Now and then I have a little giggle when I recall that JJ Abrams made Rey Palpatine's grandkid via some sort of nonsensical cloning plot. It's not the worst thing in the ST but I do think it's emblematic of why it's bad. Signifier without substance. Derivative *and* gutless. Tried to rip off ESB without understanding how the Vader reveal works as a narrative beat, gave Sheev spawn, and didn't even have enough courage of their convictions to admit that he fucks.
Like we all know Vader spent two decades pining gloomily after Padmé. But Palpatine? Sheev Palpatine? The guy whose two modes are smiling smug self-satisfied secret smiles to himself and crowing POWER, UNLIMITED POWER? The guy who cackles with maniacal relish anytime he gets to let his hair down and have a lightsaber fight? That guy is a hedonist. Tell me I'm wrong. That man is at all times enjoying the hell out of being irredeemably evil. He is a literal emperor, the vastly powerful and mostly unchallenged ruler of the galaxy, reveling in a victory he spent many years plotting and scheming for. And they had to invent some half-assed narrative afterthought of a cloning program rather than simply allowing us to assume that at some point in the two+ decades between ROTS and ROTJ, that man got laid? The cowardice. The incompetence. The sheer commitment to taking every conceivable L
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Can’t help but listen to Star Wars music and think about Star Wars and then I come to Realizations and it’s a whole mess BuT-
Leia is what Anakin could have been.
The face of rebellion. The one who killed Jabba the Hutt. Overwhelming passion and fury and love. Determination and passion made into positive difference. Terrifying in her anger and magnetic in her warmth. Especially the Anakin we see in the Clone Wars, Leia is the culmination of all he could have become. A leader fighting on the front lines, refusing to give in, loyal to the point of suicidal.
Luke is what Darth Vader could have been.
A being whose power was forged in Darkness, but who ultimately chooses the Light. A shadowy figure who appears where he’s least wanted when he’s least expected. Unreadable and all-consumingly powerful. Someone who slips into the role of the intimidator with ease, someone who is willing to be the second-in-command. Fighting in the background, unseen to most but the effects seen by all.
Leia kills Jabba with the chains he put her in. Anakin kills Sidious with the cage he trapped him in. Darth Vader chokes Tagge to make a point and to intimidate. Luke chokes the Gamorrean guards to make a point and intimidate.
Leia was Anakin’s possibilities, Luke was Darth Vader’s.
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The mindset of Light Side in Star Wars
This frame is possibly the clearest image of how Jedi win their fights.
But lets start from the beggining.
Recently it hit me how little of the actual force is in the Original trilogy of Star Wars. Let's see first movie:
Ben firstly makes his iconic "These aren't the droids you are looking for"
Luke stops the bolts while covering eyes
Vader chokes snarky admiral
Ben feels the destruction of Alderran
Ben's body dissappears
Luke shots down the death star
No flashy effects. No jumping, no pushing people around. Up until a finale, it seems Force is nothing special, trickery of sort, something to overlook. Until it proves Vader right: "The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Force." and destroys the said Death Star, exploiting the very weakness that, althought the weakness in theory (planted intentionally according to new canon) shouldn't really be an issue, as it required miracle to work. And Force brought the miracle.
That's how Luke destroyed the Death Star, marking his first highlight of his road to become the Greatest Jedi in the Galaxy. But how would Sith come about destroying the Death Star?
Well, I say, if there was another Sith in the Galaxy, that dude would probably gather resorces and slaves and build his own Death Star, but bigger and deadlier. Or looked around Sith teaching and spells to become strong enough to crush it with his mind. Because that's how Sith mind works. "Unlimited POWER!!!" is their goal. When they see someone opposing them, they thing how to overpower them.
The Dark Side is "easier, quicker, more tempting". Because it's natural. Because Luke does exacly that, when he trains. He focuses on his strenght. Because his goal is to defeat the powerfull Empire. So he needs to become powerfull himself. And that is an invitation for dark side to enter the mind. The same way it entered the mind of his father.
Anakin wanted to gather enough power to save those he loves. And because he was also wronged by Jedi enough times not to trust them with his pet parrot if he had one, he was open to other advice. Don't get me wrong, power is sometimes an answer. But it should never be a goal.
That's the mindset Luke enters his fight with Vader. And he can't do a crap. The Dark Lord is to powerfull to overcome with strenght.
Jedi don't do that. Jedi deals with issues. Jedi helps others out. And in the process they learn and make friends. That's what Jedi wins with. Patience, wisdom and allies, not with power.
Every greatest victory of Jedi over Sith or any other villain is about Jedi bringing the miracules to life. Jedi always win when dark seems the darkest. Because that's when pride of villains comes full circle. Small things left behind gather together, teaching of mentors, friends and happy coincidences combined create the victory for good guys.
When Obi-Wan cut's Maul with a sword Sith forgot was lying there.
When He cuts his former apprentice legs off, because Anakin couldn't accept, that even he isn't all-powerfull.
When Ezra brings Purgils to fight, the one thing all-knowing, genius strategist had no way of predicting.
When Luke managed to break thru the mask of hate, inspiring his father to do the right thing in the most crucial moment in Star Wars history.
When on Endor, army of Empire fall under the invasion of literall teddy bears.
When Kanan, with no fear to cloud his mind, focused on simple tast of defeating Inquisitor, realised the sword that striked so much fear for how inventive it seemed, turned out to be extremely vulnerable.
Jedi don't gather strenght. And Jedi story is definitelly not about gathering the power of spirits or whatever to enhance the hero into overpowering the villain in the final showdown. Jedi win by performing small miracles here and there, patiently waiting for evil to dig it's own grave and then giving it just a little push with help of friends they made on their way.
That is the story of The Jedi, the greatest heroes Galaxy Far Away ever saw.
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Coriolanus Snow and Anakin Skywalker are perfect examples of really interesting characters who had every chance to do the right thing but repeatedly chose wrong even though they were surrounded by good people, all because they had one person whispering in their ear and convincing them to be selfish and to hurt people instead. There is no point where they have to do what they do, it’s their choices that make them compelling.
They’re also both incredibly controlling over the women they claim to love but are quick to try and physically harm them when they realise that they’re actually human beings who will not blindly follow them. It’s very clear they were possessive, not actually in love. To sincerely love is to respect someone’s agency and neither of them were capable of that.
Another trait they both share is that, despite being layered and well written but fundamentally flawed characters who turn to evil by their own free will, if you cast an attractive actor to play them, there are always going to be people who blindly ignore the entire plot just to defend them and justify their actions. Being a victim of abuse or oppression does not excuse you from being a perpetrator.
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