DO NOT READ THIS UNTIL AFTER YOU HAVE WATCHED THE LAST JEDI!! There are spoilers!*
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED…
Love it or hate it, The Last Jedi presented an interesting situation that made me rethink everything I have believed thus far about the force.
Until Rey, every Jedi has chosen a side. They must face the dark side and TURN AWAY to the light OR JOIN the dark. AND THEY HAVE ALL FAILED. Luke is in hiding and has turned away from the force because all the Jedis have failed.
Rey DOES NOT TURN AWAY! Nor does she join the dark side.
What exactly does this mean for Star Wars canon? Well here is my theory:
We have always been told (and believed) that there must be balance in the force. At first, in episodes 4-6, balances was believed to be created by overcoming the dark side. Later, speculations were thought to mean that balance meant two Jedi and two Sith. (This is actually interesting because Luke does not last much longer than Snoke, so what does that mean?)
Luke is horrified when Rey sees the dark side and does not turn away. In fact, she goes LOOKING for the dark side, hoping it will show her who her parents were. It only shows her herself. She doesn’t turn away, but she realizes it can’t give her what she wants. She says it makes her feel lonely.
What if there aren’t two sides to the force? We are told over and over that the force is all encompassing, so what if the key is embracing the dark and balancing it with the light INSIDE YOURSELF.
Maybe Kylo Ren was on his way to doing this when Luke went to him to kill him. Having his master turn on him made him fully choose the dark side instead of learning to balance.
Can Rey keep this balance? Can she bring this balance to Kylo Ren or will he stick with the dark side and be destroyed?
Maybe I’m completely wrong with this, so here’s an alternative theory…
Did anyone else notice the allegorical nature of this movie? I felt it was way more in-your-face than past movies. A whole planet where people live lavishly, having acquired their riches from wars being fought. Selling arms and spacecraft to both the light and the dark. Sounds a little familiar, doesn’t it? A little close to home???
Well what if (and this is only half serious), the light and the dark realize they actually have the same enemy and team up to destroy the rich?
Kylo Ren and Rey team up to destroy the elite and then the light and dark live peacefully without others pulling their strings and starting wars so that they can make money.
I don’t really think this will happen. These are all just my musings and the things that popped into my mind as I watched The Last Jedi for the first time.
Please tell me your thoughts in the comments!
Nice theory, but couple of questions came in mind...
What about the kid at the end? One taking the broom with force? Or that the books were at the Falcon?
Well, certain children will always have high mitochlorian counts, so there will always be people who can use the force. Maybe this be a side story and not part of canon, but maybe this kid will figure some things out and lead a rebellion on his planet... who knows!!
And the books... well apparently Rey took them. Maybe she’s started studying them and that’s how she’s learned the ways of the force...
What do you think??
Interesting theories. I agree with the general premise that the way Rey approaches the dark and the light can be unique. Though he's not in charge anymore George Lucas has said that the Force is not Yin and Yang, and that the mere presence of a Sith or other Dark Side Force-User is the product of imbalance. I would like for this to remain true though it's too easy of a way out and I don't think Star Wars should become a story of grey vs grey morality. The idea of a balance within one self is interesting. Perhaps the flaw of the Jedi is they never truly taught people to face their own darkness and learn to actively manage it, only to suppress it or "turn away" from it as you said. This suppression would inevitably mean some people would give in to the Dark Side.
If you're interested in my analysis please check out:
https://steemit.com/starwars/@g-com/on-failure-and-the-last-jedi
Yes yes yes! This is exactly what I’m talking about!!! Going to check out your post now!
Thanks for stopping by my post.
I agree, they always talk about "balance". Maybe the key is for one person to balance both sides....
I would like to see both Rey and Kylo find that balance. Think Kylo should learn from his grandfather and make peace with himself BEFORE he’s on his deathbed!
Thank you for treating interesting topics.
If you look at recent trends in Disney movies, I think the peaceful ending you mentioned is also possible.
Interesting point! How many years do we have to wait now?!?!
Disney's moves are expected to be more commercial than Lucasfilm.
In principle, new Star Wars Main Story movie should be released every year, but if the side story like Han solo movie succeeds, the canon movie interval may be longer.
I think it's worth noting two beings, one currently out of canon, the other in it. Jolee Bindo, in Knights of the Old Republic was a "Gray Jedi." He was definitely a good guy, and he used to be a Jedi, but he rejected the strictures of the order.
In Star Wars Rebels (which, unlike KOTOR, is currently canon) we have the Bendu, a powerful force sensitive entity, which is neither of the dark nor of the light. The Bendu is wise and powerful. But he's not purely "good" or "evil."
So we've had characters that rejected the binary before. And I suspect this will be dealt with more in the future.
However, I don't see Kylo Ren being redeemed and getting a peaceful end. He is a mass murderer.
Very interesting points! But he was a mass murderer before Rey offered him redemption, so I still am holding out hope for a better ending than Vader!
Rey is a sweet summer child. And I don't think she fully realizes (or realized, anyway) the breadth of his monstrosity. She wasn't with Poe in the village when he gave the order to kill everyone.