This week we take a look at a big cultural divide in Star Wars fandom, try to figure out if the Space Monkey is a real thing and see where they moved the bathroom entrance for Star Wars Land.
| Do The Prequels Suck? |
Pose this question to some Star Wars fans and you will get a tirade of hate. I have a childhood friend who will go on about how George Lucas ruined his childhood. And if he gets any liquor in him, he will use much harsher words than ruined. This mentality inspired documentaries like The People Vs. George Lucas.
Even well know fan Simon Pegg, who did a cameo in The Force Awakens playing Unkar Plutt, has harsh words:
“I don’t really have any respect for anyone who thinks those films are good. They’re not. (They’re) a monumental misunderstanding of what the (original) three films are about. It’s an exercise in utter infanticide … (like) George Lucas killing his kid.”
A documentary being released September 14 called The Prequels Strike Back: A Fan’s Journey addresses the hatred and talks about the unrealistic expectations of Star Wars fans at the time.
What seems to come out of this is a fandom generational gap. People who were first exposed to Star Wars through the original trilogy (A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return Of The Jedi) had to wait fifteen years for a new film. And in that time had worked themselves into a frenzy that could not be satisfied. I call these the OT fans (Original Trilogy). And they are a noisy bunch.
Fans who’s first exposure to Star Wars was with the Prequels, let’s call them the PT fans (Prequel Trilogy), seem to have a more tempered opinion. On this week’s episode of The Star Wars Show, guest Trevor Noah (host of the Daily Show and a native of South Africa) talked about seeing the Phantom Menace first and how it blew his mind.
And by the way…The Star Wars Show is amazing. It drops every Wednesday and about 5 minutes long always great. You should be watching! Here’s this week’s episode with Trevor’s comments at 2:56:
Another great show that you should be watching drops every Thursday, but on Verizon’s YouTube channel is the The Star Wars Aftershow, at around 10 minutes an episode, it’s a little more of an investment than the regular show and is basically a round table discussion (which in this case, is a T.I.E. Fighter wing table) about all topics Star Wars. This week they talked specifically about Star Wars at Disneyland and OT/PT fans.
What do you think? Are you and OT or PT fan? Do have the fevered hatred for the Prequels that many OT fans have?
| Space Monkey |
You’re going to be hearing a lot about “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” over the next couple months. I’m hoping to provide a little background info on the new elements of the Star Wars Universe so you can be informed at the water cooler…or neighborhood bar…whatever.
At Star Wars Celebration in London last month the sizzle reel for “Rogue One” introduced us to a bunch of new characters. One that stood out was a creature manning a gun and growling at the camera.
At a later panel, “Creatures, Droids & Aliens of Star Wars: The Force Awakens”, the creature shop team unveiled the character code named: “Space Monkey”. He demonstrated how the effects were produced.
Director Gareth Edwards also added this about Bistan:
“It’s not necessarily a character that we get to know, but I think he has a very memorable, iconic look. Bistan is one of my favorites. I can’t give away what happens to him.”
| Star Wars At Disneyland |
While The Star Wars Show and The Star Wars Aftershow had segments on Star Wars in the parks this week, we take photo tour every week of Star Wars at Disneyland. Here’s what’s happening this week:
| Star Wars Land Construction |
Construction on the most anticipated expansion of Disneyland in history kept moving at light speed this week. Lets start in the north where the Dirt Star mountain continued to fill other parts of the development.
Lagging between the I-beams started to become more visible this week. This is anticipated to be the wall separating Star Wars Land and the Disneyland Railroad path.
Against the back of Fantasyland Theater, the ground level on the path of the DLRR rose a little further while what looks to be a bridge over the entrance to SWL got a lot of attention.
Next to that, the area that will become the backstage for Fantasmic continues to grow.
One big development happened in Critter Country. Access to the bathrooms on the bottom floor of the Hungry Bear Restaurant was changed to go through a makeshift walkway leading from the entrance of the Winnie The Pooh ride under the ramp leading to the second floor. The walls around the river were extended to consume the stairs and ramp to the area. This is where one pathway will lead from Critter Country to Star Wars Land.
On the west side of the area, along the fence that borders Disneyland Drive, work is progressing on the backstage access road.
And in the middle of the west side, excavation is moving fast on what should be one of the show buildings.
| And Finally… |
That’s our trip through the past, present and future of Star Wars for this week. But before you go, always remember…
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