I started thinking about Rogue One again, and I started to realize more about my problem with the Resistance in TLJ. Aside from it being the organization the protagonists work for, why do we care about them? Especially when the film tries to set up a very grey world, blurring the lines between good and evil. Yes, they’re fighting the fascist regime, but the film doesn’t really make an effort to set up the First Order as an oppressive force on the Galaxy they conquered, either.

We can argue the quality of the characters and the structure, but Rogue One showed off just what was at stake in the film. The Empire was shown as a nearly omnipresent and oppressive force, willing to level a city (and pretty much the surrounding continent) to deal with some insurgents giving them trouble and test out a new toy. We’re shown the importance of the Macguffin and why it matters that the characters obtain it.

In TLJ, we’re more told about how bad the First Order ruling the galaxy is; the only times we’re given a real reason as to believe how terrible it is is when they destroy the Hosnian System and brainwash children into being stormtroopers in TFA. Otherwise, we’re got really given a reason as to why we should give a damn who’s in charge.