Dear Star Wars, I Love You

The newest Star Wars show, The Acolyte, has just ended its first season. And it has proven to be the most divisive addition to the canon yet. And while the internet would have you believe that the show not only broke canon but was purposefully created to destroy the franchise's legacy, we here at The Holy Goof are not as hot-headed. Sure, The Acolyte had its share of problems (you can read how we felt about Season 1 HERE), but it did not destroy any part of Star Wars canon. In fact, it has raised several fascinating questions about the nature of the Force and the universe that Star Wars inhabits.

That's right, I even liked The Acolyte. In fact, I like ALL of Star Wars.

I’m here for all of it. The whole shebang.

I was eight when The Phantom Menace came out. I saw the prequels in theaters at a young age and loved them. But even before they were released, I loved Star Wars. I grew up watching the Special Edition VHS of the original trilogy with my dad. The moment that Luke found out the truth about his father rocked me to my core. In fact, I don't know if a cinematic reveal has impacted me as much as that did. I wasn’t a fan of The Clone Wars in the beginning (I hated the movie when it first came out). But I gave it another chance in college and fell in love. Now I think it’s some of the best Star Wars content out there.

As I grew, my views on the franchise changed. And then changed again.

I studied screenwriting in college, so for a short amount of time I actually started hating the prequel trilogy due to how they were written; bad dialogue, dramatic reveals, acting, etc. But then I realized that as flawed as they were, they were an incredibly important part of my life. I then started to rewatch them with this newfound sense of child-like purity. And low and behold, I found that I still enjoyed the adventures of young Anakin and Obi-Wan regardless of the bad dialogue and acting.

Since then I’ve truly enjoyed nearly every piece of Star Wars content that’s been released.

I tried collecting the comics, but there are simply too many. Same with the books. I have way too many lining the walls of my office. I like the Extended Universe (now rebranded as Legends), but I take things I like and discard things I don’t. Even Lucas saw the EU as a different animal, so I take that same approach. Dave Filoni once said that as long as upcoming material doesn’t outright contradict something from the EU, consider it canon. I do the same. I like how Disney is telling original stories that integrate elements of the EU. That approach gives me something I recognize but in a fresh way. It also embraces the importance of certain events and characters while making sure it fits the correct aesthetic.

I’ve had very few problems with Disney taking over because I also had issues with some of Lucas’ choices anyway (for example, I hate how he introduced midi-chlorians). I love The Force Awakens and I also think The Last Jedi is fantastic. The Rise of Skywalker was a bit of a letdown for me, but I adore The Mandalorian, Andor and Ahsoka. I thought Obi-Wan Kenobi was great (except for the awful tree limb moment in episode 1) and I even found some joy in Book of Boba Fett. Rebels, Visions, and The Bad Batch have all been wonderful and unique. And even though The Acolyte was very uneven, I don’t hate it.

I saw the flaws in the franchise from the beginning, so nothing is new to me or affects me in a way where I outright hate it.

Some Star Wars content is absolutely better than others, no doubt. But it’s still Star Wars. Because for me, Star Wars isn't about what does or does not happen. It's about the feeling it gives me when I watch it. It’s the aesthetic and the storylines that mix fantasy and sci-fi so well in such a unique and instantly recognizable world. Star Wars makes me feel like a kid again. So to me, even mediocre Star Wars is good Star Wars. And I will not apologize for that opinion, nor bend my will to those loud-mouthed people online that claim to be fans but haven't had a nice thing to say about the property since 2012 (when Disney took over).

So thank you Star Wars.

Thank you for growing and changing while still keeping the same feeling. Thank you for making my childhood awesome. And thank you for integrating more whimsy, mystery, and adventure in my adult life. Even when some of the dialogue makes me cringe, I'm still so incredibly honored to be able to return to this world again and again. And I'm thankful that we are getting more and more Star Wars content.

The Acolyte Season 1 is out now on Disney+

 Story By The Holy Goofs