Disney acquired Lucasfilm and, by extension, Star Wars in 2012, but the company hasn't been able to recapture the magic of George Lucas' vision yet. In 1977, Star Wars was introduced to the world, and it was by all accounts a critical success. In the year it was released, 20th Century Fox, who distributed Star Wars: A New Hope, was able to recover from a struggling company to a powerhouse that would operate for decades, before also being purchased by Disney. Star Wars has connected with a generation of children and adults, similarly to how Harry Potter took off.
When the franchise first debuted, it would have been easy to compare it to Star Trek, which arrived just 11 years prior to when the first Star Wars movie released. However, whereas the Star Trek franchise explores the depths of space travel at light speed and primarily from a ship, Star Wars focuses more on the human story from planet to planet, allowing it to shine on its own. Highlighting futuristic technologies, the magical presence of the Force, and an ultimate war between good and evil, Star Wars has a winning formula that's been proven time and time again. However, since being acquired by the Walt Disney group, the franchise appears to have lost some of its initial magic.
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The Star Wars sequel trilogy and its tie-in films have received mixed reviews thus far, and it appears to come down to Disney's lack of understanding of the series and what Lucas initially intended to create. Today, technology exists to make these films stunningly beautiful, ideas of what is futuristic have shifted forward, and space isn't exactly the same mystery it was 50 years ago, but the problem is bigger than that. Disney is relying too heavily on nostalgia to sell tickets, and it's clear that Star Wars isn't the only franchise suffering because of this.
The Skywalker saga is the heart of the Lucas Star Wars stories, and over the course of the original and prequel series, the Jedi fell, the Empire rose up, the Resistance gathered, and a new age was ushered in as the Empire was defeated and hope was restored. The sequel follows this same structure, minus the Jedi falling as the Jedi have yet to get back up. 34 years ABY, a new evil has established itself, but it appears that the forces of good are still hiding away, preparing to engage.
Along with rehashing the old template that was used to create six iconic films, the sequel trilogy utilized Luke (Mark Hamill), Leia (Carrie Fisher), and Han Solo (Harrison Ford) to anchor the story. Instead of following the three new heroes established in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the later films seemed to push the others aside in favor of connecting Rey (Daisy Ridley) to Palpatine and Kylo Ren aka Ben Solo (Adam Driver), firmly establishing the Star Wars royal family that has existed since day one. As has been proven with The Mandalorian, there is so much more to explore in this universe without having to unearth every inch of the Skywalker family tree. Going forward, Disney would do well to embrace more of the mystery and authenticity that made Lucas' films a success.