How to Ruin the Future of an Iconic Franchise

Rating: 2/10 (5 March 2019)

Almost everyone has heard of the classic franchise Star Wars. The first movie of the franchise, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, scored $786,598,007 in the box offices worldwide in 1977 (The Numbers). Even though it was the first time the world have ever seen the franchise, the fantastic characters and intriguing story brought in viewers from all over the world. The main characters of the original movies are still well known today, such as Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, or Princess Leia. These characters were a large part of many people's childhoods. Today, however, the name of the Star Wars franchise was tarnished in the newest installment of the main star wars storyline: Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi. This movie is a disgusting addition to the original movies. Star Wars Ep. VIII: The Last Jedi soils the future of the Star Wars franchise by ruining Luke Skywalker's character, wasting the chance to use Supreme Leader Snoke as a powerful antagonist, and throwing away any chances of logically explaining Rey's sudden power.
A Grumpy Old Man
Throughout the original Star Wars trilogy, Luke Skywalker was the main protagonist and hero of the story. He often served as a role model for children of that era. However, in The Last Jedi, his reputation was decimated. For example, the film portrays Skywalker as a grumpy old man who does not want to be bothered by the trouble of helping the resistance. When Rey asks him for help, Luke repeatedly denies her, choosing to die alone on the island instead (Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi). In the past, Luke Skywalker was a protagonist whose never ending devotion and determination to the light amplified his good character and kindness. Until the end of the movie, Skywalker is rude and seemingly unintelligent in his actions and words. Even though Skywalker becomes more like his true self at the end of the movie, that is where the worst atrocity is committed.
An Unjust End
Near the end of the movie, Luke Skywalker dies from exhaustion after using the force to create a hologram to distract the first order in order to give the resistance come time to escape (Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi). Why is this so awful? Well, it makes him die in a almost cowardly way. He was not actually on the battlefield while he was fighting, so it seems like he was too scared to actually fight or he did not have enough power. A protagonist like him needs a proper send-off in a film, and this certainly did not meet the requirements. Skywalker should have gone to the battlefield, in person, and put up an honorable final stand against an overwhelming first order army that he could not fend off in his old age.
"He's Not My Luke Skywalker"
The way this film depicts Luke is truly outlandish. Even the actor who plays Luke Skywalker, Mark Hamill, stated "He's not my Luke Skywalker. But I had to do what Rian wanted me to do because it serves the story well" (Acuna). If the actor, himself, believes the script does not accurately display the character, then it is clear that the writers made a mistake. The way they portray Skywalker in this film is practically spitting in the faces of anyone who admired the character he once was.
Another Character Ruined
In the previous film, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, Supreme Leader Snoke is set up to be a ruthless, all-powerful leader of the dark side and the First Order. It seemed like he would be like the Emperor from the original Star Wars trilogy. Fans of the series were wild with excitement. Who is this villain? How powerful could he truly be? However, the writers once again spat in the faces of the fans.
An Embarrassing and Unsatisfactory Defeat
In the first movie where viewers actually get to see Snoke in action, The Last Jedi, he is killed in a pathetic way. While Snoke trusts Kylo Ren to execute Rey and is sitting still with his eyes closed, Kylo blatantly shifts a lightsaber on a nearby table to face Snoke. After Kylo aims it at snoke, he activates the light saber using the force and cuts Snoke in half, who was completely taken by surprise (Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi). Despite being portrayed as an extremely powerful villain who can make insights into the force, he is killed by surprise in this foolish way. It is a horrible and unbelievable attempt at comedy as it was meant to shock fans and blow their minds. In reality, all the writers did was waste a fantastic antagonist and make fans angry because of how illogical his death was. Yet again, the writers erase an interesting possibility for the future of Star Wars.
How Does Rey Become So Powerful So Quickly?
Not only does The Last Jedi waste these two characters, but it also removes the logic of Rey's character. Rey was introduced in The Force Awakens as a sudden Jedi talent who went from being a junker to being a match for one of the most powerful force users of all time, Kylo Ren. There was no explanation as to how she was able to obtain her power so quickly. To become that powerful, one must train for years in order to harness the force like she does. The only logical solution to this problem was that Rey was a daughter of a powerful jedi from the past because the identity of her parents was shrouded in mystery. However, The Last Jedi threw that possibility away by revealing that her parents were actually just poor junkers who abandoned her as a child (Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi). Even though this reveal was meant to be seen as the theme "anyone can be great," it does not fit within the boundaries of the Star Wars story. Instead, this just leaves devoted fans without any logical answer to how she suddenly became one of the strongest Jedi simply from finding a lightsaber and swinging it.
Conclusion
With that said, Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi was the most disappointing films in the history of Star wars. It obliterates the future of the series by ruining Luke Skywalker's character, wasting the chance to use Supreme Leader Snoke as a powerful antagonist, and throwing away any chances of logically explaining Rey's sudden power. At this point, devoted fans should be outraged by this defacing of the once beautiful Star Wars franchise. It would truly take a miracle to somehow bring the franchise back from this disgrace.