By Chris Snellgrove
| Printed 21 seconds in the past
Although Disney put the kibosh on Adam Driver’s proposed Kylo Ren film (The Hunt for Ben Solo), the character’s lore has been increasing by the prolonged universe of Star Wars novels and comics. Lately, Legacy of Vader #10 had Kylo Ren talk with Luke Skywalker’s Power ghost, and the older Jedi informed his former mentor that “no person” had killed him and that he merely sacrificed himself to save lots of his associates. This looks as if an try and redeem the Star Wars sequels’ worst second, however it doesn’t change the truth that Luke solely died due to terrible planning on the a part of the Resistance.
Luke Skywalker Will get Defensive
As this comedian ebook’s title implies, Kylo Ren is making an attempt to be taught extra about his grandfather, Darth Vader. On this situation, he is ready to talk with Luke Skywalker’s spirit and bluntly asks who killed the Jedi Grasp. Luke replies that he merely sacrificed himself “in service of one thing higher” and “died for my family and friends and for individuals I don’t know all throughout the galaxy,” insisting “that’s what my life is for.”
It’s a candy sentiment, and this situation reveals how a lot famous person author Charles Soule understands these iconic sci-fi characters. Nonetheless, Luke’s outright denial that anybody killed him looks as if a clear try and take the warmth off Kylo Ren, whom most followers blame (and rightfully so!) for the loss of life of his former grasp. Moreover, his emphasizing his want to sacrifice himself within the title of the higher good looks as if an try and mollify followers who have been upset by the surprising choice to kill probably the most well-known Star Wars character off within the climax of The Final Jedi.
Failed, Your Retcon Has
Nonetheless, with respect to Soule (a author I actually admire), I’m simply not shopping for any of this. Luke Skywalker saying that no person killed him is actually splitting hairs as a result of he solely died after Power projecting throughout half the galaxy and preventing his nephew as an enormous distraction to permit the Resistance to flee. He subsequently died from the sheer exhaustion of distracting Kylo Ren; due to this fact, the younger Sith killed his previous grasp as certainly as if he had struck him down with a lightsaber.
None of this actually redeems Kylo Ren, nor does Luke Skywalker’s discuss his noble sacrifice redeem the stupidity of his loss of life in The Final Jedi. Personally, I’m haunted by the commentary from Pink Letter Media that when the Resistance was minimize down to 3 ships’ price of individuals, they might have gone in three completely different instructions. This could have pressured the pursuing First Order ship to solely chase a single vessel, sparing the lives of everybody on the opposite two ships.
The Resistance Failed From a Sure Level of View
As RLM identified, the Resistance began out with about 400 individuals close to the start of The Final Jedi, all of whom are survivors of the First Order’s sudden assault. Assuming the members have been equally distributed, splitting up the ships would have meant that round 267 Resistance members survived the occasions of the movie. However as a result of Leia and Holdo maintain the fleet collectively, the whole lot of the Resistance (just a bit over a dozen individuals) may match throughout the cozy confines of the Millennium Falcon.
This has all the time (and, frankly, will all the time) make Luke Skywalker’s noble sacrifice appear quite meaningless. He didn’t die to save lots of untold hundreds of thousands from the wrath of the First Order; he died to save lots of a baker’s dozen from the terrible choices of their army leaders. Had the individuals in cost merely made smarter tactical decisions, Luke (to not point out greater than 250 further Resistance members) would nonetheless be alive!
Sorry, Charles Soule, however this comedian doesn’t actually do a lot to rehabilitate Kylo Ren’s character nor redeem the ending of The Final Jedi. In some methods, these pages make issues even worse, revealing how smug Luke Skywalker is over dying for no actual purpose. He says no person killed him, however he’s flawed: Disney killed the best character in Star Wars historical past, they usually’ve spent years since then doing their greatest to kill the remainder of the franchise.
