5. Laugh It Off
About two thirds of the way through the brilliant TV series Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K), one of the main charactersa robot named Crowexperienced a sudden and dramatic transformation of his voice. This was due to a casting change, and could have been disastrous for the shows continuity and fan loyalty. Thankfully, though, the show laughed it off, claiming that Crow suffered a strokenot that strokes are funny, of courseand making jokes about the different voice at various points in the subsequent episodes. Thus, a potentially unsettling aspect of a series was resolved and actually added to the shows value. There are many parts of Star Wars Episodes I-III that need to be jettisoned in order for future Star Wars movies to work. The droids fighting the Clone Wars cant be so goofy, the Force cannot be the product of midi-chlorians, a vague prophecy that doesnt really come true cannot be the impetus for the rise and fall of Anakin Skywalker. But what should studio executives do? Pretend they never existed, let them hang over the series like Richies vanished older brother in Happy Days? Try to incorporate them, ensuring Star Wars remains forever unclean? No, just follow MST3Ks lead: raise them, and dismiss them. Picture a scene early in Star Wars VII, in which two characters living in the New Republic discuss some of the stranger views of the latter days of the Old Republic; for example, that the Force was connected to little bugs, and that a prophecy about bringing balance to the Force existed. They chuckle over their ill-informed predecessors, maybe point out that such faulty beliefs were an early sign of the Republics fall. Bam! Just like Crows earlier voice was neither poorly imitated nor ignored, so too can some of the stupidest ideas George Lucas ever came up with be explained in a way that lets the series proceed unhindered.