Why 'The Last Jedi' Is A Love Letter To 'Star Wars'
The Film Has Its Fans And Critics In The Fandom
The Last Jedi is a controversial film among Star Wars fans; some love it, and some hate it. Many think that it is a slap in the face to all Star Wars and what came before it. Many have accused to it of being anti-Star Wars, anti-fan, and a blight on the franchise. However, many people fail to realize the meta-story being told within this film, and the overall themes and ideas of the film as a love letter to Star Wars and Star Wars fandom by showing us that, for all it’s apparent faults, Star Wars still has much value in our world and for the future. Despite challenging Star Wars in some ways, it is in many ways the most pro-Star Wars movie ever.
Rey the Fan
Rey, from her inception, is very much an audience-insert character first and foremost. She knows about the legends of Star Wars; Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia. She grew up with it, lived by it, knows about it, and because of that was able to survive when the story of Star Wars came to her. She knows about Star Wars and as a result is good at interacting with the universe and the legends she comes across.
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Rey is introduced in Force Awakens and is inspired by it. She is inspired by Luke, Han and Leia to live up to those heroes' example. In many ways she is the Star Wars fan who exemplifies the ideas and themes of the beloved franchise. Peace, non-violence, and being in harmony with oneself and living a life of selflessness and kindness.
Truly, Rey is the Star Wars fan who learned the right lessons of Star Wars and thus when she meets Luke Skywalker, she tries to show him just how his example have made her follow the path of the light side of the Force and that there is still value to be held in those stories and lessons.
Kylo the Hater
If Rey is the fan, than Kylo is her anthesis as the hater. Kylo Ren’s whole experience with Star Wars is a combination of being stuck in the past and wanting to see everything burn because of how things have changed. He didn’t take any of the right lessons from the stories of his uncle Luke, or his parents Han and Leia, and instead lives in a world of entitlement, thinking that if he owns the franchise then no one else can.
When Kylo Ren says let the past die, it is probably the most unhealthy approach to any franchise, burning it all down, starting over, and completely ignoring the past. However, as Kylo Ren is the villain, it is fitting that he would be the one to say "let the past die."
Luke the Critic
If Rey and Kylo are fan and hater, than Luke is the jaded critic of Star Wars. Luke's jadedness is not just to his legacy, but also to the Jedi in general. This is similar to many critics who would right off Star Wars as nothing but popcorn fluff that should be done away with. He may not be as gung-ho about it, the way Kylo Ren is, but he sees the Star Wars franchise from both an in-universe perspective and a meta standpoint. Luke considers his own story and the franchise itself as nothing worth getting excited about anymore. Luke is tired and done with Star Wars at the start of Last Jedi.
“I will not be the last Jedi”
At the end of the day though, the side that the movie takes is very much Rey’s. The Star Wars fan, the one who loves Star Wars, lives by Star Wars, embraced Star Wars from both the in-universe embrace of these legends and stories but the out of universe, meta sense, of being a Star Wars fan. As a result, she is given the tools she needs to beat Kylo Ren the hater. Eventually even Luke the critic decides to come out of retirement and beat Kylo Ren the hater, when he learned from Rey that his story, that Star Wars, gives people hope. The whole point of The Last Jedi is that a Star Wars fan teaches a critic of Star Wars the importance of Star Wars, in this case, Rey teaches Luke the importance of his legacy to people and the galaxy.
The final shot of the film is even more a indicator of that, as Broom Boy shares the legend of Luke Skywalker with his friends before looking up into the stars, demonstrating that the legacy of Star Wars remains true and that it has a bright future ahead, and hopefully for us as well.
READ NEXT: Do the Prequels Work as a Trilogy?
Source(s): YouTube
Written by Joel Davis
Syndicated from Culture Slate
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