the circle is now complete?

The renewed interest in the Star Wars mythos caused by extended sessions of Star Wars Galaxies inspired both me and the Wife to look on the films with feelings of an unwritten duty. How could we continue to play this game without watching the source material again? I've seen both the classic trilogy and the prequels countless times - some volumes more than others - but watching them recently after an admittedly long hiatus from monthly viewings caused me to absorb them in an entirely different manner. Instead of just taking it all in, cries of "I've been there!", "We fought a few of those!" took precedence over my favorite pieces of dialogue. After watching the final installment of Return of the Jedi, I concluded that this was no chance encounter with the classic trilogy. This served as a sobering reminder of what has been lost, and what we can only hope to receive in the final chapter of the prequel trilogy.

Over the years, the classic trilogy has come to symbolize my personal definition of a cinematic triumph. Everything about the movies was perfect, or pretty god damned close. Whether it was the subtle mysticism, or simply illustrated battle of Good versus Evil, these films had something to offer for all ages. And I don't want to hear any disparaging remarks about the Ewoks - yes, they were designed to sell toys, and Kashyyyk was supplanted by Endor - but wasn't it heartwarming to see them triumph over the technologically superior Empire? I'd at least like to believe that it was more amusing than watching Jar Jar goof around on a computer generated battlefield.

When The Phantom Menace arrived in theatres, I lined up with the best of them - multiple times. How is it, then, that it could easily rank as one of the biggest letdowns in the history of Star Wars? The story was not even woven from the same material. Trade blockades? Political machinations? This is hardly something that would appeal to me as a youngster, let alone at my current age. Putting aside all negative reactions to Episodes I and II for a moment, I want to believe that they were simply building up to what becomes the turning point for a galaxy, with Anakin Skywalker at the centre. I want to believe that Episode III will deliver us the fall of Anakin Skywalker, the rise of Darth Vader, and the extermination of the Jedi in a dignified and logical manner. I don't want glossed over violence or comic relief. This is the beginning of a dark time for the Republic, and anything less would only contribute to the convoluted state of the prequels. A few weeks ago, the official title for Episode III was announced: Revenge of the Sith, which cleverly takes a bit from each trilogy.

Besides the codename Blue Harvest, Return of the Jedi was known under another name: Revenge of the Jedi. I still have a 1982 re-release poster for A New Hope with "Coming soon to theatres: Revenge of the Jedi" on the bottom right corner. Many other posters displaying the film's original name have been seen by the most casual of fans, which has in turn become part of the entire Star Wars mythos. The reason for the change of course was that "Revenge" was not Jedi-like at all, and really held a double meaning: was the revenge in question to be had by Luke Skywalker or Darth Vader? It was a wise decision to change this name, and now has a real connection to the last part of the prequel trilogy, closing the circle that is Anakin Skywalker's life.

However what disturbs me are the rumours that started earlier this year about Hayden Christiansen's Anakin being added to the ghost sequence at the end of Return of the Jedi, along with a few other low-key edits to the DVD release of the classic trilogy. Ashamed as I am to admit it, I waded through the many vitriol-soaked messages left at AICN and still refused to believe my eyes. Surely this was the work of Adobe's many products! Why would this addition be necessary? Greedo shooting first is almost preferable to this kind of messing around. One might think that Uncle George's idea behind it was to close a perceived gap between the two trilogies, by using the completely ham-fisted tactic of showing the saga's most prominent likeness of Anakin Skywalker. It may be that Anakin "died" when he turned to the Dark Side, leaving behind all remnants of his life to that point. Problem is, I don't see anything wrong with Sebastian Shaw representing the man behind the mask. Is killing the Emperor, his Master that he swore to honor and protect, to save his only son not good enough? I'd consider the Light Side content of Anakin's soul at that point pretty fucking obvious.

I am still excited about the DVDs that will be released this September, as it would be against my very nature to avoid buying this collection. But I fail to see the purpose of continually tinkering with the special editions that have only been begrudgingly accepted by the fan community. Is this about Uncle George's "ultimate vision", or just creating an excuse for fans to spend more money? The number of upcoming Star Wars game previews that are appearing on the Bonus Disc is staggering - the release of these DVDs is less about addressing something that was supposed to have been done years ago, and more like some kind of multi-media circus. It's become so transparent, and in a way, taints the intention of these films. Indeed, George Lucas established the true meaning of movie merchandising more than 25 years ago, but the original trilogy at least had a clear underlying message and timeless story that was easily grasped by all audiences. Unless Revenge of the Sith manages to salvage the story surrounding the most important figure in the Star Wars saga, we may be witnessing the latest waste of creative potential in a growing group of arrogant filmmakers in control of successful properties.

here's where the story ends