I think the state of Star Wars is good. I’m satisfied as a fan, and I’m saying that in a year when half the internet will tell you the whole thing is on fire. Mrs. Know-It-All put it better than I did before we even got rolling: she likes where the Star Wars universe is going overall, and she thinks there are a lot more haters than there should be.

This is our second one of these. The first was the state of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and we may very well do one for Star Trek soon, because there’s a whole lot of Star Trek going on. But this one’s Star Wars, and we went all the way back to the beginning to get there.

Where It Started for Us

Mrs. Know-It-All wasn’t old enough to see the first one in a theater (Episode IV, and she isn’t revealing her age). What she remembers is seeing Five and Six in the theater. She was really young, and she thinks that was her first exposure to movie theaters at all.

Mine came through television. TBS, TNT, and the cartoons. For a long time Star Wars existed more in the cartoon era for me than anywhere else. I saw Droids on ABC on Saturdays, then the Ewoks cartoon, then two, maybe three Ewoks movies, and I saw all of those. I had the toys. I had the Darth Vader with the lightsaber that popped out of the hand, the whole bit.

My real shot at the original trilogy, full-blown, came just before George Lucas released the versions with the new effects. They did a re-release of a remastered print. Not digital, digital wasn’t a thing yet. So I saw it in theaters right before you never got to see it that way again. After that it was VHS. Big, giant, fat tapes. You’re watching Luke and the Emperor, all of a sudden you’ve got static, and you’re up fixing the tracking.

The Prequels, and What Episode I Gets Right

Mrs. Know-It-All calls the prequels good stories, and she means it, but she’s old school. Four, Five and Six are in her heart forever. She’s also the type who didn’t like it when George Lucas enhanced them, and it makes her a little sad that she’ll probably never get her hands on the originals as they were. If you know how, please, somebody tell her. A friend of hers once explained that some kids liked the first three way more than Four, Five and Six, which tells her it’s less about the story and more about the action and what the CGI lets you see.

I’m not a Jar Jar apologist. I didn’t like Jar Jar. He immediately felt condescending. And I never attached a racial component to it the way some people did. I never once thought that. I thought he sounded like an idiot. I was just sitting there going, why is he all babbling and goofy? And mind you, this is a kid who grew up on the Ewoks, the Ewoks cartoon and the Ewoks movies. I’ve seen goofy.

The last time I watched the prequel trilogy, I did it in a style where you skip Episode I entirely. You watch Episode IV like everybody did before the prequels existed, then you jump into Two and Three, then you come back for Five and Six. It turns the whole front half into the Vader saga.

But there are really good things in Episode I. It gives you the Jedi fully formed, and we never see them at the height of that power again. When they show up on that Trade Federation ship and it’s just the two of them in their cloaks, they’re bad and they’re respected. As soon as everything pops off they’re force-pushing fools and doing that super fast Force run. And the Darth Maul fight with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan is one of the most epic fights there is. A little lackluster in the final moment, sure. When it came out on DVD I watched that fight probably a hundred times if I watched it once.

We’re watching Andor right now, and what Mrs. Know-It-All wants is to watch all of this in line. Go from Return of the Jedi right into Boba Fett or The Mandalorian. The only problem is she doesn’t know anything about the animated series.

So here’s my ask. I don’t think you have to watch all of The Clone Wars to appreciate what happened during the Clone Wars, but there are huge moments in there worth picking out. I’d love the list that says The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, these key episodes of Clone Wars, Revenge of the Sith, these key episodes of Bad Batch, Solo, Obi-Wan, these key episodes of Rebels, Andor, Rogue One, and on forward. If you know of one, link it in the comments.

For those of you playing at home, Dave Filoni is the heir apparent to George Lucas. He’s the guy in the cowboy hat you see in the interviews, and he’s helping Jon Favreau with the current resurgence. George Lucas basically told him, I’m going to give you this animated corner of the universe, because this might be as far as we ever get in terms of telling these stories. Go tell the stories. He taught him how to think in terms of Star Wars, what’s appropriate and how things should be. Filoni poured his heart and soul into it, and now he’s being handed the actual toys in the box. That’s why we get Ahsoka Tano.

And when Disney bought Star Wars, they put out a ruling. Everything you knew as the expanded universe is now called Legends. They weren’t saying those things didn’t happen. They were saying it’s part of the storied past of Star Wars, and we might dip into that toy box and pull things out. They’ve done exactly that, and I fully believe we’re getting a villain out of the books and the animated stuff soon. But fans lost their minds over what went away. You lost Mara Jade, who eventually becomes Luke Skywalker’s wife in those books. And everybody’s asking why Luke is the one getting the short end of the stick.

The Sequel Trilogy Is a Beautiful Mess

The sequels were a big deal in Mrs. Know-It-All’s house. She and her family went to every one in the theater. Her read on The Force Awakens is the one a lot of people have: it’s A New Hope, except it’s a woman and not a man, and we got our third Death Star. It’s bigger, because why not, because Star Wars. That didn’t make it bad for her. It was nostalgic. It felt good to watch.

I got excited about that trilogy for the first time listening to Kevin Smith. The podcast is Fatman Beyond now. Back then it was Fat Man on Batman. He’d been invited to the set with J.J. Abrams, and he told the story of walking onto the Millennium Falcon and then watching them film that massive battle on Jakku, the one where Finn meets Rey and they’re running through the tents with the TIE fighters coming down on them. His description was so engaging it got me excited. I’m a sci-fi fan first. I love genre, so I’m always in.

And I saw it, and I loved it. I loved The Force Awakens. I didn’t bump into the issue with Rey being a Mary Sue until later, because it became really evident in The Last Jedi and then The Rise of Skywalker.

So to me the sequel trilogy boils down to a beautiful mess. I like a lot of the elements sprinkled in there. The fight scenes are epic. The Rise of Skywalker gives you Rey and Ben back to back, defending each other in the Emperor’s chamber, and that’s gorgeous. It’s on par, in my opinion, with Duel of the Fates.

The Last Jedi was super controversial because of how it handled Luke. I’ll always roll with the punches, because just because it’s not how I’d do it doesn’t mean it’s wrong. These things have all inspired me. But I didn’t enjoy The Last Jedi as much as I would’ve liked to. I enjoyed The Rise of Skywalker for what it was. What it was trying to be was Avengers: Endgame. Oh no, there’s nobody here, and then all of a sudden everyone shows up and you get your big clap moment. It felt forced and contrived. Not to mention, where the heck did the Emperor come from?

“The Force Is Female”

Mrs. Know-It-All asked me straight: did I, as a man, have a problem with Kathleen Kennedy and “the Force is female”?

I don’t ever have a problem with feminism. My issue was, why are you forcing this? Just tell me the story. Had you never spoken those words, I would’ve loved it just as much. Saying them didn’t make me love it more. It’s not like I sat there going, sweet, there’s my feminist shout-out. It didn’t jibe for me.

Mrs. Know-It-All went further. She thinks it’s why The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker gave her more trouble: the Force is female, and Rey doesn’t earn it. You know who earned it, she said? The women who busted in on that ship in The Mandalorian. Gina Carano’s character.

Favreau, Filoni, and the Boss Who Signed Off

Then you hear Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni are heading up a Disney Plus series, and funny enough, they’re starting with Boba Fett without Boba Fett. The Mandalorian literally looks like discount Boba Fett when that show starts. Then he goes through what he goes through, he gets the beskar armor, and now he’s the nice shiny version. Eventually the legend himself comes back, and you spin off into The Book of Boba Fett.

We did skip the Star Wars Story movies, Rogue One and Solo. We love those, and the real reason is that they were date movies for us. One of them was one of our first dates. They aren’t good movies. Rogue One is okay, but Rogue One belongs inside another movie.

The Mandalorian looked the most modern of anything while still feeling like it lived in the universe of Four, Five and Six. It was grungy and dirty enough. And so far I haven’t seen a Star Wars series that’s been a miss. The Book of Boba Fett had its problems (by all means, still watch my review), and I do think it had some misfires. The Mandalorian I thought was above reproach. Andor, which I’m reviewing right now, is firing on all cylinders. No misfires so far.

There’s been speculation about drama with Kathleen Kennedy. Look, I don’t care. I’ll lay the current success of Star Wars at the feet of Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau. However, comma, you don’t get them without Kathleen Kennedy’s sign-off and say-so. That doesn’t mean I hold her responsible for their decisions. But she’s the boss. She had the wherewithal to hire them, or approve them, so you can’t give her too much nonsense about it. She’s not new at this. She’s been doing this job a long time and she’s done amazing work. I hate the idea that she’s ruining something. I don’t think she is at all.

Why Are You Scared of the Jedi?

Everybody’s talking about where the movies go. Taika Waititi is apparently working on a trilogy. Kevin Feige is working on a movie. They want to move in a lot of directions, and they keep circling this era that’s essentially a YA version of Star Wars Jedi stories.

I love Andor. I love everything these shows are doing. I can’t wait for Ahsoka. But why are you scared of the Jedi?

What I loved about the expanded stuff, whether it was the Dark Horse comics or the novels, was that it always gave you more insight into the Jedi. Give me space wizards. It’s literally the reason I’m here. Lightsaber-wielding space wizards, let’s go. Why am I sitting here dallying with ten soldiers? Dude, I get the Nazi allegory. I want Yoda hopping around with lightsabers, or some version of that. That’s the only reason Episode I holds up for me. You get to see Jedi doing Jedi stuff.

I wasn’t a video game guy, so Knights of the Old Republic as a game means nothing to me. But I’ve read some of the Old Republic books and I understand the time frame, and I want that. Give me Game of Thrones in Star Wars. The early days of the Jedi are a ripe time for stories.

What’s Coming, and What Counts

We really didn’t get much out of D23. What I know is that Ahsoka has finished filming and The Mandalorian season three has finished filming. I’ve heard no whispers on The Book of Boba Fett. I don’t think it’s canceled. I think they’re playing that one close to the vest. Bad Batch has a new season.

I think Ahsoka is going to be Filoni’s back door for bringing in more characters from the animated side. They’ll tell you the animated stuff is canon, and it is, but it’s always been treated more like B canon. A canon is everything you see in the movies. B canon is everything else that connects to the movie universe without being part of that main storyline. A lot of people assumed the Disney Plus shows would be B canon. No. Live action always takes priority. So Dave Filoni is going to do his best to shove everything he created in the B column over into the A column. He wants his stuff to be part of the actual universe. And I’m sorry, Ahsoka doesn’t matter to most people until you get her like this: her own show, live action, Rosario Dawson kicking butt. That’s 2023.

Hayden Christensen’s been cast in it, too. So either the story keeps moving forward from where we saw her in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, or we get flashbacks, and I think it’s both. I’d love to see them go back to her fight with Vader from the animated series and redo parts of it almost shot for shot. The helmet broken open, the two of them fighting amid that lightning. Give me that, and have her deal with the emotional weight of it.

The Voice, and the Luke We Wanted

The investment in the de-aging and digital actor technology is ridiculous, and having Luke Skywalker back was monumental.

When we were watching Obi-Wan Kenobi, we speculated there was no way James Earl Jones had recorded that, even though he’s credited as the voice of Darth Vader. It was a younger, more vital, more energetic James Earl Jones than we’d gotten in a long time. Even when he did the animated episode with Vader against Ahsoka, he sounded older and huskier. Then Obi-Wan comes along and it sounds like Vader from the ’80s. They did confirm it. It works similar to a deepfake: you feed it audio, and there’s tons of him. He narrated the Bible. He’s done voice-over work for years and years.

People say he sounds dispassionate. No offense, Vader wasn’t very passionate. The loudest we ever heard him was the first movie: “You are part of the Rebel Alliance and a traitor. Take her away!” Past that, he’s dark, brooding, and overbearing by presence alone.

That technology opens up a lot of room. The Last Jedi was controversial for me mostly because I never got to see the Luke Skywalker I read in the expanded universe, or in the comics, or imagined in my head while I was playing with my toys. Until he showed up in The Mandalorian season two and just wrecked shop. Then you see him again in The Book of Boba Fett and he’s the Jedi Master, perfectly realized. I remember crying while he destroyed those Dark Troopers, thinking, oh my God, they’ve done it. They’re giving us the Luke we wanted. The guy that Luke himself makes fun of in The Last Jedi, the one who walks out in front of a whole army with a laser sword. We wanted that guy.

Mrs. Know-It-All said that’d be a cool series, and yes. Give me a Jedi Academy. Give me more of that. I’d love to see Leia brought back. I’d love to see Harrison Ford lend his voice to a younger Han Solo. Give me one Han Solo adventure. I get why D23 was quiet on Star Wars, because Indiana Jones needs its room. I’m sure we get a big announcement after that.

Old Men and Redemption Arcs

I can’t believe they’re talking about a second season of Obi-Wan, but there is a lot of time in those years, and he’s watching Luke from afar. Although Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru proved they’ll show out for their nephew.

The animated stuff already did the best version of it. Darth Maul comes to stalk Obi-Wan, and they’re both old men. Obi-Wan takes the stance, there’s maybe one tired move, and Maul collapses. It’s really sad. Obi-Wan’s holding him, and Maul works out that he’s there guarding the chosen one, and he’s almost relieved. Whatever his fight was, it’s done. I can’t imagine you could ever recreate that in live action, it was so poignant. Sam Witwer does an amazing job voicing the character originated by Ray Park. (I said Ray Parker Jr. first. That’s the Ghostbusters guy. So now we’re watching Ghostbusters tonight.)

I asked Mrs. Know-It-All how she felt about Ben Solo coming back to the right side of the Force, and she’s totally down. People get mad about it because he kills Han Solo. But Star Wars has always been about redemption arcs for horrible, horrible people. Vader was a space Nazi working for space Hitler, and he still got his at the very end. He throws the Emperor over the side and then he’s lying there wheezing his way through it. Ben came around way sooner and actually got to do stuff as a good guy.

And I love what Obi-Wan Kenobi did with that helmet. Obi-Wan cracks it open and you hear him coming in and out of Anakin’s voice and Vader’s voice. So good.

Two Votes for Good

Star Wars in 2022 doesn’t get a Know-It-All Index number. I asked a simpler question instead: is the state of the Star Wars universe good or bad?

If you subscribe to the drama, then I guess the state of Star Wars is murky and tumultuous. If you subscribe to enjoying your fandom, playing the ball where it lies, it’s good. Mrs. Know-It-All says that since marrying me, and being around television, she’s started noticing how these things get made, and it’s made her a better fan, the kind who’ll say “they really could’ve done it this way” and still enjoy the ride. She thinks we’re headed in a good direction. She says good. I say good.

We’re living in a golden era of fan service, in both the best and the worst ways. The best ways are there, and I’m happy with what we’re getting.

So what do you think the state of the Star Wars universe is? If you’ve got something in depth, bring it. Just don’t blast in with “The Force Awakens is terrible” and “Rian Johnson sucks.” I love that you’re passionate. Let’s do it respectfully, that’s all I ask. And if you’ve got that watch order with the key animated episodes, link it. The conversation lives in the comments on the video above.