Are We Expecting Too Much From ‘Star Wars’ On Disney+?
Expectations can be a dangerous thing if tapped into incorrectly. With Star Wars, it seems expectations either make or break many of these projects. A weight looms large over the franchise, one of great expectation, and hopes. There is a legacy that very few franchises have. It is probably a result of the cultural significance the original Star Wars trilogy had on the world. It impacted not only the fan base but modern pop culture as well. With all this in mind, many of us have high expectations, and all sorts of speculations and theories in regards to the Star Wars Disney+ shows.
The question is, are we expecting too much from these shows? Are we looking into things that perhaps are not there? As Star Wars fans, are we perhaps wishing for things that may be a bit “above the paygrade” of these shows? Perhaps we should, as a wise Jedi Master once said, “unlearn what we have learned.”
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Who Is The Audience
One thing that I think is important to remember when watching these Star Wars shows is that at the end of the day, their target audience is the general audience. Oh sure, there will be Easter eggs and fan-pleasing things, but that does not mean they are going to make an uber show that only the super fans would get. However, we as fans do tend to overthink, thinking that our vast knowledge of Star Wars will somehow give us the hidden clue needed to solve a mystery of a story. Problem is, stories do not really work like that. There are no secret codes or formulas for storytelling, otherwise, everyone would use them.
We get into speculation such as Snoke being Plagueis because we read a book a long time ago. Or that everything is leading up to a big showdown of the world between worlds because of some scribbles in the marketing. While such things are not impossible, one has to consider what a mass audience would make of these things and if they are being naturally introduced in the story proper.
Fans also have a habit of wanting everything and the kitchen sink thrown into these Star Wars series. From Force lore, to galaxy lore, to cameos. Sometimes, a story should be allowed to be just a simple story with no connections to major consequences or galactic-shaping events. It may just be a small character-driven story that, while not contributing to the overarching meta-story of Star Wars, brings some enjoyment to the audience.
Unlearn What We Have Learned
When going into a story or anything really, it is probably important to put all expectations behind. Go into a story and embrace it for what it is and not for what we want it to be. Sometimes, the story can be better than the one we have in our head.
It is important to take fiction as it is. What it is doing is actually really good and has merit on its own even if it does not match with what we thought might happen. Otherwise, stories like Empire Strikes Back would never have gone the way they did and subverted our expectations.
Stories are not necessarily trying to tell what we want to see but what we need to see. At the very least, they are showing us a different side of a world, character, or even lore. Perhaps, the writer is telling the story primarily for themselves, and not for mass appeal. Thus, it might be good to go in with that mentality as well.
After all, one might not realize just what they are missing since they do not know what they need in the first place.
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