This is an opinion piece. Be warned there are spoilers in this about the new developments with ‘The Mandalorian’ season finale.

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The internet is going crazy today as long time fans were finally given what they’ve been asking for– a Luke Skywalker that acts like Luke Skywalker and a show that finally feels like “Star Wars” again.

Which raises the question: Why didn’t they just hire people who cared about ‘Star Wars’ in the first place?

JJ Abrams has famously ruined other franchises and Rian Johnson was too busy “subverting expectations” to actually take the time to understand what makes “Star Wars” what it is. It’s all about having their names attached to the big IP and putting their ideas and views first instead of the IP. If fans didn’t like it, it wasn’t for valid reasons it was because they were “haters” and “trolls.” I’m sure some did behave that way, but the majority of fans just wanted good “Star Wars.”

Abrams dropped the ball from the very first film. They had the opportunity to put Han, Luke and Leia all back together, which is what everyone expected. Instead they kept them apart, killed Han Solo and didn’t even give Luke any lines.

The vibe from the beginning was to set up Luke Skywalker to be replaced. Given that there would need to be a new cast everyone expected that. What they didn’t expect was this new approach to storytelling where you raise up the new characters by ruining the old ones. We saw this time and time again with Disney’s “Star Wars” trilogy. The only time we actually got that feeling of the new characters working together and trying to capture the camaraderie of the originals, was the final movie, when most people didn’t even care anymore.

For many, the only bright spot has been “The Mandalorian” because it feels like “Star Wars.” Now, fans are celebrating on social media for getting Luke Skywalker back, even if it was just for a short time, at the end of the series.

But a lot of fans just don’t care anymore. Do you know how hard it is to take life-long fans and kill any passion they have for what they loved?  It takes a lot and Disney managed to do it.

Maybe Disney should have just hired people who cared in the first place. Passed the torch instead of extinguishing it, rebuilding it, and then trying to light it again. 

Whether you like “The Mandalorian” or not, it is very clear that Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau actually care about the property. Taking the time to craft authentic stories that keep fans in mind. If Disney were smart they would put Favreau in charge at Lucasfilm because frankly Kathleen Kennedy has made error after error. There wasn’t even a clear direction on the sequel trilogy and they used “Rise of Skywalker” to undo a lot of things done in “The Last Jedi.”  The whole thing was a huge mess.

Judging by the fan excitement and reactions today, Disney, you really need to start putting good stories, great characters, and actual ‘Star Wars’ first moving forward. Maybe the “storygroup” isn’t the way you need to go.

Of course that’s this long time, FEMALE, Star Wars fan’s opinion.

Image credit: Reddit