Star Wars has long been one of pop culture's most beloved properties and when the Sequel Trilogy was announced, fan anticipation was a fever pitch. However, things didn't exactly go as planned, as the resulting trilogy made a lot of missteps and wasn't as well-received as everyone thought it would be. There are many lessons that can be learned from the Sequel Trilogy but that doesn't mean it's all bad.
In fact, there are a lot of things the Sequel Trilogy did very well, things that even the trilogy's haters will admit are pretty great and elevate the movies as a whole even when things don't exactly seem great.
10 The Dialogue Is Way Better
The Prequel Trilogy has a lot of problems and even though it's gotten a re-evaluation by fans, partly because of the negative reaction to the Sequels, there's one thing that even the most ardent Prequel fans will admit: the dialogue is pretty terrible. George Lucas has a tin ear for that sort of thing and it's one place where the Sequels excel.
Besides some groan-worthy jokes, like Poe's "yo mama" joke to General Hux and the infamous "They fly now," debacle, the dialogue in the Sequels is light years better than the Prequels' and is often better than the dialogue of the Original Trilogy as well.
9 The Acting Is Superior
Another place where the Sequels Trilogy beat the pants off the Prequels and a lot, but not all of the Original Trilogy is in the acting department. Beyond the stars of the Original Trilogy returning, and killing it, with Mark Hamill standing out the most, Oscar Isaacs, John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, and company do an amazing job with the material, even when in Isaacs and Boyega's cases it's scant at best.
The MVP is Adam Driver as Kylo Ren, who really sells the character and his tragedy. Driver steals every scene he's in and is the icing on a cake of great acting, even if the writing of the Sequels is so so at best.
8 They're Shot Amazingly
George Lucas is a good director but he has his drawbacks and they're all over the Prequel Trilogy and A New Hope. Irvin Kershner and Richard Marquand, on The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi respectively, are both pretty good as well but when it comes right down to it, the Sequel Trilogy is better shot than any other Star Wars movie.
While JJ Abrams does a great job, Rian Johnson especially kills it on The Last Jedi. Some of the shots he pulls off in that movie are straight-up gorgeous and even if someone hates the movie, it's hard to deny just how amazing the movie looks.
7 It's A Shipper's Paradise
Shipping culture is a huge part of fandoms right now and the Sequel Trilogy proved to be prime material for shippers, with early shippers putting Poe and Finn together. However, the main ship of the Sequels was between the two characters who set themselves apart from the others as the trilogy's main focus: Rey and Kylo Ren.
Dubbed Reylo by its sometimes too ardent shippers, it had its share of detractors, rightly pointing out that the two's relationship was built on abuse and gaslighting, but it engaged scores of fans who would become the trilogy's biggest fans.
6 The Production Design Was Amazing
The Sequel Trilogy was billed as a return to practical effects and while this wasn't exactly true—the Prequels had more practical effects shots than most of the Original Trilogy—it did a lot to create some memorable environments and give the movies a more organic feel than the CGI-heavy Prequels did.
The Sequel Trilogy's production design was amazing when it wasn't outright copying the Original Trilogy, giving fans some great new ship designs and capturing the gritty feel of old-school Star Wars. So many of the movies' most striking shots were made possible because of Lucasfilm's amazing production design team.
5 It Brought In Loads Of New Fans
While a lot of older Star Wars fans were not at all happy with the Sequel Trilogy, it did bring in a lot of new fans, even ones who had never been into Star Wars before. It wasn't just children either, as a legion of Tumblr aficionados got into the movies because of the shipping potential and stayed for the stories, to the extent that they won't even consume non-Sequel-related material.
Rey became the favorite character of many, Adam Driver's performance as Kylo Ren netted him loads of fans, and that was only the beginning. Star Wars has always been generational and the Sequels succeeded in bringing in new fans.
4 They Expertly Used Nostalgia
While the Prequels, according to George Lucas, famously rhymed with the Original Trilogy, they didn't play into nostalgia too much, as Lucas was more interested in telling a completely new story. Sure, there were callbacks and things meant to remind fans of the older movies but they weren't nostalgia fests. The Sequels took an entirely different path.
From the get-go, they were dripping with nostalgia; even The Last Jedi, praised for being an "unconventional" Star Wars movie, borrowed heavily from the Original Trilogy. This endeared the movies to certain parts of the audience and recaptured the feel of Star Wars that some thought was missing from the Prequels.
3 The Opening Scene Of The Force Awakens Is One Of The Best In The Saga
The Original Trilogy opened up with one of the greatest scenes in cinema, as the Devastator battled the Tantive IV above Tatooine, culminating in the ship being boarded by Imperial forces. Right off the bat, Lucas and company showed how dangerous the Empire could be, setting up the story expertly. It was a perfect way to start off the Saga.
The Force Awakens had a similar blockbuster opening as the Finalizer deployed forces to the surface of Jakku to take the map to Luke Skywalker from Lor Sen Tekka's village. Much like the scene from A New Hope, it did an amazing job of introducing the villains and setting the story in motion and is one of the best in the entire Saga.
2 The Luke-Rey-Kylo Scenes In The Last Jedi Are The Highlight Of The Trilogy
The Last Jedi is probably the most controversial of the Sequel Trilogy and the story has some definite problems--the slow-speed chase is ridiculous to anyone who knows anything about Star Wars, it marginalizes Poe and Finn to an uncomfortable extent, and it wastes Carrie Fisher in what would be her last Star Wars performance. However, one place where it excels is with the Luke-Rey-Kylo scenes.
All three actors really gave it their all for these scenes, and it shows. Even people who aren't exactly fans of how everything turned out with this subplot can't deny that it's well-acted and directed, working perfectly to enhance the story the movie is telling and standing out in the trilogy.
1 It Divided The Fandom In Ways Unimaginable Before
This isn't a pro of the Sequel Trilogy but it is something the three movies did perfectly: split the fandom into multiple factions that all fought each other. Star Wars is no stranger to controversy or disappointing fans but the Sequel Trilogy seemingly transformed the whole thing into a science. From the beginning, the Sequels split the fanbase.
From those who outright hated it to those who thought it was okay to those who loved it, Reylos, OT purists, Prequel partisans, and so many more, the Sequel Trilogy engaged the fandom in ways that may not have always been positive but at least showed people still cared about Star Wars. It also helped reveal and police the toxicity of the fandom, changing the way many viewed Star Wars fans and their spaces forever. In the end, the division the Sequels caused may be for the better, as it's made the fandom stronger and more willing to police its worst elements on its own.