Star Wars fans bicker over practically every tiny detail under the sun, though there’s one thing they tend to agree on. Of the three trilogies in the Skywalker Saga, the original trio encompassing A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi is far better than both the prequels and sequels.
These films made Star Wars into the juggernaut franchise it is today, and it’s telling that even after so many spinoffs, the best properties are set in roughly this era. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t some fans ready to nitpick certain aspects of these classics.
A thread on r/StarWars asks the bold question “What aspects of the OG trilogy do you not like?,” and some of the responses are quite the eye-opener.
The top-voted reply is a shot fired over the bows of Luke’s whole story. They say the idea of Obi-Wan taking some scruffy farm teenager long past the ideal age to begin Jedi training and expect him to take out both Darth Vader and the Emperor is unbelievable. Then there’s the fact that his two instructors were ancient Jedi who died soon after he met them. I guess that Skywalker lineage counts for a lot.
The next most popular gripe is a bit more predictable. Yup, it’s Ewoks. The cuddly but homicidal forest-dwelling teddy bears have long been a sticking point among Star Wars fans, particularly if you know that George Lucas’ original plan was for a tribe of Wookiees to take their place. As a great man once said, though, next to Jar Jar Binks, the Ewoks look like Shaft.
Other complaints include the slow-paced lightsaber battles, the plot contrivance of there being a secret second Death Star, Boba Fett’s slapstick death, and Vader never sensing that Leia is his daughter.
Many of these are difficult to argue with, but regardless of whether you agree or not, none of them spoil the experience. If we want a shot of undiluted Star Wars, we’ll always be heading back to the late 70s and early 80s to get it.
