Please stop saying that the rise of the First Order meant the OT Rebels fought for nothing

Tomorrow is ANZAC day in Australia where we commemorate the Aussie and New Zealander soldiers who fought in the first and second world wars. Too many times since the release of the first two installments of the sequel trilogy I've seen fans try to justify their distaste of these movies by their impression that the achievements of the first Rebels meant nothing if the First Order rose out of the ashes of the Empire.If you're someone who thinks this I want you to understand something: TFA occurs some 30 years after ROTJ and the second world war occurred 21 years after the first. Now perhaps the people I'm addressing are too young to even consider this possibility but would you have ever told a first world war veteran that they fought for nothing since there was only a reprieve for 21 years before another threat replaced it? I sure hope not.It might seem like a romantic idea that heroes fight in wars for the future generations but most heroes fight in wars for the people of their own generation. Countless innocents through the first half of the 20th century owe their lives to the bravery of soldiers who were willing to shed their blood to save a stranger from oppression. To those who served in the first world war the fact that another war would come in 21 years was irrelevant in light of how many people were suffering in their generation.Now it's perfectly justified to dislike the sequels because you would have preferred a happier ending for Han, Leia and Luke. I'm a little bummed about that myself. That said, the next time you try to say that the rise of the First Order makes meaningless the defeat of the Empire, consider the disrespect you heap on the very real people throughout history who've offered their lives to save the oppressed. No war in history has ended all wars and no defeat of an evil power has meant that another would never rise in its place.The Rebels won 30 years of galactic peace and freedom from oppression. If only the people of this planet could be so lucky.Lest we forget via /r/StarWars https://ift.tt/2K9BwRg