Tag: meta

kyberfox:

sheriffcobbvanth:

Okay, but I’ve still found more fuel for my Finn-is-Force-Sensitive theory.

So on Canto Bight, when Finn and Rose are riding that fathier, when Finn says “we need cover” the fathier conveniently veers away from the pack, into a tunnel. It then carries them directly to the beach, and to their ship. It didn’t look like there was any sort of bridle, and I know that it isn’t easy to steer/ride a horse without knowing the words or motions that the horse was trained to respond to. Why would a fathier be any different?

Finn has never ridden any sort of steed before and doesn’t even know what a fathier is, but still manages to ride one through a city and up a cliff with no experience. 

So either Finn a) communicated directly with the fathier through the Force or b) learned how to control a fathier from watching jockeys ride around a track for five seconds. 

You’re absolutely right, well spotted. 

There’s no bridle or any sort of headgear though someone, Rose I assume, put a saddle on the fathier they’re riding. But Rose is basically just holding on to its mane as she has no means of steering.

What’s more. Finn and Rose take the fathier and its companions straight through a window and into the casino. Anyone who’s ever ridden anything knows how damn difficult it would be to get any steed to go straight into an obstacle. Normally a mount would balk, stop, turn aside, anything rather than go through a solid barrier.

Finally, they’re riding the “lead” fathier and it looks like fathiers are herd animals. When they veer off, ordinary herd mentality would be for the herd to follow them, yet somehow when they turn aside the rest of the fathiers just continue.

So I think it wasn’t just the fathier Finn and Rose were riding he was influencing.

Good points, and also:

“So either Finn a) communicated directly with the fathier through the
Force or b) learned how to control a fathier from watching jockeys ride
around a track for five seconds.”

I actually find the latter scenario plausible, too, given how quickly Finn
picks up complex skills like starfighter gunning and lightsaber
fighting. I have a theory it’s an application of his super empathy.

But
in this case, since there was no bridle, I’m guessing
it was mostly Force telepathy with maybe some quick learning involved
(like maybe Finn watched how the jockeys use their legs, for instance,
to more effectively communicate with the animal *takes a moment to swoon
at Finn’s thighs*).

Also
it’s interesting to think about what Force telepathy may have in common
with autism, because I’ve read that some autistic people have an easier
time connecting with animals than people, even preverbal babies. It’s almost like language and the capacity for it can get in the way of direct communication. We
have never seen Finn communicate like this with a humanoid species that
has language.

awesomeswimmer21:

gentlekirk:

there’s no way finn isn’t torn apart inside every time he or anyone else has to kill a stormtrooper—someone who he may know, another child soldier kidnapped and brainwashed by a war machine. and if we don’t get finn leading a stormtrooper rebellion or even an *acknowledgement* of his reality and how fucking tragic it is then i’m!!!!!!

Yes! I mean if rian wanted his freaking moral ambiguity, then Finn dealing with himself and the resistance killing stormtroopers (you know the people who were once his comrades, who were also child slaves that perhaps have a chance of breaking free of the brainwashing like he did) would’ve been his prime opportunity.

Both JJ and RJ dropped the ball on this massively. JJ you get one (1) more chance, don’t screw it up!!

kyberfox:

Everyone has been overestimating the size of the Resistance/Rebellion at the end of TLJ. I just went and did a headcount and it’s down to 16 people.

Sixteen.

This is if we’re including Rey and Chewie that is.

This is why the end of TLJ feels so hopeless. You can’t oppose a regime the size of the First Order successfully with sixteen people and what is the galactic version of a weed van.

At the end of ESB there was hope, because though the Rebellion had been hurt by the Empire’s assault on Hoth they still had a (small) fleet and troops. At the end of TLJ there is none. It is going to take decades to rebuilt anything that can viably fight the First Order from what Rian left the Resistance with, if it’s doable at all.

TLJ left the galaxy and the audience with no hope at all for a successful Resistance and only the darkness of the First Order as a possibility of the galaxy’s future. It certainly won’t be in any way realistic for our heroic leads to defeat the First Order in their own lifetime.

And in a time where Nazis march in the street and white supremacist are in charge of powerful countries, this is the message that Rian sends That you might as well forget about fighting back, because there’s no way you can win that battle.

This could mean a Stormtrooper uprising is the only way to turn the war around, but it’s still so nonsensical and depressing.

to-break-the-stalemate:

lj-writes:

to-break-the-stalemate:

Briefly about Rose Tico and “Asian/Vietnamese women representation”

I feel a need to put this opinion of mine into words and spread it to this fuckin fandom because literally y’all are horrible.

I am not obligated to feel the need of having to like Rose Tico as a character in TLJ just because Kelly is American-Vietnamese.

Because, God, despite Kelly’s effort, Rose Tico in TLJ is a h-o-r-r-i-b-l-e character.

Let me get this straight: I am Asian. I am Vietnamese. Solid and proud. You do not know how pumped I was when I first knew there would be not only one, but t-w-o Asian females in TLJ,

Both of them are Vietnameses.

One of them is an actress whom I absolutely adore, Ngô Thanh Vân (or, Veronica Ngô). I literally count down everyday till I finally got to go see TLJ (my birthday!!! because in Europe it’s out on 13 Dec).

And God was I disappointed. Paige died a few minutes into the movie, and Rose was written horribly, terribly, annoyingly unbearable. I was so FUCKIN disappointed.

Because, if this is what you call a “representation”, please, take it away. I don’t want this. Either you do it properly, or you don’t.

I need a representation that is solid and make me feel excited whenever I see my people on screen; I want to come out of the theatre with excitement because Asian women!!!! Vietnamese women!!!!! Got treat well and great!!!! Not just some fuckin randomly insert as a shield called “representation” to prevent people to come after your horrid writing and your incapable of potrait and develop a character properly.

Rose Tico, or more specifically, casting Kelly Marie Tran, an American-Vietnamese as Rose Tico, is an act to caused conflicts about a poorly written character, so that the writer could hide under it to avoid criticism, like, “hey she’s a POC, an Asian, a Vietnamese, why are you disliking her, that’s your representation! Don’t you like being represented?”

Oh of course I love seeing my fellow Vietnameses on screen after seeing over and over again Hollywood’s idea of “Asians” is either Chineses or Japaneses.

But I do not want *this*. Seeing Rose Tico got hate and called “the new Jar Jar Bink” pains me, but even I couldn’t bring myself to like this character. There’s nothing about her in TLJ could make me go “wooooo I like her!!!” Nothing. She’s too…blank. And was written as an one-way and tasteless character.

So yes. I’d love a representation. But no. I am not obligated to love Rose Tico in TLJ because she’s my “representation.”

I, and my people, we want more, and we want better. We want an equal opportunity just as any other POC, to have an awesome, well-potrayed, well-written character to represent us.

So please, stop solving the idea of “one must support Rose Tico because she’s the Asian/Vietnamese character” down my throat.

I’m not talking about the real racist/sexist cases, I’m talking only about most of the blogs defending Rose Tico with the reason above.

And that’s an opinion coming from a female Vietnamese who loves SW a little bit too much.

Thank you for this. The way people use Kelly/Rose to shield RJ from criticism is super gross.

Thank you for reblogging to spread this opinion to as many as possible. I’m tired of seeing people accusing me for being racist for disliking the character of Rose Tico, like why would I do that? It’s even more exhausting seeing people using Kelly as a shield to prove that RJ is “not racist” because he casted a female POC in his so called movie.

Call me needy, but I’d like to see my people on screen properly, not as an excuse to anyone.

It’s so frustrating because as I understand it Vietnam has a long and proud history of women warriors like the Tru’ng sisters, and the Tico sisters would have been a lovely reflection of that. I was so excited about the resilience and tenderness of Vietnamese women being on full display in a galaxy far, far away. Instead we get Paige dying within minutes of appearing (Veronica was amazing with the little she was given and it breaks my heart that she could have done so much more) and Rose given a story that is both confusing and offensive. They had so much potential with these incredible actors, so much, and RJ pissed it away out of his ineptitude and intellectual laziness. This man is simply incapable of writing women and his men aren’t that great either.

to-break-the-stalemate:

Briefly about Rose Tico and “Asian/Vietnamese women representation”

I feel a need to put this opinion of mine into words and spread it to this fuckin fandom because literally y’all are horrible.

I am not obligated to feel the need of having to like Rose Tico as a character in TLJ just because Kelly is American-Vietnamese.

Because, God, despite Kelly’s effort, Rose Tico in TLJ is a h-o-r-r-i-b-l-e character.

Let me get this straight: I am Asian. I am Vietnamese. Solid and proud. You do not know how pumped I was when I first knew there would be not only one, but t-w-o Asian females in TLJ,

Both of them are Vietnameses.

One of them is an actress whom I absolutely adore, Ngô Thanh Vân (or, Veronica Ngô). I literally count down everyday till I finally got to go see TLJ (my birthday!!! because in Europe it’s out on 13 Dec).

And God was I disappointed. Paige died a few minutes into the movie, and Rose was written horribly, terribly, annoyingly unbearable. I was so FUCKIN disappointed.

Because, if this is what you call a “representation”, please, take it away. I don’t want this. Either you do it properly, or you don’t.

I need a representation that is solid and make me feel excited whenever I see my people on screen; I want to come out of the theatre with excitement because Asian women!!!! Vietnamese women!!!!! Got treat well and great!!!! Not just some fuckin randomly insert as a shield called “representation” to prevent people to come after your horrid writing and your incapable of potrait and develop a character properly.

Rose Tico, or more specifically, casting Kelly Marie Tran, an American-Vietnamese as Rose Tico, is an act to caused conflicts about a poorly written character, so that the writer could hide under it to avoid criticism, like, “hey she’s a POC, an Asian, a Vietnamese, why are you disliking her, that’s your representation! Don’t you like being represented?”

Oh of course I love seeing my fellow Vietnameses on screen after seeing over and over again Hollywood’s idea of “Asians” is either Chineses or Japaneses.

But I do not want *this*. Seeing Rose Tico got hate and called “the new Jar Jar Bink” pains me, but even I couldn’t bring myself to like this character. There’s nothing about her in TLJ could make me go “wooooo I like her!!!” Nothing. She’s too…blank. And was written as an one-way and tasteless character.

So yes. I’d love a representation. But no. I am not obligated to love Rose Tico in TLJ because she’s my “representation.”

I, and my people, we want more, and we want better. We want an equal opportunity just as any other POC, to have an awesome, well-potrayed, well-written character to represent us.

So please, stop solving the idea of “one must support Rose Tico because she’s the Asian/Vietnamese character” down my throat.

I’m not talking about the real racist/sexist cases, I’m talking only about most of the blogs defending Rose Tico with the reason above.

And that’s an opinion coming from a female Vietnamese who loves SW a little bit too much.

Thank you for this. The way people use Kelly/Rose to shield RJ from criticism is super gross.

Finn, the focal point in the conflict

kyberfox:

Since his rebellion at Tuanul at the very beginning of The Force Awakens, Finn has been posited as the center and in many ways focal point of the conflict between the Light and the Dark.

Not only is he the character that connects Rey and Poe, the two other members of the trio who have no interaction at all until the very last minutes of TLJ and even then their interactions makes it clear that their connecting point and relation to one another is Finn.

What is more he’s commands the interest of all the three main villains, not just Phasma and Hux who would have a natural interest in him, but Kylo is near obsessed with him in TFA. This is unlike any of the other trio members, Kylo’s interest in Poe is only for information and Hux and Phasma has no interest at all in Rey.

This not only makes Finn the bridge between the Jedi (Rey) and the Resistance (Poe) on the side of the Light, but also puts his squarely as the focal point of the conflict with the Dark side.

This position as the center of both military and Force related conflict is reinforced in TLJ at several points.

As previous mentioned he remains throughout the movie the bridge between the Jedi and the Resistance. He is the one who, when Leia is incapacitated, spares a thought as to how this will affect Rey and by extension the possibility of the Jedi being brought back.

His choice in this hopeless situation that the Resistance finds itself in, is to take the guiding beacon away so that Rey won’t run into an ambush when she returns. When he realizes that all is not lost he gives the beacon to Poe, entrusting him with that future as Finn himself once again runs off into danger.

Another point is in Luke’s words to Kylo where the movie cuts to each of our trio in turn, one for each line.

“The Rebellion is reborn today”, cut to Poe.

“The war is just beginning”, cut to Finn.

“And I will not be the last Jedi”m cut to Rey.

Again the story positions Finn in the middle of the conflict, a conflict that involves both a “mundane” military side and a Force side.

With all of this two points in TLJ become very interesting indeed.

The first is that Rey took the Jedi texts from the Force tree and it is Finn who discovers them in a drawer on board the Falcon.

The other is that when Anakin’s lightsaber broke so did the kyber crystal inside it, making a single legacy now divided into two parts indicating two future wielders. 

One we all expect will go to Rey. But with his position so squarely being set up to be both military and Force related, I think the second part belongs to Finn.

roscticos:

This didn’t fit with the tone of the previous post, so I’m making my own post.

Even disregarding the comics, this is what we know from the “10 minutes of screen time in TFA”–

  • Poe Dameron was the man Leia trusted on a mission that not only was vital to the triumph of the Resistance and defeat of the First Order, but had deep, personal implications for her as well
    • You wouldn’t trust a disrespecting hotshot flyboy who doesn’t think critically with a mission like this
  • It was mission that Poe knew if he failed/got caught, he’d (1) doom the Resistance and (2) die because no one could claim him or come for him because of the risks and other political things
    • This is also not a light conclusion for a hotshot, cavalier flyboy to come to
    • This also isn’t a mission you give to a man who thinks being a hero means being a glorified martyr, because that man would make all the wrong decisions
  • Poe stayed behind to defend the village when he should’ve hightailed it out of there, even with a broken X-wing.
    • But before he did so, he made sure the map was safe and that BB-8 would take it far away. He made sure to minimize all risk of mission failure (*side eyes him persisting on taking out the Dreadnaught*)

Of course, I suppose if you wanted, you could construe the above to be that Poe is in some way still playing a Resistance Hero ™. But in my opinion, if that was the real angle they wanted to play, they should’ve done in the context of the trauma he endures in TFA. Where he’s taking undue risk to shake the PTSD, where he’s not thinking clearly anymore because he’s been tortured and saw some of his friends die.

But I take all that and raise you this:

  • Poe represents the heart of the Resistance because Leia doesn’t come until later and she also doesn’t get much screentime. He has a kind, open heart. 
    • He represents the “bring me your weak and weary” which you can see in the immediate rapport be builds with Finn
    • There’s no clear indication that Poe should trust Finn, despite the rescue which could logically be construed as a ploy, but Poe trusted him anyway. Because that’s who Poe Dameron is.
      • Poe immediately recognized Finn as a defector, recognized him as a man who knew the FO was wrong and wanted to get away
      • And Oscar Isaac took great pain to telegraph this, okay? In the minimal screentime he had, he made Poe the first person we see to champion and care about Finn, when no one in the First Order had.
    • Poe doesn’t know who Rey is, but he knows she’s important to Finn and now she’s important to Poe. And if Finn trusts her, Poe will trust her too.
      • (Adding on, the scene in TLJ where Finn hands Poe the beacon is powerful in the same way and tbh one of the nicer touches of this movie. The look they share, and the trust they’ve built in such a short time? jaklsjdf;ljaslkdjf)
  • Just about everything in TFA about Poe, thought admittedly two-dimensional, is meant to telegraph that he is a good man. A kind man. An experienced Resistance commander. Not some greenie who wants to just blow shit up all the time.

phenoniix:

aboveaveragecanadianfemale:

So random thought here… But in avatar the last airbender all of the nations (that were still alive) but the firenation didn’t allow women to fight. The northern water tribe thought women were only meant to be healers and that they did not have the concentration for fighting, and the earth kingdom women were to be seen and not heard. Toph was the only earthbending female we ever saw in that series. The fire nation however, had many female soldiers and a fire bending prodigy as a princess. Even mai and ty lee were important fighters. This is curious because, was the fire nation winning because they had a relatively egalitarian society amongst men and women? Further, if other nations had allowed women to fight would there have been a more equal war? Also maybe the fire nation was actually trying to spread it’s greatness to other nations (they seriously went about it wrong but still), they had what looked like an educated middle class (they frigging pluck aang off the street when all he’s wearing is a uniform), we never really see much poverty, men and women holding equal positions of Work, a strong spiritual system etc… anyway just some food for thought.

oh my god

i never thought of this

but you bring up an excellent point because you are absolutely right

today’s intersectional feminists always bring up how our society could advance faster if we never held back women, how we let them have just an equal chance at anything a man can do, how we shouldn’t be paying them less and hindering them because we think they are inferior or incapable, and they are absolutely right; we aren’t going to advance as a society if we hold half of it back. the fire nation is a great example of what we could look like if we give men and women equal chances, not just in the military. legend of korra was supposed to mimic the early-mid 1900s, and they had a female firelord. the avatar cycle had many female avatars that were just as capable and fierce, if not more, than the male avatars (see kyoshi and korra’s un-gentleness and this). the fire nation has both male and female nobility and in positions of power and even though they started this terrible war their genuine equality is something that we can all learn from

Tfw a country is lauded for “genuine equality” after genociding an entire nation and plunging the rest into war and deprivation. Edit: You also do not know what intersectional feminism is if you think the FN is an example of it (your representation of the intersectional feminist position is pitifully limited and misleading, too). The co-opting of feminism by imperialism and racism is exactly why intersectional feminism was necessary in the first place.

“Let the hate flow through you” can actually be seen as good advice; it could be about letting your emotions pass through you and out of you naturally, instead of bottling/suppressing them like the Jedi. But Palpatine, ever the liar, actually meant “let the hate consume you” when he said those words.

hanukkahfinn:

Well, he’s a Sith after all and Sith are not just know liars they’re all about letting their passions rule them. And I wonder if the unhealthy parts of the Jedi’s philosophy wasn’t a result of fighting the Sith for so long?

If you look at the original Jedi code it is one that indicate balance in all things:

Emotion, yet peace.

Ignorance, yet knowledge.

Passion, yet serenity.

Chaos, yet harmony.

Death, yet the Force.

There’s nothing in this that hints that suppressing or dismissing your emotions should be part of the deal of being a Jedi. In fact it looks like the opposite, that both emotions and peace can coexist.

But then the Sith came along:

Peace is a lie. There is only Passion.
Through Passion I gain Strength.
Through Strength I gain Power.
Through Power I gain Victory.
Through Victory my chains are Broken.
The Force shall free me.

This isn’t balanced in any way.

I’ve seen it said that the Sith code isn’t evil and while I agree so far, I don’t find it particularly healthy as it is based on letting your passions rule you to the elimination of all else.

And with this in mind it makes kinda sense that the Jedi Code eventually became this instead:

There is no emotion, there is peace.

There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.

There is no passion, there is serenity.

There is no chaos, there is harmony.

There is no death, there is the Force

See the difference between this one and the first? That the first one accepted, even embraced, the existence of emotions in the Jedi but this one demands that only peace exists?

This isn’t so much a Jedi Code as it’s an Anti-Sith Code.

The Jedi fought so long and hard against the Sith that they forgot what they were supposed to be and became only the antithesis of their enemies. But I doubt that the original Jedi subscribed to the bottling up and suppression of emotions that the PT era Jedi did, but by the time of Yoda, Mace and Anakin, the Jedi had lost their paths and become obsessed with eliminating the Dark, instead of promoting the Light.

I wonder if Jake Skywalker’s shutting himself up far away to die and let the Jedi Order die with him was meant to portray him following the Jedi code to the extreme, denying all the trauma, the shame he felt after his one moment of fear and anger had such disastrous effects? (Which doesn’t really make sense for Luke, so I’m using Mark’s terminology and calling him Jake instead.)