The what many consider to be the most divisive . ever made sequel trilogy gets a pretty rough name. From internet trolls to concerned fans, there have been non-stop gripes since the controversial Episode VIII hit theaters and became
One person who (unsurprisingly) defends the final third of the Joonas Suotamo. Let’s find out why the man behind The and The Rise of ! is
Chewbacca Joonas Suotamo defends
Seeing that The and The Rise of were both trending on Twitter, the beloved felt he had to pitch in and defend them.
He wrote:
“I woke up to see that #TheLastJedi and #TheRiseOfSkywalker are both trending. Debating movies is a healthy and natural part of filmmaking, but I loved working on both of these films and collaborating with everyone involved. I might be biased though. Rawrrgh!”
I woke up to see that #TheLastJedi and #TheRiseOfSkywalker are both trending.
Debating movies is a healthy and natural part of filmmaking, but I loved working on both of these films and collaborating with everyone involved.
I might be biased though. Rawrrgh! pic.twitter.com/hdVmLRLpS8
— Joonas Suotamo (@JoonasSuotamo) July 12, 2020
Related: “Star Wars” Theory: Padme was under a Jedi mind trick – She never loved Anakin
Are the sequels good or bad?

Debate continues between fans who love and loathe the and it follows the rumor that the . While most will agree that Rian Johnson’s sequel trilogy will be reset and erased from canonThe isn’t a patch on ‘ work – especially the seminal Strikes Back – there is still much to enjoy in the , especially the performance from .
The Rise of the . ‘s return as the evil Emperor takes the way over to the of desperate fan service and nothing in the movie feels earned or organic. , however … well … is pretty universally considered a mess. Most fans have voiced their opinions that though it features a great in Rey, the triumphant return of both and a brief cameo from , it feels way too much like damage control to ‘fix’ the complaints of
Oh well, at least this , instead of just their hearing their voices while wielding Anakin’s fan fixed the final battle by having Rey be surrounded by the past ‘s ghosts .
Joonas Suotamo wasn’t always Chewbacca

Revenge of the . Chewbacca did not appear in 1999’s The or 2002’s Attack of the Clones. will know that the role of ‘s co-pilot was originally portrayed by . Mayhew portrayed in the as well as 2005’s
Peter Mayhew even played The , though this time he shared the role with Suotamo. Mayhew finally retired from the role with 2017’s The , though he did stay on as ‘Chewbacca consultant’ (otherwise known as the best job title of all time). in 2015’s
All in all, Mayhew played the world’s most famous in five out of the nine movies, with Suotamo taking the role in the final two as well as ‘s Solo: A .
Mayhew sadly passed away in 2019, weeks before his 75th birthday. : The Rise of is dedicated to his memory.
Related: #MakeSolo2Happen Trends on Twitter as Fans Defend “Solo: A Star Wars Story”
What do you think of Joonas Suotamo’s comments? Is he right about The and the Rise of ? Let us know in the comments below.
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