It was bound to happen sooner or later. DisgruntledStar Warsfans are getting angry the only way that they know how to, which is to start a petition to let the world know that they are not happy. The new petition has been started to remove Rian Johnson’sThe Last Jedifrom the officialStar Warscanon because it’s so different from the original trilogy. Johnson has come under fire for breaking new ground instead of following the path of theStar Warsuniverse and many fans are quite angry with his decision to try and make something new. Minor SPOILERS forThe Last Jediahead.
The new petition to removeThe Last Jedifrom the officialStar Wars canoncomes from Henry Walsh from Atlanta, Georgia, who feels that Rian Johnson has ruined theStar Warsfranchise. In his letter stating his case, Walsh is short, but succinct in his demands and they are rather simple: eraseThe Last Jedi. His argument is that Disney erased 30 years of “lore,” but it can be fixed by deleting that latest installment. Walsh had this to say.
“Episode VIIIwas a travesty. It completely destroyed the legacy ofLuke Skywalkerand the Jedi. It destroyed the very reasons most of us, as fans, likedStar Wars. This can be fixed. Just as you wiped out 30 years of stories, we ask you to wipe out one more, the Last Jedi. Remove it from canon, push backEpisode IXand re-makeEpisode VIIIproperly to redeem Luke Skywalker’s legacy, integrity, and character.”
Many fans are angry with whatdirector Rian Johnsonchose to do with the Luke Skywalker character. Even Mark Hamill admitted that he initially did not agree with the story that Johnson had chosen for Luke, but in time, he grew to love it. J.J. Abrams caught flak forThe Force Awakensbeing too similar toA New Hopeand now Rian Johnson is getting criticized for making something that is reportedly too different. Luke Skywalker would apparently have never done things that he did inThe Last Jedi, so a few angry fans have decided to let their voices be heard.
A petition was also recently released for Warner Bros.‘Justice Leaguemovie because fans wanted to see original director Zack Snyder’s first cut of the movie before Joss Whedon stepped in and “ruined it.” The petition gained notoriety and a lot of people signed, but it was recently revealed that the petition had been hacked and that many of the signatures obtained were fraudulent, which goes hand-in-hand with what internet trolls have been doing toThe Last Jedion theRotten Tomatoes User Scores. It’s a mob mentality, but Rian Johnson isn’t letting it get to him.
In a new interview, Rian Johnson was asked about what he thought about the fan backlash to which he responded that he understood, but whatever he did, he knew that this reaction would still exist. While there are plenty ofStar Wars fanswho are unhappy with what Johnson did, there are just as many who praise his vision and appreciate that he didn’t go in and remakeThe Empire Strikes Back. As of this writing, the petition currently has just over 2,000 signatures. You can check it out for yourself viaChange.org.
