Gavin Logan on whether Disney could be planning to drop the Episode numbers from all the Star Wars movies…
To an outsider it may seem like a trivial matter, but there is one thing you have to understand before you continue reading, nothing is trivial when it comes to Star Wars. To borrow a well-known anecdote from another fandom; one does not simply reveal a new Star Wars title without expecting a hefty amount of backlash.
Just a few days ago the title for Episode VII was finally released; Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and while I wasn’t blown away with excitement at first, the more I said it out loud the more I got onboard with it. However, after looking at the official title image from StarWars.com the one thing that did become glaringly obvious was the omission of ‘Episode VII‘.
Initially I didn’t really bat an eyelid at this, naively thinking that somehow Disney and the folks at LucasFilm had simply forgotten to include the episode number in the image or didn’t feel it was completely necessary to do so. Then two days passed and still no mention of the episode number in the title…and that began to annoy me. Chatter online started to channel and fuel my worries. It does leave me slightly confused because although previous posters and promotional artwork for the other movies haven’t always included the Episode number, there’s also a huge amount that does, especially for the Prequels when the Episode numbers really kicked into gear.
I’d like to reiterate again that when it comes to Star Wars even the most minuscule change can provoke a strong reaction. I don’t for a second believe that the exclusion of Episode VII from the subtitle will have any effect on the finished project but sometimes trying to fix things that aren’t broken doesn’t sit well with fans. I thought about it for about fifteen minutes and questioned the decision in my head then I let it go and continued to let the excitement of a new Star Wars movie overtake me.
But it did get me thinking more about the fact that if Disney – and it’s still a very big ‘if’ right now – have decided to drop the Episode numbers from the new title then will they do it for the older movies too?
Like any debate, there are pros and cons. I don’t mind change but deep down I’m a traditionalist and I’m firmly on the “keep the Episode numbers” team but I do appreciate that a studio needs to weigh up various options before releasing a movie or franchise. I tried really hard to think why Disney would exclude the Episode number and the only one I could come up with was that maybe Disney think that people won’t want to come out to watch a movie that is seventh in the series…? But wait a nerfherding second, this is bloody Star Wars we’re talking about here. Is there really anybody on the planet who isn’t at least aware of the previous movies in the franchise. Surely nobody would look at the title and go “Episode VII? Does that mean I have to watch all the other six movies first?” I know it’s pretty lame but I genuinely couldn’t think of any other reason. Even as I write this the thought makes me chuckle…I say chuckle when I really mean sneer.
But here’s a reason why they shouldn’t drop the Episode numbers; it’s absolutely 100% synonymous with Star Wars. If anything, the decision to drop the numbers from the subtitle will actually only confuse casual viewers and greatly antagonise everyone else. Hey maybe I’m reading way too much into this and perhaps Disney have zero intention of dropping the Episode numbers. I mean why would they? I can’t imagine a Star Wars scroll without the Episode number at the top, can you? With Kathleen Kennedy now in charge and she and J.J. Abrams constantly spewing on about how faithful the new movies will be, it’s highly doubtful they plan to get rid of the Episode numbers and in all likelihood we’ll see them officially put back in their right place very soon. At least I hope so…
Gavin Logan – Follow me on Twitter
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Originally published November 10, 2014. Updated April 13, 2018.
