At Decade’s End

This has been a wild decade for Star Wars fans and I have tried to follow all the crazy twists and turns with my blog. I’ve been diligently keeping up with the Expanded Universe. The books. The comics. The cartoons. The Mandalorian. And I’ve been Blogging. Coming up with new ideas to write about and often more ideas than I can keep up with. That’s why I’m going to slow down- for real this time.

My New Years resolution for the new decade is to only publish one blog post per month for the next 12 months. I love blogging. It is a great creative outlet for me. But sometimes it gets in the way of some of the other things I love.

Before I slow down, I’ve had to speed up- furiously capturing my thoughts on “The Rise of Skywalker”, “The Mandalorian”, and all the wonderful books I’ve read this year. And there are just a few more things I want to say before this Decade’s End.

Everything that Ended

2019 wrapped up so many fictional universes. There was the X-Men prequel series, which began with “First Class” in 2011. There was Game of Thrones, which launched in 2011 and was the defining TV series of the decade. There was the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which saw the first Avengers film hit cinemas in 2012 and “Avengers Endgame” hit cinemas this Spring. All in all the 23-film “Infinity Saga” defined the movie culture of the whole decade.

Finally, the Star Wars sequel trilogy (Which began development when Lucas sold Lucasfilm to Disney in 2012) has come to a close.

All of these things will continue in some form. But the Golden Age of these franchises is now behind us. Whatever Marvel or Lucasfilm cooks up for the future of the MCU or Star Wars- it’s going to look quite different. The biggest difference is that we are heading into an Age of Streaming. Streaming will define the next decade as surely as Social Networks defined the 2010-2019 decade. The Mandalorian is only a sneak preview of everything to come.

Kathleen Kennedy vs. Toxic Fandom

Toxic Fandom has also defined the 2010 – 2019 decade. It was felt in many fan circles including Rick and Morty, Doctor Who, and Star Wars. Even “Game of Thrones” fans turned on the creators when the creators ran out of source material. Toxic Fandom is a direct consequence of the anonymity of the internet. It is very sad that so many fans expect creators to directly pander to their individual wishes and desires.

 

Among this insanity has been constant reporting for five straight years that Kathleen Kennedy is going to be fired. Rest assured, the producer who helped develop Indiana Jones, ET, Jurassic Park, Back to the Future, The Goonies, and everything else you’ve ever loved as a child is the best person to steer this franchise. Disney knows it. George Lucas knew it when he appointed her. If you have enjoyed any of the five recent Star Wars films or The Mandalorian, please thank Kathleen Kennedy.

With “The Rise of Skywalker” set to bring in the biggest Star Wars Box Office since “The Force Awakens” (which will make it one of the most successful films of the decade), there is no way Disney is going to can Kathleen Kennedy. Anyone who thinks differently is probably sexist.

This is It!

I started this decade believing that there would never be more Star Wars movies. I remember the exact moment that I heard differently and from whom heard it (thank you Grant Welsh). Now, at the end of the decade, I have five new Star Wars movies and an amazing TV show. Those are things to be thankful for.

Someday we will get a new theatrical film. Probably in the next five years. Someday we will even get an Episode X. Probably in the next fifteen years. For now, I’m going to sit back and enjoy the closure that Rise of Skywalker has given me.

Until next time Star Warriors!