Summary
I recently did something I’ve always wanted to try and had a Skywalker Saga marathon, all nine episodicStar Warsfilms in one sitting. It took about 27 hours and a lot of willpower, but it was an incredibly fun experience that allowed me to appreciate the saga as one big story. However, there was one major downside to this marathon… theStar Warssequel trilogy. That’s not to say the rest of the saga doesn’t have problems - it certainly does - but watching all nine films back to back makes the sequel trilogy stand out like a sore thumb.
I’ve never hated the sequels, and I used to love all three films, but I eventually had to acknowledge their flaws. Viewing them as part of the larger saga reinforced certain issues I already had and made me aware of problems I didn’t notice before. This often made for a frustrating experience, spending so many hours invested in the story and then disappointed by how it ended. The sequel trilogy does have merit, and while this makes it worth watching, 10 key problems mean that I’ll probably limit my next Skywalker Saga marathon to the first sixStar Warsmovies.
Every Star Wars Movie, Ranked Worst To Best
Looking at all nine Skywalker Saga entries and three spinoffs, we crown the best Star Wars movie in our full ranking of the galaxy far, far away.
10The Worldbuilding Is Very Confusing In The Sequels
A result of jumping into the story too fast
The first problem I noticed with the sequel trilogy, especially after watching George Lucas' films, is how confusing the worldbuilding can be. This issue begins right at the opening crawl, the thing that’s supposed to get me caught up quickly but ultimately raises more questions."… the sinister First Order has risen from the ashes of the Empire…", so does that imply they control the entire galaxy? The next paragraph mentions"the Republic,“but this could be a small government, like Alderaan in the original trilogy, andthe opening action shows that the First Order can essentially do whatever it wants.
Now, I know the answer to these questions because I’ve read the novels, comics, and reference guides explaining the state of the galaxy. Even so, I find myself confused while watching the movies because they constantly go back and forth about how much control the First Order has.Star Wars: The Last Jediclarifies that they’re invading the galaxy, but no one seems to be fighting back, which surprises me if the New Republic was in control.The sequels had several opportunities to explain what was happeningbut kept jumping into the action without context.
As much as the sequel trilogy frustrated me on this rewatch, I admit thatI still enjoyedStar Wars: The Force Awakensquite a bit despite its problems. This is theStar Warsmovie I feel the most conflicted about because it excels in filmmaking, performances, and setting up engaging character arcs, but it also fails as a sequel.Return of the Jediends with the heroes defeating the Empire and celebrating on Endor, so I found it jarring when the next movie immediately established that the First Order replaced the Empire and Luke Skywalker vanished.
WatchingThe Force Awakensright after the original trilogy also reinforces that it has little to no originality, mostly recreating what I just watched in the previous films. George Lucas always said thatStar Warsfilms should rhyme like poetry, and I noticed all the parallels and callbacks when watching his movies back to back. However, I think there’s a difference between rhyming and using the same word again, andThe Force Awakensreally needed some new ideas to balance out the familiar elements. Still, I suppose this approach to making a sequel is better than the next film’s strategy.
IfThe Force Awakens' story was too safe,The Last Jedi’s plot tried too hard to be different. If the first movie establishes a clear goal and connects the stakes to that goal, then the next movie needs to follow through on that setup.The Force Awakensconstantly reminded me that finding Luke Skywalker was crucial, with both sides believing that he would make a difference. WhenThe Last Jediignores this and has Luke be the opposite of what everyone expected, it makes every second he spends not leaving the island feel like a waste of time to me.
Obi-Wan Kenobialso begins with an exiled Jedi who doesn’t want to leave, but he overcomes his fear early on and plays an active role in most of the story.
The ending makes it worse by killing Luke and limiting his role in the next movie, reinforcing how both sides wasted their time searching for him.Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalkershows that Rey just needed the sacred Jedi texts, not Luke, andLeia was apparently a fully trained Jedi the whole time, so why couldn’t she have been the symbol of hope that everyone rallied behind? The rest ofThe Last Jedi’s plot is just as disappointing, with a slow chase that drags on and Finn repeating his arc from the first movie through an underwhelming side quest.
I normally rankThe Rise of Skywalkerslightly aboveThe Last Jedi, but after this marathon, it’s back to being my least favoriteStar Warsfilm.The Rise of Skywalker’s editing is all over the place, its pacing is way too fast, the script tries to cram too much into one film, and some of the dialogue is worse than anything from the prequel trilogy. This is even more frustrating after watching the first eight movies and getting invested in the overarching story, only to be disappointed whenThe Rise of Skywalkercompletely fails as a finale.
The one redeeming aspect of such a messy film is that I could laugh at the absurdity, from Palpatine lifting thousands of Star Destroyers to Chewbacca being dead for about five minutes. There were honestly a few times whenI felt like I was watching a parody of aStar Warsfilm, which stops being funny when you remember that this is the finale of the Skywalker Saga. I admit that being exhausted from such a long marathon didn’t help, but at least I could take breaks when I wanted, unlike those who did this marathon in theaters.
6Every Sequel Trilogy Film Ignores The Last One As Much As Possible
A competition between two different visions
I’ve already mentioned a few ways thatThe Last Jedifails to properly build on whatThe Force Awakensset up, and viewing them back-to-back highlights every single way they don’t align with each other. One example is Poe Dameron being a competent leader inThe Force Awakensand even wearing a new uniform at the end, but at the start ofThe Last Jedi, he’s an incompetent leader who gets demoted for his actions. Snoke and Hux feel like different characters, R2-D2 suddenly waking up is never explained, and Finn’s role feels drastically reduced, just to name a few.
WhileThe Last Jedidisappointingly expands onThe Force Awakens,The Rise of Skywalkerfeels like it’s completely starting over with two movies worth of plot. I knowThe Last Jediput the third movie in a tough position by wrapping up so many arcs, but after reading Colin Trevorrow’s original script forEpisode IX,The Rise of Skywalkerbecame more disappointing for me. It’s not perfect, butDuel of the Fatesshows that it was possible to make a finale that felt like a proper sequel toThe Force Awakens,The Last Jedi, and the entire Skywalker Saga.
10 Ideas From Duel Of The Fates That Rise Of Skywalker Should’ve Kept
Colin Trevorrow’s Episode IX may have been scrapped, but 10 of his Duel of the Fates ideas should’ve been kept in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
5The Sequels Keep Adding Unnecessary New Characters & Locations
It gives the main characters less time to bond
New characters are crucial toStar Warsmovies, helping to advance the plot and giving the main cast someone else to work with. Unfortunately, this rewatch made me realize that many of the new characters in the sequel trilogy feel pointless because they detract from what has been established. This is especially prevalent with the main cast, who don’t bond nearly as much as they could have because each movie adds new characters.Rey, Finn, and Poe don’t fully bond as a trio until the third movie, and even then they get paired with new characters instead of each other:
This problem extends to some of the new locations, which felt redundant to me. Jakku already felt like a clone of Tatooine inThe Force Awakens, sowhy didThe Rise of Skywalkerintroduce another desert planet?The movie shows that Ochi of Bestoon was looking for Rey, her parents mentioned Jakku, and Pasaana has sinking fields like the ones inThe Force Awakens. One of the biggest missed opportunities for me was the New Republic capital, Hosnian Prime, which could easily have been Coruscant. It would have connected to the prequels and automatically improved the worldbuilding in the sequels.
4The Sequels Don’t Advance The Plot In A Meaningful Way
The beginning and end are the same as the originals
Any good sequel should expand on the previous story, but watching the sequels after the first six movies, it’s clear to me that they don’t really advance the plot of the saga. I think it would have made more sense forThe Force Awakensto continue from whereReturn of the Jedileft off, showing the New Republic and the New Jedi Order before everything went wrong. This would have been a better transition fromReturn of the Jedi’s happy ending and shown what the characters have to lose if the villains are triumphant.
Instead,The Force Awakensresets the story to the beginning ofA New Hope, which is more distracting after watching the originals immediately beforehand. By the end ofThe Rise of Skywalker, we’re back where we were at the end ofReturn of the Jedi: the Empire is defeated, Palpatine is (supposedly) dead, and Rey is the last Jedi. After watching all nine movies, I was left wondering what the point of the sequels was. Why did I just watch an inferior version of the last trilogy? What was the overall message? What did it add to George Lucas' saga?
3The Sequel Trilogy Doesn’t Fit Into George Lucas' Saga
It feels like an unnatural continuation
Starting a marathon with all six of George Lucas’Star Warsmovies makes it easy to see that the sequels aren’t a proper continuation of his story. Lucas' films certainly have their ups and downs, particularly the prequels, but I really appreciated how they all came together to tell one big story.The prequels and originals each have a consistent tone and vision, and they collectively chronicle the rise, fall, and redemption of the Skywalker family. It makes sense that Lucas was disappointed by the overall direction of the sequels, and I sadly have to agree.
Watching the sequels right after Lucas' films makes it clear to me that Disney prioritized recreating the tone of the original trilogy first and telling a logical story second.
Lucas' original treatment for the sequel trilogyshows that he was interested in continuing the story in a way that made sense in-universe. The prequels were about the fall of the Jedi and the Republic, the originals were about a rebellion against the Empire, andthe sequels could have been about Luke and Leia rebuilding the Jedi and the Republicduring the chaos caused by the Empire’s collapse. Watching the sequels right after Lucas' films makes it clear to me that Disney prioritized recreating the tone of the original trilogy first and telling a logical story second.
2The Sequels Failed To Learn From The Mistakes Of Previous Movies
Many problems could have been avoided if they had
I’ve seen some fans attempt to defend the sequel trilogy’s problems by pointing out similar issues in George Lucas' movies, but to me, that makes it even worse. I noticed all the problems with Lucas' films watching them back to back, so it was disappointing to then watch the sequels fall into the same traps. One notable example is howStar Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menacebegins with a confusing political crisis and unclear motivations, soThe Force Awakensshould have learned from the prequels by explaining the state of the galaxy.
Boba Fett and Darth Maul were killed off after a small amount of screen time in their respective movies. Instead of avoiding this problem,The Last Jedibrought back Captain Phasma only to quickly kill her off, whileSnoke was cut in half before we learned anything about him (much like Darth Maul).Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sithhad to rush parts of its story because the first two films wasted so much time. However, this is nothing compared toThe Rise of Skywalker’s lightning-fast pace that tries to cover way too many plotlines.
1Luke Skywalker’s Treatment In The Sequels Is Unforgivable
“Nothing can make me change my mind.”
One thing I want to make absolutely clear: I used to love Luke Skywalker’s story inThe Last Jedi. I defended this movie, debated with fans online, and thoroughly enjoyed the surprising change in direction. Sadly, my opinion has gradually changed over time, and watching all nine movies in one sitting made Luke’s treatment in the sequels even more disappointing for me.Luke’s hero’s journey in the originals is so powerful, facing many of the same challenges as his father but making different choices. His transformation throughout the trilogy is inspiring and brings George Lucas’s saga to a heartfelt conclusion.
Luke Skywalker
The son of Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala, Luke was brought up on the desert planet Tatooine. Initially mentored by Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke fired the fateful shot that destroyed the Death Star, and he became a rebel hero. Despite the fears of Obi-Wan and Yoda, Luke’s faith in his father was proved well-founded when Vader returned to the light. With the Emperor defeated, Luke dedicated himself to bringing back the Jedi; his first attempt ended in tragedy due to Palpatine’s manipulations, but Luke’s legacy lives on in Rey.
To see the sequels immediately undo that development by fundamentally changing Luke’s character is unforgivable. The first movie hypes up his return and stresses how important he is, only for the second movie to make him a grumpy nihilist waiting to die. It’s not just that he became a different person, but rather thatLuke’s radical character change happened offscreen, and all we get is a bit of exposition and brief flashbacks. Instead of giving Luke a chance to fully redeem himself in the third movie,The Last Jedikills him off and has the characters move on without him.
That is Luke Skywalker’s contribution to the final act of theSkywalkerSaga.Rey’s New Jedi Order moviemay be a fantastic addition to the franchise, but there will always be part of me that feels it should have been Luke’s story. At least I have the originalStar WarsExpanded Universewhere Luke led the New Jedi Order, started a family, and grew into a better man over time. Out of all my problems with theStar Warssequel trilogy during my Skywalker Saga marathon, Luke’s role in the story - or lack thereof - was by far the most frustrating.
THE STAR WARS SKYWALKER SAGA IS AVAILABLE TO STREAM ON DISNEY+.
