By Angelina Jain
Around a month ago, audiences experienced the final chapter of the new Star Wars trilogy and, presumably, of the Star Wars universe in cinemas. The Rise of Skywalker brought back many characters, including Mark Hamill as Luke, Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian, Harrison Ford as Han Solo and Carrie Fisher (posthumously) as Princess Leia. It promised a return to the roots and the answers to many questions. And answers we got: too many and too quickly.
For instance, the origin and existence of Supreme Leader Snoke - the question asked most of the new trilogy for the last five years - was established with but a single panning shot. In a single second, we saw clones of him in a vat and nothing more. And who was the puppet master? Good old Emperor Palpatine. Here, in the concluding chapter of today’s most important fiction franchise, we have a tyrant who rose from the dead, with no explanation at all other than a vague reference to the unnatural abilities of the dark side of the Force, and strapped himself to a machine that lowers him to the ground from above.
As the filmmakers had stated that they were not making one movie, but bringing nine movies to their conclusion, long-time fans remain curious. If the Emperor is alive and well, then what use was the original trilogy, or even the prequels? As we look back on them - the movies in which millions of people were emotionally invested, the movies with interesting plots, humanized characters, and unparalleled actors - do we not find that this new trilogy devalues them entirely?
Comments