This page is built as an assignment for my front-end course.
In the prompt it recommended evaluating why a favorite sports team won/lost an iconic game, or to analyze a movies success/failure in the box office. In my life
there has not been a more influential movie franchise then that of Star Wars. Marvel, Harry Potter, and Lord of the Rings all of course show their influence in my life, but ultimately
Star Wars has been the one to dominate my heart and mind. So when asked to analyze a movie's succuss/failure, the Sequel Trilogy is the obvious candidate for study.
In my circles of friends, there is no doubt as to the meaning of the phrase Sequel Trilogy. With the infamous release of the movie Star Wars showing in its title sequence the bold Episode IV,
the world was left in a lurch, asking itself, did I miss a movie or will there be more. After the conclusion of Episode IV, then decades later receiving episodes I - III, we had
our Original Trilogy and now a Prequel Trilogy. We understood the beginnings of the story, we knew of the great influence and power of the Jedi order, followed by its sudden and heart wrentching collapse.
We know of the bravery of Luke and the Rebelion to fight and deliver a devestating blow to the insidious Empire, but would we ever know of the reforging of the great Republic? One had but to look to
fan creations, known as the Star Wars Extended Universe (EU), to find many interwoven and complex stories of Luke, Han, and Leia fighting to create order in the directionless galaxy, reestablish the Jedi order,
and to once and for all stamp out the evils throughout the galaxy. With Disney's purchase of Lucas Films the Star Wars EU was branded as Legends and no longer considered official to the story.
This was done to keep the way open for Disney's announcement of new movies, and the world was introduced to the promise of the Sequel Trilogy. A promise to finally
answer our questions of what comes next, to bring order and clarity to the future after Episode VI, and to settle the question of who is the Chosen One of legend, Luke or his father Anakin.
As is evident by my overly dramatic tone, the Sequel Trilogy was not well received. The promises made felt broken to the once adoring fans. Herein lies the heart of this discussion. What was it about
the Sequel Trilogy that caused such a rift in the fandom? My belief is that the reason for the apparent failure to deliver on the story is due to a top-down failing from the executives and producers,
condeming the directors and creatives to make a beautiful yet souless echo of the once great story. Join me in the linked pages above to go movie to movie and examine the order of events, that when studied,
show how greed and a fundamental misunderstanding of the fanbase lead to the inevitable failure of a series.