“That’s not how the Force works!”: A short history of “Star Wars” fans and their hate for “Star Wars”
“The Mandalorian” recently concluded its third season on Disney+ to mixed reviews from fans and critics alike. Some say that the pacing of the season was too slow and that there are too many episodes that feel like needless filler. Some are upset at the diminishing role and importance of the main protagonist of the show, Din Djarin, to characters from separate Star Wars media such as Bo Katan and Ahsoka Tano. Some are just upset at the inclusion of celebrity cameos that break their immersion in the “Star Wars” universe.
After two almost universally liked seasons of “The Mandalorian,” the “Star Wars” fanbase looks like it might be on the brink of another fan fallout. And with Disney and Lucasfilm revealing their big plans for the future of the franchise with a series of movies and television shows that will all be interconnected, they can’t afford for that rift to grow. But is that rift in the fanbase really Disney’s fault or does it go back much further than that?
Ever since Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm and the “Star Wars” franchise in 2012, fans of the sci-fi universe were split. While there were fans who were excited at the fact that we would be getting new “Star Wars” movies with a Disney budget behind them, some fans were immediately obsessed with the idea that Disney would “sanitize” the films and strip them of any originality.
Whether you were there to hate it or love it, every “Star Wars” fan was excited at the theater for the release of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” the first entry in Disney’s sequel era of Star Wars films. The majority reception for the movie was positive. While some fans felt like the movie was a rehash of “Star Wars: A New Hope” many people enjoyed the new characters introduced to the Star Wars story.
Finn’s backstory of a rehabilitated stormtrooper and Poe Dameron’s hot-headed confidence drew many fans in. But the fan favorite was Kylo Ren, whose direct Skywalker lineage gave him immediate interest. While there was some backlash towards Rey and her abilities in the movie, it was nowhere near as potent as it would be in the later movies. “The Force Awakens” was a box office smash for Disney and a great start to the sequel trilogy for fans. Then Disney released “The Last Jedi” and all hell broke loose.
“The Last Jedi” effectively broke the Star Wars fanbase and they’re still facing the effects of it to this day. No other “Star Wars” movie has been so decisive with people on both sides of the fence feeling so strongly about their opinions. The reaction was a good reflection of society at the time, and even now as many fans felt like they had to pick a side and stand on their opinions no matter what the other side claimed.
The movie challenged viewers, subverted expectations and brought in themes that were completely brand new to the “Star Wars” mythos. Some saw this as interesting and innovative while others saw it as destroying all that we knew of the preexisting “Star Wars” story. The movie was contentious to the fans down to the actors. Famed actor, Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker in the original “Star Wars” films and “The Last Jedi” has even said that how Luke is portrayed in “The Last Jedi” isn’t how he would have done it.
Since the premiere and fan backlash over “The Last Jedi,” Disney has been reassessing everything they put out under the “Star Wars” brand. Movies that were in production were shelved; movies that were released directly after were boycotted and flopped at the box office. Then Disney released “The Rise of Skywalker” which was basically a huge “I’m sorry” letter to the fans. But not in a good way. Every idea and theme from the last movie was canned and in its place was a rushed and contrived story. This had the opposite effect that Disney intended and ended up pissing off everyone that watched it.
After releasing five movies in four years Disney hasn’t released another “Star Wars” movie since 2019. In the wake of the failure of “The Rise of Skywalker,” Disney CEO, Bob Iger, personally apologized to fans and expressed that the company was so excited about the potential monetary profits the franchise could net them and that they jumped the gun on the trilogy. As time passed, more was revealed about how much of an unorganized mess the trilogy was which only left an even more sour taste in fan’s mouths.
So where did it all go wrong for “Star Wars”? Is it Disney’s fault? Bob Iger’s? Rian Johnson and J.J. Abrams’? Kathleen Kennedy’s? Or maybe it’s George Lucas’ for entrusting anyone other than himself with his brainchild? No matter whose it is, fans will be angry with all of them. But honestly, there have been fans that are angry at “Star Wars” for a while now. Older fans watched the prequels and hated them. The perception of them only changed when the kids who grew up on them got older. Will the same thing happen with the Disney sequels? Only time will tell. One thing you can say about Star Wars as a franchise is that it learns from its mistakes and Disney has ample time to learn from theirs. You can also say that “Star Wars” always finds a new way to make mistakes as well.
