The 5 (Or 6) Most Debated 'Star Wars' Topics

As anyone, who is at least partially connected to the world of Star Wars knows, the fandom, if you can still call it so, has become a dangerous and quite often really ugly snake-pit in recent years, especially since the sale of Lucasfilm to Disney. Topics like the recent removal of directors, Lucasfilm’s leadership, the representation of women or minorities, the way the character of Luke Skywalker was treated in the sequel trilogy, or tweets by certain actors or other creatives opened deep rifts within the community, with different sides drifting outside the boundaries of a civilized conversations and more often than not showing strong signs of – to remain in-universe – the dark side of the Force.

Although much could be said about these things, this article will NOT deal with the dumpster-fires that started as a result of the sequel trilogy! Instead, we will be looking at five topics, that have been debated within Star Wars fans since, well, “a more civilized age”. The topics are in no particular order, and I take the liberty of expressing my own personal view on these, just in case anyone is interested. And there are some additional honorary mentions at the end.

1. Viewing Order (Original and Prequel Trilogy)

Ever since George Lucas released the prequel trilogy, there has been debate on the order the films should be watched by someone who has never seen a Star Wars movie before: in order of release (IV, V, VI, I, II, III) or in chronological order (I – VI).

For those who came in contact with the saga before 1999, there is only one option and only one possible answer – the order of release. Only then do you get the big twist at the end of Empire and have the chance to wonder if Vader did actually tell the truth, at least until the middle of Return of the Jedi, when Luke talks to the dying Yoda. On the other hand, you will be hard pressed to find anyone these days who doesn’t know Vader’s famous quote from TESB, even if they have never seen Star Wars, so the twist really isn’t one anymore. And there were surprisingly many who didn’t realize that Sidious was actually Palpatine (and vice-versa) until Episode III. True, this “twist” is far smaller than that of Vader being Luke’s father, but it still might be a reason for some to start with The Phantom Menace, apart from the fact that watching a story unfold in chronological order does have some merit

But there is at least a third option – the so-called "Machete Order." Here, you treat Episodes II and III as a kind of flashback within the original trilogy. You start with IV and V, then watch Anakin’s fall to the dark side in II and III and conclude with VI. Episode I is either completely skipped or watched separately as a kind of stand-alone movie.

Personal Opinion: I grew up with the OT, so for me, it was settled. But I showed my kids Star Wars in chronological order, mainly because they already knew who was Luke’s father before. And I wanted to keep the best for last. Which brings us to topic 2:

2. Prequel Trilogy vs. Original Trilogy

This stems from the same roots as the topic above, and yes, the opinions on the quality of the prequel trilogy could easily be broken down into subtopics like Jar Jar Binks, the acting and chemistry (or lack thereof) between certain actors, the overboarding CGI, or the amount of story that was packed into Episode III. But this would by far exceed the scope of this article. 

For those that grew up with the OT in the late '70s and early '80s, the magic and the realization of witnessing something that hasn’t been there before, both from a story point of view and with regard to the special effects and the unprecedented magnitude of the Star Wars juggernaut, is something that’s hard to convey to someone who wasn’t there. It will always be something that the prequels simple can’t replicate. But from a more neutral and objective point of view, it’s hard to ignore that these movies are in fact rather slow compared to the prequel trilogy. And although the special effects still hold up quite well even after 40 years, they pale in comparison to what ILM was able to achieve between 1999 and 2005.

Personal Opinion: Again, as a member of the OT generation, these movies will always stand far above anything else, but I’m no prequel hater. I wasn’t (and still am not) too fond of The Phantom Menace, but Revenge of the Sith is definitely in my top 5 Star Wars movies.

3. Ewoks

Like the hatred that especially Episode I had to face when it came out, this topic has faded over the years and decades, but when Return of the Jedi was released in 1983, there were those who adored the little furry Ewoks, and those who only saw them as another money grab from Lucasfilm to sell more toys. Many were offended that a bunch of teddy bears who lived in trees and didn’t even have laser guns were be able to take down a galaxy-dominating Empire that was able to build Death Stars, Star Destroyers, and giant walkers, while others saw them as a symbol of nature and good-will triumphing over technology.

Personal Opinion: I was at the right age when Episode VI came out (and I had a rather childish mind), so I loved the Ewoks. But I can now understand that people who were older didn’t sympathize with them, as I didn’t sympathize with Jar Jar in 1999.

4. Midi-chlorians

This probably is not much of a topic of much debate, as there won’t be many who think that Lucas’ explaining the Force by introducing microscopic beings was a great idea. But it was and is talked about a lot. Until TPM, the Force was a mystic energy field that some had the talent to feel, to connect with, and maybe even use. Later, we learned that these abilities were connected to the midi-chlorians, which could be scanned and counted, thus taking away much of the mystery and wonder of the Force from the times of the OT.

Personal Opinion: I am not a fan of explaining the Force with scientific means, but the midi-chlorians also don’t bother me that much.

5. The Special Editions

In the mid '90s, Lucas needed money to fund the prequel trilogy, and so he decided to release the original films again in the cinema, with cleared up pictures, spiced up sound, and a few additional scenes. Many of these are minor changes, like a new shot here and there, but there are some things that can make you scratch your head, like the inclusion of a (not that well done) Jabba in Episode IV, adding an MTV-like music video to Episode VI, or replacing Sebastian Shaw with Hayden Christensen as Anakin’s Force ghost. (And yes, I know that this happened in 2004 and not in 1997.) For years, there have been pleas and petitions to release the unaltered original trilogy on DVD, Blu-ray, and digital. But apart from very a half-hearted publication from Lucasfilm in 2006, there never was an official response (and probably never will be). So, many people who experienced Star Wars for the first time after 1997 never saw the “De-Specialized Editions" and may not understand the urging for films that are shorter, with faded pictures and weaker sound.

Personal Opinion: I don’t mind most of the changes in the SE, but I will never forgive Lucasfilm for the removal of "Lapti Nek" and "Yub Nub."

So, there they are, five timeless things Star Wars fans were or are willing to argue about endlessly.

But wait, there is one thing missing, isn’t there? Yes, it is usually the number one topic of any such list, and feel free to put it as your personal number one here as well: 

Did Han shoot first? 

I understand the reasoning of those who insist that he did. I also understand (to some extent) why Lucas changed this scene with the Special Edition. But to tell the truth, I simply don’t care one way or the other. It doesn’t change my perception of Han Solo, and I grew tired over this topic a long time ago. So I omitted it with purpose. But yes, over the course of the decades, it probably is the most debated topic in the Star Wars fandom.

But now to our honorable mentions:

• Who is the Chosen One - Anakin or Luke?

• Vader’s "NOOO" at the end of Return of the Jedi

• How can Leia remember her mother, and why can’t Luke?

• What would have happened if Yoda confronted Anakin at the end of ROTS and Obi-Wan had fought Sidious?

• Did Obi-Wan recognize R2-D2, and did Vader not recognize the protocol droid he had built himself?

• Why can’t the stormtroopers hit anything if they are the elite of the Empire?

• Is Finn Force sensitive?

And with this, the article does, after all, include something from the sequel trilogy…

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