The Hollywood Reporter wrote today that Star Wars Episode VII will be filming in Morocco or a Moroccan like setting. They also reported that this filming would be for several weeks. Now one, meaning all of the Internet, can assume this means that some part of Episode VII will take place on the Skywalker's home planet of Tatooine. This may not be the case, as Disney has not confirmed or denied this report at this time, but seems highly likely.
If true that would mean that this would be the sixth time Tatooine has been used in a Star Wars film. Empire is the only film in the entire series that does not include Tatooine at all. Now this need not be a bad thing and in fact it could be a very good one. But in truth with this news my concerns about this film become greater overall.
You see my worry when this film was announced and it was established that it would be set 30 years after Jedi was that the film would go out of its way to embrace the original trilogy. That the film would become very much a "greatest hits" film instead of its own thing. It would become: "There's Luke and Leia!" "Look over there Chewie and Han!" "3P0 and R2!" "The Falcon!" "Tatooine!" "The Lars Homestead!" That could make the film more about spotting the next nostalgia item, setting, or character and not about the story it is trying to tell.
Now nostalgia is not a bad thing and is used all the time in advertising. It is like a warm blanket that you may have had for years that had been lost in the closet and then dug out again. It provides comfort and familiarity, it is soothing and reminds you of perhaps better days. But what if the quality of the blanket has gone down since you last used it? What if it is not quite the same? That is what could happen here with Episode VII if the story they have crafted is unsatisfactory or poor overall. Sure you get a trip down memory lane, but will it truly be memorable long term or will it rather cause you to re-watch the original, and perhaps better, trilogy films?
I guess for me I wonder if we really need to see Luke, Leia, and Han 30 years later? If you look at the overall series (all six films) it is clearly Anakin's journey. Sure, you have characters with arcs and that change over the course of the films. But at its core this series is about the rise, fall, and ultimate redemption of Anakin Skywalker.
If viewed in this way, it is clear that the story ends once Anakin is redeemed and the Emperor is dead. Anakin's story is done at that point. The aftermath of Jedi can be assumed. Luke rebuilds the Jedi Order and the Jedi become prominent in the universe once more. Han and Leia marry and have children. The rebellion, including the Han, Luke, Leia, and Chewie, stomp out the remnants of the Empire. And the Republic is restored.
That is all things that can be imagined or assumed and do not necessarily need to be seen on screen. As a long time fan of Star Wars, I have no real desire to see those stories play out and again showing those stories really betray the heart and theme of the whole series, which again entirely has to do with Anakin. Once his arc ends, the story of the Skywalkers does as well.
With that said, I am truly hoping for the best here. I still do love Star Wars (despite the horrid prequels) and want so much for the true potential of this universe to be realized. But at the same time given who is involved with this film I have some pretty major doubts. Doubts that this news does little to quell.
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