Star Wars and the Comic Retcon

[Winter]

Given how Solo seems to be under preforming at the Box office at the time of this writing. The Mixed fan reception to The Last Jedi and the fact that Star Wars Rebels officially introduced time travel into the Star Wars canon. I was wondering if Disney and Lucasfilm might actually try and reboot Star Wars if Episode 9 under preforms and receives mixed reviews like Solo or Last.

From how I see it they wouldn't reboot the Original Trilogy as no one would be behind that and the same goes for the Prequel Era due in no small part thanks to just how popular The Clone Wars is with fans and the films being somewhat better received in resent years, again somewhat.

Which leaves only one possible outcome, reboot everything Disney Era and make Star Wars Legends canon again starting with a film adaptation of the Thrawn Trilogy given how well received Thrawn was in Rebels and how popular the novels still are with the only notable change being a new cast to play the old characters as TTT is suppose to take place only five years after Return of the Jedi.

As for how the Reboot could be done, as the title suggests I would like it to go for a in-universe retcon which can be done thanks to Rebels showing that time travel is possible and given that Star Wars has made it a habit of saying the future can always be changed it's entirely possible Disney and Lucasfilm would go that route.

And yes I know that the episode that revealed that time travel is possible also had it were the characters didn't change anything and the way to the paths were destroyed but the cats out of the bag and I've no doubt that if Disney does decided to reboot that they will make it a canon reboot.

Though I would like to know what everyone else thinks about this. Is it possible or am I just a little bit more crazy then I thought?

[Enterprising]

The main problem is we're on the express train to Star Wars burnout. Spacing out the movies every 3 years made them a special event, the anticipation & all the conversations built between films almost did the marketing itself.

Now we've had 4 films in less than 4 years, and I'm really not all that fussed about going to see Solo. The decisions & direction Last Jedi went is a factor for sure, but more than that, we're having a film now that didn't need to be made. It's being done just for the sake of it, almost for the novelty factor. Not really helped either with the embedded messages, and more "real world" dialogue and beats used. (Such as the mobile phone or the "your mom" jokes.)

Star Wars should be just pure escapism, that's fun with some action, half decent stories and be other worldly. Leave the techno-babble & social commentary to Star Trek.

[Winter]

I agree and if it were up to me I would only make the Thrawn Trilogy. Just three films, likely filmed all at once like Lord of the Rings and release them within three years as each part of the Trilogy only has a few months set between them and then just stop.

As for the rest of the Star Wars stories I would just make another TV series like The Clone Wars. Taking the best bits from the EU, changing or removing the bits that don't work in order to create a constant boy of work. But as for the films, in my honest opinion, TTT is the perfect end for the series and there really isn't any need for anymore films. All the major plot points have been resolved, all the characters have achieved their goals and the last war lords of the Empire have been defeated.

And with Mara, the Emperor's personal assassin joining the heroes and becoming Luke's friend and student gives the feeling that the Empire really has been defeated and while there are a few more remnants around the Republic has truly won and the war is over.

[GandALF]

If they were going to retcon out divisive films they would have done it to the prequels. They cannot please everyone, it makes no sense for them to try.

And again, Disney has not "erased" anything, they are re-releasing the comic adaption of the Thrawn trilogy in October, they've still got Zahn writing for them and the last few episodes of Rebels basically implied that the legends stuff still "exists" somewhere.

[SabreMau]

Legends stuff is blanket non-canon but still available to be promoted back into official canon if and when they feel like picking out specific parts that they like enough. A lot of it can't coexist, directly contradicted by VII, VIII, and other post-2012 material. And even parts that they do recertify back in could get altered along the way.

[Winter]

If they were going to retcon out divisive films they would have done it to the prequels. They cannot please everyone, it makes no sense for them to try.

And again, Disney has not "erased" anything, they are re-releasing the comic adaption of the Thrawn trilogy in October, they've still got Zahn writing for them and the last few episodes of Rebels basically implied that the legends stuff still "exists" somewhere.

If anyone but George Lucas was in charge of Lucas film that might have happened, but remember the Prequels were financially successful and while mixed weren't that badly received at the time. Regards of how Solo was been received the fact remains that it is, at this time, under preforming and if that happens with Episode 9 which is not as unlikely as it may seem anymore Disney reboot the series could happen.

Of course this won't please everyone I'm not saying that rebooting the films and just adapting The Thrawn Trilogy would. Honestly this is just a thought experiment me asking you that if they did go through with it would they go the normal way of rebooting the film or make the retcon canon?

And I want it to be noted that I like Star Wars Rebels, they got Thrawn down to a T and managed to capture the, for lack of a better word, magic of Star Wars in a way that I feel the resent films have not been able to capture.

[Fixer]

I think burnout is at most a minor contribution to Star Wars declining box office. Marvel has managed to produce about 20 films and people are really looking forward to seeing the follow up movie and where it goes. Fans like myself have snapped up a ton of EU content over the last 30 years.

People are dreading the next Star Wars movie. They're not going into the theatre expecting to be wowed and entertained. There's no anticipation about how things will play out. They're fearing how they're going to screw up their favourite characters and the universe. I was watching Jeremy Jahns state of Star Wars video. He hopes Lando doesn't turn up in Star Wars 9 so the writers can't ruin his life, undermine his character and then kill him off.

I spoke to my brother the other day. He isn't the biggest Star Wars fan but the original trilogy still held a special place in his heart. He missed The Last Jedi in theatres, did a rental and then had to immediately detox by watching Empire Strikes Back. I had guys in the SWTOR guild PMing me about how they hated the movie for months after its release.

The Last Jedi's massive drop-off after its opening weekend points to this one movie being the cause. There's an awful lot of denial going on but the general vindictive and overzealous actions of the movies defenders have now fostered a large section of the fanbase into apathy or an outright desire to see the franchise fail.

Last time I saw this happen was the Mass Effect 3 ending. That did not not end well. I also don't see any satisfying conclusion for the new trilogy. Especially considering it now relies on J.J. Abrahms ability to write a good ending to a story.

It would probably just be for the best that the forget the sequels ever happened. Set another movie trilogy 50 years in the future where Luke's new Jedi order has matured, Leia and Han had their happy ending and the heroes of the Rebellion are looked back upon as legends and role models by the next generation. Hopefully written by someone competent.

[Karha of Honor]

If they were going to retcon out divisive films they would have done it to the prequels. They cannot please everyone, it makes no sense for them to try.

And again, Disney has not "erased" anything, they are re-releasing the comic adaption of the Thrawn trilogy in October, they've still got Zahn writing for them and the last few episodes of Rebels basically implied that the legends stuff still "exists" somewhere.

It was not erased just killed.

[Ordo]

They asked John Boyega about his thoughts on a Solo movie when it was first announced (Long before TLJ), he laughed and said 'Good Luck'. I think he read the situation right....Solo was a movie no one was really all that excited for in the first place. Lucasfilm was counting on the name to get people into theaters...but I think it backfired. Trying to recast an iconic role done by Harrison Ford really just turned people away...I mean we had people complaining about the lead since he was first announced. Then you have the behind the scene issues (Director change) compounding the issue already stated and here we are.

Sure, some people stayed away because of TLJ...but since people still went out to see Wonder Woman despite Batman V Superman (And Suicide Squads) lackluster performance...I'm willing to bet if people had been excited for Solo they still would've gone despite any issues with TLJ.

As for Marvel, they often switch things up in ways Star Wars has not, to keep audiences from getting tired. Characters like Ant-man, Doctor Strange, The Guardians of the Galaxy and Black panther did something unqie and that kept fatigue at bay. Now...we're heading into the 10 year end game...and it feels just right, time wise.

In contrast Star Wars is still too heavily reliant on Empire vs Rebels imagery and time periods. Solo kept the Empire to a minimum...but again....it feels like a naked cash grab using a beloved name instead of something fresh and new...at least that seems to be the core issue that kept people away from an otherwise fine film.

[MyUserName]

The fans I know aren't burnt out on Star Wars, they are burned out on the toxic attitudes of the people currently behind the franchise. The first book written in Disney's new canon that continued after Return of the Jedi was written by foul mouthed Chuck Wendig, who has admitted on multiple occasions to having no love for the fandom, and he essentially ended the fight against the empire at the end of his books, with the empire self destructing after a year almost as a middle finger to those who wanted the story of the main cast to continue afterwards. Last Jedi and Solo both came with controversy with both films having sexual identity politics attached for no other reason than for it to be there. JJ Abrams and Freddie Prinze Jr have had nasty words for TLJ critics, and Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy is more concerned about keeping her writers group 75% women then she is in working with her directors in ensuring things go smoothly, as both solo and rogue 1 required extensive reshoots.

Remember when Star Wars was simply there to entertain with its themes of heroism in its characters and strong action sequences? This, and to see Luke, Han, and Leila in action again, even if it is CGI, is what many wanted when new films were announced. How is this so hard to deliver?