"Star Wars: Underworld" Commentary

Nope, I'm not talking about the website "Star Wars Underworld" (which is awesome, btw. If you haven't checked it out, you should :D).

I'm talking about the live-action TV series that Lucasfilm, Ltd., is currently working on.

No, that's not a typo. You read that right.

According to all of the articles I've read, George Lucas has been working on Star Wars: Underworld ever since at least 2005.

And I'm just hearing about it seven years later?!

Better late than never, I suppose. But it's good timing, though.

It will make a good topic for my first Commentary Friday post! :D


What Do I Think Of.....


.....The Title:
     Star Wars: Underworld sounds like a pretty epic title to me. It rolls off the tongue very nicely, the acronym is pronounceable - "swoo" - unlike The Clone Wars (how in the world do you pronounce TCW??), it's catchy, and it gives us a little synopsis into what the overall plotline of the show will be.

Underworld equals smugglers, crime lords, Black Sun, mercenaries, and my personal favorites...bounty hunters.

If that doesn't make a Star Wars geek's heart flutter then I don't know what does.

Sure, it's still a what production people call a "working title" (one that hasn't been officially okayed), but it's pretty epic for a working title.


.....The Plot:
     SWU will take place between 19 and 0 B.B.Y. (Before the Battle of Yavin), filling in the nice 19 year long gap between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope.

Sorry, Original Trilogy fans, but your main Jedi and Sith friends (Vader, Kenobi, Luke Skywalker) aren't gonna be in it. SWU is about what goes on in the underworld of Star Wars: bounty hunting, assassinating, smuggling, etc. No moisture farms in sight, just space ports.

Oh, and podracing. Quite a bit of podracing, apparently.

Maybe they'll include some limmie, too. Go Bylluran Athletic!!

The series has been described as "dramatic," "darker," and "adult".....whatever that means. I just hope that by "adult" they don't mean that this isn't going to be a family friendly show. I know that Star Wars sometimes has rough spots, but it's always been a place where families were welcome.

If it's got a lot of "adult material," I don't think I'm gonna be the only one who's not happy.

And how is Lucas gonna work around all of the Expanded Universe canon? I have no idea, and I am so glad that I'm not the one who has to figure that out. :D


.....The Characters/Cast:
     Technically no one's been hired yet because the show is still in the Concept phase (Pre-Production is when cast get hired), but there have been a few leaks.

Lucas wants Daniel Logan (young Boba Fett in Attack of the Clones and The Clone Wars) to play teenage Boba Fett, who will (supposedly) be one of the main characters.

Guess who may be baaaaaaack?

Boba Fett?!

YESSSSS!!

After the clone troopers, Fett is probably my favorite character. Plus, he's an epic bounty hunter. And the rumor that he may be one of the main characters in SWU? Well, I think I like this show already!

Anthony Daniels wants to reprise his C-3PO role....which he better, 'cause I know I couldn't stand having C-3PO being played by anybody else! Will Kenny Baker come back as R2-D2? He'd better....

Ian McDiarmid (Chancellor Palpatine, the Emperor) and Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) both want to reprise their very famous roles in SWU.

Oh, and did I mention Sam Witwer wants to play his Force Unleashed character, Galen Marek/Starkiller, in SWU?

And that there might be cameo appearances by Bail Organa, Mon Mothma, and even - drum roll, please - Mara Jade?

If you are a Star Wars geek - like me - you are probably seriously geeking out right now.

I'll give you a minute to collect yourselves before I move on... :D


.....The Estimated Run-Time:
     Each episode will have a run-time of one hour.

One whole hour devoted to pure Star Wars awesomeness (plus the mandatory commercials, but I guess I wouldn't mind those too much).

Now if only they'd make The Clone Wars one hour long, too....


.....The Score:
     John Williams is in talks to score SWU, and the idea is for each episode to have its own unique score.

You may now geek out again. :D


.....The Release Date:
     2014.

That's right, people: SWU won't come out until at least 2014, but it'll probably be more like 2016.

It's a big letdown after such a hype, but I can understand it.

1. Money. Big issue. Terra Nova was canceled because it cost too much to make each episode, even though the fan-base was so big it could probably colonize its own world. And Star Wars will be very expensive to make just because of special affects alone, not to mention costuming, equipment, locations, crew, and cast among a gazillion other expenses. I'm not saying that Lucas doesn't have the money to make the show (he probably could pay for a whole season with his checking account alone), but networks are usually extremely wary of super expensive shows.

They canned Terra Nova, remember?

2. Technology. Apparently Lucas is waiting for the technology to get a bit better before he starts filming (they already have about 50 scripts ready to go). I'm not sure exactly what he's waiting for (better 3D technology? Better motion-capture?), but he is waiting for something, so that's why he won't move on to Pre-Production for quite a while yet.

And I guess I don't mind him waiting. After all, I want these episodes to be the very best they can be. I want Kaminoan quality, not Centax II speed.

Quality over quantity. I think most Star Wars fans would rather wait twenty years for a few good, quality, excellent episodes than one year for cookie-cutter, standard episodes.


.....The Reactions:
     This is how I think some groups of people will react:

The Hater: "Stop making Star Wars stuff already! Don't you have enough money, Lucas?!"

Star Trek vs. Star Wars

The Trekkie/Trekker: "You can make as much Star Wars stuff as you want, but it'll never be as good as Star Trek. Vulcans rule, and Sullustans drool!"

The Pessimist: "It won't be as good as the Original Trilogy. Nothing is as good as the Original Trilogy!"

The Casual Fan: "Could be interesting, but I probably won't watch it."

The Fan: "I'll try it. Might be fun."

The Fanatic: "Give. Me. The. Pilot. Episode. Right. NOW!!"

The Uninformed: "What are we talking about?"


Final Tally:

Title: 10/10

Plot: 10/10 (unless it turns out to be a very adult show, then I'll push it down to 5/10)

Characters/Cast: 10/10 (but only if Fett is a main character and many of the original actors return)

Run-Time: 100/10 (I know that fraction doesn't work, but one hour is just too epic!)

Score: Infinity/Infinity

Release Date: 9/10 (disappointed that it won't release sooner than 2014, but I understand why.)



Final Comments: BRING ON SWU!! :D



What do you think?




 - Edessa, signing off