The Scene staff
A year ago, if you had told me that the majority of “Star Wars” fans were not going to be excited about Episode 9, I wouldn’t have believed you.
The hype for “The Last Jedi” (Episode 8, released in 2017) was infectious, and the idea of seeing Luke Skywalker on screen once again was enough to get fans and non-fans into cinemas. The film earned more than $1.3 billion at the box office, making it a definite success for Disney.
Or so it seemed.
Hate for the film spread fast on social media and elsewhere on the internet. Fans were disappointed and, in many cases, personally offended by the radical shift in Skywalker’s beloved character.
Even actor Mark Hamill spoke out, mocking the complete 180 in Skywalker’s morality, compared to the optimistic hero in the original trilogy (“Star Wars” or “A New Hope” in 1977, “The Empire Strikes Back” in 1980 and “Return of the Jedi” in 1983).
Unless you have been living under a rock, you already know about this anger. What started as a vocal minority has turned into a massive protest by fans of the franchise. They’re simply fed up with the lack of quality in “Star Wars.”
What used to be one of the most cherished and sacred film franchises has been almost shunned by most fans, and I don’t blame them.
“Star Wars” is my personal favorite among movie franchises, although I do believe it has given us some of the greatest films ever made and some of the worst. “Solo” (2018) was a pure nightmare.
There are now more bad “Star Wars” movies than good ones, and that is crushing indeed. It makes getting excited about the new films very, very difficult, and this is coming from somebody who can quote every line of dialogue in “A New Hope.”
“Star Wars” changed my perspective on not only what a movie could be, but what I could become as a person.
Skywalker’s character arc is one of the best I’ve ever seen portrayed on screen, with every movie developing his character further. He’s put through trial after trial with nothing but his morals keeping him from failure.
“Star Wars” taught me to trust in my feelings, and the true meaning of redemption.
Before I elaborate further on why many fans are done with the franchise, I’ll make a disclosure: I am honestly not that hard to please when it comes to “Star Wars”
I walked out of “The Force Awakens” (2015) feeling underwhelmed and disappointed by Han Solo’s unemotional death and Rey defeating a Sith Lord after never holding a lightsaber in her life, but I was excited to see where the sequel would go and take these characters.
Then came “Rogue One” (2016). I loved it so much that I saw it five times, whereas I only saw “The Force Awakens” once. It felt like Disney knew what “Star Wars” was and what it could be.
So when “The Last Jedi” came out, I was very excited for the franchise. Its future seemed bright.
The newest entry to the Skywalker Saga promised a full-power Luke, something fans have been wanting since “Return of the Jedi” and something that any director with half a brain would give to his audience, right?
I personally was looking forward to the development of Rey’s character just as much. I was almost begging Disney to make her a Skywalker and continue the lineage. It was an obvious story beat that any director who has seen a “Star Wars” movie would follow, right?
Unfortunately, director Rian Johnson wanted to “subvert expectations,” whatever that means. Listen, I’m fine with you doing whatever you want with the movie, as long as it follows the story beats that the seven previous movies in the saga have set up.
I could rant all day about everything wrong with “The Last Jedi,” but thousands of better writers have already done that. So let’s just move on to yet another disaster.
“The Last Jedi” crushed my spirits so badly that something unbelievable happened. When the Lucasfilm logo showed up on “Solo,” for the first time I didn’t have butterflies in my stomach. I wasn’t excited.
I could only scrape up two other friends who wanted to go see the movie, whereas I went with a group of more than 10 friends to see “The Last Jedi.”
Being friends with fellow fans, a few more diehard than I, it was astonishing when some said “no thanks” to the “Solo” invite. In reflection, I probably should have shared their headspace.
“Solo” was simply … dull. It felt like a bad summer movie, but with a “Star Wars” logo slapped on it. I watched it a second time when the Blu-Ray version was released, and it was even worse.
Hopefully, reading this breakdown of my personal feelings about the Disney “Star Wars” films helps you understand where the fan base is going into Episode 9.
The situation seems to get worse with every passing day. News from the set of Episode 9 is never good. Johnson attacks fans almost daily in a futile attempt to convince people “The Last Jedi” wasn’t that bad.
Lucasfilm CEO Kathleen Kennedy, whom many blame for the lack of quality, has been given three more years overseeing the franchise.
The future is very bleak, this I understand more than most. But we cannot forget why we are so invested in this franchise and why we cared so much in the first place.
The universe of “Star Wars” is arguably one of the biggest and most interesting to ever grace the big screen. The grandiose stories told in each episode may not be “Empire Strikes Back” quality, but they take place in the same world.
I will be going to see Episode 9 because of how much “Star Wars” means to me, even after hating “The Last Jedi” and “Solo,” “The Phantom Menace” (1999) and “Attack of the Clones” (2002).
“Star Wars” will always be precious to me, but if you decide not to see Episode 9, I completely understand. I won’t bash you for boycotting, as many have said they will.
However, I implore you not to give up on the franchise. If it can survive the hate created by the prequels, it can survive this. Be strong. Don’t give up hope. This is “Star Wars” we’re talking about.
There will always be potential. If only Disney knew how to bring it out.