The two worst Star Wars projects got one thing exactly right

by Chris Snelgrove
| Published 34 seconds ago

The Disney era of Star Wars has proven to be quite controversial, but two projects have received particular hate from the fanbase: The Rise of Skywalker (Which led to the crash and downfall of the sequel trilogy) and assistant (Whose unorthodox story destroyed the Old Republic). However, these two hated projects got one thing right that other Star Wars projects should learn from: having a supervillain who is both charismatic and terrifying.

A franchise built on villains

I’m of the firm opinion that Star Wars movies are only as good as the villain. The original trilogy remains the gold standard for science fiction storytelling largely because Darth Vader is the most terrifying villain in Hollywood history. The prequels failed largely because the films featured a series of bad villains (Darth Maul Count Dooku felt like a rushed DnD character, and Jango Fett was a lame Boba Fett knockoff) and couldn’t fill Vader’s tall black shoes.

The sequel trilogy failed, but most people who have seen these films agree on that Adam Driver He practically carried the entire failed franchise on his broad shoulders. He made Kylie Wren sexy, mysterious and dangerous… a character who was hypnotically compelling whenever he appeared on screen. He had great chemistry with him Daisy Ridley And Harrison Ford, who bridges different generations of fans while anchoring this fantasy space opera with emotion and pathos (seriously, he’s too good for these terrible scripts).

Speaking of villains, Emperor Palpatine is (despite all those sarcastic “somehow, Palpatine’s back” memes) unequivocally the best part. The Rise of Skywalker. For all the spite and chatty chaos, Emperor actor Ian McDiarmid seems to be the only one who understands the mission, and he treats this movie for what it is: a goofy, B-grade movie that just happens to have a big budget. And like Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren before him, it’s impossible to look away from Palpy (in Head Sith mode in Charge) when he appears in a scene.

This brings us to assistanta TV show plagued by problems ranging from bland characters to an out-of-order plot that could leave even Quentin Tarantino scratching his head. But the highlight of this deranged show was Manny Jacinto, who made the dark side look sexy with a combination of ripped muscles and raw charisma as bad boy Qamir. And his sexy Soth was at the center of the series’ finest action scene, one that felt more visceral than anything from either the prequels or the sequels.

Cool rule

Where do I go with all this? Simply put, Star Wars movies and future TV shows need a strong, terrifying character least As cool as Qamir, if they’re going to succeed. This may seem obvious until you take an honest look at how weak the villains are Disney Star Wars projects are really.

For example, the big bad Solo: A Star Wars Story He is the leader of a human gang, a person who seems quite boring in a world of cyborgs and Sith Lords. Although it is appropriately scary in a political thriller setting AndorDirector Krennic is a boring paper dealer Rogue onesomeone constantly blocks him Darth Vader. As bad as this phenomenon was on the big screen, it’s equal worst On Disney+.

For example, The Mandalorian He’s been bad since Moff Gideon left, and the presence of even worse villains emphasized why his presence was so important. Skeleton crew It has a fun bad guy twist near the end, but most of the episodes rely on boring antagonists like space pirates. Just like Boba Fett book He provided an interesting villain by bringing Cad Bane into live-action, but it happened so late in the show that the titular Mandalorian mostly had to make do with memorably bad thugs and local gangsters.

One way or another, is good Star Wars back?

I could go on, but you get the point: a Star Wars project is only as good as its villain, and these characters should be terrifying and get some serious screen time. Despite all their flaws, both The Rise of Skywalker and assistant It manages to deliver some of the best villain moments since the Prequel Trilogy. If future movies and TV shows can take note and give fans some equally hype-worthy villains, Star Wars could become great again.

Otherwise, this franchise will continue to shrink until it is ousted by the greatest villain of all: creative apathy.

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