{"id":106154,"date":"2021-02-05T13:20:45","date_gmt":"2021-02-05T21:20:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/?p=106154"},"modified":"2021-02-10T19:49:39","modified_gmt":"2021-02-11T03:49:39","slug":"a-digression-on-the-star-wars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/a-digression-on-the-star-wars\/","title":{"rendered":"A Digression on the Star Wars"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

S<\/span>ometime in early June 1977, in a small theater in Hegewisch Illinois, I saw Star Wars<\/em> for the first time. My grandfather took my sister and I after we were too bored just walking in the woods. I was ten, and she was seven. I maintain that this is the best age range to be introduced to the Star Wars <\/em>saga.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Over the course of the next 12 months, aided and abetted by a local theater that was playing it more or less continuously, I saw the film an additional 18 times. The Star Wars<\/em> movie poster I got in 1977 is still hanging in my home office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With Tolkien’s The Hobbit<\/em> and The Lord of the Rings<\/em>, Star Wars<\/em> remains a foundational text from my youth that drove me towards my eventual career as a writer and an editor. Both of those works taught me that fairytales and legends are still being written. And both are master classes in world building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That Tolkien is the deeper and better writer cannot be doubted. Lucas is infinitely bad, for example, in writing dialogue. But one of the places where Lucas shines in the Star Wars<\/em> saga is in the poetry of structure. If you are unfamiliar with this aspect of his work, I recommend Mike Klimo’s essay “Ring Theory: The Hidden Artistry of the Star Wars Prequels<\/a>“. It’s absolutely fascinating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Of course, while Tolkien’s work is unabashedly Christian, indeed Catholic, Lucas\u2019s are caught up in that fuzzy post-Christian worldview, influenced by eastern religion and perhaps unconsciously echoing the dimly remembered words of the Christian mystics. Throughout Star Wars<\/em>, there’s almost a nostalgia for the faith and society of the Old Republic, which may indeed echo the modern world’s view of traditional Catholicism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The writings of J.R.R. Tolkien were one of the instruments the Lord used to bring me into the Church, whereas the influence of George Lucas on me remains more nebulous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nevertheless, during this time of COIVD lockdown, I took it upon myself to dip back into these treasured works first exposed to me in my youth. I reread the The Hobbit<\/em> and The Lord of the Rings<\/em>. Silmarillion<\/em> is near the top of my reading pile as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And this week, I finally completed a full chronological watch-through of the entirety of the Star Wars<\/em> saga in film and TV as it stands now. It took me the better part of the year. I thought it might be fun to give a short one or two sentence review of each of these and mention a few things that occurred to me. For reference, here’s the list I ultimately used to parse the chronology:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Star Wars Episode I: the Phantom Menace<\/em>
<\/strong>Better than I remember. With hindsight, it’s clear that the duel of the fates is the key moment upon which the entirety of the saga turns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones<\/em>
<\/strong>Even worse than I remember, if that’s possible. Although George Lucas is infamous for his execrable dialogue, and this film is the poster child for that, I don’t think that’s ultimately what sinks it. Even with this script, better direction and better editing would have produced something more watchable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Clone Wars Animated Movie<\/em>
<\/strong>Better than Attack of the Clones<\/em>: the banter between Anakin and Obi-Wan reveals more of their relationship than ever appears on the big screen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Clone Wars<\/em>, seasons 1-6
<\/strong>After a rough start in terms of animation quality, the series quickly settles down into a grand, sprawling epic. Dozens of finely-drawn characters slip in and out of a myriad of plot arcs and multi-episode tales that tell the story that Episodes II and III only hint at. Each episode is introduced with by the sort of breathless and earnest introductory narration one associates with Army-produced WWII documentaries, which gradually leads to an understanding that the POV of the series is itself an unreliable narrator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Clone Wars<\/em>, season 7
<\/strong>The final season of the Clone Wars <\/em>was released six years after season 6. While the first eight episodes continue the tradition and storylines of the series, the last four episodes are something else again. Gone is the opening narration. These episodes take place simultaneously with the events in Revenge of the Sith<\/em>, and taken together is certainly one of the three best Star Wars<\/em> films. Nothing short of amazing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith<\/em>
<\/strong>Better than I remember, and I liked it when it was released. Given additional context by The Clone Wars<\/em>, Anakin’s fall is now something inevitable and tragic, rather than seeming to come out of left field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Solo: a Star Wars Story<\/em>
<\/strong>While this film is criticized for giving answers to questions nobody was asking, I found it a fun ride for a popcorn movie. Glover’s Lando is a thing of beauty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Star Wars Rebels Animated Series, <\/em>seasons 1-4
<\/strong>Not as great as The Clone Wars<\/em>, but pretty darn good. The last two seasons in particular are solid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rogue One: a Star Wars Story<\/em>
<\/strong>A deeply flawed classic. Perhaps my favourite of the non-saga films.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Star Wars Episode IV: a New Hope<\/em>
<\/strong>At this point, I’ve probably seen this film forty times, so I’m not sure what I can add except it’s still the best entry point into Star Wars<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Star Wars Episode V: the Empire Strikes Back<\/em>
<\/strong>In my opinion, still the best of the films.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi<\/em>
<\/strong>An absolutely fitting end for Anakin’s story. With the added background into both Palpatine and Anakin that we get from the Clone Wars<\/em>, this film is somehow even better than it was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Mandalorian<\/em>, seasons 1-2
<\/strong>Star Wars<\/em> returned to its roots in the Samurai and Western genres. Easily the best non-animated Star Wars<\/em> that Disney has produced so far. Love it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Star Wars Resistance<\/em>, season 1
<\/strong>Clearly designed to be a kids’ cartoon, though the writers sometimes forget that and make something with a little more meat on its bones. And then they suddenly remember, and it’s a kid’s show again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Star Wars Episode VII: the Force Awakens<\/em>
<\/strong>If this trilogy had any plan whatsoever, this would have been a solid return to form for Star Wars<\/em>. With everything that happened since, it seems much less that it first appears. Almost nothing set up in this film is ultimately paid off. Still fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Star Wars Episode VIII: the Last Jedi<\/em>
<\/strong>A very mixed bag, but much of it is positive. It turns much of Episode VII on its head, and where these characters are going makes sense. Also, it’s a gorgeous film. You could, however, lose the entire Canto Bight subplot without missing anything. Ultimately a good sci-fi film, but it doesn’t hang together as a Star Wars<\/em> film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Star Wars Resistance, <\/em>season 2
<\/strong>They’ve definitely jettisoned the “kids’ show” concept now. Better than season 1, but it never rises to the level of Clone Wars <\/em>or Rebels<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Star Wars Episode IX: the Rise of Skywalker<\/em>
<\/strong>This film is an utter mess. It attempts to retcon Episode VIII out of existence, and barely papers over the resulting plot cracks. Scratch that – there is actually no plot to speak of, only a series of vaguely connected scenes that just sort of happen. Less than the sum of its parts, and an awful end to the saga. It’s not so much a Star Wars<\/em> film as what appears to be a vaguely clever fan film of a non-existent Star Wars<\/em> video game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So would I recommend a complete watch-through as I did? Only if you’re a Star Wars<\/em> geek like me. If there’s one takeaway, though, it’s that much of the Post-Lucas Star Wars <\/em>movie canon is mediocre at best, but the Clone Wars<\/em> and Rebels<\/em> animated series are well worth watching. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sometime in early June 1977, in a small theater in Hegewisch Illinois, I saw Star Wars for the first time. My grandfather took my sister and I after we were too bored just walking in the woods. I was ten, and she was seven. I maintain that this is the best age range to be introduced to the Star Wars […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":106160,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"Blatherings from the Blog: A Digression on the Star Wars","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[10,50,59],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-106154","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fun","category-j-r-r-tolkien","category-review"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Star-Wars-poster-scaled.jpg?fit=1855%2C2560&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1aGBK-rCa","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":110012,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/all-souls-of-the-benedictine-order-2025\/","url_meta":{"origin":106154,"position":0},"title":"All Souls of the Benedictine Order","author":"Thom","date":"14 November 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Dies Ir\u00e6 is the traditional sequence for Requiem Masses and the Masses of All Souls. While this sequence no longer appears at Mass in the Ordinary Form of the modern Roman Rite, it remains in both the Extraordinary Form and in the Benedictine liturgies - and I note that it\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Annual"","block_context":{"text":"Annual","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/annual\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/WillemVrelantFlemishDied1481MassForTheDead2GoogleArtProject.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/WillemVrelantFlemishDied1481MassForTheDead2GoogleArtProject.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/WillemVrelantFlemishDied1481MassForTheDead2GoogleArtProject.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":109128,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/benedictine-all-souls-2024\/","url_meta":{"origin":106154,"position":1},"title":"Day of Wrath, O Day of Mourning!","author":"Thom","date":"14 November 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"the Feast of All Souls of the Benedictine Order - we once again have the Dies Ir\u00e6, the traditional sequence for Requiem Masses and the Masses of All Souls. Today we pray for the souls of all Benedictine monks, nuns, sisters, and oblates in purgatory. \u00a0 Servant of God Thomas\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Annual"","block_context":{"text":"Annual","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/annual\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/WillemVrelantFlemishDied1481MassForTheDead2GoogleArtProject.jpg?fit=597%2C784&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/WillemVrelantFlemishDied1481MassForTheDead2GoogleArtProject.jpg?fit=597%2C784&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/WillemVrelantFlemishDied1481MassForTheDead2GoogleArtProject.jpg?fit=597%2C784&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":108096,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/benedictine-all-souls-2023\/","url_meta":{"origin":106154,"position":2},"title":"Day of Wrath, O Day of Mourning!","author":"Thom","date":"14 November 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"the Feast of All Souls of the Benedictine Order - we once again have the Dies Ir\u00e6, the traditional sequence for Requiem Masses and the Masses of All Souls. Today we pray for the souls of all Benedictine monks, nuns, sisters, and oblates in purgatory. \u00a0 Servant of God Thomas\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Annual"","block_context":{"text":"Annual","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/annual\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/WillemVrelantFlemishDied1481MassForTheDead2GoogleArtProject.jpg?fit=597%2C784&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/WillemVrelantFlemishDied1481MassForTheDead2GoogleArtProject.jpg?fit=597%2C784&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/WillemVrelantFlemishDied1481MassForTheDead2GoogleArtProject.jpg?fit=597%2C784&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":52541,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/the-popes-arms\/","url_meta":{"origin":106154,"position":3},"title":"The Pope’s Arms","author":"Thom","date":"18 March 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"The Vatican Press Office (VIS) has announced Pope Francis' new papal coat of arms. 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