Star Wars: The Force Awakens

[Catwoman]

By the way, I never knew what "Mary Sue" and "Gary Stu" meant so I decided to look them up and calling either character that is pretty ridiculous, Rey in particular. We see plenty of flaws with her.

[The Dark Knight]

I can see the argument from both sides, but ultimately like the movie overall because I had a fun time with it. I have my own ideas as to why Luke disappeared, and it doesn't automatically paint him in a negative light. If you want to know what I think, prod and I'll spill my beans. And really, hanging plot threads are hanging plot threads. There's every chance 'plot holes' won't be plot holes in Episode 8. We just need to know more.

[The Joker]

So I understand that "Mary Sue" is a degraded term that now apparently means "female character I don't like," but I'm gonna draw a line here: Rey is not a Mary Sue.

She is a heroic protagonist in a pulp action movie. A Mary Sue is an authorial self-insert wish fulfillment character. As a heroic protagonist Rey is granted a baseline competence to allow her to participate in the action. Throughout the course of the film she earns the respect of several characters through her competence, and forms a bond with Han to serve a story and character function. She also grows in ability and competence throughout the film as she answers the Call to Adventure. Which is very much like Luke's arc 40 years ago.

Rey's arc is about learning not to cling to the past and learning to embrace the future. She goes from obsessively wanting to stay on Jakku because her family might come back, to accepting that they won't, but that others will (and Finn does come back for her) which gives her the strength to embrace the force and head towards her destiny. But with her look at the end of the movie (she's basically begging Luke to take the light saber) we know her arc isn't done yet.

If that isn't a character arc. I don't know what is. That's some classic heroes' journey type stuff right there.

If she was a Mary Sue, none of that would have been earned, it just woulda kinda sorta happen/happened.

[Catwoman]

And really, hanging plot threads are hanging plot threads. There's every chance 'plot holes' won't be plot holes in Episode 8. We just need to know more.

This. All of this. Which is what I was trying to say lol.

I'm interested in your Luke theory also.

[The Dark Knight]

I gather there were skirmishes between the First Order and the Resistance for some time, but things only escalated recently with the Starkiller weapon becoming operational. Luke being away is being interpreted by some as running away, hiding and giving up. I think there is definitely an element of brooding going on. But I also think Luke has been working at the same time. Ben Solo destroyed Luke's dream of establishing a new Jedi Order with his massacre. It is my opinion Luke deliberately sought out the first Jedi temple in an effort to rekindle this dream.

How?

By triggering an awakening in the force, the one which Ren and Snoke have felt. With less Jedi, Luke first needs people to feel the force so he can actually train people in its use. I don't think it's that far-fetched. Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and Yoda all learned how to become one with the force via 'training'. Luke finding a way to awaken the force in others could be feasible, and this ability could obviously take time to master and execute. Hence his time away.

And I've seen people saying the happy ending of ROTJ is tarnished because of TFA. I don't see how. Anakin brought balance to the force for 30 or so years and the Sith remain extinct. Han and Leia have a good life for some time and have a child. Luke does start training Jedi and flexes his muscle. The Empire sustained heavy losses and it took some time before the First Order rose up. The betrayal by Ben Solo threw a spanner in all their works, and again, that was some time after ROTJ. Things were good, but time moves forward and life is life. Of course there are trials, tribulations and failures we face in life.

[Catwoman]

I totally agree with you about the people talking about how it ruins the good vibes of the end of ROTJ. Look at real life. VE day was such a celebratory time, did it last forever? No. It lasted a hell of a lot less time than this fictional peacetime did, since the Korean War started just a few years afterwards, not to mention all the ugliness of the Vietnam War after that. It is so silly that people think the peace would have lasted forever in a world like that.

And I really like your theory about Luke. The power you mention, it would not surprise me since we're led to believe that Luke became the greatest Jedi ever. Him discovering that kind of power would fit with that (and be really badass on top of that lol). I'm just really eager to see what comes with Episode VIII since I think this is a question that will be answered. I think a lot of the really big questions will get answered in this one sort of like Luke's destiny and all were revealed in ESB, then everything will come to a head like the end of ROTJ (which is so epic between the Empire's last stand and the duel between Luke and Vader and then Anakin's redemption that it would be impossible to tarnish it anyway. God those people are stupid). But that's a very interesting idea.

[Edd Grayson]

I really like TDK's theories on it, and I hope they are proven right.

TFA definitely opened up the way for a trilogy more similar to the original, which could be great.

[johnnygobbs]

I think any sequel/follow-up to ROTJ was inevitably going to 'ruin' the good vibes left at the end of that movie.  The only way it wouldn't is if the new films were entirely conflict and tension-free and all the characters lived happily ever after, which was never going to happen.

But there has clearly been such a long gap between ROTJ and TFA that it's fair to say that the heroics of Episode VI were not in vain and that the galaxy has been fairly stable and peaceful for a long while.

But sadly, nothing lasts forever even, indeed especially, peace and TFA makes it clear that every victory of good over evil has its shelf-life until the next evil emerges.

[Catwoman]

http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2016/01/dream-of-a-galaxy-far-far-away-with-a-poe-dameron-body-pillow/

Well now....um....I.....uh....well.....

[Edd Grayson]

I wouldn't say that Poe Dameron is fascinating. But he is... interesting.