MJR80 said:
I understand what you’re saying, but history does repeat itself. After Alexander the Great died, his empire fell to pieces, often waring over power. In recent history, the Soviet Union fell, only to become something as powerful some twenty years later (Russia), who is, in some ways, succeeding in becoming the power it once was. In many ways, this is like the Empire falling, only to rise out of the ashes the First Order.

I can see how some folks would be upset about re-using the Death Star plot point; however, again, this mimics history. For example, modern nukes are many times more powerful than the A-bombs used during WWII. But are they not essentially the same weapon, only far more powerful (much like the Starkiller Base is in TFA)? Why wouldn’t the First Order want a weapon as powerful as that? And who is to say building such a weapon wasn’t a ploy (and a plot device in the next two films) to lure Luke from hiding?

Last, I have read folks complaining about the Galaxy “forgetting” history in TFA. This again can have roots in reality. There are societies with totalitarian regimes who recreate history on a whim (North Korea, anyone?). Is it not plausible that the First Order, with its power and influence can and would attempt to rewrite history for some (Finn) and erase it altogether for others (Rey)?

This is exactly why the film works so well for me (aside from Rey and Han). Those of us in our 50s are well aware that one wartime defeat, no matter the size, often changes things only temporarily.

As you’ve pointed out with several excellent examples, some of which I’ve lived through, the wiped-clean happy ending of Return very much mirrors reality. I suspect a great many of the fans complaining that the erased happy Ewok dancing are twenty-somethings who have yet to experienced the reality of the world’s differing philosophical beliefs or the lengths those nations and leaders are willing to go to to try and force them on the rest of the planet. That very much includes their censoring the outside world and history from their people. That behavior is going on daily. Not even remotely a stretch to show it happening in The Force Awakens.