Rian Johnson's Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi is now in theaters. The highly-anticipated sequel to J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens earned rave reviews from critics, but audience reactions seem to be decidedly mixed. Some fans praise Johnson's take with the original characters and progressing the Skywalker saga forward, while others chastise the writer-director for debasing the characters. And so, several petitions have appeared online, with many containing outlandish requests that have little to no chance of happening.The thing is, while many of these petitions stem from frustration with Lucasfilm's Star Wars sequel trilogy, petitions themselves can be successful. For instance, following Jon Bernthal's performance as Frank Castle in Marvel's Daredevil season 2, fans petitioned Netflix to give the character his own TV series - and so, Marvel's The Punisher was born. But sometimes - most of the time - petitions can be quite ridiculous. We've compiled some recent ones below.Related: Star Wars: The Last Jedi Scores High Fan Poll Rating
Petition to Force Rian Johnson to Admit The Last Jedi is Awful
Filmmaking is an art form, and the products themselves are subjective. That means people will have different reactions to each and every film that hits theaters, and Star Wars: The Last Jedi is no different. But with Star Wars, as with many other franchise films, fans can be more passionate about a new release than anything else. And so, that's why some people are petitioning to have Rian Johnson admit that The Last Jedi is "awful," due to the film's controversial humor, strange Force powers, unnecessary subplots, and the disappointment for fans whose theories didn't pan out. The top comment from one of the petition supporters says they were baffled that they enjoyed The Last Jedi less than The Phantom Menace.
Petition to Remove The Last Jedi From Canon
In 2012, Disney-owned Lucasfilm removed the Star Wars Expanded Universe from official canon and designated them as Star Wars Legends, because they wanted to start fresh with their own series of events for their Star Wars sequel trilogy. So, one petition requests the studio to do the same for The Last Jedi, effectively classifying the film as glorified fan fiction.
The petition seems to have come from a place of frustration and seeks to speak for the fans of Star Wars Legends who feel they've been wronged by Lucasfilm's latest Star Wars outing. While their feelings are justifiable - considering that Luke Skywalker's journey in the sequel trilogy thus far drastically differs from his stories in the comics, books, and various other media forms - the notion that Lucasfilm, the company which designates what is canon and what isn't, should strike the film from official canon is ludicrous. That doesn't mean the petition's comments shouldn't be taken into consideration for future installments.
Still, the petition has gained significant traction online since its publishment. The petition's creator has since posted an update expressing some semblance of regret for his decision, saying he created it shortly after getting back from the theater, charged with disappointment. But, he mentioned in another update that he still disliked the film enough to want Walt Disney Studios and Lucasfilm to remove it from official canon.
Petition for Tommy Wiseau to Join Star Wars
Tommy Wiseau - the writer, director, and producer of the 2003 film, The Room, which some critics refer to as the worst movie ever made - gained popularity from his movie achieving cult status over the years. Then, Wiseau gained more popularity when James Franco produced, directed, and starred in the biographical film The Disaster Artist, which recounts the making of The Room.
Unlike the subject material, The Disaster Artist was praised by critics and audiences alike. So, according to a recent petition, the next step is getting Wiseau himself into the Star Wars franchise, whether it be writing, directing, or acting. After all, "Tommy Wiseau not being in the Star Wars franchise is disgusting. A man with the acting and directing prowess of this pop culture icon should be allowed one shot at Star Wars."
Petition to Stop Nerds From Watching Star Wars
Nerds. Geeks. Fans. They're all the same. A moviegoer is a moviegoer. No one is above anyone else, and petitioning to stop a group of people from watching movies is ridiculous. One particular petition calls for The Walt Disney Company to prevent "nerds" from watching another Star Wars film because their rants make no sense and all they do is complain about the tiniest details when, in reality, they should be "overjoyed that the only problem they have isn't a problem, to begin with. Go and get stressed about taxes or something."
Petition to Bring Back George Lucas
For many people, especially fans of both the original and prequel trilogies, Lucasfilm's Star Wars sequel trilogy doesn't feel like the George Lucas-helmed films. Lucas created a nine-part story when he was developing The Empire Strikes Back, and Star Wars fans wanted to see his vision fully fleshed out before the Skywalker saga ended. What's interesting is that even Mark Hamill wishes Disney and Lucasfilm listened to Lucas' advice more than they did, and he publicly expressed his dissent with Rian Johnson's script prior to the film's release (though he eventually came around on the story).
A number of fans - right now, a small number - are petitioning to have the creator himself to come back for the saga's concluding chapter. While that has little to no chance of happening, the petitioners raise concerns about the sequel trilogy attacking Star Wars' core themes and values. The petition mentions Snoke's untimely demise and his lack of a backstory, as well as the Force becoming deus ex machina - which is actually a point many people have brought up after seeing the film. Unfortunately for George Lucas fans, the filmmaker may only provide his advice for Episode IX, nothing more.
Petition to Force Disney to Sell Star Wars Rights
The Walt Disney Company is buying up as many properties as they can possibly handle. In 2006, Disney fully acquired Pixar after distributing all their movies since the '90s. In 2009, they bought Marvel Entertainment for $4.24 billion. Then, in 2012, they officially acquired Lucasfilm for $4 billion from George Lucas and subsequently announced plans to develop a new Star Wars trilogy. While they're in the process of acquiring 20th Century Fox from 21st Century Fox, some Star Wars fans feel the Mouse House has failed to achieve anything worthwhile with the Star Wars franchise.
So, a few hundred Star Wars fans petitioning the Star Wars fan base to rally and force Disney to sell the rights to Star Wars to "a more qualified and paramount company." If fans don't rally together, the petition says the next best thing is to somehow make Disney to go bankrupt... but that's not going to happen.
Petition to Remove J.J. Abrams From Episode IX
A chief complaint about The Force Awakens is that it rehashes A New Hope in more ways than one - a Death Star-type weapon being the most glaring inclusion - and it's actually something that Abrams himself admitted to doing. In early 2016, he said that The Force Awakens was meant to remind people of what made Star Wars great and to bridge the original trilogy with the sequel trilogy. Abrams is now replacing Colin Trevorrow as the director on Star Wars: Episode IX - and quite a few fans aren't on board with that decision, with some going as far as to petition Lucasfilm to remove the filmmaker from the project.
While this petition isn't exactly dumb or ridiculous, it's entirely implausible. Lucasfilm has a great relationship with Abrams, and he provided them a record-breaking film that may never be topped. So, he'll never be booted from Episode IX.
More: Star Wars: The Last Jedi Was Disappointing
