I remember, as a child, making my own audiotapes of Star Wars scenes, particularly the dogfight in Return of the Jedi. Now, as a parent, I love watching my daughter play with her Synara San action figure from Star Wars Resistance. I love seeing her say, "It's Rey," any time Daisy Ridley is in anything. Star Wars is meant to be fun.
The overall popularity of the franchise stems from it being fun. It's fun to watch the films and shows. It's also something you can pass down to the next generation because the stories are universal and have lessons for both young and older audiences. My concern is how a portion of the fanbase now seems to forget that.
As a fan, I enjoy the majority of what Disney and Lucasfilm have produced because the story is timeless. The story is about a diverse group of good people conquering an evil empire. Thanks to Disney, that story has expanded to include many different stories and characters that were not a part of the original six films.
My daughter now adores Ahsoka Tano and Rey Skywalker and is obsessed with the Young Jedi Adventures. My favorite character is Wedge Antilles, and that's okay, too. We both still love the same franchise. Any person from all walks of life and from any part of our world who is new to the franchise can find a character they can relate to.
But for a portion of the fanbase, particularly on YouTube, they don't like the changes. The story is still the same. Nothing has changed. I discovered Star Wars at around 5 or 6 and so did my daughter. She may relate to Rey more than Wedge, and that's perfectly fine with me. It's something I can share with her.
She may be too young just yet for Rogue One, but I can't wait to show her the movie—to show her the great characters of Jyn Erso and Chirrut Imwe, to name a few. Again, the film boils down to the simple concept of the franchise: a diverse group taking on an impossible task and bringing hope against evil.
That's all Star Wars has ever been, and that's what it will keep on being going forward.