Star Wars Director J.J. Abrams Calls for Acceptance from Fans After The Last Jedi

Star Wars: The Last Jedi might have been a commercial and critical success for Lucasfilm, however, the follow-up to Star Wars: The Force Awakens also ended up becoming one of the most divisive entries in the Star Wars franchise.

Not only did The Last Jedi take the franchise towards a new direction, it helped expand the definition of the Force. It subverted fan expectations, killing off Palpatine-level villains like Snoke without any hesitation and then revealing the lead hero as the child of two drunken junkers.

Traditional Star Wars fans weren't too keen about some of the choices that The Last Jedi made, and many responded with derision. Some went as far as attacking the film's cast and crew.

Speaking in an interview with Esquire,Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker director J.J. Abrams has decided to address the response to The Last Jedi, saying that negativity isn't entirely new to the franchise.

"I think that the bigger question is: How has everything changed?" Abrams says. "The reaction to Star Wars, the increased attacks, the increased negativity, the Fandom Menace as they call it, you know, that is not unique to Star Wars, obviously. And I think we live in a time where if you're not being divisive, if you're not creating something that's aversive quick-bait, sometimes you don't quite feel like you're playing the game. I always loved Star Wars because it's got a huge heart. Did I always believe in and agree with every single thing that happened in every movie, whether it was the prequels or the original trilogy? No. But do I love Star Wars? Yes. So, for me, I hope -- and I'm sure naively -- we can return to a time where we give things a bit more latitude. We don't have to agree with every single thing to love something. I don't know anyone who has a spouse or a partner or any family member or any friend, who loves and agrees with every single thing that that person is and does. We have to return, I think, to nuance and acceptance. And so I feel like, as a Star Wars fan, do I love every single thing about each of the movies? No. But do I love Star Wars? Hell yes, I do."

We understand that everyone has different depths of perception. Some might enjoy bold films like The Last Jedi, some might prefer something with a more familiar narrative. While we all have different opinions about the films in the franchise, fans ought to remember that the most important part is to respect each other and to respect the people who help build the galaxy far, far away. There's nothing wrong voicing criticism against elements of a film that one doesn't entirely agree with, but viciously attacking people is an entirely different matter.

Let's hope that fans learn from Abrams little pitch about acceptance and tolerance.

Star Wars: The rise of Skywalker premieres December 20, 2019.

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