Column: 'Sith' caps a painful decline

We can only blame ourselves.

When George Lucas set out to make his space opera in 1977 he had no idea of the response it would have. Through a clever storyline, groundbreaking special effects and the mysteries of the Force, Lucas made a movie that had a very large impact upon a generation of filmgoers.

He followed up Star Wars by handing both the writing and directing responsibilities to his friends, staying on as a producer to make sure that it was his story that was told, and history was made.

But it wasn't just the films that made an impact. Lucas has always had a keen eye for business opportunities and quickly licensed out the "Star Wars" name to as many products as he could. We now live in a world dominated by "Star Wars" toys, clothing, food and anything and everything else that you can think of. Through this Lucas made his billions. And we, the fans, ate it up. We scoured through the films like archeologists, piecing together clues Lucas had left us of the universe that he created. We obsessed over the tiniest detail, philosophizing as to the origins of the bounty hunter Boba Fett, argued as to what Leah truly meant when she first met Luke and asked him, "Aren't you a little short to be a Storm Trooper?" and dreamed of a moment in which we'd get to see the incredible clone wars, and find out how it all began.

However, we built our expectations far too high. Obviously, Lucas wasn't going to please everyone if he came out with new "Star Wars" films, but we begged anyways, ignoring the fact that the best film, "The Empire Strikes Back," was neither directed nor written by him.

This is why it comes as no surprise as to the failings of the new trilogy. We, the fans, gave Lucas total freedom to come out with a new story. His control over the three new films was seen as a given. After all, it was his story. Who are we to say that he can't make it the way of his choosing?

But, to paraphrase dialogue from the Lucas-produced "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," Lucas chose poorly. I feel the worst for those legions of die-hards who waited for months on end in front of a movie theater just to be first to see "Episode I," a film that only those with blind faith in Lucas can call acceptable. Same goes for "Episode II," arguably even more uninteresting of a movie. But we waited, hoping that "Episode III" would redeem itself.

"Episode III," the best of the new trilogy, is only captivating because it finally finishes the story. Other than that it's insulting to the fan's intelligence - showing Anakin's transformation into Darth Vader as if a middle school child was making the film.

We can only blame ourselves for the failure of the new films. My life would have been better if I'd never seen them, instead playing them out as fantasies in my head. ˇ

The legend of "Star Wars" quickly grew beyond the grasp of Lucas. The fans made it our own - passing beyond anything Lucas could have possibly delivered.

So now it's over. No more films, no more anticipation. Now we go back to our Boba Fett fantasies and Jedi bed sheets, dreaming of our own worlds in a galaxy far far away.