It was honestly meant to be a very short post, I donât know what went wrong?! But here is my take on Hux, his role in the new trilogy, and his ambitions.Â
Hux and his ambitions are exceptional to put it lightly. At a ripe age of 34 he is one of the highest-ranking members of the First Order and apparently a sole commander of the Starkiller base - a superweapon capable of destroying entire star systems - and has a Resurgent-class Star Destroyer with over 80,000 crewmembers under his command too.Â
Compare that to Kylo being the Lord of less than 10 people Knights of RenâŠ
But how much further can Hux go up the First Orderâs food chain and can it really satisfy him? TFA Visual Dictionary features the First Orderâs rank insignia system that has only one rank above General - Admiral. I find it to be highly unrealistic for the man, who became a General somewhere before turning 34 to be content to rise only one rank above and stay an Admiral for the rest of his life. So, what can be there for Hux?
Now, there was one shot of Hux that I find to be very peculiar, because it t immediately made me think of Grand Admiral Thrawn:
In TFA JJ Abrams made a valiant attempt to actually use colour and lighting as a storytelling device, and I may be reaching, but the way Huxâs face simply seems blue instead of being basked in light like it happened with all other character seems odd to me. We know that the title of Grand Admiral is being reintroduced in Rogue Ones, can it also be a device to more easily explain Huxâs new rank in future episodes?
While itâs hard to draw parallels between Hux and Thrawn because of how little we know about one and how overwhelmingly huge of a character the other is, I found one very amusing visual parallel, apparently Thrawn and Hux share pet aesthetics:
Coincidence or conspiracy?
But letâs get serious. This where the actual meta starts.
Another interesting parallel between Hux and Thrawn is well grasped in this quote:
âThis one is constantly thinking, analyzing, strategizing. He showed no fear, but was curious, studying me in turn.â (Emperor Palpatine about Thrawn)
We know (mostly from the novelization) that Hux is exactly the kind of person, whoâs âconstantly thinking, analyzing, strategizingâ and is somewhat of a military mastermind (again, heâs a General at 34), he shows no fear when dealing with both Kylo Ren and Supreme Leader Snoke, and studies behavior patterns and body language to be able to read Ren. What Palpatine said about Thrawn perfectly fits Hux.Â
Now, a little bit more about Hux not fearing Ren or Snoke. We should not forget that Hux actually weighs about 30 pounds soaking wet, has no combat experience to talk about, doesnât seem to carry and sort of weapon on him on most occasions, and definitely has zero Force sensitivity. Yet he shows no fear when dealing with Kylo, who should be able to rip Hux to shreds in at least a dozen of different ways both with and without the Force. In fact, Hux even provokes Kylo (as we saw him speeding to cut Ren off his track to have a âchatâ) and ignores his direct threats (Hux has no chill about destroying BB-8).Â
When dealing with Ren, Hux always looks pissed that he has to babysit a petulant disaster of a manchild, not scared of a formidable Knight of Ren:
But more interestingly, Hux isnât afraid of Snoke.Â
I will just quote this post here:
Just so you know⊠thereâs not a hint of fear in Huxâs face when this happens.  His microexpressions are of anger and (perhaps surprisingly) contempt.  Anger: eyebrows drawn in and down, lips pursed, chin ever so slightly brought up and out.  Contempt: contraction of the muscles under the eyes and beside the nose (and of the nose itself), slight twitching at the corner of the mouth.
Huxâs lack of fear of Snoke isnât more interesting just because Snoke is Renâs superior and an overall The Big Bad of the story, itâs way more interesting because Kylo was right when calling Hux a âslimy sycophantâ. Hux acted as if Snokeâs opinion and interests are priorities of his as long as it served his purpose: âCareful, Ren, that your personal interest does not interfere with orders from Supreme Leader Snoke.â But above we see Hux looking pissed (and not hiding it particularly well) at Snoke for interrupting him. It may seem that Hux only holds Snoke in high regard as long as it serves his agenda.
And while the gif above doesnât show it, there is a staggering difference between the way Hux and Ren act around the Supreme Leader:
And while you let that all sink in, in TFA Visual Dictionary there is a very interesting titbit of information to consider:
ââŠHux feels it is a matter of destiny that he will be given a chance to sit on the throne that rules the galaxy.â
The First Order is a military junta, and historically leaders of military juntas were rarely using thrones. In the west, a throne is most identified as the seat upon which a person holding the title King, Queen, Emperor, or Empress sits in a nation using a monarchy political system. None of these titles is something you can rise in rank to - for centuries monarchy symbolizes a divine right to rule. And for every heir to any throne, this divine right to rule was a matter of destiny.Â
But âthe throne that rules the galaxyâ even exist?Â
The only throne I can think of is the one Snoke sits upon  - itâs not particularly fancy, but there is a feel of heaviness and might to it, and it is towers above ground level like a throne should:
But is it really âthe throne that rules the galaxyâ? As far as we know, the Republic is still quite strong and the First Order isnât ruling the galaxy. However, TFA visual dictionary states the following:
âWhen Hux stands upon the Starkiller superweapon, he can feel its destructive power coursing through the world. He knows it will signal the end of the illegitimate New Republic and cause the galaxy to bow to the power of the First Order.â
For Hux, the destruction of the Hosnian system isnât just a start of a new era of warfare. Starkillerâs power is meant to put an end to the New Republic, and make the First Order the sole force that rules the galaxy. So, in that moment Hux believes that there soon will be a throne that rules the galaxy.Â
But Snoke isnât going anywhere. And while Hux can ascend to being a Grand Admiral, would it really satisfy him? Can Hux, who is so passionate about the First Orderâs ideas, betray the it by overthrow its Supreme Leader?
I canât see Hux betraying the First Order, Hux is the Order. While Snoke may be the current leader of it, there is nothing that suggests that he founded it. Actually, as far as we know âHux, and other Imperial Officers fled to the Unknown Regions, where they would create the First Orderâ. So, while we donât know what role did Snoke play in the creation of the First Order, we know that Hux was basically the force behind it. Now, I saw this quote being used both in connection to our Hux and his father, and it sort of makes sense that General Hux wouldâve been too young to found the First Order. But does that even matter? If it was Hux senior, who started the Order, it only secures Huxâs claim that itâs a rite of passage for him to rule it.Â
But back to current events. It may be only my interpretation, but I feel like Snoke isnât directly involved in the ruling of the First Order and has much stronger interests in the Force than politics. That may mean that Hux is very far from being content with such a Supreme Leader, personal interests or nor. Considering Huxâs lack of care for the Force, he may want to overthrow Snoke simply because Supreme Leaderâs interests may interfere with the interests of the First Order.
But would the franchise really go there and create such a complex plot for seemingly such a minor character? For Emperor!Hux to have any chances to get anywhere near canon, this subplot should serve to benefits the whole story. And it actually can. For me, this subplot would tie up nicely with Kyloâs redemption arc and solve a major problem with it, namely, the fact that Renâs actions can not be redeemed.
People, who think that Kylo can be redeemed because Darth Vader was, seem to miss the importance of Vaderâs death in said redemption. While Luke apparently forgave his father, would anyone else be quite as open and understanding? Do people really think that in case Vader survived he wouldâve been allowed to live a peaceful life?
I can see Leia forgiving Kylo, much like Luke forgave Vader, but what about others? There is actually something poetic in the way Poe, Finn, and Rey represent all the people hurt by Kyloâs actions: the resistance that fights against it; people, who suffer under its control; and innocent bystanders. Would these people forgive and forget Kylo ordering massacres of villages and who knows what else?
While I can see Kylo turning to the Light, itâs hard for me to see him being accepted by people, who represent it even if being âLight sideâ puts a certain amount of pressure on them to be all-forgiving. But does that mean that there is no other options for Kylo?
Now, can we take a step back and talk about Snoke, Rey, and their connection, or, rather, the lack of it? Because Snoke is the evil that is meant to be dealt with, but beside the fact that Rey is the protagonist there is no reason (though, one may be revealed later) why she should be the one to do it. Snoke is simply not her antagonist, he did not directly influenced her life, caused her any trouble, or interacted with her in any way. Characters, who actually has a personal reason to destroy Snoke are Leia, Kylo, and Hux.
Iâm all for General âNot my son, you bitch!â Organa whacking Snoke with a white lightsaber, but we already have one walking Weasley reference.
Can it be that Kyloâs redemption arc is not about him leaving the First Order and joining the Light side? Instead Kylo may be the one to destroy Snoke while balancing both the Dark and the Light side in him. Going after the Supreme Leader will give him a common ground with Hux and make them a formidable team capable of destroying Snoke - something I believe they canât do each by himself.
So, Huxâs rise to power can be tied in both with Kyloâs redemption arc and the destruction of the Big Bad that Snoke is right now which would make it narratively relevant. More so, I expect Star Wars to do something new and unexpected with the franchise, and the nominal Dark side (since they are not Dark Force users, but a military junta) managing itself would be definitely not a twist people expect.
When two people love each other want to kill the Supreme Leader of the First Order, they donât look at each other, they look in the same direction: Â
That fact that Huxâs imperial ambitions were not made by fans, but rather were suggested by official sources speaks volumes to me. Again, hardly anything said here can be considered a solid proof that this is the directions the writers see for this character. I may be grasping at straws and reaching wildly here - Iâm biased.Â
I may only add that while Star Wars as somewhat infamous for casting exceptionally talented actors just to waste them, I would say that Domhnall is not an actor you want to waste, especially in the light of his 2015 movies. There is also the fact that the majority of Huxâs very brief screen time was dedicated to reaction shots and gave us more insight on how this character feels than, say, Grand Moff ever received. And donât let me start on a suspicious treatment Hux receives from the writers, like the fact that he doesnât have a name while Mitake does.
Lastly, while itâs solely my personal opinion, I donât see Snoke as an interesting character at all. There is nothing interesting people see in him outside of âWhich one of the characters we already know may it actually be?â But what if he isnât anyone? Would people still be interested in him? Or is he actually disposable? While going back to the rootes proved to be the right strategy with TFA, if Star Wars want to surprise the viewers and keep us captivated, they better subvert some classic tropes.Â
Now Iâm just going to finish my âEmperor! Hux can actually happen!â rant with the picture of young Emperor Palpatine, not for any particular reason like visual parallels or whatnot (who am I kidding), but just because I can:
discoholicmusic
andulkaphoto
origamiaround
prguitarman
romaincrisis
tangentwithtanner
theartofmadeline
turnnoffyourmind
