First of all, let me say, I have no ill will to anyone who liked Star Wars: The Last Jedi. The motivation to write this comes from defending my own (and those close to me) disappointment with the movie in a constructive manner, and to try and ease the growing narrative that “no one hates Star Wars more than fans” or “only fanboys hate it”.

Secondly, this is of course subjective and opinionated, therefor I am not claiming to speak on behalf of anyone that disliked the movie other than myself and with some notes from others around me. I imagine there will be people who dislike the movie who vehemently disagree with my stance, and that’s perfectly fine.

Thirdly, this will contain spoilers for The Last Jedi — it is unavoidable. Please see the movie and judge for yourself if you have not already before reading this. With those disclaimers out of the way, onto my points.

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The main reason I dislike Star Wars The Last Jedi is because nothing accomplished in the original trilogy matters anymore.

Now, originally, that was my complaint about the Force Awakens. I was irritated that Han and Leia reverted to who we met in A New Hope with little explanation as to why their character development over the trilogy was reversed. Vader’s redemption was pointless, as his own grandson cares more about Vader than Anakin.The Jedi are still gone, despite the title of the previous movie being Return of the Jedi. The creation of a government which represents the people of the galaxy rather than oppresses, such as a New Republic, is demolished within the movie. I couldn’t think of a single thing accomplished in the original trilogy that mattered anymore, with the exception of Luke as his fate and history was still unknown at the time. Even Rogue One, a movie I personally loved, felt even more tragic than it already is, seeing as their sacrifice largely means nothing come the sequels.

So I spent the last two years getting excited for this new cast, while holding out hope that Luke’s story could bring back some of that magic and love of the originals. I’ll admit, I was suckered into believing the mystery of Rey’s parents meant something. I don’t understand why that information couldn’t have been revealed within TFA, as it caused a massive letdown.

Note: I honestly don’t care that Rey’s family is from no where. Anyone lucky enough to see A New Hope in theaters saw Luke Skywalker, at the time, a no body farmer defeats the Death Star. The Jedi in the prequels do not come from noble houses, they make their own nobility through their actions. I am not disappointed in the idea that great heroes can come from anywhere — I am disappointed in the way that reveal was handled. Personally, I would have had Kylo reveal it when he had Rey captured in an attempt to demoralize her when he was probing, only to strengthen her resolve against him.

Then I was suckered into believing Snoke and Luke had some background, that maybe Snoke’s face was a result of a fight with Luke and he took revenge by seducing Ben. I was suckered into believing the Knights of Ren would be interesting villains or, even with the reveal that they were once jedi, perhaps the ones who get redeemed rather than Ben.

And then of course, there’s the biggest letdown for me: Luke Skywalker. So much hope to keep this magical world in place in my heart and mind was placed on him. Instead, I see a man whose guilt over the creation of Kylo Ren in his own nephew is so strong, he locks himself off from the force, feels no obligation to fix his errors, and sees no good in this villain. That’s right — the man who was willing to die by the Emperor’s hand, who abandoned his friends to face Vader and the Emperor with only the hope that he could bring out the light in Vader, is compelled to believe there’s nothing left in Ben Solo. The conflicted man who struggled to kill his father, and couldn’t bring himself to kill his mother.

This is where a lot of people get the most defensive — they say, Luke is depressed. People change over 30 years. Luke is only human. The message is that legends fail you, they’re not what they seem. I know. I learned that lesson from Yoda already.

However, I didn’t fall in love with Star Wars because it was a gritty, hyper realistic view of the human spirit. It’s a fantasy story. It’s a story where Leia can be sucked out into space, survive, and pull herself back (side note: I actually enjoyed the heart of that moment, even though the visual effect was strange). It’s a story where lightsabers exist, where you can shoot lightning out your hands, and where the word hope is almost a religion. I don’t want Star Wars to become a Game of Thrones in space, where I’m just waiting for the next failure and death.

I understand that people change and I was looking forward to seeing how Luke would. However, I believe that rather than seeing a character who developed organically, we have a character forced into a role because the director and producers didn’t want Luke to dominate the story (it was a point made by Abrams for TFA).

I do think the culture of movies and television has changed, and perhaps that’s my fault for thinking Star Wars would never bow to that. For wanting the sequels to recreate a story where I leave with a smile on my face. Instead, I’m left with a story that leaves me believing nothing matters, and changes how I look at the original trilogy.

I know there’s a lot of anger out there. But I hope this fangirl could open your eyes a little bit to why this movie was such a letdown for me.