Both are right because entertainment is subjective.That is all well and good, but my frustration is that parts of the franchise that I am not interested in our everywhere. I am still trying to get in to Clone Wars, but have little desire to discuss it.
Franchise fatigue, for me, is when there is all these different parts of a franchise and I don't feel engaged by it at all or pure speculation about future productions (yes, yes, I know, the Internet). For instance, when the Ep. 7 teaser (not trailer) came out, a film magazine devoted a front page story on a frame by frame analysis, based upon speculative information. Maybe I was too young to recall such attention to the PT but that felt like overreach to me.
I think franchise fatigue is a normal part of a process, as a reflection of the law of diminishing returns. I've ignored plenty of SW material over the years by virtue of no interest (looking at you Yuzon Vong) but that also has the effect of me feeling left out of the community as well.
I'm not sure I'd call that fatigue, since it's still enormously interesting for a large group. I'd say that your interests have changed, or never lay in the direction of things like The Clone Wars or Rebels. Same goes for me. I loved the movies, still do. I read a few Star Wars novels, a few comics. But that's it, the rest doesn't interest me. Mainly, because it's way to much to keep up with, and I don't feel like it. The whole EU of Star Wars isn't my cup of tea. Well, the two KOTOR games, those rocked.
But that's not franchise fatigue, that's simply because it's not my thing.
People keep blaming franchises for not being interesting enough for them. I say, if a franchise has millions of fans, it's not the frachise's fault. And really, not yours either. It's like a relationship you've been in for 18 months, and you both realise you just don't work well together.
Franchise fatigue is a term made up by disgruntled fans who didn't get what they wanted. They were looking for something but couldn't find it. And these days, we always need to blame something, so why not the franchise?
To bring Star Trek into this again.... There are so many fans here who stopped watching DS9 and VOY and ENT, because it was to much for them. To much Star Trek. They also called it franchise fatigue. Thing is, there's an equal amount of fans who got interested in Trek because of DS9, or VOY, or ENT. These fans started watching the others shows, and really got into it.
So, the show labeled by some as franchise fatigue, got others into the franchise..... Who's right here?
I agree in part that it is largely a blame game, and that the fatigue rests largely with individual variation in taste. More to my point is that there is such a thing as putting too much out there in to the market and get diminishing returns as the market share increases.
I think if enough fans get fatigued by their own tastes not aligning with the current goals of the franchise than a something like franchise fatigue can happen. I don't think it means quite what everyone describes it as but there is still the general effect.
As for Star Wars I think that the franchise will do well because it markets itself to various groups. Clone Wars and Rebels for a little younger crowd, and the films to bring in a larger audience.
I just see the potential for fatigue, is all. What form it takes, will vary.
This, is a very well thought out and articulated post.
