And we’re back to nostalgia being a bad thing again? Why else make sequels to a nearly forty year old movie in the first place?
Because there is more to tell of the story? The search for Luke is the McGuffin that drives the story of Rey’s journey towards the Force.
Why would the movie not do something that pleases fans? Some of us old geezers have waited 32 years for that moment. Seeing Luke again was the emotional payoff.
It was a payoff because it was nostalgia.
And because it was a natural end to the story the film presented. Also why can’t it be both? Why can’t we live in a world where there are multiple reasons for something existing?
I just disagree. I don’t think it is the natural end to the story. I guess it comes from your perspective on who the story is about. To me, the story is about Rey. Rey reaches the climax of her character arc when she defeats Kylo. The resolution of the story is returning Finn to the Resistence with the Falcon. Her part in the plot wasn’t to find Luke Skywalker.
I’m going to use ESB again as a reference: Luke and Lando agree to meet on Tatooine to find Han, Lando implies that he is taking the Falcon to find Han. It ends with Lando disembarking, the fleet breaking up and Luke/Leia looking off leaving the audience knowing where everyone is going but not having to actually see them get there. The TFA equivalent would be the Falcon landing on Tatooine and us seeing Boba Fett taking Han off of Slave I into Jabba’s palace, high helicopter spinning shot and SCENE.