While Star Wars fans have had a lot to say about Star Wars: The Last Jedi and the sequel trilogy as a whole since its release, one observant viewer has taken to social media to point out one interesting way in which they think The Last Jedi got a leg up on the other Disney-era trilogy films.

After Disney acquired Lucasfilm, they announced a new Star Wars trilogy that would be a sequel to the original films. Fan excitement that preceded the films was followed by would be met with mixed opinions from fans as they rolled out. While fans are divided on the actual rankings of the sequel trilogy films, The Last Jedi seems to get the most flak of the lot, with even franchise star John Boyega calling Star Wars: The Last Jedi the worst sequel trilogy movie.

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However, Reddit user Werewolf_Knight disagrees and has taken to the site’s r/StarWars subreddit to explain why the embattled film has some merit over the other two sequel films. In a post pointedly titled “The Last Jedi has a much more interesting utilization of nostalgia,” the user expresses a unique take on how Star Wars: The Last Jedi's most controversial scenes and motifs are a superior use of the nostalgia effect that has come to define the sequel trilogy since its release. They believe this shows a much better application than the other two equally nostalgia-filled sequel films.

While nostalgia is one of the best things about the Star Wars sequel trilogy, it’s also seen as one of the trilogy's most significant demerits, with the excess of nostalgic moments appearing to be integral to the appeal the films possess. However, Werewolf_Knight posits that The Last Jedi uses these controversial moments as tools to deepen the emotional impact of the moments in the film more powerful. They do so by pointing to the scenes involving the introduction of the older, more cynical Luke Skywalker, which took nostalgic items like Luke's lightsaber and his trusty X-Wing and used them to convey the change in his character. In rejecting the lightsaber and neglecting the X-Wing, Luke's new outlook is highlighted, and fans who understand the importance of these items feel the shock of the moment in a way that’s more than just nostalgia. Likewise, they also discuss the scene where Kylo Ren tempts Rey to his side.

While the user makes a fair point about the intent behind the scenes, many fans that got that on first viewing would still argue that these moments suck, as several proceed to do in the comments. For their part, Werewolf_Knight made it clear that the post wasn’t an endorsement or comment on the objective quality of the film but rather a pointed comparison between the sequel films’ use of nostalgia alone. Looking back on the others, it becomes clear that the other two films in the trilogy indeed lean on the past explicitly to please fans of the older films with callbacks and familiar beats to excess, another thing the Star Wars sequels did worse than the prequels.

No amount of fresh perspectives on the sequels will likely make them any more or less divisive at this point, though time will tell. With sequel trilogy lead Daisy Ridley potentially returning for multiple Star Wars films, fans might soon find themselves with another trilogy to have spirited debates about and casting the sequels into the rose-colored pool of settled canon along the way.

The Star Wars franchise shows and movies are available for streaming on Disney Plus.

Star Wars

Star Wars is a multimedia franchise created by George Lucas and Lucasfilm Ltd with the 1977 motion picture. The science fiction franchise follows the adventures of characters (both humanoid and alien) in outer space, including those who can wield a mystical power known as the Force. Since the release of the original trilogy movies, the franchise has expanded to include multiple films and branched out to other mediums like comics, video games, TV shows, theme park attractions, and more. The IP and Lucasfilm were sold to Disney in 2012.

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Source: Werewolf_Knight/Reddit