I wonder if it will be the same. The prequels, especially TPM, seemed to be more tailored for youngsters. The low end age for the ST feels slightly higher where those of that age watching might already be contributing to the online discussions on it - plus the online space is much more far-reaching than when TPM launched where it would be more likely a very young person could be less aware of the wider general reception beyond what they and their friends thought of the film.
Yeah.
I think alot of the people who the ST films were targeted to have
already been discussing the film and disagreeing with those fans who didn't like it , hence, the divided fanbase.
The ST already has alot of defenders , it's just that ,there is an equally strong, and very vocal, group of fans who dislike those films .
I could imagine that the positive view of the ST, is more likely to increase as the very young fans engage in the analysis over these films, though, I wouldn't be surprised if the discourse over these films still have a level of polarization to them .
The difference from the debates today ,and the potential debates of the future, is that it may be younger fans, of the same generation ,debating the TFOA and TROS vs TLJ .
In other words, J.J. Abrams choices verses Rian Johnson's choices.
These are two pretty different directors, writers , and creators, and I don't see that being lost even on the next generation of fans.
So , I think it's inevitable they'll be some level of disagreement about those films.
In that respect , I think the ST will remain controversial ,to an extent , but the debates may not have the same temperature, and baggage to them ,that the debates in SW Fandom have now.
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