Should future Star Wars movies extend towards the Expanded Universe?

The year 2013 has passed us by and as such we are even closer the upcoming release of Star Wars Episode 7. So far, we know quite a bit about the staff behind the scenes as well as some general things about the people who we may be seeing on the big screen next year. However, this is not an article about them, this is not an article about Episode 7... this is a rant, a fine rant from a long-time Star Wars fan. However, I will keep it fairly short and simple and I wont bother explaining most things as you probably already heard them a million times.

 

Update 6th of November 2014: we now know the official title of the new movie - read the full report!

The Core Story of the Movies

The movies are what got me into the world of Star Wars, yet they are currently one of the worst things associated with the trademark. The "expanded universe" is really where I think it is at. The things is that some of the novels and the games just outclass the experience which the movies so far have provided. Maybe I am just a video game nerd, but the experience that the old Bioware RPG called Knights of the Old Republic was able to provide me with was worth more of my money than all the three prequels.

Sure, let's talk about context, episodes IV to VI were made a long time ago, but honestly, do you expect episode VII to be all that great? I am not even expecting it to be "good" as I believe the core of the story as well as its settings have been stripped dry of anything that was awesome.

Maybe it would be interesting if they decided to include Grand Admiral Thrawn as the main villain or the story of Han Solo's children, but this will hardly be the case. This is because these characters belong in the "expanded universe" and J.J Abrams has decided not to mess with them. On one hand it is a good idea not to ruin them with a horrible movie, but on the other... he is basically throwing out the possibility of using amazing stories and worlds that many fans would love to see realized in the form of a movie. Also, his story may (and probably will) stomp on the expanded universe and make it irrelevant.

Maybe after episodes 7, 8 and 9 are done, someone will actually do something about the EU? Who knows...

Star Wars 7 Trailer [Fake Video]

 Did you try searching "Star Wars 7 trailer" on YouTube recently? It is amazing what sort of fake, fan-made videos you could find, still I have to admit that many of them are quite original and entertaining. Some try to be funny by making a parody on the whole Disney thing, while others aim to actually convince the viewers that the video is real. They do this by including all the logos at the start, making impressive visual effects and by revealing something that most people never had a chance to see when it comes to Star Wars.

  Check this one out:

Disney do NOT ruin the Star Wars franchise! - plead the fans

If you are expecting this article to be yet another of my personal rants about how Disney will put a nail on the Star Wars confine once Star Wars 7 is released then I must disappoint you. While I often talk about such things there will be no such words from me today. Since there are really no Star Wars 7 news this week to report, I thought we might as well go back to the start of this whole  Disney takes over Lucasfilm thing. The idea behind this article? To see what the fans think about where the new films are going and what will be wrong with them according to famous bloggers and critics.

Star Wars Rebels Coming Your Way! Another Stupid Spin-off?!

 Disney is going all-in to cash out as much money as possible from their latest business venture with Star Wars. It was announced yesterday that Disney will be creating a animated series called Rebels that is set for 2014 and will premier on Disney XD. It is clear that Disney will be "milking" the fans as much as possible and that they will try to give Star Wars to the new, younger audience to make their investment last longer and be more sustainable. As a fan, one cannot year enjoy this as much, but one has to admit that it is a well-developed and organized strategy.

Star Wars, the Clone Wars animated series wasn't so bad. Perhaps "Rebels" will be better that we are expecting?

 Aside from giving us three new movies which will be a whole new trilogy, Disney plans to make another stand-alone movie, an animated series and a series of video game in partnership with EA who got the exclusive license. Now, I know that this is Star Wars 7 news blog and that the title of this post is about an animated series called Rebels, but I really had to throw this rant out there. I don't like what Disney is doing and where this ship is sailing. As much as I hate to admit it, it seems that a majority of what was good in Star Wars died with The Return of the Jedi, which ended the original trilogy.

 But let us give Disney the benefit of doubt. Ever so often companies do produce high quality material when rebooting a series. Perhaps Disney is in it just for the money, but that doesn't mean that the people they will hire will not produce good material. I like to believe that film producers and directors consider themselves artists rather than businessmen and I hope this will be the case with J.J. Abrams and his team.

 As far as the new animated series Rebels is concerned, people are acting as if it is a brand new concept that Disney figured out. I personally believe that its not and that Disney had it all planned before they even both Lucasfilm and got the exclusive license to Star Wars. 

"I think 'Star Wars Rebels' will capture the look, feel and fun that both kids and their parents love about 'Star Wars,'" Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm, said in a statement.

 Yes, read that once more and then refer to what I said above: they will try to give Star Wars to the new, younger audience to make their investment last longer and be more sustainable.

 A lot of people are bothered by this, but I find it a change for the better as far as society is concerned. I like the idea of kids watching cartoons based on Star Wars instead of the many other stupid things that Disney is producing lately. However, the inner SW fan-boy inside me can hardly put things to rest.

 What do you guys and girls think? Let me know in the comments!