Star Wars: The Force Awakens

[Dagenspear]

I finally saw this movie over a month ago.

I don't call myself the biggest Star Wars fan out there (I do like the original trilogy as most people do, but I guess I only like The Phantom Menace out of the prequels), but I thought The Force Awakens was enjoyable. My only complaint is Han Solo's death felt rushed and forgotten quickly, similar to Quicksilver's demise in Avengers: Age of Ultron, but all in all, it was a fun popcorn movie. Whether Rey is a "Mary Sue" character or not, I honestly don't care. I saw her as a female equivalent to Luke Skywalker, and from what I can remember, he didn't exactly have that many flaws either, unless maybe if you argue he rushed his training to fight Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back (forgive me if I'm wrong though, I haven't seen it in a long time).

Luke was pretty whiny in ANH. Not to mention, Luke wasn't easily capable of many force abilities with no kind of training, like Rey was. That's the difference for some.

I found this rebuttal aimed specifically at Chronicle writer Max Landis, who trash talked the film and accused Rey for being a Mary Sue.

Source: http://flavorwire.com/552857/star-wars-the-force-awakens-doesnt-have-a-mary-sue-problem-its-critics-do

I don't share this author's stance against people who were genuinely unconvinced by Rey as a character, but I am glad Max Landis was singled out for his trash talking on Twitter. That guy likes to trash other people's work, but he seems pretty thin skinned when others criticise his stuff e.g. dismissing Red Letter Media's critique of one of his films because they liked The Hobbit, implying they have no credibility. He's in no position to judge anything harshly if he doesn't have the maturity to cope with scrutiny himself. That being said, I've heard some good things about his Superman: American Alien mini-series. Hopefully I'll get the chance to read it and find out if it lives up to the hype.

You have no room to make judgements on that issue. Have a very great day you and everyone!

God bless you! God bless everyone!

[The Dark Knight]

I quite like the idea Rey is the chosen one, rebooted. That the power of Anakin has passed onto another person in the galaxy. It would be ironic for Luke to train such a person, given his father's fate. Rey's abilities in TFA don't have to be explained away, but I think that scenario would play out fine.

[Silver Nemesis]

I quite like the idea Rey is the chosen one, rebooted. That the power of Anakin has passed onto another person in the galaxy. It would be ironic for Luke to train such a person, given his father's fate. Rey's abilities in TFA don't have to be explained away, but I think that scenario would play out fine.

I really hope those rumours aren't true. It would ruin the singularity of the Chosen One if the prophecy was cyclical. I don't want Rey to be a member of the Skywalker family either. That plot twist has already been overplayed. I'd prefer it if she was just an original protagonist who could stand on her own, without being a reincarnation or secret relative of any previous characters.

At the same time though, they do need to explain why she was so overpowered in The Force Awakens. There's a difference between displaying innate Jedi traits (fast reflexes, empathy, passive visions) and fully mastered Jedi skills (expert swordsmanship, Force persuasion, telekinesis). Rey clearly displayed the latter, and there has to be an explanation for this. Otherwise it's just sloppy writing.

My guess is she's one of Luke's former students. It's possible he implanted a false memory in her mind to keep her out of harm's way so the Knights of Ren wouldn't recruit/kill her. By making Rey think her family would return, he'd give her a compelling reason to stay on Jakku of her own volition. And if that's indeed the case, then her true back story should be revealed in Episode VIII.

On a related note, some fans have pointed out similarities between Rey and Bastila from Knights of the Old Republic.

If the filmmakers were taking cues from the KOTOR games (and the similarities between Darth Revan's costume and Kylo Ren's would suggest they are), then Rey might be a former Knight of Ren that Luke captured and brainwashed. Jedi aren't meant to kill prisoners, and in KOTOR the Jedi Council was shown to erase a captive's mind and give them a new memory as a rehabilitative alternative to execution. Perhaps that's what happened to Rey.

If she must be related to an older character, I'd rather she was connected to the Palpatine or Kenobi bloodlines than the Skywalkers.

[Catwoman]

the Jedi Council was shown to erase a captive's mind and give them a new memory as a rehabilitative alternative to execution.

What about a replacement limb for the one they lob off since that seems to be their preferred method of subduing someone

[Silver Nemesis]

I believe prosthetics are covered by Jedi health insurance, unless the dismembered body part happens to be a head. In which case it's rather more difficult to replace.

[Catwoman]

I believe prosthetics are covered by Jedi health insurance, unless the dismembered body part happens to be a head. In which case it's rather more difficult to replace.

No wonder Boba was so pissed about what happened to Jango.

[Silver Nemesis]

Mace only removed Jango's head so he wouldn't keep bumping it against the door on Slave 1.

A habit that was regrettably inherited by the stormtroopers. 

[Catwoman]

No good deed goes unpunished.

[johnnygobbs]

Mace only removed Jango's head so he wouldn't keep bumping it against the door on Slave 1.

A habit that was regrettably inherited by the stormtroopers. 

Am I right to assume the Stormtroopers weren't all clones by this stage?  If they had been, surely they'd be all the same height and thus genetically designed not to bang their heads on the Death Star hatches.

[Silver Nemesis]

I always hated the idea of the OT stormtroopers being clones, so I'm with you on that point. IIRC there was a plot point in the videogame Battlefront II where there's an anti-Imperial clone uprising on Kamino. This serves as a wakeup call to the Emperor, illustrating the clones' susceptibility to corruption and reprogramming. So the Empire decides to start enlisting ordinary recruits into their ranks. By time the OT comes around, the majority of stormtroopers are no longer clones. Though there probably were one or two surviving clone troopers in Vader's 501st legion – hence the one guy who bangs his head on the door.

One change I actually approve of in the special editions is the addition of a sound effect to punctuate the goof.