Apologies for formatting and grammar here. These are my comments on the TTV Star Wars episode today which I'm pasting here since I wanted to complete my thoughts on the dark side and balance with the Skywalker line. Also,how this the idea of grey Jedi that Var was talking about is not as thematically strong for what direction the film is going. Particularly the relationship between the idea of sides of the force and how elements of Rey's and Kylo's journey plays into morality:
Rey's journey had to transform into the perspective of the audience after TFA because she goes with us to demand Luke, this father figure and symbol of Star Wars, to return. I think if Rey's journey was against being special she is forced to move on. In TLJ it's explained--as a reflection of her lightsaber forceback in TFA--that the darkness it had shown her was a reflection of her denial of the truth that she was abandoned. Besides, in terms of going to Luke it's not like her story can be 'hey Luke let's go fly-fishing I don't want to fight the First Order'. _In hindsight_ I could see story taking a diffrent direction where Luke was somehow forced to abandon the fight (That would be rather expected though) but instead cannot confront Kylo because Rey is destined to do it for some reason, but it would be less interesting.
Of course, what's interesting is as Rey becomes attached to Luke in TLJ Kylo Ren chooses to abandon the Vader bloodline, but this is driven by his actions in TFA. The whole film his motivated by getting closer to the Skywalker bloodline and destroying Han Solo and symbols of the rebellion. Then when Kylo becomes weaker afterï»ż killing Han he is disconnected from the light, shown that the force is bigger than the Skywalkers as the saber goes to Rey, but instead it's revealed in TLJ that he sees it as the Skywalker line failing him. Soï»ż he throws it all away with the Kylo Ren mask.
The suggestion in this film is as you become darker the light within fights it, and calls about the external light, which is Rey, to balanceï»ż it. âBut so tooï»ż is Reys darkness called upon by Kylo
So Grey implies opposites, mixing but they are not opposites because they are bothï»ż part of the force. âThe light is 'good' not because it called the lightï»ż side (Snokes death emphasizes the ambigiuty of words) but because it is the positive energy of life between things.
The TTV Channelâ: Sure, I'm talking about something thatï»ż didn't end up happening in the movie, so I'm not saying that the Force works this wayï»ż in the context of what we were given in the movie
So both sides of the Force are equals, but it's hard to describe because the film handles it in a tactful way. âBut I think it just creates a new artificial construct of grey rather than destroy our idea of both sides, it merges them.
This film instead suggests the the more personal and more organic nature of the force.
Of course Rey's cave scene is just a parody of fans doing an infinite internet search to find a valid theory for her parents, only to discover that what's important is who she is. Haha.
I think the execution is there, but it's left ambiguous because its about the difference between Meaning, truth, and symbolism,ï»ż and the past too.
âAnd I've only seen it once so I can'tï»ż unpack it all from what I remember. For example, I think an important parallel is Kylo andï»ż Luke both hesitating only for what they want to be destroyed destroyed by a 'higher power.' âI think it's not show how even though they think they're attached to the force they still become confined by there own constructs of what these things mean, instead of thinking aboutï»ż the larger world. Which is why Yoda both dismisses the books and speaks to Rey understanding all she needs, but also it being a moment ofï»ż shade because she does have the books. There content is important but the context of what they mean changesï»żâ because there meaning is larger than the temple and the Jedi, butï»ż so too are the Jedi and Rey larger than the books. That's what the film means by 'we are what we grow beyond.'Learning only comes from change, and you can't change without seeing what you have, even if what you have is not absolute or truthï»ż.âSo Luke learns and grows, but still holds onto his image of the legend not for himself, but for the larger world. In this case he tricks Kylo Ren to save the Resistance. âIn this sense Luke becomes and lets go of what he is. âAnd then this connects back to the question of what the dark side is, which the film doesn't say, but it shows it is driven by this ignorance. That the force is active and constantly changes and grows, and the dark side doesn't. But I think this is more of a guess, because the point is the complexity of Ren attempting to grow (abandoning it all) but still wanting the power that Snoke and the Skywalker line gave him.
So maybe its more like the dark side is constantly pulling us to forget the larger world, and the light side is what connects us. The Jedi forgot this thinking the dark side is external and failed.
So I think the clevernessï»ż of this film is that the the light and dark are in the details
The dark side always exists in perfect opposition to what the light tells us, trying to make us hold on when the world is far more complex. That is what balance means,ï»ż to understand we live with failure.That ignorance and failure can't be destroyed and is part of our nature rather than part of an opposition to one position or another. That's why this can't be described with a gradient metaphor. Because it's not about 2 believe systems, but the nature ofï»ż change itself. The film is basically super zen because it constantly cuts off what we expect and forces us to accept what's outside our control, rather than outright validating it. It's about pulling us out of the moment and into the bigger picture.
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