The Last Jedi may have debuted to the second-biggest domestic box office opening of all time—behind only its Star Wars predecessor, The Force Awakens—but it was met by mixed reviews from moviegoers.
While critics seemed to love The Last Jedi, scoring it at 93 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, hardcore Star Wars fans were more divided — Episode VIII has only a 53 percent audience rating on the site.
However, director Rian Johnson has said that he believes the controversy surrounding the movie was an inevitable result of the saga moving forward. After being asked what he thinks of Jedi‘s polarizing nature, Johnson took to Twitter to explain his stance.
“The goal is never to divide or make people upset, but I do think the conversations that are happening were going to have to happen at some point if [Star Wars] is going to grow, move forward and stay vital,” Johnson tweeted on Thursday.
More Must-Reads From TIME
- Jane Fonda Champions Climate Action for Every Generation
- Biden’s Campaign Is In Trouble. Will the Turnaround Plan Work?
- Why We're Spending So Much Money Now
- The Financial Influencers Women Actually Want to Listen To
- Breaker Sunny Choi Is Heading to Paris
- Why TV Can’t Stop Making Silly Shows About Lady Journalists
- The Case for Wearing Shoes in the House
- Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time
Write to Megan McCluskey at megan.mccluskey@time.com