The Force Awakens Spoiler Thread

[Altered Nova]

I don't think it's necessarily Jar Jar's personality or voice or antics that annoys people. I would have been fine with him if he'd just been a silly side character who showed up every now and then for some comedic relief. But Jar Jar was way too important of a character for someone so seemingly incompetent and he was constantly shoehorned into scenes had no business being in. Why the fuck would a bumbling buffoon become a galactic senator? Why would this aquatic alien accompany the Jedi who are exploring a desert planet? Why is this goofball following the Jedi on a rescue mission in an enemy occupied city? Why do the serious Jedi doing serious things always tolerate him nosing into their business?

Seriously, the only plausible explanation for the sheer amount of seemingly illogical screentime and undeserved importance Jar Jar has is that he's a secret Sith Lord who is mind controlling everyone around him. Otherwise nothing about the character makes any sense whatsoever.

 

[seitora]

Actually, I think what most people don't realise is that Jar Jar Binks inadvertently set up the entire Empire by introducing the motion to give Palpatine emergency powers as Chancellor of the Republic to set up an army.

I again can't quite describe it, but there's almost a sort of unwitting irony on Lucas' part to make the character everyone ended up hating introduce the vital motion to get Palpatine what he needed to turn the Republic into his personal Empire, but that's not what anyone actually hates him for.

 

[Altered Nova]

Because by that point everyone had already reached maximum hatred levels for Jar Jar and just sighed and said "Of course Jar Jar is the one who introduces the motion to give Palpatine emergency powers. He's already one of the most important people in the galaxy for no apparent fucking reason, is best friends with famous Jedi and planetary leaders despite being a stupid, unlikable and clumsy buffoon, and has a high ranking job as a senator that he is grossly unqualified for. Why not also make him directly responsible for rise of the Empire?"

 

[daniel_gudman]

Darths & Droids Jar Jar is best Jar Jar

 

[jaredstar]

am i the only one that thinks ren could be taken out by ezra with out too much effort

 

[Rising Dragon]

Yes, because frankly Kylo Ren's showing in the movie was really damn impressive and I don't see Rey coming out of their next fight fully intact.

 

[jaredstar]

Really? Seemed a bit weak to me. (even before the bow caster) really the only impressive thing he did was stop the blaster bolt

 

[Altered Nova]

Which was really kind of crazy, if you think about it. If it's possible to manipulate plasma bolts with the Force, then why hasn't any Jedi ever done it before? It seems like it would be one of the most obvious things to do when faced with an opponent with a firearm. It's way more obvious than using precognition to predict the plasma bolt's path and super reflexes to reflect it back with the blade of your lightsaber. And it can't be that hard to do, since Kylo Ren's training isn't even finished yet.

Also, lightsaber blades are also made of plasma. So if it's possible to manipulate a blaster bolt with the Force, then technically it should also be possible to manipulate a lightsaber blade with the Force. And that just gave me lots of interesting ideas for new lightsaber dueling techniques...

 

[daniel_gudman]

It's just power creep.

Like, Rey was able to do Mind Trick just because she knew it was a thing Force Users could do, she didn't need any training.

Force Users are way stronger because it's the 7th Movie, not because they're actually narratively supposed to be stronger. Well, that's the impression I got, anyway.

 

[Rising Dragon]

Okay, lemme put it this way: Kylo Ren didn't just stop that laser bolt, he also held it there while completely forgetting about it. Beyond that, what makes him impressive is when he killed Han: he tanked a bowcaster shot.

As we saw in the movie, the last thing you wanted pointed at you was a bowcaster. When Chewie and Han shot people with it, shit exploded, stormtroopers were hurled through the air. Looking at the specs at it, apparently what a bowcaster is is a weapon that encases an explosive sabot within a laser bolt, and fires it from a railgun barrel. So it hits like a truck and it explodes and shit dies when it hits.

Kylo Ren tanked a shot in the abdomen and was only brought to his knees for a bit, rather than get hurled off that walkway like his father. He tanked that shot, then got past Finn and Rey without them realizing it, and proceeded to fight them both. He even used the wound he got to fuel his power by aggravating it and feeding off the pain and anger that would cause. Yes, he was certainly not at his best, and lost to a pair of rookies. But not before he put the first rookie on the ropes and put him in a coma with some vicious saber wounds, despite taking a saber wound himself. And before Rey started to commune with the Force (and Kenobi and Yoda) during that saber clash, well... said saber clash was him putting her on the ropes.

So, as was pointed out in the Imgur gallery about this, the question one should ask about Kylo Ren isn't "How could he lose to a couple of rookies?", but "Just how nasty will he be when he's at his 100% in the next fight?"

The way I see it, Rey's not coming out of their next fight with all her limbs intact.

 

[daniel_gudman]

What got me wasn't the bow caster shot, but the way he pounded the wound while fighting Rey to show off how tough he was, also maybe subconsciously demonstrate his excuse for why he lost.

Really, the thing is, Kylo Ren's defining trait was insecurity.

That was Luke's angle, and for him it was the adolescent uncertainty of not understanding things about the big scary world that his Aunt and Uncle avoided talking to him about; it was something he grew out of as he built skills, as he grew up and became confident in himself.

Kylo Ren is worse, more pathetic; whereas Luke improved himself, sought answers and training, Kylo Ren just smashed everything that made him feel bad about himself.

Kylo Ren is simply... Pathetic.

 

[seitora]

Actually, speaking of Luke, I completely forgot about it but at the end he had a mechanical hand that wasn't covered up with skin anymore.

Did medical technology go backwards again in the Star Wars universe?

 

[Rising Dragon]

What got me wasn't the bow caster shot, but the way he pounded the wound while fighting Rey to show off how tough he was, also maybe subconsciously demonstrate his excuse for why he lost.

I don't think we have any confirmation on what the pounding was about, but I don't think it was him trying to act tough. I think it was more him trying to tap into that pain to keep him going with the Dark Side. Or it could be to keep him awake, 'cause he was going into shock from the damage. Either way there was something unsettling about it.

Really, the thing is, Kylo Ren's defining trait was insecurity.

That was Luke's angle, and for him it was the adolescent uncertainty of not understanding things about the big scary world that his Aunt and Uncle avoided talking to him about; it was something he grew out of as he built skills, as he grew up and became confident in himself.

Kylo Ren is worse, more pathetic; whereas Luke improved himself, sought answers and training, Kylo Ren just smashed everything that made him feel bad about himself.

Kylo Ren is simply... Pathetic.

No argument there. That boy clearly has a lot of issues, and it's mostly deliberate. As many have pointed out, the four main characters all seem to share defining characteristics with the main four of the original trilogy, while also having some pretty important contrasts. Vader was all cold, tranquil fury, always in control of himself... and also fully trained and well versed in what he could do. Kylo, meanwhile, has incomplete training and isn't even trained as a Sith, but as a Jedi. He can't control his emotions or his fury. Yet both are powerful, dangerous people. And, given what Snoke says at the end of the movie, Kylo's getting more training. He might be very different next time we see him.

Actually, speaking of Luke, I completely forgot about it but at the end he had a mechanical hand that wasn't covered up with skin anymore.

Did medical technology go backwards again in the Star Wars universe?

Lack of maintenance is more likely, I think. We know that the touching R2 scene was during the attack on his Jedi Academy. I wouldn't be surprised if he kept his academy away from the Republic, perhaps to avoid what happened during the prequel trilogy's massacre, or perhaps to keep the Republic from influencing his students--or vice versa. After his exile... yeah, there's just no facilities around to keep his hand properly maintained and covered.

Or, spontaneous theory, he's keeping his hand uncovered as a constant reminder of the time he nearly fell to the Dark Side, of the price he almost paid during that last battle on the Death Star II.

 

[MastaofBitches]

The way I see it, Rey's not coming out of their next fight with all her limbs intact.

Can't we have one Star Wars middle film without the Protagonist losing their arm?

 

[Rising Dragon]

It's Star Wars, so probably not. She's gonna miss holding hands with Finn. *coughs*

 

[Ordo]

https://www.instagram.com/briankesinger/

 

[Ordo]

It's Star Wars, so probably not.  She's gonna miss holding hands with Finn. *coughs*

They could change things up, make her lose a leg instead....this way we can see her literally leaning on Finn for support....

 

[Contrabardus]

It all makes perfect sense now...

 

[seitora]

Episode VIII delayed until December 2017 from June of 2017

 

[LORD_ARM]

 

[Altered Nova]

Comparing Kylo Ren to Itachi is an insult to Itachi. And I don't even like Itachi.

I don't get the squeaky toy one though.

 

[Contrabardus]

Comparing Kylo Ren to Itachi is an insult to Itachi. And I don't even like Itachi.

I don't get the squeaky toy one though.

It's not a squeaky toy, it's a stress doll. One of those things you're supposed to hold and squeeze to help manage stress. It doesn't make any noise. It's an office desk toy so having it squeak like a dog or baby toy would make it incompatible with most work environments. The principal is the same as those little sand filled squeezing balls they sell, but it's just anthropomorphized a little more.

Think the polar opposite of those zen meditation balls that you're supposed to circle around each other in your palm to calm your mind and meditate. The stress doll is just something you can crush and abuse to vent without causing any damage.

The gag there is Kylo Ren's increasing frustration through the film being visualized by a stupid office toy.

 

[Ordo]

I like Finn...and I'm still buying this hoodie.

 

[MastaofBitches]

 

[LORD_ARM]