This week I interviewed a fellow Star Wars fan, and good friend of mine, Braeden Balch.
This week for my blog post I sat down with my good friend Braeden, who is also a huge Star Wars fan. I really wanted to provide an additional perspective on Star Wars to this blog, and also shed light on another person's individual experience with the franchise. Braeden gave me some very interesting answers that I'm excited to share here.
One question I asked Braeden was: "Which trilogy of Star Wars movies is your favorite?" He responded with a very interesting answer:
"The Prequels. I feel like they aren't really that great of movies, but I still love them," he said. "A lot of it has to do with nostalgia. The prequels came out when I was a kid, and I remember watching them at home with my dad."
I found this answer very relatable because I had a similar experience with the prequel trilogy. Being born in 1999, the prequels were all coming out in the first 6 years of my life, and I spent a lot of time watching them during my childhood.
When I asked Braeden what his least favorite trilogy was, he said (somewhat controversially): "The original trilogy." He went on to say "The nostalgia just isn't there for me, and the story isn't as compelling."
Something Braeden emphasized when discussing his love of the prequel movies is the major theme they represent, and how the original trilogy just doesn't do it the same way. He said he loves how the prequels showcase a protagonist who undergoes real change over the course of three movies. Even though Hayden Christianson, who plays Anakin Skywalker, isn't the most dynamic actor, the character of Anakin is more dynamic than Luke according to Braeden.
"Luke is someone who has always been a good person, and stays a good person throughout the original trilogy. On the other hand, we see Anakin fall from being a flawed, but good character, to eventually becoming evil with glimmers of good still in him. I love that it shows that the people who we care about can cause us to go to extreme measures and devolve into the worst aspects of ourselves."
Overall, I mostly agree with Braeden's points. When he discusses the themes of the original trilogy, I agree that they are very interesting. However, I also feel like Luke goes through a bit more character growth in the original trilogy than it may seem. He goes from being arrogant and simple-minded to becoming more wise, empathetic, and patient by the end of the trilogy. However, in the prequels Anakin undergoes a more obvious character change when he falls to the dark side. My conversation with Braeden was very interesting, and I really enjoyed hearing his perspective on Star Wars, and the similarities and differences with mine.
Thank you for reading, and please give my Instagram account @starwarswithjesse a follow!
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