The biggest problem facing the Star Wars fandom has nothing to do with Disney

The problems in the Star Wars Fandom goes far beyond mere criticism of Disney’s production. There is no denying that Star Wars has, to some extent, faltered since Disney first took the reins in 2012. Although some of Disney’s earliest Star Wars production, vii Star Wars Rebels (which premiered in 2014), 2015s Star Wars: The Force Awakensand 2016s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Revitalized the franchise, both in live action and animation, the real problems began with the release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi In 2017 and Solo: A Star Wars Story in 2018.

Suddenly, Disney was dealing with an incredibly divided audience and a first-ever box office “failure,” and the cinematic branch of the franchise still hasn’t fully recovered. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker There was even more divisiveness, and many announced projects were subsequently cancelled, with writers and other creatives clashing with Lucasfilm’s higher-ups. Although the advent of Disney + and the release of The Mandalorian Granted Star Wars A necessary win and something substantial to build on, the damage has already been done. The fandom has been divided since 2017, and it doesn’t look like it will recover anytime soon. In fact, it only got worse.

The Star Wars fandom has a problem with negativity

Now, it seems, Star Wars Can’t win. The fandom is broken beyond repair. Some wish Disney simply continued the Expanded Universe, now known as Star Wars legends, rather than picking and choosing certain elements from the novels for new stories. Many – though not all – of the audience members are staunch defenders of George Lucas’ Star WarsOften to extremely vitriolic length. The viewers clash with those who generally enjoy Disney Star Wars Production, which saw itself reflected in new characters and joined the fandom because of something Disney produced, rather than Lucas.

There are also those, of course, who really want to Star Wars To try something new and fresh, and are frustrated by the interconnected and repetitive nature of projects like the Mandoverse. Will the three sides ever see eye to eye? It’s unlikely, and The reaction to and subsequent cancellation of Star Wars: The Acolyte is an illustrative, albeit unfortunate, example of everything wrong within Star Wars Fandom now.

The show was review-bombed before it even aired—a regrettably predictable result of the series’ earnest efforts to be inclusive and diverse—and many of those same review bombers celebrated its demise when it was officially canceled. Those who had real, story-related criticism were drowned out by the raging negativity, and those who actually enjoyed the series were mocked and even harassed as they expressed their dismay over the failure to renew.

Disney has reportedly claimed that The acolyte was canceled due to low viewership, and while that may be part of it, the choice also puts Disney on a precarious path. The acolyte was the first live action Disney+ show to try something completely disconnected from the New Republic era and the Skywalker saga. Before it was canceled, it proved that Disney is not afraid to try something new. Now, though? It is difficult to say. Has the fandom’s overt negativity affected Disney’s decision-making here? The silence of the company after the cancellation was announced, makes sure that it seems so, especially after many large distributors have publicly complained about the decision.

It is the idea among the loudest and angriest parts of Star Wars‘Online fandom that nothing will ever be able to surpass George Lucas’ Star WarsAnd so anything that even attempts to tell a story in the same universe is inherently unworthy of the franchise name, even before it is released. There’s nothing wrong with being a fan of George Lucas’ Star Wars Movies – that’s why we’re all here, after all! – But the same people seem to forget that George Lucas once “ruined” himself. Star WarsAlso when he produced the prequel trilogy. Can the (revisionist) cycle of hate ever be broken?

Star Wars has already taught us how to respond

This now unavoidable negativity in the Star Wars Fandom is especially painful considering the core teams of George Lucas’ original Star Wars History and every single one Star Wars Story produced since. Star Wars is a tale of hope triumphing over evil, facing your fears, and standing up for what is right in the face of direct oppression and adversity. Bullying and harassment have no place Star WarsAnd should not have a place in the fandom space either.

Arguably, considering that Star Wars Stands for, Disney and Lucasfilm should be more firm in their convictions. If, as seems to be the case, The acolyte Was partially stopped because of the crusade against him, what does that say about the companies? How can audiences and the creatives and actors involved in the show trust that their actions, words and stories won’t be twisted and used against them?

We need to stop pitting Star Wars against ourselves

There should always be room for people to explain why they don’t agree with or simply enjoy a show – but the criticism should be made in good faith, with an understanding of the opinions of people who may not agree with you. The process of Star Wars: The Acolyte Doesn’t always work for me, for example. Two whole flashback episodes took too much time away from the present storyline. Additionally, I believe Disney and Lucasfilm need to stop limiting their original shows to six or eight episodes. Not all stories are meant to be told this way, and that needs to be recognized.

My issues with The acolyte Have nothing to do with the actual actors or the writers and directors behind the show, however. Here the discussion goes too far away from usual, understandable criticism and is heated, accused and often condemned. It is a vicious cycle, which is difficult to break. If Star Wars handles its future cancellations as it has handled the acolytes cancellation, however, the cycle of negativity will never be broken – it will only continue to strengthen.