#there's a lot of pilot banter and finn being rey's best friend

[ohtinylove]

Femslash week day 1 and 3: Modern Fake Dating

Happy femslash week! This works for both day 1 and day 3. It’s focused on Rose/Rey but Jess/Kare and Finn/Poe are in there too! I hope you enjoy 💕

(Read on Ao3)

Jess cringes, covering her face in her hands as Kare tells the story of how Jess first confessed she had feelings for her. “That’s okay honey I think they’ve heard enough-” “-and that’s when she started crying. Like ugly sobbing. I didn’t think she would remember any of it in the morning, but when she woke up to my famous post-party breakfast, she straight up said ‘I meant what I said last night.’ which is so embarrassing because you obviously can’t have been that drunk then. I can’t believe we’re dating now.” “That’s so unfair! And anyway your breakfast is like a actual heaven, I would have said anything to keep you around.” “I’m pretty sure anyone with enough whip cream and pre-made pancake batter can do what Kare does, but you can keep telling people that if you want Jess,” says Poe. Everyone laughs while Kare dramatically raises a hand to her chest, her mouth gaping wide in mock offense. “Well, guess you won’t be getting any tomorrow morning.” “My house, my pancakes,” Poe says with a shrug. They were late into the evening of one of Poe’s get together parties, he and Finn cuddling together on a sofa made for one person, Jess and Kare with her long legs settled on his large couch, and Rey on the the carpet with Poe’s corgi puppy, Bee, curled up in her lap. Most of the drinks were emptied, sitting on the glass coffee table and scattered around the living room. “Hey do you know what is so unfair? Rey doesn’t have anyone here to tell embarrassing stories about her.” says Jess, pointing at her accusingly.

“I can make some up.” says Poe. “I once saw Rey kiss a cow. Straight on the lips, with tongue.” “Poe!” Rey exclaims, while Jess and Kare giggle, Finn snorting loudly into his drink causing everyone to laugh even louder. “Guys. Guys, guys. This isn’t fair to Rey. She’s all alone, we have to support her. She doesn’t have what we have,” Finn manages to get out. “Rey. Rey. I’m sorry my boyfriend is a big bully.” “Thank you, Finn.” Rey says while Poe makes a pouty face. “Sorry Rey. I mean, I guess it’s not fair to pick on you. I mean who are you going to complain to when you go home?” “Wait, guys, she has no one to complain to, so that means we can pick on her as much as we want,” Jess says with a wink. Though she knows it is all in good fun, Rey feels herself getting more and more irritated at their teasing. “I think Rey is the sweetest person. In this world.” Finn thinks for a minute. “Well, I haven’t really met everyone in the world, but…” he trails off as he seems to pass out on Poe’s shoulder. “How hasn’t the sweetest girl, maybe in the world, found a girlfriend, and Jess, who leaves her dishes in the sink and her dirty clothes on the ground, have one. Love isn’t real.” says Kare. “Maybe she has a dark side that we don’t see. Maybe her breath stinks.” said Jess. That was enough for Rey. Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe she was a bit more jealous of her friends happiness than she let herself admit, maybe she was tired of being single all the time, and maybe this time her friends had hit a nerve that she hadn’t even told them was exposed as she stung sharply from their harmless comments. And maybe, she was more than a little competitive. “Well, maybe I am seeing someone.” All eyes turn to Rey in surprise. Even Finn raises his head and squints at her. “Who Rey? Why don’t we know about this?” Jess asks suspiciously. This was a problem. Because Rey had not, in fact, being seeing anyone. Hell, there was barely anyone who she saw who wasn’t the people in this room. “Why should I tell you?” Rey says to buy herself more time. “Oh come on Rey, we’re your friends! You have to tell us!” says Kare. “Yeah Rey, we’re sorry. Please, we’re all dying to know,” says Poe. “Her name is Rose.” Nice. Rey had really messed up this time. Rose was most definitely not the name of her girlfriend. I mean, not that Rey hadn’t thought about how nice that would be. Holding her hand, kissing her forehead, stuff like that. But worst of all- “Rey, isn’t that your new roommate? That you’ve had for like, two weeks, tops.” Kare says. “It’s been three weeks, and yes, we have been getting along well. Really well, actually.” “Rey you sly dog!” Poe says with a grin growing on his face. “Do you know what this calls for?” “A lie detector test?” says Jess. “Do tell, Poe,” says Kare, brushing off Jess’ comment. “A triple date! You, Jess, me, Finn, and Rey and her girl! There’s the fall fair down by the beach all week, it’s perfect.” Rey thinks to decline, but with Jess still scrutinizing her so very closely, she says,”I’m sure Rose would love to come.” “Then it’s a date!” says Poe, beaming at his successful plan. “It’s a date,” Rey says plastering a smile on her face. She really messed up this time.

*****

“I’d love to come to the fair!” Rose says, beaming with enthusiasm. “I was actually going to ask you because I still don’t really know a lot of people around here, so that’s awesome.” At least she’s excited. “Well, actually, there’s more.” “Oh?” Rose seems unconcerned by this and turns back to put some pasta in the water which had just reached a boil. Rey is silent for a minute, unsure of how to explain that she had lied to her friends and that she needed Rose’s help to continue lying to her friends without seeming like a complete scumbag. “Well, something I said, maybe, may have put them under the impression that you were coming as my girlfriend?” Rose turns back around, spoon in hand and an eyebrow arching in surprise. “Oh?” Rey takes this as encouragement and explains how she had arrived at this mess. Rose continues about the kitchen during her story getting some sauce ready and stirring the pasta. When Rey is done talking, she says “One second,” finishing up and serving dinner. Rey waits nervously, ready to be laughed at or at the very least politely rejected. Rose turns around and passes Rey an unexpected bowl. Rey blushes and stutters out a thank you, which Rose answers with a smile. Then she responds. “Sounds like a date!” “Really?” Rey says. A date? Like a real date? A date with Rose, who made Rey dinner without being asked, who doubled Rey’s plant collection when she moved in, who would marathon episodes of How It’s Made with her, and would actually listen and care when she asked Rey about her day? “Yeah! Sounds exciting. Like being undercover, or something! You’re cool, I wouldn’t mind pretending to be your girlfriend for a few hours.” Rey doesn’t know how to feel about this response. Her heart skips a beat when Rose says she’s cool, but she feels herself deflate when Rose makes it clear it’s a one time thing. It could definitely have gone worse, though. When Rose beams and tells Rey about all the things she is most excited for at the fair, Rey feels like she has made a bigger mistake than she had originally thought.

*****

The morning of the triple date Rey sleeps in for as long as she can, waiting until they have to leave for the fair to exit her room and face Rose. “There you are sleepy head! It’s nearly eleven, we have to leave in like ten minutes. We wouldn’t want your friends to have a bad first impression of your girlfriend would we?” she says with a wink. Rose is dressed in a floral button up and ripped jeans, her hair tied up in a loose bun. She looks good and Rey can already feel some heat creeping up her neck. I’m such a useless lesbian. What has she gotten herself into? “Don’t worry, I’m ready to go.” God, she was so not ready.

*****

When they arrive the other two couples are already waiting under the awning of the white and blue ticket booth, its sign flashing cheerfully even though it is midday. Different rides reach high into the sky behind them, a ferris wheel, a skyscreamer, a roller coaster. There are tents with striped canopies just waiting to steal every penny from their pockets with their silly games. Everywhere Rey looked she was greeted by obnoxiously flashing lights and bright shades of red, yellow, blue, and green. Rose takes a hold of Rey’s hand before they are spotted. “Hey, just act natural, they won’t know what’s up at all,” Rose says at Rey’s shocked expression, as though she was the one who should be worried about being outed as a fraud. As they get closer she can hear the inviting sounds of carnival music and the dull rush of hundreds of voices mingling together. She inhales the aroma of frying pastries and her mouth waters. Finn is the first one to spot them. His head swings back in a laugh and he claps in delight. Jess’ jaw hits the floor and she just stares until Kare nudges her side and tells her to be cool with one of those inside glances they always share. Poe gives them both a big hug and proceeds to introduce everyone in the group. “I’m so happy to meet you all! Rey has told me a lot about you,” says Rose. “All good things I hope,” says Poe. “And a little bad- wouldn’t want Rosy here to think we’re boring” adds Jess. Rey rolls her eyes. “Rose has some things she wants to visit first,” says Rey. Rose says that she doesn’t really mind and that someone else can pick, but everyone else insists that as the newest member of their friend group that she gets to plan the day. Since she’s outnumbered, she drags Rey through the crowds of people running around with their pink clouds of cotton candy and laughing and waiting in lines over to the bumper cars. Poe is the best, dipping and dodging around them all before coming up from behind and sending them all crashing into their steering wheels. By the end he has teamed up with Rose to corner people and they make are truly menacing pair, striking terror into the hearts of their victims. Poe wants to go for another round, Rose cheering in agreement, but everyone else groans so they make their way to the skyscreamer, the ferris wheel, and the dart throwing where Finn wins a teddy bear he says is for Bee. Rose’s hand is back at home in Rey’s every minute they stand beside each other. By the time they reach the haunted house Rey finds herself almost getting used to it.

*****

A skeleton drops from the ceiling, giggling menacingly and causing Rose to scream and basically jumps into Rey’s arms. Rey pulls her into a hug, laughing into her hair. “I’d say get a room, but you probably don’t want to in this house. It’s haunted!” says Poe strolling past them into the next room with his fists raised. Rey pulls away quickly. She is grateful for the spooky dark red lighting as she feels heat crawling up her neck into her face. Rey feels a slap in the face of emotions. She feels ashamed at how comfortable she has gotten already, that she almost felt like there was something real, something genuine between her and Rose. She reminds herself this is a one time thing. That Rose is just doing this as a favour, that she just wanted someone to visit the fair with, that she doesn’t owe Rey anything. Rey resolves to feel less warm and comfortable for the rest of their date. Their date which wasn’t even a date. They move onto the giant, looping blue rollercoaster and Rose clutches Rey the whole time, screaming and laughing in delight, but Rey’s heart is no longer in it. When their feet reach solid ground once more, she tells the rest of the group to go on without her so she can sit and recover, claiming the rollercoaster made her queasy. Rose looks worried, but after a second her eyes light up. “I know something that will make you feel better!” She skips away pulling the group along on her next adventure. As they walk away, Rey feels something like relief and puts her face in her hands. “Mind if I sit with you?” Rey looks up to see Finn’s face looking down at her with concern. She gestures to the spot beside her in welcome. “Something wrong? You’ve been kind of off since the haunted mansion. Is everything okay with you and Rose? I mean, she seems to be having a great time. And we all love her,” says Finn. Rey disassembles a leaf which she had found on the ground. “It’s okay. We’re fine. We’re great.” Finn looks unconvinced. “It’s just… Rey I don’t understand why you wouldn’t have told me that you and Rose got together. I mean, you called me up the first time she gave you a hug to tell me she had the strongest, warmest, kindest, softest-” “Okay I get the point,” says Rey picking up a new leaf and tearing it in half. “Is this your first date?” Finn asks, getting to his point. Rey sighs. She couldn’t keep anything from Finn even if she wanted to. “If you could call it that.” “Rey, what is going on between you and Rose?” Rey gives in and explains their ruse. How she had lied, how she had pulled Rose into her lie. By halfway through her story Finn is grinning so wide she thinks his face might fall in two. “ - Finn? Finn, this isn’t funny. I’m dying. This, here, is how I die.” Finn shakes his head side to side, laughing. “Rey, she is so into you. Like, totally, super into you. Like ‘I want to kiss you until I die from lack of oxygen’ into you. ‘Let’s adopt to a dog and move into the mountains’ into you. ‘I want you to take me to bed and-” “Thank you Finn, I’ve gotten your point.” Rey shakes her head, smiling at her friend. “Look what she has agreed to do for you. If she wasn’t crazy into you already there is no way she would be here. And if she is acting, she better get all the oscar’s, because, man, the way she looks at you is exactly the way Poe looks at me after I tell him he can have the last cookie.” Rey laughs, but is certain Finn is just trying to cheer her up. She doesn’t have time to ask him if he is serious because that’s when Rose bounces back over to sit between her and Finn. The other three follow behind, Kare with a large funnel cake. “Hey, sweetie, you feeling better? I have something that will help!” Rose says rubbing Rey’s back. Over her shoulder Finn rolls his eyes, and mouths ‘look! Look at this’ while dramatically waving his hand for emphasis. Rey smiles and looks away from Finn into Rose’s eyes. “Yes, I really am.”

*****

With that the triple date comes to an end, Poe claiming that he and Finn have been away from Bee for too long. There are hugs all around, and everyone tells Rose how much they love her and that she has to come to their next party. “Rey, if you ever do anything to hurt Rose, you will have me to answer to,” says Poe. “Poe! That is so unfair, you know me,” says Rey. Poe laughs pulling her into a warm hug. “Nice catch, you’ve got a really good one this time,” he says quietly so only she can hear.

And then they are gone. And it’s only Rose and Rey. Rey and Rose. As they head back to their apartment Rey’s hand is cold, strikingly empty. She feels a sting behind her eyes, a hollowness in her chest. She can’t wait to be alone in her room with her plants. Rose nudges Rey on the shoulder and she looks over to see Rose share a sympathetic smile, as though she can tell what is going on in Rey’s head. “Hey, I had a really good time. Your friends are really nice.” Rey smiles back weakly before putting her head back down. “Yeah, they were on their best behaviour for you today. And I don’t think they figured out what we were doing, which is great,” Rey says. They keep on walking in silence, Rose quiet as they wait at a stoplight. She only speaks again when they cross the road, nearly home. “I would love to go out with you all again. Or just with you, if you want. Like, another fake date. But also not fake this time.” Rey looks over at Rose to see if she is joking. She can’t be because she looks mortified, blushing and staring stubbornly straight ahead. Rey finds a smile growing on her face. “So, like, a real date?” “Yeah! But if you didn’t want to go on a real date I would be totally fine with another fake one too.” “Yes! I would like that,” Rey says. Rose looks over, still unsure and nervous. “To the real date. Real date sounds nice,” Rey clarifies. “Oh okay! Awesome, that’s great. I mean, to the real date. Those are better than fake dates, usually,” Rose says. The bounce is finally back in her step and Rey feels just as light, as though her heart had never left the rollercoaster. A date. A real date. With Rose, who smiled like the sun and made Rey feel just as warm. Rose, who looked at Rey like she was special, who could tell when she was sad, who brought her funnel cake and gave the strongest, warmest, kindest, softest hugs. Rey hesitates before taking Rose’s hand. Rose looks over, beaming, and interlocks their fingers, swinging their arms lightly. Rey marvels at how natural, how warm, how comfortable, she feels with their palms pressed together. It feels like home.

*****

They are late into another night at Poe’s house. Poe and Finn cuddle together on their usual sofa, Jess and Kare sitting on his large couch with Bee sleeping between them, Finn’s teddy bear resting loosely in her mouth. And Rey is on the the carpet with Rose laughing brightly in her lap, a drink in one hand and Rey’s shoulders in her other arm. Rey feels safe, happy, warm, and more than a little tipsy. She feels like nothing could possibly go wrong ever again. Until- “So Rose, you never told us about how you and Rey got together, I feel like there is a fun story there,” Jess says. Finn laughs out loud before slapping a hand over his mouth. Everyone else claps and nods enthusiastically. Rose looks at Rey with a wicked grin. Rey groans, dipping her head into Rose’s shoulder to hide from the world. “Well,” begins Rose, “have I got a story for you.”

[cocoabubbelle]

In honor of

May the 4th,

Here are my top favorite ships of Star Wars, from the least favorite to the top favorite:

Kylo Ren/Ben x Rey Skywalker/Palpatine

Why I like them:

Honestly, this isn’t my FAVORITE ship, since I’m not a huge fan of the enemies-to-lovers trope, nor am I a fan of bad boys x good girls. Also, the whole soulmate thing was a bit forced in last minute. HOWEVER, I like a lot of the fan art of this couple, as well as the what they could have had if things were different. I blame a lot of the fandom’s headcanons 😆 . I saw the potential in their back and forth banter in The Last Jedi, and enjoyed when Ben finally came to his senses and fought for the good side with Rey in Rise of Skywalker.

Jyn x Cassian

Why I like them:

Honestly, I thought it was hilarious that one of the reviews for the movie claimed that this was the best film with a female lead because there was ‘no romance between the heroine and the hero,” because when I watched it, the shipper in me thought “well, yeah, because they all died before anything could happen 😜”. This is another ship I saw with potential because how much Jyn and Cassian influenced each other for the better, despite their rocky start. They went from almost biting each other’s heads off, to reluctantly trusting each other, to having each other’s back, to finding comfort in each other as their time ran out.

Carth Onasi x Fem!Revan

Why I like this couple:

The first computer Star Wars game I played was Knights of the Old Republic, and thanks to that I went down a hole in the Star Wars Universe. Normally, I’m not a fan of Person A getting together with Person B who was partially responsible for the murder of your spouse and almost-murder-but-still-wound-up-messed-up-beyond-redemption-because-of-trauma child. However, the storytelling of KOTOR and the character arc that Carth undergoes via his interactions with Fem!Revan as well as her own development (based on the player’s choices) wonderfully portrays the power of redemption, earning trust, and forgiveness that it makes sense for this couple to end up together. This is why I pretend Carth’s cameo in KOTOR 2 didn’t happen, because the confirmation that Fem!Revan left to undo the harm she caused but was never able to reunite with Carth (who spends the rest of his life waiting for her and never knowing her eventual fate) is too sad.

Exile x Mical/The Disciple

Why I like them:

The choice was either the sweet nice guy with an English accent, or the Han Solo-Copy. No offense to Atton, but when I had to pick between him or Mical, I preferred Mical. He’s a gentleman, a scholar, and shows nothing but support for the Exile even though he didn’t have that great of an opinion on the Jedi at first.

Visas Marr x Male!Exile

Why I like them:

This couple admittedly has similar dynamics and even dialogue options as Fem!Exile x Mical, but with the splash of a more traumatic background for Visas and an even deeper understanding and connection. I like Visas as a character, as she is a sith only because she was basically tortured into being one, not because she’s a bad person. She loved the Exile from afar because of their similar situations of being broken away from the Force, and (if you play a kindhearted Exile) fell for him further because of his kindness. The Exile (again, should the player make the proper decisions) also doesn’t hold Visas’s past nor her connection to the main Sith Lord against her and treats her like how a normal person should be treated: with respect.

Rey x Poe Dameron

Why I like them:

Yes, they bicker a lot, but their first meetings in the films and the novels were really cute. Also, they’re both really talented pilots who get along great with machines, and with great taste in friends (Hi Finn!).

Han Solo x Leia Organa Skywalker

Why I like them:

The only slap-slap-kiss couple that has rights. THE Star Wars couple. Ne’er do well Rogue with a Hidden heart of Gold x Haughty Princess who loves her people and learns to loosen up? Only these two can pull it off so well.

Finn x Rey

I 👏🏻 LOVE 👏🏿 THESE 👏🏻 TWO 👏🏿!!!!

I loved them as soon as they appeared on screen together. Finn can be a coward, but he’s still such a sweetheart and a good guy who’ll keep doing whatever is right. Rey is prickly and hard of trusting, but when she becomes friends with someone it’s really adorable how she gets incredibly loyal and attached to them. While Poe befriended and gave Finn a reason to leave the First Order, Rey gave him the courage and confidence to fight them. While Han Solo gave Rey a paternal mentor figure who she looked up to, Finn was the one who respected her for her strength while helping her realize it was okay for her to open up and be vulnerable. That and their interactions are always adorable and heartwarming. Whatever ship you’re on or building, and whatever your opinions may be on the sequel trilogy, I think it is obvious that Finn and Rey’s relationship with each other was so necessary to each other throughout their entire stories.

[that-shamrock-vibe]

Movie Reviews: Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (Spoilers)

Spoiler Warning: I am posting this review a few days after the movie first drops in the U.K, so if you haven’t yet seen the movie don’t read on.

Fan-Service:

Alright so before jumping into the character analysis, which I probably should just do because I have a lot to say, I want to quickly talk about a major problem with this movie, and yes I will be saying that a lot, and that is the fan-service.

There is a heeping load of fan-service moments and things just thrown in to either make fans nostalgic of what has come before or just to say they did it and I at large am pissed off because every bit of fan-service here I personally did not ask for and nothing I wanted as a fan was there.

For instance, Lando. I love Lando and will talk about him in his own section further down but I did not see the point of him in this movie. Billy Dee Williams still looks good in the role, but the man did nothing to contribute to the progression of the movie or the mission other than go off and get reinforcements which anyone else already in this trilogy could have done, like Maz Kanata...what did she contribute also?

Also Ewoks, I’m sorry I know the last part of this movie was on Endor because said system is around the place the Death Star fell and Palpatine still resides, but my freakin’ god seeing a split second shot of two Ewoks, who again I loved in Episode VI, but also to get Warwick Davies back to play Wicket (I think that’s the same one anyway)...what was the freakin’ point?

My final rant point is on the quite blatant fan service of LGBT representation. This particular topic is personal to me as a gay man and someone whose academic venture over the last three years has been about LGBT representation.

When you have quite a clear fanbase or sub fandom that are screaming for certain shipping couples, but then refuse to deliiver on the gay male ship in favour of the predictable hetero ship, to the point where this movie gives both Finn and Poe female love interests and makes Finn look slightly like a tool for having two other love interests but still wanting Rey...all of this I can forgive because it is kind of like the “Stucky” ship in the MCU.

However, to then, out of nowhere, have a lesbian kiss between two Resistance members at the end of the film during celebrations, one of whom was apparently the harbinger of doom because she delivered all the bad news and the other was a pilot, who I know was also Rosa Parks in Doctor Who so happy she has a role like this, but again it just felt forced, out of nowhere, with characters no one cares about and honestly I would have been happier seeing Poe and Finn kiss.

Characters:

Rey:

As I said in my non-spoiler review, Rey truly comes into her own as a Jedi in this movie. I do think The Last Jedi only really serviced her and moved her piece forward on the development chessboard.

However, while it is great to see Leia mentoring Rey at the start of the movie and doing a serviceable job, the fact Luke is still mentoring her from beyond the grave and his teachings are being upheld and honoured by Rey is really great to see.

This does not however justify the end of this movie, which is where we begin with Rey’s character.

One of the biggest mysteries of this trilogy has been discovering who Rey is and where she fits in with Star Wars lore. We know that Finn was a Stormtrooper and Poe fulfills that Han Solo role, but while Rey fills the Jedi quota for the trilogy, fans have long-suspected that she is somehow related to either Luke, Leia, Han or even Obi-Wan Kenobi.

I don’t think anyone was expecting her to actually be revealed as the granddaughter of Emperor Palpatine...and to be honest I don’t think anyone actually wanted it.

It’s a losing battle comparing any movie to Avengers: Endgame, but during Avengers: Endgame when big character and plot moments hit, the audience erupted in either shock or cheers. I get the feeling that the reveal of Rey being a Palpatine was supposed to ignite that type of response. I had a moderately full audience and there was no reaction from them.

However, not only does this service Rey as a character for the second half of the movie because her character motivation is not only about battling her inner demons and heritage, but also discovering who she is in her own right...something she has been searching for since we first met the character on Jakku in The Force Awakens

This leads to the last scene of the movie which is a culmination of not just the last three movies but also her confrontation with Palpatine. On Tatooine just outside the Lars Homestead, Rey buries both Luke and Leia’s lightsabers. She then surprisingly pulls out her own lightsaber which happens to be yellow...or gold (if it’s meant to be grey or white the lighting did it no favours) and with her sidekick BB-8 heads off into the twin sunsets, but not before some random old woman asks who she is, she responds with “Rey” but when she asks “Rey who?” she looks to the left and sees the Force Ghosts of Luke and Leia and turns back to the woman answering with, “Rey Skywalker”.

This is what is meant by the title “The Rise of Skywalker” as the name will now live-on in Rey, who has adopted the name only. She is not actually a Skywalker and if you think about the fact Rey and Kylo kissed a few scenes prior to this, it is kind of disturbing that she sees both Luke as a father figure and Leia as a mother figure.

I am not happy with this development for two reasons 1) It’s a cheat, not only is it a cheat of promise in the title but it’s a cheat in practise because Rey wasn’t revealed to be a secret Skywalker she merely decided to use the name as a surname because I guess “Rey Palpatine” would not serve her well.

I also don’t like the idea of a surname being used as a mantle, we now have seen six “Skywalkers” either officially or unofficially so in the movie canon and out of the six, five either are or were Jedi or at least “ones with the force” because both Leia and Ben (Kylo Ren) have never been Jedi at least in the movies but while Ben was a Sith, Leia was an apprentice and both had access to the force.

Shmi I believe (Anakin’s mother) is the only named “Skywalker” to not have any attachment or affiliations with the force. Now I don’t know if Skywalker is her maiden name or married name but aside from her, as I said, everyone with the Skywalker bloodline has at least had a “force sense” so to make Rey the last of the Jedi, that we know of, and also now giving her the name of Skywalker just to honour Luke and Leia and not actually be related does seem a tad cheap to me.

It’s not like when Han and Leia named their son Ben after Ben Kenobi, Obi-Wan’s hermit name, because that was honouring a fallen friend. I get Rey officially has no living family, particularly after killing her grandfather, and choosing to adopt the Skywalker name is both a way for the name to live on in her and to honour both her mentors, but this is supposed to be the end of the Skywalker era and with Rey newly being a Skywalker at the end of the movie and also once again seemingly being on her own (with BB-8) on her adventures at the end it just seems like there is more to come from her and I really don’t think there should be.

I am not saying Daisy Ridley can never come back as Rey in any future Star Wars movies but I’m thinking more in a Harrison Ford/Billy Dee Williams way not a Mark Hamill/Carrie Fisher way, at least not for now.

Also, I mentioned in my non-spoiler that a lot was promised leading up to this movie and something the trailers teased heavily was “Dark Rey”. The two biggest theories surrounding this reveal of Rey as a Sith with collapsible double-edged red lightsaber were that 1) Rey would legitimately turn to the dark side and Ben Solo would be the one to bring her back to the light or that 2) The Dark Rey we saw would be some sort of vision, hallucination or dream akin to when Luke believed he was fighting Vader during his training with Yoda on Dagobah and in fact it was an illusion used as a metaphor for him fighting his inner darkness.

It turned out, of course, to be the latter theory but the movie at least had the reveal of Rey being a Palpatine to explain why the 30 second scene we see this vision in exists...no lie it’s about the same amount of time as Luke battled himself for in Episode V.

Basically when Rey was filled with rage over Kylo Ren while trying to save Chewie from being taken by the First/Final Order, she succumbed to her anger and rather than using the force in the traditional sense she was discovered to have the ability to produce force lightning, as only Sith Lords have been able to do.

While Dark Rey did look cool, I’m glad she wasn’t actually Rey and we actually had to spend a chunk of the movie with her as a Sith, particularly not with that lightsaber.

I’ll be talking about him again when I talk about Palpatine but the only master of the double-edged lightsaber for me is Darth Maul. That’s his thing in my opinion aside from his looks and he owns it.

On the positives of Rey, I do like the fact that they have set her up as the feminist hero in the same sense that Moana and Belle are feminist Disney princesses. I think obviously making Rey the focus of the trilogy meant that more young girls would look up to her as opposed to Leia or Padmé before her and so making her the strong and tenacious Jedi Knight that she is was one of the best things about this trilogy, when done right.

I did also like how she interacted with Finn and Poe, I’m not entirely sure why they have the type of banter they had due to the lack of the trio interacting in this trilogy but I enjoyed the sparring between Rey and Poe over the Falcon damage and BB-8 damage and even when it seemed Finn was about to profess his love for Rey before dying but then not dying and so going quiet about it and Rey effectively calling him out for it.

However, what did Rey wrong throughout this trilogy is just how easy everything seemed to come for her. As I said before she was often off on her own mission without Poe and Finn with only BB-8 and sometimes Chewie for company. The fact we never saw her properly train with a lightsaber or the force before being revealed as an expert with both still annoys me and here, the fact she goes to give up after Leia’s death but is stopped by Luke, a Force Ghost, who then reveals that she is in fact not stranded after burning her ship because Luke has his old X-Wing summoned from the depths of the sea was just stupid.

Also, where did Rey get her new lightsaber from? Because unless Leia left it for her or R2 created it for her we don’t know where it came from or why it is distinctly different to Luke and Leia’s.

Finn:

Finn I feel revealed himself as my favourite character of the new trilogy during this movie, meaning originating in this trilogy, because I haven’t really had one up until now due to the lack of any likeable development throughout.

However, John Boyega really does Finn justice here not only making the character more likeable but also giving him a potentially great character development arc that could see him come full circle from when we first met him during The Force Awakens.

The only problem is, from what we see, this story abruptly goes completely nowhere.

The development comes when the trio arrive on Kef Bir where the Death Star remains are and come across a tribe of freedom fighters led by Naomi Acke’s waste of a character Jannah.

It’s revealed that Jannah and her tribe were once in fact Stormtroopers but, like Finn, decided to rebel against their Sith overlords and vowed to aide the resistance to thwart them.

This could have been how Finn’s story ended had he made the decision to join the freedom fighters by the end of the movie, now granted with no Sith or First Order there’s no need for freedom fighters but just for Finn to have found his people and his place to belong would have been a fitting ending for him.

Also to any shippers out there hoping for a Finn/Poe romance, I think the writers made it quite clear in this movie that both guys have eyes for the ladies with Finn apparently interested in Rose, Rey and Jannah.

The Finn-Poe bromance is in full bloom here though, finally, and it is filled with both the banter that I so hate in laddish behaviour but still enjoy here and also the fact that they can both be real with each other even when it’s something the other may not want to hear.

I am annoyed they never really wrapped anything up for Finn, aside from him finding his tribe but not actually sticking with them. The movie kept throwing out curve balls to do with his story and character but never had them either caught or thrown back, so his story is still all over the place.

Would I want to see John Boyega return? I guess yes if he does return with Jannah and maybe even Lando, I have a theory on where that will go, because at least it is a newer direction for the character.

Kylo Ren:

I never liked Kylo Ren or Adam Driver, I have never really seen the appeal in either of them and believe Kylo is simply Darth Vader-lite. I’ve always hated that mask and even now it has notable cracks I still don’t like it. I just feel as though the mask was always Vader’s thing and Kylo’s is the fact that he has that lightsaber sword.

That being said, once again the most notable plot point in this movie is the relationship between Kylo and Rey. The chemistry is quite easily there, I do see these two as a couple in another reality and Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver do sell that rather well.

I did come to enjoy their shared force communication in this movie particularly as it was noted to have some interesting side-effects, most notably the ability to take something from the other’s location. I audibally gasped when Kylo snatched that necklace from Rey and that’s how he knew where she was, similarly how when Rey accidentally destroyed that plinth with Vader’s helmet on and it fell at Kylo’s feet he knew she was in his quarters.

My favourite example of this go was at the very end when Rey was facing off against Palpatine and Ben (Kylo reformed) was facing off against the Knights of Ren and Rey was able to psychically transport her lightsaber to him. I can’t remember if it was Luke or Leia’s she gave to him but I do hope it was Leia’s because him fighting with his mother’s lightsaber would have been so awesome.

Speaking of his reform, I found that to be the sloppiest moment in the movie. I really did not understand the quickness in which he went from wanting to turn Rey to the dark side to denouncing the Sith altogether. Now yes, your mother dying is going to be a turmoil for any individual and seeing the ghost of your father, because yes Han Solo returns in this movie, is going to throw you...but there was no real internal struggle and it just seemed again very rushed and the almost as if the writers were saying “Well the audience know this is where we were always going to take the character so there’s no need for the internal struggle to be shown”.

Also, I understand that he didn’t exactly have time for a costume change and merely took off his Kylo Ren armour, but then he merely looked like he was wearing pyjamas in that final battle. I wasn’t expecting an Elsa level transformation or anything but something a bit more...more.

Then when it did come to Ben joining Rey in battling Palpatine and Palpatine, quite strategically in my opinion, sent him flying down that pit, the fact that he anticlimactically climbed up the pit I originally thought was the movie saying “See a Skywalker rose” similarly to how The Dark Knight Rises had Batman climbing up that cliff-face. But no, apparently the “Rise of Skywalker” was nothing to do with an actual Skywalker.

The most confusing part of this movie though is what exactly happened at the very end of the movie when Ben died and Leia faded away at the same time. Leia’s “last great act” was to stop Ben from battling Rey, this seemingly caused her to die. However, when Ben died, Leia faded. So are we presuming that somehow Leia enthralled her son to be good? If so, was his redemption a fake? Also if so, did Rey technically kiss Leia not Ben?

Yes, this kiss was the biggest anti-climax in the entire trilogy. Everyone has been pushing for a “Reylo” coupling and it finally happens only for Ben to die immediately after, it was pure and simple fan service.

Poe Dameron:

I have never really cared for Poe, nothing particularly against him or Oscar Isaac but I just felt as if the character was always trying too hard to be Han Solo and failing every time.

This movie not only emphasised how much of a waste Poe had been, but also why you should always be careful what you wish for because it may happen and it may transpire that you are not as attuned to it as you thought you were.

I am talking about Poe now being the General of the Resistance after Leia’s death and effectively leading the Resistance to their doom. I remember when Han was made a general during Return of the Jedi and while he was also slightly incompetent he at least learned from mistakes whereas Poe...got so many people killed he should have been court-marshalled.

Every action he made in this movie seemed to be wrong and he was continuously pulled up on it by everyone, Finn, Rey, Chewie, even 3PO. I quite liked the concept of doing that lightspeed jumping that apparently you’re not supposed to do because it reminded me of Guardians 2, but they weren’t supposed to do it there either and that wasn’t at the consequence of damaging the Millennium Falcon!

Also, they made a blatant reference that Poe had a previous lover in Kari Mitchell’s character, but the only problem with this is we’ve never heard anything about Poe’s history prior to the events of this trilogy so we are supposed to care about it now? When the trilogy is about to end?

Had we heard from episode 1 about hints of Poe’s history and maybe a lost or abandoned lover then seeing their reunion here may have held some weight...but with what we got it didn’t work.

I don’t even know where we left Poe aside from obviously being a war hero for being the leader of the Resistance. But unlike Rey who has gone off to do her own thing and Finn who has the potential to be going off with Jannah and her tribe, Poe doesn’t really have a place.

Even BB-8, who seems to be Poe’s main concern throughout this movie, goes off with Rey, so where does that leave him?

General Leia:

As I said in my non-spoiler review, it is such a shame that this is the lasting impression fans will have of General Leia. I am not saying they should have altered Episode VIII to include Leia’s death but there was something so disjointed about her involvement in this movie.

That being said, I did enjoy some of her lines to Rey at the start of the movie and they did try very hard to make it flow with the story despite clearly being lines meant for another situation. I liked all her pearls of wisdom to her about trusting droids and being comfortable with who you are.

However, this movie’s greatest insult is definitely showing a flashback to Luke and Leia training as Luke was clearly Leia’s Jedi Master at some point after Episode VI.

Now yes, we were shown a de-aged Luke and Leia so they looked slightly like how they did during Episode VI, and it was dark enough a setting that they didn’t look as bad as Leia did at the end of Rogue One, but that one scene sparks a great controversy with this whole trilogy.

Why the heck haven’t we ever had a follow-up movie to Episode VI that simply focuses on Luke, Leia and Han? A movie that shows Leia being trained as a Jedi would have not only satisfied a lot of movie-centric fans curiosities but also would have set up this trilogy slightly better with maybe showing Leia pregnant with Ben and why Luke chose to isolate himself, why Leia and Han’s marriage broke down. Something just to give fans of the original trilogy closure and then introduce these new characters rather than having the original trilogy and new trilogy all try to co-exist and wrap up at the same time.

Also, I swear in this one scene we saw Luke’s lightsaber was green so why were both his and Leia’s lightsabers blue when Rey had them?

Then also with her actual death, as I said with Kylo felt rather anti-climactic and weird. I understand fully that Carrie Fisher’s passing was a complete shock for everyone and so they had to work with what they had, but not only does it simply feel like Leia getting into bed and then death, you have Maz expositioning it before it happens...is that why Maz is back? To be the exposition of the movie?

Again I love Lupita and understand why she was cast in Episode VII because she was the hot ticket to have back then, but she doesn’t do anything in these movies.

I did appreciate her line of “Goodbye princess”, that did spark some emotion that wasn’t annoyance or rage and was sadness for both Leia and Carrie Fisher so the movie got me there.

Lando Calrissian:

Billy Dee Williams as Lando was one of my favourite things about the original trilogy. I loved how similar he was to Han but while Harrison Ford had an almost smouldering rogue quality about him, Lando was suave and cool with this real jazzy vibe about him.

Even seeing him back it was a bright spot in this movie, however, I don’t think he was utilised as well as he could have been. After Leia died and Poe was gathering the Resistance for a mission debrief, Lando looked like that old war veteran that was simply there to lend advice, when in actuality he was the one with the most experience, who fought the Empire once before and won so why wasn’t he saying what was what?

Then at the very end when everyone is celebrating the victory, Lando randomly comes across Jannah who asks where he’s from and he responds “Gold System” while she responds with not knowing where she is from and so he says “Let’s find out”. I don’t know if they’re trying to go down the route that Lando is Jannah’s father maybe but they are definitely pushing for either a spin-off or some form of continuation to this particular story.

Now again, I liked Jannah here, and feel a movie focusing on Lando, Jannah and even Finn would work. But it was so randomly placed at the very end of the movie that it just seemed like the writers had no idea what to do with either character.

Also I did not like the fact Lando never had a scene with Leia in the movie, just simply one scene where the two reminisce about old times or talk about Han would have been good but instead we had another Star Wars alum return and not interact with anyone else from the alumni cast.

The Resistance:

I mentioned the Resistance a bit with most characters but here is my problem with them as an organization, they are not organised! The Resistance was formed in Episode IV to thwart the Empire, they destroyed two Death Stars and seemingly saw the death of the Emperor...when in actuality the Emperor survived and simply rebranded the Empire into the First Order so they failed on their main mission.

Then for the last three movies what exactly have they achieved? Because I cannot point out one successful thing this organisation has managed to achieve on their own. Rey was the one to kill the Emperor which saw the end of the First/Final Order, all the Resistance did was provide cannon fodder.

Also, when Lando finally arrived with the cavelry, I don’t know if they were trying to imply that some of the voices you heard were cameos from the shows but again, I don’t watch the shows. I know I saw both John Williams and Lin Minuel Miranda in cameo roles during the big air battle which I felt were both good and bad elements because they were so random but all in all, I have never been a fan of the Resistance.

Also Greg Grunberg, I like the actor, I liked him on Heroes, I know he is friends with JJ Abrams...but there is doing your friend a solid, and then there is making your movie more pointless then it needs to be. He was unnecessary and I’m glad he died.

Villains:

Okay so I have labelled this section “Villains” because I don’t think even they know what they’re calling themselves anymore. They were originally the First Order, then they changed their name to the Final Order, this got laughs from my audience because it was so stupid. Then Palpatine tried creating his new Empire which lasted all of 5 minutes...there was no order to this First, Final or Any Order.

As for Palpatine himself, his return was very abrupt as it was right at the start of the movie. I did enjoy the atmosphere they set up around the villain with the lightning and the desolate wasteland but what was with that fecking crane? I get he has no legs but the result was him looking more like a Dementor than the all-powerful formidable Emperor Palpatine.

Also, he mentioned how “The dark side of the force grants powers unthinkable”...which still doesn’t explain how he is still alive or reborn after being thrown down that tunnel in Episode VI.

Again, the reveal of him having Rey as a granddaughter came out of nowhere because we never knew Palpatine had a family, despite the fact Palpatine is one of few characters we have seen throughout the first two trilogies.

I did appreciate them establishing Ben and Rey’s bond as a type off life force energy which Palpatine utilised to rejuvenate himself. Although why he didn’t rejuvinate himself back to human form rather than the wrinkled old man is beyond me.

In regards to the First Order, the reveal that General Hux was in fact a spy giving secrets to the Resistance was again laughable, just him revealing “I’m the spy!” was enough to make me laugh.

Again Domnhall Gleeson is a good actor but this role has been so extreme and overdramatic that it has become a cartoon rather than a legitimate threat.

As for Richard E. Grant, people are really quick to insult Idris Elba for Cats but I think the actor who needs a word with his agent is Richard because, as much as he loves this franchise, he wasn’t quite enthralled in the world and rather seemingly playing the part of someone who is lucky enough to be on the movie.

My final point is on the fact that Palpatine claimed he is the culmination of all the Sith, meaning he has all the souls of all the past Sith in him. This is quite reminiscent to me of the Dark Swan arc in Once Upon a Time where Emma, and later Hook, became the Dark One and was able to summon all the past Dark Ones.

However, unlike Rey who was able to hear the voices of all the past Jedi, we only heard two past Sith Lords voices in Vader and Snoke. I know it wouldn’t be right to provide new voice clips for most of them because Christopher Lee, who portrayed Dooku, is sadly dead, but just to hear Darth Maul, Dooku and even General Grievous along with Vader and Snoke would have been a nice touch.

Meanwhile on the Jedi side you apparently had the voices of Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan both young and old, Mace Windu, Luke Skywalker, Yoda...and then you have a bunch of others who I don’t know because I don’t watch Clone Wars or Rebels so I didn’t recognise any of them.

Future:

Alright so where does the future of this franchise leave us...well we know that Disney+ is currently making waves with The Mandalorian and will soon to be hopefully making more waves with the Cassian Andor and Obi-Wan Kenobi shows, however in terms of movies I am not sure where they go from here.

I do feel the most logical step is to focus on rebuilding during the hiatus and then coming back stronger.

Overall I rate the movie a 5/10, this movie was a complete hot mess. There were no solid great moments and aside from some great lightsaber battles between Reylo as well as some okay space battles towards the end of the movie, but the story was practically non-existence and there was no finality that the end of an era requires.

So that’s my spoiler review for Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker, what did you guys think? Post your comments and check out more Movie Reviews as well as other posts.

[redtutel]

Rewatching Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens

Although I have vague memories of the Episode III promotional material, this is the Star Wars movie where I truly was a part of the hype. December 2015 was a magical time where everyone was just...loved Star Wars. And it created a meme and parody culture that was just as wholesome as the original trilogies. None of that cynical and nitpicky, or in extreme cases sexist and racist, Star Wars fan culture we’re dealing with today.

So much like the first Avengers movie, the magic surrounding its release will make it impossible for me to judge this movie fairy. But I don’t care. I’m still very attached to it. Will this be the viewing where the magic wares off? Or will I find myself considering this better then the film it pays homage to. I’m excited to find out.

Seeing a brand new “A Long Time Ago in a Galaxy Far, Far, Away” and an opening crawl in theaters was just awesome.

“Will not rest until, Skywalker, The Last Jedi, has been destroyed,” Hey, Foreshadowing! I know there’s a ton of debate as to what was or wasn’t planned in advance for this trilogy, but still.

The First Order is Space ISIS/Neo-Nazis, and Leia leads an army to fight it. Pretty simple. I don’t get why people get so up in arms about how little the politics are explored in this movie. It’s probably a side effect of just how lore heavy Star Wars got after the original trilogy.

The opening shot of a space ship completely covering a moon. A new take on ironic Star Wars imagers. A pretty good summary of this movie. But I feel like such new takes make up for just how many recycled plot points this movie has.

The opening action sequence is the first time in years Storm Troopers have been intimidating (Clone Troopers and Stormtroopers are two different things). It’s pretty impressive. It’s a great way to establish how evil the First Order is.

Finn’s introduction is so impressive. A Stormtrooper who in his first fight, completely looses the will to participate in war. We may never know about his friend he saw die, but despite that, we still understand why he lost his will to fight. It might be a bit awkward for Finn and Poe’s friendship if they ever find out Poe shot Finn’s old Stormtrooper friend.

Kylo Ren stopping a laser with the Force. An awesome new way to use the Force. And I love Poe’s quip “So who talks first?” It establishes Poe as a fun, jokey character, which is why I don’t get why people got upset about his sense of humor in Last Jedi. He’s the sort of character that uses humor to relieve the tension of any situation he’s in.

J.J Abrams made this movie to be watched blind, and I really wish I could (but I saw spoilers before I watched it). Where is Luke? Who is this new Sith? What’s the backstory the old man hits at? There’s a good Stormtrooper? He talks off his helmet? Who’s this girl in the desert? I’d love to discover these things for the first time all over again.

I’m found of robot characters that go against their programming. Finn’s not a robot, but the beginning of his character arc has that concept. He does not believe in this cause, and he fights war terrifying. And he wants to escape.

Anakin was a slave, Luke was a farmboy, and now we have Rey, a scavenger, all alone in the world, just tying to service. She quickly establishes herself as incredibly tough, but also a bit cute. 

Of all the protagonists Rey’s backstory is the saddest in my eyes. While Luke had a happy but boring life with his aunt and uncle, and Anakin had a hard life but a living mother, Rey has had to fend for herself since she was a child, holding onto hope that one day her parents will come. She was all alone in the world. But now that’s going to change.

I don’t take any sides in the CGI/Puppets debate, but seeing puppets in a big Hollywood blockbuster again is pretty nice.

BB-8′s so cute. I have too much R2-D2 nostalgia to consider him my favorite Skywalker Saga droid though.

Rey’s relationship with BB-8 establishes that although she’s a survivor, she hasn’t let it harden her heart. She’s willing to help BB-8, and although she wants him to be on his way, she still won’t sell him off (despite being tempted to)

...Poe’s technically the Leia archetype in this movie. This tough rebel who got captured by the villains, and who sent a droid with something important.

The Finn and Poe escape scene has a lot of great dialogue. I’d argue some of the best banter in the series. It’s a pretty good action scene too.

Of all the characters, I like how Finn’s take on his archetype the most. He’s the Han Solo, the deuteragonist who wants nothing to do with the battle, and joins for selfish reasons, but in the end proves to be a loyal friend and hero. But unlike cool and collated Solo, Finn is nervous and cowardly. But that makes his eventual bravery and loyalty all the more satisfying. 

I don’t know if this is true, but I’ve heard Poe was originally going to die, but Oscar Isaac was so great they kept the character alive. I do believe keeping them separated is for the best, seeing how it makes sure Finn stays around for as long has he does.

Early on we establish that Kylo Ren is abnormally obsessed with Luke Skywalker, to the point where Gnearl Hux questions him.

Finn and Rey’s friendship stars off pretty rocky, but even then they have some good chemistry. At one point Finn’s all beat up, and he asked Rey if she’s okay. He may not be very good at it, but he’s trying to be a gentleman.

I love how the Millennium Falcon gets called garbage. It’s a funny bit of irony, concerning just how sacred everything else from classic Star Wars gets treated.

The first Millennium Falcon chase is another great action sequence. Rey and Finn are figuring things out as they go along, and BB-8′s being cute. And in the end they’re very impressed with each other. Characters becoming friends tough action sequences is a favorite troupe of mine.

Everything from Finn and Poe’s escape to meeting Maz Katana has nothing to do with a New Hope, and thus is a very underrated part of the movie. Although the tentacle monster scene is kind of forgettable.

Both Finn and Rey have no last name. They’ve never had any sort of family before. Heck, Finn didn’t even have a real name until just a few hours ago. They’re nobodies trying to find themselves, which sets of their arc that carries over into the next film

Kylo Ren destroying the console establishes him as short tempered for the first time. He drops his stoic facade and shows his true colors. Kylo looks indimiateing, but deep down he’s an insecure manchild trying his best to inhert a dark legacy. I’m found of this character, as well as similar characters like Berkut and Shiguraki

Did BB-8 give a thumbs up or a bird? The world will never know.

Rey keeps her guard up around people she doesn’t know to well, but she has a very soft and kind side as well. She’s pretty aggrieve to Finn early on, which is probably why....certain people, dislike her. Women and aggression tends to lead to backlash, after all.

I love how Finn slips in a bit of Stormtrooper knowledge. It comes in handy a few times in this movie. Some could say it should come up a bit more, but I think it’s used enough.

“Chewie, We’re Home” What an iconic line. I can still hear the applause.

Seeing Han become the Obi Wan archetype is a very unique direction for the character to take. And he handles the role very well. Harrison Ford may have been sick of this character, but he still brought his A-game. I love that Rey admires Han more for his smuggling than for his war heroics. And it’s very sweet seeing Han admiring just how much Rey knows about piloting. It’s a very sweet father/daughter relationship. In hindsight, Rey and Han don’t even need to be related for this relationship to be this good. Rey lost her parents and Han lost his son, and they can’t help but see each other as a means to fill those voids, even if they deny it to themselves.

The events of the original trilogy are legendary to these characters, which make the “It’s True, All of it” line so cool. It’s pretty interesting how chronologically, the events of one trilogy are legends to the characters of the next one.

Seeing Han be exactly how people remember his is pretty cleverly deconstructed. In-Univse it happened because he needed to escape from the pain of what happened to his son. And now he’s at the point where there’s nobody left to swindle. 

Whenever Rey’s in trouble, she’s always the one to get herself out of it. This is definitely meant as pushback to the fact that in so many things, women always need help while men can aways get out of a situation by themselves.  And I’m all for it. It’s great to see a woman be this strong, but she’s not flawless. After all, she shuts people out and is struggling to accept the fact her parents are never coming back.

Snoke even says “Last Jedi.” Even in this movie, Snoke is convinced that Luke is the hero of this story, and will stop and nothing to stop him. It is interesting that they introduced the Emperor archetype in this first movie, although maybe it was a sign that he wasn’t actually the big bad of this trilogy.

“It the hands of your father: Han Solo.” And the audience gasped (unless they got spoiled first. It’s one of those things we can never un-know). Although if I have to nitpick, I’d be nice if we found out alongside Finn and Rey.

I love that the space chess still looks like stop motion.

Rey doesn’t see herself as the hero. Just the delivery girl. Even Luke saw himself as trying to save a damsel in distress. But though this journy, she becomes a hero.

"Luke felt responsible. He just, walked away from everything.” This was established in this movie? Why did it take until Last Jedi for people to react to that plot point?

“I didn’t know there was this much green in the whole galaxy” I love that line. It’s so endearing!

Finn reminds me of Usopp. A liar and a coward, but someone who will always do the right thin in the end. He’s my personal favorite sequel character

“Women always find out.” Han has a ton of great lines in this movie.

“I’ve already been away too long” She’s so convinced her parents will come back she won’t even leave her planet for a few hours.

With Maz Katana, we’re back in a New Hope. I’m found of this character. It’s fascinating to see someone who’s Force Sensitive but not a Jedi. And she offers some great advice to Rey and Finn. I’d love to see her in the next season of Clone Wars.

Kylo Ren sees Darth Vader as the hero, the dark as good, and the light as bad. But he has regrets, and lakes the discipline and fidelity of Darth Vader. Of all the characters, he’s the one most desperate to fulfill his archetype.

“Though the ages I have seen evil take on many forms. The Sith, the Empire, today it’s the First Order.” “If you live long enough, you see the same eyes in many different people.” Of the the sequel’s trilogy’s biggest themes is that history repeats itself. But despite that, it’s still important to fight evil whenever it arises, instead of just sitting back and letting it happen.

It never occurred to me before, but Finn’s cowardliness might be the lingering effects of his brainwashing. Although he does not believe in the First Order’s Ways, he was still convinced all his life that they’re unstoppable, which is why he wants to run instead of fight. I also like how he’s admits the truth, instead of there being this “liar revealed” thing.

Finn and Rey have truly become friends at this point. Instead of just running away, now Finn wants Rey to come with him. As far as he knows, she’s the only friend he has, and he doesn’t want anything to happen to her. Meanwhile, Rey doesn’t want Finn to leave, because he’s one of the few people in her life to stick with her for this long. If he leaves, he might end of like her parents, who never came back.

Wait...how come nobody was demanding to know Finn’s parents. He was taken from a family he’ll never know after all. How come people accept that Finn’s parents don’t matter, but insist that Rey’s does?

Seeing Rey connect to the force for the first time (outside of  the piloting and scavenging skills I assume she she used them for subcoinsously before the events of this movie) is really impressive. We get flashes of her past, as well as Luke’s past and Kylo’s past, and even hear the voices of Yoda and Obi Wan. ok She’s getting her first glimpse at the Force that binds everything together, and she’s terrified of it. It’s also yet another divination from the New Hope plot, which is very welcome.

I forgot that Rey being Force sensitive was once a spoiler. How time flys.

I really hope Obi-Wan appears in Rise of Skywalker. He spoke to Rey when she connected to the Force for the first time, and I’d love to see that expanded upon.

“They’re never coming back.” A lesson Rey, and the audience, finds difficulty accepting. 

“The belonging you seek is not behind you, it is ahead.” Such a great line. It’s a great summery of Rey’s arc, and I imagine people with difficult pasts can relate to it.

Maz tells Rey and Finn exactly what they need. Rey need to learn to move forward, and Finn needs to learn to fight for what’s right.

Why does the lightsaber choose Rey? I guess her midichlorian count is just right or something. It doesn’t really matter, and I personally find the idea that the next hero can come from anywhere inspiring.

...Come to think of it, Luke’s the only protagonist who isn’t just some rando.

“Why is Maz so interested in Rey” Probably because of her strong connection to the Force.

Rey rejects the saber. Classic rejection of the call. Can you blame her, after that vision?

The First Order sees the Republic as weak and dishonest. Seems straightforward to me. Maybe people were underwhelmed because Neo-Nazism didn’t get as much attention as it did just a few months later.

Starkiller Base. It’s cool looking power-creep. On one hand, since we don’t know anyone from those planets, it’s not as impactful as what happened to Alderan. But then again, we actually see people on that planet die. So It’s a bit of a mixed bag overall.

Finn’s not going to leave until he knows Rey is safe. How touching.

TR-8R. I miss that meme.

Seeing Poe’s triumphant return is pretty great.

Seing Rey’s trying to fight off Kylo Ren with a gun is very tense. This the the first time she looses a fight in this movie. Seeing someone so strong get captured really raises the stakes. This is where they first meet. Their relationship is standard Hero vs Villain in this movie, but things are going to change a LOT in the next one.

Despite how scared he is, Finn still rushes in to try and stop Rey from being capture.

Seeing General Leia for the first time is awesome. Han and Leia’s reuinon is so touching as well. C-3PO’s back to disturbing Han and Leia moments as well, which is pretty funny.

Seeing BB-8 and Finn get reunited with Poe is also very touching. 

Finn is helping the Resistance for the sake of Rey. He’s not quite a hero yet, but he’s getting there.

So the movie did established R2-D2 had the map in his back-up data in the actual movie.

Han and Leia went back to what they know best after the loss of their son. It’s such a tragic moment. 

Kylo almost has the depth  in one movie that took Vader two or three movies to get. I feel like that should be discussed more often.

Kylo’s face is removed to reveal...a normal person. Ben didn’t get any external injuries to turn him into Kylo Ren. It was all manipulation

Rey takes on the Leia role when capture, and Finn briefly takes on the Luke role, But when she frees herself they go back to being Luke and Han, respectively.

Even in this movie, Rey and Kylo are using the force to get to know each other, although mainly on accident. Maybe that’s where Snoke got the idea in the next movie.

After seeing Kylo using the Force, Rey decides to use it in order to escape, although she’s a bit hesitant to do so. It takes her three tires to do the Jedi mind trick, after all. I do wonder where she heard about it. Maybe she figured that if you can read minds, you can change minds.

Rey is a very fast learner in any situation, be it piloting, shooting or using the force. Maybe it’s her midichlorian count. 

Starkill base makes very little logical sense, but its still a very cool concept, and seeing day turn into night serving as a ticking clock is a very cool visual.

“No matter how much we fought, I always hated watching you leave” “That’s why I did it, so you’d miss me.” All these years later, and that still have such great chemistry. 

“That’s not how the Force works.” I love that line, but people misuse it.

Finn is doing something very heroic, putting himself on the frontlines and disabling the shield. But he’s only doing this for Rey. Despite that, he stays true to his word and disables the shields. I love seeing him stick it to his old boss. It’s a fun moment.

The Rouge One “Womp” is even in this movie! How did I never notice it until after Rouge One?

“As Long as there’s light, we’ve got a chance” A classic symbol, but one that still works.

Seeing Rey and Finn reunited is just another very touching moment. “We came back for you.” For the first time in Rey’s life, somebody actually came back for her. I love how Rey describes how using the force to escape was “Something I can’t explain, you wouldn’t believe it.” In general I love how the Force is depicted in this movie.

“We’ll meet back here” No! That was their last moment together!

Ben and Han’s confrontation is another utterly fantastic moment. Ben is tempted to go back to his father, but he’s too devoted to Snoke’s teachings. On top of that, he feels like it’s too late to go this far. He figures that to get rid of these regrets, he has to kill Han Solo. I love how the sky gets dark, leaving red as the only light source. It really makes Ben’s lightsaber stick out when he kills Han. And yet, Han still touchings the check of his son, showing that even despite this, he still loves him. Instead of letting the past die by killing his father, Kylo is left more conflicted than ever.

Meanwhile, Rey lost a chance to have a father yet again.

The snowy forest at night is such a great setting, and leads to an awesome lightsaber fight. Rey gets knocked out, so Finn has to protect her with a lightsaber duel. Kylo is beating himself, increasing his pain to increase his dark power. Finn puts up a valiant effort, but in the end, he gets knocked out, and Rey has to save him. But still, he bought her time, and gave her the strength to use the force to stop Kylo. Seeing Rey grab the lightsaber for the first time using the Force is just awesome. She’s barely holding her own, but true to the character, she’s a fast learning. Meanwhile Kylo is still injured, and maybe a bit worn out from fighting Finn. At the cliffside, Rey is at the ends of her seat, but when she trusts in the force, she manages to beat Kylo after he overpowered her during the rest of the movie.

Finn ends with the movie more devoted to Rey than the Resistance, but he still proves himself to be a loyal friend and a hero. I was worried about him for the two years between Force Awakens and Last Jedi

There’s no words between Leia and Rey. They both just know, Han is dead, and they both loved him. And that’s enough for them to mourn him together.

But in the midts of dealing with the loss of Han, there’s is hope. Specifically, the New Hope.

Seeing Luke for the first time in this movie is such a fantastic cliffhanger.

Overall, I still love this movie as much as when I first saw it. It’s got great action and effects, the new characters are some of my favorites in the series, and the old characters give some of their best performances of all time. Sure it messed with a happy ending, but I’m still investing in seeing how characters old and new are going to try and get that happy ending back.

[curiousjan]

TROS is Fake News - A Fix It

In the interest of being able to join in the impending holiday cheer I will be considering the following version of the events of TROS the real story:

Poe, Finn, and Chewie return in the Millennium Falcon to pick up Rey from her Jedi training with Leia. Rey is clearly still not interested in anything beyond friendship with Finn and avoids him as he constantly tries to get her alone. When he finally gets a moment with her she interrupts his confession, thinking he is going to confess feelings for her. Instead, he tells her that he's realized he can sense the force and wonders if Rey would train him. She refuses, remembering her visions of accepting Kylo Ren's hand and ruling the galaxy beside him. Instead, she says he should train with Leia. Finn is disappointed but agrees. Poe accidentally eavesdrops on the conversation and is elated when Rey rejects what she thinks are Finn's romantic advances. In his next scene with Finn, he can't stop smiling, causing Finn to notice and comment on it.

When Rey explodes the transport ship and thinks she's killed Chewbacca, she spirals into depression, causing her friends (especially Finn) to fear she is succumbing to the dark side. They will not discover Chewie is actually alive until later when he manages to escape with the help of a defecting storm trooper (Jannah, who does not yet have a name here) who takes pity on him and gets him off the ship. Chewie escapes in time to rescue his friends, to their great surprise, just as Kylo Ren has tracked them down yet again and is closing in. Chewie fixes the Millennium Falcon and they all to escape.

They return to the resistance base and reunite with Rose, who has just been cleared by the medical team to get back to work. She and Finn have a few awkward encounters before Rose decides to address the kiss and make it clear she knows he does not return feelings for her but that she just wanted to kiss him goodbye when she thought she was dying. Rose says something that hints she believes Finn and Poe are in love, which causes Finn to reevaluate his relationship with Poe. Finn has never had a romantic relationship before. He spends a lot of time stare silently at Poe, instead of joking easily with him, which causes Poe to think he's decided to remain on the base and train with Leia. When he finally admits to Finn that he overheard the conversation about the force, and that he will be sorry to leave Finn behind on their next mission, Finn says he has no plans to do that, and Poe tells him that he is glad and that piloting the Falcon doesn't feel right without Finn.

Jannah and Finn become fast friends, and Poe is clearly jealous. When they meet his ex, Zorii, on the next mission and their relationship begins to rekindle with a lot of playful banter and flirting on her part, Finn is clearly jealous.

Jannah comes with them to the ruins of the death star, and both she and Finn are astonished and moved to meet the group of ex-storm troopers there. Rey does not go off alone when told it will be best to wait until the weather calms to sail to the ruins. They spend the night with the former storm troopers, and Finn and Jannah share stories around a fire. This is where Jannah gets her name, given to her by the group in a tradition they have created for naming themselves. When they ask Finn how he got his name, he recounts how Poe gave it to them, and the two share a moment that does not go unnoticed by most of the others. Rey is oblivious because she is too concerned with getting to the way-finder as soon as possible, before Ren finds her again.

When they sail out to the death star wreckage, the clear weather immediately turns violent as soon as Rey is close to the ruins, as if purposefully trying to separate her from her friends. She and Finn are in the first boat, and Poe is with Chewie on the second. Jannah and the leader of the storm trooper group are on the third. The 2nd and 3rd boats have to stop and take cover on one of the bits of wreckage behind Rey and Finn. Kylo Ren arrives and they all watch the ensuing duel between Rey and Ren with horror, and Poe especially as he watches Finn try to intervene a few times before being knocked into the waves. Poe pulls him out of the water as he washes up next to their piece of wreckage.

After Rey heals Ben, she uses the force to retrieve her sunken boat, sends it to Finn and the others, then takes Kylo's ship and disappears without a word. The group prepares fearfully to face Kylo Ren, but Ben Solo only stands up, appears to be talking to himself (and I'd prefer to put Leia's voice only here instead of a vision of Han), then throws his light saber into the water and sits down, facing away from them.

They are all uncertain of what to do, and sit waiting for the weather to clear, watching him. After a while he gets up, chucks his helmet into the water as well, and begin to undress (to the disgust and confusion of the group). He sheds and discards his outer garments into the water, and paces back and forth.

Finally, Poe calls out to him and with a few comedic lines of banter first, discovers that he is now “Ben Solo”, and asks if he needs a boat. The group argues over who is going to be the one to ride back to shore with “Ben”, and Finn volunteers. He wants to know what Ren said to Rey that made her run away. Poe is distraught, and doesn't want to let him go sacrifice himself to the enemy. Finn says that if Rey thought Ben was going to kill them she wouldn't have left him alive. Poe wonders if Rey's gone to the dark side, and Finn says he can feel through the force that she has not turned, and that he thinks they can trust Ben. Everyone thinks he is nuts but they let him go to Ben.

Ben rides with the crew on the Falcon back to the resistance base and hides in the ship. He has agreed to turn himself in after he helps Rey defeat Palpatine. Once again, Finn believes him while the rest are skeptical. They are even more skeptical when Ben and Finn steal a ship and disappear to find Rey. Poe covers for Finn, explaining he's felt Rey needs help through the force, and soon after they get Rey's signal that leads them to Exegol.

Ben arrives on Exegol and goes to find Rey while Finn takes the ship and joins the fight. Instead of getting thrown all the way down the pit, the force-ghosts of Jedi past break Ben's fall and he climbs out in time to stand with Rey and defeat Palpatine. They both appear to be dead for a moment, then Leia's body disappears. Ben reaches for Rey's hand. After a moment, she takes it firmly. The color slowly returns to their bodies. They sit up, embrace, and kiss.

Ben once again hides on the Falcon, and is discovered during the celebrations by Maz Kanata, who reveals that Leia had a vision of her death and her son's rebirth, which she shared with a select few. She  later implies to Rey that she should tell everyone Ben died fighting Palpatine with her, and allow him to go into hiding.

During the reunion after the battle, Finn and Poe finally kiss, initiated by Poe. (The half a second shot of the ladies smooching can stay in as well).

Final scene is the same, except when Rey is asked her last name, she is joined by Ben in the frame of the shot, who says "Skywalker" before putting his arm around Rey. The old woman remarks she never heard of Luke Skywalker having a son, and after a wink from force-ghost Luke and a smile from Leia, Ben and Rey simply smile at the woman. Ben's scars are healed, his hair is shorter, his skin is tanned, and he barely resembles himself when smiling. As long as they are careful nobody will ever know he is Ben Solo/Kylo Ren. The last shot of them playfully dueling in front of the setting suns reveals they both have new light sabers, both yellow.

Disclaimer:  I suspect the ending is yet another fake out, and this was not “the end”. Disney is playing us.

[lj-writes]

Hey I’ve always wondered, if you were in charge of the Sequels, how would you have done it? Would you of continued the story or would you have taken Finn, Rey, and Poe on an entirely different adventure and left the Empire Vs Rebels storyline stay with the OT?

I would not have repeated the OT’s central conflict quite so blatantly, mostly because unlike JJ I had no idea that it could sell, much less be a record-breaking hit 😂 My vision of the ST would probably have been a more PT-like affair, but about the struggle of building a New Republic in contrast to the ending of the Old. 

A brief summary because I ended up writing a monstrosity under the cut: Poe’s adventures as a New Republic pilot and spy reporting to Leia the Republic Chancellor, a more gradual deprogramming process for Finn who is a kidnapped Mandalorian child soldier and the main antagonist for the whole first movie, Rey as a world-weary space scavenger looking for her family. Ben Solo starts out as a powerful but arrogant Jedi whose outsized pride and understandable resentments lead him over three movies to become the Big Bad while Finn goes in the opposite direction, reclaiming his heritage and fighting back against the organization that stole him as a child.

I’d have made Poe an officer in the New Republic (which is his actual background in the ST, of course) leading a mission given him by Chancellor/First Senator Leia Organa to investigate a disturbance in Mandalorian space. The NR and the Mandalorians are negotiating peace and trade treaties, but the Mandalorians are distracted by raids on their outlying settlements and, most disturbingly, their children being stolen. They blame the Republic, or at least its inability to reign in the chaos in their space which they believe simply pushed the raiders and slavers into Mandalore space. The Mandalorians also bitterly remember how clones of one of their warriors were used as slave soldiers by the old Republic. Some even suspect the Republic is trying to build another Mandalorian army. Leia wants to stop these raids, but it’s not easy gaining a skittish Senate’s support for missions outside Republic space. Poe has to find the smoking gun on these raiders to bring the Senate around. Along the way he is helped by Master Luke Skywalker and his apprentice, Jedi Knight Ben Solo, who ends up coming along with his old friend and rival (and implied old flame, depending on how much I can get away with).

Poe ends up being captured, however, just as he and Ben are nearing the raiders’ base. Poe kills one of the raiders that he took as a Mandalorian pirate and then is taken down by one of the dead man’s fellows–another seeming Mandalorian who fights with devastating effectiveness and ejects Ben into space before taking Poe prisoner. This is Finn. Poe escapes later when Ben, who had saved himself with the Force, comes back to save him, seething with wounded pride–something he has quite a lot of–that he was bested and almost killed by a non-Force user. He, Ben Solo, Master Skywalker’s finest student! A Skywalker by blood! He vows that there will be a rematch.

Poe and Ben have escaped, but are far from home free. The ship they stole to escape is damaged in pursuit and they hide from pursuers in a debris field, occasionally bickering, and several scavengers come upon them only to squabble among themselves over salvage rights. The winner is a tough young woman who arrived in a cloaked ship before blasting everyone else away–Rey, who’s a lot like Valkyrie from Thor: Ragnarok and is played by Devery Jacobs the way God intended. Ben and Poe instead convince her to help them out and they’ll give her anything she likes. What she really wants is to find her family, in search of whom she’s been traveling ever since she got off the junkyard planet Jakku. Poe promises the full support of the Republic for her search.

According to the information Poe had managed to extract from the ship’s databanks it turns out that someone is building an army with stolen children and, what’s more, this started decades ago. They appear to be remnants of the Empire. The mysterious warrior Finn may have been one of the first wave that was taken, judging by his age. Poe and the others need to take this information to the Senate and Mandalore, but are slowed by Finn’s dogged pursuit before Rey sets a clever trap and they take him and his crew prisoner. Finn fully expects to be tortured and killed, and is angry at the death of his friend Slip at Poe’s hands. Finn refuses to divulge anything but Poe and the others can tell just from the way he talks about the Republic that he was heavily indoctrinated his whole life. He is honorable, however–he asks that Poe spare his crew and that they execute just Finn himself as an example. Rey thinks Finn is a lost cause, which stance Ben is inclined to side with, but Poe tries to get Finn into the reality-based community which mostly has the effect of making Finn defensive. More than actual facts, however, Finn is confused at how well he and his crew are treated. On the one hand he suspects a trick, obviously, but the first seeds of doubt are planted.

Finn, however, is far from naive–he has extensive knowledge of galactic politics and military and makes some sharp critiques of the Republic’s incompetence and injustices, and his arguments actually have an effect on both Poe and Ben. Ben has seen the pressures his mother is under trying to run the Republic, how self-serving and cowardly the Senators are. Finn’s argument that only a strong central leadership backed up with credible threats of force can make the galaxy governable resonates in particular with Ben. This will be the start of Ben’s own fall as he is increasingly consumed with the thought that only he can right the ship of the galactic state.

Meanwhile Rey finds latent memories coming back from snatches of Finn’s conversation and the way he fights. Could he hold the key to finding her family? Was she a stolen child soldier like he was? She also respects Finn, and he her, for their respective skills. She doesn’t have a bone to pick in this fight and there’s no personal enmity between them. She thinks she might have liked him if he weren’t a brainwashed stiff. Scratch that, maybe she likes him nonetheless. Their interactions are increasingly filled with banter and borderline flirting.

At the end of it all Poe’s party bring the information and the prisoners to Republic space, but it is too late–the Mandalorians have invaded Republic space. They have decided that if the Republic will not keep the order they will do it themselves. Leia calls for a measured response, but the Senate quickly overrules her and actually issues a vote of no-confidence, then arrests her as a Mandalorian collaborator and would-be dictator. The situation escalates to war and Ben seethes at what happened to his mother. He runs off to rescue Leia and enlists Poe’s help. The Republic military takes in Finn and his crew and brutalize one of them when they resist, showing that Finn is in danger of much worse treatment than he was with Poe. Rey sneaks after Finn’s prisoner transport, unwilling to lose this possible lead to her family. End first movie.

[kindabraveandlittlestupid]

A love/hate review of the Star Wars The Last Jedi and also the disappointment in corporate Disney trimming the extended universe away from the Star Wars. Just to be clear, I don’t stand with those toxic males of the web who attacked Daisy Ridley, Kelly Marie Tran and the rest of the cast/crew. The movie is a work of fiction and I above all other emotions value decency as the foundation of my views and beliefs (or at least I try to make that my foundation). I am gonna share my opinions/views as always, I am just a guy on the web with little power what Hollywood makes. If you agree with me, that's great! And if you don't, that's fine too.

Goodbye J. J. (Hate) My first complaint is the change of direction from the first movie. J.J. Abrams had managed to establish some worthwhile intrigue with the characters/plot like Rey's background, the hunt for Luke, and Finn's moral crisis. Seemingly the new director/writer decided to take a step away from these established storylines/characters to explore his own take on these things. Luke is no longer interested in the good fight and embraces apathy, Rey comes from nowhere/no one, and Finns short coma results in him having the same cowardly acts from the first movie instead of giving him personal growth after his heroics at Starkiller Base. It's like whiplash where you have had expectations of these story/plot threads being followed only to have them be ignored or to become completely unremarkable in the next film.

Rose & Paige Tico (Love) I admit there is a lot of things about this movie that rubbed me the wrong way but the addition of Rose was not one of them. The Star Wars has always suffered from a lack of female characters in the movies and they seem to be making some strides to balance out the gender scales. She provided a new character to focus on away from the Roguish Pilot and the Ex-Stormtrooper giving us the optimistic/loveable Mechanic that we could invest out feelings in (which reminded me of another sci-fi female mechanic who I wish I saw more on screen).

What upset me about Rose was the fact I wanted to know MORE about her backstory and her relationship with her sister, Paige. The geek in me would love to have some webisodes dedicated to their relationship (as well as other characters) and how they got into the rebellion in the first place but alas the story relegated her to a secondary plot line on a gambling planet that showed off rich people being assholes which was ultimately pointless to the storyline and failed to further the plot.

I look forward to seeing how they develop her in the next movie, considering so few people are left in the Rebellion... I mean Resistance. On a parting thought, I am still not sure about the Fin/Rose kiss they tried to apply to the movie... felt a little forced if you ask me.

Marvel Humor (Hate) There is a noticeable change to the formula of the Star Wars movies and we know this new formula very well. Disney has been enjoying the tidal wave of cash coming in from the MCU with movies like the Avengers, Ironman, Thor, Guardians of the Galaxy and so on which brings in billions (with a B) into the Magical Kingdom. Naturally, they think they struck gold (which they have) but now they are taking that Marvel Universe humor and projecting it into other franchises they own to try and milk money out of them.

This was on full display in Star Wars with the ‘prank call’ Poe used while talking to Hux. This universe enjoyed some banter in its previous movies but this very scene seemed foreign in the Star Wars Universe. As if Hux wouldn't have a laser cannon blow Poe right up. The movie continued to layer more and more MCU humor into the movie with Chewie eating the Porg in front of other horrified Porgs, Luke throwing a lightsaber nonchalantly over his shoulder, and tickling Rey with a piece of grass.

Granted there wasn't AS MUCH humor as you might see in Guardians or Ironman but they are starting to inject it into the films and in my opinion, it undermines the quality of the movie and the universe quite a bit by trying to make it something its not. This is why I enjoyed the grittier Rogue One so much that applied some humor with the android K-2SO but didn't allow shtick with other characters (which was good).

The point is their Gold Equation of humor connecting to the audience shouldn't be transplanted so easily from one franchise to the next, it robs the authenticity of Star Wars and what we know and love.

Vice Admiral Holdo (Love/Hate) Such a disappointing end to what could have been a good transfer of authority to a new female lead. I know we all mourn the death of Carrie Fisher and I appreciate the Luke and Lei scene at the end but the introduction of Holdo only to have her kamikaze the cruiser left me wondering why even make her a part of the movie? I mean really... her fight with Poe and his tactics could have carried into the next film, having her fill in as the new leader of the rebellion would have created a new strong female character and the very ‘heroic’ death she was given could have been done by Leia or Admiral Fucking Ackbar which would have been 10 times better then a random character added only to be killed off.

I blame this (like most things) on Director Rian Johnson who thought he was being clever but making the audience think "Oh she must be taking over for Leia!" only to kill her off as a sort of low-level plot twist. Frankly, it came off as less of a twist and instead of a pointless removal for an otherwise interesting character who could have moved onto the next movie.

Rey and Kylo Tag Team (Love) This might be hands down one of the best lightsaber fight scenes in the Star Wars Universe. If I am going to give the director any credit, it will be for giving us this gem of a scene where Kylo turns on his Master Snoke. This is the sort of action I crave to see in the Star Wars movies and making me wish (badly) that there was a Knight of the Old Republic film in the making. Hell, I just watched it again on Youtube just to remind myself how awesome it was.

Rey and Kylo Shipping (Hate) On the other hand with the whole force connection thing between Kylo and Rey, the idea of them being attracted to each other felt like a betrayal to well... Rey’s logic and mortality. Let us assume she has some attraction to Kylo would she have forgotten everything he did in the previous movie? Destruction of two villages on Jaku, slashing her new best friend in the back (Finn), stabbing her new father figure (Han) thru the chest, killing Lukes students, attempting to torture her for information and lastly being part of the First Order after shooting off Starkiller Base that destroyed 4 inhabited planets with billions (with a B) of lives on said planets? I know Rey might have temptations to the dark side but for fuck sake is she turned on by a literal genocidal maniac?

Rian Johnson & Disney Scaling Back the SWU (Hate) I realized this review is leaning more towards the Dark Side then the Light but I agree with some of the fanboys sentiment on the destruction of the Star Wars Universe. I am not sure if Rian is to blame 100%, I know Disney decided to cut all books, comics, and video games as NOT canon in the SWU but he seemed to have his hand in it with each rebel ship blown to pieces while escaping the Imperial... I mean First Order fleet.

This was hard for me to some degree, I played games like Knight of the Old Republic, The Force Unleashed, Jedi Academy, Shadows of the Empire, Republic Commando and read dozens of comics and books over the years. An yet because the franchise switched hands from Lucas to Disney and Disney had no hand in building all the extended universe they simply cut it away and said: “Nope! None of that counts”. I can understand why some people might get upset having invested time into exploring the Star Wars Universe only to have to evaporate before them like Thanos’s Infinity snap.

Rian drove this point home in the movie burning the Jedi texts (which contents weren't really important but symbolic of the Jedi Philosophy no longer being part of Star Wars), decimating the Rebels (Resistance) to the point the remainder all fit onto the Millennium Falcon, and even killed off or sent away new additions that could have helped expand the new trilogy into something great. Porg Plushies (Hate) *Sigh* I don’t like adding another hate to the list but few things in this movie made me personally feel good about it. We killed off interesting characters (Phasma and Holdo), had pointless side plots on Canto Bight (the Gambling Planet) and the scaling back of a great extended universe. An then we had the addition of Porgs...

I don’t dislike the concept of the Porgs, in fact, these puffin/otter hybrids are kinda cute. I dislike them as they seemed to have the pretty clear purpose of moving merchandise. Now, this isn't new for Star Wars if you know cinema you know that Lucas was highly protective of his own toy sales which is how Spaceballs was able to parody Star Wars so much as long as they didn't sell their own toys. They use the word Toyetic for this very thing of making a character or thing so they can move product off the shelves. Its why the Batmobile had so many changes with each passing movie in the 90′s.

The Porgs are no different, they maxed out the BB8 toy sales from the last movie and introduced an animal to sell plushies, slippers, bobbleheads and backpacks for kids and geeky adults. I am honestly not a fan of this sort of capitalism being pushed off thru movies but there it is and I am sure when episode 9 comes out there will be something new for them to sell us.

DJ (Love) Despite there being literally no good reason for DJ (Benicio del Toro) being in this movie with the pointless side quest on Canto Bight. This character might have some potential for future movies. We certainly explored the good smuggler scoundrel with Han Solo and Lando Calrissian but never explored the bad smuggler element quite yet (save some in the Solo movie).

I particularly liked the whole part with him explaining the manufacturing of weapons for both the First Order and the Resistance. It was perhaps one of the most insightful moments in the movie that could have easily reflected back on our own failings in regards to war. Just like how Canto Bight reminds us that the scum of the Galaxy don't just reside at the bottom but also the top. I hope to see him again but I am not sure how they will explore him in the next plot.

Super Leia (Hate) Lord knows when Leia became adept in the force that she could survive in outer space let alone fly around like Superman! This scene seemed crafted for the trailers making everyone believe this would be the way to double down on the ‘Evil Kylo’ angle and writing Carrie Fisher out of the Star Wars Universe but instead she survives as another pointless twist just like Holdo being the one to ram the ship into The Supremecy or DJ betraying Finn and Rose for money.

Just reminder if you're in space; your air escapes your body (including your butt), the saliva in your mouth begins to boil, air is cut off to your brain, and all the blood vessels on the surface of your body would break. I am glad she didn't die and had another scene with Luke but due to poor writing and trailer bait, they decided to keep this horrible scene in the movie.

Shallowing (Hate) Beyond the new additions (Holdo, DJ, Rose), the reoccurring characters become shallow in their roles. As I said, Luke now doesn't give a shit despite having 30+ years to mature, Hux is reduced to a punching bag for Kylo, Kylo is still emo as ever, Rey is becoming a Mary Sue (or perhaps not with her floundering romance with a mass murder), Finn had the same "coward, not coward" story arc from the first film, Phasma disappointingly is defeated by FN 2178 a second time, Poe is now a one dimensional reckless flyboy, and Leia is secretly Kryptonian. Point is there is no meaningful personal conflict with the characters, not enough time spent with the new ones, and a few of their portrayal betray canon for either a laugh or just because they simply didn't care.

Conclusion The point is, I liked the Kylo/Rey lightsaber battle against the Bodyguards, I enjoyed the battles in space, the silent ramming of the Raddus at light speed into The Supremacy and I still loved the new character (Rose). Most of the problems in this film start not from the characters but from Disney scaling back the universe and the new Director who changed the narrative. It bothers me just a little that everyone is celebrating the film despite these major flaws and aren't more pissed off those decades of content has just been expelled from the Star Wars Universe in exchange for the new “Disney Star Wars Universe" we will be forced to live with. About the only thing that is safe is Chewie and thats because the Wookie doesnt age like actors do. Thanks for the read.

Regards Michael California

[gizkasparadise]

I HAVE A LOT OF FEELINGS

we are what they grow beyond okay

let’s do this. 

luke so he was the most contentious part of the movie according to The Reviews and bro took me on a repeating bell curve of THIS IS EVERYTHING and I HATE THIS THIS IS NOT HOW WE ACT and back to THIS IS EVERYTHING. i loved that he YEETS that lightsaber off a gd cliff, that he deadeyes rey as he drinks hippo/watto fusion tiddy milk. i love his aggressive gordon fishsticks man aesthetic and his old man & the sea thoreau realness. i love that he hangs with judgy nuns and fears The Tube

i was not here for how he reacted to rey after she tried to go to the dark. i kind of hated it. that wasn’t the luke that i know

but then

yoda. his singular convo with yoda was 1. amazing and 2. desperately needed to sort of give that insight into why he was so gd salty and angry and afraid. 

YOURE ALWAYS LOOKING AT THE HORIZON GOD DAMN IT 

i love how he comes back. i love how he comes back in gd chanel. i love his hand touch with leia, the metaphysical gold dice that lbr was probably han’s engagement ring to her, and i love that for luke, at the end of the day it’s about leia and how he failed her “han was han about it. but leia” was one of the most telling and amazing lines in the movie for me and i love the skywalker twins love. i like that rey is trying to find father figures and she found that eccentric uncle instead. i love that he wants to abandon the past but he can’t until his last master forces him to let it go

“I’m Sorry” and legends vs. heroes vs. leaders and just kill me im gonna luke meta until the end of time. 

motherfucking brushed his shoulder off

leia

god that parting goodbye. that handgrab and forehead touch. i’ll have more to say about leia later but here’s my highlight reel:

this poor woman has been surrounded by gd flyboys her entire gd life and you can just feel the Over It she has for Thrilling Heroics and Ace Pilots and gdi you just listen or you’re gonna get slapped 

that poe/bail and kylo/vader dynamic tho

her and holdo gave me life. i love that she’s the backbone of this resistance, that when han and luke and literally everyone else she depended on ran away she stood her ground and she gave it her all until she was certain there was no solution. the resistance is the spark but leia is the ember, and it was so clear that she was the heart of the resistance, the rebellion, and also the people around her. i loved the leia love and respect in this movie

shitty golden dice gd engagement ring 

she still hasn’t given up on ben. she didn’t give up on luke. or han. or poe. she believes in people in her reserved way and uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugh space mom ;;;;;;;;;;;;;

rey

DEADLIFT THOSE ROCKS BABY. DEADLIFT THEM TO THE SKY

her disdain of luke’s life choices made my life. their banter made my life. their mutual shit-giving made my life. here’s your salt uncle, rey. 

i love that she is sort of a foil to luke. where his self-sacrificing was what made him a legend, hers is what might have created the ultimate monster IM READY FOR NINE BABY

FINALLY SOME TRIPPY FORCE SCENES. The Tube and her vision of the Force made my entire life. you know how i am about Force Visions okay

I SAW THAT LIGHTSABER SPLIT IN HALF AT THE END. I KNOW THAT MEANS WE’RE GETTING HER SABERSTAFF

i love that she immediately tattles to chewie when luke doesn’t open the door. we have a wookiee

kylo ren

“I’m sorry.” “I BET YOU ARE!” like gd that’s it that’s him that’s the character. that line luke gave him about how if he gets struck down in anger he’s carrying him with him forever LIKE HIS DAD just fucking kill me

that boy is done. heart eyes motherfucker and quivering chins every other frame

the kill it if you have to WAS NOT THE CONTEXT i was expecting it in and i was so pleasantly delighted!! i like that we got inside his head to see that he’s now actively trying to distance himself from vader. luke. his parents. everything-- how he wants his own legacy and get the fuck out of the way because it’s going to happen

except don’t get entirely the fuck out of the way because he’s lonely and it’d be better if he had a Skype friend throughout this call him maybe

I DID NOT EXPECT THAT SNOKE DEATH TO GO DOWN THE WAY IT DID IT WAS EVERYTHING SPIN THE BOTTLE: MAULIAN EDITION

HIM AND HUX ARE GOING TO BE AMAZING. that second where hux is going for the gun and kylo just BITCH YOU THOUGHTS out of a concussion is incredible

How those force bond scenes were shot was my everything. SO GOOD

finn

“you’re scum”

[sunglasses ]

“Rebel scum.”

HI THAT’S ME FUCKING DEAD AND GONE

i loved the subtle motivation change the resistance gave him. AS WEIRD AS THIS IS i appreciated him and DJ the most because DJ IS WHAT A SHITTY SELFISH HUMAN LOOKS LIKE THAT’S ALWAYS ON THE RUN and meanwhile there’s rose being THE BEST SELFLESS HUMAN EVER and i loved that fucking scene where DJ is going through the fighters and OOP XWING because i think it really honed in on the fact that this perspective is everything that finn is not and L O V E

SHUT THE FUCK UP WITH THEM FREEING ALL THE ANIMALS FROM THE ZOO

SHUT THE FUCK UP AT THAT GD CASINO CITY AND FINN HAVING THE TIME OF HIS LIFE UNTIL HE REALIZES THAT OH THIS IS NOT THAT NICE

THAT FINNREY HUG AT THE END. GOD THEY LOVE EACH OTHER SO FUCKING MUCH

“THEY REALLY HATE THAT SHIP!” YES THEY DO FINN BUT WE ALL LOVE YOU

HIS SUICIDE RUN THAT WASNT 

ROSE

I LOVE HER I LOVE HER I LOVE HER I LOVE HER I LOVE HER I LOVE HER I LOVE HER I LOVE HER I LOVE HER I LOVE HER I LOVE HER I LOVE HER I LOVE HER I LOVE HER I LOVE HER I LOVE HER I LOVE HER I LOVE HER I LOVE HER

HER FUCKING RESISTANCE RING

HER FUCKING WOKE BINOCULARS ON THE RACETRACK 

HER GD AMAZING LINE ABOUT SAVING PEOPLE YOU LOVE FUCKING KILL ME DEAD I LOVE HER

THAT BB FORCE SENSITIVE BOY KEEPING HER RING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND GIVING US THE STANDARD “SECOND MOVIE OF THE TRILOGY” LOOK OUT INTO THE UNFORGIVING HORIZON

HOW SHE GAVE UP HER BESTIES SISTER NECKLACE WITHOUT A THOUGHT BECAUSE SHE’S SO STRONG /;3;/

I LOVE HER I LOVE HER I LOVE HER I LOVE HER I LOVE HER I LOVE HER I LOVE HER I LOVE HER I LOVE HER I LOVE HER I LOVE HER I LOVE HER I LOVE HER I LOVE HER I LOVE HER I LOVE HER I LOVE HER I LOVE HER I LOVE HER

HOLDO ESCAPED FROM BATTLESTAR GALACTICA AND WAS EVERYTHING I EVER NEEDED IN MY LIFE THAT FUCKING BOOM CRUISER HAD EVERYONE GASPING IN MY THEATER

poe

I LOVED THIS ARC FLYBOY TURNED LEADER HIM CALLING OFF HIS SQUAD AT THE SALT PLANET AHHHHHHHHHH

hux

DOMNHALL IS FUCKING INCREDIBLE IN THIS ROLE HE STOLE EVERY SCENE LONG LIVE THE SUPREME LEADER h o ly s h it 

SALTY FOX BOYS AESTHETIC AS FUCK RED AND WHITE

**EDIT** HOW COULD I FORGET BB8 STEALING A CHICKEN WALKER BB8 STOLE A CHICKEN WALKER**

FUCK YEAH

F U C K  Y E A H 

[ramajmedia]

Star Wars: 6 Relationships Fans Were Behind (& 4 They Rejected)

From the very beginning, the sweeping saga of Star Wars has focused on relationships in all their forms: romantic, familial, friendly, antagonizing, and more. As much as the series has been driven by action and adventure, it has always been richly based in characters and their desires, too - for better or for worse.

RELATED: Star Wars: George Lucas' 5 Best (& 5 Worst) Creative Decisions

Across three trilogies so far, as well as two standalone films, Star Wars has introduced fans everywhere to key relationships that have been met with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Uncompromising in its commitment to stories about love, redemption, and hope, Star Wars is a series filled with loves both old and new. As is always the case, though, not all romances, duos and friendships have been received well by the saga's fans.

10 Fans Were Behind: Lando and L3-37

Arguably one of the most innovative relationships in the entirety of the Star Wars saga, the bond between Lando Calrissian and his faithful droid L3-37 is one that took viewers by surprise in Solo: A Star Wars Story.

The movie frankly discussed the potential of a romantic relationship between them, even if L3 dismissed the idea of it out of hand due to Lando's nature. After the tragic loss of L3 during a key battle in the film, Lando appeared almost irreparably shaken in her absence, going on to incorporate her central system into the Millennium Falcon to ensure her legacy would continue.

9 Fans Rejected: Luke and Leia

Star Wars might be a lot of things, but Game of Thrones it certainly is not. That's why, of course, the brief romantic text explored between Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa never sat well with fans during the original trilogy of films.

It's entirely possible that it wasn't yet completely decided upon, during the production of A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back, that Luke and Leia would eventually be revealed as twins during the final act of Return of the Jedi. But that doesn't make their flirtation, or their kiss, any more comfortable.

8 Fans Were Behind: Finn and Poe

From the moment Finn (then known as FN-2187) and hotshot Resistance pilot Poe Dameron shared the screen in The Force Awakens, fans have been clamoring for more of this now iconic duo.

RELATED: Star Wars: The Clone Wars - 10 Crucial Plotlines To Remember Before The New Disney+ Season

Whether fans have been invested in FinnPoe or Stormpilot in a platonic or romantic sense, it's clear that the bond between these two has been a real crowd pleaser, no matter how little screentime they've actually shared. This dynamic duo helped to endear a whole new generation to the series.

7 Fans Were Behind: Finn and Rose

From the moment Finn and Rose Tico met in the first act of The Last Jedi, it was clear that fans were witnessing the introduction of a very important storyline. The duo met at incredibly key moments in both of their lives: Rose was reeling from the tragic, heroic death of her big sister, Paige, and Finn was having a crisis of faith as he considered abandoning the Resistance.

Through their adventure in Canto Bight, and their heroic efforts during the battle on Crait, Finn and Rose more than proved their compatibility, especially when Rose nearly sacrificed it all to save Finn, before kissing him.

6 Fans Rejected: Jyn and Cassian

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is perhaps the rockiest of the new generation of Star Wars films, a film that suffered as a result of its limited scope and external knowledge that the characters weren't made privy to.

From the very beginning, it was clear that all of these characters would not survive their heroic mission. On the one hand, that made things all the more poignant for some of them. But on the other hand, it made the teasings of a romantic connection between Jyn and Cassian, two characters who couldn't have shared any less chemistry, all the more difficult for fans to rally around.

5 Fans Were Behind: Rey and Kylo Ren

The relationship that has developed between young scavenger Jedi Rey and tormented First Order leader Kylo Ren, formerly Ben Solo, has continually proven itself to be one of the most fascinating things about the sequel trilogy. Though the relationship dubbed by fans online as Reylo might be one of the more divisive in the franchise, there's no denying that the fanbase that has developed around this pairing is massive, incredibly positive, and truly a sight to behold.

These two lost souls are both struggling in similar ways - with loneliness, with their powers, and with the legacies that have been passed onto their shoulders. The Last Jedi showed that, through their Force bond connection, they have what it takes to become one of the most important relationships in all of Star Wars. Only time will tell if things go that way.

4 Fans Rejected: Han and Qi'ra

As with Rogue One, Solo was released with a burden of telling stories limited by existing in the past and during a very brief time frame. In the case of Han Solo's young romantic life, there was also the unenviable fact that no suggested romantic relationship would ever compare to the epic, sweeping romance between Han and Leia.

RELATED: Star Wars: 10 Ways The Rise Of Skywalker Can Give Leia A Fitting Send-Off

So, when the film introduced a young love dynamic between Han and eventual villain Qi'ra, it was a loser from the get go. This relationship was one that definitely should've been condensed in editing.

3 Fans Were Behind: R2-D2 and C-3PO

No list of beloved Star Wars dynamics would ever feel truly complete without the franchise's true ride-or-die relationship: the epic bromance between long time droid best friends R2-D2 and C-3PO.

The two beloved droids are the longest lasting characters in the entire series; characters who have been there for it all and been at each other's sides for almost just as long. Through their "old married couple" banter and their willingness to embark on any adventure as long as they're by each others' side, it's clear that these two are the real deal and always will be.

2 Fans Were Behind: Han and Leia

The scoundrel and the princess. The bad boy and the good girl. Things don't get much more archetypal than that, and in the case of Star Wars' longest love story between Han Solo and Leia Organa, they truly don't get much more epic than that either.

The chemistry between Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher is unmatched, and every scene the will-they, won't-they couple shares from A New Hope, all the way through The Force Awakens, is simply electric. It's impossible to hear even a single second of their sweeping score, or to think of the lines "I love you." "I know," without being moved in some way. These two are about as beloved as it gets.

1 Fans Rejected: Anakin and Padme

Chemistry is subjective, we totally get that. However, it's hard to think of a couple in recent cinematic history that has been more poorly matched in terms of believability than the one portrayed by Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman in the prequel trilogy of films.

Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala are two of the most influential characters in all of Star Wars canon, but from day one, their relationship never felt real enough to care about. Its tragic ending was indeed that - truly tragic and avoidable. If the franchise had found a way to avoid their relationship altogether, and still allow the characters of Luke and Leia to exist afterward, we would have been more than okay with it.

NEXT: The 10 Coolest Star Wars Characters, Ranked By Their Feats

source https://screenrant.com/star-wars-best-worst-relationships-friendships-fans-supported-rejected/