The Rise of Kylo Ren
If there is one thing I hated most about the new trilogy it would be that scene with Luke and Ben in Last Jedi where Luke draws the lightsaber because he saw great darkness in Ben and then everything went to hell including characterization.
I only picked up this graphic novel because I had hope it would add something to that story.
I should have known better.
Even picking up directly after that event it doesn’t add much besides 3 annoying Jedi students who don’t seem to have any sense.
Luke is barely in this save a flashback in which he’s such a badass Jedi he takes down the Knights of Ren (which for some reason makes his nephew go hey maybe I’ll join them) oh and he has no idea that Snoke/Emperor is literally talking to Ben in his head.
One of the students is like oh the force sings around Master Luke…
Guess it’s obscuring the painfully obvious.
The other stand out moment was when Snoke was telling Ben, “Skywalker won’t die easily,” that was a laugh. And it pretty much does a number on the Knights of Ren…which I had thought where students at the school who followed Ben but are apparently psychopaths who just go around the galaxy murdering people…
And again Luke let’s the leader walk at one point which made me want to scream again how does he let this guy walk and look at his father years ago a psychopath who murdered children, tortured his friends, maimed him and blew up a freaking planet and say I see the good in you but considers killing his young nephew cause he’s sees bad in him.
What the hell Luke?
It’s not all bad I suppose. The arts pretty good and it’s a super fast read. I’d like to know why Snoke was chilling in some twisted looking garden of Eden but eh, I’m sure there’s absolutely no reason for it.
I think the worst part is even with bare bones there’s a good story here- a story that could have been Force Awakens and laid the groundwork for the trilogy but hell at this point it doesn’t even really work to fill in the holes that story left!
I need to learn to stay away from anything Skywalker related in the Disney era. It’s just a disappointment.
Recommend: No.
Shame that this didn’t add much to the trilogy. At this point, we may be much better off reading fan fics! 😂
This perfectly sums up my entire experience wit the Disney Canon. In fact, I think “then everything went to hell including characterization” may well be the single best line I’ve read to capture my feelings on the Disney Canon! I’ve always felt they were rushing to tell too many stories, too quickly. There doesn’t seem to be much care for continuity at all – with Lucas’ original vision or even what they’ve done before. It’s like each movie or cartoon or comic or novel or video game is predominately concerned with telling whatever story they feel like telling. Also, “It’s not all bad I suppose. [fill in the blank with intriguing story idea that will receive no follow through] but eh, I’m sure there’s absolutely no reason for it” sort of sums up my reaction to all the interesting points I’ve found in the Disney Canon.
It’s all, “What can *I* do with Star Wars?” and not “How do I add to and honor what Star Wars is?” And yeah, it’s frustrating. But your post made me smile with how well you captured it all :D. I feel your pain, too.
The most annoying things is the stories were there in the canon they threw out or didn’t bother with. I still think with just a little tweaking Adam Driver and Daisy Ridley would have made a great Jacen/ Jaina Solo, etc. But modern Star Wars does not seem much for story or character at this point 🙁
Thanks for commenting!
While I will always love the EU and it will always be “the real” Star Wars story for me (it’s been a part of my life too long and a corporate marketing decision could never tell me it’s all “legends” anyway), I was initially excited at the idea of Disney doing their own thing. Why not have a whole other universe of Star Wars stories?? That’s twice the fun! However, as time went on, I’ve come to believe they threw out the EU just so they could cannibalize it for ideas…they then use with faaaaaaaar less thought, skill, and success than the EU did.
I mean, at least we still always have the EU. I’ll read and reread those novels for the rest of my life. But it is frustrating to see characters and a universe that was once so rich be used to thoughtlessly. Sure, the EU had some clunkier stories. But once upon a time I could NEVER have imagined a world where story or character wasn’t central to Star Wars.
It certainly sounds very Disney. I’m trying to make the logical connection between seeing the good in someone’s who’s relentlessly psychopathic v someone who has, I’m assuming, does one bad thing.