What I hated the most about TROS was the fact that they didn’t make Ben and Rey equal protagonists. Because of this, the entire meaning of the Skywalker saga was lost.
I was fine with Rey being the main focus of this trilogy because by TLJ I realized her and Ben were equals in the force, so their stories were tied together in some way. It made sense that she was finding her place in this story coming from nowhere, and I liked the idea of having this new character who had a different backstory. There’s no legacy tied to her but she matched in power and strength with the last Skywalker. I thought that spoke volumes. Her character was part of the saga in this way, sharing half a soul with Ben while also still being herself. This was a way to connect the dots to the previous movies and get an interesting story. It also established that these two characters were like two halves of one whole main character, which was so refreshing to see. Their journies were intertwined. It also brought conflict because they were on opposite sides of a war, yet felt compassion for one another. This kept their relationship from being boring or too predictable. That “will they, won’t they” element was done so well with them.
That was until they gave Rey HIS power. They made Rey a Palpatine, and so that didn’t make sense to me because I thought she was already tied to the Skywalker legacy, already part of that family because of her bond with Ben and the fact that they’re technically soulmates.
Making Rey a Palpatine while also not continuing the intimacy between her and Ben made tros feel disconnected from all of the other movies. I actually forgot that this movie was supposed to be the “satisfying” end to the Skywalker saga. I felt like nothing came full-circle.
Now I’m starting to realize this was also because they didn’t make Ben’s role as important as it should’ve been: equal to Rey’s.
This, in turn, actually messed up Rey’s arc as well.
Ben’s journey, as the last Skywalker, had to be intertwined with Rey’s. Rey’s journey had to be tied with Ben’s. Key word: WITH. Instead it felt like Ben was only a part of Rey’s separate journey alone... as a Palpatine. I honestly didn’t feel like they were connected through the force the way they should’ve been.
Speaking of Palpatine... you know... the dude who should’ve been the ultimate test for Rey and Ben’s bond and equal destinies...
I mean to bring Palpatine back, the villain who singlehandedly attacked and manipulated the entire Skywalker bloodline for decades, only to make him some last-minute “haha I am evil!” character was so weird? You have Palpatine back— make him talk about Anakin’s fall, make him actually convince Rey that her and Ben cannot be together; he should’ve hit both Ben and Rey’s weak spots. He should’ve said some shit about love not being enough, like it wasn’t for Padme and Anakin, that they would never save each other.
He would’ve tried to make Ben and Rey give into their anger, drawing them both to the dark side.
I mean seriously... You mean to tell me Palpatine wouldn’t want a dyad couple, both equally powerful, to rule the dark side under his manipulation?
Instead all we got was a new fact: Palpatine has cloned snokes floating around.
So, at the end of it all, when we see Rey defeat Palpatine alone, when we see Ben die, it feels like this random sci-fi movie comes to an open-ended conclusion with Rey taking the name of Skywalker anyway.
She could’ve done that with Ben by her side.
Her being a Palpatine was literally unnecessary because of this and just used for pure shock-value and nothing else.
And so? Ben and Rey should’ve defeated Palpatine together, saving one another in the process. This was the moment to really show how much they love each other, in the battle they might just die in.
Ben and Rey both needed to survive because they complete one another and are true equals. Apparently that was too difficult of a concept to grasp. Ben would get the chance to truly come to terms with what he’s done in his past, and Rey would finally be able to build a family for herself.
How does the Skywalker saga end?
Ben and Rey would spend their lives keeping balance in the force while spreading their knowledge throughout the galaxy, leaving behind the problematic chains of both the Sith and the Jedi.
They would take in force-sensitive children, the ones who are alone just like they were, the ones who need help understanding their powers— something both Ben and Rey needed themselves.
They would train a new order, representing a new age of both the light and dark.
Ben and Rey become symbols of balance, a dyad in the force, a clear message to the galaxy that peace is brought when the good and bad meet in the middle.
I will never wrap my head around the fact that this wasn’t the ending we got.
2087
blakekathryn
ellievsbear
areudirty
