so maybe it's just me but when i saw the adverts for the force awakens i thought they were presenting a brave new world where the force found its way into a new generation of (multiple) characters, none of whom were directly linked to the past story by blood
i think that's what people mean when they discuss finn as a jedi. i honestly thought we were going to see multiple different kinds of force users in the main cast, poe also being one without even knowing it.
that would've been pretty damn exciting. it's definitely what the ads had me thinking before the first film released.
it goes without saying that political extremists took advantage of the existing negative reaction to the advertising/product difference and the sexist/gatekeeping reaction of existing fans complaining that 'their starwars' was using girl power themes to draw in new fans at the cost of narrative development.
like, this should be a given. yes, nazis and nazi-fellaters absolutely jumped into this, stoked the flames, and made it worse. they're constantly looking for any low-grade culture war topic to go nuclear on.
op keeps saying "this isn't about whether the original reaction had any validity" but good luck getting people to see that. nobody wants to think they accidentally helped nazis.
but it's ok if you did. just go find a nazi and break his fucking jaw, and we're good.
Last Jedi did introduce the concept that the force belongs to everyone and not just the Jedi and the Sith and Rise of Skywalker did jack shit with it.