So, I’ve seen it be argued that in TLJ Finn had to learn to think about the collective rather than the personal. More specifically, at the beginning of TLJ he’s ready to abandon ship, because he doesn’t think the Resistance is worth Rey’s (and maybe his) life. However, by the end he understands the meaning of self-sacrificing for the greater good, that the resistance and what they’re fighting for is more important than his personal feelings or even life.
And while that’s not really the arc I think Finn should’ve had in this movie, I can see why its valid.
However, there is one big problem (there’s actually a couple problems, but one big one) that I had with this arc in the movie: the execution. I still have no idea how he exactly went from point A (the individual) to point B (the collective). Join me under the cut (sorry it got long).
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.
In deed we have!!! Not to say Vân (Veronica) is literally the queen of action movie, her martial arts action scenes have always been aesthetically blessing and incredible, that man didn’t know what he’d missed!
Omg I only watched a small sample on YouTube but she is incredible–easily the most talented action star to grace Star Wars since Donnie Yen. If they’d actually utilized her and kept her kicking (literally) into Episode IX it would have been a huge help in the Chinese market, too. RIAN YOU INCOMPETENT ASS.
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.
The fuck is this shit, anon? Of COURSE we need to destroy what we despise, violent bigotry isn’t going to go away because we sing kumbaya lmao. Rose’s line not only made no sense, it was actively toxic in perpetuating a holier than thou false dichotomy.
i feel so bad for kelly. her first major blockbuster movie and she plays a terribly written character who’s getting hated on for so many different reasons (some of those reasons are valid but others, like hating on her because she’s asian or a woman are not valid at all). i really hope rose is written better in episode 9. kelly is a great actress and a wonderful person and deserves to play a well written character
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.
Just an FYI since people seem to be throwing around false accusations of racism and sexism without any merit…
It’s not racist or sexist against Kelly Marie Tran to criticize Rose’s assault on Finn.
It’s not racist or sexist against Kelly Marie Tran to point out how racist it was to use violence against a black man as comedy.
It’s not racist or sexist against Kelly Marie Tran to defend Finn and stand by the fact that he didn’t deserve to be treated the way he was throughout TLJ.
It’s not racist or sexist against Kelly Marie Tran to call people out for admitting that they don’t care what Finn’s been through and calling him a traitor.
It’s not racist or sexist against Kelly Marie Tran to defend Finn in general
.It’s not racist or sexist against Kelly Marie Tran to ship FinnRey or FinnPoe or to continue to see either pairing as the canon endgame.
It’s not racist or sexist against Kelly Marie Tran to say that Rose was poorly written and her actions were wrong. That is a criticism directed at Rian Johnson, not the actress.
L.J.'s Obsessions 