In 2015, I saw “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” for the first time and I was amazed. Sure, it was Episode four with a new coat of paint, but a Star Wars movie hadn’t been released in over 10 years, so it was an exciting time for fans.

Little did we know, this was the beginning of the end.

I’ve watched “Star Wars” my whole life and couldn’t get enough of it, but ever since Disney bought the franchise, it has slowly been falling apart. On the other hand, when “Dune” released in 2021, it gave me hope for the science fiction genre. Where “Dune” succeeded and “Star Wars” failed is in quality and frequency of release. Since 2015, “Star Wars” has released one project almost every year, and on paper, that’s great, but in reality, this is why I’m not a fan of the franchise’s current state.

From 2015-2019 a “Star Wars” movie was released annually, and if you look at each project individually, almost every single one is flawed. Episode seven, eight and nine struggled with no clear goal or endgame. Because of that, I think it’s the worst of the three “Star Wars” trilogies. I hated how there was not one director for the trilogy, and I think that if they had one cohesive vision it could have turned out so much better.

“Dune” currently is the complete opposite. The goal of the “Dune” trilogy is to tell the story of the first and second books. Of course, there have been some small changes, but I really don’t care because the quality is there. The writers and directors of “Dune” have a goal just like what George Lucas had back in the day when he was the head of “Star Wars.” This quality in the “Dune” movies is present in every aspect, from the storytelling to the visual effects. And the vision is out of the ballpark.

If you try to apply those three aspects to the Disney+ series, “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” you can see it fails in every aspect. I thought the storytelling had way too much filler, the visual effects were lackluster and the vision was not there. OK, that’s only one project, so what about “The Mandalorian?”

I thought this first season was the best live-action TV show “Star Wars” has ever released. Each week, I was excited to see where Mado and the Child ventured off to, and when the season finale aired, I couldn’t wait for season two. It succeeded in all three categories I listed earlier and if you don’t believe me, give season one a watch.  Then the rumor mill for the second season started. A fan favorite, Boba Fett, was going to appear with many other beloved characters, and that got me even more hyped.

I will admit when the episodes released I fell in love with the show all over again, but when it was done and over, something felt wrong.

Spoilers for something that almost came out three years ago, but when Luke Skywalker, the main character, the poster boy of the franchise came back, that is where the show lost me. For most of the show it felt pretty disconnected from the nine movies, and I thought that was for the better. It made the galaxy feel bigger, but bringing Luke into the picture threw everything the show was working up to out the window. 

The fan term for all the TV shows connected to “The Mandalorian” is “The Mandoverse.” Creating this “Mandoverse” was honestly one of their greatest decisions but also has been a total flop. The creators of these shows and “Star Wars” as a whole are moving away from the Sequel Trilogy, but Disney cannot.

They refuse to retheme the Star Wars Park; Galaxy’s Edge. What was supported by a time capsule taking place between episodes eight and nine, became a confusing mess. I will not lie by saying I didn’t enjoy the opportunity of having a meet and greet with the Mandalorian at Disney World when I went.  But, it was so confusing having him walk around when the theme of the park was a time set 20 years after the show. That might have been my realization of the “Star Wars” downfall.

With “Dune” being such a young franchise, it doesn’t have any of these problems and is only in its infancy. Who knows what Legacy Pictures is gonna do with the “Dune” franchise. It could very easily go in the same direction as Star Wars or go a completely different route and become something greater than “Star Wars” could ever be.

I will never stop loving “Star Wars;” but I think “Dune” may have taken a small sliver of my heart that “Star Wars” once had.