#tros critical

[bluntblade]

Not to jab at anyone using "the trio" in a Sequels context, but I feel a twinge of pain every time see it, in the part of my heart that loves Rose Tico. That ought to have been a quartet, damnit.

[limeadeislife]

That moment in The Rise of Skywalker where Poe says "I'm not Leia" and Finn says "that's for damn sure" was such a "he would not fucking say that" moment to me. Poe named Finn!! Whether you ship them or not, they love each other!

[softgreylo]

If i had a nickel for every time i watched a story do a 180 at the last second to kill off a lifelong grooming victim whose survival and/or redemption had been heavily foreshadowed, thereby ruining the themes and coherence of the entire narrative to create an ending that angered the character's fans and haters alike, i'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot but it's weird it happened twice

[caripr94]

Unpopular opinion: I know that a lot of Star Wars fans are peeved about the tragedy of the sequels negating much of the happy ending of the original trilogy, but honestly, that's actually one of my favorite parts of the sequels. Why? Because it means that well-intentioned hypocritical nutheads like Obi-Wan, Yoda, and Bail Organa don't get to get away with underhanded, morally unethical stunts like separating the twins from each other, kidnapping them from their biological families, lying to them about their heritage, grooming them against their own father, and using them to try to restore their own power and get everything back to the old status quo that got them into this mess in the first place. We all get to see the consequences of such tactics and nobody (who's paying attention) gets to say that "this and that" was okay because everything turned out fine in the end.

Because even though Luke managed to break the cycle of darkness and abuse on his end by the end of the original trilogy, we never really saw that happening with Leia on her end, nor did we see many of those family issues from that separation and manipulation or many of the problems with the Old Jedi Order or any of the problems with the Old Republic get even addressed. Many of the underlying issues of the prequels that came from people not learning from their mistakes just got swept under the rug. At least with the tragic events that happened in the sequel era (at least in TFA, before Lucasfilm messed everything up in the subsequent sequels, which I don't count as canon), we get to see many of the effects of such corrupt and dysfunctional methods that these "heroic" elders used, and in some way, there's some poetic justice in that, even at such a high price. And I know that many of you are saying that "Star Wars is supposed to be a fairy tale or myth; it's not supposed to be realistic", but let me remind you that not every fairy tale has gotten a happily ever after (at least in its early versions) and it was actually quite rare for mythological heroes to get a happily ever after either.

Disclaimer: This is mostly about TFA, which was much more consistent with the original lore. I acknowledge that the later two sequels didn't have as much consistency or respect for the original lore (or even with TFA), so I don't count them as canon.

[frumfrumfroo]

Is it weird that I feel sadder about Rey than I do Ben after TROS? I mean, sure Ben died and he had a nonsensical character during the film but the entire core of his character wasn't eliminated. I feel so much sadder about Rey and miss her story in the first two films more, knowing the filmmakers didn't care about her to the extent that they just saw her as a vehicle for legacy backstories and flattery of older male characters. I know a lot of people on all sides of the SW fandom still resent her after TROS I just feel deeply sad and miss her.

A lot of people feel the way you do, I saw that sentiment frequently in the aftermath.

I stand by my statement that Rey is far deader as a character than Ben ever will be, but personally I care a lot more about the destruction of the saga as a whole than I do about the destruction of the ST and its protagonist.

[caripr94]

And the thing is that, as I mentioned in the following post, the Prequels actually created a need for the Sequels because they showed just how messed up things were before and even after the OT, and it presented several issues that were barely (if at all) addressed by the end of ROTJ. The corruption of the Jedi Order was barely addressed and it seemed that the corruption of the Old Republic and the damage done to the Skywalker family (especially on Leia's end) by Bail Organa and the remaining Jedi Councillors was just swept under the rug. These issues were bound to have terrible consequences later on, especially if nobody learned from them. Star Wars may be a mythology, but the thing about mythologies is that it's actually rare for the heroes to get a totally happily ever after, especially if there's still past mistakes and underlying flaws to address.

I wouldn't rely on George Lucas's claims that the Prequels completed the Saga, because he goes back and forth between that and saying that he'd had plans for a 9-film Saga since ESB or ROTJ. Because of this, the Sequels really did have a lot of potential and TFA really showed it, especially it was co-written by Lawrence Kasdan, who had helped George Lucas with ESB and ROTJ and had probably been let in on those early Sequel plans. After TFA, however, it's clear that Disney Lucasfilm strayed away from that and tried to do their own thing, and when JJ Abrams tried to get back to that with TROS, they hijacked the project and reshot everything so that it was almost completely different from had been originally intended.

Disney SW fans who claim to love Anakin but think the Prequels suck, you're part of the problem. And the OT purists who hate the Prequels and then turn around and blame them for why Disney SW sucks...yeah, you're part of the problem too.

One of the many reasons the Disney SW 'Sequels' were so terrible and destructive was because the people making them decided to completely ignore the importance of the Prequels and reject them as an intrinsic part of the saga. And they seemed to believe they were pandering to 'what the fans wanted' by doing this. But the Prequels are half the entire story as Lucas told it, and they just threw it out the window. The Prequels COMPLETED the saga. But Disney pretended that the saga wasn't complete yet and that it was up to them to do so. Instead of just making 'interquel' material from the beginning (like Rogue One, etc), they arrogantly took it upon themselves to 'finish' a story that was already completed back in 2005. And in doing so, Disney also decided to reframe the saga into something decidedly lesser (a repetitive grimdark story where the cycle 'wasn't broken ackshually', instead of an uplifting and transcendent mythic fairytale), but one which would allow them to continue making 'new canon' material indefinitely (cause that is more lucrative for them). But the Prequels had already reframed the saga and given it a very specific meaning. Without the Prequels, ALL of Star Wars loses that meaning. And without a happy ending for the OT characters and an unequivocally positive resolution to the their storyline, the entire saga is rendered into a perpetual tragedy. So, unless and until so-called 'Star Wars fans' can acknowledge and embrace just how intrinsic the Prequels are to the fictional story they supposedly 'like', they will be running around in circles trying to blame Disney's failures on the very thing that Disney so carelessly ignored and discarded in the first place.

[hamliet]

Less of a question but I was never an avid manga reader till 2019 and mha was the first manga I kept track of weekly, and I read Tokyo ghoul after it ended, and seeing everyone be dissatisfied with how Tokyo ghoul ended after keeping up weekly is something I’m reminded of after seeing the latest chapter of mha. So this is what it feels like to witness 6 years of a character you hold in high regard be undermined(to put it lightly). I’m rather sad, but I can’t help but feel fondness for shigaraki even if the way he ended wasn’t satisfying, how do u feel about how mha has gone?

Yeah it does feel very reminiscent of Tokyo Ghoul in that they just went "ah yes, killing the right people is actually how we solve world issues." Which I find morally reprehensible, but also genuinely bad writing because the story as a whole doesn't support this message.

@linkspooky explained in her meta yesterday why Deku has completely failed as a character, and why the manga has failed thematically as a story. I'm just gonna say I completely agree with Link.

To be fair, I'm not sure Shigaraki is dead dead, but either way, it's bad writing and it doesn't conclude his arc with any sort of satisfactory element. Like, why would Shigaraki see Deku as different than anyone else who tried to punch him? That's nonsensical and written from the POV of an audience, not from Shigaraki's POV. It's like in Star Wars when Rey calls herself "Rey Skywalker" when she knew Luke for 3 days and none of the people she was actually close to (Leia, Han, Ben) were Skywalkers. That's writing for the audience, with their perspective, ignoring the logic of your story. It defies believability because the character does not have that perspective. It's "forced" because the audience can see the hand of the author.

If Shigaraki is dead dead... Not gonna Star Wars this one again, but since I also hated the ending of The Rise of Skywalker, I must make a comparison. The idea that Deku may have saved Shigaraki's heart but couldn't save his body (which to be honest, nothing in the actual chapter supports, but if he stays dead might be the argument) is still bad writing. Why? Because to Shigaraki didn't even make the decision himself. He didn't sacrifice anything. How can his heart be saved if he had nothing to do with it? Saving an object is easy as pie. Saving a person is different, and that's what the whole story has been about. Like, in TROS, Kylo Ren gave his life for Rey! Was it stupid? Yes! But at least his "saved heart" did something. Shigaraki's saved heart did what exactly?

So then, is the message that Deku failed? Then why isn't it framed as a failure? Why was BNHA never set up to be a grimdark tragedy? If he failed, then shouldn't he have a miserable ending? Unless it's "heroes always become bad guys and life is unfair," but then shouldn't Deku be framed critically?

Basically, Horikoshi can't come back writing-wise from this in BNHA, and it's sad to see.

Horikoshi's biggest flaw throughout the entire story was that he kept flip-flopping on what he wanted to say, and made the characters more about his trying to please every single fan than about being, well, characters to explore important questions he has that are worthwhile. And you can do this while still having a "cool" factor!

Instead the characters tell us one thing while cocooning Deku in the sweet bliss that no one ever has on this earth--being 100% right all the time. And it's sad, because BNHA had so much potential as a story to challenge its audience and entertain too.

I thought even if it flopped in some aspects it'd at least get this right. It's disappointing.

Anyways every day that goes by I want to send Isayama and his editors flowers for actually writing a thematically coherent ending, even if some aspects were dropped or messy along the way.

[boinkingbattlemechs]

Catapult CPLT-BW-E 'EM4' (aka 'Creole')

This ‘Mech started off as an unremarkable CPLT-K2, but by the time of its first deployment, was a K2 in name only. Creole was developed in tandem with its pilot as part of the Blackwell Heavy Industries’ experimental Enhanced MechWarrior program, and was the sole such BattleMech developed and deployed, as the revelation of its pilot's existence set in motion events that would resonate beyond Helios, and ultimately help shape the early days of the new Star League... and also ensure the downfall of Blackwell itself.

Creole featured a mixed weapon loadout with answers for threats at any range, and an extensive EWAR suite to back up the well-rounded armament. What set it apart, however, was its unique cockpit configuration. Engineered specifically for use by its pilot EM4, she was as much part of the ‘Mech as the ‘Mech was part of her. A suite of proprietary Blackwell vDNI technology known as the Vehicular Advanced Neural Interface Layered Link Apparatus - or VANILLA - connected her to her pilot at such a deep level that it was hard to determine if the ‘Mech was an extension of the pilot, or the pilot an extension of the ‘Mech. In addition, Creole had cleanroom-grade cockpit filters and an airlock to accommodate its pilot's sensitivity to non-sterile environments.

Though the pair performed extremely well in all simulated environments, Operation TOUCHDOWN was the first time Creole would see an actual combat drop. After being given a clean bill of health by the SLDF MechTechs, the 'Mech would show what Blackwell’s finest - if also most unethical - minds were capable of.

(Creole was designed by yours truly, but belongs to @sapphic-design-is-my-passion / @the-emmapult. Art was done by the ever talented @cromwell300!)

TRO below the cut:

Catapult CPLT-BW-E 'EM4' (aka 'Creole')

Mass: 65 tons

Chassis: Composite Biped

Power Plant: 260 XL

Cruising Speed: 43.2 kph

Maximum Speed: 64.8 kph

Jump Jets: Standard

Jump Capacity: 60 meters

Armor: Ferro-Fibrous

Armament:

2 Micro Pulse Laser

1 Improved Heavy Large Laser

2 Heavy Machine Gun

1 Heavy Machine Gun Array

1 Snub-Nose PPC

2 Improved ATM 3

Manufacturer: Unknown

Primary Factory: Unknown

Communication System: Unknown

Targeting & Tracking System: Unknown

Introduction Year: 3153

Tech Rating/Availability: F/X-X-X-X

Cost: 17,721,688 C-bills

Type: Catapult

Technology Base: Mixed (Experimental)

Tonnage: 65

Battle Value: 1,919

Equipment Mass

Internal Structure Composite 3.5

Engine 260 XL 7

Walking MP: 4

Running MP: 6

Jumping MP: 2

Double Heat Sink 15 [30] 5

Compact Gyro 4.5

Small Cockpit 2

Armor Factor (Ferro) 211 11

Internal Armor

Structure Value

Head 3 9

Center Torso 21 32

Center Torso (rear) 10

R/L Torso 15 23

R/L Torso (rear) 7

R/L Arm 10 20

R/L Leg 15 30

Right Arm Actuators: Shoulder, Upper Arm

Left Arm Actuators: Shoulder, Upper Arm

Weapons

and Ammo Location Critical Heat Tonnage

2 Heavy Machine Gun CT 2 0 1.0

Heavy Machine Gun Array CT 1 0 0.25

Jump Jet RT 1 - 1.0

CASE RT 0 - 0.0

Extended-Range iATM/3 Ammo (20) RT 1 - 1.0

Standard iATM/3 Ammo (40) RT 2 - 2.0

High-Explosive iATM/3 Ammo (20) RT 1 - 1.0

Micro Pulse Laser RT 1 1 0.5

Improved ATM 3 LA 2 2 1.5

Snub-Nose PPC LA 2 10 6.0

2 Double Heat Sink LA 4 - 2.0

Targeting Computer LT 3 - 3.0

Jump Jet LT 1 - 1.0

Heavy Machine Gun Ammo (300) LT 3 - 3.0

CASE LT 0 - 0.0

Double Heat Sink LT 2 - 1.0

Micro Pulse Laser LT 1 1 0.5

Armored Cowl (Armored) HD 1 - 1.0

Nova Combined Electronic Warfare System HD 1 - 1.5

Direct Neural Interface Cockpit Modification None 0 - 0.0

Improved ATM 3 RA 2 2 1.5

CASE RA 0 - 0.0

2 Double Heat Sink RA 4 - 2.0

Improved Heavy Large Laser RA 3 18 4.0

Features the following design quirks: Battle Computer, Combat Computer, Cowl, Improved Communications, Improved Life Support, Improved Sensors, Multi-Trac, Variable Range Targeting, Cramped Cockpit, Difficult Ejection, Hard to Pilot, No/Minimal Arms, Non-Standard Parts, Prototype

[tljisthegoat]

Reylo Making Star Wars Beautiful Again

I want sooo desperately to feel the excitement I felt for Star Wars when I got back into Star Wars because of Reylo & Ben Solo.

I want Reylo to have the happily ever after they've fought valiantly for since The Last Jedi.

Disney deserves all the mockery & criticism for making Star Wars into a pale, disgusting imitation of what it used to be.

We all know that Disney's grasp on what to do with Star Wars is so comically out-of-touch that it's a wonder how they've survived this long.

The more depressing thing is that Star Wars has no clear happy ending after basically erasing TLJ & having TROS be the end to The Skywalker Family (just kill me...why make us suffer like this? You know how depressing it is to know how little love has saved our heroes even though it saved fuckin' DARTH VADER?!)

[bluntblade]

I sometimes wonder exactly what the thought process was on reducing Rose's role so much, and honestly at points I suspect that Abrams and Terrio just had no idea what to do with her. "She's... nothing's mysterious about her! There's no secret reveal I can pull somewhere in the second act!"

[limeadeislife]

It's funny to me that the "live slug reaction" meme didn't show up until more than two years after The Rise of Skywalker was released. It's like the Star Wars fandom had to take two years just processing all of the multiple substantial flaws in the movie before anyone could move on to noticing and joking about a minor detail like the funny slug guy at the end

[marklikely]

tlj and tros are such a symbiotic relationship in being garbage bc tlj created a shit second entry therefore making it almost impossible for the trilogy to end well and then tros came along and tried to like. pander to and validate the absolute worst bad faith criticisms of tlj, while also doubling down on all its worst aspects. they made each other worse <3

[is-the-battlemech-cool-or-not]

CPLT-BW-E "EM4" (aka "Creole")

This ‘Mech started off as an unremarkable CPLT-K2, but by the time of its first deployment, was a K2 in name only. Creole was developed in tandem with its pilot as part of the Blackwell Heavy Industries’ experimental Enhanced MechWarrior program, and was the sole such BattleMech developed and deployed, as the revelation of its pilot's existence set in motion events that would resonate beyond Helios, and ultimately help shape the early days of the new Star League... and also ensure the downfall of Blackwell itself.

Creole featured a mixed weapon loadout with answers for threats at any range, and an extensive EWAR suite to back up the well-rounded armament. What set it apart, however, was its unique cockpit configuration. Engineered specifically for use by its pilot EM4, she was as much part of the ‘Mech as the ‘Mech was part of her. A suite of proprietary Blackwell vDNI technology known as the Vehicular Advanced Neural Interface Layered Link Apparatus - or VANILLA - connected her to her pilot at such a deep level that it was hard to determine if the ‘Mech was an extension of the pilot, or the pilot an extension of the ‘Mech. In addition, Creole had cleanroom-grade cockpit filters and an airlock to accommodate its pilot's sensitivity to non-sterile environments.

Though the pair performed extremely well in all simulated environments, Operation TOUCHDOWN was the first time Creole would see an actual combat drop. After being given a clean bill of health by the SLDF MechTechs, the 'Mech would show what Blackwell’s finest - if also most unethical - minds were capable of.

(Creole was designed by yours truly, but belongs to @sapphic-design-is-my-passion / @the-emmapult . Art was done by the ever talented @cromwell300 !)

TRO below the cut:

Catapult CPLT-BW-E 'EM4' (aka 'Creole')

Mass: 65 tons

Chassis: Composite Biped

Power Plant: 260 XL

Cruising Speed: 43.2 kph

Maximum Speed: 64.8 kph

Jump Jets: Standard

Jump Capacity: 60 meters

Armor: Ferro-Fibrous

Armament:

2 Micro Pulse Laser

1 Improved Heavy Large Laser

2 Heavy Machine Gun

1 Heavy Machine Gun Array

1 Snub-Nose PPC

2 Improved ATM 3

Manufacturer: Unknown

Primary Factory: Unknown

Communication System: Unknown

Targeting & Tracking System: Unknown

Introduction Year: 3153

Tech Rating/Availability: F/X-X-X-X

Cost: 17,721,688 C-bills

Type: Catapult

Technology Base: Mixed (Experimental)

Tonnage: 65

Battle Value: 1,919

Equipment Mass

Internal Structure Composite 3.5

Engine 260 XL 7

Walking MP: 4

Running MP: 6

Jumping MP: 2

Double Heat Sink 15 [30] 5

Compact Gyro 4.5

Small Cockpit 2

Armor Factor (Ferro) 211 11

Internal Armor

Structure Value

Head 3 9

Center Torso 21 32

Center Torso (rear) 10

R/L Torso 15 23

R/L Torso (rear) 7

R/L Arm 10 20

R/L Leg 15 30

Right Arm Actuators: Shoulder, Upper Arm

Left Arm Actuators: Shoulder, Upper Arm

Weapons

and Ammo Location Critical Heat Tonnage

2 Heavy Machine Gun CT 2 0 1.0

Heavy Machine Gun Array CT 1 0 0.25

Jump Jet RT 1 - 1.0

CASE RT 0 - 0.0

Extended-Range iATM/3 Ammo (20) RT 1 - 1.0

Standard iATM/3 Ammo (40) RT 2 - 2.0

High-Explosive iATM/3 Ammo (20) RT 1 - 1.0

Micro Pulse Laser RT 1 1 0.5

Improved ATM 3 LA 2 2 1.5

Snub-Nose PPC LA 2 10 6.0

2 Double Heat Sink LA 4 - 2.0

Targeting Computer LT 3 - 3.0

Jump Jet LT 1 - 1.0

Heavy Machine Gun Ammo (300) LT 3 - 3.0

CASE LT 0 - 0.0

Double Heat Sink LT 2 - 1.0

Micro Pulse Laser LT 1 1 0.5

Armored Cowl (Armored) HD 1 - 1.0

Nova Combined Electronic Warfare System HD 1 - 1.5

Direct Neural Interface Cockpit Modification None 0 - 0.0

Improved ATM 3 RA 2 2 1.5

CASE RA 0 - 0.0

2 Double Heat Sink RA 4 - 2.0

Improved Heavy Large Laser RA 3 18 4.0

Features the following design quirks: Battle Computer, Combat Computer, Cowl, Improved Communications, Improved Life Support, Improved Sensors, Multi-Trac, Variable Range Targeting, Cramped Cockpit, Difficult Ejection, Hard to Pilot, No/Minimal Arms, Non-Standard Parts, Prototype

[frumfrumfroo]

Imagine making a film series like Star Wars and framing the triumphant romantic kiss as 'goodbye'... I still can't believe they made that film. Obvs that's probably how Daisy Ridley interprets it, not necessarily how it was framed (which was lacking narrative altogether), but it's still miserable. It's not even Romeo & Juliet vaunted romantic tragedy. It just sucks.

I do pity the poor anons who are waiting for some sort of different outcome with a new ST film. Studio executives will never look at the critical failure of TROS (it was a commercial success though) and think the takeaway was 'maybe we shouldn't have fractured the SW myth', it's 'oh, okay, let's never deviate ever again, damn that blasted TLJ' - just look at how JJ and co. tried to retroject TROS' failures onto the previous film. Course correction, course correction. Rey Film, if it gets made, will be DO YOU REMEMBER THIS? self-flagellating apology. Ben Solo will never return.

Yeah, anyone trying to come up with any positive spin on it, including desperate attempts to see it as effective tragedy, are doomed to failure. Only by completely ignoring the context and taking the moment by itself carried only on the actors' performances as continuity from TLJ without any of the terrible fucking tros script in the way can the kiss actually mean something.

As soon as you try to make tros into any kind of story or draw any kind of sincere message from it, you immediately run into the brick wall of what a soulless, nonsensical piece of trash it is.

I had a whole rant about how it's not Romeo and Juliet and I am still so annoyed how often people draw the comparison, both utterly missing the point of R&J and giving tros credit which it does not deserve by imagining it assigns any meaning to Ben's death whatsoever.

Yep. We've seen them do nothing but triple down. They have no idea why the movie was such an embarrassing wet fart. Rey the sexless eternal child will never be challenged again, she'll go on a worship tour of references, places, and objects to do reverence as the Brand Avatar. She's not a character any more and she's never going to be again.

[spectordameron]

The Sequel Trilogy: A Story of Choice

Do not interact with this post if you insist on just being negative, passive aggressive, or critical against the films in the tags/replies. I don't want to hear it.

This post speaks frankly about topics such as abuse, brainwashing, torture, dehumanization, and non-con elements. Proceed with caution.

One thing that I feel goes often ignored or misunderstood about the sequel trilogy, is its core message and value, which is choice - especially, choice over circumstances, or choice over blood. I would argue this is the overall theme of the entire Skywalker Saga, but the sequels really center themselves around this idea, with it becoming the beating heart of the emotional plot of The Rise of Skywalker.

According to writer Chris Terrio in one of the festurettes for the film, this theme is best summed up by the character D-0, and Rey's short initial interaction with him:

Which is meant to be a mirror to what we know of Finn, Rey and (as we learn) Poe. They all come from pasts that were not kind to them, and were treated badly, but found a home in each other. It is a case of choice over circumstances: Finn chose to leave the First Order, Poe chose to leave the Spice Runners (and become a New Republic officer, then choose to leave that when he understood how compliant they'd become), and Rey chose to leave Jakku.

Choice is also mirrored in the trilogy's antagonists (DJ being a good example of the choice to serve only yourself and not join the greater war, Zorii puts aside her resentment and helps the Resistance) but none so much than Kylo Ren himself, who is as obsessed with the Skywalker bloodline as Snoke is (understandably).

There's an opinion and idea that between Ren and the revelation that Rey is Palpatine's granddaughter, that the trilogy values bloodlines and inheritance over choice, but I fundamentally disagree with this, because I think that's a misunderstanding of the story they're trying to tell.

When Han says that "there's too much Vader in [Ren]" in The Force Awakens, I don't take that as a dismissal of Leia being an Organa by choice, not when we discover that Ren is continuously making the choice to choose the Skywalker bloodline, and ergo Vader, over the family that actually raised him: a woman who chose her adoptive family over her biological family, and a man who had no surname but instead claimed one that was thrust upon him as an insult.

There's too much Vader in Ren, because that is the choice Ren made, and continues to make. He chose Vader over Leia, over Han, over the Solo-Organa family. It's a similar mistake that Luke makes:

Blood. Inheritance. The hubris of Ren believing the lightsaber belongs to him, simply because it belonged to Vader, to Anakin, even when the Force calls a quote unquote "nobody" to it instead.

Rey is revealed, obviously, in The Last Jedi, to be born to "nobodies", and Ren (sticks his whole fucking foot in his mouth) hurts her deeply by emphasizing Rey's worst fear which is that she has no place in this story, because she is nobody. It's a moment that haunts Rey enough that she doesn't even believe herself worthy of wielding the Skywalker saber in TROS:

Obviously - and famously - this revelation is because Rian Johnson preferred the concept of underdogs becoming heroes and thought it was the worst revelation Rey could possibly have - that she doesn't have any connection to this story that means so much to her.

Unlike majority of the internet, I love the addition TROS offers, which is that the truth is so much worse. Rey isn't just "nobody", she does have a place in this story, and it's in the worst way imaginable for her: she's the main villain's granddaughter.

And I don't think it negates what we initially learn about Rey, or her status as a "nobody". Her being related to Palpatine does not inherently result in her being somehow more privileged than other characters - she was still abandoned as a child, and was forced to work in order to survive, suffered bouts of starvation, and had to fend for herself for years. She's a traumatized young woman with fractured memories, and poor self esteem from said abandonment and the abuse Unkar Plutt put her under (he also emphasizes in the TFA novelization that she is a "nobody", and likely would have pressed upon her the lie that Miramir and Dathan fed him that she was being sold for drinking money, hence Rey's conflicting memories of parents coming to return for her and what Ren finds in TLJ).

Her position as Palpatine's granddaughter, however, puts her almost immediately into the same position that Ren once found himself in, and he tries to pressure her into coming to the same conclusion that he did: that because of the blood in her veins, she has no choice in going to the Dark Side, that she will wind up abandoned (again) for it, and there's only one place in the galaxy for her - by his side.

And when Rey is frightened enough by her hatred and resentment, that leads her into the Dark Side on Kef Bir and results in her killing Kylo Ren - she flees to Ahch-To to exile herself because she believes there's no escape from her circumstances. She was a nobody who had to earn this legendary saber, who doesn't deserve to be the protagonist of this story, and now she's the granddaughter of its villain.

But she's quickly reminded that blood is not everything:

Even while on Exegol, Palpatine attempts to taunt her with the concept that she has no one but him, that she's helpless but to continue the cycle: Luke had his father, but the only family Rey has is him, and if she doesn't give in and continue the cycle of violence, then her new family will die.

And once more, the concept of blood over choice, is immediately dismantled. Rey isn't alone, because Ben - having finally made the decision to shed his attachment to Vader's bloodline and chose being an Organa-Solo - comes and saves her. Rey isn't alone, and neither is her new family, because the entire galaxy comes in to help the Resistance.

And the ultimate climax of the battle, is that Palpatine does in fact kill Rey, and it is Ben's choice to revive her. He loves her, and so did his mother and father. Rey is family, and he dies to bring her back, and so she takes the Skywalker name - and is the happiest she is in the entire saga, because she's learned that blood and circumstance isn't everything, it is choice. And Rey has chosen and accepted her own family.

But circumstance and choice isn't limited to just Rey in this trilogy - there's also our other primary hero characters, starting with Finn.

Finn is a stormtrooper, taken from a family he'll never know, that we're not introduced to. He worked in sanitation, despite being a very promising cadet in Before the Awakening. Much like Poe, Finn is introduced as being one of the biggest "red shirt" offenders of the saga (seriously do we ever expect a stormtrooper or a fighter pilot to survive? no), and almost immediately Finn gives us the thesis of the trilogy:

Finn was raised and taught for one purpose: to fight and then to die for the First Order. He flees from the First Order, and TFA is spend with him tying his loyalty to his friends - choosing them over running away. TLJ finds him making the choice to actively fight against the First Order, and join the Resistance.

Finn's choice to turn away from the First Order, brought him to his family. And TROS sees Finn at his most grounded and reassured; he's found his own peace and purpose, and it's through the choices he made over his circumstance.

Poe is probably the only character of our trio who is the most assured from the starting point, and the only one who has a tangible connection to the Rebellion through his parents. However, this is only within expanded material, with only a mere allusion to it in TROS, so the only concrete thing we have for connection in the films is his and Leia's surrogate mother/son relationship, and how he's chosen to carry on her legacy.

When we start off The Force Awakens, he's quickly established as a member of the Resistance and a high-ranking one as well (he dismisses a briefing full of generals and admirals).

However, it's clear that Poe views himself as expendable - he rushes in, unthinkingly, back to the village on Jakku and gets captured as a result. He puts himself on the line between the First Order and the Resistance above D'Qar (it is no coincidence that he recognizes Luke and Amilyn's sacrifice plays first later in the film).

Leia, and then the circumstances of the film literally grounding him by blowing up Black One, forces Poe to slow down and examine the choice he's being presented:

Pretty quickly, Poe begins considering what Leia's asked of him, and pauses while mulling over Rose and Finn's plan, before making the choice to be the one to stay behind, rather than jumping into the fray to save the day.

By the end of the film, Poe has quite consciously stepped into the latter half of the choice presented to him. He wants to survive, not just sacrifice himself in the name of the fight, and becomes the leader that Leia knew he had the potential to become:

The heart of his conflict in TROS is his fear that, like Rey, he can't succeed where the past did. He isn't Leia, and he's not so certain that he can do this by himself - but in the end, he doesn't have to, because he has Finn for support, and Rey shows them the way, in a neat inverse to Poe in TLJ:

And then the entire galaxy steps up to overthrow the First Order, and Palpatine. Like his wookieepedia so iconically supplies, Poe becomes the spark that lit the fire that burned the First Order down, and he doesn't do so alone.

The theme of choice and circumstances is often also reflected in the antagonists and villains. As aforementioned, DJ represents the choice Finn has of not joining, and serving himself, but there's another element to this theme, of characters looking down on our heroes for the circumstances they come from:

Snoke also expresses shock over the idea that a mere scavenger could resist his apprentice. It's a similar sentiment that Poe, Rose and Finn all experience within the Resistance itself under Vice Admiral Holdo:

She quickly reduces the three of them - Poe to no more than a trigger-happy flyboy, Finn to being a stormtrooper, and can't even be bothered to remember Rose, our resident behind the scenes worker underdog turned hero, despite supplementary material confirming that Rose is quite literally from Holdo's ship.

Like Rey, the three of them are underestimated and put down for or reduced to their 'inferior' roles. It's no wonder these kids are afraid they're not enough to be the heroes of this story - they've been told repeatedly that they're not, by villains and heroes alike.

Even more horrifically is the way agency and choice gets stripped away from the heroes by the villains:

Poe manages to resist an undetermined amount of time being physically tortured without giving up any intelligence, until Ren forcibly violates him by entering his mind (an experience described as "silent agony" in the novelization), and taunts Rey that he can do the same to her before she quickly turns the tables on him.

Both Ren and Snoke are able to paralyze their victims with the Force, rendering them immobile; Rey has similar trauma as Poe, albeit not from Ren, but through Snoke, as he immobilizes her and then tears through her mind in a similar manner that Ren does to Poe in the Force Awakens. Elsewhere, Finn experienced a lifetime of programming and brainwashing, reduced to a mere number without even a name to give him any sense of individuality. And Palpatine's ultimate play, before learning that Ren and Rey are a dyad in the Force and that power could restore him, was to literally possess Rey's body for himself.

It is a constant struggle for agency, with the villains quite often stripping our heroes of their autonomy - that is what the sequel trilogy is about. Three people who are consistently put down, devalued, who repeatedly have their agency stripped away, who are told they are stuck in an endless cycle, and it is about them going no, and leaving that behind and finding a home and a purpose in each other. Making the choice to find a new home, a new family, a new purpose, a new surname.

It is a victory when they emerge from Exegol, bloodied and exhausted and injured but with the sun shining, because they broke the cycle and they chose each other. It isn't about restoring the Republic, or holding onto the past. It's about three hurt people finding the value in themselves, and making a home with each other.

[clementineskesh]

the thing that consistently frustrates me the most about AMCA is like for all their sequel series criticisms they like never touch on the blatant and awful racist treatment of john boyega in tlj and tros theyre so busy talking about adam driver and shit and never even acknowledge that john did a great job and was given less than nothing over and over again