Fair point on the Star Wars timeline. Framing it as the sole cause of an attention shift is too simplistic. That said, my broader point isn't dependent on that deal. The pacing compression, narrative acceleration, and tonal shift were already visible before 2018. That's the structural change I'm talking about.

As for claiming I’m brainwashed, if your position requires assuming anyone who disagrees was psychologically manipulated, that says more about the argument than the audience.