honestly, the thing that hurt me most about TFA was, absurdly enough, not Han’s death. in fact, I kind of wish the other two had gone with him–because then, at least, they’d be out of their misery.
and that’s the problem. Han, Luke, and Leia? they are miserable in TFA. everything has burned down around them. they are lost, broken, and afraid again–and not just in the way that all of the new, highly stressful conflicts that would surely have come upon three people winning a war and establishing a new government would be burdened and broken. rather, these are three people who fought, and bled, and died, and broke, and then found peace and healing and hope…only to be broken again. and again. and still yet again.
and that’s…that’s not okay with me.
look, I already love the new trio to bits. I love the prequel trio to bits. but the original trio? the infamous smuggler, the naive farmboy, and the bossy princess? it was those three who I have–and hopefully always will–held to in the darkness, and looked to not only for hope, but even for healing and guidance.
and that was the message of the original trilogy, I think: that there is hope even in the darkest of times. that light will prevail, and that darkness will be vanquished. that family will reunite, and that even he worst pain can be healed. that love, of many different kinds, is the most powerful bond in all of the galaxy, and that to love is the greatest weapon and protection that one can have.
and Leia? specifically Leia? well, she has, quite literally, saved my life. she gave me a very specific hope: that, even despite incredible pain, and horrifying trauma, you are able to heal. that, even more than you are able to heal, you deserve to heal and find both peace and happiness.
but then….
but then.
but then The Force Awakens happened. and, given the fact that you’re reading this despite my spoiler warning, I’m going to guess that you know what they did to the original trio.
they broke them.
not only did they break the characters, though. they broke all of the lessons that the original trilogy as a whole taught as well.
the lesson that light will always prevail, and that darkness will ultimately fall?
that triumph is only momentarily, apparently (according to TFA), because in the end the darkness will always reemerge. the fight will never be over. the war will never be won. it is doom and destiny that the burdens of both you and your ancestors will be placed on the increasingly bowed shoulders of your children, and your children’s children. there is no victory. not really. because the nature of humanity (or whatever the GFFA equivalent of “humanity” is) is inherently depraved, evil and greedy and lustful for power and gold. so no matter what temporary victory is attained, the peace will always fall into disrepair, the heroes into temptation and evil.
it tells that, even in the joy of victory and the hope of peace, the seeds of darkness and future despair and destruction will be sown.
but even worse? even worse, it says “*beep* healing.” it shows that you are doomed to regress, destined to fall back into the same old habits you once had. you may become a better, healthier, happier person for a moment–but ultimately you will fall again. you will fall, and you will return to your base state which is, apparently, misery and sorrow and despair.
there is no healing for the heroes.
(so why should there be healing for anyone?)
and what makes this all even worse? is that it was all done so carelessly, and all for the sake of a “new, big, exciting story” that was ultimately little more than a retelling of the original.