The Star Wars Sequel Trilogy Was Doomed From The First Scene
Normally, statements like “the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy was dead on arrival” would sound like hyperbole. However, considering that the fandom is constantly trying to figure out what went wrong with this big-budget trio of films, it really does seem like we’re all in a murder mystery trying to figure out who killed this franchise. I’m not here to tell you that it was Kathleen Kennedy in the corner office with a phone call but to instead point out an uncomfortable truth: this trilogy was doomed from literally the very first scene.
The Force Awakens’ Glaring Problem
The Force Awakens kicked off the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, and fans generally found it enjoyable and far less controversial than The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker. Because of this, this first movie hasn’t necessarily received as much criticism as it should have. And in retrospect, we should have known how bad this new trilogy was going to get based on its many strange flaws.
If you’re a Star Wars fan who hasn’t watched the Sequel Trilogy in a while (we honestly can’t blame you), you may need a quick recap. We see Poe Dameron talking to an unnamed man and getting some information that is valuable in the fight against the First Order. Speaking of these white-clad thugs, they immediately land on the planet, resulting in Finn’s baptism of blood, Poe meeting Kylo Ren, and the would-be Sith Lord executing the man that Poe had been talking to.
Empty Dialogue Isn’t As Mysterious As You’d Think
On paper, this first scene in the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy has most of the elements fans have come to expect from this franchise: a lot of action, a little humor, and a high-stakes struggle between a handful of rebels and a powerful galactic empire. Why, then, do we say this scene is proof that the franchise was doomed? For one thing, the man that Poe is speaking to is never identified onscreen, something made that much more confusing by his acting like an old family friend while talking to Kylo.
Sure, it’s always good to see Max von Sydow onscreen, but this scene introduces a frequent Sequel Trilogy problem: empty dialogue meant to sound mysterious and new characters shoehorned in without any explanation. Yes, this character (Lor San Tekka, if you’re curious) gets fleshed out in later books, but we shouldn’t have to pay more and do our own homework just to figure out crucial plot details like this. Even the character’s death reveals narrative problems because we are meant to feel bad for the death of an “old friend” style character despite never even learning anything about who he is.
“Who Talks First?”
On top of that, this Star Wars scene introduces a problem that would become more apparent in later Sequel Trilogy films: weird and inappropriate humor. Poe Dameron’s “who talks first?” bit is meant to make him seem fun and fearless, but it really just undercuts all the tension of Kylo Ren’s dramatic arrival (remember, even Han Solo didn’t drop a bunch of wisecracks when he saw Vader…he simply went for the kill). Inappropriate humor would become a mainstay of these films, which is why this same character is dropping literally “your mama” jokes in The Last Jedi.
Faulty Focus On Finn
In a vacuum, the introduction of the new Star Wars hero Finn is better, but it highlights another persistent Sequel Trilogy problem. Namely, we have to accept that he is simultaneously a highly-trained Stormtrooper and also that he has no idea what Stormtroopers do (spoilers: shoot good guys). This is early evidence that Disney didn’t know what to do with Finn, and that persisted into the final film, where he makes a big deal about wanting to share a secret and then we never even hear what it is.
Doomed From The Start
Now, I’m not trying to just relentlessly dunk on this first Star Wars sequel film…it’s the most crowd-pleasing of the trilogy and has plenty of great moments and killer performances. However, fans who think these movies magically started sucking only in The Last Jedi merely need to look back at the first scene of The Force Awakens to see early examples of most of this trilogy’s biggest problems.
In this first scene, decent storytelling is thrown out just for cool-looking moments, and Disney seems unaware of something crucial. Star Wars has always been about more than fun scenes, and cool moments without a good story reduce this franchise to nothing more than overpriced special effects. Too bad the one thing this company can’t bring back to life with CGI is our collective interest in Star Wars.
