In the summer of 1977, George Lucas came out with “Star Wars: A New Hope.” Though many doubted how successful the movie would be, it was an instant classic. There are now 11 movies and 12 television shows related to the franchise. 

Some have been watching “Star Wars” since it first came out, while others are more recent fans of the franchise. Band teacher Jeff Jahnke has been watching the series ever since it first debuted. 

“I started watching “Star Wars” in the winter of 1978, when my parents took me and my sister to see episode four in January or February,” Jahnke said. “At the time it was the new science fiction thing [movie] to go see.”

One of the things that people liked was how it tied in some iconic scenes from the original movie by using similar imagery. The movie ended with Rey looking at the two moons of (Tatooine) just like Luke Skywalker did in the originals.

During the late 1990s and early 2000s, Lucasfilm came out with a prequel trilogy for the Star Wars movies. Then in 2012, Disney bought Lucasfilm and started planning another trilogy for the series. In 2015, Disney came out with “The Force Awakens”, leaving fans wanting more. The same happened in the last extension of the trilogy “(The Rise of Skywalker.)” Junior William Maiga has mixed reactions to the newest “Star Wars” film. 

“I thought “The Rise of Skywalker” was good as it first came out, but the more I thought about it, I’ve started to like it a little less,” Maiga said. “I definitely think that the Disney franchise needs work, but I wouldn’t go as far as to say that it is as bad as what some people think it is.”

Many people thought that if Disney would have had a more coherent plan from the start, the movies would have been a success. 

“It really seemed like they were making things up as they went, and if they would have gone with a solid plan when they were writing “The Force Awakens,” it could have been a whole lot better” Maiga said.

The ending of the trilogy angered many Star Wars fans. Some didn’t like it, while others just thought that it wasn’t necessary. Freshman Laurie Cromer feels like the franchise could have explained (Rey’s heritage) better. 

“That was a plot hole. It’s something you could look over but then also something that you’re kind of like, ‘what?” Cromer said. 

While “The Rise of Skywalker” received mixed reviews, some fans were still happy that Disney wrapped up the trilogy the way they did. 

Contact Adeline Gruen at [email protected]