The one sort of thing in describing the prequels and everything... It's not as
good as what some people say and it's not as bad as what other people say.
[narrator] This is comedian and podcaster Steele Saunders.
-It's also understanding that people like
and dislike things in different ways. So it's sort of like, I don't know, kind of
like an important lesson for the rest of your life sort of thing is how people
deal with these films. It's just like I've got my opinion
and I can accept other people's and...
don't be a dick about it.
[music playing]
[narrator] It's been over a year since we released The Prequels Strike Back. Since then two
Star Wars movies have released and a whole lot has changed in the Star Wars
community. I wanted to know if opinions on the prequels had changed over this time.
So to do this I reached out to Steele, whose podcast, Steele Wars,
is an important part of the Star Wars fandom.
-Like the thing about the movie and the
thing about Star Wars fandom is that it's a really interesting, you know, microcosm
of how like all humans relate to each other with differing opinions and
we get so defensive of the things that we love. It's just interesting the way
we deal not only with people not liking the things that we like, but then on the
flip side, like in the fandom people liking stuff that we don't and like some
people have a lot of trouble dealing with that emotionally and they need to
write a lot about it on the internet it seems.
[Steele laughing]
[narrator] This hate is nothing new for people
in the Star Wars community, especially prequels fans and now many in the
prequel generation find themselves in a similar position with the sequel trilogy
as the original trilogy generation did with the prequels
-When you've got people starting up groups,
these anti-Disney groups and stuff that are like
"let's ruin like, let's ruin the films for people that like it..."
Like there's these Facebook groups or whatever that you know they plan on like spoiling the
film like in those few days where there's spoilers out there before the
film comes on wide release. Focused on what you enjoy and you know,
I think it's part of the fun of being a Star Wars fan. It's positive
negativity like, I'll watch something in Star Wars like maybe like something in
Rebels or you know a scene in the movie where I don't like it and I can talk
about what I don't like about it but I can do it in it's like fun it's sort of
almost you're making fun of your own dislike way.
You know what I mean? Like you can do it in a positive way rather than this
like really negative angry sort of thing like you know. I'm sure you know and it
came up in the documentary a lot of times about the sand and comment, you know
with Anakin and Padme. And he's rubbing her and all that and it's like I don't
like sand and people always ask me like you know what would you change and stuff.
"Would you change the sand thing?"
It's like nah dog, that is the one line I would
never take out of Star Wars cuz it's awe... it's brought so much joy like it's like,
I don't think it's good but like we can celebrate how fun it is.
-Alright, well one question, because I know everybody out there wanted me to ask it
and I would be remiss if I didn't. What are your thoughts on sand?
[audience laughs and cheers]
-It's not very smooth...
-And I thought it was really cool at celebration in Orlando that someone
I met, this girl Spike, got like a a jar of sand signed by Hayden Christensen and he
thought it was really funny and I don't know know. It's just a funny part of Star Wars pop
culture now and there's crazy lines in all the films and I know it is
fascinating to watch the original trilogy and try to watch it with like
the eyes of like an adult rather than the accepting eyes
of like a six-year-old boy.
-I don't know where you get your delusions laser brain...
[Chewbacca laughs]
-Laugh it up, fuzz ball...
-And it's also the thing of there's no film, no film is perfect. Like I watched
the force awakens and in the second half there's lines and and things that happen
that I'm just like why why is this in here.
-I'm afraid not, R2D2 has been in low-power mode ever since Master Luke went away.
-If we all agreed on the prequels...
like,
I don't know it's sort of made for such interesting conversation over
the years and I know for a lot of people was like frustrating conversation but
it's sort of fun that people disagree at the same time and it's fun to find out why.
Do you know what I mean and I always find it very interesting talking to so many people
about it how what people let slide and then what people get hung up on.
Like for me the C-3PO head changing thing is just it's it's so offensive on
multiple levels like from a comedy level from trying to get a PC to work with a
Mac level but it's it's interesting what people take
and what they what they like and don't like.
[narrator] A great example of this comes with the recent internet
phenomenon known as "Prequel Memes."
I wanted to know what Steele thought of
prequel memes and what we should expect from them.
-When it comes to prequel memes my initial feeling is jealousy because so
many of them are so funny and just such like like awesome little
like quotes out of context. I didn't take them ever that they were some sort of
slight, it was more of a celebration you know. There's that old like in in comedy
like the comedy roasts and stuff and the saying is we only roast the ones we love
and that's what I sort of take it as is that we love this thing there's
weird things that are said in the in the movie and and a lot of them are also
just taking tropes from memes that are non Star Wars memes and and you know
plugging that into into like a Star Wars context,
but yeah I'd be shocked to find it was like malicious in some way.
-In fact Steele, thinks there's been a change in the way we think about the prequels
and that that trend will continue.
-I think the prequels now I definitely
think the next 10 years they're gonna be treated you know by fans and and and by
you know Lucasfilm and Disney better than they have for the last 10 years.
But, then again you had like the Clone Wars cartoon and stuff like that...
[Droid yelling]
...but me personally like I'm sort of more about them now
then I was maybe five years ago and also letting go of things that frustrated me
about them and just enjoying the bits that I like.
[narrator] There's a certain wisdom in focusing on what you enjoy.
French film theorist and father of modern film criticism Andre Bazin,
thought critics should only analyze films they enjoy
that concept has never been more foreign than now where the internet rewards
negative criticism perhaps it's time for us to take Luke's advice to his father
-I feel the conflict within you let go of your hate
-It is too late for me, son.
[narrator it might have been too late for Vader
but maybe it isn't for us.
-I think now is the most agreeable time in Star Wars fandom
[Steele and narrator laugh]
[narrator] Doesn't that say a lot?
[laughter continues]
[music playing]