In 2012, Disney paid $4 billion for the Star Wars franchise from its creator, George Lucas, and released its own Star Wars trilogy soon after. The Disney films, which began in 2015 with Star Wars: The Force Awakens and ended in 2019 with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, have been dubbed the “sequel trilogy” since their events occur considerably later in the Star Wars universe but tie to Lucas’s original Skywalker tale. The later trilogy was immensely divisive, despite breaking film office records.
The Force Awakens had mostly excellent reviews from audiences and critics, while the sequel, The Last Jedi, and the ending received a lot of flak. Some were more concerned with the films’ execution, citing pacing as a significant issue, while others were simply not convinced that the overall storey was interesting enough.
Disney + Latin America Twitter
On its own Twitter domain, a Disney account has now poked fun at its own sequels. The Disney + Latin America Twitter account used the medium to make a joke based on the recent viral ‘red flag’ meme, in which individuals jokingly share behaviour that they regard to be concerning. “The latest Star Wars trilogy is the best,” the Disney+ account stated in the post, before adding a slew of red flag emojis.
The remark is sure to enrage some Star Wars fans who have spent a lot of time defending the sequel trilogy. Others, particularly those who were harsher on Disney’s flicks, would interpret the post as an admission that the sequel narrative fell short of expectations and potential. While the tweet isn’t particularly complimentary of the second trilogy, it also doesn’t imply that it is the worst of the Star Wars films. Critics were harsher on George Lucas’ prequel trilogy, and while some fans now admire the prequels for their ingenuity and creativity, the consensus at the time was that the projects were a failure.
However, not all of Disney’s Star Wars productions have been controversial. The Mandalorian, a spin-off series from Star Wars, has received nearly universal critical acclaim, with fans praising it for successfully blending additional lore from both the prequel and original trilogy into its tale. If the sequels hadn’t been followed by a blockbuster series like The Mandalorian, Disney might not feel as comfortable joking about its shortcomings. The tweet itself is probably meant to be harmless fun, but it will undoubtedly cause conflict among Star Wars enthusiasts.
