Fake Star Wars titles are low hanging fruit

Spoiler: Jedi aren’t supposed to take revenge.

As movie folks are chomping at the bit for actual Star Wars news, it’s no surprise that one of the earlier and least interesting rumors is having another go-around: A supposed title for Episode VII, A New Dawn.

Star Wars titles tend be goofy and reminiscent of old-school serials: That’s simply the style. The Internet hated The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones when they were announced, and I can’t say I’m all that fond of them myself, but in retrospect they’re no worse than, say, The Empire Strikes Back. The only prequel title I can say was received with open arms was Revenge of the Sith, no doubt for being reminiscent of Revenge of the Jedi (which was briefly used for Return of the Jedi, but is far more appropriate for Sith and the Sith.)

So, in that light, A New Dawn makes some sense. It’s an obvious take on A New Hope, the subtitle the original Star Wars was given in a 1981 re-release. (It wasn’t officially known as Episode IV until that point, either.) Especially given what they did with Revenge and Return, it’s low-hanging fruit.

But is A New Dawn the real thing? Honestly, I doubt it. I wasn’t watching the prequel-era rumor mill as closely as I am Episode VII, but I don’t recall The Phantom Menace or Attack of the Clones being rumored at any point. (Actual rumored titles: Rise of the Empire, The Creeping Fear and Balance of the Force. None for you, fandom.)

Of course, the business of movie spoilers is so much more advanced these days… Who can say? But I’m not putting any money on it. I think – or hope – that we’ll be surprised. We might not like the real title (that you can put money on,) but we’ll be surprised.