There’s been a great disturbance in the Force.

Journalists and Twitter users who once called Disney Star Wars sequel detractors such things as “racists” and “homophobes” and “alt-right nazis” and, most laughably, “Russian bots” are now echoing complaints that much of the fandom has voiced since The Last Jedi.

One of those complaints was that John Boyega’s character of Finn was set up to be the co-lead (and a possible Jedi in training) in The Force Awakens, only to be sidelined by Rian Johnson in The Last Jedi and further relegated to sidekick status in The Rise of Skywalker.

Literally been saying this for YEARS.

But the media kept doubling down on defending The Last Jedi… the movie that sidelined Finn as just a goofy sidekick. https://t.co/vdbsmLlnPT

— Clownfish TV (@RealClownfishTV) January 19, 2021

We’d hoped that the Disney Star Wars sequel trilogy would’ve given us a conflicted former Stormtrooper — trained up as a Jedi alongside Rey — with a proper, in-character Luke Skywalker guiding them both.

That… isn’t what happened.

Now that race has become such a hot issue over the past year, and that John Boyega spoke out about the shoddy treatment of Finn, the topic of why Disney utterly wasted this character is front and center.

For this Star Wars sequel detractor, it feels like it took the rest of you enough damn time to catch up.

From ComicBook.com …

To say that fans were disappointed with Finn’s trajectory would be a bit of an understatement, as many thought that the storytelling opportunities that were presented in The Force Awakens, as well as Boyega’s acting talents, were squandered as his character was sidelined. Fans aren’t the only ones who were frustrated, as Boyega himself has vented his frustrations about not only his character’s treatment on-screen, but also his own treatment on set and during promotional campaigns ahead of the release of the films.

Many in what has been termed “The Fandom Menace” by the media have been saying this for years. YEARS. So it’s both validating and frustrating to see everyone else call this out now after how much vitriol Disney Star Wars detractors have faced for saying the very same things.

You really gonna say that after letting China cut Finn out of The Force Awakens poster then gradually reduced his importance in the films to nearly nothing? pic.twitter.com/pQMEyFvsRU

— Pimp Master Broda (@PimpMasterYoda1) May 31, 2020

Even more frustrating is that what seemed to spark this discussion was a Star Wars Twitter account post on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Remember when you racially sidelined John Boyega? Yeah, all us Black fans remember pic.twitter.com/UeDehEA9aq

— Okiro (@TheFirstOkiro) January 18, 2021

Lucasfilm made a post about Dr. King the day after completely ignoring the birthday of legendary Black actor (and voice of Darth Vader) James Earl Jones.

The media is running with the narrative that the “alt-right fans” are mad because Lucasfilm acknowledged Kelly Marie Tran on their shared birthday.

But the truth is that Jones was seemingly forgotten on his 90th birthday by the official Star Wars account the day before MLK Day.

Remember, kids. Not only was Finn completely sidelined in The Last Jedi, but his image was reduced on the Chinese movie poster as the word on the street (correct or incorrect) is that Chinese audiences don’t seem to be particularly fond of Black leads.

They shrunk Finn on the Chinese poster of Force Awakens too. It’s just not the kind of movie that China is going to promote. pic.twitter.com/vkkXGdrlve

— Oliver Jia (オリバー・ジア) (@OliverJia1014) October 18, 2019

Given that The Rise of Skywalker landed with a thud both critically and commercially, it would appear that Disney’s failure with the Star Wars sequel trilogy is now complete.

Is it any wonder why they seem to be sidestepping the Sequels and focusing all their efforts on The Mandalorian?

Welcome to The Fandom Menace, people.

[Source: ComicBook.com]