Holdo staying behind to be the ‘captain going down with the ship’ wasn’t well earned, as it was only really her ship for a couple of hours.
Someone on this site might correct me, but isn’t the Cruiser the same one that Ackbar commands in Return Of The Jedi? Having Ackbar stay behind to do the hyperspace ram would have been an epic end to a fan fave, far better than the derisory off screen death he recieved.
As for Ackbar not telling Poe the plan, that would be an easy fix - “loose lips sink battleships” and for a character who famously found himself in a trap before he’d be keeping tight lipped for sure!
I think the sacrificial lamb should have been Threepio. Firstly, it’s absurd that they didn’t use a droid for the final run. Secondly, I think Threepio has been woefully neglected as a character over the years. It would’ve been amazing to have Threepio go out in a blaze of glory. Imagine him saying something like “bravery is not part of my programming, but I will do what I must!” (or something)…
If there’s one thing Lucas never changed his mind on, it’s that the droids are supposed to be in all the episodes. I’d rather they keep it that way to the end of this trilogy at least.
Sure, but this series has already gone way beyond any vision Lucas may have held to.
The thing is Star Wars films always have those moments where the viewer is taken out of the ‘logic’ of the movie for whatever subjective reasons. For some it might be Starkiller Base, or Leia’s space-walk, or even ‘sound in space’. For me it was seeing Threepio boarding an escape shuttle while a respected leader was supposed to blow herself up for the greater good. It pushed the ‘droids are people too’ notion of the series over the line (IMO).
Which got me thinking about Threepio’s character overall. He was a pretty sassy dude in the first couple of movies - despite his overall demeanour. He sweet-talked Owen into purchasing him and R2, pulled that great stunt with the Stormtroopers in the control room (“they’re madmen! They’re heading for the prison level…”), and had a wonderful sense of camaraderie when it counted (“Stormtroopers? Here? I must tell the others!” or “Chewie, they’re behind you!”). Over the years he’s been relegated to just being a cameo figure like Nien Numb. Plus, Tony Daniels seems to be voicing a caricature rather than Threepio himself. When I first saw TFA, my wife turned to me and said “is someone else doing his voice now?”. He just doesn’t sound like he used to.
Anyway, I’m making too big a deal of this, but I really thought this could’ve been a great moment for ol’ Goldenrod. Maybe next time!