DECONSTRUCTING CREATION?
I've heard a lot of screaming about George Lucas and the handling of the Star Wars Universe other the years. Even more so due to the dismal reviews being handed out for the new Clone Wars CGI Cartoon released this week.
A question was raised by someone (Ok, Valerie D'Orazio on her Occasional Superheroine blog) wondering if Lucas actually OWES us (the fans) anything when it comes to concessions on how the Star Wars Universe is handled.
This is quite a dilemma... choosing between the obvious freedom a creator really MUST have with the worlds and characters he creates and the crowd demands that the path he/she leads those worlds down be what the crowd wants and expects.
I think ANY good creator needs to reconize how important fans are to ongoing success of a franchise and be willing to alter or adjust to keep those fans somewhat happy, but I also believe that the creator's own insistance that the worlds follow his/her desinated path no matter how anyone else feels about is a creator's right and even obligation.
When it comes to Star Wars, I'm not nearly as outraged as many other about how things have been handled over the years. It's been obvious to me that Lucas did NOT had as much planned out as we were led to believe back in the 1980s. Besides contridictions and seemingly changes in facts, timelines and events, things just feel different than we were led to beleive in the 80s when we heard about all the backstory.
The problem is, that we... as fans... feel that we OWN the aforementioned worlds and characters because of how much they touched us and meant to us as we were growing up. However, we tend to forget that the person who actually gave those worlds and characters life really should know their own creations better than us.
I remember when Thomas Harris' fourth novel HANNIBAL came out and there was an outrage about the ending (the novel, not the hollywood ending the movie put on it) and what happened with Clarise Starling. Peopole screamed about how Starling would never have acted a certain way or made the decisions she did or allow her to be lead in the direction that Lector led her in.
I remember thinking to myself "So after just one novel and perhaps spending a couple of hours with a character, the readers feel they know her better than the man who spent YEARS with her in writing and creating her?"
That's the problem... we all think we know better than the person who was the creator.
Lucas did a lousy job with a lot of the Star Wars mythos. I totally agree.
However, if HE is satisfied with how things turned out... maybe we should be willing to accept the fact that things went in the direction that was meant to be... in the creator's mind.
Not an easy thing to do, that's for sure.
About Me
- Patrick J. Nestor, Jr.
- Pat Nestor was taught from a young age that he should always speak his mind. He was encouraged by his parents to walk and talk often as a toddler, which made it quite confusing for him after he turned four and he was suddenly constantly told to "Shut up and sit down." The little voices in Pat's head continued to scream and shout until the only way he could shut them up and get some peace was to write down the twisted and bizarre thoughts that swirled through his brain like flies on rotted meat. This blog is a result of those twisted thoughts. Pat is also a rabid Mets fan, which has added to his fractured psyche. Wear a Yankee, Phillies or Braves hat in his presence at your own risk. Prolonged exposure to the rambling thoughts of Pat's mind is not recommended. Do not attept to operate large machinery after exposure to Pat's thoughts. Wait at least a half hour before swimming. Please keep your hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times and PLEASE do not encourage Pat or he may never stop any of this. Pat would like to turn to his lovely wife Christine and his children Patrick, Tyler & Alex for their continued support, but after reading his blog they have decided to disown him.