So the wifey and I are making our way around a local mall store -- one of the mid-level retailers that sells an awful lot of Walt Disney, Marvel, DC, and more intellectual property's t-shirts, jammies, and more. We rarely pick up anything from the place any longer; prices being what they are, the merchandise these days tends to feature a great number of characters that neither of us -- at our advanced age -- really care all that much about.
When it comes to Star Wars, we prefer the Original Trilogy and the Prequel Trilogy as both of us feel mostly let down with the -- cough cough -- Sequel Trilogy, but we did tune in for Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels full runs on television. Again, we may not have found all of the players and the circumstances as interesting as they could've been, but as both shows truly made great use of George Lucas' core mythology they both kept our interest.
In any event ...
I'm glancing over the Star Wars merchandise, and there's a young(ish) mother with her daughter over there as well. The young'un points to a shirt emblazened with the face of Ahsoka Tano, and she asks her mom, "Who's that?"
Mommie Dearest glances at the cartoon face and says, "That's Rey. In a hat."
Without chucking, I stepped over and politely said, "Actually, that's a character called Ahsoka Tano from Star Wars."
Now it's the mother's turn to look at me and ask, "Who's that?"
I only bring this personal anecdote up because it kinda/sorta demonstrates what I've long said about the future of Star Wars, that being it's difficult to see the franchise truly growing and changing unless there are some familiar faces amongst the cast. For the record, I'm not speaking about Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher (may she rest in peace), but I am talking about the characters they portray. Think what you will, but I've often argued that -- like Captain James T. Kirk and Mr. Spock chiefly cannot and will not ever be separated from the wide, wide world that is Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek -- Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Han Solo, Princess Leia, Chewbacca, and those lovable droids are likely to forever be linked with audiences when thinking about a galaxy far, far away.
As popular as Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels may've been among fandom, I just don't think they've aptly translated to the hearts, souls, and minds of the general viewing public. If you can't bring in more than just the most ardent hardcore fans, then any producer or production company will always be faced with the prospect of diminishing returns. Like the original's characters, the audience is getting older and going the way of the do-do. Viewers have other choices these days, and no one seems to be all that interested in Star Wars but the most vocal fans. That doesn't bode well for the I.P. -- look at the news, and you'll see that both Walt Disney and Lucasfilm are presently in some creative and financial disarray -- so forgive me for suggesting that I've got a bad feeling about Ahsoka.
Created by Dave Filoni (again, his is a name no one outside of Star Wars' fandom knows), Ahsoka Tano is most definitely an inspired character. Originally voiced by Ashley Eckstein (in animated fashion), the would-be Jedi had more than a healthy amount of what my grandmother called 'piss & vinegar,' though it got watered down a bit in Rebels. Chiefly, that's why I didn't much care for her presentation there, and -- in all honesty -- I wasn't all that thrilled with the live action sequences Disney+ audiences have been treated to aboard The Mandalorian and The Book Of Boba Fett. While I don't see this so much as the actress's fault (Rosario Dawson can only work with what she's given), I'm certainly hoping that her Alec Guinness tone of the newly released trailer for her standalone series isn't indicative of that show's writing.
Not to nitpick, but Ahsoka is no Jedi. This isn't to say that she doesn't have some skills. But depending upon when this series is set, her training has never been complete. Showcasing her so prominently as -- cough cough -- one of the galaxy's last hopes is a bit much to swallow. (Yes, I'm reserving judgment until I see the show; I'm only pointing out that I'm not digging this trailer's vibe.)
Still, I'd be remiss if I refused to be excited about the series' prospects. With The Mandalorian Season Three barely emerging with a pulse (so far as ratings are concerned), I do hope this lady can bring a bit of luster back that's so needed in the universe.
Trailer is below. You know you want to watch.
When it comes to Star Wars, we prefer the Original Trilogy and the Prequel Trilogy as both of us feel mostly let down with the -- cough cough -- Sequel Trilogy, but we did tune in for Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels full runs on television. Again, we may not have found all of the players and the circumstances as interesting as they could've been, but as both shows truly made great use of George Lucas' core mythology they both kept our interest.
In any event ...
I'm glancing over the Star Wars merchandise, and there's a young(ish) mother with her daughter over there as well. The young'un points to a shirt emblazened with the face of Ahsoka Tano, and she asks her mom, "Who's that?"
Mommie Dearest glances at the cartoon face and says, "That's Rey. In a hat."
Without chucking, I stepped over and politely said, "Actually, that's a character called Ahsoka Tano from Star Wars."
Now it's the mother's turn to look at me and ask, "Who's that?"
I only bring this personal anecdote up because it kinda/sorta demonstrates what I've long said about the future of Star Wars, that being it's difficult to see the franchise truly growing and changing unless there are some familiar faces amongst the cast. For the record, I'm not speaking about Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher (may she rest in peace), but I am talking about the characters they portray. Think what you will, but I've often argued that -- like Captain James T. Kirk and Mr. Spock chiefly cannot and will not ever be separated from the wide, wide world that is Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek -- Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Han Solo, Princess Leia, Chewbacca, and those lovable droids are likely to forever be linked with audiences when thinking about a galaxy far, far away.
As popular as Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels may've been among fandom, I just don't think they've aptly translated to the hearts, souls, and minds of the general viewing public. If you can't bring in more than just the most ardent hardcore fans, then any producer or production company will always be faced with the prospect of diminishing returns. Like the original's characters, the audience is getting older and going the way of the do-do. Viewers have other choices these days, and no one seems to be all that interested in Star Wars but the most vocal fans. That doesn't bode well for the I.P. -- look at the news, and you'll see that both Walt Disney and Lucasfilm are presently in some creative and financial disarray -- so forgive me for suggesting that I've got a bad feeling about Ahsoka.
Created by Dave Filoni (again, his is a name no one outside of Star Wars' fandom knows), Ahsoka Tano is most definitely an inspired character. Originally voiced by Ashley Eckstein (in animated fashion), the would-be Jedi had more than a healthy amount of what my grandmother called 'piss & vinegar,' though it got watered down a bit in Rebels. Chiefly, that's why I didn't much care for her presentation there, and -- in all honesty -- I wasn't all that thrilled with the live action sequences Disney+ audiences have been treated to aboard The Mandalorian and The Book Of Boba Fett. While I don't see this so much as the actress's fault (Rosario Dawson can only work with what she's given), I'm certainly hoping that her Alec Guinness tone of the newly released trailer for her standalone series isn't indicative of that show's writing.
Not to nitpick, but Ahsoka is no Jedi. This isn't to say that she doesn't have some skills. But depending upon when this series is set, her training has never been complete. Showcasing her so prominently as -- cough cough -- one of the galaxy's last hopes is a bit much to swallow. (Yes, I'm reserving judgment until I see the show; I'm only pointing out that I'm not digging this trailer's vibe.)
Still, I'd be remiss if I refused to be excited about the series' prospects. With The Mandalorian Season Three barely emerging with a pulse (so far as ratings are concerned), I do hope this lady can bring a bit of luster back that's so needed in the universe.
Trailer is below. You know you want to watch.
As always, thanks for reading, live long and prosper, and may the Force be with us!
-- EZ
-- EZ
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