[ROGUE ONE SPOILERS AHEAD]

[For those who were as blissfully unaware as I was of the plot, especially]

[Look awaaaaaaay]

[I’m not kidding, there are major spoilers in here]

[You have been warned]

Last week, my boyfriend asked if I wanted to see the new Star Wars movie, to which I said, “What new Star Wars movie?” After a second, he realized I wasn’t kidding. Somehow, I had managed to stay completely oblivious of the latest cash cow in Lucasfilms’ Disney’s series. I’ve seen the whole series a couple times through, all the way up to the previous movie, which I guess is “Episode VII.” And that’s the thing: even though I’m down to watch any one of the films—even the crappy prequels—I just don’t get it. I think that overall, the concept and storytelling are gold, but the movies themselves don’t sell me on the franchise. I think that the movies deserve legendary status because of their influence on pop culture, but it still befuddles me as to how Lucas did it. TL;DR: I appreciate the Star Wars movies, but I don’t like them enough to call myself a fan, and I don’t get the hype.

We saw “Episode VII” last year during opening weekend. Somehow, despite the shrill pew pew pews and explosions, I fell asleep during the movie. When I woke up sporadically, the parts I did comprehend did not seem all that great (except of course when Han Solo and Princess Leia made their appearances). It had been years since I re-watched any of the old movies, so I didn’t get all the Easter eggs in the film (Update: Still have not re-watched any of the old movies). This year, I wasn’t that excited to go.

The more I think about “Rouge One,” the more I like it. And I liked it to begin with. Of course, the best character in the whole movie was The Iron Giant R.O.B. Bastion K-12?/Funny Robot. That itself sold me on the film. In the past, the only characters I cared about were R2-D2 and C-3PO. This time around, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself emotionally invested in the human ones, too. The whole time, I figured that if one of the main characters died, then the movie would do some deus ex machina type thing and bring them back to live another episode. But the fact that the protagonists of the movie lost threw me for a loop. I figured since it was Disney, they would have a happy ending.

But it didn’t work like that.

As messed up as it seems, I like that it happened that way. It made it more real, which is what I think was my favorite part about the entire thing. The realest moment was the skirmish between Imperial and Rebel forces. The destruction of the city where that temple was made me think about the fighting in Aleppo, and in other war-torn places. It made me think about the ordinary people just going about their day, and then suddenly being caught in the middle of something they have zero control of. And the little girl crying in the middle of the street, and her mom after they were reunited—it made me think about the kids who don’t find their parents, or who don’t make it at all. It made me empathize with the real people across the world going through the same thing in a way that news headlines don’t.

Besides strong characterization, the other good thing about the movie was the satisfying ending. I went into this blind—I’m talking about not having seen any of the old movies in years, and sleeping through the majority of the previous one. I managed to miss any and all commercials, ads, or Reddit posts about “Rogue One”. I didn’t even know the name of it, or that it was “A Star Wars Story.” So, despite knowing just a general outline of the old plot-lines, I still managed to pick up some of the throwback references. As the ending drew closer and closer, I hoped that somehow it would lead up to “Episode IV”. I was not disappointed. Even with the “oh” moment I had when the Guy and Girl died and obviously did not come back, I thought it was satisfying. Also, the blast from the Death Star of course made me think about atomic explosions, and it made me think about how that’s happened before in actual real life and there’s a chance that people who are crazy enough to make something like that happen again [insert Trump joke here]. Watching the earth turn itself inside out from the blast and seeing fictional characters zapped into nothingness left an unsettling feeling, and I liked that because the movie did more than just entertain me for a couple hours. It didn’t just make me think, it made me empathize.

With this latest movie, and an endless stream of more to come, I have to ask some things: Why is it that with an entire galaxy colonized, mechanized, etc., how come every place is either packed denser than sardines or a total No Man’s Land? Of course, in the Lucasfilm/Disney universes, the lore is more than I will ever be able to comprehend. I’m sure that someone, somewhere, has filed away the reason as to why there’s no middle ground between the two. Maybe it just works out in the movies that those are just the kinds of places the characters have to be to fulfill the storyline. It’s a galaxy—I’m sure there’s something out there that isn’t either claustrophobic or relatively desolate.

So, I’ll say I’m a fan—of “Rogue One.” As for the franchise in general, I still can’t claim to be infatuated with it. I really liked “Rogue One” and I’d watch it again. I’m glad I saw it, and I would probably get a little hyped for the next movie. Again, I appreciate the depth and complexity of the Star Wars universe, and if there truly are an indefinite amount of movies planned, I hope that they continue to be as quality as this one so as to maintain the same influence the brand has and continue to build on it. I want to see the franchise grow because it has played a major part in so many things besides film. I can’t tell you the amount of times I’ve sat through a lit class and took notes about Star Wars in the name of plot structure and character (Hero’s journey, anyone?). Normal movies don’t make an impact on that level. George Lucas did something great when he created these movies, and even as someone who considers herself an outsider to the films, I still carry high hopes and want the brand to build on its accomplishments.