The news of a new Star Wars around 2012 made me excited and hopeful.
I’d get to see more of the galaxy far, far away I’ve lived with, loved and longed for so much. I was honestly disappointed that George Lucas sold his company, somewhat sad about it, but the thought of going back to cinemas to witness new adventures based on the Skywalker saga, with the promise of a new Trilogy, simply made life a little happier for me.
The Weird Thing I Do
There’s something I do when there are new Star Wars movies coming out:
I actively ignore any and everything about it.
No kidding. I didn’t read any news or announcements, and even went through extreme lengths of closing my eyes and covering my ears when stuck in the cinema and a teaser or trailer came on. I’m sure someone next to me wondered if I was okay.
That’s how much Star Wars means to me.
I want to experience the movie for the first time with no expectations, no preconceptions, and not even the slightest idea what it’ll be about. If I had it my way, I’d prefer not to even know the cast, but that’s almost impossible in today’s media-rich world. I did it for the Prequels as a teenager, and I did it again as an adult for the Sequels.
It’s almost ritualistic. An odd ritual, I know, but it’s mine.
The Force Awakens
Witnessing The Force Awakens for the first time was pure in the best way. I went in ignorant, oblivious, and with little expectations, yet fully aware this was not just any movie. This was Star Wars.
The opening scene blew me away. The new rough-edged lightsaber looked amazing and that force-held laser shot re-awakened my inner Star Wars fan-boy instantly. I love a strong female lead, and Rey was exciting to watch. The entire cast was strong, and the return of Han Solo, Chewie, C-3PO and Leia made me warm inside, like seeing old friends after years apart.
The movie was well executed and was no easy feat. But as the credits rolled, something didn’t feel right.
Don’t get me wrong, I loved each new character in their own right. Rey showed great potential despite critics calling her a Mary Sue. Finn had something worthy to prove. Poe was a nice blend of Luke Skywalker and Han Solo. Kylo Ren was a magnificent and powerful presence.
But together, the Star Wars magic wasn’t quite happening.
The sets were amazing, though at times they felt recycled. The most obvious was the Death Star 2.0. Why did Rey have to be from the desert? Instead of the white snow of Hoth, we got the white salt flats of Crait. With galaxies of unknown worlds available, they chose familiarity. Did they have to be so obvious about it?
Disappointed
I knew The Force Awakens was a rehash of A New Hope, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and was willing to give the series the benefit of the doubt.
I loved The Last Jedi. I just wish they’d spaced it further out, the way they did with all previous trilogies. But J.J. Abrams leaving The Force Awakens on a cliffhanger made it creatively difficult not to finish what he started. I believe Rian Johnson wanted to show Rey’s bond with Luke and give a backstory to why he disappeared. Spacing it years apart would have undermined that arc.
Sure, Leia floating through space threw me off in the cinema, like it did everyone else. But remembering that Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan slid down multiple levels of a space station like a pair of cartoon characters in The Phantom Menace reminded me that Leia had always had the potential of a powerful Jedi. The Force can stretch credibility in any direction — that’s always been part of the deal.
If The Force Awakens was underwhelming and The Last Jedi gave hope for something new, The Rise of Skywalker crushed what remained of that hope.
No Hope
I barely remember The Rise of Skywalker. I’ve only seen it once, missed the opening scene in the cinema, and I’ve never gone back. Not out of anger, just genuine disinterest. I don’t blame J.J. Abrams or even Kathleen Kennedy, despite what the internet would prefer. I think the reasons the Sequels fell short are more complex than any one person.
They had the right ingredients, the right tools, and the right intentions. But no one agreed on the recipe. And that’s what hurt most, because I felt it the whole time and kept hoping it would click.
What Really Mattered to Me
I’m not the type to whine over whether props and effects are real or CGI, as long as I can’t tell the difference. As someone who’s worked in film and television production, I understand the constraints better than most. It’s easy to be a critic when you’re not in the hot seat.
What I couldn’t shake was the inconsistent world-building. The lack of cohesion was apparent, though I tried my best not to see it that way. A franchise of this scale deserved at minimum an agreed-upon overall arc across all three films. Without one, J.J. Abrams was left with the unenviable task of course-correcting The Last Jedi while also pulling Palpatine’s corpse out for one last dance, thereby undermining everything the Original Trilogy had built.
Imagine if we learned that Sauron eventually re-spawned after The Return of the King.
Centuries from now, if Star Wars lore survives as many predict, people may be telling the story of how Darth Vader defeated his manipulative, toxic, power-hungry Master, only for that Master to have quietly played hide-and-seek for a generation and returned to cause the same destruction. Which 12-year-old wrote that arc?
The Rise of Fan-Service
How does a company that executed the wildly successful and narratively cohesive Marvel Cinematic Universe not extend Star Wars, one of the world’s most beloved franchises, the same respect?
George Lucas had already conceptualised ideas for the Sequels and delivered treatments prior to the sale of Lucasfilm. Why Disney abandoned that in favour of what felt like creative improvisation is still baffling to me.
Playing it safe was my biggest gripe. I understand why — the backlash against the Prequels left a mark, and fans longed for the feel of the Originals. But you cannot build something bold and new while dwelling in nostalgia. Kylo Ren literally said it: “Let the past die. Kill it if you have to.”
Giving fans exactly what they think they want isn’t always the safe bet it appears to be. If the intention was to correct where Lucas went wrong, they overcorrected, and then some.
Lesson Learned?
Bold, new and different is at the heart of Star Wars. Lucas wouldn’t have made a film in 1977 that looked and felt like every other science fiction film of its time if it weren’t. For the Sequels we got remakes and repurposed stories. The only genuinely bold film of the three was The Last Jedi, which is also the most divisive. Did I enjoy Luke becoming disenchanted? No. But it’s more believable than a dead Emperor hiding for a generation only to resurface as, once again, the mastermind behind everything.
The Prequels are like one of the new Porsche EVs. Not quite the same as the one you loved, but at least a step in a real direction.
The Sequels are like clothes bought at a thrift shop with a few patches of the original sewn on.
Betting on nostalgia to carry a franchise forward is counterproductive, and I think it’s why the Sequels never reached their potential. There was something real in those films. They just missed it.
I wanted to love the sequels, but I can only be grateful we’re at least getting new content from the Galaxy Far, Far, Away….