the prequel trilogy from 1999 to 2005. I posted it within weeks of the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens and even shared initial thoughts about the idea of another Star Wars movie after so many years. But now that we have the completion of a third Star Wars trilogy, what I and many others like to call the sequel trilogy, I figure it's time for me to also take a look back on the newest Star Wars movies released this past decade.
This commentary is simply a continuation of my Star Wars retrospective look. Rather than post an updated commentary that adds The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and The Rise of Skywalker (plus Rogue One and Solo) to the list of six movies I already talked about, I've decided to just post the new commentary as a separate piece titled A Star Wars Retrospective: Part 2. Hence, my complete look back on Star Wars consists of two complementary commentaries, so if you want to read my entire Star Wars retrospective, just check out the original commentary first and then continue with this one.
OK. I shall now dive into my memories of the new sequel Star Wars trilogy, plus a bit of other Star Wars stuff. Let's have some fun.
Star Wars - Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
This was the first Star Wars movie that I watched with a friend in a theater. I don't think it was opening weekend when we saw it. I vaguely remember that he and I agreed to watch it the following weekend after the opening weekend hype died down. It was fine, because at this point in my life, I became less interested in Star Wars, to the point where I would not anxiously and eagerly await the movie. Rather, I would wait patiently and then just enjoy it once it was time.
The feeling mostly continued after the start of the movie. It was nice to see the Lucasfilm logo, "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...", the Star Wars logo with its opening theme, and the slanted intro crawl, even if it all felt familiar. I was surprised to see that the feeling of familiarity continued because of elements reminiscent of the original Star Wars trilogy. They included the opening scenes above and on a desert planet, the threat of the First Order being a remnant of the Galactic Empire, and, later in the film, one character having a vision, like Luke Skywalker once in The Empire Strikes Back.
This is a good time for me to talk about the return of Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford in their respective roles of Luke, Leia, and Han. I'm fairly neutral with this, because I would be fine if no old characters return, but I'm not complaining now that they have. Admittedly, I appreciated seeing them again. Still, there was one moment that took me a while to accept: what ultimately happens to Han in this movie.
My level of interest with these familiar characters also extends to the new protagonists: Rey, Finn, and Poe Dameron, played respectively by Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, and Oscar Isaac. I don't dislike them, nor do I really fawn over them. They're just interesting enough. That's all I can say. Then again, I did think it was neat to have Finn be introduced as a Stormtrooper who, despite indoctrination in his youth, has enough of a conscience to question his duty to the First Order and then bravely abandon his role.
Then there are the villainous characters. Kylo Ren and Snoke, played respectively by Adam Driver and Andy Serkis, are like the new Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine. But because of the familiarity of the earlier films, it's hard to feel as excited. It's especially true for Kylo Ren, who seems much less scary than Vader. But again, I went with it and enjoyed it still. As for other villains, Domhnall Gleeson as General Hux does make a rather interesting military officer for the First Order. He may not be as amusing as Peter Cushing's Tarkin in the first Star Wars movie, but he's something.
There's another thing that stood out for me, and it stood out big. It turned out that Luke Skywalker only appears in the final scene of this movie, which acts as a transition to the next film of the trilogy. It was not what I expected, but I wouldn't say I was disappointed, because he would have to provide much more of a presence in the next one. I just needed to wait a few years, and I would do so patiently.
Lastly, because of the feeling of "been there, done that," I didn't really get into the soundtrack for this Star Wars movie. I own the soundtracks for Episodes I through VI because there is at least one memorable musical track from each movie. This time, I had no inclination to own a copy of the soundtrack for Episode VII. I decided to just settle with the six Star Wars soundtracks I own already because I like those. (However, I hope to own a Blu-ray collection for all Star Wars movies at some point.)
So after watching the familiar Star Wars elements in new form and savoring the action, which was still pretty cool, my friend and I left the theater having liked it, though not like the euphoria of seeing the classic Star Wars movies. Like I said, the familiarity of it all turned what would be an awesome blockbuster into a pretty good movie. That's OK. At least I didn't hate it.
On the other hand, I later spoke with a friend who also saw this movie and decided that she wouldn't see the rest of the new trilogy. She mainly had two complaints. One was that Return of the Jedi was supposed to be the real end of the saga, and it's frustrating to now have to fight the remnants of the Empire, in a story that rehashes plenty of elements from the original trilogy. The other complaint was that Rey seems like, in my friend's words, an all-too-perfect Mary Jane because of how quickly she seems to be advance on the path to becoming a Jedi. I can understand all of this. At the same time, I am also more flexible such that I can put shortcomings like this aside.
Star Wars - Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017)
Like with The Force Awakens, I didn't feel any huge eagerness for The Last Jedi. I still expected it would be good. But would it be better than Episode VII or at least equally good? Well, I would eventually find out that the answer was no. Just like how Attack of the Clones is my least favorite of the prequel trilogy, The Last Jedi is my least favorite of the sequel trilogy.
Let me begin with Luke Skywalker. When we last saw him in Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, he was a happy young man who has emerged as a hero in defeating the Empire. One could imagine he would live happily ever after. But now with the First Order emerging, Luke doesn't have good reason to be happy. But it's worse than that. With the rise of Kylo Ren, Luke is now on the edge, feeling ready to give up on training new Jedi and letting them all just perish. I couldn't help but think, "My God, what have they done to Luke Skywalker?!"
So let me just quickly move on to another Jedi character: Leia. Yes, that Leia, who is now a general. Don't forget that we now know she is Luke's sister, so she's attuned to the Force as well. I liked the scene where she is floating in space, on the brink of death, but then uses the Force to get herself to safety. The other reason I mention Leia is that this is the first Star Wars movie that features Carrie Fisher's Leia but released after the actress tragically died. I thought the dedication to her during the start of the end credits was quite touching.
Speaking of women in Star Wars, this movie introduces a new character: Rose Tico, played by Kelly Marie Tran. We first see her as a ship engineer who meets Finn. The scenes makes you wonder if Rose actually has a crush on Finn and had been admiring him from afar for quite a while. While this isn't really explored much further, it's cool to see her thrust into a major role here, especially in scenes at a casino and the climactic action scene. By the end of the movie, I actually hoped to see more of Rose Tico in the next movie.
But sadly, we still live in a cruel world where prejudice runs rampant in many forms. For reasons that may be related to her race, gender, and/or looks, Kelly Marie Tran was the target of so much online hate and harassment that she ultimately deleted her Instagram posts. In my opinion, it is utterly shameful to treat any person that way. I'm even more sickened by the fact that plenty of Star Wars fans are bigoted like this. But at least she has one powerful ally in Mark Hamill, who strongly came to her defense. I'm with him on that. Shame on all of you Star Wars fans who actually chose to harass her online.
Anyway, going back to the movie, there was one other thing I thought was neat. We see Rey and Kylo Ren talk to each other from afar. This is some new phenomenon with the Force that we haven't seen yet. It makes the story a bit more interesting because now you wonder what kind of interplay will take place going forward. Particularly, will Rey pull Kylo Ren to the light side, or will she be seduced by the dark side?
Otherwise, while I still enjoyed The Last Jedi, I felt the main plot moved very little. At one point, I even wondered if we needed this movie at all. Compare this movie to The Empire Strikes Back. The latter really moved in a different direction than the previous movie, and it took the audience deep into new territory. I can't really say that The Last Jedi did the same thing. There were plenty of good moments, yes, especially those involving Luke Skywalker.
In the end, I was really left wondering what would happen next. It's not because the events in the movie were strikingly emotional yet unresolved, like in The Empire Strikes Back. It's because after what happens here, I had NO idea what might be coming. You can brainstorm what could possibly happen after The Empire Strikes Back, but it's hard to do the same with The Last Jedi. The only thing to do was wait two years for Episode IX.
Star Wars - Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
In the days leading up to the release of The Rise of Skywalker, I saw promos letting us know that this would be the end of the Skywalker saga. When I heard that, I thought it was at least one reason to watch the final part of the newest Star Wars trilogy: it would also be the finale of the whole nine-part saga. At the same time, I wondered what was going to happen. Considering how I thought The Last Jedi did not really have major events that significantly moved the story forward, it was hard for me to feel super hyped for The Rise of Skywalker. I went into the theater expecting just a decent sci-fi action film.
Suddenly, I did a 180. The first scene of the movie got me excited about the rest of it. It's all because of dual threats. One, Palpatine is back. Or rather, the Sith supposedly made a clone of him. Even so, he is just as scary as ever. The other threat is the Final Order, a starship fleet that overshadows any other, even the fleet of the First Order. All of this sets the stage for a final showdown that will determine the fate of the galaxy once and for all.
As a result, I watched the middle portion of the movie with anticipation, knowing what's at stake. I certainly enjoyed the action here as much as the action in previous Star Wars movies, particularly A New Hope and Return of the Jedi. If I were to rate this movie in comparison to other Star Wars movies, it wouldn't depend heavily on the middle portion of the movie. It would have to also take the finale of the movie into account. That's where things got very interesting.
For one thing, Palpatine is far more interesting that I expected, because he's scarier than ever. Consider the moment where he shoots lightning from his hands, not to disable one individual like in Return of the Jedi, but to destroy many ships in a fleet flying way above ground. If that isn't a sign of supreme Sith power, I don't know what is. Also, unlike before, Palpatine is surrounded by a huge crowd of Sith minions. It takes incredible courage to enter such a very dark place.
That takes me to the character of Rey. One may wonder how this ordinary young woman could become a Jedi so quickly. It's nice to know that it's explained here. It's also interesting that, at one moment earlier in the movie, Rey briefly but unexpectedly uses a Force power that is associated only with the Dark Side. It makes you wonder what path she's really on. Again, the movie ultimately explains it.
A similar question applies to Kylo Ren. At this point in the series, he's on the fence. You wonder if he'll be a hero or a villain, because you don't know if the Light Side or the Dark Side will ultimately win him over. His struggle is not the main story in this movie, but it still comes into play nicely, especially during the finale.
When the movie was almost over, I thought this could very well be my favorite of the nine Star Wars movies. What sealed the deal was the final scene. It's where the Star Wars saga comes full circle and there is a sense of a new beginning. I'm not saying I want to see more Star Wars movies directly stemming from this one. The ending of this one can simply be left at that, and it should. For me, I was left satisfied.
Obviously, I'm part of the minority that not only loved The Rise of Skywalker, but also consider it the best of the nine main Star Wars movies. Don't get me wrong. I absolutely love the original trilogy. But I don't review a movie with a nostalgic eye. I don't automatically pan a movie just because it's different from the earlier movie that I first saw and first fell in love with. I apply the same standard to every movie, by asking the same question of whether it moved me and, if so, how much.
I haven't talked much about Finn, Poe Dameron, C-3PO, and other characters because they ultimately are secondary. On the other hand, it's rather unfortunate that Kelly Marie Tran's Rose Tico has dramatically reduced screen time following her harassment after The Last Jedi. But putting that aside, it was interesting to see Carrie Fisher as Leia one last time. Apparently, her appearances in this movie consist of footage that was shot for The Last Jedi before her death but had remained unused. I was impressed by how this character contributed to the story concluding the Skywalker saga. It's also interesting that each of the principal three characters of the original trilogy was given a focus in each film of the sequel trilogy: Han Solo as a focus in The Force Awakens, Luke Skywalker as a focus in The Last Jedi, and Leia as a focus in The Rise of Skywalker. Another way this movie comes full circle with the very first one in 1977.
The Nine-Part Saga as a Whole
It's incredible to see how long Star Wars has come over 43 years. What started as a fun and eye-popping sci-fi adventure expanded into a classic trilogy about good versus evil, appended with three prequels illustrating the fall of democracy and rise of imperialism and three sequels about finishing off the remnants of authoritarianism once and for all. So when you look at the nine-part saga as a whole, it's about several things simultaneously, including a cycle of political downfall and upheaval, three generations of a special family, and the endless struggle between good and evil, all within a fascinating galaxy far, far away. It's also great how so many talented actors have contributed to this saga, whether in just one film or, as with the case of C-3PO played by Anthony Daniels, all nine films.
So how do I rank the Star Wars movies from best to worst? Well, here's my list:
1. Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker
2. Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
3. Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
4. Episode IV: A New Hope
5. Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
6. Episode VII: The Force Awakens
7. Episode VIII: The Last Jedi
8. Episode I: The Phantom Menace
9. Episode II: Attack of the Clones
Basically, third time's the charm for me, which is why the last part of each trilogy is at the top. The first two movies made are still very, very good. Then the rest fall below. No doubt that other people's Star Wars rankings will be very different. Just remember that every opinion is unique because every subjective movie viewing experience is different. Opinions are not hard rules. Yes, this especially goes for all of you people who bicker over The Rise of Skywalker.
But I am not done yet. Besides the nine main Star Wars movies, don't forget about the two recent side movies that easily fit into the Star Wars canon.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
All of us Star Wars fans have known that, as told in the first movie, the effort to smuggle the blueprints of the Death Star to the Rebel Alliance came about because those plans had been stolen, offscreen prior to the beginning of the movie. It's interesting that we really hadn't thought too much about the events surrounding the theft of the Death Star plans. I guess we were so mesmerized by the events on screen that we just kept looking forward.
Hence, 39 years after the original Star Wars movie, we are finally shown the tale of how the Death Star plans were stolen to begin with. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story centers on a young woman named Jyn Erso, the daughter of a man who is kidnapped by the Empire and then forced to be the Imperial Science Officer designing the Death Star. It is notable that the Empire would rely on this man to do the job, because any Imperial should wonder if, given his circumstances, he is 100% loyal to the Empire. You would think that an Imperial loyalist volunteering to be the Science Officer would be a more trustworthy ally. But anyway, the Science Officer has enough of a conscience to deliberately but subtly put a flaw in the Death Star's exhaust port, in hopes that someone someday could exploit that weakness to destroy this super weapon.
One thing I loved about the Death Star in this movie was how it was functional but still had room for improvement. When we first see it fired, it doesn't destroy a planet, but rather creates a giant explosion on the surface akin to that of a nuclear bomb. This is cool to see because we know the weapon will eventually be upgraded with much greater power. Also, Grand Moff Tarkin is incredibly pleased with its potential.
Yes, a new actor portrays Tarkin, the same character played by Peter Cushing in 1977. At the same time, Cushing is reprising the role. Sort of. Thanks to advanced computer-generated imagery and permission from Cushing's estate, Cushing's likeness was superimposed onto the actor, to make it look as if a slightly younger Cushing is back playing the role of Tarkin, as pictured below. Though I wouldn't mind if Tarkin looked slightly different because a lookalike actor without superimposed CGI played the part, the fact that this movie takes place immediately before Star Wars: A New Hope does warrant using Cushing's likeness. Same goes for another character at the end of the film. (Then again, during a scene of a meeting involving certain familiar minor characters, like Mon Mothma, no original likenesses were superimposed.)
I thought this movie would be an OK movie because it's not a main Star Wars saga entry. Instead, I ended up loving it way more than I expected, because it fits nicely behind a New Hope. Plus, the cast features interesting supporting characters, like the droid K-2SO, Donnie Yen as a blind man who is like a Jedi but isn't quite one, and Diego Luna as a rebel fighting alongside Jyn Erso. During the climactic action, I was rooting for them, because without them, there wouldn't be any new hope to defeat the Empire. And the way the movie ended moments before the beginning of A New Hope was very satisfying.
I also noted in my review of this movie that I watched Rogue One the day after Carrie Fisher died, so that watching this movie was also a way to pay tribute to her and Princess Leia. The movie did come out before her death, so hopefully, if she attended the premiere, she loved the movie. After all, one cannot help but think of A New Hope after Rogue One ends. Given how they are closely linked, how can one completely separate the two films?
So after watching Rogue One, I became convinced that Lucasfilm can develop and release more Star Wars Stories that go into more depth about what we know already. Of course, they would have to enhance appreciation of the existing movies, not simply tell a side story that doesn't connect back to the main saga. Given how well Rogue One was made, I was confident that they will be just as successful with the next Star Wars Story, whatever it was going to be.
Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
In the 1990s, the universe of Star Wars was significantly expanded through numerous continuation novels by many science-fiction authors. One example was a trilogy of books collectively called the Han Solo Trilogy, written by A.C. Crispin. It centers on Han Solo in his younger days. Of course, this was way before Disney bought Lucasfilm and subsequently decanonized all Star Wars novels and expansion media, now referring to them all simply as Star Wars Legends. This means that Lucasfilm was free to make a movie about the young Han Solo without being bound to Crispin's three novels.
The first thing I want to say about Solo: A Star Wars Story is that I'm impressed by the cast. Alden Ehrenreich as the young Han Solo and Donald Glover as the young Lando Calrissian are outstanding in channeling Harrison Ford and Billy Dee Williams in their respective performances. You gotta love both the chemistry and the tension between the two characters in this movie. I was pleased to hear that Harrison Ford himself enjoyed the film. He actually chose not to attend the premiere for this movie because he didn't want to steal all the attention away from Ehrenreich.
With Star Wars being the huge franchise it is now, it's cool to have big-name Hollywood actors becoming a part of the Star Wars universe, like Emilia Clarke, Woody Harrelson, and Paul Bettany, none of whom I ever expected to be in a Star Wars movie given the types of works they're known for previously. It's just like I never expected to see Felicity Jones, Mads Mikkelsen, Donnie Yang, and Diego Luna in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and was pleased when they did take on the film. So yeah, Solo: A Star Wars Story is great for having both veteran and up-and-coming cast members.
This movie worked very well for the same reason Rogue One did: providing appreciable connections with the original Star Wars trilogy. Now we know how Han and Chewbacca met and became faithful partners in the first place: by escaping prison together. Now we know what the Kessel run in less than 12 parsecs was. And we now know what Lando meant when, in The Empire Strikes Back, he referred to something that Han pulled on him. Speaking of the latter, that scene in Solo providing the answer was done brilliantly. In fact, all three of these scenes were done brilliantly.
So I ended up loving this movie more than I expected. I also came away with a greater appreciation for Han Solo. He may be a scoundrel in the eyes of some, but after seeing what this character went through in his early days, I consider him as being like anyone else, doing whatever it takes to survive and get ahead. Same for Lando Calrissian. He is certainly devious, but he is also likable, and certainly someone we can count on if heroics are needed.
There really is only one negative thing about Solo: A Star Wars Story. It's the loose end that appears near the end. It has to do with a certain character from a previous Star Wars movie long thought to have been dead (among those who only watch the Star Wars movies, not other Star Wars stuff). The moment seems to set up a follow-up Star Wars movie that would satisfy our curiosity about what happens next. As of this writing, that has yet to happen.
But anyway, Solo: A Star Wars Story is something fun for audiences young and old, by bridging two generations of Star Wars fans. It's very much like Rogue One in terms of what it intends to do and how well it's done.
Quick Thoughts on the Two Star Wars Stories
Rogue One and Solo are so entertaining that it's definitely one of the better Star Wars movies. If these two were inserted into my ranking of the nine numerically-labeled episodic films, I would place them between The Empire Strikes Back and The Force Awakens, and I would place Rogue One slightly above Solo. Hence, my ranking of 11 Star Wars movies:
1. Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker
2. Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
3. Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
4. Episode IV: A New Hope
5. Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
6. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
7. Solo: A Star Wars Story
8. Episode VII: The Force Awakens
9. Episode VIII: The Last Jedi
10. Episode I: The Phantom Menace
11. Episode II: Attack of the Clones
I definitely look forward to a third Star Wars Story. It could center on whatever part of the Skywalker saga, as long as it's done well and helps one better appreciate certain characters and events. It may take a while, though, because Star Wars has also entered another medium: online streaming television.
The Mandalorian
Star Wars began as a movie, and with its phenomenal success, one would expect to also see the Star Wars universe in the medium of television. It's actually been done already, with the dreadful Star Wars Holiday Special (1978) and the animated series Droids (1985), Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003-2005), Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008-2014, 2020), Star Wars: Rebels (2014-2018), and Star Wars: Resistance (2018-2020). Yet, we haven't really seen a live-action Star Wars TV series, one that is done like the movies.
Fans would finally see something like that in late 2019. As Disney launched its Disney+ streaming platform, it also debuted the web series The Mandalorian, which takes place between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens and centers on a bounty hunter along with a child of the same species as Yoda. The latter is officially called The Child, but unofficially and widely referred to as Baby Yoda. Is it a descendant of Yoda, a clone of Yoda, or someone unrelated? Hard to say.
Because I am an old-timer with movies and television, following web series is not something I regularly do, so I actually have not watched The Mandalorian as of now. But who knows if that will change? At least it's cool that a Star Wars television project that looks and feels like the Star Wars movies has finally come to fruition after all these years.
43 Years of Star Wars
This commentary is posted exactly 43 years after the release of the very first Star Wars movie in 1977. The franchise practically exploded after May 25, 1977. First, there was one movie. Then there were two sequels. Surrounding the trilogy was merchandising with toys, video games, and much more. This would continue into the 1990s, with more video games and a whole lot of Star Wars novels, which I mentioned above earlier. Then there's the Star Tours ride at Disney theme parks like Disneyland. And this is just with the original trilogy, which was enhanced and updated as the Special Edition and released theaters in 1997. Once you add the prequel trilogy, the sequel trilogy, the two side movies, the television series, and all the merchandising that comes with it, you are talking about a franchise with a net worth in the billions. Whoever owns all of this property, whether it be George Lucas or the Walt Disney Company, is sitting on a gold mine.
The franchise is so massive that there is no way I could read every Star Wars book, play every Star Wars video game, or experience everything else Star Wars. That's not to say I never tasted the expanded Star Wars universe. I did play a few Star Wars video games, like the space combat simulator X-Wing and the first-person shooter Jedi Knight. I also read the very first Star Wars continuation novel published in 1991, Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn, plus its two sequels. But that's pretty much it. Again, there is so much Star Wars stuff outside the movies that I decided not to bother.
What's really cool is how the expanded universe, particularly in the books, is a collective and collaborative fictional universe, such that authors respected what was written before as they contribute their own Star Wars stories. With such a massive trove of stories created, new Star Wars movies could simply adapt the major ones to the big screen. But that was not to be. After Disney acquired Lucasfilm, it was decided that the existing Star Wars expanded universe would be collectively called Star Wars Legends and decanonized from the main Star Wars stories. Going forward, the Star Wars sequel trilogy would be part of the official canon without being based on the expanded universe, and any new expansion Star Wars work would be part of the canon. This is something that has undoubtedly upset a lot of Star Wars fans, not to mention the people who contributed additional Star Wars stories. But like many things in life, it's not someone one can control and it's something that one just has to accept.
Final Thought
So now the big question is what's next for Star Wars. The overall answer is simple. The franchise will keep constantly churning out movies, books, video games, and plenty of other stuff. That's a certainty. As for what new stories will be told beyond the Skywalker saga, I have no idea. But whatever is in store, it will all further bring to life this special galaxy far, far away. I look forward to continuing this incredible ride as a fan (though I probably won't write any more Star Wars Retrospectives since two parts is enough). The Star Wars franchise is truly a remarkable entertainment business success story. Everyone involved in Star Wars, past, present, and future, should be very proud.
