Every week, List25 has been debating these hotly contested topics in a segment we call “Deathmatch.” Two of our writers take a side to the debate and fight for their side. This time, Jason and Hunter, are facing off to answer this difficult and divisive question—Did Disney ruin Star Wars? For a while, I lost hope it would ever happen. Then, Disney bought Lucasfilm and gave it to us. Don’t lie, you know you loved it when the old gang reunited. From Han and Leia reuniting to Chewy taking out Stormtroopers to seeing Luke again, it was a great feeling to see them fighting evil once more. – JI Yeah, I know there’s only so much you can fit into a feature-length movie, but that’s no excuse for characters like Supreme Leader Snoke or Captain Phasma, who were hyped to be amazing villains, only to eventually end up dying off before we could learn anything more about them. And no, the extended canon doesn’t count, fleshing out your side characters in a book is a total cop-out and isn’t an excuse for pointless characters. – HH They’re doing a much better job than Lucas. Every single Disney Star Wars movie is far and away better than the prequels. They have richer characters, better action and direction, better plots, better writing, and pretty much better everything. – JI Both Rogue One and Solo are just retelling stories that we already know; we knew how Rogue One would end since “Star Wars: A New Hope” came out in 1977, and Solo was just every little tidbit of exposition Han Solo gave up about himself packed into one movie. The Star Wars universe is big and packed with opportunity, but with the recent cancelling of what could have been an awesome Boba Fett spin-off, Disney has made it clear to the fans that they’re just not interested in flexing their creative muscles and making new and interesting movies. – HH It’s true Disney hasn’t expanded the Star Wars universe through new information, but they have expanded it by experience. Fans want to experience the stories regardless if it gives them new information or not. Most Star Wars fans know everything there is to know about the expanded universe. Disney likely knows that and just wants to give them a visual experience. They succeeded. – JI Star Wars is better off when fresh, new voices take control. J.J. Abrams and Rian Johnson have done a far better job recapturing the heart of Star Wars than Lucas ever could. Sure, the lighthearted silly approach has worked for movies like “Guardians of the Galaxy” and some of the other MCU films, but Disney has taken it too far with Star Wars. There were so many moments in “The Last Jedi” that were ruined by a poorly timed joke. What’s with good characters like Finn and Poe Dameron being demoted to bumbling jesters for the sake of trying to squeeze a laugh out of an audience? – HH Sure, technology has improved since then, but every Star Wars movie since the Disney acquisition has just felt rushed. I think I speak for all fans when I say that I wouldn’t mind waiting an extra year if it meant getting a truly great movie. – HH
