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"So it was with the Republic at its height. Like the greatest of trees, able to withstand any external attack, the republic rotted from within though the danger was not visible from outside." -George Lucas, Star Wars novelization

The quote above, written roughly 30 years ago to open up the Star Wars universe on paper, sadly can be applied to what the real world Star Wars empire has become.

The original trilogy captivated millions of people and inspired dozens of today's best screenwriters, directors, and digital effects geniuses to pursue their dreams and improve upon the mountain that George Lucas created.

Then he created the cardinal sin of buying into his own ego and narcissism.

The prequel trilogy, which debuted in 1999, had fans practically salivating at the opportunity to dive headfirst into the world that had spurred their childhood. What they got, however, was a beautifully CGI rendered bowl of dog squeeze. Instead of building upon what he had created in 1977 and actually allowing the universe he had created to flourish on its own, he marketed a horribly acted, poorly written, gimmick filled G-fest. In the end, after we had witnessed the wussification of Yoda, the retardation of the Jedi Order, and the transformation of the mother of Luke and Leia into a self-absorbed quitter, Lucas interpreted the fact that the three new movies had grossed well over a billion dollars and decided that the world wanted more of his diluted vision of what was once an epic saga.

So this Sunday I'm going to pay my $5 - $9 (depending on when we go) and see the newly animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars. I'm going to hold my breath on this one. I'm not one to put a lot of stock in "professional" reviewers, but even the ones I halfway admire have utterly panned this movie. I was hoping that since Lucas had little to do with this one (he only produced it), it would be a little more true to the original focus and direction, much like the animated shorts that debuted on Cartoon Network shortly before Episode III was released. Apparently no one that exited the theatre had that impression.

Sigh. I'll follow this up after I see it on Sunday. I just hope my keyboard isnt' waterlogged from my sea of tears.