Jeebus said:
I think it’s just because the trilogy wasn’t planned out. JJ thought that Rey’s parents should be important, Rian felt differently.
Sadly, I think that’s entirely possible. Lucas went that route in his six films and to varying degrees depending on who you ask, it weakened the franchise and most certainly fractured the fan base. Lack of planned story isn’t a good thing.
I’m one of the loudest proponents of her being Rey Random. It’s the very universe expansion I’ve wanted for decades. I hope they stick with it. The ship could be someone leaving after they’ve killed or taken her deadbeat parents. There are all sorts of ways that fleeting scene works with a Rey Random story. Fingers crossed JJ does it justice. He has an appreciation of the history of the franchise. I suspect he doesn’t want to trample on it.
It’s the Rian tell part of a story game aspect that’s disappointing. I don’t have a problem with Luke as an older and different man 40 years after we first met him. In fact, I expect it and welcome it. His less than friendly relationship with Rey is the best part of the film. That said, I found the shoulder toss of the light saber to be completely deflating after the weight we were left with in the last scene of TFA.
In the few times I’ve watched TFA this past year, after Rey meets Han, I skip ahead to that last scene. I thought it was done perfectly. I don’t anymore. For me, the emotional depth of that last TFA scene was ruined when it goes from serious to shoulder toss let’s go milk a sea monster in a matter of moments. WTF Rian?
Luke can certainly be dismissive of The Force. After 40 years of what he views as a misguided trust in it, that’s a totally valid and interesting story direction. I just don’t buy that he would flippantly toss aside something that was such a big part of his earlier life. He lost his only family and several friends in the first film, learned more\lost more in the second, then grew emotionally, saved millions of lives, and redeemed Vader in the third.
He could have respectfully handed it back to her and expressed why he dismissed her ideas and her quest. Rian instead went for shock value over depth and emotion. That was very disappointing for me.