Never tell me the odds

A long time ago, well, 2012 to be precise, Disney did the unthinkable and bought Lucasfilm, ushering in a new era of Star Wars content to be consumed.

At the time, I questioned if Disney was capable of doing justice to the beloved franchise with a new trilogy of movies without the involvement of George Lucas.

At the same time, I also noted that whatever Disney did, it couldn't be as divisive as the Prequel Trilogy that already existed.

I was wrong.

This week, for better or worse, we'll see the culmination of Disney's efforts. The Sequel Trilogy, once thought of as a project that would never be, will reach its conclusion.

It has not been a smooth ride.

Every time I go into a new Star Wars movie, at least entries of the new trilogy, the same thing happens. I'm satisfied as I walk out of the theater, and ultimately less-so as the movie-high fades away.

In "The Force Awakens," JJ Abrams was given a blank check to initiate a new era of Star Wars adventures but with a literal universe of possibilities to choose from he decided to bunt. Instead of creating a new existential threat to galactic civilization, we got rebranded versions of the Rebels and Empire clashing in a near point-for-point remake of Episode IV.

My hope was that Rian Johnson would course correct for Episode VIII and he did… but too much in the other direction.

Where Abrams showed too much reverence for the original movies, Johnson swerved in the opposite direction, haphazardly discarding the plot-threads Abrams set up and "subverting expectations" by padding half the movie's runtime with a sub-plot that didn't matter.

I was not a fan, but others were. "The Last Jedi" is, by far, the most polarizing of any Star Wars film.

It's common for Star Wars fans to share their rankings of the movies. In general, most of these lists are pretty consistent. "Empire Strikes Back" is usually near the top. "Attack of the Clones" is usually near the bottom.

"The Last Jedi," however, bounces around everywhere, splitting the fan-base in a way that not even the Prequel Trilogy managed.

One might chalk the divisiveness to the unrealistic expectation of fans. I know I've had a Goldilocks-ish experience with the first two movies. Is it even possible to make a movie that's "just right?"

I would say yes, and "The Mandalorian" has proved it.

The adventures of the unnamed bounty hunter and his also unnamed child companion, generally referred to as "Mando" and "Baby Yoda" respectively, have been positively received across the board.

Forbes' Paul Tassi recently wrote a column titled "Star Wars Fans Aren't Arguing About The Mandalorian and It's Weird," noting how strange it is that the spaghetti western in space hasn't sparked the kind of vitriolic debates that Star Wars projects have become known for.

At first glance that seems like a fair observation. Whether it's appreciation for the gritty bounty hunter or unconditional adoration for Baby Yoda (probably the latter), "The Mandalorian" has received virtually universal praise across the fandom and general public alike.

But is this really so unusual?

Contrary to reputation, I'm not sure that Star Wars is historically as controversial as it's currently perceived.

After all, other television entries "Star Wars: Clone Wars" and "Star Wars: Rebels" have also received high praise. They certainly aren't very controversial.

Meanwhile, spin-off movies like "Rogue One" and "Solo" have been, at worse, met with indifference. I don't think anybody out there is arguing that they are the best or worst movies in the series.

Going further into the extended universe, the Disney Era has produced several comics and novels that have been largely uncontroversial. Even the recent "Jedi: Fallen Order" video game has been well received as a Star Wars story.

There is definitely a wide swath of middle ground to land on.

So, how will Episode IX land?

Who knows?

With the unexpected firing of Colin Trevorrow, JJ Abrams is faced with the unenviable task of wrapping up not just this bi-polar trilogy, but also this trilogy of trilogies, in a way that satisfies everybody. And he's doing it with less production time than he had working on Episode VII.

This would be a near insurmountable task for anybody, but the creator of "Alias" and "Lost" is already famous for his disappointing finales.

On the other hand, what expectations can anybody reasonably have at this point?

Personally, good or bad, I can't wait to see how it ends. Just from a technical standpoint I'm curious to see what Abrams does.

Will he repudiate Rian Johnson's movie the way Johnson did to his own? Will he lean even further into nostalgia by remaking "Return of the Jedi?" Will we get answers about Snoke, Kylo Ren, and Rey's parents? How in the heck does Emperor Palpatine factor into all of this?

At this point nothing will surprise me because I have no idea what to expect.

Travis Fischer is a news writer for Mid-America Publishing and will forgive everything in the Sequel Trilogy if it turns out Jar Jar Binks was behind everything all along.