RUMOR General Hux's Fate in The Last Jedi

This has been my theory since watching TFA. Hux is a dead man walking. Snoke is going to lose his s##t!

 

I know @RockyRoadHux won't like it, but I want Hux to be killed off by Kylo Ren's hand/lightsaber. Maybe Hux learns something crucial about Kylo Ren and then Hux threatens him telling it Snoke. Kylo loses it and kills Hux.

 

We know three characters that formally part of the FO: Snoke, Phasma, and Hux.


KR might have authority over certain groups in the FO and access to their resources to some degree, but he doesn't seem to have an official position or the kind of absolute power (in ROTJ &ESB) or autonomy (in RO & ANH) that Vader did.

KR's position was yet another one of those things JJ lifted from OT (he essentially has all the limitations (he must report to Snoke repeatedly and Hux can read him the riot act) and authority that Vader did (he terrorized officers and troopers, though JJ has him kill only villagers, which they likely do at other times when he's not the commander of a mission, and he never takes out a FO trooper or officer)) without ever defining his role. In ESB & ROTJ, Vader is clearly second only to the Emperor. In TFA, KR exists kind of like Vader does in ANH, but Tarkin clearly has authority over him while KR & Hux seem to be equally "ranked" though KR isn't FO, not really. Again, it's confusing and left up to be explained or resolved later.

Snoke killing Hux could make KR the clear second overall, assuming Snoke doesn't have an Admiral Viedt (sp?) type at his base/command ship that we'll meet early on in TLJ.

But that to me would feel like a cop out. If TLJ occurs right after TFA ends, why waste time introducing a new character to replace one played by a fairly big name who we were already introduced to, has a backstory that connects to recently published books, and that we care about. TLJ has a lot of story, character work, and action requirements on it without replacing Hux. It seems unnecessary to me.

Phasma needs more screen time, but she's a field commander. Snoke won't be on the bridge coordinating the attack or defense the FO will be involved in during TLJ. They need a flag officer like Hux and while Gleason was way over the top in during the SK base mustering scene, the CGI troopers (another awful CGI moment in terms of not looking realistic) giving the Roman/Nazi salute was the worst thing about that speech scene, by far. That's not on the nose, it's getting punched in the face. JJ, we know you're Jewish, but Mel Brooks, Mr. Spielberg, Irvin Kershner, & many other Jewish artists have been much more skillful (and infinitely more subtle) when their art referenced the Nazis, Romans, and other groups that persecuted the Jews.


(edit: I enjoyed Hux as a character in the film other than him going all wild-eyed in that speech, but that's a choice by the director...and like I said, it's way down on the list of things I think JJ screwed up)
Hux has been established as a driven,bigoted, and vicious person. Better to spend time required to replace him by fleshing out Captain Black Series, sorry Phasma.

An oblique line or two from Snoke or even Phasma about how Hux can't mess up again would make his decisions in TLJ more interesting, substantial, and unpredictable because you know he's going to be out for self-preservation first, FO success second, if at all. He could conceivably switch sides if he realizes he's going to die, like if the battle at the end goes poorly for his particular area of responsibility. He could defect at the end. Cut a deal in return for FO intelligence. That would make things interesting for EIX because you know he's not someone you can trust and really wants to be back in charge of the FO. He could try to use the Resistance for his own ends by carefully choosing what he gives them and how he presents it.

Like I said, we know the character and the actor. They both have a lot of potential for the next two movies, not to mention future books explaining his origins.

I don't think he is dispatched before people finish their popcorn.

But it's possible, I admit.

 

Maybe Snoke orders Kylo to kill Hux to finish his training?

The most likely death scenario is in EPIX though. Hux is going down with his own star destroyer in the final space battle. His last order is to ram a ship of the resistance. That would be an epic scene.

But I agree with @Lobot, Hux has a lot of potential and they won't kill him off that fast.

 

Nah, Hux is a goner. Snoke is going to make a statement very early on in VIII. A brutal death awaits!

 

This is less "rumor" than "speculation". But I think it's an interesting idea.

The First Order seems to value its officers a little more than the Empire (and Vader). Why Kylo gets mad, he smashes computers, not officers- probably because, as is, the FO is already much smaller than the Empire and needs all the people it can get.

So, I guess I could see this going either way. Either it is too out of character for the FO and they won't kill Hux, or this trait would make Hux's death even more of a big deal on screen.

 

For a guy that spends so much time on here, you really dislike the post-Disney films and are incredibly pessimistic about this one it seems.

I disagree. That scene gave me goosebumps and it was one of the better-acted scenes in the film. We instantly became aware of how fanatical and what a true believer Hux is. And brother, the Nazi symbolism has been overt from the start in Star Wars. They're called Stormtroopers, for goodness sake. It makes a lot of sense that after the failing of the Empire, the shards would be even more fanatical. And George Lucas...not Jewish. Not really understanding your point about Jewish people and Abrams. So what he is? He didn't create that allusion.

 

I dug that Hux scene overall and got what they were going for with the deranged leader going from charismatic to manic (Hitler was bipolar and would often fly off the rails during speeches more than usual... he would have manic episodes in some big speeches but not all.) I thought Hux was over the top in that scene, but it was still believable and didn't detract from the movie or his character. I saw what they were going for in that performance. I personally thought him going from 0-60 instantly and then his going to 160 manic in that scene was a bit rushed, but again, it's a minor quibble.

I didn't think the CGI in that stormtrooper salute shot looked realistic at all. I've said many times on these boards that I liked a lot of the CGI in TFA, but some of the effects weren't great. And I've also said many times on here that I hope the extra 7 months that TLJ will have for post production will allow it to have pristine, believable, and creative CGI in the entire film. I am optimistic that will be the case. I do know that TFA was a bit rushed, and some of its flaws come from time constraints, bad luck, etc.

That said, I did not like TFA very much. It was fun in that "pretend you've never seen a SW movie" way, and it was essentially a clip show episode of your favorite sitcom: all the best, and often obscure, yet beloved jokes, scenes, and whatnot from seasons past.

TFA wasn't an original film and I thought it was a massive waste of time and resources to spend so much of the movie playing the greatest hits (sorry, I'm mixing my metaphors).

I despise how dishonest JJ always behaves in regards to whatever film he's making and especially when he is promoting it.

I don't think JJ is a filmmaker. I think he's a Xerox machine who has some camera skills and good qualities in the area of pop culture. I think he rips off others ideas (bad) and his best quality as director is recognizing what people love about an IP. His film MI:III definitely captured the spirit of what and IMF episode was like and how a movie should play out. Things like Finn pulling out that white training globe in the MF, and the oxygen masks, that's what JJ does well. He is good at including things like that and making fans feel like they are in good hands. (they aren't but at least he does understand that kind of stuff)

I have many more issues with his work, and his personal failings, but I'll stop and wind my way back to your comment about the Nazi stuff.


You obviously misunderstood what I was saying. OF COURSE the Empire is largely based on the Nazis, as well as other facist regimes. The uniforms are heavily based on Nazi uniforms (notice the brown shirts some of the officers wore at times in OT? wink, wink). Of course it's not that simple, because the medal ceremony in ANH (for the good guys....) is based on Leni Riefenstahl's Triumph of the Will. The use of the Nazi/facist/Roman Empire motifs and imagery in OT, PT, and other pieces of SW content is complex and often quite subtle. JJ doesn't do subtle.

No, Lucas isn't Jewish. That' has nothing to do with anything. You don't have to be Jewish to utilize anti-Semitic groups' stories or symbols or unique details in one's art.

My point was that that making the stormtroopers give the salute was unnecessary. They are called stormtroopers. They are part of a brutal fascist hoard that shares much with the Romans, the Persians, the Nazis, the Ancient Egyptians, etc. I understand that JJ would have a higher level of passion about that subject matter than say, a Methodist like Lucas. You can be passionate and not be a hack.

As I said before, Kershner, Spielberg, and Brooks are just a few Jewish directors who have made sci-fi or adventure films that dealt with the Empire of SW, the Nazis, and the Romans (plus many more groups who discriminated against the Jews to varying degrees). And they used humor, complex character work, good dialogue, costuming, ADR work, satire, and many other techniques to illustrate parallels between the real Nazis of history and whatever group appeared in their films (including fictional Nazis like in Raiders, or Hitler on ICE).

JJ having the FO troops do the salute was just lazy and unnecessary.

Overall TFA is fun film, and I'm very excited to see TLJ which I think will be excellent. I also LOVED RO. I'm planning on watching it tonight actually.

If you reread my post, I'm arguing FOR Hux being in the next two movies because he was well-established and effective in TFA and has a role to play in the next two films. I don't think they should waste time introducing a replacement for him because he doesn't need replacing. He's a scary, evil, and believable character played by a very good actor.

I'm not wild about the idea of a Han Solo origin story, but I'm not surprised they are making one. The cast and creative team sure are impressive. I'm optimistic about that film.

I don't think Disney has been a negative influence at all. I congratulate them for restarting a dormant franchise. I would like to see them move on from the OT time period for the next movie after EIX and the cartoon after Rebels. I do think that's their plan.

I wouldn't buy an apple from KK, but that's true of GL too. I dislike many of her choices, but whatever. It could be worse.


And if you can't laugh at how little Phasma had to do in TFA relative to how big she was in the marketing, you and I are fundamentally different people.

 

He goes down on with the super star destroyer

 

Well there's a possibility of Kylo saving him from Snoke's wrath!

 

Yeah he get one chance to do it right & failed, no need for the Capt Needa kinda apology Snoke doesn't forgive.