Why TDC actually subverts the Chosen One plot
These days we more and more call out the inherent cruelty of sending a child to save the world. Not only does this stem from my generation realising just how awful of a thing it is to ask from a child, but our views of fantasy species and villains have fundamentally changed as well. But the Dark Crystal already called out this plot as early as in the 1982s. Though it did not loudly declare it, there are many signs in the novel and movie of how poorly Jen was prepared for the quest. First of all, Jen has no practical skills. He can count, he can play the firca and he can read. But those skills mean nothing in the devastated land of Skarith. Jen has no idea what areas are safe and dangerous, he has no idea who to trust and he has no skills focused on survival. The second part comes from just how Jen is sent on his quest. He is not prepared over time for the mission, he is not warned about it at all. Instead, urSu, on his deathbed at the time of his choosing, gives out vague details to Jen who is already losing his father figure. Then, right after the funeral, Jen is kicked out by urZah with basically the words "Go find Aughra and get the shard" as his guide. As Aughra later says, Jen has much to learn and no time. He doesn't even know of the prophesy proper until he and Kira accidentally stumble upon the ruins of Stonewood. Kira, meanwhile, might be illiterate but she is much more prepared to survive on Thra as it is in the movie. There is no way Jen could have survived on his own. In this narrative, we see exactly why relying on a young and untrained person to save the world is wrong. It is not a Hero's Journey plot, though it tries to be. There can be no refusal if there is no understanding that the call even happened. Jen had no reason to refuse what urSu told him to do, as the urru was his parental figure. But as Jen was ill-prepared, the urru and the rest of Thra basically had to cross their fingers and hope Jen survived. Though in these narratives the idea is that the journey grows the youth into who they need to be to succeed, Jen at most got a bit more cynical. Growth can only happen if the person is willing to put the effort into it (i.e. Luke training with Yoda.) Jen had no chance to grow on his own terms, he -had-to harden himself to the horrors his journey made him face. It was that or dying to garthim. Basically, Jen is on the quest because he was told to be on the quest. Multiple times in the movie, Jen wants to drop the quest and just be, because he has no personal motivation to continue. Only in Stonewood does he even understand the full weight of his quest. Jen's journey is a great example of how the young chosen one can end up. He had no personal reason to fulfil his destiny (until Kira got killed and THAT was at the finish line), he had no proper tools nor training to survive it without massive aid from Kira and in the end? He was left with as many questions as he started with as the urskeks turned tail and left.
