Looked at as standalone movies, The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi are actually very good (the less said about The Rise of Skywalker, the better). However, as Star Wars movies, they really dropped the ball, particularly when it came to those returning characters.
For example, fans never even got to see Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess Leia on screen together at the same time, a baffling decision in a trilogy that saw them sidelined in a manner of underwhelming ways.
During a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Finn actor John Boyega (who was tapped to be one of the new faces of the franchise) admitted that even he was disappointed to see Star Wars so quickly move beyond the characters who made the franchise so beloved.
"I’ll always have some level of nostalgia [for The Force Awakens]. To a certain extent, there should have been a Stormtrooper rebellion," the actor says, reflecting on missed opportunities. "And then to flesh out Luke’s character a bit more. Give him more moments of redemption, which I feel like was needed after VIII [The Last Jedi]."
"I feel like Star Wars fans needed more time with [the old characters] that we love so much."
Despite being ready to move on from Star Wars, Boyega remains a fan. "Industry issues have nothing to do with Star Wars and me being a fan of it. I’ve been watching Obi-Wan, I’ve been watching The Mandalorian. I’m still forever going to be a fan of this franchise. As far as Finn is concerned? I’m good on that. I’ll be watching [if Ridley and Isaac were to star in a new trilogy]."
Boyega is clearly done with the franchise, and his comments about those legacy characters are spot on. Lucasfilm finding new, younger leads made perfect sense, but the handling of Luke Skywalker was abysmal. While he's found redemption in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, it's sadly too late to do anything about how his story ended.
What do you think about Boyega's Star Wars comments?