I know the sequels make the prequels look better to some, but I sometimes still find myself thinking "what if 1977-1983 was all there was?"
We'll never be able to know, but I've always wished there was some sort of parallel universe I could pop into just to see if
Star Wars, three movies total, would be either forgotten OR viewed as a still-watchable-by-everyone enduring classic?
My gut says the latter, and that everything coming after 1983 has really done nothing other than ding/damage the property. The prequels over-explained to an excessive, charm-zapping degree, and the sequels seem hell-bent on undoing all that we know and love from the original trilogy. So, between those five (soon to be six) movies, I can honestly say "sometimes it's sure nice to just leave the good stuff alone". If you're truly not going to help it, then why bother? Granted, Lucas in the prequels and Abrams in the sequels don't see themselves as "doing damage", but they did/are. That's also what's it's easy to love the original trilogy more and more as time goes on...they truly hold up and, compared to these other 5-6 outings, they look like masterpieces of storytelling and moviemaking.
But that's leaving gazillions on the table, and no self-respecting studio is going to do that!
Still, it's nice to think about.
We have a close example in the Indiana Jones thing...I think the release of that Crystal Skulls movie in 2008 didn't help one bit, and, prior to that, many people - myself included - saw the original three Indy movies as a near-perfect little saga that we can watch/enjoy the rest of our lives without having to "expand" on it (although I know there was a young Indy TV show for a bit, but I don't think it was a multi-year smash hit either). So if Star Wars had that sort of thing...of a specific span of time, about six years total, 35-40 years ago, just how they'd be seen by the world today?
Us old-timers would still love them, but I wonder how kids, teens and millennials would view them? How do they view the Indy movies? Are they even aware? I'm not sure my niece and nephew (16 and 14) even know who Indiana Jones is...I need to ask my sister Thursday.
Honestly, I could've gone my entire life without Padme, Nute Gunray, Jar Jar, Qui-Gon, Maul, Dooku, Anakin (especially that little one), General Grievous, etc. Of that I have no doubt. And I sure as hell could've gone my entire life without Finn, Rey, Poe, Kylo, Rose, BB-8, Holdo, Maz, Phasma, Hux, Snoke, etc. But now that they all exist and I know about them, I have to navigate those waters of suckage, and qualify/explain myself more than I'd have to had Star Wars not just stayed as three movies, from 1977-1983.
Basically in 2019 if you say you're a Star Wars fan, then you're looking at an automatic 20-30 minute discussion/explanation/clarification session, with visual aids, a spreadsheet, oath-taking, depositions and affidavits, a notary public, etc.
