Some Ghosts Never Die (or) It Went Exactly As I Thought It Would

Finally, on the last day of 2017 I saw "The Last Jedi."

And I liked it.

Sure, there's stuff I didn't like about it, but, as "Part 2" of the Sequel Trilogy, and as part of Star Wars overall, I very much enjoyed it and thought it was quite good.

Why?

Because I remember.

• I remember when the newly victorious Rebel Alliance fought side-by-side with Imperial forces against an invading race of aliens from a star cluster just outside the galactic edge.

• I remember when Wedge Antilles reformed Rogue Squadron with the mission of, not only becoming the best fighter squadron in the galaxy, but retaking Coruscant.

• I remember when Han Solo kidnapped Princess Leia to convince her to marry him.

• I remember when Grand Admiral Thrawn nearly tore the New Republic apart with his most artistic campaign.

• I remember when Luke Skywalker founded the New Jedi Order on Yavin IV with a class of twelve students.

• I remember when Kyp Durron stole the Sun Crusher and destroyed an entire star system.

• I remember when a race of genocidal and racist aliens attacked the New Republic with a fleet led by a Super Star Destroyer.

• I remember when the Galactic Civil War ended with the surrender of the Imperial Remnant.

• I remember when the Yuuzhan Vong race invaded the galaxy, killing Chewbacca, destroying thousands of worlds, and terraforming Coruscant before being defeated.

I remember.

And that is why I liked "The Last Jedi."

I'll admit, I don't like DJ.  Not because he was a bad character, but because I don't think he was necessary.  There is a long history of smugglers, slicers, thieves, and other "scoundrels" in Star Wars, but the ones DJ is most like are not "good guys."

I don't like Holdo.  I don't like commanders who are too cheerful in the face of long odds, and who don't tell people the plan or part of the plan.  She's too much like a Bothan in that regard.  (Those of you familiar with the Thrawn Trilogy or Rogue Squadron know exactly what I mean.  And I'll leave it at that.)

And its true that there were visuals and film style choices that I disagree with.  They're not what I would have used if it was me.  A few didn't feel "Star Wars," in my opinion.  The scene where Holdo rams the Raddus into Snoke's ship is one of them.  Epic to watch, and kuddos, but it looked more like something out of a live-action "Big Hero 6."  Not bad, just not what I'd expected.

So, enough of why I didn't like it.  How about I explain why I liked it, since I doubt my list makes it clear, and there is apparently a lot of polarized viewpoints on this episode.

I'm going to start with a theory.  My theory, with my terms.

There are only three kinds of Star Wars fans:

• Those who are "minimalist" and only familiar with the movies and perhaps aware of the Expanded Universe;
• Those who are "Post-Prequel fans" that grew up with the Prequels as the most recent additions, are familiar with materials that cover events before Episode IV, and are sympathetic to the clones and the "old" Jedi Order;
• Those who are "Rebellion-Era fans" that grew up with the Original Trilogy and the Expanded Universe that only described events post-Endor, with the exception of a few bits of Old Republic history.

"Minimalists" are not going to care either way with this movie.  All they will think is "yay, more Star Wars."

"Post-Prequel fans," though, are going to be less than pleased with it.  The "old" Jedi Order is called out as all but a failure in this, and the First Order is just the Grand Army of the Republic and the Empire taken to logical conclusion, but unashamedly villains.  Its really hard to be sympathetic to the designated bad guys.  None of the "fan theories" (or, if you prefer "fan fiction") survived, and the fan fiction phenomenon is primarily a Post-Prequel thing (though there is some old EU stuff, all of which is superior.)  None of the "approved" Mary Sue style characters are there: such as expies of Anakin.  Most of all, "The Force Awakens" and "The Last Jedi" are too much like the Original Trilogy and the old Rebellion era "Expanded Universe" for their comfort.  Its just not what they are used to.

"Rebellion-Era fans" should be happy with this film.  Why?  Consider:

We get to see an expy of Wedge get into the type of trouble expected of an ace snubfighter pilot, only he has to suffer the consequences that Wedge always seemed to avoid.

(Then again, we all knew he was the new Wedge when he had this bit of snark.)

We see an expy of Borsk Fey'lya in the guise of Vice Admiral Holdo.  Yes, I'll be so bold to say it.  Mostly because I didn't see her act as a military leader so much as a politician.  And its not because she was wrong.  Quite the opposite.  Her plan was the right one.  But she should have told her people what the plan was instead of a pretty "cheerleader" speech.  Maybe the comparison with Fey'lya isn't fair then, though she does go out in very similar fashion.  And I can respect that.  If only she'd been a leader, not a cheerleader.

(Arrogance, thy name is Borsk.)

We almost see Talon Karrde or Booster Terrik show up in the form of DJ, except he isn't as honest or skilled as either, and neither of them are slicers.  Niles Ferrier or Huff Darklighter would be the potential inspiration more than either of the former, but the former is incompetent, and the latter apathetic.  Even Dengar or Boba Fett would have been more upstanding that that.  And the best slicer in the galaxy, one Zakarisz Ghent, would never be so backstabbing (mostly 'cause he's naive).  Maybe DJ's actually Fey'lya's expy...

(For the record, our slicer Ghent is on the far right.  If you can't identify the rest, then go re-read the Thrawn Trilogy.)

(From left to right: Tycho Celchu, Winter, C-3PO, R2-D2, Luke, Leia, Han, Chewie, Lando, Talon Karrde, Shada D'ukal, Mara Jade, Zakarisz Ghent)

Original here.

We get to see more types of starfighters instead of just the "same old stuff."  Now, before all you "Post-Prequel fans" get upset with me, I do recall and appreciate the grand variety of ships from Episodes 1-3.  And many of them were good.  But we've never had a "heavy" onscreen.  Sure, the Y-Wing was officially a bomber, but it was a very light one.  The bomber from "The Last Jedi" reminded me of the K-Wing.  The Star Wars universe has always had a bit of a gap when it comes to its light craft.  Having a bomber is a good thing.  (And, yes, for the record, I know the B-Wing should count, but we don't see them onscreen enough.)

(The BTL-S8 K-Wing - for when you really want that Star Destroyer to go away.)

But I can hear someone complaining already: "How'd the First Order build all those big ships?  Aren't they suppose to be a secret group out in the Unknown Regions?  Where'd they get the stuff to build that ludicrously large ship, let alone Starkiller Base?"  All good questions.

Who cares?

No, but seriously, we're talking about the remnants of the Empire, with a large portion of the old resources, running unchecked in a third of the galaxy likely filled with all sorts of resources, running arms deals and such.  Gaining capital and equipment to fund such projects isn't all that far fetched.  And besides, the Empire expended much more on much less.  (Torpedo spheres, anyone?)

Go ahead an check out the old Expanded Universe.  Back in the day portions of it were known as "The Super-weapon Of The Month Club" for good reason.  Sun Crusher, World Devastators, the Eye of Palpatine, the Darksaber, Eclipse-class dreadnoughts, and a few others.  All built by the Empire (except Darksaber, which was by the Hutts).  Building weapons is extremely lucrative business.

Remember, we're talking about a government in a universe known for building space stations the size of moons all for moving black holes from half-way across the galaxy.  (Seriously, that's what Centerpoint Station was built for.  Check it out sometime.)  Construction of this scale isn't that insane.  Wasteful and stupid, perhaps, but not insane.  Consider the planet-sprawling city of Coruscant.  Each of those buildings has to take a lot of time, effort, planing, money, and material to assemble.  And each one could have been used to build a ship the size of a Star Destroyer.  Remember, Coruscant has 5,000 levels.  That's a lot of metals and other material.

The only thing I'm left with that I don't get is "who's the villain now?"  The only reason I ask is the ending feels like a set-up for more than just a single movie.  The Resistance has to rebuild from the ground up.  Luke is dead, and Rey is minimally trained (though the latter may be a good thing).  Snoke is dead, though that doesn't mean he's gone (Force ghost?).  The First Order lost a lot of material, and Kylo Ren is in charge.  The war will continue, but its clear that Kylo isn't stable as a villain yet.  There's got to be more of a threat remaining to drive things.

Maybe Snoke's still influencing Kylo, or worse, ghosts from history (Palpatine?).

And what about Rey?  Luke said the Jedi would continue.  I'm glad to be right in my theory that we're resetting to a more Taoist than Buddhist style of Jedi.  Clearly the writers are familiar with the Unifying Force theory, the Living Force theory, and Luke's New Jedi Order.  And for all you "Post-Prequel fans" out there, no matter what you may think, Luke's Jedi are leaps and bounds better than the old Order.  Why?

Balance.

That was the goal.  And that's what Luke's Jedi were better at reaching.  But the EU writers gave Luke some really good students, and some good materials to work from, including artifacts from before the Ruusan reformation, which is what led to the "classic" Jedi Order of the Prequels.

It shouldn't be a surprise to anyone.  The trailer featured the voice of Bendu, a creature that existed "in the middle."  Listen carefully, right around the minute mark.

The original Jedi were supposed to balance the Force.  Its not good, or evil.  Just power, and choices have consequences either good or evil.  Its a philosophy that on one hand is right at home in today's society, while being completely foreign.

But I'm not here to discuss the nuances of a sci-fi series based worldview.  Maybe some other day.  No, I'm just giving everyone my reasons for why I liked Star Wars Episode VIII "The Last Jedi."

Can't wait for the next one.  But, until then, I'll reacquaint myself with the legendary Expanded Universe, filled with greats like Thrawn, Karrde, Horn, Kre'fey, Durron, Pellaeon, and so many others.  And perhaps, that's the most interesting thing I'm taking from this installment.

With "The Force Awakens" I felt a bit of loss as the old Expanded Universe was swept away.  That's where I grew up as a fan of Star Wars.  To have it be, essentially, erased was disappointing.  But its still there, much like how the old Greek myths are still there.  I can still read them even if they are relegated to dusty bookshelves.  This new Trilogy ushers in a new style, inspired by the old but uniquely its own.  I can have both and be happy with them for what they are.

So if you liked the movie, that's great.  And if you didn't, that's okay too.  But as for me, there was no doubt that it was the "right" movie, a Star Wars movie, when the opening crawl faded and the camera panned down to show the Resistance ships evacuating, just before the First Order arrived.

Now I've just got to wait and see if the Han Solo stand-alone is any good.