The concept behind the "Star Wars Rocks" feature on starwars.com is a good one. It's always great to read about people whose work you admire outing themselves as fellow geeks. It has made for some fun interviews, and I suspect it's also an opportunity to introduce fans to new music .

However, the last interview with actor and VH1 resident snarkster/comedian Hal Sparks highlighted something about the several of the interviews that has bugged me for a long time. Sparks complained about the prequels because they were about Vader, a character he hates, and because they have CGI. In many of the interviews, if the prequels ever get mentioned at all, it's to say they're not as good as the OT or some quick bit about "ROTS was the best one," which cynical me translates as "TPM and AOTC stunk." It's not to say these indie rockers, actors, and so forth aren't entitled to their views. It's also not to say EVERY interview that mentions the prequels featured negative or noncommittal comments about them.

But what troubles me is these comments can enforce the notion that the prequels were something lesser and not particularly worthwhile. What troubles me even more is that those ideas are given tremendous weight by the fact it's on The Official Star Wars website. You know, The Official Voice of Fandom. Straight From Lucasfilm.

Many of these interview subjects seem to be 30-somethings who are filled with rosy childhood OT memories and aren't filled yet with nostalgia for films they viewed as adults. But then again, I'm 37 years old and I love the PT as much as the OT. Nobody else in the whole wide world of entertainment is in the same boat? Some of you might argue that posting an interview with a Hal Sparks or somebody else with similar opinions is no different from fans posting their opinions on the message boards or blogs. But it is different; none of us are Lucasfilm employees and most of us aren't going to have our views splashed all over the main website for everyone to see. It's like a letter to the Star Wars Insider vs. an article written by a staff member.

I know a celebrity's views don't necessarily reflect those of the interviewer, starwars.com, or Lucasfilm in general, but it's self-defeating to keep promoting the idea that half of the saga is deficient through these interviews. If The Official Voice of Fandom can't or won't support the prequels, why should anyone else?