Star Wars Speculation: 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' Analysis (Dividing A Fanbase)

Look to the audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes (49%) and you can see a clear indicator that audiences are mixed on The Last Jedi. However, look past the percentage aggregate and you'll see the average score is a 3/5... Smack dab in the middle! If you peruse the individual reviews, then you'll find most ratings are either incredibly low (1/2-1 star out of 5) or remarkably high (4 or 5 stars). There's scarcely anyone in the middle-ground. So why are fans so split on the film?... I think there are many reasons for the divide, but a few factors come to mind as contributing causes...

Analysis: Dividing A Fanbase 

1) The fanbase doesn't truly know what it wants
If you go back and look at the reaction to The Force Awakens or Rogue One, you'll find a vocal contingent of fans whose chief complaint about Disney's brand of Star Wars films was that they were too reliant on reincorporating elements from the Original Trilogy for the purposes of nostalgia. Regardless, they were still accepting of what was being provided to them. So, why in the world would they complain when Rian Johnson brought something fresh to the screen? It seems as though they perceive the changes as too jarring and not in-line with anything that had come before. All of a sudden, their childhood's somehow been ruined?...

They went in expecting a film that abided by Star Wars' traditional story structure and were disappointed to find something that upheaved all those ideas. Personally, I'm glad Johnson took the franchise in such a bold, new direction because rejuvenation is simply necessary for a franchise's longevity. You can't just go back to the same well over and over again. That will eventually get old. Why do you think some fans ever took issue with The Force Awakens?

Anyways, the thought of hinging the plot on unexplored Force abilities and depleting fuel reserves seemed out of line for the franchise because they hadn't been previously explored in canon. Upset fans felt they were just contrived plot devices with no place in the franchise. They begged for something new in the franchise, and when they finally got it, they turned it away. I've decided that Star Wars fans are the most difficult to please because they all gravitate towards a particular trilogy or individual film for different reasons. There's no possible way to please everyone because everyone wants something different, which leads me to my next point...

2) Wild fan speculation set fans up for disappointment
J.J. Abrams is notorious for setting up grand mysteries across his work. In this case, fans left The Force Awakens with unanswered questions they felt to be of paramount importance. They desperately craved to know who Rey's parents were, who Snoke was, and why Luke Skywalker had gone into a self-imposed exile. So, they naturally developed their own theories to answer these questions in a way that was satisfactory towards them. However, I think they became so consumed with receiving the answers they wanted that they refused to accept anything else.

Therefore, people were upset when Snoke was killed before revealing much about himself or when Rey's parents were revealed to be nobodies. I think the way Johnson addressed these questions only goes to show that they weren't as imperative to the plot as fans thought they were. It ultimately didn't matter who Snoke was. Daisy Ridley's said it herself numerous times that Rey's parentage is important to Rey. Not the audience. Making her a Skywalker, Solo, Kenobi, or a Palpatine would only play into being the ultimate fan service. Sure, J.J. could retcon these answers in Episode IX .. but I think that would only cause further confusion. Plus, he's got enough to deal with as it is.

3) The depiction and death of Luke Skywalker
As for Luke, sometimes it's difficult to see your treasured hero portrayed differently than you last remember. The fact that Han and Leia were in keeping with their past selves probably had fans thinking Luke might be the same way. I think most fans were expecting his to act in line with Yoda or Obi Wan in the Original Trilogy and spout profound wisdom or at least remain as optimistic as they'd last remembered him.

So, of course, it's disconcerting for some when they learn he's determined to end the Jedi Order or that he contemplated killing his own nephew at one point. They think, "The Luke I remember would NEVER behave that way," and that's just the thing... Thirty years have passed, and Luke's life experiences have shaped him to have a different outlook on life, which is perhaps the most realistic character development of all...

The bright eyed, bushy tailed moisture farmer from Tatooine wanted nothing more than a life of adventure, but just think about all the personal trauma he experienced along the way. He unknowingly watched his father murder his mentor. He was unknowingly kissed by his own sister. He learned his father was a Sith Lord and immediately had his hand chopped off. Then in the next encounter between the two that we know of, he's forced to face his father and briefly succumbs to the Dark Side when he ballistically attacks Vader. He then sees that he's headed down a dark path and refuses to do so. He throws away his weapon and approaches the Emperor saying, "I'll never turn to the Dark Side. You failed your highness. I am a Jedi, like my father before me." The Emperor responds by electrocuting him and his father, the man he was just fighting, steps in and sacrifices himself to save him.

Imagine what must have been running through Luke's head after that. Later, he takes his own nephew, some students. and sets off in an attempt to rebuild the Jedi Order. In doing so, Luke discovers the fallacies of the Order. Luke says it himself that if "we strip away their myth and look at their deeds, their legacy is failure. Hypocrisy. Hubris... At the height of their power, they allowed Darth Sidious to rise, create the Empire, and wipe them out." He then senses conflict within Ben during training. At this point, he's not only emotionally compromised by his past, but afraid that history may repeat itself. He knows his own father was responsible for the fall of the Jedi Order and he doesn't want Ben to go down that same path. He's seen what can come from it, so in a moment of weakness, he goes to confront Ben, ignites his saber, and briefly contemplates killing him to easily prevent the worst possible outcome.

It's understandable that some would not like this. The idea that their idolized hero would ever find himself in such a low spot is concerning. If anything though, I think Luke's actions in Return Of The Jedi support the account we hear from Luke regarding his greatest failure, the attempted assassination of Ben Solo. So, let's briefly go back to the Throne Room scene from Return of the Jedi. In a moment of weakness, Luke savagely attacks his father and cuts off his right hand due to Vader's taunts. He stops. Looks down at his fallen father. He begins to realize what he's done and what he will become if he kills him. He experiences internal conflict. On one hand he can strike his father down and rid the galaxy of an ultimate evil or he can choose what he believes to be the righteous path of the Jedi and turn away from it. It's the same choice Anakin faced in Revenge Of The Sith. He's even being encouraged by the same evildoer to strike another defenseless man down just like his father was many years ago. So what does he do? He rejects the evil influence and throws his saber away to symbolically deny the Dark Side and align with the Light Side of the Force.

Just because Luke resisted the call to the Dark Side once though doesn't mean that the temptation would never resurface. It does resurface. Again, in a moment of weakness, he considers killing a defenseless being to hopefully prevent atrocity-upon-atrocity. For a brief moment, Luke gives into his fear, anger, and aggression by igniting his blade. He looks down at his nephew, a young boy sleeping, and realizes how wrong his course of action is. He knows this is wrong and that he shouldn't succumb to his dark thoughts. Ben wakes up. Ben perceives it as what it initially was. He grabs his saber and ignites it to defend himself. Luke screams "Ben! No!" as a means of trying to stop him from what he's about to do and explain it all... Only there is no possible way to explain this away. Ben uses the force to bring the building down, and when Luke wakes up, everything he'd worked so hard to rebuild is gone. The temple is burnt down. His students have either been slaughtered or left with Ben. Luke failed.

And that is what I believe to be the crucial tipping point of fan consensus. You're either accepting of the idea that Luke majorly messed up or you're completely against it because you believe Luke should have no faults. To me, it's really the only possible explanation. Why else would Luke have gone into exile and refused to come back? He'd now seen firsthand that the traditional Jedi Order is setup for failure. Luke Skywalker, hero of the Rebellion and Jedi Knight, had failed. He failed his sister. He failed his friend. He failed the galaxy. I can only imagine that leaving everything behind would present itself as a promising alternative. To me, this failure speaks to Luke's humanity. He's not a perfect hero. He has flaws and makes mistakes just like we do. As human beings, we can empathize with failure. We all mess up at one point in our lives, and that's where one of Johnson's major themes comes into play.

Yoda appears to Luke as a Force ghost and tells him "Pass on what you have learned. Strength, mastery. But weakness, folly, failure also. Yes, failure most of all. The greatest teacher failure is." I think it's fitting that Yoda appeared... Yoda is the wisest Jedi, so it's is particularly resonate to hear him say that we learn from our failures. In fact, every character in The Last Jedi fails at something and learns from it. Luke's failures have already been discussed. Leia's call for help fails. Holdo's plan fails because of Poe. Poe fails to recognize the bigger picture. Finn and Rose fail to find the codebreaker, deactivate the hyperspace tracker, and then Finn's attempt at sacrifice fails. Snoke fails to recognize his apprentice's coming betrayal. Hux fails to apprehend the Resistance. Captain Phasma fails to kill Finn and Rose. Rey and Kylo Ren fail to convince one another to join the other side. Rey additionally fails to convince Luke to join her as she leaves. Kylo Ren also fails to see past Luke's deception so the Resistance gets away. Chewie even fails to eat a Porg! I could go on, but you get the point by now...

And if you look at each arc, they each glean something from their failures. Luke is inspired by Rey and Yoda to help the Resistance in the only way he knows he can help... by projecting himself across the galaxy as a shining symbol of hope. Leia realizes the Resistance has all it needs. Holdo takes accountability of her failed plan by sacrificing herself to ensure the remaining Resistance fighters made it to the surface of Crait. Poe sees the bigger picture and realizes it's more important to stay alive than win a battle if they're ever going to win the war. Finn fully embraces the Rebel monicker and realizes the true importance of the cause. Rose recognizes that love is the way to win. Snoke and Phasma see their mistakes as they die. Hux recognizes that the Resistance shouldn't be underestimated. Rey begins to believe in herself and recognize she has a place in the story. Kylo Ren realizes his anger blinded him and that he will carry the burden of his atrocities with him. Last, but not least, Chewbacca makes a companion of one of the Porgs!

Really, the film's poignant truths speak to the values of failure. In the end, I know not everyone particularly liked that and I'm aware there are other reasons people disliked the film. I was just pointing out some of the reasons that I've noticed across all those unhappy with The Last Jedi, but I hope that any who disliked the film felt this was an informative read... I know that was a very long post, but I had A LOT to say and I'm grateful for anyone who's taken the time to read my thoughts on this. You probably won't see another Star Wars Speculation post from me till the first Solo: A Star Wars Story trailer is released. I'm thinking it will come with the Super Bowl, but we'll have to wait and see.

-As always, May the Force be with you!