The Star Wars sequel trilogy didn’t have the impact the studio was surely expecting as it was quite flawed, and a good example of the biggest problems Disney’s Star Wars movies had can be seen in the new ships, which aren’t really that new. The Star Wars universe has gone through many ups and downs, but it continues to have a solid fanbase around the world and is still one of the biggest and most profitable franchises in the realm of sci-fi. The history of the Star Wars universe can be divided into three – original, prequel, and sequel trilogy – and not all of them were well-received.
The original Star Wars trilogy introduced the audience to the characters, concepts, and events that would lead the rest of the movies, while the prequels explored the backstory of Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader. The sequel trilogy, then, arrived to close the arcs of the original characters, the Skywalker saga, and introduce a new generation of heroes and villains. However, the sequels weren’t the fresh and exciting return to the galaxy far, far away fans were hoping for, and much of its new material wasn’t actually new, as was the case of the ships.
The Star Wars sequels saw a bunch of ships, some of them new, but most were just redesigns of well-known ships from the original trilogy, and the new ones weren’t memorable. Fans have complained about this on different forums, pointing out the lack of new ships from the Resistance (though some argue they wouldn't have had enough resources to get brand new ones), who used X-Wings, Y-Wings, and A-Wings, which even though had some improvements and slight changes in their appearances, didn't offer anything that made them stand out. The same happened with the ships used by the First Order, which were mostly TIE fighters, and while they did have more variety in their new ships, few are memorable.
While it was somewhat expected that the Star Wars sequels would see the return of classic ships from the original trilogy, this only highlighted the movies’ biggest mistake: relying heavily on nostalgia. The sequel trilogy was heavily criticized for reusing concepts from the original trilogy, the first example being how Star Wars: The Force Awakens felt too similar to Star Wars: A New Hope. The two leads of the trilogy, Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Ben Solo/Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) had direct links to the main characters of the Skywalker saga: Rey turned out to be Sheev Palpatine’s granddaughter, and Ben was Leia and Han’s son and Luke’s apprentice. Ben Solo’s arc even mirrored that of his grandfather, Anakin Skywalker, and the ships continue this line of repeating what was seen in the original movies with slight changes and without offering anything new or that could represent the trilogy.
Fans have pointed out the lack of memorable ships in the Star Wars sequels as one of their biggest (and also often overseen) flaws, and even though the movies did have brand new ships (and others that were seen in the prequels and made a comeback, thus often mistaken by new ones), none of them left a lasting impression in fans. This lack of originality in the ships from the Star Wars sequels highlights the biggest problem with Disney’s trilogy, proving that nostalgia isn’t always the best path to follow.
