Five Things I would change about each Star Wars trilogy

Anyone who knows me knows I love Star Wars.  It's my favorite series of films and my all-time favorite fandom.  But Star Wars, like anything else, is not without its flaws.  I'm going to list 5 things that I would change about each of the three film trilogies.  Some of these I've known for a while, others like for the original trilogy, I had to really think hard for.  

Prequel Trilogy
1. Introduce Anakin at an older age
Do we really need to see the person that becomes Darth Vader at 9 years of age?  No.  We got introduced to Luke at age 19, why not split the difference and introduce Anakin at 14 or 15 years of age?  That's old enough that we could see a bit of his rebellious side already when he is introduced, but still young enough to show some innocence.  

2. Either cut out Jar Jar or change him completely
I get why Jar Jar Binks was put in the prequel trilogy, to appease and entertain children.  But Star Wars, for the most part, is enjoyed by adults, young and old(er).  I would either remove him or change him so he's not the clumsy fool that we know, but is maybe instead a wise-cracking Gungan that tries to bend the rules.  A Gungan Han Solo, if you will.  

3. Remove midiclorians
Was this a necessary inclusion?  Most Star Wars fans would say no.  There's no measure of a wizard's power or potential in the Harry Potter universe, why does there have to be that in the Star Wars universe?  

4. Don't have Anakin as a virgin birth/created by the Force
Is this even clear yet, 17 years after the release of Ep. III?  There's still speculation on how Anakin was created.  Anyway, I would have introduced Anakin's father, have him be a scumbag who deserted Shmi shortly after Anakin was born.  Maybe have a plot point where Anakin kills him, even?

5. Changing or removing the line, "What have I done?"
For a while, Anakin's full fall to the dark side has kind of bothered me.  And I realized the one little thing that's always bothered me.  It's after Anakin cuts off Mace Windu's hand to prevent him from killing Palpatine and Palpatine blasts him out the window.  Anakin then stumbles back and says in a regretful tone, "What have I done?".  Instead, I would have Anakin mad at Mace Windu for attempting to assassinate the chancellor (someone who he had grown close to), and just have him not saying anything.  He would simply breath heavily, realizing what he had done and how he had chosen Palpatine's dark side over the Jedi.  

Original Trilogy
1. Have things thought out ahead of time
One of the few flaws with the original trilogy is the fact that George didn't plan things out, seeing as when he was writing the original Star Wars, he was not planning on any sequels.  I would change how Obi-Wan describes how Luke's father dies, and I would remove any kisses between Luke and Leia and any desire Luke has for her (and have their relationship be more like Harry and Hermione in Harry Potter).  

2. Have a little better choreography between Obi-Wan and Vader in their final fight
Their fight scene has not aged well, but keep in mind it was the first lightsaber battle in Star Wars history.  If I could, I'd have the choreography be at least a little more intense.

3. Have the Ewoks be the final reason, not the sole reason, the rebellion wins in the end
It's been long criticized how a civilization such as the Ewoks, essentially giant teddy bears, were able to take down "A legion of the Empire's best troops".  I would make it so the rebellion had more forces and just needed a tiny bit more help, perhaps with stalling the Empire.  

4. Flesh out Boba Fett more or don't kill him off
Somehow Boba Fett developed a cult-like status after the original trilogy.  I'd either develop a bit more of a backstory for him (which lines up with the prequel trilogy) or I wouldn't have sent him down the sarlaac pit.  

5. Have Han be a bit younger
I'm grasping for straws here, but I'd have Han be a bit younger in the original trilogy.  At the start of Ep. IV, he is 31 while Leia is 19.  Not exactly an ideal age difference.  I'd make him somewhere between 25 and 28, old enough to still have some life experience.

Sequel Trilogy
1. Have Rey be Obi-Wan's great-niece, not Palpatine's granddaughter.  Or have her ancestry be inconsequential.
Rey's ancestry is one of the critical points of the sequel trilogy.  She is descended from pure evil.  This is equivalent to finding out Harry Potter is Voldemort's grandson.  I mean, they technically had a common ancestor, but it was back hundreds of years.  I think it would have been much better if Rey was related to someone else or no one (that we know of) at all.  My ideal choice would have been Obi-Wan.  We did see in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series Obi-Wan mention that he had a brother; that would have been a perfect opportunity to create Rey's lineage by making her Obi-Wan's great-niece.  Such a shame.

2. Have the Jedi appear as ghosts to help Rey
In TRoS, we hear from many different Jedi calling out to Rey.  I think what would have potentially saved the film is having them appear as Force ghosts and rallying behind her to help her.  Imagine seeing Obi-Wan, Anakin, Yoda, Mace Windu, Qui-Gon (potentially), and Ahsoka (also potentially) gathered behind her to help her.  It would have been equivalent to seeing all of the heroes and Avengers in Avengers: Endgame at the end fighting Thanos.  It would have given many Star Wars fans like myself goosebumps.  

3. Don't kill off Snoke in TLJ and replace him with Palpatine
I'm okay with Snoke being an altered clone or whatever he is, but I'm not okay with bringing Palpatine back.  It was Anakin's way of returning balance to the Force, and they undid all that.  Instead, I'd have Snoke survive TLJ and be the main antagonist in TRoS.  Not much needs to change.

4. Have Finn somewhat explore his force abilities and train with Rey
Another wasted opportunity.  We basically have it confirmed that Finn was Force-sensitive, so what they should have done was have his abilities be discovered in TFA (which they almost were), then in TLJ, he and Rey could be training together with Luke.  They don't have to necessarily be joined at the hip, but it would be cool to see two Jedi learning together.

5. Handle the OT characters better
The overall treatment of the OT characters was pretty bad, to put it nicely.  I'd have Luke and Han reunite, I'd have Leia and Luke reunite, likely with Luke leaving Ahch-To with Rey (and Finn in my version).  Also, imagine if it was Leia who talked to Ben in TRoS and was able to bring him back to the light.  We didn't even get to see Leia interact with her son.  

Honorable mention: Don't kill off Ben/Kylo Ren
I had to include a sixth, just because there are so many things I would change.  I would have Ben survive Exogol and form a bond with Rey (doesn't have to be romantic).  I know they wanted to end the Skywalker lineage, but they didn't have to kill off Ben.  Maybe, like Luke, he just doesn't have kids.  


Again, I can't stress this enough, I still love Star Wars.  I love the music, special and practical effects (outside of the prequel trilogy, maybe), and the action.  There are just a few plot points that could've made each trilogy even better.  

Grading each Mariner so far in 2022

The 2022 Mariners season is quickly nearing its halfway point, and this season has been less than ideal.  It seems the Mariners have taken a step back, although there have been a lot of things to not go there way.  One is injuries.  Mitch Haniger has missed time with two injuries, Kyle Lewis came back for about a week only to miss significant time with a concussion, and we have been without two relievers we were counting on, Casey Sadler and Ken Giles.  

Although the season is not over nor is it a "lost cause", there's still a lot of reason for concern.  However, there's also reason for optimism.  I'm going to give each player that's seen significant time a letter grade, and assess their overall games based on their expectations coming into 2022.  First off, Lewis, Haniger, and Murphy all get an "incomplete" due to being injured for a majority of the season so far.

Hitters

Cal Raleigh: C+
Cal got off to an extremely slow start offensively, causing him to be sent down.  However, his bat woke up, and he's done a very good job of handling our pitching staff.  A lot of Logan Gilbert's success has to be attributed to Cal.

Luis Torrens: D
He's been ok, his bat seems to very slowly be waking up.  His defense does seem to have improved from last season.  But as of mid-June he is still looking for his first home run of 2022.

Ty France: A+
Could we have asked anything more from Ty?  His defense has been great, and his offense has been even better.  He's been drawing comparisons to Edgar Martinez, and for good reason.  His average has dropped while his strikeouts have ticked up in recent weeks, so he's a borderline A/A+, but he's definitely the one lock to be an All-Star on the roster.

Adam Frazier: D+
He was expected to provide a high avg/OBP bat at the top of the lineup, but he has not.  His average has hung around the .230/.240 range, and we were expecting at least 50 points higher.  He's been riddled with awful luck, hitting straight to defensive players.  His defense has been adequate.  

JP Crawford: A-
JP is one of the bright spots on this team, and he easily could be slumping after signing a contract extension at the start of the year, but he really hasn't.  If anything, his defense has taken a hit, causing him to be near the top in errors by an AL shortstop.  But he's still made some great defensive plays.  

Eugenio Suarez: B
Suarez was almost an afterthought in the trade that netted him and Winker, but he has been definitely the better piece so far.  He's leading the M's in home runs currently and likely will the rest of the year, barring injury.  He's shown a propensity to strike out too much, especially in high-leverage situations.  But his defense has been outstanding, hardly a drop-off (if at all) from Seager.

Jesse Winker: D
Winker, along with Frazier, was acquired due to his ability to hit for a high average.  And also like Frazier, he has struggled.  His average is even lower.  Some worry about his lack of power numbers, but he never has hit too many, only hitting 24 last season.  One good thing has been his eye, as he leads the team in walks.  His defense leaves a lot to be desired, as there have been more than a few fly balls to left that a more athletic outfielder could have gotten to while Jesse did not.

Julio Rodriguez: A-
Julio got off to a slow start, which wasn't wholly unexpected, but that was partly due to the awful strike calls he was getting called against him.  But he heated up in May, coinciding with his first Major League home run.  He has relished hitting in the middle of the lineup.  But the best parts of Julio's game has been his baserunning and defense.  He currently leads the majors in stolen bases and has played great defense in center.

Jarred Kelenic: D-
It's a shame Kelenic wasn't able to produce, because come June the team has definitely needed him.  Fortunately, Trammell has done somewhat decently in his place.  But given that Jarred made his debut last year and had a chance to work on things this offseason, his slow start is concerning.

Abraham Toro: F
Just about every Mariners fan is done with Toro at this point, and I'll be shocked if something doesn't happen to him before the All-Star break (unless he miraculously catches fire).  He's provided some late-inning pop, and yes, if it wasn't for him, we lose that game to the Red Sox where he tied it up with 2 outs.  But so often we have asked him to come through and been let down.  I think Scott's getting tired of Toro's inability to come through.

Dylan Moore: C+
Dylan has been about what we expected.  We did not expect to see him start so much in the outfield, but injuries and Kelenic's struggles have necessitated it.  He's been adequate.  He did have a walk-off hit against the Red Sox.  And his defense and base running has been above average.  

Taylor Trammell: C
Taylor's done well in his short stint, but hasn't really quite broken through yet.  He has played solid D.  It's unfortunate that Servais feels the need to pinch-hit Moore or Toro for him every time he's scheduled to face a lefty.  How's a young left-handed hitter supposed to get better if he is never allowed to face lefties?

Sam Haggerty: C-
Not much to say about Sam, and he's really just a body to have on the Major League roster while we wait for guys to heal up.  He's been good defensively, but his bat leaves a lot to be desired.

Pitchers

Robbie Ray: C-
Given his expectations, we were expecting more from Robbie Ray.  He's given the Mariners length, pitching the most innings this far.  But he's also allowed a lot of home runs, 14, which is 3rd most in the AL.  His last start where he went 7 scoreless is promising after he developed a 2-seam fastball and used that effectively.  

Logan Gilbert: A
Logan has taken a big step forward in year 2.  Imagine if Kelenic, who was called up last year at the same time as Gilbert, looked as good as Gilbert does now.  Anyway, Logan has been mostly dominant, winning AL pitcher of the month for April, and for good reason.  His ERA was under 1 for that month!  

Marco Gonzales: B-
Marco's been fairly inconsistent, but when he's on, he's on.  His maturity and poise have shown.  If he can locate his change-up and get calls from the umpire, he's very hard to hit off of.  

Chris Flexen: C+
If there was ever a guy who was 2-8 who was actually pitching well, it's Flexen.  Flexen has gotten some awful run support, forcing him to leave games barely behind or tied, despite many quality starts. 

Matt Brash: D+
Is it fair to count Brash?  Eh, I'd say so.  He started off fairly well, but then hitters started to figure him out while at the same time he was losing a bit of control.  He also failed to reach 6 innings pitched in each of his 5 starts, something that cannot be said for any other pitcher to start a game this year.

George Kirby: B-
George sure had a nice debut, but unfortunately, it did take him a little while to get his first Major League win.  He definitely looks better than Brash, and hopefully, it won't take him that long to get win #2.

Paul Sewald: C+
I've gone from trusting Paul each time out to waiting with baited breath each time he pitches.  I think Servais shouldn't use him in high-leverage situations for a while, not until he gets his control back.  Seawald has definitely cost us a couple games at least.

Penn Murfee: A
I remember first seeing Penn, first thinking he had a weird name, then thinking, "Well here's a guy that will probably be sent back to Tacoma pretty soon."  Boy, was I wrong.  He has been magnificent, although his most recent outing against the Twins was not pretty.

Diego Castillo: B-
It's certainly been a tale of two seasons for Castillo.  He was looking so bad at one point that I was surprised he wasn't DFA'ed.  But he righted his ship and is now the most dominant arm in the pen.  

Andres Munoz: C
The velocity has been nice, but the control and the amount of hits off of Munoz leave a lot to be desired.  He's still young, so I can't be too harsh, but he's certainly got potential to be a dominant arm in the pen.

Matt Festa: C
Like Castillo, Festa had his struggles early on, but he has quietly become one of the more reliable arms in the pen.  

Erik Swanson: B+
When you have gone 2+ months into a season and you can't think of a time when a reliever has blown a game, you know he's doing at least somewhat well.  Swanson has been a surprising bright spot in the pen.  Shame we lost him for a bit to injury, but fortunately, he's back now.

Sergio Romo: C-
Romo has been wildly inconsistent, with at times looking like his old self and at other times looking like the old guy that no one wanted.  

Drew Steckenrider/Anthony Misiewicz/Ryan Borucki/Roenis Elias/Anyone else: D
I didn't think it was fair to count each of these guys as individual grades, as none of them have been with the big league club all season.  The rest of the bullpen here has been mostly disappointing. 

So with all those grades, what is the team's GPA?  Well I did the math, and the GPA is...

C+.  Well, if the team has a losing record, why do they have an above average grade?  Remember, this is based on expectations for each player, so players like Julio, Penn Murfee, and Erik Swanson have higher grades than if I were to grade their seasons not considering expectations.  I think this is about right, and if I were to wholly grade everyone without taking expectations into consideration, I'd say their grades drop one spot on average (so a B to a B-, for example).  That would mean the team GPA is a C, which makes sense.  Were the Mariners expected to run away with the division?  No.  But some bad luck and injuries have really hurt them, because otherwise this team has a winning record and is in the hunt for a wild card spot.  

I might grade these guys around the end of the season.  Hopefully, we'll have a GPA a bit higher next time.