The Great Debate | Will Rian Johnson’s Trilogy Help or Hurt the Star Wars Franchise?
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Annlyel James 
Annlyel looks ahead to the proposed Star Wars Trilogy coming from the controversial writer/director of The Last Jedi…
When it was announced that Episode VIII wasn’t going to be helmed by J.J Abrams I was definitely a bit worried. After never having heard of Rian Johnson before or seen any of his works I had no idea what sort of imagination he would bring to the table? Sure enough, his story was expectedly unorthodox as he dismantled storylines that had come before and erased certain plotlines that were being built in The Force Awakens. His unique storytelling put off a lot of Star Wars fans but he also gained fans because of his original take of the franchise.
While there were those who had their doubts about him Lucasfilm never did and Kathleen Kennedy ended up offering him his own trilogy which will eventually arrive sometime in the 2020s’. But what will his trilogy add to the massive interconnected story of this franchise and will those additions potentially hurt the franchise? Well, here are a few ways that his trilogy can hurt Star Wars.
1. Annoying Characters
When you look at what Rian Johnson did with The Last Jedi there are a LOT of pieces to pick apart about the film. And to piece together J.J Abram’s incomplete storyline he had to bring three new characters into the fold; Resistance mechanic Rose Tico, Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo, and the stuttering splicer DJ.
While there were many fans who loved Rose for her sweet personality and her addition of diversity to the film there weren’t many who loved Vice Admiral Holdo and DJ. Fans felt that Holdo was an unnecessary character who brought nothing to the film and DJ wasn’t very loved either. Remember, these are Rian Johnson’s characters and 2 of the 3 three characters people didn’t really like.
If Rian Johnson’s trilogy is going to succeed there have to be characters that we, as Star Wars fans, can get behind wholeheartedly.
2. A Derivative Storyline
Disney has brought Star Wars back to life in exciting ways but there does seem to be a lack of creativity from the franchise, at least storywise. The Star Wars franchise is massive with epic stories that have stretched for centuries and yet Disney cannot seem to move beyond the timeline between Episodes III and VIII. Why is that?
The Force Awakens could’ve easily been a story that was brand new and exciting but it turned out to be a fancy remake of the story told forty years ago. Rian Johnson is promising a story that we’ve never seen before and that will be great, but if it turns out to just be another version of the Original Trilogy Star Wars fans (including me) are going to get tired of this franchise real fast.
3. A Film That Is Too Unorthodox
We saw Rian Johnson pick apart the Skywalker saga in a mere two and a half hours. What could he do with an entire trilogy? I’m totally for Rian Johnson creating a story that’s fresh and exciting but at the end of the day, it has to feel like a Star Wars movie. I want to come away from that film feeling like I just watched the most incredible Star Wars flick I have ever seen, not a movie that felt more like an indie film wrapped inside a Star Wars gift box.
4. Unfunny Humor
One of the things Rian Johnson loved about The Empire Strikes Back was that it was a dark film but in essence, it was also a fun, adventure movie as well. He tried to bring that same humorous, adventurous tone to The Last Jedi and it didn’t pay off as well. There are a few legitimately funny moments in the film but overall the humor didn’t land as well as it could have.
If Rian Johnson’s trilogy is going to be amazing the humor definitely has to be funnier.
My Conclusion of this Post
Of course, if Rian Johnson manages to steer clear of these no-nos we may be treated with one of the greatest Star Wars trilogies of all time. Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi had its misgivings but at its center is a complex film that shows Johnson’s incredible knowledge of the Star Wars franchise. If he can give us a trilogy that takes what we love about Star Wars and boosts it to the next level of storytelling it will help the Star Wars franchise tremendously!
Hopefully, we won’t have very long to wait to find out a few details about this secret trilogy.
Are you excited for Rian Johnson’s new Star Wars trilogy? Share your thoughts in the comments section…
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Annlyel James is a Senior Correspondent of The Future of the Force. She is passionate about Star Wars and Marvel but loves a wide variety of movie genres. Aside from her role with Future of the Force she also writes for her blog: annlyelonline. Follow her on Twitter where she channels the Force frequently!
It’s derivative and unorthodox? Those are two opposites meaning. The film can’t be both. I guess if you want TLJ to cater to sub-literate 15 year old boys and teenage men. Then Johnson is the wrong person for the job. Hire Micheal Bay.
Michael Bay’s Transformers movies weren’t that great either. Yeah, they made a lot of money, but the only Transformers movie that received critical acclaim from both critics and casual viewers was Bumblebee and he didn’t direct that.
But who knows. Maybe he’d make a great Star Wars movie.