This article was written by Amy Ratcliffe and posted on the Official Star Wars Blog. After each point I will give you my opinion and I invite you to share your opinions in the comments or on Facebook.
When a franchise has a large and diverse fan base like Star Wars, there are bound to be disagreements. Being passionate about a topic means strong feelings and those feelings can lead to heated discussions. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, healthy and polite debates with other enthusiastic fans are fun. I’ve gained insight about the Star Wars universe from participating in debates and watch others go back and forth, because as I’m sure you’ve noticed,Star Wars fans have opinions. Like, about everything. If it happened in the galaxy far, far away, we’re tearing it apart and examining it from every angle. These seven topics are ones I see discussed frequently:
1. Han and Greedo
Han shot first, Greedo shot first, Han was the only one who shot — pick a side. The unfortunate event that transpired in the Mos Eisley Cantina comes up within fandom and even with people who don’t consider themselves to be Star Warsfans. And even though the answer is out there, it’s presented in a couple of different ways so it depends on your certain point of view.
My Opinion:
I have always believed that Han shot first. Greedo was there to capture Han to deliver him to his boss Jabba. He would not confront Han if he didn’t think he could shoot him, especially that close. I believe Han pulled his blaster and fired, Greedo then heard the shot and fired back, but by the time he shot his body had already taken the blast and was moving so that the shot wouldn’t be a straight blast to Han.
2. Midi-chlorians
Midi-chlorians were introduced into Star Wars canon in The Phantom Menace. The fact that they’re canon doesn’t stop fans from talking about the point of midi-chlorian levels, how they affect Force users, and why they weren’t mentioned in the original trilogy.
My Opinion:
Honestly I never thought about this as something to debate, I just took it as a piece of knowledge that wasn’t shared with the fans during the original Triliogy and thought it was probably something Lucas had been asked about many times so he wanted to explain it.
3. Ewoks
Are Ewoks cute and furry teddy bear-like creatures or vicious carnivores? Sure, they helped fight the Empire and serve as a symbol of the many alien races oppressed by Palpatine, but they also tried to roast Chewbacca and Han over an open fire and eat them for dinner.
My Opinion:
Well they were portrayed as cute and furry and actually very smart. They were able to help destroy an Empire that was much stronger with it’s technology, but had never worried about how to beat a weaker opponent. Similar to how in A New Hope, they hadn’t ever planned on how 1 shot from a X-Wing could blow up the Death Star if fired perfectly. How these little things were missed is a flaw with the Empire. Seems they were always ready for only the biggest opponent and figured that would work on all opponents.
4. Stormtroopers’ combat skills
“Only Imperial stormtroopers are so precise.” The wise Obi-Wan Kenobi led us to believe stormtroopers were all capable marksmen. Then, for the most part, we see them miss everything and everyone they aim to hit. Was Obi-Wan being a crazy old wizard, or was he thinking stormtroopers would be like the clone troopers he used to fight beside?
My Opinion:
I’m sure they are suppose to be great marksman but they are not even close. I always call people Stormtroopers when they can’t ever seem to hit anything. It’s amazing how this trained Army seems so inept when it comes to defending the Empire.
5. Viewing order
With six films and two animated series, how does one decide on viewing order? Many people suggest going in the order of release so you’d watch the original trilogy, the prequel trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and then Star Wars Rebels. Others suggest leaving out the animated series for first time viewers and watching the films in chronological order from Episode I to Episode VI. Those are far from the only variations.
My Opinion:
I believe in watching the films in the order they are released. I don’t believe the cartoons should be included, but rather used for reference later if you want to learn more.
6. Prequel trilogy
The merits of the prequel trilogy come up frequently in conversations about Star Wars. Did we need to see the path of Anakin Skywalker from such a young age? Did Qui-Gon need to die so soon? Did Obi-Wan fail Anakin? The questions about the stories and characters introduced in the prequels are endless, and every fan has strong feelings about all of it. Go ahead, test that theory at Celebration Anaheim.
My Opinion:
This question can mark so much debate. I will touch on the points they mentioned above. I was glad they took Anakin back to such a young age. To see what him and his mother went through. It was nice to see the things that effected him and makes you understand more of the choices he made later in life. Qui-Gon didn’t bother me that he was gone so soon, but I was bothered that Darth Maul was gone so quickly. I understand that after Maul killed Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan had to take care of this new Sith enemy, but I think he would have been better to keep around for a little bit longer. As far as Obi-Wan failing Anakin, I don’t believe he did. Anakin’s path was chosen for him and he was the chosen one, Obi-Wan took Luke to a safe place and made sure he was kept out of harms way till he was old enough to become his own man. In that aspect, I think Obi-Wan did a lot more for Anakin than any other. Anakin was in no right frame of mind to raise his children, and Obi-Wan made sure they were hidden and taken care of.
One thing I never I always wondered about, why didn’t Anakin/Darth Vader ever return to Tatooine and seek out his step brother Owen Lars? He met him when he was older with his girlfriend and met his step father, he knew where their farm was and could have gone after them as I feel he blamed them partially for his mother’s death. Just my opinion.
7. Parsecs
“It’s the ship that made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs.” Do you even know what you did with that line, Han Solo? A parsec is a measure of distance, not time. Fans have been trying to rationalize Han’s boast for decades. Is Han lying or is talking about how he navigated close to black holes to navigate theMillennium Falcon over a shorter distance than the normal route?
My Opinion:
I have always thought of Parsecs as speed somehow figuring in the distance of the run. I just thought of it as another form of measuring time with distance. Miles per hour or Kilometers just don’t seem like a good measure as the ship goes faster than we could ever imagine.
What Star Wars topics do you like to debate? Share your opinions in the comments!
Amy Ratcliffe is a writer obsessed with all things Star Wars, Disney, and coffee. You can follow her on Twitter at @amy_geek and keep up with all things geeky at her blog.
As co-owner and co-creator of The Main Street Mouse.Working in a technical support position for 18 years, it was time for a change.As the Webmaster and Project Planner, I spend most of my time researching everything from the latest Disney News, technology advances and of course keeping up on all the Marvel news that comes out.I never considered myself a writer but I’ve come to like blogging and sharing news with all.I feel blessed everyday that I get to spend my days working with my best friend and love of my life while we continue to grow and expand what started as a hobby all those years ago.
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