star wars : tfa - something i like

[marooned]

i really put off watching this film and i'd sort of decided not to bother watching it... but i changed my mind and did, and i was surprised to find something i liked. (i have plenty of issues with this film, but i'm not talking about them in this post and they're all boring to me anyway.)

shockingly (sarcasm) what i liked was... the bad guy kylo ren (i will just have to endure the bad names in star wars, and frankly it could have been worse).

usually i like the sort of twisted and conflicted bad guy because you can see the capacity for empathy in the character, and so watching it win out in little moments even though his larger agenda is terrible, is satisfying. it's probably because it gives hope for redemption, even if redemption is unlikely. but i suppose it is that part of me wants to reach in and grab the compassion i see and expose it. so i kind of want to save the bad guy; or in the least to console myself with the twisted image of love and hate.

in the case of kylo ren's character there is a similar draw in that he is conflicted throughout the film. however, i don't really have much hope of redemption for the character (which i’m actually quite pleased about). i think that as much as he was influenced and manipulated from a young age by snoke (horribly stupid name that makes me cringe), ben solo did choose the dark side for himself. he has personal investment in this, and he is informed in his choice (unlike anakin). ben probably grew up hearing all about the force and the light & the dark side thanks to uncle luke. since he has the entire story of anakin, he is not hapless or ignorant. he *chooses* his evil grandfather as his role model/father figure: vader is who he admires and aspires to be like. it doesn’t really matter *why* he was vulnerable to this (re: a lonely child whose parents didn’t have enough time for him) because he could have drawn from anywhere to sustain himself (rey was a lonely & neglected child too). he chooses the dark side because it’s what he feels most at home with in terms of his identity. (actually, the question of why kylo was vulnerable to the dark side is incredibly important, because it's why he remains there.)

this is exciting because it's a different sort of vader-ish character than we’ve seen in the films. the story of anakin skywalker was more one in which the road to hell was paved in good intentions (although i thought he was a bit of a self-centered little shit as a child, but never mind that!). of course, anakin ultimately wanted the power but i don’t think he really knew that (unlike kylo ren who is quite aware of how much he wants power). still, anakin was driven by what started out as arguably "good" motivations (saving his mother, saving padmé, and wanting to end the disorganized bullshit in the republic that was leading to war). he didn't want the dark side but he ended up with it. to vader, the dark side is a burden ("you do not know the power of the dark side. i *must* obey my master." are the words of a slave). this is a character who was born a slave and spends his entire life serving one master or another, unable to ever realize anything of what *he* wants (it’s the total opposite of the drive of the sith, who are covetous and desirous). luke is vader’s salvation. not only does luke give vader the strength to turn back to the good side; but in doing so, he frees his father from a lifetime of servitude.

kylo ren hasn’t been subverted by his “master” (who he sees as more of a mentor anyway) in the way vader was. anakin gave himself to palpatine so he could learn how to conquer his fear of loss, but from his point of view he was just trying to save padmé. palpatine, however, never had any intention of helping him with that and was later pleased to learn that padmé was dead (he wanted to maneuver anakin into ending her himself because it would chain anakin to him). he sadistically enjoyed tasking anakin with destroying everything he loved (the very things anakin was always trying to save). anakin didn’t know that with every task he was only building the bars on what would be his cage for the next 30 years. he even ends up trapped in a mechanical suit for the rest of his days—broken physically as well as psychologically. it’s a terrible betrayal and anakin (a moron as far as i’m concerned) was clearly duped by palpatine.

kylo ren is more of an authentic sith than vader ever was (and the first humanly relatable “true” sith to appear in the films). the dark side is not a burden for kylo ren that he must sacrifice himself to almost against his will; it’s the source of his strength and what he draws from to fully realize his identity (although like all sith he *is* willing to sacrifice himself to it in his recklessness, but that is by *choice*). like palpatine, snoke tasks kylo with terrible deeds, but there’s an important difference. kylo ren agrees, imo, that he must kill his father han solo so he can more fully realize himself. he isn’t being duped into murdering his loved ones—he is very much involved in choosing this path for himself. this is why han was always doomed. nothing he could say would have ever brought his son back in the way leia wanted. han was right when he said that he and leia lost their son forever (more or less). (i don’t know why leia was such a hopelessly sappy person in this film. not that i think she would want her son dead or not want him back, but i was shocked by what she told han to do. how idiotic.)

the relationship between kylo ren and snoke differs in many ways from that between vader and the emperor. kylo sees snoke as a source of wisdom about the dark side (as a mentor or guide) and as a way to build his skills. unlike the emperor who doesn’t teach vader anything at all (other than pain and submission), snoke is actively teaching and training kylo. i suspect this is because it’s actually the only way he can get kylo into his service. kylo wants something in return (more power with the dark side and more abilities) and it’s not worth it to him if he doesn’t get that. kylo is actually growing as a person (in a terrible way), unlike vader who was trapped in stagnation. he is using snoke as much as snoke is using him (the relationship is surprisingly more equal, or at least, symbiotic). it’s a relationship of mentor/pupil rather than one of master/slave. perhaps this is in part because snoke doesn’t have to fool and swindle kylo to the extent palpatine had to fool anakin (not anymore, anyway). kylo is actually a “worthy pupil” who is committed to the dark path and wants it of his own intrinsic motivation.

however, since this is a relationship on the dark side between two very power hungry individuals who both seek at worst domination and at best freedom to achieve all they desire, it can probably only end in one of them destroying the other. when han warns kylo that snoke is only using him, kylo doesn’t bring forth any objection. in the script it says he knows han is right. snoke is not honest. as much as he trains kylo, he doesn’t do right by him. he is still in fact manipulating kylo in subtle ways. i personally think that snoke is kind of a foolish person who underestimates his star pupil, and once kylo surpasses him and sees how foolish he is, kylo and the other knights of ren will kill him. i would really like to see this in the second movie in fact. we already know the way in which kylo uses people (it’s the same way the dark side uses its devotees): he *consumes* them. once he’s taken everything he can from a father (han) or a mentor (snoke) he sacrifices them on the altar of his own power. perhaps when he finally realizes enough of his identity he’ll even sacrifice (finish consuming) his idol: grandpa. vader’s skull/helmet is like dumbo’s magic feather until kylo can be swift and sure with his own wings.

the scene in which kylo kills han was beautifully twisted. he implores his dad to help him find the strength to kill him so he can more fully realize his dark path. he’s not killing him for emotional reasons, like hatred or vengeance, or because he believes han deserves it (even though he long ago rejected his father). no, this is a necessary step on the path he’s committed to and at his current level he’s not sure he has it in him (yet). this is a child appealing to his father to help him grow as a person (but since it’s on the dark side it is all twisted and sick—and i thought it was oh so effectively portrayed). also, he feels this is what his disappointment of a father owes him (the only thing of value left to give him). to me, this scene seals the question of whether or not kylo ren can be “redeemed.” he cannot. you can’t redeem someone against their will, not without a heavy course of manipulation (that probably no one has the means or understanding to carry out).

this also clearly sets kylo as a very different sort of person than vader. anakin was responsible for padmé’s death though he didn’t really want to kill her. he didn’t know what the dark side would do to him; he couldn’t see through his twisted illusions to truth; and he couldn’t control his temper. it was an accident, basically. later a more mature vader, when pushed to the choice of the emperor/the dark side -or- his own son, chooses to save his son. he does this because regardless of everything that has happened and how destroyed he is, he still loves (and for him, his love takes precedence). but when kylo is pushed to this same choice—the dark side or his father—he chooses the dark side. and it’s worse: he already chose it long ago. this is pre-planned. kylo’s been waiting for the day when he will consume his father at last and become more powerful as a result, for a long time. i even thought that as han falls into the abyss and kylo is filled with emotion, that he’s more mourning his former self than he is his father. he’s saying goodbye to the boy who loved his father, who wanted his father’s attention and approval, who wanted to look up to his dad, etc. he’s also feeling all his pain and conflict about this (flicker out?) that he hopes to cure by merging further with the dark side.

he wants the pain to end more than he cares about han. it’s heartbreaking to see him take everything from han in order to grow in power. the vulnerable boy who feels and hurts shows his face again and let’s han for this brief moment have his son back. he gives han everything he asks for—he takes off the helmet, he shows his face and heart… and then he feels entirely justified in consuming han into himself, and he *thanks* him for his sacrifice.

this is a creature of the dark side. it is not a redeemable creature. it’s just rather thrilling to me to finally have a “true sith” as it were.


i deleted the rest of this because i have looked more at the timeline and most of it isn't possible. my thoughts have dramatically changed. i am still ok with finn being a force user btw, but he could not have been at luke's school because he would have been far too old when it was destroyed. there are numerous things that wouldn't make sense. he wasn't hidden in among the storm troopers by kylo either (also practically impossible given the timeline). rey's vision can't be a memory either.