
Star Wars has always had a tradition of repetition, which is exemplified by George Lucas’ famous quote saying that his franchise is “like poetry it rhymes” Return of the Jedi features essentially the exact same set piece as the first film in that trilogy, for example, so that rhyming has been there from the very beginning. The story is certainly similar to A New Hope, but that doesn’t make it bad, nor does it make Episode VII unoriginal. Although those criticisms have grown in recent years, that didn’t seem to impact the overall public opinion upon release. Yes, some fans pointed out the similarities between Episode VII and A New Hope, particularly with a central droid character and the central planet killing weapon at the center of the bad guys’ plan. Quite frankly, that The Force Awakens was received relatively well upon release is a huge achievement for the franchise, such is the divide in the fandom in its current state. JJ Abrams’ film received a 93% critics score and an 85% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, and it largely avoided the discourse and drama that its sequel, The Last Jedi, would later be afflicted by. All things considered, The Force Awakens managed to dodge many of the potential challenges that come with that level of excitement in the build up. It was the franchise's promise to return to a story and aesthetic more akin to the original trilogy.

RELATED: Here's Why Andor Season 2 Will Span Such A Long Timeframe, According To Diego LunaĪs stated, The Force Awakens was eagerly anticipated by audiences, particularly as it was the sequel to Return of the Jedi after more than 30 years. Despite that, looking back, The Force Awakens is still the best story in the franchise of the Disney era. Meanwhile, many of the shows released on Disney+ have largely been greeted better than most of the recent films.

Since then, the newest trilogy has received a fair amount of attention and criticism from certain corners of the Star Wars fandom, with the middle installment proving to be the most divisive. Previously dominated by the sequel trilogy, the Disney era has now shifted focus to television, with shows like The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Andor.ĭisney’s ownership of the franchise began over a decade ago at this point, but it officially got going with the release of the highly anticipated Episode VII, The Force Awakens, in December 2015. The Star Wars franchise is currently entering uncharted territory in the wake of the conclusion of the Skywalker Saga, which ended with The Rise of Skywalker in 2019.
