By Ananya Nrusimha
Star Wars is arguably one of the most iconic series in history. Its classic dialogues and iconic characters have become part of the fabric of our culture. Any new material for the franchise will have to meet the high expectations of Star Wars fans everywhere.
The trailer for Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens (which will be released next year) doesn’t disappoint. It’s a series of snippets coupled with a voiceover that manages to build both suspense and anticipation for the new movie. The effects look beautiful and new design elements like the lightsaber crossguard are cool and intriguing.
However, I don’t see why a new set of movies are necessary. The Star Wars Expanded Universe (EU for short) contains a plethora of licensed, Lucas-approved material about what happens to the characters after the films. There are already a boatload of fascinating characters and plotlines that are completely canonical. Instead of creating a new timeline with the new movies, Lucasfilms should have marketed the EU books more effectively. They should have made use of the excellent material they had on hand instead of creating a new canon from scratch.
I think the film itself will be excellent when it comes out—J.J. Abrams is an excellent director, and his Star Trek reboot was immensely entertaining. However, Star Wars VII is still a year away—it’ll be a while before we get to see this new installment in theaters.
