Age of Mega - Obi Won't

The release of Star Wars: Episode One ushered in a dramatic turn in how fandom approached their beloved sci-fi/fantasy franchise. The signs of a mutiny were starting to show during the critical reaction to the "special editions" of the original trilogy that were released in theaters a couple years earlier, but once viewers left the theaters on Phantom Menace's opening day, the torches and pitchforks came out.

I have a confession. I don't really hate Episode One all that much. I actually kind of like it. It's my favorite of the prequel trilogy by far, which I realize is kind of like saying I prefer drinking bleach to battery acid. But what can I say? Some of the set pieces are kind of cool, I liked the lightsaber fights, and the pod racing stuff was neat. Sure, it's riddled with CGI and those awful Gungans, but it wasn't all bad. And we were finally privy to a new era of Star Wars lore that had only been hinted at in comics, novels, and roleplaying games.

Age of Mega - Going Rogue

Rogue One was a pleasant surprise to me as a former hardcore fan of the Star Wars canon. I didn't quite like that many of the comics and novels I'd poured over as a kid were being negated by the new Star Wars status quo, but installments to the lore like this one have restored my confidence. I thought it was a solid flick, a better-than-average Dirty Dozen-type story that revealed some things about A New Hope and the construction of the Death Star in particular. I also liked that it was a self-contained affair, a done-in-one feature film that can either stand on its own or lead directly into Episode IV if one desires.