Since 1977, Star Wars, created by George Lucas, has been beloved by millions, but the most recent installment did not satisfy the viewers or critics. Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker was one of the most anticipated movies of 2019 according to Mental Floss, but it did not live up to consumer expectations. It earned a mere 54% on Rotten Tomatoes, 54% on Metacritic, and 6.9/10 stars on IMDb. Many critics of the movie argued that the new Disney version of Star Wars broke away from the original story that Star Wars creator George Lucas had written. One IMDb review stated, “It’s the Disney approach to commodifying our childhood stories and fantasies and turning it into a production line, churning out identical, packaged goods all in one color.” 

While some critics disagreed with the new path that Disney was taking, others argued that the plot, or lack thereof, was the real issue. The film seemed to rely to heavily on sensory overload. There was an excess of strobe lights, rapidly changing scenes, loud explosions, and overlapping settings and dialogue. Rapid pans across settings and cuts between character dialogue made each scene difficult to understand. Without knowledge of the previous eight movies viewers were likely to be in the dark about any references to events. One IMDb review stated, “I liked the music and visuals, but the lack of good storytelling and respect for the previous movies made me sad.” Another said, “A movie without a story to tell.” However, after eight movies it is difficult for writers to achieve perfect continuity between characters and storylines. 

Because the Star Wars writers, producers, and directors are not pulling from a preexisting storyline, there is still a possibility for Star Wars: Episode X in the future.