“Star Wars” is by far my favorite franchise. It has amazing music, great action and a compelling story that constantly keeps you wanting more.
On Dec. 20, the saga will end with “Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker.” I’m so excited about this movie and have been doing everything I can to know as much as I can about the premise as soon as possible. Since watching the worldwide trailer premiere live last year with sophomore Ethan Monasa, I was convinced it would be a great film.
The second trailer, which came out on Aug. 26, made me a bit teary due to the heartwarming highlights of all the “Star Wars” movies at the beginning.
The final trailer came out on Oct. 21. After watching it, I’m confident it will be the best of the trilogy by far and a fantastic conclusion to the saga.
During the summer, I wanted to see see how long I could go wearing a “Star Wars” T-shirt every day. The goal soon changed to whether I could make it to the opening of the movie (I already have tickets). With 126 consecutive days of “Star Wars” shirts in total, that’s no easy task. No mistakes, no breaks, just “Star Wars” shirts. When this article comes out for print, I will be on Day 120.
My favorite character of the franchise is Obi-Wan Kenobi (or Coleman Trebor). Obi-Wan is great in “A New Hope” when he sacrifices himself to the Force during his battle with Darth Vader. It’s one of the most Jedi-like acts in all of “Star Wars” because instead of attacking Darth Vader, he chooses to be defensive.
Another amazing scene is in “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.” It takes place on the planet Mustafar. Anakin Skywalker fully turns to the dark side, saddening Obi-Wan to the point that he is just a shell of a man. If you look carefully, you can see that Obi-Wan remains defensive as Anakin ruthlessly attacks him.
Some of the lines in this scene are also memorable, such as “You were my brother, Anakin. I loved you,” or “It’s over, Anakin; I have the high ground.”
One of my favorite scenes in the franchise is the Order 66 sequence from “Revenge of the Sith,” in which Darth Sidious orders the clone army to turn its back on the Jedi and kill them. It tells a different story than other movies in which the good guys win. It is also dramatized perfectly, with each Jedi slowly getting picked off one by one.
A lot of people dislike the first two movies of the new trilogy, “Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens” and “Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi,” a sentiment that I only partially understand.
“The Force Awakens” was a really good movie that could have set up a fantastic trilogy. It had some great characters, and Rey’s backstory easily could have been made into a great connection with the other trilogies. It was merely the switch of directors from “The Force Awakens” to “The Last Jedi” that caused a problem with the story development.
When people say the new trilogy is bad, they usually are talking about “The Last Jedi,” which is only half of it so far. When the prequels — “Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace,” “Star Wars Episode II: Attack Of The Clones” and “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith” — came out, everyone said they dishonored “Star Wars.” Nowadays, everyone loves them, and if the pattern continues, everyone will start liking the new trilogy.
Overall, “Star Wars” is great for many reasons – its amazing characters, perfect scenes and fabulous story – making it the best series of films ever.
—By Dylan Margolis
Originally published in the Dec. 16 edition of the Octagon.
