It is a common enough occurrence to hear in fan discourse that one media franchise or another has been ruined. Some argue, for example, that the addition of Episodes VII–IX to the Star Wars Saga undermined the previous six episodes, with the Sequel Trilogy’s political conflicts lessening the impact and significance of prior events, and with the Sequel Trilogy’s depiction of certain pre-existing...
Would anyone think less of the Terminator franchise if Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) were its final film? The Terminator (1984) and T2 function well as a duology. The franchise has only been able to proceed from Judgment Day by undermining it. Since T2, every Terminator film except Terminator: Salvation (2009) has tried and failed to recapture the same magic. Rise of the Machines (2003)...
On the horizon looms Star Trek: Lower Decks, an animated sitcom set in the Star Trek universe. Though this will not be the first Star Trek animated series (that distinction goes to the aptly named Star Trek: The Animated Series), Lower Decks will be Star Trek‘s first sitcom. Moreover, the series will, as far as I can tell, be considered canonical to the Star Trek franchise. As such, it...
While writing my two previous articles, which concerned the concept of fictional canonicity, I had three real-world franchises primarily in mind: Doctor Who, Star Trek, and Star Wars. The former two franchises have simple canon policies, but Star Wars‘ canon policy is relatively complex and has evolved over the franchise’s history. For after being acquired by Disney, Lucasfilm...
In my previous article, I introduced the concept of fictional canonicity. In this article, I will detail my issues with the concept and propose a solution. As a quick recap, in my previous article, I defined a fictional canon as a body of works that constitute the official history within a given fictional setting. My issue with this idea can be summed up in two words: who cares? That the current...
My favorite film series is Star Wars, and it has been since I was very young. Despite this, my interest in the franchise waxes and wanes. Currently, my interest in Star Wars is on the upswing, spurred on by my anticipation of the Disney+ series The Mandalorian and the upcoming film The Rise of Skywalker. As I await these upcoming canonical entries in the Star Wars franchise, I am also reading Han...
I find it difficult to overstate how much Star Wars means to me. The Original Trilogy was released before my birth, but I watched rented VHS copies of them at an early age. I am of the generation that grew up with the prequel films, and I saw each of them in their original theatrical run. The Phantom Menace was possibly the first live-action blockbuster I ever saw in a movie theater—I don’t...
Many of the most popular and influential books on writing drama and fiction focus on plot structure—and rightly so, for without structure narratives could not function. Considerably less emphasis has been placed on understanding serialized narratives and how their structures differ from non-serialized narratives. Over the next few entries in this blog, I intend to articulate some of my ideas and...
In my last post, I posited my definition of art: essentially, art is the cultivation of aesthetic value for its own sake. This definition relies upon another disputable definition, that of aesthetics. What are aesthetic values? To properly answer this question, we must first answer another question: what is the purpose of art? According to my definition, all art is manmade. As such, all art...
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