Star Wars Doesn't Suck: The Force Awakens

You know how I did a series a while back on how The Hobbit Stinks?

Well, I decided I want to do the same thing for the Star Wars series. With one minor alteration, though:

I'm only going to be talking about the parts of the series that I like

As much as I'd love to talk about how much Star Wars Sucks, I just can't.

You see, within this blog I use Stink (or Suck) to mean that I think something's interesting: It inspires critical thought and imagination, or it helps me connect with other people. My experience with the Star Wars Fandom is that discussions like that are too easily misinterpreted. Instead of a celebration, instead of enjoying something, it becomes about negative feelings and an irrational degree of hatred.

(Today, I choose the light side.)

(If you've been part of the Star Wars Fandom for the past 15 years, you probably have an idea of what I'm talking about:


The Prequels Suck, Jar Jar Binks Sucks, George Lucas Ruined my childhood...)


I don't think a discussion like that would be very fun, and I don't want to feed into that cycle. Suck has dominated the Star Wars discussion for far too long, NO MORE! There's a lot to enjoy about Star Wars, even if you don't love every aspect of the story or the way it was executed...

So without further adieu, here's

Seven Ways "The Force Awakens" Didn't Suck (In no particular order):

1) The Music-

I was not aware John Williams was still doing the score for this franchise until I saw his name in the credits. Honestly, I think a lot of the music in this movie seemed understated compared to the other work he's done. However, I think it was entirely appropriate for the movie.

My favorite song is "The Scavenger". It's the song where we first meet Rey (When she's sliding down that sand dune) and includes a rendition of her character's theme on what sounds like a piano, which makes it even more enchanting and beautiful. I'm not sure how to describe it other than it sounds comfortable and exiting all at the same time.

What a fantastic song to usher us into this adventure!

For Kylo Ren, we only gets little snippets of a theme and they're kind of spread out throughout the movie. At one point, it kind of sounds like a segment of Darth Vader's theme. I'm excited for an expanded/rebranded theme for this character in the future.

2) Sci-Fi

(This more applies to the book version.)

A lot of people in the Star Wars fandom prefer to experience this story as a space-fantasy. No one likes long winded explanations of how some random piece of advanced technology works (Star Trek cough cough)

However I personally really enjoyed the description of Starkiller base. The writers doesn't just ask you to suspend disbelief (Oh, no...another Death Star. Here we go again...) they put an effort into making this big-scary-weapon believable and convincing.

(The whole maintenance-man outlining his understanding of the weapon to the scientist thing was also kinda funny. It made the whole scenario more accessible to me.)

3) Relationships- 

I love how this story still continues to be about family, and that the family doesn't have to be related to each other.

"The supreme happiness of life consists in the conviction that one is loved;

 loved for one's own sake, 

loved in spite of one's self."-Victor Hugo

It doesn't really matter, in the end, whether these people are related. I'm already sold that their connections with each other are legitimate and important.

This is probably the biggest triumph of this movie for me.

4) The Characters

I really think there's too many to go over here, because I think all of them were really good

...so I'll pick three:

• Luke Skywalker

Luke and Obi-Wan are my favorite characters in the franchise, I've always been kind of curious with what might have happened to Luke after The Return of the Jedi. In the Star Wars Extended Universe/Legends, he really seemed to kind of model his life after Obi-Wan so I was curious to see what this story would make of him. 

A lot of people were confused when we finally see Luke. I was really really impressed with what the storytellers did with him: with this teenie-tiny bit of screen time, they've re-established Luke as a relevant and dynamic character. 

Luke may want to be Obi-Wan, but he is totally NOT Obi-Wan. He cannot play it cool when it's NOT COOL! 

(This face has seen some shit)

^^ All this with NIL dialogue and, like, five seconds of screen time. 

Kudos to Mark Hamill on your magnificent FACE!!

(If they mess him up in the next episode, I will be seriously so sad....but more on that later...)

• Rey the Scavenger

Because I want to, I'm gonna do a little compare/contrasty thing with Rey and Luke:

In some ways, Rey is really reminiscent of Luke at the beginning of the Classic trilogy. In other ways, not so much-

Rey and Luke both come from desert planets, they're both dreamers, they're both really talented, they both have a largely optimistic attitude towards life, and they're both compassionate. I'd even go so far as to suggest that their names mean pretty much the same thing (in English, at least).

But as far as temperament, they're a bit different: Luke is argumentative, competitive, and confident. Luke grew up with a family, and he was eager to establish his independence. Rey is a bit more understated by comparison, she's patient, and because she grew up separated from her family, she cares more about belonging than achievement.

I read some reviewers who've said she's a more complex and relatable version of Luke. I really don't see that as the case. However, I do see her characterization and her journey as an excellent example of the heroine's journey

(WARNING: Literary Nerd rant below)

The heroine's journey was developed as a response to Joseph Cambell's "The Heroes Journey" a literary device that explains positive growth and change in people in terms of a quest or mission.

Most notable aspect of the Heroes journey, to me, is the fact that people...even heroes do not embrace change. Most of the time they are compelled to change by some external factor or motivator.

Anyway...

The Heroes Journey explains this change in terms that make sense within a masculine framework...the way men tend to look at life and deal with problems.

The Heroines Journey is very similar, however it focuses on how women might view a situation or conflict.

A big part of Luke's journey was about belonging, but for a whole two movies he didn't see it that way. Luke was always focused on a larger goal.

A big part of Rey's journey is about achieving something (balance to the force) but she has no perspective on that at this point, for her this journey is about finding that belonging.

It's a very similar journey, but two different ways of looking at it.


END RANT.

Rey's personality and her journey do a good job of reflecting what a lot of girls might want out of life.

(Contrary to popular belief, not everyone wants to be a princess)

• Han Solo-

(For Some reason, I really seem to identify with the flawed mentor role)

A two word spoiler about Han from my nephew is what convinced me to see this movie in theaters, instead of waiting until it came out on DVD. I had to know why and I was not disappointed with the explanation.

This movie arguably gives him the most satisfying character arc in the franchise. It rivals Obi-Wan, it even rivals Anakin. Because his journey is a lot more relatable than either of them. His journey isn't so much about redemption as it is about awakening.

Han was never a bad guy but he was, in his younger years, selfish, greedy, skeptical, and out of touch with his spirituality. Throughout the series we get to watch him become more loving, giving, and ultimately selfless (That's more than Obi-Wan Kenobi ever achieved!) We see him embrace his connection to a higher power. 

The awakening we see in this movie isn't in the force-welding members of the population as much as it is in regular people:Han, Finn, Maz, and Lor San...who are discovering their own connection to the universe.

(On a side note, it makes me happy that Rey got him as a mentor. Luke had someone who cared about him achieving his destiny for the greater good, Rey got someone who cared about her as a person.)

5) Jakku-

I have soft spot for desert planets, apparently.  My favorite locations are Niima outpost, the old Star Destroyer, and the interior of Rey's AT-AT/apartment. They have a lot of personality, kind of like my hometown.

6) Evil Inc.

The Force Awakens brought back one of the things I really liked about A New Hope that we kind of loose as the Classic Trilogy progresses: That, for the most part, the Evil in the empire is of a complicit nature.

Like, collectively they're this big, ruthless, sinister organization that will heartlessly wipe out your whole planet without a moments hesitation. As individuals they're kind of petty, segmented into their own little departments and concerned primarily with their own internal affairs.

Evil Inc. in "The Force Awakens" are like the children of those people (and they're, like, really pissed that their parents lost their jobs when the empire fell.) Its' fun to watch the group dynamics between Starkiller base leaders, between the stormptroopers, and it is rewarding to watch FN-2187 break free from the destructive mindset that enslaves his co-workers.

(Even though I do think it's a bit ironic

 that he leaves the order because he doesn't want to kill

 and then ends up killing...his old friends...

(Yeah, I'd probably take it personally too.)

7) Continuity-

Star Wars has always been an engaging and immersive story; one that only becomes more compelling as the saga goes on.

The narrative is really pretty dynamic when you think about it:

When you watch Episode V, you wanna go back and watch Episode IV to kind of see how this new information fits into the narrative.

Every new installment follows in this tradition. Each new episode continues the plot, and also sheds new light on the saga and redefines the context of the story as a whole.

Episode VII is no exception. After watching it, I couldn't help but go back and watch the Classic and the Prequel Trilogies.

("Not from a Jedi")

("It is your destiny")

(I'm amazed at how seamless the integration is. Thematically you almost feel as the grand vision of what Star Wars is about hasn't yet been realized. What exactly is the legacy of Darth Vader?)

Assuming you've watched the previous episodes, the viewers will know Darth Vader was kind of a pawn: He was this immensely powerful guy, but he was kind of being played by both the Jedi and the Sith. (First of all...WHY would Kylo Ren want to be like that?)

In the classic trilogy we see that both the Jedi and the Sith try to lay a similar claim on Luke. By Kylo Ren's actions, we assume this pattern continued on to the next generation.

What grand purpose was Darth Vader meant to achieve? And importantly (in the context of this movie, at least), what could you tell a 13-15 year old kid to make him think that it was a destiny worth achieving? 

It's remarkable that the possible answers to these questions are already scattered throughout in the Star Wars Saga. They've been under our noses for years, and yet I've hardly payed attention to them because they're so vaguely defined. (What is balance to the force, exactly? We haven't gotten a clear answer to that question

...yet.)

What follows here is speculation on my part, based on my own perusal of Star Wars Canon. I'm sharing it here because I'm interested to see how it holds up at the end of next year. I encourage you to share yours (should you be so inclined) in the comments below.

Mormonhippie's Star Wars Theory (**Warning: Here there be spoilers!)

I wouldn't put a simple lust for power beyond Kylo Ren, but I'm inclined to think it's more than just entitlement. It's pretty clear he doesn't actually take pleasure in doing bad stuff, the temptation is actually coming from the light side and he considers it a duty to adhere to this difficult path that he's chosen. 

a) Kylo Ren was brainwashed (very likely, IMHO...judging from Han and Leia's conversation.)

b) Snoke told Benjamin Chewbacca Organa-Solo the truth about how Darth Vader was created: Giving him a screwed-up view of the purpose of his life. 

This is something his parents probably didn't know: The Jedi believed Anakin to be the result of a sort of immaculate conception, later on we see Darth Sidious telling Anakin about "The Tragedy of Darth Plaguis". When I first heard it I just assumed it referred to biologic regeneration...like stem-cell stuff...but actually it's supposed to refer to the synthetic creation of biologic beings.

In the novelized version of Revenge of the Sith, Darth Sidious even takes credit for Anakin's creation via Plaguis' weird force-hack. (That's right: Anakin Skywalker is a Voodo-Frankenstein-Monster). The whole reason Anakin, Luke, Leia and Kylo exist, and the reason they have their affluence with the Force, is because their gene line was specifically created to bring balance to the force?? to serve the Dark Side. 

(^^I guess it all depends on your point of view...)

That's my theory, anyway. What do you think? 

What was your favorite part of The Force Awakens?

What do you think of Reylo?!

I'm gonna be doing a post on each of the Star Wars movies and also on The Clone Wars, because I think it's an integral part of the Star Wars saga, between now and the next time the movie comes out 

(almost two years...yelp!)