Celebrating Star Wars Day – 2020

The time has come once again.

Star Wars is at the end of its The Clone Wars run on the Disney+ streaming service. On this same day, the hit epic space opera franchise has a holiday for itself that lands on every May the 4th, and this year, lead critic John Tangalin and one of our newest writers Lauren Garcia wanted to answer questions that the current writing staff pose in special “What If?” scenarios!

Our Editor-in-Chief, Zach Smith, asks:

What if Jar Jar [Binks] was the puppetmaster of Order 66 and the Empire? Where did he go after Episode III [Revenge of the Sith]? Where was he in Episode IV [A New Hope]? Sure, maybe Vader killed him because he annoyed Anakin [Skywalker], but what if he [Jar Jar] was Palpatine’s true Master and not Darth Plagueis?

John: It’s crazy that ever since the character appeared in the prequel trilogy in 1999 all the way to the inclusion of the sequels starting in 2015, people have been coming up with conspiracy theories like he was a Sith Lord of sorts. Jar Jar pulling the strings for the prequels would be so bizarre and yet rather intriguing considering this period of Star Wars films had come out nearly a decade after The Usual Suspects. The type of plot twist that the individual least likely to perform these tasks is a neat trope! Jar Jar would probably be in hiding — like Palpatine had in The Rise of Skywalker — especially if he had some influence as Palpatine’s master.

Lauren: OMG, I love Jar Jar! He’s definitely my true spirit animal. He couldn’t possibly be the puppet master! But I know there’s a whole Darth Jar Jar cult out there and I think it’s hilarious and genius. I mean, the signs are all there, right? He’s played out to be some goofy, clumsy, incredibly lucky fellow but underneath that frog prince smile is a trained killer, double agent, frog jumping force master!

Writer/critic Zeke Blakeslee asks:

What if Luke [Skywalker] had accepted [Emperor] Palpatine’s proposal, went to the Dark Side, and everything went downhill?!

J: Supposedly, Anakin Skywalker was meant to bring balance to the Force, as per Obi-Wan Kenobi; but Anakin fell and Darth Vader rose from the ashes (literally). This role of balance was passed onto Luke. If he had gone down this same path, the galaxy would be in deeper peril than how it’s originally portrayed in the films. Leia would never have been trained by her brother, and there wouldn’t be a need for Ben Solo to become Kylo Ren. Even then, Luke was the one who trained the new generation of Jedi. The good guys wouldn’t have a chance, but who knows? If Harry Potter and the Cursed Child worked out in the end, then perhaps there’s still hope out there in the cosmos. We just need to keep searching.

L: The Skywalkers are supposed to be the strongest and most powerful bloodline in the galaxy. Palpatine has always been envious, let alone afraid of this power. He spends all of his time trying to tempt the Skywalkers to harness their abilities for his own agenda. If Luke gave in to the dark side, he is merely just another pawn for The Sith to take over the galaxy probably making them unstoppable at this point.

Our critic Nathan Potter asks:

What if the team failed to save Han from Jabba [in Episode VI – Return of the Jedi]?

J: Han has a crucial in this trilogy moving forward, but in this specific film, his role is to help destroy yet another Death Star. With Luke serving as the Hope/Faith and Leia as Love/Spirit, Solo is the Strength that the Rebel Alliance so much desire. Without him, the good side of the galaxy is weak.

L: Losing Han Solo would be like having a banana split without bananas… it’s a WTF moment! There would definitely be a significant imbalance in the galaxy. Everything would go into [an] alternative universe, dystopian society mode! It may sound dramatic but it’s true. The entire original trilogy is basically Han and Luke saving the day time and time again. Even in the latest Saga, they played core/crucial roles. A plethora of central characters and innocent bystanders would lose their lives without Han Solo and the galaxy as we know it would never be what fans love today.

Our consultant, Mike Guimond, asks:

What if Obi-Wan [Kenobi] was able to turn Anakin back to the side of light? Who could take Vader’s place as antagonist (perhaps just Sidious or someone else supplemental, maybe even Luke or Leia, making Anakin the protagonist!) , and where could the conflict lie with the characters we know?

J: Assuming this happens somewhere in the first three Episodes of the Saga, Anakin will grow with his children, and perhaps Padmé will have survived childbirth, resulting in them living a seemingly happy life. The only outcome is one or both children to easily be tempted by the Dark Side, but that requires negative emotions like anger and envy, etc. Darth Sidious would make a great comeback, but the animated series — most notably Star Wars: The Clone Wars — would give a more definite answer!

L: I’ve had dreams of Anakin choosing to be good and I cry tears of joy every time. He’s always had the most potential to bring the side of light to heights we can only dream of! However, if he chose that path what if Luke AND Leia were tempted to go to the Dark side. Then it would be a pair of villainous Skywalker twins slicing and dicing through every Jedi and anyone else in sight. Wouldn’t that be a crazy galaxy to live in…if they let you live. (*Cue Palpatine’s creepy laugh*)

Writer Jacob Manning asks:

What if Anakin had killed Obi-Wan? It seems like something small that leaves nobody to bring Luke into the Jedi order and really opens a lot of different future outcomes

J: Obi-Wan was the key to keeping watch over (and protecting, guiding, etc.) Anakin’s son Luke. The only other survivors of Order 66 to take on this role would be Yoda and the members of the Rebel Alliance. Luke would probably live in a different environment. However, if Anakin had killed Obi-Wan on Mustafar, Anakin would return to the ship where his wife was and perhaps watch her give birth to the children. Whatever happens from there may or may not also influence Anakin’s personality in the galaxy.

L: The Duel on Mustafar is by far one of the most legendary battles of the series! I imagine that if Anakin ended up killing Obi-Wan, maybe he would officially choose the light. He’ll realize what he has truly done. That he has killed one of his last ties to the side of the light and that this was never what he wanted. Maybe he’ll be able to save Padmé and raise his kids. Then the Sith can seduce either Luke or Leia and stab our hearts while they’re at it. 🙂

Bonus: We asked our writers what first made them love Star Wars. Here are some of their responses!

John:

I was 4-years-old (going on 5) and I saw Episode II – Attack of the Clones with some relatives on a nearby military base. I wasn’t too into [the franchise] at that time, even when my uncle briefly showed me his VHS collection of the OG trilogy. I saw Episode III – Revenge of the Sith later in 2005 and that was the coolest thing ever. I remember the movie felt like it dragged on and on, but it got real intense toward the final act. When I arrived to further my education at the university level, Episode VII – The Force Awakens was released. It was great, along with the spin-off Rogue One which came out the year later. Those sealed the deal for me. I just hope some stories that weren’t fulfilling will get their chance to shine in the future!

Lauren:

My mom’s youngest brother (who is basically like an older brother to me) was all about Star Wars. Growing up, he would play the original trilogy VHS tapes non-stop all day. All I ever wanted in life was a red lightsaber and Leia’s infamous space buns (LOL!) I love Star Wars so much because it’s an entire fantasy world that goes beyond anyone’s imagination! Everything about it is so intriguing from the lovable characters like Chewbacca and Rey, down to the mechanics of things like the Millennium Falcon or Kylo Ren’s cross lightsaber. I can’t tell you how many Midichlorians Padmé has or how to build a TIE fighter but I think I can speak for all of us when I say that Star Wars has played a special role in some sort of way in our lives. (And if you haven’t given it a chance, what better way than to binge-watch all 9 movies this quarantine!) May the Force be with you all!

Zeke:

A lot of people hate AOTC but that was the first one I had ever seen as my parents had it on DVD. I loved all the lightsaber fights and crazy force powers; I thought it was a dope film. I had to find out more about what the franchise was and I knew it would be a great idea to watch more, and the older I grew, the more I grew to appreciate them and love them a lot more.

Nathan:

My older brother got me into Star Wars. When I came around, he was [invested] into the prequels. I mostly watched [Episode I –] The Phantom Menace with him, sometimes Attack of the Clones. (I loved and still love Darth Maul btw). It was pretty much love at first sight because of the lightsabers, the force, the technology, and — don’t hate me — but I enjoyed Jar Jar (*laughs*). The original trilogy, I first experienced with my grandpa, I think. He had a special addition trilogy set.

Cecilia López Closs (Creative Designer):

I first got into [the franchise] because pretty much all my family (except) my mom was already a fan of the old trilogy, so when the prequels came out we watched them. I don’t remember exactly when we watched The Phantom Menace; I just remember shortly after I already had some Star Wars toys. The first [film] I lucidly remember watching is Attack of the Clones, and by the time Revenge of the Sith came out, I was already a die hard fan! Lol

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