TV’s Frink said:
I’m sorry, I thought I was allowed to like a movie without “apologizing” for it.

I tend to move in circles where “apologist” is a technical term with either a neutral or positive context – not necessarily (or even usually) negative. It refers to someone who’s a defender (rightly OR wrongly) of something that others routinely attack (rightly OR wrongly).

As is well known, TLJ is the most controversial SW movie thus far, quite different from those that have gone before it. And as is generally acknowledged, there’s a healthy portion of SW fans who dislike it (I won’t put a percentage on it; just “healthy portion”). Therefore “apologist” is an apt term for the ones who defend it. My use of the term meant only that; nothing more.