By Shneur Agronin and Aliza Flug, Senior Layout Editor and Social Media Manager
Once hailed as one of the most beloved and influential science fiction sagas in cinematic history, Star Wars has taken what many feel is a controversial turn since 2012, when Disney acquired Lucasfilm — George Lucas’ financial brainchild and the parent company of the Star Wars franchise. While the franchise has expanded under Disney’s banner with new films, series and merchandise, many longtime fans argue that this growth came at the cost of narrative depth, character integrity and the original spirit that made Star Wars so special. From inconsistent storytelling to divisive creative choices, Disney’s stewardship has sparked heated debate over whether the magic of the galaxy far, far away has been diluted for the sake of mass appeal and corporate profit.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens was met with significant anticipation when it was released in 2015, the franchise’s grand reintroduction under Disney’s auspices. While it succeeded in reigniting mainstream interest in the franchise and was dominant at the box office, critics and fans alike noted its heavy reliance on nostalgia and fanservice. The film mirrored the narrative beats of A New Hope (the first Star Wars film, released in 1977) so closely that many felt it was more of a polished remake than a bold new chapter. New characters like Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega) and Poe (Oscar Isaac) showed potential, but their arcs were thinly developed, often feeling like placeholders for legacy cameos.
Many fans describe Rey as a “Mary Sue,” or a character granted extraordinarily developed abilities despite little experience or training (or, in Rey’s case, absolutely none). It is clear how Rey’s character was strategically created to please fans. She is bold, strong, courageous, even a bit sarcastic. She is somewhat reminiscent of a young Princess Leia. What fans don’t appreciate however, is her lack of Jedi knowledge. It was puzzling how someone who had no Jedi training could know how to use The Force, after doubting its legitimacy. Even Padawans (Jedis-in-training) like Anakin and Luke Skywalker who were raised with knowledge and understanding of the Force required hours upon hours of Jedi training. So, it is hard to understand how Rey just shows up and appears as if born with the ability to use a lightsaber and Jedi mind tricks.
Overall, the film played it safe, aiming to please rather than challenge, but ended up failing in both regards. Rather than exploring new territory, The Force Awakens clung tightly to a familiar blueprint, perhaps indicative of Disney’s cautious attempt to secure fan approval while laying the groundwork for future merchandising. It is that term — merchandising — and Disney’s dollar-driven production model which seem to prioritise “clickbait” fanservice over meaningful continuity to the Star Wars saga.
Things took a sharper and much more polarizing turn with 2017’s The Last Jedi and 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker, two films that encapsulated the tonal and thematic tug-of-war at the heart of Disney’s Star Wars. The Last Jedi made bold stylistic and narrative choices that split the fandom down the middle (the Holdo maneuver, anyone?). Some praised its subversion of expectations and willingness to deconstruct the mythology so dear to Jedi and Sith, while others felt it undermined character consistency, particularly in regard to Luke Skywalker’s lackluster arc.
Then came The Rise of Skywalker, which seemed to reverse course in nearly every way, racing to retcon key plot points from the previous film, overstuffing the story with fan service and resurrecting Emperor Palpatine in a move many saw as both narratively confusing and creatively desperate. Instead of a cohesive trilogy, audiences were left with a patchwork of conflicting visions, emblematic of a franchise struggling to find its identity under corporate management.
Arguably the most detrimental factor in the saga’s continuity throughout the sequels was the abrupt director switch from J. J. Abrams to Rian Johnson for The Last Jedi, the middle of the three films. Abrams set up an apparent arc for Skywalker in The Force Awakens, only for it to abruptly end with his sudden death in Johnson’s The Last Jedi. Then, when Abrams returned to direct The Rise of Skywalker, he was left with little time to form a plot centered more on Rey without his initially planned Skywalker arc. To say the least, this did not make for a fleshed-out storyline.
In addition to the sequel trilogy that Disney produced, several Star Wars TV shows and two standalone films have been released in recent years. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), one of the standalone films, received mostly positive reviews, scoring 84% on Rotten Tomatoes from critic reviews (whereas The Rise of Skywalker got a critic score of 51%). Set right before A New Hope, Rogue One spotlights the journey of Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) and a team of rebel-adjacent fighters escaping imperial prison and helping the rebellion acquire the plans to the newly constructed imperial superweapon, the Death Star. In addition to nostalgic Star Wars–esque music, familiar droids, creatures and scenery, what really hits home is that this movie is so full of emotion, as many of the original films were. We see the grief and loss that Jyn experiences as a child; her brief, but tragic reunification with her father; and her extreme courage to risk her life to fight the Empire.
Compared to the sequel trilogy’s attempt to expand a story that many feel was already over, Rogue One simply builds a backstory to the movie we all know and love. Perhaps this is what Disney has been doing best. Many enjoyed the various TV shows that Disney produced, feeling they added depth to the story without expanding it in ways that didn’t make sense. Shows like Andor and The Mandalorian take place in between the pre-existing films and bring in new sets of characters, but give some of the original ones cameos for added nostalgia. In Rogue One, we are introduced to a team of new characters, yet they feel so familiar, their team almost echoing the one of Luke Skywalker’s, with a sarcastic droid, runaway pilot and a passionate heroine who undoubtedly reminded fans of Princess Leia.
At the end of the day, there is nobody who can tell a story quite as well as George Lucas. The question that remains to be answered is whether or not Disney can carry on the legacy of Star Wars, or if they will instead continue to create plot holes, contradictions and glossy replicas of past triumphs.
As fans, we don’t necessarily expect every new installment to rival The Empire Strikes Back, but we do hope for storytelling that feels purposeful, characters that are thoughtfully developed and a galaxy that still sparks wonder. Disney has the resources and talent to honor the soul of Star Wars, and Rogue One proves that it’s possible. But without a unifying creative vision or a respect for what made the original saga resonate so deeply, the franchise risks becoming a hollow echo of itself. The Force may still be with Disney’s Star Wars, but only time will tell whether they truly understand how to wield it.
Photo Caption: Millennium Falcon at Disney’s Galaxy’s Edge
Photo Credit: Aaron Sisser