Thank you for your thoughtful response. I appreciate the opportunity to clarify my perspective and for sparing me from having to talk to Vicarious Fan. That guy makes me appreciate my battles with Casper. Casper can put pen to paper and form an engaging opinion, and so can you, Disney Irish. Anyway...
I think my main point was never to claim that the EU was the best Star Wars content out there. I understand it had its issues and that not all fans loved it. What really bothers me, though, is the direction Disney took with Luke in The Last Jedi. You've heard it all before—he felt like a major departure from the character I knew and loved.
Not for Casper Gutman though, no, no, no! He thought Luke in The Last Jedi was kinda awesome, almost great, but still pretty cool! Loved the character, he did, though not 'love' love, more like a strong like, you know… Monty Python
Anyway, having read the EU, especially the "Heir to the Empire" trilogy, I experienced Luke's continued adventures and his relationship with Mara Jade. These stories showed him as the Jedi we wanted to go on adventures with. They gave us a Luke who continued to fight for the light, rebuild the Jedi Order, and even succumb to the dark side in “Dark Empire”. This vision of Luke felt consistent with his character in the OT, and it was fun. Luke in Last Jedi... was not fun.
One of the most exciting aspects of the EU was reading about Luke as a Jedi Master—something we never saw on the big screen. For those of us who grew up with Luke as our hero, this was something we desperately wanted to see in the rumored George Lucas sequels, episodes 7, 8, and 9, if they ever happened. In the OT, Luke was always leveling up, and the idea of seeing him fully realized as a Jedi Master was thrilling.
While I appreciate that Disney is incorporating elements from the EU, like in the "Ahsoka" series with Thrawn, it doesn't fully make up for the disappointment I felt with Luke's portrayal in Last Jedi.
Reflecting on it now, I realize that my main point was really about the journey of Luke Skywalker and my own journey with that character. I'm starting to think that Star Wars for me was all about Luke and his friends, much like Harry Potter is about Harry Potter and his friends. Also, there was something magical about one man who created these stories and shared his vision. It was awesome; it's why I love film. American Graffiti was my dad's favorite movie, and I became a fan of George Lucas. Dad took me to see Star Wars when I was 6 and... never again will a movie experience match that night. Pure cinematic magic.
Once The Last Jedi changed the identity of Skywalker for me, I lost a lot of interest in Star Wars. I'm sure fans of Rey would feel the same if the next movie focused on her quitting on her friends, the Force, and her family, only to die at the end because she uses too much Force. (Insert your attacks on that comment here.)
It is what it is; it can't be changed and will never be changed. People on this board love the Luke Skywalker in The Last Jedi. For me, though, it ended that amazing feeling I used to get with Star Wars, like the feeling I got reading Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter. I hope Star Wars does well, but there isn't a story anymore that I can hang my hat on. They're just episodes on TV now…for me.
Thanks for engaging in this discussion and letting me explain my perspective.
