|
Countless accusations have been hurled at The Last Jedi over the past couple of weeks since its release, including (but not limited to) bad dialogue and poor acting. But perhaps the loudest and most consistent criticism is "PLOT HOLES!"
For the most part, I disagree with many of the criticisms leveled at the film, but let's discuss four "major plot holes" that The Last Jedi has been accused of. (SPOILER WARNING FOR THE LAST JEDI) 1) Why didn't the First Order cut off the Resistance cruiser?
This alleged plot hole says that when the First Order vessels catch up to the Resistance cruiser, why don't they just cut them off instead of chasing them forever? Surely the First Order had to have something that was faster than this Resistance cruiser.
True, the First Order could have summoned a vessel that could have trapped the Resistance. For most of us, this would indeed seem like an obvious, strategic choice. However, the First Order (and the Empire before it) have a pattern of hubris when it comes to fighting the Rebellion. I couldn't count on four hands and feet the amount of times that the Empire has taken this cool approach to combatting their enemies. Take, for instance, A New Hope. Wouldn't it have been a whole lot faster for the Empire to lightspeed back to the right side of the planet to strike the Rebel base on Yavin IV instead of waiting to get in range? The Star Wars Rebels TV series has countless examples of this as well. I would argue, then, on the contrary, that this scene carries the tradition of the Empire's excessive pride when dealing with the Rebellion rather than constituting a plot hole.
Comments
It's a little late (because my brain totally failed me yesterday), but the Who Would Win in a Fight: Star Wars Edition finals are here at last! Let's see who won last week's battle--and who will be contending in the finals! Semifinals Week #2 Results Last week, it was Chirrut Îmwe vs. Darth Vader. Though Chirrut fought valiantly, he was no match for the Sith Lord. With 67% of the vote, Darth Vader force choked Chirrut out of the competition to advance into the finals.
That means this week, it's Luke Skywalker vs. Darth Vader! In case you need help deciding, here's a little info on each character. 
WARNING: SPOILERS FOR STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI FOLLOW. THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE TO TURN BACK!
So, let's talk about The Last Jedi. You've had your chance to hear everyone's opinions on the interwebs now...and boy. Some hated the film, some loved it (I am personally in the latter group), but I think we can all agree that this movie took Star Wars in a completely different and unexpected direction. After The Last Jedi, everything we thought we knew about the characters and the Force is wrong, frankly. We saw Leia use the Force to save herself from death, Luke's fall from Jedi grace, Rey's parents are nobodies, Snoke was suddenly killed, and...I could go on. So, I'm not going to debate whether or not all of this was how it "should have been." The question is now, where will the as-yet-unnamed Episode IX take us? Let's start with Rey, and that shocking revelation that her parents were "nobodies." Her parents were the subject of endless speculation after The Force Awakens, and even I said that Kenobi ancestry was plausible in an earlier blog post. I will admit, I was somewhat disappointed in the fact that her parents were simply drunk scavengers at first. I mean, isn't that a bit anticlimactic? Wow, guys...the finals of Who Would Win in a Fight: Star Wars Edition is quickly approaching! I can't believe it's gone by this fast. Before the finals, though, we've got this week's semifinals...and the first contestant moving on to the finals! So, without further ado, let's see the results from last week. Semifinals Week #1 Results With a decisive 75% of the vote, Luke Skywalker defeated newcomer Jedi Rey to advance to the finals of WWWF: Star Wars. He will face off against the winner of this week's semifinals for the WWWF: Star Wars crown next week.
This week, it's non-Jedi vs. Sith...it's Darth Vader vs. Chirrut Îmwe.
Well, The Last Jedi comes out officially tomorrow (though I'm going to see an early showing this evening), and there are no shortage of fan theories about what's going to be revealed in the film. You've probably heard a good deal of them, but I want to break down what I think are some of the most (and least) plausible fan theories so far. We'll have to see if I'm right tonight, but let's dive in, shall we?
Plausible: Luke trained the Knights of Ren
This one I could definitely see, and I'm actually going to go out on a limb and conjecture that this will be confirmed in the movie.
If Luke trained Kylo Ren (at least partially), then it definitely seems possible that he could have trained the other Knights of Ren. Kylo could have easily convinced other padawans to join him in his treachery. That said, Han Solo tells Rey and Finn that Kylo Ren "destroyed" everything that Luke had worked to build up. Rey's vision confirms this statement, showing Kylo Ren running a Jedi student through. Wouldn't he have destroyed all of Luke's students? And if there were others involved, why would Kylo get all the credit? A few things could potentially explain this. For one thing, the Knights of Ren are seen in Rey's vision--could be a coincidence, but it also could be that they were present for the slaughter. Now, even if they were present, it could be that the Knights of Ren were a preexisting organization that helped Kylo carry out the deed. The origin of the Knights is nebulous at best. However, if Kylo Ren is the "master of the Knights of Ren," as Snoke describes him, it seems odd that he would rise to the rank of master so quickly in an established order such as the Knights. If, however, he was a central figure in their founding, it makes much more sense; further, as a leader of the group, he would naturally receive credit for the massacre. Wow, guys, The Last Jedi premieres this week! I absolutely can't wait, and I'm sure you can't either...so to get our Star Wars fix until then, let's play another round of Who Would Win in a Fight: Star Wars Edition, eh? This week, the semifinals begin, but first, let's see who won last week's matchup! Quarterfinals Week #4 Results With 67% of the vote, Chirrut Îmwe beat back Kylo Ren to advance to next week's semifinals, where he will face the frightful Darth Vader...
For now, though, let's get to the first week of semifinals. Boy, is this one a doozy: Luke Skywalker vs. Rey. 
Could Rey give in to the Dark Side?
Star Wars has been teasing it for quite a while. Whether it's Snoke's allusions to prior contact with Rey or a cryptic Instagram post, all signs at least point to a struggle against the darkness within herself. Yet, Lucasfilm again decided to tease us further with a new teaser on their Facebook page: Star Wars Takeover Month has officially begun, and what better way to start than with another round of Who Would Win in a Fight? I've got an interesting matchup for this week, but first, let's see who won the vote in last week's quarterfinals... Quarterfinals Week #3 Results As one reader correctly predicted, Darth got mauled. With a stunning 100% of the vote, Luke Skywalker crushed Darth Maul to advance to the semifinals (which will be held next week)!
The choice last week may have been clear-cut, but this week, I'm pitting a non-Jedi up against a Sith--Chirrut Îmwe vs. Kylo Ren. |
