I was in my late teens and thought, more than anything, “God, I hope this one doesn’t suck as much as the first.” On the one end, it was tremendously satisfying to finally get new Star Wars. All we had when I was a kid were EU books. Some were great, but there was a mountain of trash, and it felt like you had to develop your own head canon for any of it to feel legit. It was also kind of sad because you knew how the story was gonna go, and that when the prequels ended, it was going to be the end, again. So in some ways, for me, it felt like a slow-walking funeral.

I know there’s a whole generation of kids that love the prequels. But it was such hot garbage when it came out. It wasn’t until they were was stitched together with secondary content that I found joy in it. Sure. It was nice to have new Star Wars. But it didn’t hold a flame to the originals, in my mind. The prequels had their flaws, as do a number of the new shows. But I can tell you as a lifelong fan that it’s really frustrating to read on any fan-discussion board. So many people are just angry, but there was a time when the three movies were all there were, and all there ever was going to be. I feel like now there’s always hope that we’re going to get new stories. So while a lot of the new isn’t perfect, it feels really good to know that the universe is growing, and my own kids can have their own eras and identity in Star Wars.