Current Events > Do some people expect too much from Star Wars?

(+) Yeah! (+)

A common complaint I keep hearing about The Mandalorian is that it isn't providing an "emotional connection" for some people.

Like, I don't want to sound like a jerk but it's a fucking Star Wars show. One about a faceless, nameless bounty hunter at that. What kind of emotional connection were people honestly expecting out of this? Why can't it just be a fun, cool show?

I don't know. I guess it's just weird for me to see people who are well into adulthood who seem to need to have some deeper connection with all of their entertainment. You would think once you reach your mid 20's or 30's you'd realize that it's very rare for new things to bring you back to your childhood or whatever they mean, right?
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Tbqh, I think a lot of people who say these things grew up playing star wars games like kotor/kotor 2, reading EU books, watching clone wars TV show, etc. All sources of some of the best writing in star wars, and it spoiled them into thinking its more than it actually is. The movies have never been all that deep or emotional. They've always been fairly simple and family friendly.

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i always expect the same: lightsabers duels, space battles, different alien races, fun adventures, plot twists, memorable quotes (whether good or bad)...

in short, everything that makes a Star Wars movie. i take it as entertainment, not some fancy art project.

Yes. It's meant as entertainment, not an emotional compass to guide you through life.
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pres_madagascar posted...

Tbqh, I think a lot of people who say these things grew up playing star wars games like kotor/kotor 2, reading EU books, watching clone wars TV show, etc. All sources of some of the best writing in star wars, and it spoiled them into thinking its more than it actually is. The movies have never been all that deep or emotional. They've always been fairly simple and family friendly.

I agree with this. Supplemental canon is better than the films themselves.

I like the Star Wars universe far more than I like the Star Wars movies.
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Wii_Shaker posted...

pres_madagascar posted...

Tbqh, I think a lot of people who say these things grew up playing star wars games like kotor/kotor 2, reading EU books, watching clone wars TV show, etc. All sources of some of the best writing in star wars, and it spoiled them into thinking its more than it actually is. The movies have never been all that deep or emotional. They've always been fairly simple and family friendly.

I agree with this. Supplemental canon is better than the films themselves.

I like the Star Wars universe far more than I like the Star Wars movies.

Well said along with the OP. Star Wars all but has a disclaimer in the scrolling text telling you that it's going to be pretty light, fun stuff. People who want to judge all of SW like it's a kotor 2 follow-up make me do a double take.
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I really don't think "I want to feel something when I watch a show" is a childish outlook.

I think it's more childish to say, for example, "I'm not watching this unless there's a lightsaber".

And other folks in this topic nailed it:

My formative years were in the power gap between OT and PT and I got a lot from the EU stories that didn't have spectacle and dazzle because they were words on a page, so if they wanted to be successful, they had to have that "emotional connection". Some failed, but there were some that really stuck with me.

Like, I re-read the X-Wing series (like all of it) a few years back. It's been out for decades.

I'm personally okay with the films being "broad strokes" and simple if it means I can get deeper stories elsewhere.

I haven't tuned in to Mandalorian yet (because why am I paying Disney monthly for one show that isn't even all released yet), but I admit I'm hoping for something more than dudes in armor and pew pew lasers.

Hell, Dave Filoni was able to deliver, even if it was "for kids".

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dr_marble posted...

Wii_Shaker posted...

pres_madagascar posted...

Tbqh, I think a lot of people who say these things grew up playing star wars games like kotor/kotor 2, reading EU books, watching clone wars TV show, etc. All sources of some of the best writing in star wars, and it spoiled them into thinking its more than it actually is. The movies have never been all that deep or emotional. They've always been fairly simple and family friendly.

I agree with this. Supplemental canon is better than the films themselves.

I like the Star Wars universe far more than I like the Star Wars movies.

Well said along with the OP. Star Wars all but has a disclaimer in the scrolling text telling you that it's going to be pretty light, fun stuff. People who want to judge all of SW like it's a kotor 2 follow-up make me do a double take.

Right. Each medium has it's limitations. Kotor was able to explore more about Star Wars because of the dense videogame format. Books can also explore things in far greater detail than what can be crammed in a 2 hour movie.

I honestly think that Star Wars has outgrown the medium of film and no matter how hard it tries, will never fully meet fan's expectations.

That's not to say they shouldn't keep making movies. I actually thought that Solo and Rogue One were great additions to the new film canon and I am really looking forward to the Mandalorian.
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KOTOR 2 is probably the single deepest, darkest, most philosophical story in all of star wars, and that has less to do with star wars, and more to do with obsidian's writing. While I do wish more star wars stuff would delve into things like that, it's not what star wars typically is or ever really will be.

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While it's good in some ways to see that people can still be so passionate about something, I can't help thinking that if you turn children's entertainment into the equivalent of a religion then it's bound to leave you feeling spiritually unfulfilled at some point.
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A lot of nerds think consuming media is a valid personality trait so they get mad when its not the way they want it to be.
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FursonaNonGrata posted...

A lot of nerds think consuming media is a valid personality trait so they get mad when its not the way they want it to be.

I agree but it's also the nerds who are paying money to see the movies and buy the many, many Star Wars products.
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pres_madagascar posted...

While I do wish more star wars stuff would delve into things like that, it's not what star wars typically is or ever really will be.

Well not with that attitude.

There are books coming out right now that tell a deeper story.

I think once we get a few years removed from the ST, we'll see more stuff like that.

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