Although there's been no shortage of chatter on the recent shelving of Star Wars 1313, it has been interesting that there's been no discussion of the possible role the title of the game itself might have played in the premature death of the game. There are a variety of reasons that might have led to Disney's decision to abort production on the game, but the one that has received the least coverage might be the most interesting. Disney has made no secret that they are trying to distance their version of the Star Wars empire from the prequel friendly era that George Lucas grew so fond of in his last years of ownership. The cancellation of further 3-D re-releases and of the prequel era cartoon, The Clone Wars, have all occurred accompanied by a message that all resources are being used to focus on the long-awaited Episode VII. And while the fate of Star Wars: 1313 would seem to easily match with prior explanations (a point only enhanced by the recent closure of LucasArts), one must wonder if the game's demise was at all hastened simply because of its name. For Star Wars fans not as familiar with Disney traditions, it might be a surprise that there is some very important history linked to the number 1313. Although easily disregarded by those that are not fans of Disney history, within the fandom it is fairly well known that "M" is the thirteenth letter of the alphabet and fans have long made references to 1313 as taking the place for the main mouse's initials. Mickey Mouse, or M. M., is as iconic as it gets in Disney lore and it would seem unlikely that there'd be a desire, even in its most tangential way, to link The Mouse to a game focused on the scum and villainy of the Star Wars universe. Although the link to Mickey Mouse's initials and Star Wars 1313 might seem unlikely to some, there is one more compelling reason the game would have never worked with the former title - Disneyland is located at 1313 Harbor Avenue. Not only would the game have linked the address of Disneyland with the address of the most wretched inhabitants of Coruscant, but even more importantly this was the address that Walt actually chose for Disneyland. Although it's not entirely clear why Walt chose this particular number, there are a variety of rationales that have been offered. Some have speculated that this was simply a homage offered to his favorite mouse in the aforementioned acknowledgement of the initials. Even more interesting is the notion that Mr. Disney chose 1313 to hammer home his utter disregard for all things superstitious. In this scenario, Walt Disney actually chose the numbers 1313 to begin his amusement empire as an act of defiance toward those who believed in such things as magical numbers. Regardless of the real reason behind the choice of the number, it's irrefutable that the number does have significance to Disney history and is much more than a random number. While it is more than likely that Star Wars 1313 has been halted because it doesn't fit into Disney's vision for Star Wars, at this time, one must wonder if the game has a future, at all, simply because of its name. Although rumor has it that a great deal of work has already been put into development, it isn't like Disney to ignore tradition, when it comes to things like this. So, will we ever see Star Wars 1313 in living rooms across America? I doubt it. While elements of the game may make its way to the public, in the future, it seems likely there would, minimally, be a title change. After all, the only character tougher than Boba Fett is an angry ghost of Walt Disney. What do you think? Will we see Star Wars 1313 as it was originally developed? Leave a comment, email ([email protected]) or tweet (@The_Con_Fluence) me and let me know your thoughts. ...By Shawn Marshall |
Shawn MarshallShawn is the
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