2022: Star Wars in review

I think this year varied.

The best moment is a tie: The Fall of Count Dooku in Tales of the Jedi and, of course, the publicity tour for Obi-Wan Kenobi (most notably, when Hayden described ROTS as, "a phenomenal film." 

The fact that Kenobi disappointed me leaves me slightly nervous about Ahsoka next year (also, the leaks have me slightly nervous too). However, the fact that Filoni is handling it makes me feel I'm not TOTALLY crazy for having some hope. I'm sure Mandalorian S3 will be good as always. I suspect a similar level of quality for The Bad Batch Season 2. So...I'm mostly optimistic for next year.


I'm going to say we don't need to do awards. It isn't important to me.

I didn't really like Kenobi much at all.
Andor had some high moments but let down by a lot of dullness in the start and spread throughout.
Tales of the Jedi was a slight experience but I always welcome more animated SW content and the Dooku stuff was especially nice.
Book of Boba Fett had the highest moments of SW this year to me, with the final three episodes, and in particular the episodes starring the Mandalorian, were really fun. It has room for improvement, particularly with its lacklustre villains and lack of forward momentum, but I still found a lot to enjoy.

Here's to 2023, with Bad Batch S2, Ahsoka, Mando S3 there's a lot to build excitement for

Book of Boba Fett- An ugly-looking ride, but did have some good moments. First of all, seeing Temuera Morrison is always a win. And definitely rubs in the face of all those “Boba was better when he wasn’t a clone” and “Disney needs to retcon AOTC” types. He still looked great in the armor and every scene with him and Cad Bane was absolutely badass. On the other hand, it lacked the seriousness and substance that could have made it a surprise hit. I still forget what Boba’s motivations for being a crime lord were. But that episode with the Tuskens humanized both in a way that was actually compelling.

Obi-Wan Kenobi- In the end, I am happy that this show exists even if it’s just for the vehicle it gave Ewan and Hayden to return to their most iconic roles. I did love how positive it felt towards the prequels all the way through. Even the marketing, outside of Ewan’s early CG digs, became very wholesome once Hayden was brought on board. The end duel was great in terms of choreography and really became the first live action saber duel under Disney that has my stamp of approval. However, I’m still baffled they didn’t put the budget on Andor or Mando into this. It sometimes does look cheap and stripped back to a point where it feels creatively bankrupt. Also Episode 4 was such a filler episode, it really halted the series for me. On the other hand, the traumatic dream plus Ben digging out the saber case in Episode 1, the homeless clone veteran and his reaction to learn that Anakin is still alive in Episode 2, Vader torturing civilians to lure Ben out in 3, the flashback in 5, and, of course, Anakin and Obi-Wans last convo will always be etched into my brain.

Andor- There’s something here that does make the TV format work in a way that it didnt for Boba or Obi-Wan. It does have a more serious story and development for its character that couldn’t fit in a 2.5 hour movie. And I applaud it for that. It turned one of my biggest issues with Rogue One (bad characters) and retroactively made me care for this Cassian guy to a minor degree (the supporting cast outshines him). On the other hand, I don’t think it’s as deep or “grown up” as a lot of people are saying. It’s very much in the nature of “good rebels fight evil Empire” and the morally grey choices are still not enough to really add any actual story changes. Is a rebel cell bombing a civilian cafe really gonna make our heroes make different decisions or change their motives? Probably not. They may look disapproving but those “terrorist rebels” will still be protagonists and our heroes will still help them. Even when characters like Syril are praised for showing “the banality of evil,” it still feels hollow. The dude started the series as an Imperial-aligned cop. I mean, no shit he’s got fascist leanings. I just don’t find it more politically complex than the prequels. Maybe for the OT era, but I found the 70s and 80s Marvel Star Wars comics to have just as much political intrigue delivered in a swashbuckling story while this just feels gritty in a way that doesn’t appeal to me. Still, I am looking forward to Season 2. I don’t think the show really has shown the “terrible things” that Cassian has done.

I'll admit my fondness for the show is always going to be heavily biased due to watching the first 2 episodes with Ewan himself lol. I tend to ignore/brush off most criticism the show gets haha

2022, I think, was a decent year for Star Wars. For Star Wars, that is -- not necessarily for this Star Wars fan.

Yes, I caught some fresh SW fever (and COVID) and got swept up in some enjoyable hype. At the same time, or by the end of the year, I was a left a little dazed and questioning my entire connection to the franchise. So I moved away from it a little bit and put most of my attention elsewhere. Even now, a few months later, I'm still not sure where I presently stand with the whole thing. I'd be lying if I said I was blown away by the recent Disney offerings. Maybe I had moments of wonderful enthusiasm, but that enthusiasm soon turned to disappointment and discontent. I am talking primarily of my reaction to both "Obi-Wan Kenobi" and "Andor". Oddly, I had a better time with the first two seasons of "The Mandalorian" (which I also saw for the first time last year), but I still haven't found the energy to yet click on anything for "The Book of Boba Fett" or Mando Season Three.

I also saw "Solo" for the first time last year and I gave "Rogue One" a re-watch. Really enjoyed "Solo" and I managed to enjoy "Rogue One" until the overblown final act. See, it's that final act of the Gareth Edwards/Tony Gilroy movie that's the real humdinger of everything I'm talking about here. Most people say the last stretch of "Rogue One" on Scarif is, by far, the film's best part. I say it's the worst. It's not exactly bad, but I don't find it very engaging -- didn't at the cinema, didn't when re-watching those parts on YouTube, didn't when re-watching the film in its entirety on Disney+ last year. Equally, many fans are down on TROS, yet I love that film. What I want out of Star Wars is just different to a lot of fans, I suppose. As a result, maybe I sometimes wax hot and cold over one part of the franchise or another. I can't stay rooted in it like I did when the digital paint of the prequels was still drying and they were all half of the Internet could talk about (those were the days...).

What's the best thing "Star Wars" Disney has put out? For me, it's TROS -- no question. Second best? Maybe "Solo", but when I saw it a second time, it felt a little incomplete and like a story only half-told (which is basically what it is: i.e., at least one sequel was intended and then squashed after the film bombed at the box office). So for second-best, maybe it's a three-way tie between TFA, TLJ, and "The Mandalorian". To keep things fresh, I want to just say "The Mandalorian", but the sequels must be included and Mando must share the podium because a) I actually like the sequel movies (mostly), and b) "The Mandalorian", unlike the sequels, has inspired next to no conversation from me; or, it seems, by anyone else here. It's certainly entertaining and decently done, but it's also, kinda, just... there. Which could be the whole Disney panoply of Star Wars offerings in a nutshell. And that worries me. Really, truly, only TROS stands out to me because it's chaotic, energetic, warm, funny, and a bit nutty (and visually beautiful). Nothing else from Disney really has that vibe (or, at least, I haven't detected it so far).

So maybe 2022 was the year I both re-discovered and then lost my affection for Star Wars. Truth be told, maybe Star Wars just makes for average, forgettable entertainment when it's not in movie form, and "Saga" form, at that. Maybe it has to look and feel epic and urgent to count for me. I want the entire symphony orchestra. Not these little excursions and empty solos (no pun intended) and dirty little flings on the side. As GL once said: "This thing is like a marriage." It doesn't feel Disney are really treating it that way. If I'm still "married" to Star Wars, I guess I feel we've drifted apart and I no longer quite understand why my spouse is acting the way they are. But we'll always have Paris.

For me, no matter how much Disney screws up (or not) they can't diminish my love for those first 6 films.