Thread by @ThatAldenDiaz

I think there’s something interesting built into modern #StarWars, which was imbued over time, and was honestly sorta inevitable with its nature: The idea that Star Wars is now drawing from Star Wars. It’s been around long enough now to become its own source of inspiration. 🧵

First off, it’s important to note that nostalgia is baked into the fabric of #StarWars. It’s not something it DOES, it’s what it IS. It’s the DNA. That often gets overlooked. Star Wars being nostalgic is A PART OF Star Wars. George was lovingly looking back at his own influences.

Creators now have #StarWars ITSELF as an influence. Some of them embrace that more than others, and that’s not a positive or negative judgment on anyone, or on any project. It just is. Sometimes it was a formative thing, sometimes it came to them later, whatever their story is.

Of course, this doesn’t apply to every #StarWars creator, but it’s definitely common. And is this a bad thing? Is it some ouroboros that we should be avoiding? It’s all opinions obviously, but I don’t think so. Not necessarily. I actually think it CAN lead to compelling material.

It was Luthen in #Andor that got me thinking about this more. Think about the things he lists when he starts to deliver his unbelievably chilling monologue: “Calm. Kindness. Kinship. Love.” He’s essentially listing some of the core themes of #StarWars, in a VERY self-aware way.

He’s talking about the central ideas, and the light, and the better time that WE the viewers know is coming. But WE the viewers also know that he won’t be there for that stuff. So in a meta way, he’s saying he’s too far gone for #StarWars. For the thing itself.

And that got me thinking about other meta ways that the larger legacy of #StarWars has actually played into the journeys of its characters. Kylo is a great example. He’s grappling with the weight of the entire story. With the collective deeds & lives of THE saga’s key characters.

But it doesn’t always have to be in a dark context. What about Din in #TheMandalorian? He embodies the idea of being new to #StarWars so much that it’s become a fun fan joke. The man is constantly discovering that he’s in Star Wars, and it’s delightful! It’s part of his charm.

Or what about characters like Reva? Yes, she has her own arc (and I think it’s BEAUTIFUL), but she’s also an answer to real world questions of the prequel era: What about the people (specifically kids) the Jedi failed? What is the perception of Anakin & Obi from a survivor’s POV?

All of these characters & stories share the common thread: #StarWars is influencing itself now. And that’s never going to sit well with some people. Some folks are going to resist it, or just be downright cynical, but I ultimately feel like it’s been embraced in some great ways.

Even the way #StarWars characters enter the larger world of the galaxy far, far away has developed an inherent language. There’s a rhythm across the songs that makes it all familiar, but still unique because of how the characters are individuals. Rey & Omega are great examples.

So when people, especially in the wake of #Andor’s incredible success (and I LOVE the show), decry the rest of #StarWars for “reminding us that it’s Star Wars,” I have to ask: What franchise are you engaging with? I don’t think the mythos has ever been dishonest about what it is.

The entirety of #StarWars is keenly aware that it’s a cyclical myth, and that it reverberates throughout its own hallowed halls. And again, it just won’t ever sit well with some fans, and that’s fine. That’s okay! That’s why we end up in the “Does it feel like SW?” conversation.

Everyone’s “feels like #StarWars” answer remains different because everyone views some of the core elements differently, and the “feeding back into itself” element IS one of them. Is it the cynical ouroboros, or is the repeated poetry? (You might have heard that it rhymes.)

For me, it’s the latter. It does rhyme, it always has, and the stanzas are just becoming more self aware. That’s very modern, sure. But in terms of looking back, it’s also very old school. There’s nothing more #StarWars than saying “How does it make the old stuff new again?”

So now we have characters that struggle with the weight of #StarWars, characters that don’t even know what Star Wars is, characters that embrace their Star Wars, and characters that think they’re too burned & soulless for it, and therefore don’t even have a place in it anymore. twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

And these are just SOME of the ways that the poetry continues to rhyme. #StarWars keeps Star Wars’ing, as much as some folks seem to want it to stop being itself, and I’m here for it. I’m excited to find out how this core will manifest next, in #Andor, & all the stories to come.