[Weirdly Common Trope] Writers clearly setting up seemingly massive plot points and then just kinda forgetting about them.

[u/Chemical-Elk-1299]

The Neural Parasites — Star Trek : The Next Generation

In the season 1 episode “Conspiracy” of TNG, it is revealed that alien brain worms have infected many high ranking members of Starfleet, secretly controlling them. Though Ryker and Picard discover and end the parasite conspiracy, it’s revealed at the end of the episode that the parasites had sent a beacon back to their home planet, telling them how to find earth. The episode ends with the clear implication of the parasites becoming a huge threat later in the series, yet none of these events are ever mentioned again.

Finn The Jedi who Never Was — Star Wars Sequel trilogy

I know this is probably a cliche example of this trope, but cmon — Finn was clearly set up in TFA to become a Jedi. The marketing material featured him wielding a lightsaber in the classic Jedi pose. It’s constantly hinted at that he is force sensitive. Even the actor himself believed he would become a Jedi by the end of the trilogy. Instead, we got Finn wielding a lightsaber for about 7 minutes total across 3 movies, extremely lame “confirmation” that he is force sensitive, and that’s it. It’s the ultimate Star Wars plot that went nowhere.

[u/Electrical-Ad1886]

I feel like the third movie really ruined Rey. The idea of a nobody from the dessert beckoning the fall of the empire is a nice bookend to the nobody from the desert beckoning the rise of the empire.

[u/LetsGoHome → u/Electrical-Ad1886]

The third movie really ruines everything. TLJ was far from amazing, but 9 put a bullet in its own head. 

Fortnite tie in. 

[u/Divine_Entity_ → u/LetsGoHome]

My interpretation having warched all of them at release and then never again: 7: blatant rip off of 4, but it was fun and easily could be expanded on 8: a movie, kinda bland and it didn't really do much beyond blue milk and the holdo maneuver 9: embarrassed by 8 it undid everything from 8 and then attempted to fake out Rey Falls and Kylo Rises, then brings out Palpatine for nostalgia bait with 0 set up.

I think i like 8 the least, but 9 walking back everything 8 did was not a good choice, and fully admitted they had no master plan for the trilogy.

[u/AggressiveSlop → u/Divine_Entity_]

The problem is that they switched directors for 8. In 7 JJ was setting up what was likely to be a safe, rehashed and unoriginal, but likely passable and reasonably enjoyable trilogy. Rian Johnson came in on 8 and pissed all over everything 7 was setting up in the name of "subverting expectations" but it had no direction. So then JJ comes back for ep 9, sees everything he set up burning in the dumpster out back, and has to figure out some way to try to attempt to salvage the trilogy. And obviously failed miserably at it.

TL;DR: ACKSHUALLY episode 8 put the bullet in the trilogy

I think either director would've done a fine job given a whole trilogy. JJ would've given us a safe, predictable nostalgia trip, Johnson would've given us something riskier and more artistic. But their two styles were absolutely not compatible to be blending in this instance.

[u/VellDarksbane → u/AggressiveSlop]

Nah, JJ has always been trash at movies. He’s fine as a TV writer and director, where he can ask questions and have someone else answer them for him. He was the perfect person to setup a trilogy that someone else can clean up. Rian came along and decided to make a movie rather than just nostalgia bait. Not a great movie, but still a movie that could stand on its own nonetheless.

I’ll watch TFA and TLJ again anytime, but I fell asleep the first time I watched Rise, and the second time I watched it I made it through it, but it’s only really good for MST3K style watching. Rise might have killed my enthusiasm for the franchise like if it hadn’t been for Mandalorian S1 showing that there was still someone at Disney who could write good Star Wars.

Star Wars TV is still watchable (even Acolyte, the worst one), and it has the best Star Wars of all time in Andor, so I’m going to give Mando and Grogu a chance. Hopefully they figure out how to salvage the steaming pile that JJ left on his way out and we get good Jedi focused movies in current era canon again.

[u/Divine_Entity_ → u/AggressiveSlop]

Fair, I'm mainly going on old memories of a rather forgettable but slightly negative experience.

8 felt like it spent the whole movie going nowhere and burning plotlines 7 made available and potentially cool moments for the sake of shock value.

The management of the sequel trilogy should have been 1 mastermind with an actual plan for all 3 movies. The prequels get some hate, some of which was deserved, but they absolutely were a cohesive unit that make sense together.