Star Wars never truly disappears from cultural relevance, but the franchise has experienced a few dips over the years.
2023 is certainly not among them, as the year continues to be dominated by the forever-popular franchise. Star Wars news continues to leak in on a near-daily basis, as fans enjoy fresh Mandalorian episodes, look ahead to future releases, and stew on what could have been. Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford are absolutely vital elements of the original trilogy, but Hamill’s recent reveal of an alternative cast is forcing fans to consider a very different Star Wars vision.
This, alongside a conversation about the Jedi purge that followed Emperor Palpatine’s rise, is overtaking sci-fi spheres as the end of March looms. A few gems of the genre, like 2016’s Arrival, continue to pull sci-fi in interesting, new directions, but there’s no denying the king of this particular castle. There’s simply no topping Star Wars.
Just where does common sense belong in a galaxy far, far away?
Speaking of Star Wars, the fandom behind sci-fi’s biggest moneymaker makes a habit of re-litigating its every plot point. The latest detail to come under the fandom’s scrutiny regards the Jedi survival rate following Palpatine’s purge. After one viewer accused the storyline of sporting a plot hole, due to so many Jedi surviving the purge, fans flocked to defend the idea of common sense. They noted that, at the time of the purge, thousands of Jedi existed across the galaxy, and plenty of them were far from Palpatine’s reach.
When you consider just how far-reaching Jedi influence was, back in those pre-Empire days, it’s completely reasonable to assume that plenty of people survived Palpatine’s attack. Despite this, some people remain confused about the Jedi who keep cropping up across Star Wars releases. Thankfully, their peers are here to remind them just how wrong they are.
The original Star Wars trilogy could have looked a lot different
Mark Hamill, the one and only Luke Skywalker, dropped a major bombshell that’s changing how people look at the original Star Wars trilogy. The celebrated actor revealed the cast that could have been, should he, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher not secured their roles as Luke, Han, and Leia. Another world could have seen Will Seltzer star as Luke Skywalker, alongside Christopher Walken’s Han and Terri Nunn’s Leia, and fans are struggling to wrap their brains around the idea.
A 2016 sci-fi favorite proves that action scenes don’t make the movie
Pretty much any sci-fi offering out there is absolutely rife with action scenes, both as a way to suit the mood and as a method to hook viewers. 2016’s Arrival proves that action isn’t a necessary element of every sci-fi offering, despite their prevalence across releases. The spectacular film veers far from explosions and collateral damage, and instead presents a thought-provoking look at how humanity might respond to the discovery of sentient life in the universe.
