Does the Average Moviegoer "Get" the ST Politics?

I think it's more complicated than that still.

I hated the PT. To this day, I've probably watched all 3 of those movies less than 10 times combined. I tried to like it, but couldn't for all the reasons that have been stated at nauseum over the years. I never went on line to voice my opinion about it (I would say that takes a magnitude of dislike beyond that I felt for the PT to do, I never felt betrayed with the PT, just let down) but I saw very little redeeming qualities in the PT, despite wanting to like it. I only got to appreciate it about 3 years ago or so after I binge watched the CW, and that only happened after I heard Disney had bought LFL and planned to continue making SW movies. When I realized the CW series was still going to be canon, I bought in.

I find it funny, because I do it too. We try and find a set rule to explain the division of the fandom. I think what we have to realize, we've all experienced these movies at different times in our lives. We've all watched the cartoons series at different times to. For myself, I played and studied rpg rules set around SW and developed more of an understanding of that universe that way (which probably isn't accurate, but it's still up there in my head). I've read the EU now legends, others haven't, and we have different opinions on those books and stories. Some have read comics, some have played video games.

Beyond just the material, there's our lives. Sometimes something in a movie strikes a chord. Timing is often everything. The OT for me defined some relationships in my life. I have a brother who's 7 years older than I, and for a time, talking about SW was one of the few things we had in common as I was making my way through HS and he was dealing with becoming a parent for the first time. We had very little in common at this time, but talking about SW was a constant. I introduced him to the Timothy Zahn books and then we'd discuss that.

I don't think there's a set rule. It's convoluted as hell lol. Some things some of us haven't experienced, others we experienced in different order and it had different meaning based on where we were in life. I think that's why SW I such a beloved franchise. For all of us, it has become a constant companion, the ice breaker that breaks an awkward silence when you have nothing to talk about with someone you love. We associate with it different feelings, and our understanding of this universe varies based on how those discussions have gone, with what knowledge we had at whatever time.

I had a dear friend growing up. A priest and university teacher of theology. He's passed now, but his take on SW was different to that of anyone I'd ever met before or since. I remember visiting him and chatting for hours about SW lol... much better than his homilies lmao. Saying this to point out that there is no normal, everyone's trip along SW is unique and singular. It's not something that can be put in a box, and it doesn't need to. Instead of trying to understand the complexity of it, maybe as a fandom we should celebrate the diversity of the experiences instead.