I’m pretty sure all of you heard the news yesterday that LucasFilm is now owned by Disney. But as a lifelong Star Wars fan, I thought I should throw my two cents in. When I first read the news that George Lucas sold LucasFilm to Disney for over four billion dollars and that there was going to be a new film in 2015, I was struck by two completely separate emotions. The first was fear, fear that Disney is going to make Star Wars all bubbly and stuff. I was also curious as to how they are going to make another Star Wars film when the most recent trilogy is considered to be a failure compared to the original. Even after having some time to digest the news, I’m still somewhat torn.

The fact that Disney bought LucasFilm shouldn’t surprise anyone. The surprising part was they announced a new Star Wars movie would be released in 2015, less than three years from now. The issue that Disney has control over the Star Wars Universe doesn’t bother me, but I don’t think it was very tactful for Disney to announce Episode 7 right out of the gate. It’s sad, but true that some people live and die by Star Wars. And to announce a new movie like they did, right on the heels of “Mickey Mouse owns Darth Vader” is offensive to those who are emotionally invested in the series. Had they only announced the deal between LucasFilm and Disney, the news would be easier to accept. But when you add in the elusive and unwanted Episode 7, it makes you think that Disney has wanted to make Star Wars films for a while and will stop at nothing to cash in on the new deal. Most diehards simply want the series to be left alone and to pretend that Episodes I, II, and III never happened. Now fans are gonna have new movies to bitch about.

StarWars.com posted a video with George Lucas chatting about the future of the Star Wars films. Check it out below.

For those who think George Lucas sold his prize car to Disney, and now Mickey is behind the wheel, couldn’t be more wrong. Star Wars will not be ruined by Disney. When most people think of Disney, they think of Mickey Mouse, Hannah Montanna, and Spongebob. But Disney is also the same company that owns Touchstone Pictures, Miramax Films, ESPN, and Marvel. Yes, Marvel. As in The Avengers Marvel. That alone should relax people a bit. I don’t think the new Star Wars film will be bubbly and poppy like most would think. While I have almost nothing to base that on, I just don’t think Disney is going to trash what some consider the greatest movie series of all-time. There are a lot of rumors about what direction the new film would take, but in my opinion, the Rebel’s saving the universe from the evil Empire and Luke redeeming his father before he died is a great way to end a series.

Lucas has been talking about making Episode 7 for some time. Mark Hamill talked about Lucas’s hope for Star Wars when they were filming Episode IV:

He talked about doing a VII, VIII, IX. You know when I first did this, it was four trilogies. 12 movies! And George was talking about this whole thing. I said, Why are you starting with IV, V and VI? It’s crazy.

I don’t care that Disney bought LucasFilm. They own a ton of shit, so it seems fitting that they would. But we really don’t need a new film. We need the original films to stay relevant with newer generations. Maybe I’m out of touch with what’s popular today, and Disney knows the original trilogy just won’t entertain a new young fanbase like it used to. That’s why Disney feels compelled to make new films. I don’t blame them for wanting to, I just don’t like it. It will however be fun to have the excitement of a new Star Wars film coming out again. The hype will be crazy as the masses will want to see if Disney can deliver. Needless to say, Disney will need to earn my trust and undoubtedly the trust of all ‘tough to please’ Star Wars fans. Good luck.

What Do You Think Of Star Wars Being Owned By Disney?

Follow Josh on Twitter: @JWingface