logo Sign In

Post #1270046

Author
Shopping Maul
Parent topic
Rey and Jedi Training
Link to post in topic
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/1270046/action/topic#1270046
Date created
18-Feb-2019, 1:11 AM

The Force is space-magic and therefore subjective. You could have a story where Rey treats the Starkiller Base like a yo-yo and hurls it into a black hole, and no-one could truly say you were ‘wrong’. Size matters not right?

The Force has been bent and morphed throughout the saga, but for me the best interpretation is in TESB. I know deleted scenes don’t count, but they do give an insight into the writer/director’s intentions at the time. There’s a moment that was cut (but made it into the comics and novelisations) where Yoda tosses a metal bar into the air and Luke attempts to slice it with his Lightsaber. He misses entirely, and pants “I can’t, not after running miles with you on my back…so tired”. Yoda responds with “the bar would be in seven pieces were you a Jedi”.

Later Luke has better luck with the test, severing the bar into four pieces. “Much progress you make young one” says Yoda. “Stronger do you grow”. But Luke’s not satisfied. “Let me try again, I can do seven. I’m angry enough to…” and Yoda’s like “no, no, anger, fear, aggression - the path to the dark side are they…” etc etc.

The trajectory here is clear (and I think TESB supports this even without these scenes). Training is required - discipline, resolve, clarity, purity of intention, physical strength/prowess. This is why Luke is special in the saga, even when he is still a novice. Becoming a Jedi is hard, really hard. Luke learns the hard way that his piloting skills and naive confidence/optimism are not enough - not by a longshot. He’s gone to Dagobah expecting straight-up warrior training and discovers that he has to become a freaking Buddhist! That’s why Han can’t be a Jedi, or Lando or Boba Fett or any random dude/dudette with fighting skills and self-confidence.

If the stories stray too far from this central premise - that Jedi proficiency is difficult and unique and riddled with potential failure - then not only does the Force become rather trite but the journey of Luke Skywalker (and by association the tremendous amount of personal investment in him during the OT) is greatly diminished.

I get that the idea is Rey has fastracked the power side of things through the harshness of her life on Jakku. But I think the writers went too far in having her pull mind tricks and levitation and kicking the crap out of Jedi Masters after two days. I can’t fault your post - like I said it’s subjective space-magic - but I think more thoughtful writing and a better sense of nuance could have made Rey’s journey different and unique without diminishing what has gone before.