Again, there will be spoilers about the death of a character. If you don't want to read about it stop now and close this window.
So yesterday I put up my hair in a hair taping. Probably looked more like I was going to a ren fair than a Star Wars showing, lol. But anyway, I also wore my Jedi outfit. I got to the theater just before 12:30. And by that point I was just a total wreck. I had no idea what to expect of the movie. With the prequel trilogy we at least had some idea. Oh, this is when Anakin falls into the lava, oh, this is when the Empire rises. With this one... nothing. Especially since the stupid timeline split. I refuse to believe the EU is not canon. It is a timeline split. Books on their own path, movies on theirs. So with the knowledge that every single little thing could have changed in the movies I had no idea what was going to happen. Every time I started to feel a little excited I suddenly realized I could also come out of the theater in tears. 25 years of my life could have been wasted, gone. Thousands on toys and other items... wasted. Time spent watching the movies and reading the books... wasted. Everything I have lived for for years could have been destroyed in the matter of 2 1/2 hours. It was a big moment for me. And it terrified me.
I believe I was the only person in the theater that was dressed up, and attendance was very light for opening day. There were only maybe 4 people, myself included, in the row I was sitting in. 3 people in the row ahead of me. I did have an early afternoon showing (1pm) so maybe the evening showings had more people. And there were some night showings the previous night that were probably more packed. That's probably the one the costumers went to.
Anyway, I saw a lot of commercials and trailers. Anything Star Wars related (such as the ToysRUs I am your father commercial, and the kohls commercial) had me almost in tears.
And then... it started. I couldn't help but let out a little squeel, and gnawed on my knuckles a little until the crawl started in earnest. The crawl left me pretty disappointed. Luke has disappeared. At least there's a New Republic (and is even referred to as such later in the movie!), but there's also a Resistance against the First Order. The First Order rose out of the Empire. Which I could see. Imagine if Pellaeon and the Imperial Remnant broke their peace treaty with the Republic (which I know is not called the Republic post-Vong war but I can't remember what it's called).
So then Poe, the x-wing pilot from the trailers, is shoved in our faces. For some reason. He seems to be like that throughout the whole movie. He came from nowhere and randomly shows up and does stuff. Anyway, he's getting a map to Luke. Not sure why there's a map to where he is unless Luke left it on purpose. But since Luke left to go find Jedi artifacts or something why would there be a map to where he was going unless it was a map he was following. I need to read the novel I guess. Poe is getting the map from an old guy I don't know so I really need to do some research. Anyway I'm still not sure who the EU character Poe is supposed to be. When I first saw the trailers I had thought perhaps Jagged Fel, but he doesn't really look like Jagged. He's not one of Wedge's kids because Wedge has all daughters.
We see Finn, and he is conveniently marked by a buddy dying and smearing blood on his helmet. This way we don't lose him amongst the other stormtroopers. Finn has a breakdown and drops out of the battle. Which is not really a battle. Since they're slaughtering a village.
So we all know it has been a long standing "I'm in denial" theory of mine that Kylo Ren is Jacen. I expected this reveal to happen in the 2nd or 3rd movie ala "I am your father". But, nope. In fact I can not begin to count the number of times it was mentioned in the movie that Kylo Ren is Jacen. Ok, they never say what his pre-Kylo Ren name was. Mostly he was referenced to as "Han Solo's son", the scene from the trailers where he's talking to Vader's helmet he refers to it as "Grandfather". But no reveal on his real name. But it's Jacen. He looks like Jacen. Acts like Jacen. Looks like Jacen. Did I mention looks like Jacen? Have I also mentioned what a big fan of Jacen I am? Do keep in mind I have not read the Legacy books yet. I have read Dark Nest, and Betrayal, as see in the image below, is next on the chronological list of books to read.
Sooo, anyway. We see Jaina next, I believe. She's living alone on the planet that is not Tatooine. She's a scavenger who is waiting for her family to come back for her. She sells parts to this guy for food, and he's classic scum, giving her less food than the week before for the same parts. Either way, she's a girl on her own used to doing everything for herself. And Jakku is actually pretty interesting. Crashed star destroyers, x-wings, ties, atats. Anyway, Jaina finds BB8, who has the map to Luke. Poe put it there. This is tortured out of Poe and the First Order is off to find BB8. Finn and Poe escape the First Order (Finn deserts, basically). Poe is believed dead after their ship crashes back on Jakku, but he's not and finds his own way back to the Resistance. Finn finds Jaina and BB8. The First Order finds them. They all escape on... the Falcon for some reason! Now, if there was any doubt that this was Jaina before it is erased now. She shows Jaina's technical ability, Force ability, and piloting skills. The image of Jaina below is from a foreign cover art for one of the NJO books (Force Heretic III: Reunion).
And then for some reason Han and Chewie find the Falcon. They've apparently been looking for it since it was stolen from them. Harrison Ford is just kinda too old for this. But it was ok.
Anyway, stuff happens and we go to Maz, who is... someone? I don't know who she is. But she apparently is from a species that lives a long time, and a buddy of Han's. She also, for whatever reason, has Luke's lightsaber in her basement. Jaina finds it and when she touches it gets a series of Force visions that make her panic. Not really the Jaina we know from the books. Leia's the one who's scared to use the Force. Jaina is a very awesome Jedi. I'm a big fan of her. So it's weird to see her untrained and just now discovering she has the Force.
All those scenes in the trailer of Finn using a lightsaber? Yeah, that's just cause he happens to have it (Maz gives it to him to give to Jaina) and it's the most readily at hand weapon he has when the fighting begins.
So blah blah, Jaina is captured by Jacen. Because he knows she's seen the map so he takes her instead of going after BB8. Jacen doesn't realize who she is. But by this point I think Han's realized. He gives her knowing looks and they're finishing each other's sentences. And at one point Jacen is reading her mind and says she sees Han as the father she never had. Jaina pushes back at Jacen and refuses to tell him about the map. Jaina then uses the Force to escape.
Meanwhile Han meets up with Leia, and they discuss "their son". I guess Han took off when Jacen fell. He did something similar in the books. When Chewie died in the NJO Han took off for a while. So I buy it. Carrie Fisher also looks really old. But it was ok too. I guess I just never realized how much they've changed over the years until I saw them in the movie.
C-3PO introduces himself to Han saying he might not recognize him due to the red arm. hahaha, *eyeroll* Lame. Because some people say that since 3PO had a silver leg in AOTC and not in ANH is why the Lars didn't recognize him. (which is not so, they weren't recognized because droids are appliances. If you notice in AOTC Padme doesn't really remember 3PO she just says hello to him to be polite)
So apparently the First Order is draining the sun to use as a power in their super weapon. That is built into a planet. Cause once the sun is drained they can move the planet to get a new sun's power? I wasn't clear on that point. Moving planets is not unheard of. The Vong moved Coruscant. And then there's Zonoma Sekot, a living world. Being able to touch the sun isn't new either, the Sun Crusher was actually hidden inside a sun and it can take out planets (systems?) as well.
So Han, Chewie, and Finn go to take out the shield generators on this planet. Leia asks Han to bring Jacen home. Han doesn't believe that's a good idea but doesn't say so. Turns out this is one moment when a wife shouldn't have nagged. ;) Actually, it's not funny and just as I was enjoying the movie and thinking how it was actually pretty awesome... Jacen kills Han. I saw it coming, so it wasn't as much of a shocking blow as it could have been. Han sees Jacen go by and he seems hesitant but finally goes after him and they talk and Jacen runs him through and pushes him off a walkway. Geez, I said he was getting too old for this role, not that he should die! I'm still processing it. But I do get it. I heard they didn't have Mara Jade in the movie because they couldn't find anyone with the right chemistry with Mark Hamill to play her. And that is actually that important because Luke and Mara are super snuggly and totally in love. But, and I assume this since I haven't read it yet, that Jacen kills Mara. For lack of Mara they had to have someone else for him to kill, right? At least that's how I'm justifying it.
And then there's a lightsaber battle between Jacen and Jaina. Which is pretty neat. Jaina wounds Jacen and I actually really did cringe. I root for both of them, so what do I do when one loses?
So they blow up the planet by destroying the super weapon. There is no confirmation that Jacen escaped the planet. But I believe he did. He's too much a character for them to just throw away so fast.
When Jaina, Chewie, and Finn get back to whatever planet it is that the Resistance is on, Jaina and Leia finally meet. And I expected SOMETHING but nothing happened. They hugged. Leia being sad about Han or Leia silently acknowledging her daughter? So anyway, Jaina inherits the Falcon then and goes after Luke.
They also could have dragged out the search for Luke a little longer. At the end of this movie Jaina finds him. And you know, they may have changed things and Jaina is Luke's daughter now? That could be possible. The way he was looking at her when she found him. And the way his lightsaber called to her. Maybe he left the lightsaber in that alien's basement to try and guide her to finding him? And that's why the map was on Jakku in the first place? Or maybe he just realizes his niece's potential. Who knows. I would like to know why Luke's abandoned the human-hand and gone full robot-hand. Even in ROTJ when his hand was wounded he covers it with a glove. Maybe as a reminder so every time he sees his hand he remembers how easy it is to fall. I don't know. He doesn't actually have any lines in the movie.
Movie- end.
I would also like to add that Finn turned out to be better than I expected. And while I am firmly a Jaina/Jagged shipper I'm ok with it if she and Finn get together in the movies. Still pulling for Jagged to show up but eh. She and Finn actually work. Even though prior to seeing the movie I thought I would rage if it happened. (for those who think it's about race and color, I also felt ragy about Zekk, who is white)
Also... who is Snokes? He looks like Voldemort. And I have no book comparison for him. He's "the emperor" of the First Order. And who is Hux? Not Ben, surely? Ben is something like 17 years younger than Jacen. But why else is he a ginger? He's in a command position too, not sure how the order goes but he may be at the same rank or slightly below Kylo Ren.
And, in conclusion, it was pretty good, actually.
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