The Rise of Skywalker editor Maryann Brandon will not fight back against fan service complaints. Brandon also spoke out about the rushed production schedule behind-the-scenes. The final installment in the Skywalker Saga is not a hit with critics, with many pointing out that it is disappointing. However, Star Wars fans, for the most part, seem to be perfectly fine with what J.J. Abrams and crew were able to pull off.

One of the more polarizing elements about The Rise of Skywalker is over the fact that the movie is overflowing with fan service. Editor Maryann Brandon admits to this and says it was pretty much inevitable. "Look, sure, it's fan service," the editor said, "[but] if you didn't service the fans, it would be, 'Oh, he didn't go along with the history of Star Wars and what it all means.'" Rian Johnson's lack of fan service in The Last Jedi is believed to be the driving force behind the amount of fan service in the latest movie.

Disney set The Rise of Skywalker release date for this past December and it could not be removed. J.J. Abrams had to work against that clock to get everything done, which led to some unorthodox ways of doing things, according to Maryann Brandon. She admits that they had three months less this time around then they had when working on The Force Awakens. The editor had this to say about the production rush and the pressure on Abrams to deliver the goods, which has resulted in #ReleaseTheJJCut trending on Twitter.

"We were definitely still trying to figure out a lot of stuff. It's a struggle. It affected everything. About a third of the way through, [Lucasfilm president] Kathy [Kennedy] was like, 'J.J. has got to spend more time in the cutting room.' And I knew that wasn't going to happen. Not with the schedule that we were on. Not with what he was dealing with on a daily basis... he was just exhausted at the end of the day."

Maryann Brandon revealed that she was editing on The Rise of Skywalker set back in June 2019. J.J. Abrams was initially against the idea, but Brandon was able to accomplish a lot in a little amount of time, which gave the director time to focus on the overall project. While this seems like an efficient way of doing things, it might not have been the best way to complete such an important moment in Star Wars history. Brandon stands by her decision. She explains.

"I suggested I cut on the set... we had two tented rooms... so I just went wherever J.J. was, usually 10 feet away from the camera, wherever the camera was. And I just mobile-y cut. And in between takes, [J.J.] could sit down with me and we could go over things."

In the end, there was no possible way that J.J. Abrams was going to make The Rise of Skywalker something that all Star Wars fans got behind and celebrated. However, it seems if he were allowed some extra time, like three or four more months, he may have come closer to hitting the mark. The Star Wars franchise has taken a bit of a dip in popularity since returning with Disney, though things are certainly thriving on the small screen, thanks to The Mandalorian. For now, let's hope Disney takes more time with their Lucasfilm projects. The interview with Maryann Brandon was originally conducted by The Playlist.