I can't disagree with you. The huge time gap between OT and ST presented problems that were not addressed in a perfect way. But this is a trilogy, not a single sequel film. You can backtrack in Acts 2 and 3 in order to fill in some of that missing context. I think TLJ started that with Luke telling Rey about what had happened to Ben/Kylo. My hope is that Ep9 does even more of that. Maybe with Lando (and maybe the Carrie Fisher scenes). I don't know; I'm just hoping/expecting.
The achievements of the OT heroes were never going to result in any permanency of peace. The quest for power, and the allures of evil, cannot be permanently erased simply by defeating Palpatine's Empire. There's always going to be a new threat; it's just a matter of time (30 years in this case).
What the OT heroes achieved was vanquish the evil Empire in *their* day and in *their* moment to shine. They secured peace for the galaxy. And just because the FO was able to commit a horrific atrocity with their Starkiller doesn't change the fact that they're basically a terrorist group that scored a huge hit.
By the end of Episode IX, the FO threat will have been dealt with. And without Luke, Leia, Han, Lando, and everything accomplished by the OT Rebellion, the galaxy would have much bigger problems than some rogue terrorist organization going around trying to flex their muscles.
The OT heroes changed the landscape. They couldn't end war altogether, but they sure did show what could (and should) be done in the face of evil and oppression. They fought. They sacrificed. They won. And every member of the Resistance, and every ally in Ep9, will simply be preserving what the OT heroes achieved - in part, due to the inspiration they provided. That's how legacies are made. Nothing can erase them.
The only reason that the FO seemed so massive and powerful is because the tiny Resistance was the only force taking them on. If the entire Republic had decided to confront the FO, things would've looked a whole lot different! But JJ centered the conflict on the Resistance versus the FO for precisely that reason: the FO would've (and should've) been dispatched with relative ease by an Alliance of the new Republic. But they were sitting on their asses. In Ep9, we might learn why that was.
The FO, even with Starkiller, are a terrorist group. Simple as that. It's like if some terrorist in our world took a suitcase nuke into D.C. or London and detonated. Huge devastation and loss of life; but not because the terror group was some huge presence (like an actual government). A small force can still wreak havoc if there isn't a vigilant awareness of the threat. That's what happened in the ST with the First Order. That doesn't in any way make them close to what the Empire was, or negate the achievements of the OT heroes.
Yeah, the motives of Disney/LFL are all about money. And the new generation of heroes is intended to build a new audience to spend money like the generation before them did. But if we were to ever have a sequel trilogy with the original cast, there'd need to be a younger group too no matter what the motive. Someone had to pose a new threat in the story, and younger people would have to be doing much of the legwork.
Like I said about the Rocky franchise, just because the sequels aren't original doesn't mean that I'd rather not have had them. I could point to just as many parallels between "Rocky 1" and "Rocky Balboa" as I could between the OT and the ST, but I'll be damned if I didn't LOVE Rocky Balboa. I didn't want Rocky to end up down on his luck, losing Adrian, facing personal hardships, and wanting to prove himself in the ring yet again. But the way RB made me feel as I was watching one of my childhood heroes in a heartfelt and well-told story? Priceless!
So too the ST. But I'm only speaking for myself.
But I don't want to make it seem like I think TFA was some perfect starting point. I had plenty of problems with it. But, like I've said here before, I appreciate what TLJ tried to do to set things straight. So much so that it even elevated TFA for me. But I know that I'm in the tiny minority here.
Thanks a lot, a-dev.
I’m calling it right now, IX will be a-dev’s 3rd favorite SW movie.
I see. Your objection is, more or less, the same main criticism that has long been levied against TFA: a retread story with a lack of originality.
I had thought you were suggesting that the ST was invalidating the ROTJ victory, as if the logical trajectory for their post-ROTJ lives would've been a lasting galactic peace without anyone trying to fill the void left by the Empire's defeat. That's what had me scratching my head; to me, it only makes sense that someone would've tried to capitalize on the Empire's remnant war machine and structure. And obviously with similar imperial ambitions.
The criticism of lack of originality is one that I can totally understand, though. The problem for me is that this is Star *Wars* we're supposed to be watching. And if we're going to have wars in the stars, I wouldn't expect them to be all that different in nature when set merely 30 years apart. Rebels versus oppressors. X-Wings versus TIE Fighters (or similar combat spacecraft). Giant weapons to serve as proof of power (and as deterrent to opposition). All much like our wars here in our reality, using similar methodology generation after generation.
I think any plot that would stray too far from the established OT and PT nature of how these star wars play out would risk seeming too small in scope, and not epic enough to fit the saga. Then again, I don't agree with objections to the Rocky sequels continuing to put an aging (and even elderly
But I don't want to obscure your point. I can understand and appreciate your objection. And again, thank you for clarifying.
The First Order isn't stronger than the Empire ever was. Far from it. The Empire controlled the entire galaxy, and even had the power to arbitrarily do away with the galactic Senate. The FO, by contrast, doesn't control anything right now. Planets aren't answering to the FO in either TFA or TLJ.
The scope of the First Order is nothing even close to the scope of the Empire. The FO is basically a well-funded terrorist organisation with fancy tech. But their leader (Snoke) had no actual authority in the galaxy.
In no way does the rise of the First Order turn the ROTJ victory into a meaningless "all for nothing" accomplishment. The Death Star, the Emperor, and Vader were finished off. The Empire was eventually dissolved, and the Republic was re-established. The new Republic had close to 30 years without Imperial oppression. What you're suggesting in your post is the same as saying that WWI (started in 1914) was made a waste of time because the victory by the Allied Powers was "all for nothing" since Germany was right back at it again in 1939 to force the Allies into fighting WWII.
Of all of the criticisms against the ST, this one is the most nonsensical, imo.
Yep, we spent almost $6k last year.
