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Post #1447216

Author
RogueLeader
Parent topic
What do you think of the Sequel Trilogy? - a general discussion thread
Link to post in topic
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/1447216/action/topic#1447216
Date created
3-Sep-2021, 3:35 PM

Funny that this thread was made yesterday! I was just thinking to post some thoughts I had about the Sequel Trilogy, but wasn’t sure which thread I would post them on.

The Sequel Trilogy is certainly a mixed bag for me, just like it is for many others here, and I agree that it could’ve been done a lot better in a lot of ways. But, there are a few positive things I got out of these films that I wanted to share.

I actually liked how the relationships in the Skywalker family were all in a very bad place. The original trilogy definitely evolved into a family soap opera, and I think Luke, Han, Leia and Ben all being in bad places in the Sequel Trilogy allows audience members who also have their own damaged familial relationships could observe the Skywalker family and take some kind of lessons from it.

For example, a big issue for a lot of people in the ST is Luke. I know a lot of people didn’t like it, but I identified a lot with the regret and shame Luke felt. Some people can’t accept that he would make such a big mistake, and that’s fine. I guess as someone who struggles to change their bad habits and in the process has made a lot of mistakes in their life, it was cathartic to see him overcome his utter failure and grief. If the hero I identified with growing up can go through such a major setback, then maybe I can too.

Another example is Han and Leia’s relationship with their son. They’re not perfect parents, and no parent is. Every parent is going to make mistakes. No matter how hard they try to nurture and develop their children into well-rounded adults, they are going to mess up in some ways. And sometimes their kids are going to mess up too. You could argue this is unhealthy, but I appreciate that despite all of Ben’s mistakes, they loved him selflessly and gave their lives for him.

Han is definitely a father who struggled to communicate and relate with his son. In a way, they all made mistakes with Ben, and Ben made mistakes with them too. But despite being literally stabbed in the heart by his own flesh and blood, he places a gentle hand on the face of his son. There is something powerful to me in the genuine selflessness and love Han displays for Ben at the end. It’s the ultimate forgiveness. Obviously most children aren’t going to kill their own fathers, but I appreciate what it represents. Children may hurt or disappoint their parents, but parents still have this ability to love them unconditionally.

I know we all would have preferred to have had an actual scene between Ben and Leia in TROS, but in a way, I think Leia dying before Ben has chance to make it amends works narratively. I’m sure a lot of people have had the experience of losing someone before they were able to get some closure, or heal some wounds of the relationship. Just to speak personally for a minute, my grandparents helped raise me, but as a child and young adult, I feel like I didn’t really show how much I appreciated them when they were alive. I still carry this guilt. They devoted their lives to take care of me, and what did I do for them?

For Ben, he feels like it is too late for him to “come home” because his mother’s gone. But the vision of his father reminds him that what she believed in, and what she fought for, is not gone. My grandparents aren’t around anymore. I can’t take care of them and show them my appreciation. So instead, I have to decide to try and live in a way that they would’ve wanted me to live, and I have to try and make sure the effort they put into raising me doesn’t go to waste.

There’s definitely a lot I would’ve done differently with these movies if I was the one making them (which is why I enjoy fan edits), but I appreciate a lot the stuff the filmmakers decided to say about both biological family, as well as found family.