#I loved Poe's arc in this film

[antianakin]

@theneutralmime

Oh this could get long, I don't talk about the sequels often lol. But I recently had to rewatch the entire trilogy as research for the podcast, so I have some more solid opinions on this now, so let's go.

Rey is a character who suffered from a fairly basic set-up in TFA that went exactly nowhere when her trajectory changed in TLJ and they couldn't figure out how to fix it in TROS (and the studio execs came in and enforced certain things to happen because they figured it would make certain fans happy). Rey IS her own character, she's not just like... Luke 2.0 or whatever, but the general set-up of "young hero stuck on their own in their life they can't escape and who ends up forced into an adventure when adventure happens to find them" is... not the most original thing in the world. It can be REALLY GOOD when executed well, there's a reason it's popular, but nothing about Rey was like... insanely original aside from the fact that she was a woman as (one of) the main character(s) in Star Wars films for the first time.

And then Rian Johnson took this pretty basic set-up that everyone understood and went "what if I threw this on the ground and spat on it and crushed it for good measure to be Edgy" and that's how we got TLJ with "Rey Nobody" who somehow already knows everything she needs to know which makes her ENTIRE JOURNEY to go find Luke completely meaningless and shifts the story from being about HER to being about LUKE. It's dumb, it's stupid, and it was bad writing.

Not following the very obvious character arc set up for her in TFA means that Rey as a character vacillates back and forth between motivations and characterizations in each new film. So it's hard to know like... who Rey even IS as a character, what's important to her, what she cares about, why she even WANTS to be a Jedi, what kind of Jedi she'd actually be, etc. In the first film, she's on a very basic journey of learning to let go of the idea that someone will come back for her on Jakku in order to recognize that it's better to find ways to connect with new people than push aside those relationships for one that has already gone. This is why she leaves Finn at the end of the film to find Luke in the first place, she can't let her connection to Finn be what holds her back any more than she could let her connection to her parents hold her back. She has a greater destiny out there to follow that she can only answer if she learns how to let go. In the second film, her entire motivation surrounds saving Kylo Ren for some reason and, as mentioned before, she apparently already knows everything she needs know and doesn't need any training or guidance of any kind which leaves her exactly nowhere to go as a character. In the third film, it's all about figuring out how to connect to the Jedi of the past for... reasons and struggling with the sudden revelation that she is Palpatine's granddaughter and therefore has extra capacity for darkness in her or something.

There's nothing consistent about her across the three films which leaves Rey and her story just... in the dust. She could've been a perfectly good and enjoyable hero character had they just let her follow the path she was set up on in TFA, and instead we got... the mess she became. I LIKE Rey, I think she's occasionally fun and I like the relationship she has with Finn and Poe in TROS, but she got absolutely SLAUGHTERED by this trilogy.

But that is NOTHING compared to what happened to Finn.

Finn is unarguably the most interesting and unique character introduced in TFA. A stormtrooper deserter with the potential to be Force sensitive AND the main love interest for the other main female character? A stormtrooper who could become a JEDI, the clear potential for a stormtrooper rebellion, the parallels and connection between Finn and Kylo that so clearly demonstrated that theme of choice (with Finn being someone raised in darkness who chooses selflessness and compassion anyway vs Kylo who was raised in light with all the support and resources he could ask for and still chooses selfishness and darkness), the possibility of having true CO-LEADS for the first time with Finn and Rey as like two halves of one hero with the romance being there to lift them BOTH up rather than relegate one of them to the side. The potential here with Finn was LIMITLESS, it was INSANE.

And ALL OF IT got squandered. Every last ounce. Finn got COMPLETELY sidelined in TLJ, separated from all of Rey's storylines and replaced by Kylo Ren, his Force sensitivity was not further explored, the entire story with the rebellion could've been what jumpstarted his stormtrooper rebellion plotline and instead he got thrown off into some weird casino c-plot bullshit to try to thrust him into a new romance that wasn't with Rey, and he was just constantly being physically hurt by other characters as though it was a joke of some kind. TROS attempted to bring SOME of it back by having him going on more missions with Poe off-screen, allowed Finn, Poe, and Rey to be an actual trio with a relationship together, and hinted at the Force sensitivity more than once. But by the time TROS came around, the damage had been done and it couldn't manage to come back from that, so Finn ended up developing nowhere in that film and does basically nothing but follow around Poe and Rey wherever they go, more sidelined than ever but at least he's not constantly being hit and he IS still involved in the main storylines in a way he wasn't in TLJ.

The options were all SO GOOD for Finn and we got resolution for exactly none of them and because of how badly John Boyega and his character got treated, we'll likely never get any real resolution for his character EVER because he is understandably not going to come back to Star Wars after this. I haven't yet forgiven Rian Johnson for the choices he made in TLJ that ruined Finn.

I actually like Kylo best in TFA because I think, much like everybody else, that's where we see the real potential for what the character could've been. Kylo in TFA is really set up to just be "another Anakin" where he went dark but can still be saved by the love of the father/son bond and then he ISN'T. They set the audience up SO HARD for that eventuality, for Kylo to be secretly not as evil as he seems, for him to be someone who can be saved like Anakin was saved, so you're sitting there expecting that to happen during that scene on Starkiller Base with Han, which is why it comes as such a shock when he kills Han anyway and turns the ENTIRE NARRATIVE on its head by telling you that Kylo IS NOT ANAKIN and isn't going to be saved the same way if he can be saved AT ALL (and it's heavily implying he CAN'T BE SAVED). TLJ basically just redid this entire narrative from TFA all over again except with Rey and the dyad, but because they did it with Rey and the dyad, there ended up being a bunch of people who ended up VERY invested in Reylo as a thing and so the studio then caved to that in TROS and saved Kylo despite that never being in the original plan according to Adam Driver.

And I think it would've been kind-of interesting to have this character who seems like he should be able to be saved like Anakin, but not everyone CAN be saved, not everyone WILL ultimately make better choices when given the option, some people are just going to double down on their darkness and commit to being evil. I like the subversion of expectations from what we were given with Anakin, the way he's like the inverse of Anakin in so many ways and looks up to "Darth Vader" as a role model of sorts without ever understanding the choices Anakin actually made, both good and bad. And if TLJ had actually, you know, expanded upon what TFA had already established instead of just saying the exact same thing all over again, maybe we could've gotten a more interesting story out of his character.

Which leads us to Luke and his role in "creating" Kylo. Here again we get what seems to be a lack of agreement between the people in charge about what this story was supposed to be and say. TFA sets up that Kylo is making his own choices, he's not brainwashed, and his primary problem seems to be with his parents. TLJ then turns around and says it was all LUKE'S fault, that Luke had a moment of weakness and it threw Kylo into a fury he's never come back from, but Luke's mistake is what ultimately led to everything that followed. And like... this isn't Luke. Maybe some people really enjoyed seeing Luke be this broken old man who just makes the same mistakes over and over again, but this wasn't Luke to me. I don't buy that Luke had an instinct that caused him to ignite a weapon in response to feeling the darkness in his nephew's mind, something he's only feeling because he's literally INVADING HIS NEPHEW'S MIND AS HE SLEEPS. There is nothing about his choices here that are in line with anything we knew about Luke from the Original Trilogy. Luke would never do this to someone he cared about, he just wouldn't.

The movie's insistence on making Luke into this broken beaten old man is also, as I mentioned above, a massive mistake because it turns the story in TLJ from REY'S journey into LUKE'S journey. Rey isn't the one who has to learn things and develop in this film, LUKE is. LUKE is the one who fucked up, LUKE is the one who lost hope, LUKE is the one who has to be taught a lesson about what it means to be a Jedi in the end. Rey does shit all in this film.

It also moves the focus away from it being KYLO'S CHOICES that led to what he's become to this weirder story about how Luke screwed up and has to fix it by... trusting that Rey already has it covered I guess? Instead of focusing on how Kylo made selfish choices and what actually PROMPTED those selfish choices despite all of the support he had and the legacy of his parents and the way that that parallels the choices being made by Rey and Finn, it focuses on LUKE, someone whose story has ALREADY BEEN TOLD. Kylo ends up a little bitchass victim in this instead of a character who is making clear and concise choices, something that was established when he killed Han in TFA, so his choice at the end of TLJ when he kills Snoke and takes over as Supreme Leader doesn't have the same impact when we've already see him make that choice in the climax of the last film. It's redundant and walking back the choice from TFA sort-of undoes everything that it's trying to say about the character and makes TLJ's conclusion feel wishy washy. Is he a tragic victim who has to be saved, or is he a villain who just needs to be eliminated? It's unclear by the end of TLJ.

Luke's role in "creating" Kylo was stupid on so many levels, both structurally and in terms of character. It never should've happened and it's an insult to who Luke is and has been to this story and I haven't forgiven Rian Johnson for THIS choice either. TROS does attempt to fix this and walk it back, as well, but much like with Finn, the damage was done.

So as far as I'm concerned, TFA is a solid film with a really interesting concept of taking a premise we all think is predictable and then subverting those expectations pretty intentionally, but the other two films are a complete and utter mess that aren't worth the 10ish hours of my life they have taken from me by watching them each twice now. There's a few fun moments in TLJ and TROS but I can't say that either film is like... a good or enjoyable film overall.

[the-force-awakens]

Yeah, that's a pretty good analysis. I don't see Poe included hardly at all, in fandom or in canon to a degree, and I think it's safe to say he has one of the least number of fans who are specifically fans of him. Like I don't see many blogs/accounts that are specifically Poe centric.

Oh man, I actually got up to answer this on my computer rather than my phone, so we'll see how into it I'll get into this ask, but yes! It's vastly unfortunate that he often gets excluded or overlooked when he's the entire catalyst for the sequel trilogy. He is, archetypically and narratively within the story, the Leia of our generation: if it was not for Poe and BB-8 (who is really like an extension of Poe), then Finn wouldn't have been able to escape the Finalizer, and Rey would have never left Jakku.

While yes, it's true that Poe wasn't initially meant to survive The Force Awakens (and other nine word horror stories for me), Poe is still one part of the primary trio of the trilogy and has been since 2015. He is not only Leia's first protégé, but the eventual leader of the Resistance, and according to the Rise of Skywalker novel, the heir to the legacy of House Organa (cue me loudly proclaiming him a Disney Prince). Yet, somehow, at the same time......no one seems to ever want to include him as part of the saga, and an important one as that?

(@dameronalone points out ever so often how much they love the shot where everyone leaves Exegol for this reason, because we see Poe flying alongside the Falcon, which really hammers in that Poe is an important player in the history of the saga).

More thoughts below the cut, because I have more and this is already lengthy.

The worst thing is that Poe was extremely popular. Lucasfilm and Marvel pretty much immediately greenlit a comic series for him, and while that was definitely to flesh his story out, if my memory serves, it was so popular that I believe the first printing sold out? And it was originally only meant to last 25 issues (which personally I think it should have stayed at, because I don't super vibe with 26-onward and it feels off and tonally disconnected to the rest of the series and also the ending of TLJ, and the characterization for Poe also feels off, but that's!! a different rant!!!) but the title was so popular that Marvel decided to extend it for two more storylines!

The issue was the fandom backlash to TLJ.

You don't have to look too far into my blog to know that I adore Poe in TLJ, and that I like his arc in the movie, and that I avidly defend him for it, but the internet in 2017-2019 was an entirely different universe from that. You could not go anywhere - Tumblr, Twitter, Youtube, fucking hell, even most major media news outlets and clickbait websites - without hearing about how much everyone hated Poe Dameron.

Why? Because they walked away from his arc deciding that he was sexist and the movie's perfect example of toxic masculinity (although, lmfao, the First Order clowns are right there). It went further than that, with headlines about how everyone hated him, how he was personally responsible for everything that happens in the Resistance in the film, and how he was the worst character in Star Wars since Jar Jar Binks (because clearly the Star Wars fandom never learns from its previous toxicity, right?). It was to the point that, to my immense horror and frustration, even as far as into promoting TROS, a reporter described Poe as a "secret villain" in TLJ to Oscar (and man do I hope that man knows Poe is loved, actually).

Fandom wasn't much different. Fanon Poe prior to TLJ was....a lot different. In some ways, a lot of fics hit the nail on the head on who Poe was, but there was a definite unifying idea of who Poe was: a pure cinnamon roll who never, ever swore, and always listened to Leia and never argued with her - let alone disobeyed her orders or put a toe out of line (this is even illustrated in canon, with the first Poe Dameron annual, where the author has Poe declare that Leia is "always right" and instantly caving in an argument).

And TLJ Poe is about....as far removed from that vision of Poe as you can possibly get - although nothing about him in TLJ is ooc. We see the bare bones of it in The Force Awakens, and Before the Awakening and the comics further flesh out Poe in a way that perfectly leads into the Last Jedi. But the cinnamon roll fanon was made so common and leaked so far into fandom consciousness, that there was this strange concept that Poe was never, ever angry even in expanded material, which...he does. He gets pissed off plenty of times in the comics, and with the Defense Fleet while arguing with Deso.

So, canon Poe did the unthinkable and, y'know, didn't fall in line with how fanon saw him, which resulted in a huge backlash over the fact that he was a character with agency and a personality (that is NOT sexist thank you), which resulted in us getting books like Resistance Reborn, by authors who can't stand him or describe him as anything besides "supremely arrogant" and spends three hundred pages emotionally torturing him, claiming he needs to die, physically assaulting him, and you know...having the person who attacked him and the other person who claimed he needed to die flirt with him, because it also spends an ungodly amount of time sexualizing him to an uncomfortable degree, because the one thing fanon could agree on outside of the fact that he had been "ruined" or that he was a jackass or a "fuckboi" (yeah that went around too), was that Oscar Isaac is really goddamned fine in the Last Jedi (he is, I'll give them that, there's something about tlj!Poe, scientists remain baffled).

And on top of all of that, a particular fraction of the fandom developed an interesting habit of taking new pieces of canon and spreading them around online out of context, claiming that the writers were now intentionally writing him as sexist and as a jackass, and ruining his character further. I don't know for certain if this had any effect overall on the fandom's perception of him, but I know that it did almost break my spin in him for a while because I thought people were being very genuine, and it wasn't until 2020 that I got curious and started doing my own research into the panels/paragraphs being shared online, and sure enough, discovered that the angle had been falsified to paint Poe into a worse light (which, if anyone is curious, is why I did my deep dive into everything that he was in, because I didn't want to be fooled again. You can't trick me if I know everything lmfao).

So essentially, his popularity nosedived after the Last Jedi. It seemed to bump up a little bit, or at least there definitely seemed to be more people interested in him/writing for him in 2020 coming off the lockdown, but obviously that has very much dwindled. But I've definitely not seen any blogs dedicated to Poe as a character since 2017, and you don't ordinarily see him in miscellaneous Star Wars gifsets that go around either, let alone solo Poe gifsets (I know because I lose my shit anytime there's a new one that's not by me), and Poe creations that have nothing to do with a ship is.........even less likely to be found.

I definitely think canon is at least trying to keep him in our minds though. He was the second character to lead one of the Lego Specials, and that Rey short story ("Through the Turbulence") was focused on her friendship with him. Whether or not that's because of the possibility of Oscar returning for the Rey movie (which feels fairly tangible, considering he's been kind of shady about it after mentioning he'd come back for a good story, and doing that Halcyon video), or if it's just because of Lucasfilm maybe warming up to him as a character again*, I don't know, but I hope it means we get good-faith content for him again soon.

*Because I'm tired of the story group constantly being a little bitch about him, and the same goes for the Topps Trading Card App. Maybe people wouldn't think he was a villain if you stopped describing him like a terrible person? Just a thought.

[piglet26]

Rey Solo... Rey from Jakku.... Rey No one... anything but Rey Skywalker.

The Last Jedi simply revealed that Rey was a "nobody" – perhaps the most shocking and least expected outcome for the Rey lineage debate. It was a perfect twist in our heroine story despite people seeming desperate for her to be connected to some man already in the franchise.

Daisy Ridley has even expressed her frustration with the Rey’s lineage debate multiple times, “I love that Rey is such a great character, they’re like: ‘No, no, she has to be… she has to be-’She’s her own person! Let her be her guys, let her live."

Exactly! Why did people care so much? Maybe initially, it was fun to hypothesize. However, once the reveal came out people actually liked that she was fresh, a brand new start instead of just nostalgia, or, a way to continue on a males legacy. We have Ben Solo for that, or, at least we did.

More than a shocking twist created just to subvert expectations, the Rey “no one” reveal encapsulated The Last Jedi’s perfect message – anyone could be the hero of their own story.  Rey’s realization was that her heritage don’t matter ... all that matters is who she chooses to be now. Rey’s legacy didn't need to be defined by Luke or Leia, which would leave her free to start her own story - hell, Star Wars to have a future. On the other end was Ben/Kylo Ren, who did come from the mighty Skywalker family and hailed as the son of heroes and wanted to escape that legacy.

Then here comes JJ "Nostalgia Kind" Abrams and Chris Terrio. Terrio here “We also thought that Rey’s arc cannot be finished after Episode VIII. You can leave Episode VIII and say, “Well, now, Rey is content. She’s discovered her parents aren’t Skywalkers, or whatever, and that’s fine.” But so much of her personal story was about where she came from, what kept her on Jakku all those years and the trauma that shaped her. We see quite strongly in Episode VII that something mysterious and troubling happened to her. Although she did get some answers in Episode VIII, we didn’t feel that that story was over. We felt that there were still more questions in Rey’s head about where she came from and where she was going. So, that was the other big idea that we had to address in this film. Rian’s answer to, “What’s the worst news that Rey could receive?” was that she comes from junk traders, and that’s true. She does come from junk traders; we didn’t contradict that.” No, you just went back to what you wanted in the beginning.

By the end Rey takes on not only the Skywalker name but she looks over two suns which brings me to the point of this essay...... if Ben wasn't going to be there, then she should have taken last name. Rey Solo.

What's irritating about LucasFilm/Disney is their desire to appease everyone. I don't give a damn about the antis, nor should they. Reylos were a big support group for the films and mightily invested. TROS came off as trying to please everyone. If we really think about, with the exception of the end of Exegol, the Rey and Kylo interactions lacked depth and intimacy. Perhaps it's just not the style of JJ Abrams and Chris Terrio, who did support the pairing.

While I'm 100% convinced Reylo was planned, all the creators seemed very open to adjusting if it wasn't working. Hence why Finn and Poe were both open considerations, especially Finn. I don’t think Adam or Daisy intentionally played up any sexual tension in their scenes together to give us an impression about something in TFA.  I think it just happened.  Early bird Reylos picked up on it.  Some critics, including the one who wrote the TFA review for Time magazine, picked up on it. Rian Johnson picked up on it too and the rest is history.

Leia’s behavior's is odd for entire decades. Being a trained Jedi herself, she could have taught her son - instead she sent him to his uncle( Oh wait, that was a retcon). Han was either helping with the Resistance or off doing something shady. From the novels we learn that Ben heard his parents arguing and talking about him like he was a monster ever since he was a child, and that when he was sent away this seemed to confirm to him that something was wrong with him and had to be fixed. (From the novels we also learn that he actually had no ambition to become a Jedi and wanted to be a pilot - true Skywalker and also Solo that he is -, but he had no say in the matter.)

For both Ben and Rey, their journey is about letting go of childhood trauma and discovering their own independence. Ultimately it's about their pairing being both emotionally healing AND a balance in the force. They are a DYAD after all. I saw all this to say, he is her closest personal connection and impact through the 3 films. Leia is her master but we don't see that, it happened off camera.

Terrio says that the decision to have Rey take on the name “Skywalker” was a way to show that “you can choose your ancestry.” Which is not true and also a strange thing to say considering.

Which brings me to the correction of this tricky trail. Pay Adam Driver want he wants and reunite the dyad.

[kalinara]

I did think I would feel a bit more satisfied when an actor finally confirmed what, I think, most of us knew about Kylo Ren's intended arc in the Sequel Trilogy.

Blah, blah, the redemption arc wasn't supposed to happen. Kylo was supposed to be a villain throughout. Where's that Captain Holt vindication gif when you want it?

I'd agree, personally, that it would have made for a better movie if Kylo had remained the big bad. Adam Driver, I think, is the one who really missed out. I feel like he missed out on his chance to go full out, balls to the wall evil overlord. He'd have killed it, I suspect. And I say that as someone who isn't particularly a fan of the guy.

I do think though I get why they went with a half-assed redemption arc, though. I don't think it had anything to do with the Reylos (the kiss maybe, but I'd like to think they're smart enough to realize that rabid shippers generally don't go for the romantic - die for your love type of ending. At least not if the hot guy is doing the dying...)

I think it's because of Carrie Fisher's death.

They'd said for a while that the third movie was supposed to be Leia's, in the way that TFA was Han's, and TLJ was Luke's. Whether or not this made you optimistic probably depends on how much you liked the fates of those characters in those movies. I didn't hate them, personally.

I'm not going to speculate too hard on what the original story would have been. I certainly can imagine some pretty epic stuff with Princess Leia as the Big Good set against her son as the Big Bad. But...well...when you lose one of your primary actors before you get a chance to actually film anything...well, that limits what you can do.

I suppose that's why I'm willing to give Rise of Skywalker a bit more slack than a lot of folk. They were kind of stuck. Ultra-evil Kylo Ren is a more satisfying story with the set up they had, but it's also a tragedy. For what it's worth, the man does have a mother, who will grieve him if no one else does.

Except...we can't actually film the grieving, can we? We can't film the confrontation between despairing mother and lost son - whatever resolution was likely to happen. We can, at least, use some lost footage to TRY to build the relationship between Leia and Rey that needs to happen for that side of the story, but even then, we'll need Force Ghost Luke to help with the more reactive parts.

And of course, they need to write Leia herself out as gracefully as possible. In a way that doesn't require a lot of new footage and still gives the character a sense of accomplishment. Otherwise, you might as well have just blown her up with Hosnian Prime.

So...half assed redemption arc. With not-exactly-force-ghost Han to help there. I do feel like they could have done a better job with Kylo's part there. You know, made it look like he was at least interested in doing something OTHER than violating a woman's mind and terrorizing her for a good third of the movie. But well. No one's ever completely happy with things.

I don't know. In the end, I think the folks behind the Sequel Trilogy did what they could to give us a final, reasonably satisfying conclusion. There were fuck ups along the way (see: Finn, see: Poe. Though that fuckery started with TLJ, IMO) but, I think if we sat down and watched all nine movies in a row, and got to Rise of Skywalker's closing scene...I think we would end it feeling like we'd reached a workable ending to the Skywalker Saga.

Probably because we'd be too exhausted to notice the plotholes at that point. C'est la vie.

[jessequinnfirstofhername]

Btw do you want more controversial Star Wars opinions?

The Sequel Trilogy "Trio" (I struggle to call them that since they're not even all together until THE LAST MOVIE) have less personality than their villains. And no actual character arcs. Especially Rey, who never actually struggles with anything or even risks falling to the Dark Side at any point whatsoever.

Oh I always want more controversial Star Wars opinions. Consider this a permanent thing on my blog, much like the fanfics.

The Sequel Trilogy "Trio" is so shady, I kinda love it. Shots fired.

Okay, so my reaction: I agree and disagree. I love The Sequel Trilogy, it's why I'm such a huge SW fan. I never 'got' Star Wars until I saw The Force Awakens in cinemas, and it just made something go *click* in my head.

However, nothing is above criticism. I do think that the ST trio were unfortunately a bit of a missed opportunity. Compare them to Han, Luke, and Leia. Or even Padme, Anakin, and Obi-Wan.

Also, yes. Hux, Ren, and Phasma (to use a contrasting 'evil trio') have more personality than the heroes.

But. That's a common issue across a lot of media. Villains just get to be more fun to watch.

The character arc issue... yeah, I'll agree. I am still mad that Finn's arc was such a let-down, Poe never really grew or changed, and I wish we'd seen Rey being more seduced by The Dark Side. She's Palpatine's granddaughter FFS.

I think a lot of the disappointments in The Rise Of Skywalker (and I do actually like TROS!) were a result of Carrie Fisher's passing. Love or hate Han and Luke in The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, but they had an obvious plan for each of the sequel films to focus on the journey's end of each member of the OT trio. But, sadly, The Rise of Skywalker couldn't do that for Leia. So I would assume a lot of things had to be scrapped or changed.

[nonhumanhottie]

The force awakens rewatch

I told my housemate I'm sorry for the person I'm about to become while we watch this film

I have this on blu-ray and even the menu gives me nostalgia

Poe dameron I love you sir

Kylo's theme is so good

Kylo really said delete it old

Poe has zero fear

Rey is so cute like shut up

God I actually missed this Joss Whedon-esque dialogue

The instant bestie-ification of Finn and Poe

Kylo and Hux: Co-workers who hate each other iconic

Finn is so impressed by Rey's spunk

Non-consensual hand holding to best friends pipelines

I miss Sass King kylo

Why would Finn be taught Han is a war hero lol

Serial killer stare Kylo

One BOY yeah okay sure he was totally a boy when he burned the temple

Local bitch sees trees for the first time and loves it

Maz is perceiving!!! She is perceiving you!!

I love Finn's arc so much

Sure would love to know who the Knights of Ren are!!

Someone finally came back for Rey

That's what sneeping and snooping gets you girl don't touch the youngline slayer 3000

Hux's speech is so topical lmao fascists sure do suck

Finn and the lightsaber!!

Snap and Jess!!

Kylo making her faint is like so wild truly horror villain

Threepio!!!

Leia you're so perfect I love you

Homosexual lip biting by Poe Dameron

Why is Kylo squatting like that

Y'all need to put your seatbelts on

Finn saying fuck you to his meal trooper mom

Dude them naming their child after Obi-Wan hits so much harder after the Kenobi show

Fuck him up Rey!!

Forehead kiss!

This movie makes me happy!!

[that-one-kiddo-in-the-back]

Hey, fellow Star Wars fan who has relogged your work in the past. Just wanted to say I loved The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi (the latter I consider the best Star Wars film since The Empire Strikes Back), as for The Rise Of Skywalker...that's a can of worms for another day. I didn't find them boring at all, nor did I think TFA was a "rehashing of A New Hope". I felt they were fresh, compelling adventures that explored the themes of legacy all while, especially in TLJ, challenging the status quo of Star Wars, flipping the series on its head. No. I never saw Finn, a black man, being side-lined in favour of Rey, a white woman. He was given solid arc in TFA and TLJ was a natural progression of his arc. I feel this "Finn was side-lined" idea is a result of hindsight bias caused by TROS, which DID side-line Finn, Poe and others in favour of Rey and Kylo Ren, but you can blame Disney and focus-groups trying to pander certain people for that. So, yeah, I'm like Linkara (a great video content creator you need to check out): Loved TFA and TLJ, not a fan of TROS. That's me.

Hey man, that's great you can't enjoy something that I just couldn't. Most of my problems do fall on TROS and TLJ as I feel TLJ destroyed Luke's character and made him something unrecognizable, and TROS was probably the worst of it with really getting rid of the more fun characters Rose, Finn, and Poe. I know more people who also like the TFA and TLJ, but for me personally, I just couldn't get into it or shake that feeling that it could have been better.

I also didn't see the point in bringing in characters from the original series other than pointless fan service.

But again, like I kinda said in my post. I have friends who enjoyed Solo. My taste isn't the law (thankfully). I'm glad you had fun watching them, but I just couldn't.

I will go check out Linkara if they made a video about the movies. Maybe they can change my mind about them

[starkskypines]

Dinluke 

waking up warm: 2.9k; t; Luke has a panic attack but Din finds him

quiet roar of the ocean: 2.6k; g; Din spends a lot of time thinking about what love means and finding acceptance in loving his family

weathered love: 6.3k; t; miscommunication and making up

don’t carry it alone: 12k; t; strangers to friends to lovers speedrun

Codywan

sunrise at the altar of a dead god: 10k; t; Cody finds himself adrift after going AWOL from the Empire. He ends up on Tatooine

Obitine

i’ll build a glass home from the sandy ruins: 5.8k; g; super angsty post-rots au where Satine lives on Tatooine with Obi-Wan

could’ve given you something, you my everything: 4.2k; g; Obi-Wan sings

and i was catching my breath: 12k; t; tangled au 

TCW

hold on hope: wip; m; Anakin falls, but his family isn't quite ready to let him go; Ahsoka and Padmé find him fighting Obi-Wan on Mustafar.

hear me when i speak (words of trust so unworthy): 2.2k; g; Obi-Wan is injured and says things to Anakin he doesn’t mean

a disconnect like a livewire: 5k; g; Obi-Wan is injured in battle and Anakin deals with the guilt. Then Obi-Wan wakes up and deals with Anakin.

it’s a winterful life: 1.5k; g; the 212th discover snow

you might think i’m bulletproof but i’m not: prompt fill; g; anakin and ahsoka feels 

i think i’ve seen this film before and i didn’t like the ending: prompt fill; g; cody thinking about the war

you broke another mirror and you’re turning into something you’re not: prompt fill; g; post-deception arc Padmé and Obi-Wan feels

mace windu trains anakin au: 3.4k; g; how Mace Windu taking a young Anakin Skywalker as his padawan saves the galaxy. 

the sauce that binds us: 5.7k; g; a crack fic based off the New Girl episode “Spiderhunt” feat. the usual tcw suspects + Quinlan Vos & Yoda

Anidala

the price that paid left a mark that stains: 66k; t; Shadow Warrior au where Padmé refuses to trade Grievous for Anakin

Do You Remember?: a canon-compliant, post rots, poem from Padmé’s pov

Kenobi Show

a stone and a message: 2k; g; Quinlan Vos holds onto Obi-Wan’s river stone post-order 66

what once was lost (now is found): 4.9k; g; five times someone gives Obi-Wan a gift and one time he gives someone else a gift

Foxiyo

shining just for you: 6k; t; wip; Senator Riyo Chuchi’s diplomatic ship goes down because of a Separatist attack. Riyo and Commander Fox are the only survivors

Blyla

there were sirens in the beat of your heart: 2k; t; instances of Bly and Aayla feeling each other’s pulse throughout the war; mcd

Rebels

the weight of knowing: 6.9k; g; Luke tells Rex that Anakin became Vader and Rex deals with the fallout of that knowledge

Sequel Trilogy

survivor’s path: 3.9k; g; Ahsoka is sent to rescue Poe but ends up finding Kix too

Din Djarin x Reader

lonely desert figure: 2.2k; g; Reader is a former Child of the Watch who left and now they’re a hunter working for Boba Fett (so this means reader has ARMOR), and they’re already fast friends with Fennec. Fett invites Reader to join the Daimyo, and Mando and Reader have a conversation about family. 

Cody x Reader

Little Corner of the Galaxy: 1.4k; g; Cody misses your dinner date…again. 

Captain Rex x Reader

you look at me and it’s like you hit me with lighting: prompt fill; g; literally just domestic fluff 

[not-wholly-unheroic]

4 and 27 for the ask game if you want!

4. Favorite line

I debated over a few different quotes from various versions and couldn’t quite decide so I’ll just list few of my top choices.

Barrie’s Hook:

The entire soliloquy sequence. It’s very…Shakespearean, almost? And gives us a glimpse into the inner workings of his mind and how much of a tragic character he actually is. “No little children love me.” Umm…ow?? Twelve year-old me read that and said, “Get over here and lemme give you a hug, sir.”

Original Disney Film:

“I can’t stand it any longer, I tell you! I can’t stand it…” Breaks my heart every single time.

Alternatively, “I’ll show you this ghost has blood in his veins,” is such a brief but powerful quote. Another very Shakespearean moment. He’s so dramatic. I love it!

Return to Neverland:

“Mr. Smee…be a good fellow and fix the plank…SO I CAN MAKE YOU WALK IT!!” I just die laughing at this one.

Jake and the Neverland Pirates:

“I am no mere villain… I am a villainous hero!” YES!! That’s my boy!! Give him a full redemption arc, Disney. You were SO CLOSE!!

27. Guilty pleasure

(1) Cream and sugar in his tea. In Neverland, there really isn’t a good way to get cream and sugar. Honey, maybe, but not actual sugar. So he usually drinks his tea plain. Now that he has access to cream and sugar, he’s gotten so used to going without that he doesn’t really NEED it but every once in awhile, if he’s feeling like celebrating something special or he’s having an extremely rough day and wants to treat himself, he’ll make use of them.

(2) Love stories/poems. Not the raunchy romance novels you see on shelves nowadays. But tragic and/or fluffy stuff like Romeo and Juliet, Jane Austen novels, Jane Eyre, and poems like Poe’s “Annabel Lee” and Alfred Noyes’ “The Highwayman.” He’s a hopeless romantic at heart.

[darklinaforever]

personally (take note I have never seen the star wars sequel trilogy) I think I could love reylo if I did not love Han Solo so much and want the original trio to have a happy ending and got to grow old together. From what I heard of the sequel trilogy, I won't watch it because of said reasons(also because of how Han Solo was killed off!). Bits and pieces of the trilogy had good points, I just think it could and been written better. And like instead of having the original trio in the series. Leave them alone and make the people who help Rey and friends be descendants from the orginal trio. Like make all the bad things like many years after the trio has died. They won their war. Let them have their happy ending. Also I am totally fine with who Reys related to. It's just how they did it and ended Reys storyline(and kylos) from what I've heard I think is messed up. I feel like this sequel trilogy over all could have been written better if three things: they left the orginal trio out of it. They give better storylines and endings to Rey, Finn and Kylo. Kylo too om find with being related to the skywalkers some how. I just don't like how directly he's related affects the orginal trios happy ending.

In fact, I think it's very good to have shown that those we thought were the perfect and model heroes messed up the education of their only heir. It was a good reflection, I think. The problem is therefore not that the original trio has been tampered with, but quite simply that people are refusing that they could have made mistakes in the future and not been perfectly happy. For example, people were horrified by Luke's current life, but if George Lucas had taken care of it himself, well... he would have had a very similar life too. Same for Han Solo... The actor wanted his character to die, and that was how it was planned in the original trilogy. In fact, it is worth noting that each former member of the trio dies in an attempt to bring Kylo Ben back to the light side of the force, so obviously, by killing Kylo, ​​beyond messing up the latter's entire redemption arc and the Rey's natural arc, where the two had to come together to establish a real form of balance that there was not in the force before, well that also messed up the arcs of the members of the trio for the dosage. They all sacrifice themselves so that Kylo can come back to the good side and potentially be happy, all so that he also dies in the end. The problem with the sequel trilogy was quite simply the last film which did not take on anything from what the first 2 films had brought for fear of public reactions ! (Because a vocal minority of haters hated Kylo) Which is completely stupid... Anyway, all the arcs were messed up in the last film. Kylo, ​​Rey, members of the original trio. Finn who ultimately doesn't bring any revolution to the Stormtroopers... Poe who behaves like a child again instead of the leader in the making that he learned to be in the 8th film... In short. Star Wars 9 was a disaster. It ruined the entire sequel story-wise. But I would still recommend watching it, just to see the wonder that is Star Wars 8. I maintain it, this film is excellent and in my eyes the best Star Wars after The Empire Strikes Back ! If Star Wars 9 had been done well, it would have been the second best trilogy after the original. Because yes... Star Wars 7 and 8 are better in my eyes than the entire prelogy on Anakin / Dark Vador.

Me when I think of the Star Wars 9 massacre :

But if you are interested in seeing a couple like Reylo, I recommend the chinese drama Love Between Fairy and Devil. He really is the Chinese Reylo !

[man-down-in-hatchet-town]

Rumor Has It

A week late and a dollar short (but plus a Penny... sorry, couldn't resist) but here we are. Spoilers under the cut for Episode 4 of The Case of the Greater Gatsby!

God, this episode made me laugh. Banger after banger from the Persauds. The line about Fig's family being bad at math TOOK ME OUT like I was Cliff Calloway and the writing was his next hit movie.

Speaking of: CLIFF! <3 I've been so looking forward to seeing him and he did not disappoint! The continuation of the gag of him rehearsing threatening play lines is hilarious, as well as thematically on point for a story about Hollywood backstabbing and intrigue. As much as I hate my boy getting threatened, I'm relieved that he seems completely innocent in the case of the malicious hate-mail. But then why did Willie say he'd been acting down recently? He only just received the threatening message the day before, so it couldn't be about that. Is he just pining after his contractor? Stressed about having to manage an estate with 48 bathrooms? And just how does all this tie into F. Scott's murder? Willie and Cliff being targeted suggests that their foe is all about stopping The Grapes of Wrath, but what would that have to do with the larger story? Or are we being misled by the narrative? Is Cliff secretly signed on to play Nick in a still-happening Greater Gatsby? If so, by trying to silence Willie, who can't keep a secret to save her life, and then get Cliff to drop out of the cast, whoever killed Fitzy could be trying to ensure that his final project is buried with him.

The idea of creating one character who does basically everything on the film set is genius. It's very funny, and keeps the character count down and affordable for a small indie company. But on a purely narrative level, what secrets has Penny learned from being everywhere and everyone on the lot? (Also, just waiting for someone to make a "Penny for your thoughts" joke with her.)

Jumping back to the first part of the episode, I agree with Ford that Sheilah was very hard to read. She does seem a little too cavalier about the affair, especially since she then turns around and points the finger right at Vivian. And her theory doesn't even make sense. How is Vivian drumming up dollars from this case? If anything, she's losing money by hiring them. If she wanted the notoriety of being a murdered man's lover, she could have just gone to someone less likely to discover her guilt, like Dash. Unless she didn't trust him to find out that the death wasn't a heart attack (totally fair. He would not have.) But there are other P.I.s... Fitzy's affair with Vivian aside, Sheilah does have plenty of other motives for the murder. Who knows what damage his drunken ramblings could have done. And do we know where Sheilah was during the murder? Citizen Jasper says Fitzy came home around midnight but never mentions seeing her return...

What exactly are Fig's "skeletons"? It's hard to imagine anything particularly upsetting, but then again Shipwrecked loves to hit us with dark and tragic backstories that turn out to be all-too important to the main plot. I also like how they're setting up a Poe-esque arc for Ford to finally start letting Fig in and considering her a real friend.

Another fun episode! Besides Buster Keaton, whom I do not believe is set to appear in this podcast(?), we've now run into everyone from the original crew but Roger. Looking forward to his appearance!

[rebelsofshield]

Would you have done something completely different with the Sequel Trilogy?

Thank you for the question anon! I love these.

I'm not sure if you are asking me whether I'd do a completely different story for the Sequel Trilogy or if I would have made changes to the films we got. Frankly, I don't know if I would have changed a whole lot about the basic premise of the trilogy. I love all of the characters and I think its metatextual themes about myth and legacy are doing some interesting things when they appear. But, there are quite a few small changes I would make to The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi and some very large changes I'd make to The Rise of Skywalker.

The First Order vs. Resistance / New Republic conflict is maybe the trilogy's original sin that causes a lot of the problems that follow. I think the idea of having the First Order be a group of neo-fascists that are obsessed with restoring an authoritarian government that few directly experienced is a smart idea and the natural step for a trilogy spanning conflict. It also feels incredibly relevant to today's current political struggles. I think the issues start to show up when they are established as this uber powerful galaxy conquering group instead of a very dangerous and underestimated faction of extremists. On a purely aesthetic level it would help differentiate them from the Empire but it also would put a fun spin on the original trilogy's formula rather than directly copying it. I do also like the general idea that The New Republic is generally dismissive of The First Order as a danger to the galaxy and that Leia had to take things into her own hands to get things done. But! I would've liked to see this explained a bit more clearly in The Force Awakens. If you aren't reading the supplementary material, the exact political make up of the galaxy at the start of the film isn't clearly established and I wouldn't blame you if you missed it entirely.

Nix Starkiller base. I think that in general the criticisms that The Force Awakens is a retread of A New Hope are a bit exaggerated, but the annoyance of having yet another Death Star is where I start to feel that there is some merit. It's unnecessary. It would be just as, if not more affecting, if The First Order had some well planned attack that they were able to pull off right under the New Republic's nose. A fascist government that's able to overthrow a better funded democratic government through tactics and corruption is a way scarier threat than another planet exploding ball.

Make the Knights of Ren more prevalent. I like the current canon of them being their own, self motivated faction of Dark Sider, but the original understanding that they were other disaffected disciples of Luke's makes much more sense and feels more dramatically interesting to me. I would have liked to see them as a more consistent presence in the series. It also would have been a fun payoff if part of the reason that Kylo ends up aiding the fight against Palpatine in The Rise of Skywalker is because the rest of the Knights are seduced away from his leadership.

Give Chewbacca something to do. We needed his hug with Leia in The Force Awakens. We needed a grief arc for him in The Last Jedi. We needed to have him find some sort of future or purpose in The Rise of Skywalker. This is one of the most beloved Star Wars characters of all time, but his role for most of the trilogy is minimal despite the clear emotional trauma at its center.

Finn needs his stormtrooper rebellion arc. I actually don't hate the general shape of Finn's story in The Last Jedi as much as most people, but I do think that The Force Awakens sets up a story about his connection to other First Order infantry in a way that is never properly followed up on. I'd love to lean into that further and actually make that a story that is followed up on. Also make him and Poe boyfriends.

No Rey Palpatine. I'm actually not opposed to Sidious being the final villain of the trilogy. I think the First Order being a facet of his resurgence to power makes a lot of sense and I'm even down for the idea that Snoke was a being that was wittingly or unwittingly under Palpatine's control the whole time. But Rey Palpatine is a no go for me. The end thrust of the story where she assumes the Skywalker name could be done without making her the literal progeny of Sidious. Sidious could still want to use her as a powerful Force user without her being his granddaughter. You could keep most of the struggles she has with purpose and legacy in The Rise of Skywalker without having to bubble the full saga down into a war between bloodlines.

No clean cut redemption for Kylo Ren. Star Wars is a series about forgiveness and second chances and I am ultimately fine with Kylo making his steps back towards the light by the end of the trilogy, but I just don't buy him becoming a swashbuckling hero at the end of The Rise of Skywalker and I absolutely don't buy any romantic/sexual relationship with Rey. The most interesting scenario would have been to have Kylo work against Palpatine originally as a way to secure his own power and as an extension of his "burn it all down" ideology from The Last Jedi, but gradually begin to work towards more moments of direct aide for the heroes and more moments of direct selflessness. I'm torn on whether he should live or die at the end of the trilogy, but leave him with work to do is the way to go. So much of the series was about him choosing the dark at every opportunity offered to him, I think seeing him finally choose the light at the end would be powerful, but it shouldn't be an easy path at all.

Anakin Force Ghost.

[the-force-awakens]

hi :) I saw thst you reblogged that what's your main spin poll and I wanted to ask if you wanted to elaborate what yours is I love to hear about it!! <3

 🥺 aw thank you!! I always enjoy having a chance to infodump a little bit (btw i love ur icon...daphne what an icon)

I do technically have a handful of spins that I consider my main spins because I'm constantly rotating between them (star wars, doctor who, moon knight and spidey) at any given moment, but my strongest spin is definitely in Poe Dameron from the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy!

I kind of instantly fell in love with him when my dad first took me to see The Force Awakens when it came out, which was a huge surprise for me because Poe was maybe the character I was the least intrigued by at the time (Rey and Finn had me asking far more questions, anyway) and none of the descriptions for him really jumped out to me. But after actually seeing him, I was positively in love, and then quickly downloaded accompanying novels that featured him (Before the Awakening and the TFA novelization) to read more about him, and then in April of 2016, they came out with a comic series for him and that really helped further cement my special interest in him!

It took a huge hit in 2018-most of 2020 because of all the fandom negativity (especially around Poe) but at the end of 2020, I rewatched the sequels back to back for the first time and it flared back to life without me expecting it to and I did a huge deep dive into uuuuuuuuuuuuuh every piece of expanded material he'd appeared in 😅

Basically (I'm not super sure how familiar you are with Star Wars) Poe is one of the best pilots in the Resistance, which is lead by Princess (now General) Leia Organa, and he's her right-hand man/protégé/surrogate son. Barring the Resistance's bombing fleet (which is teeny bc the Resistance is teeny and held together by duct tape) Poe is essentially in charge of its only flight wing and (as far as we know) all* of its squadrons. On top of that, he's also an active intelligence operative, and even helps oversees the reports from the Resistance's spies so like...he's kind of already helping run the Resistance even prior to officially co-running it by the third film with Leia/when he's finally named its official leader.

Poe is super important to me for a lot of reasons, but one of my favorite things about his arc is that it's not centered around romantic love/tension unlike a lot of the other dynamics in the sequel trilogy (altho Oscar did play Poe as being extremely smitten for Finn and who can blame him, and we do meet an ex girlfriend of Poe's in the third movie, I stan a bisexual king). Poe's whole arc is about his duty to the Resistance, his struggles with keeping hope because he's afraid that everything they've (and him) endured and lost will have been for nothing if they lose the fight against the First Order. If there's a love story for Poe's arc, it's his love for the Resistance and his friends, and that's so wonderful and profound in my eyes.

But also the bridge of Poe's arc, from the daring hero we see in tfa and the start of tlj, to the cautious but courageous leader we see at the end of tlj and all of tros, is Poe being forced to accept that his role in this story isn't that of a martyred hero. He's quite literally grounded (his X-Wing is destroyed) and he's pushed into the role of the leader his mentor wants him to be, and TLJ (in my eyes) is the story of someone who full heartedly believed the most he had to offer was a noble self-sacrifice realizing he actually wants to live (and that he can do far more for the Resistance/galaxy by surviving.)

I love Poe a lot because he's also very simple. He's, as Rian Johnson described him, a good guy hero. Unlike other characters, you never doubt whether he's gonna be tempted or corrupted, you know that he's going to do the right thing and remain true to the Light side, you have faith that no matter what obstacle he faces, he's gonna overcome them and come out the other side that much better for it.

The Age of Resistance comic analysis of Poe breaks it down the best, I think:

Poe's inherent humanity is what makes him a great character. He's not someone who struggles with right and wrong or good and evil. Instead, his struggle is more with his tendency to need to be the person who pulls off some last-minute, thrilling heroics in service to the greater good. Because Leia's right: you can't solve everything by jumping in an X-Wing to blow things up.

I could talk for days about Poe (I've spent the last three years doing just that) about the nuances of his character and the depths that largely go unexplored because of Lucasfilm's inexplicable disrespect and dislike of him, the fandom often reducing him to a love interest with no other personality traits, or complete bastardization wherein he resembles Hangman Top Gun more than Poe Dameron (often when people want to oversexualize him).

He has so many qualities that I adore: he's snarky and hot-headed and can throw things (metaphorically) in people's faces when he's particularly upset, he's impulsive, but also kind and compassionate and patient with people. He sees the potential for more/good in folks that most wouldn't. he truly deeply values people, and that's what makes him such an amazing leader: he inspires loyalty because of how much he believes and takes risks in the people around him. He's often the first person to give someone a second chance, or to lower his blaster, but he can also be vindictive. He's confident in his abilities as a pilot to the point he's often mistaken as arrogant, but he never puts anyone down and always lifts people up, and has a lot more insecurities than anyone would guess, and is really sensitive to rejection.

He's also kind of canonically a prince, thanks to the TROS novelization, so you know. I think that's neat and I'm so totally normal about it (when Leia passes away, she leaves her Organa legacy to Poe...the Organa Legacy would be the Royal House Organa - as well as the Resistance. So...Poe is in some ways a prince).

(*which is...three, they only have three squadrons)

[piglet26]

Finnrey! I ship the Bffs while I Reylo. TROS

When starting this post I was very curious as to what happened between FinnRey between The Last Jedi and TROS. I had to do some research into the books that were released during that gap.

I didn't like TROS, but one aspect I did like was seeing FinnRey again and the scenes they did receive warmed my heart. Now.....

Dear John Boyega - I'm not sure what you were promised, I wasn't there for pre-production conversations and I know you were a huge fan of Star Wars - however, this was never your story. This was the Skywalker + Rey story. Reylo was planned from the outset so it wasn't that. Yes, you were the first main black cast member of a SW film, it doesn't mean you were the most important character though.

Yes, Adam Driver is tall, dark, handsome and white... his character is also the son of Han and Leia, a Prince, he's the grandson of Anakin and Padme, the villain AND Luke's nephew and former padawan. Adam Driver is also a helluva actor. From a purely story wise perspective..... he's pretty damn important. No, you didn't sidelined due to him.

I also agree with Jason Fry, he got a fully developed story in The Last Jedi. TROS let everybody down. Ben solo was screwed, Rey was partially developed then screwed, Rose (thankfully) was in two minutes, Leia (unfortunately) was limited, Poe was meh, Hux was replaced then pointlessly murdered, R2D2 was limited..... so calm down.

In the year between TLJ and TROS, The novel Resistance Reborn gives us the biggest clues into their relationship during this time, despite Rey being a side character. It's very clear from Poe and Rose that they find Rey difficult to get to know. Rose comments that she find Rey someone who seems like she's both in the present and just beyond it. Poe attempts to bond with Rey through banter about flying skills, ships or being a Jedi which Rey find mostly annoying. Rey is friendly and she's a dedicated student of the Force, but it's clear she only really has a bond with Chewie, BB8, her master Leia and of course Finn. There's a conversation between Poe and Finn aboard the Falcon regarding his relationship with Rey.

Poe: "So the two of you aren't..."

Finn: "No, nothing like that. Just friends."

Rey and Kylo are both strong in the Force, they are the light and dark sides of the same coin, but FinnRey is made of the same noble cloth. While I Reylo, I'm glad Rey was able to receive such pure friendship and love from Finn. Finn is someone she can connect to especially as she grows more distant from everyone else as a mere byproduct of fate. Finn is so excited that Rey exists, the moment he meets her he has someone he loves to fight for. Over a short time that love grows bigger than his fear of what he fled.

TROS Scenes

(This booty sticking out church hug is not my FinnRey hug)

In the movie, it's made clear that mainly Rey is training while Finn goes out on missions with Poe or Rose. While this frustrates Poe, Finn calmy agrees that they would use her. I disagree with this. While practically speaking, Finn and Rey's strengths and weaknesses complement each other, the best thing she could be doing is training.

When it's revealed that Palpatine has return (eyeroll) Rey decides to head to the desert of Pasaana to find the Sith Way finder to Exegol. While preparing to depart Rey finds that Finn, Poe, Chewie and BB8 are heading out with her. Good. FinnRey are a shockingly good team, a fact they discover within just a few minutes of meeting each other. Plus, John Boyega and Daisy Ridley are brimming with BFF energy that audience enjoys watching.

It's also great to see Finn evolve into a character more centered into himself so much so that he's the more moderating character that bind the trio of Poe, Rey, and himself together. Finn is the only character that has strong connections to everyone on screen.

There definitely seems to be an attempt to not separate Finn from Rey or vice verse but make sure his arc is balanced while still being her confidante. They don't necessarily have many moment in Pasaana where you get a sense of their mutuality. Daisy Ridley commented on the new dynamic.

"The thing for me that was always really exciting is I never felt like there was a specified sort of love that we were portraying. So the relationship between Finn, Rey and Poe in this one, I felt amazing. It's friendship, it's family, and it's just a lovely sort of thing," she shared. "I also think that's nice in a film way to not necessarily have an overt 'This is friendship. This is love.' It's just all a beautiful collection of people."

Now comes the moment when they thought they were going to perish in the sinking sands of Pasaana. Finn starts to confess something to Rey, but he only gets as far as “Rey, I never told you—” before being swallowed up by quicksand. Everyone debated what was he going to tell her. One might reasonably assume—as a significant portion of The Rise of Skywalker’s audience did—that Finn was going to tell Rey he loves her. Abrams declared that what Finn wanted to tell Rey is that he was Force-sensitive. Even after they obviously survive he still won't confide in her just yet cause Poe is this there I guess. Are you for real? Why is this played like some kind of mysterious I've waiting to tell you kind of thing? It's been obvious for two movies - now three movie - can we get this show on the road? Besides, Rey already knows he's force-sensitve.

I think more importantly - this was a missed opportunity to show Rey be there for Finn. Finn could've been developed to show how he feels about anything and Rey could've been there to emotionally support him. When they are safe underground she does ask what he was going to tell her, he's uncomfortable telling her with Poe there - still, this moment needed to have happened.

Now there are some great moments of Finn just checking on Rey or being aware of her safety. When she walks out into desert it's because both she knows Kylo Ren is coming, when Finn realizes this he goes to join her.

There real moment of glory is after she thinks she kills Chewie in a moment of tug-o-war with Kylo Ren. Lightning came out her fingers, shocking her and everyone else. Finn is wonderful in this scene. Showing compassion for where she was at emotionally. Not only did he seek her out alone to reassure her that what had happened wasn't her fault, but he also rallied more support with Poe. It also provided a moment for her to express feelings and emotions she had been hiding inside herself. Over the past year she had been having dark visions and voices inside her head. Finn isn't afraid of her, but he is afraid for her.

Rey : I lost control.

Finn : It wasn't your fault.

Rey : It was.

Finn : No. It was Ren. He made you do it.

Rey : Chewie's gone. That power came from me. Finn, there are things you don't know.

Finn : Then tell me.[pause] 

Rey : I, uh, had a vision. Of the Sith throne. And who was on it.

Finn : Ren?

Rey : [shaking voice]  And me.

The fact that he is also a Force User and could sense what was happening with her just cemented the bond that they already have. He’s going to be able to understand things about her that others cannot. Finn was the person Rey could talk to and trust he would listen and care. He didn’t hold things against her, he had her back 100%. He cried for her. He verbally affirmed her. They spoke in a raw and honest way with each other that was beautiful. Finn absolutely has faith in Rey.

On Kijimi, there are just nice moments of togetherness. You can tell Finn is staying close to Rey as a source of support and just keeping an eye out for her. When Ren's destroyer arrives and Rey begins to go outside, Finn's right there watching her back.

After Rey's interaction with Kylo when Kylo reveals to her not only that they form a dyad in the force, but that she's a Palpatine this is revealed in the novel. In this moment she's tempted once more to join Kylo Ren in the gray or in the dark. Then Finn appears. In the novel, "Suddenly she felt a weight at her back and along with it.....Finn, a bright light piercing the dark......"Come on!" yelled Finn. She sprinted for the edge then launched herself toward the Falcon. Finn grabbed her arm before she could sail by and swung her onto the ramp. They sprinted into the Falcon's belly. The ramp rose closing them in."

Rey tells Finn “People keep telling me they know me. I’m afraid no one does.” Her internal battle became overshadowed by this massive legacy thrust upon her. She's exhausted and isn't pure Jedi. Part of Rey's arc is she's got darkness in her and she knows it. Once again Finn is just present for her in whatever that means while she tinkers with repairs.

Something that isn't given any time or attention is that Finn is pure white light to Rey. Finn is Rey's greatest pull to the light. He also tells Poe that he and Leia can understand Rey’s struggle in a way Poe cannot. This isn't just Finn running after Rey. He's aware of his friends struggles and trying to stop her from leaning towards the dark side.

Poe Dameron : [after Rey heads to the Death Star wreckage alone]  What the hell was she thinking?

Finn : Poe, we gotta go after her.

Poe Dameron : We'll get the Falcon fixed, and get out there as fast as we can

Finn : No, we're gonna lose her.

Poe Dameron : Look, she left us! What do you wanna do? Swim?Finn : She's not herself. You have no idea what she's fighting.

Poe Dameron : And you do?

Finn : Yeah, I do. And so does Leia.

Poe Dameron : Well, I'm not Leia

.Finn : That's for damn sure.

When she's fighting Kylo Ren Rey is out of control. She's dominated by rage and frustration. In the novel, "A presence cut through her awareness - shining and bright and a voice screaming, "Rey!" Finn was running toward her, leaving Jannah behind to watch their skimmer. Rey's instinct to protect Finn was overwhelming. With no thought at all she called on the Force and thrust out with her hand. He flew backward toward Jannah toward the edge of bridge wreck. A wave crashed down on the streach of bridge between them.

Finn : The Force. The Force brought me here. It brought me to Rey. And Poe.

I really love that Finn became a General alongside Poe and I think one of their best scenes together is when they gave a speech to the members of the Resistance.

Now it is implied that this is both Rey's workstation AND Rey/Finn's bedroom. I cannot confirm and this might just be me, but there we go.

Finn: Hey, don't touch that. That's my friend's.

Droid. Sorry, she is gone?

Finn: Yeah, she's gone. I don't know where.

Droid: I miss her.

Finn: I miss her, too.

I loved the moment when he sensed her death. The confirmation of his Force-sensitive instincts was so satisfying. And then his joy when he saw her alive was completely consistent with everything Finn has done with Rey since the moment they first met.

John Boyega, Finn's actor, was once asked whom he would like to see Finn end up with between Rey and Rose and he replied, "[Finn] had this kind of banterous relationship with Han, then he has this loving relationship with Rey. Now with Rose, it feels like he has this great relationship. Personally? Rey. Yeah, Rey."

[spiders-hth-is-an-outlier]

Look, I don't have any strong desire to stand up for Kylo Ren fans -- primarily because I am personally incapable of experiencing strong fan emotions about anything in the Star Wars sequels, on account of them being embarrassingly inept films from an embarrassingly inept filmmaker (not you, Rian, you're doing amazing sweetie) -- but it is low-key annoying how far off base all those posts are that are like, but Finn and Poe are right there, are you stupid or something? Like, what's not clicking here? Obviously Oscar Isaac and John Boyega are traditionally handsome movie star men, and obviously Adam Driver is -- not exactly that. People aren't really disagreeing there.

It shouldn't take some kind of fan studies scholar to understand that Kylo Ren stans are reacting to story elements -- to whatever combo of soul bonds and fall-and-redemption tragedy and just plain villain kink turns their particular crank. It's so weird to see people scornfully be like, why can't you like the hot ones like a normal person? Because the hot ones weren't as interesting, is why! Nothing in the movies is all that deep, but whatever meat there is on the bone at all is entirely about the love-hate relationship Rey and Luke and Han and Leia all have with Kylo Ren, there are not emotional arcs anywhere else that matter very much to the story. The only other character who has anything resembling a personal journey is Finn, and all that's ever going to be said about that is said in the first 20 minutes, really.

Not everyone gets turned on by someone getting an interesting storyline, but if you've been in fandom for more than five seconds, it shouldn't be weird to discover that plenty of fans do pick their faves for story-related reasons, and not just because they're the most handsome actor on the screen. It's why we call half of our faves scraggly wet cats and that kind of thing!

[stopthatmyhandsaredirty]

Ok, I’m going to try to explain something I haven’t quite figured out how to put into words.... in terms of Star Wars characters, Cassian Andor has arrived as one of the Big Ones. In a big way. 

What do I mean by a Big One? Beats me! No, no... just kidding. Let me try to articulate it...

You could say “Of course he’s a Big Character, he has his own show and was the co-lead of a film.” Yes. But I mean this more in the sense of thinking of Star Wars as a myth/legend. 

In Rogue One, Cassian is a very skilled intelligence agent who lives in the gray. He’s clearly been through some shit, but we don’t know what. Rarely has that “what” been so emotionally and thematically rich. Andor has fully realized Cassian as a complex but ultimately selfless hero. It’s been such a thrill to watch. 

When the series began, I would say Cassian was a Mid character. Interesting, played by a compelling actor, but not one I was going to buy posters or a Funko Pop of.  I still felt this way in the early stretch of episodes. But after the Narkina 5 arc, Cassian has leveled up. 

I still can’t convey what I mean by a Big One. It just feels like he’s stepped into Legendary status to join the company of Luke, Leia, Han, Chewie, Lando, Vader, Obi-Wan, Padmé, Ben, Rey, Finn and Poe. Yoda. Mace. And the droids. And Mando and Grogu. And Ahsoka. 

Maybe Ahsoka is a good parallel here. For me, I found her annoying at first (which I now realize was intentional). By Season 2, she was a more enjoyable character but I wasn’t exactly thrilled when arcs were focused on her. 

Then, suddenly in Season 3 of The Clone Wars I watched Ahsoka survive being hunted by Trandoshans and said to myself “holy shit...I love this character.” 

That’s how I feel about Cassian now. Not that I didn’t like him or care about him before. But now I know so much about him and what he went through that his story makes me genuinely emotional. 

I don’t want to discount the other characters in Rogue One... I have deep affection for Jyn, Bohdi (especially Bohdi), Chirrut, Baze, and K2... but now, Cassian is simply on another level from them. 

Like most Star Wars fans, I had little to no expectations for this show. How amazing that it’s not only the best Star Wars live action series, but one of the best shows of the year. 

If you agree with me and are able to actually articulate why please chime in!!