Snoke is a very mysterious and intriguing figure who, according to the novelization, witnessed the rise and fall of the Empire. Where was Snoke during this time? Was he someone Palpatine was aware of, or was he lurking in the shadows, waiting for his time to rise to power? His disfigured visage shows that he […]
Jedi
Analysis of The Force Awakens — Han Solo: From Cynical Smuggler to Believing Mentor
The portrayal of Han in The Force Awakens was one of the few things I was worried about leading up to the premiere. There were many fans I encountered who believed Han was the type of character who would never settle down and have a family, but that, to me, ignores his entire character arc […]
Analysis of The Force Awakens — Rey: A Hero’s Awakening
While Rey is in many ways an obvious reflection of Luke and Anakin, she also has a unique twist to her starting point. Unlike Luke, and even Anakin, Rey has no family to support her in her struggle to survive in the harsh environment of Jakku. There is no wasting time with friends or picking […]
Analysis of The Force Awakens — Leia Organa: A Princess and a General
Carrie Fisher’s portrayal of General Leia was a wonderful surprise. The lack of her presence in the trailers beyond a few brief shots made me worry that we would either see very little of her in the film, or that Carrie’s acting wouldn’t be on par with the other actors. But her scenes with Ford […]
Analysis of The Force Awakens — Finn: Born for One Purpose, Destined for Another
Like Rey, Finn is on his own hero’s journey. It starts with the death of fellow trooper FN-2003, aka “Slip.” This trooper’s identity was established in the anthology novel Before the Awakening and confirmed in the Visual Dictionary. Slip was the weakest link in Finn’s unit and Finn was reprimanded by Captain Phasma for helping […]
Analysis of The Force Awakens — Kylo Ren: A Villain’s Journey
Kylo is tied with Rey as my favorite new character. Having searched out spoilers, his characterization was actually one of the few surprises of the film for me. I suspected long before seeing the film that he was Han and Leia’s son and knew that he was a Vader fanatic, but his volatile and emotional […]