As a lifelong Star Wars fan, I’m ready to admit the sequels missed the point

The Star Wars sequel trilogy reignited the galaxy—but somewhere along the way, it lost its soul.

As a lifelong Star Wars fan, watching the sequels—The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and The Rise of Skywalker—felt like returning to a place I loved, only to realize it had changed in ways I couldn’t ignore. The excitement was real, the visuals breathtaking, and the return of the galaxy far, far away was undeniable.

But the emotional resonance? The mythic storytelling? The soul of Star Wars? That’s where the sequels missed the point.

These weren’t bad movies. They were just… disjointed. Reactive. Shiny on the surface, but often hollow underneath. And that’s what hurt the most.

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No map, just vibes: The planning problem

One of the trilogy’s biggest flaws was a lack of narrative planning. The original and prequel trilogies—love them or not—had a guiding vision. George Lucas knew where things were headed. The sequels, on the other hand, felt like a creative game of telephone.

The Force Awakens played it safe, rekindling the charm of the original trilogy. The Last Jedi tried to burn it all down—and then The Rise of Skywalker walked that fire back with a fire extinguisher made of retcons. Key character motivations shifted between films. Themes were introduced, dropped, and reintroduced. It wasn’t a trilogy. It was a tug-of-war.

Take Rey’s lineage: “Nobody.” Then “Palpatine.” That’s not mythmaking—it’s myth scrambling.

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A galaxy we couldn’t understand

One of Star Wars’ greatest strengths is its worldbuilding. The politics, the power structures, the systems—fans live for that level of detail. But the sequels didn’t trust the audience with those complexities.

We never really understood the First Order. Or what the Resistance was resisting. Or how the New Republic functioned—or collapsed. With each new film, the context became more muddled. The crawl at the beginning of The Force Awakens set up a massive galactic shift—and then the films rushed into lightsaber duels without explaining what was at stake.

We had action. But we didn’t have clarity. And Star Wars has always thrived when the stakes feel real.

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Characters with potential… and wasted arcs

There were bright spots. Rey. Finn. Poe. Kylo Ren. The sequel trilogy introduced characters who could have been iconic. And in some ways, they still are. But their stories weren’t given the room—or the consistency—they deserved.

Rey’s origin had so much promise: a girl with no name, destined to forge her own path. The Last Jedi leaned into that. And then The Rise of Skywalker said, “Just kidding, she’s Palpatine’s granddaughter.” It didn’t just confuse the arc—it contradicted it.

Finn, introduced as a stormtrooper turned rebel, was sidelined when he should’ve been one of the trilogy’s most important voices. Poe was reduced to snark. Snoke and Phasma were tossed aside without real payoff.

And the legacy characters? Luke’s disillusionment could’ve been a profound story about failure and growth. Instead, it divided fans. Han and Leia returned—but felt like shadows of who they once were. Their happy ending from Return of the Jedi was retconned into tragedy. It wasn’t the reunion many of us had hoped for.

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Nostalgia isn’t a story

The Force Awakens was like a love letter to A New Hope. And honestly, it worked—for a moment. Seeing the Millennium Falcon fly again? Goosebumps. Hearing Leia’s theme swell? Tears.

But nostalgia only goes so far.

The sequels leaned on it hard. Familiar planets. Familiar lines. Another superweapon. Another Emperor. At times, it felt less like storytelling and more like remixing. And when The Last Jedi tried to take creative risks, The Rise of Skywalker panicked and backpedaled.

You can’t build the future of Star Wars by only clinging to the past.

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What they did get right

To be fair, there’s plenty that the sequels did well. The visuals were stunning. Every lightsaber duel felt cinematic and fierce. The production design was immaculate. And the actors? Gave it their all.

Daisy Ridley brought sincerity and strength to Rey. Adam Driver turned Kylo Ren into one of the most layered villains in the saga. John Boyega gave Finn heart and conviction, even when the scripts didn’t know what to do with him.

For younger fans, this was their Star Wars. These movies were their first journey into the galaxy—and that matters. The sequels kept the flame alive for a new generation.

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The Star Wars sequels weren’t hopeless—they were just lost

The Star Wars sequel trilogy will always be a complex chapter in the saga’s history. There were moments of magic, yes. Moments that reminded us why we love this universe. But for many lifelong fans, those moments weren’t enough to make up for what was missing: vision, cohesion, and heart.

Star Wars isn't just lightsabers and space battles. It’s a myth. It’s legacy. It’s storytelling that connects generations. The sequels touched that legacy, but they didn’t expand it the way they could have.

Still, the Force endures. Through new shows, stories, and voices, the galaxy is growing again. And maybe that’s the lesson. Even when a trilogy stumbles, the journey doesn’t end.