Is sequel trilogy an attack on the institution of classic family?

Dysfunctional family is a sad fact of life. And art, as a reflection of reality, must deal with it. What's important is that Star Wars points us to a Goodness that can work through, and even redeem, the dysfunction.

 

I come from a family that many in my lifetime have considered to be "unnatural". I often had to hide my family's makeup, for fear of being beat up and bullied by those that can only comprehend the concept of "family' in one, narrow, patriarchal way. I watched my own parents suffer legal setbacks, violence and threats because of their lifestyle.

We've come so far and despite now being 50-something, I feel the "shame" of my family's makeup is finally seen as ludicrous and that any family, all families have only one singular commonality: love. That's all it takes to be considered a "family" and any and all counter-argument to that simple, beautiful notion can be destructive to the rest of us who don't fit into the "Leave it to Beaver" family model.

I don't know why culture wars must spill into our pop culture. I will just say that the idea there is somehow an "agenda" by big corporations to "destroy family values", is ludicrous.

Disney is a business, one of the most socially-conservative in modern American history. Read up on the bio of Walt, some of the initial concepts and rules of the original theme park, heck even look at their media content in the 50's, 60's and 70's.

I just don't understand the concern, must all our silly action-adventure movies have a clear, definitive while alpha male protagonist in order to be considered "quality"? Does any homosexual character mean somehow there's an "agenda" behind the film?

And if you do go to church and practice "family values", why is it so necessary for you to condemn all of us who were raised in families and in culture that don't fit your own? Isn't tolerance and pluralism the foundation of western society?

Of course it's the foundation, which makes the idea that Star Wars has a "radical left agenda" that will "destroy families in the USA", the most UN-American thing you can ever think or say.

Anyway, threads like this are hurtful. I have loved ones, relatives and family that would be hurt by this thread. It's an attack on our lifestyles and family. My family is loved and just as valid as everyone else's on this forum.

I urge many of you to remember that while posting on this thread.

My family IS a family and our ideals, values and love for one another, just as valid as yours.

 

I think it was a creative choice not so much to attack the traditional family, but first, to cause drama.

Yes, they could have made Leia and Han happily married, Luke and Mara the same with kids and two strong nuclear families without any in fighting. Then all of the bad guys would have had to have been outside of the family, the story could still have been good, but certainly less tragic, less drama, less questions and doubt.

By choosing to go with "broken" non-traditional families, they decided to mimic our world more closely. Rey remains the question mark (her family and their dynamics are still unknown) but considering divorce rates are around 50%, same sex families would be considered non-traditional, add in families that has a single widowed parent, I'd say there are more non-traditional families than traditional ones. So in that sense, I can see the writers to some extent consciously including the non-traditional family.

I just don't think it was deliberate or nefarious (I don't think there was any thought into harming the traditional family). If it was all traditional families, those who come from non-traditional families could have blamed the writers on deliberately avoiding non-traditional families. For the writers it's a catch 22.

With non-traditional families, it's easier to find drama. It's also easier to murk up the story so both bad guys and good guys are layers with shades of gray. I'm not sure what JJ and RJ's family history is, but it's quite possible they come from non-traditional families. Maybe it's just easier for them to relate to (most writers write based on what they know, what they are familiar with and often has a bit of them in the story).

Even if they come from traditional families (RJ and JJ), there are more examples of non-traditional families out there around us then traditional ones. The hope as a writer is to find a story that resonates with the viewer/reader.

I don't blame @McDiarmid for being wary, we live in a world that tries to influence us and deceive us seemingly constantly (from collecting information on us and trying to predict our patterns and behavior to modifying and policing our thoughts). It's not beyond the realm of possibility that there could be intent here (as some have noted there is a SJW feel to themes, as well as a tendency to depicting white men as evil, weak or wrong headed) but I would need more to be able to make any definite determination. Not a bad thing to keep an eye on. As a parent myself, issues like this is why I don't want gov't sticking their noses in family. We all have our own perspective, it's not so much about right or wrong, but about our point of view. Even if the decisions were mostly innocent in the ST so far, our values don't always align with those of others. I don't think Hollywood or Disney do or should have the final say on what is to be determined right or wrong.

 

This film is not an attack on families. The fact that people are considering pop media to inform society's values is the only concerning thing.

 

I don't see it as an attack on the classic family, I just don't like what happened to the characters. I am not saying I wanted everything roses and sunshine with everyone living happily ever after, but they overdid the separation. The love story between Han and Leia was brilliant in the OT. The ST threw that out the window. We get the implied message that they lasted a few years, obviously long enough to have a child, but they eventually went their own ways. I also don't like seeing Luke abandon his family the way he did, both his sister and his friend.

We got very little Han-Leia interaction. We got even less Luke-Leia interaction. And we got zero Luke-Han interaction. If I went back in time to before December 2015 and made that prediction about E7 and E8, I'd be laughed off the forum.

 

I suggest you check out the "Bloodline" novel. I shows what the relationship was like and that it lasted at least 25 years.

 

even more deeply supported in The Last Shot, too. : D

 

If you have to go outside the movies to describe something from within the movies, that is a failure on the part of the movies. And while saying they "lasted only a few years" may have been an understatement, the primary issue I have is that we, the audience, don't get to see any of it. As I noted, the movies have very little Han-Leia, even less Luke-Leia, and absolutely no Luke-Han.

(And I did read Bloodlines but the above statement still stands)

 

You can't expect a two-hour movie to provide a detailed backstory and explanation to everything. TFA gaves enough information about Han and Leia to understand why their relationship is the way it is.

 

My complaint is not with the explanation, or lack thereof. It is that the audience never gets to enjoy the payoff from the relationship we watched grow from initial meeting to deep affection.

 

Well, I can sympathize with you. But, unfortunately, "not what I wanted" is not a legitimate criticism of a movie, that you are not a producer of.
I myself wanted to see Jaina vs Jacen fight on screen, because a story about a brother and sister who grew up together, fought together and ended up fighting each other to the death fascinates me (though I haven't actually read any of the books about them). Still, I got my wish satisfied with a recent tv show, that had a similar story, and you can get what you want from Bloodline.

 

Bull. Saying that the characters took a radically different arc from when we all last saw them is absolutely a legitimate criticism of a movie. Disappointment is the way a character/characters developed is perfectly valid.

Also, it is legitimate criticism to discuss the lack of audience payoff for characters we are deeply, emotionally invested in when watching a good vs. evil space fantasy series. I am surprised you don't understand the value of good payoff in providing the audience with an enjoyable experience and how important of a device it is in good storytelling. This matter goes far, far beyond mere "not what I wanted".

 

Sorry, but you can't speak for the entire audience, since different people are emotionally invested in different things.

 

Rather than explain. Teach empathy. Show them how lucky they are to be in a strong family. And teach them that not every kid gets that chance. Not every parent raises great kids. Teach them that parents can try their best and still fail. Teach them that trying to bring about a moral judgement on things by comparing them to your own experiences (i.e. I didn't do this, they did and therefore they are wrong) is a folly.

Life is not perfect. People are fallible. Your kids will grow up. They will make mistakes. But they will try their best. And if they have empathy for others, they will be able to learn from others failures and successes.

 

Don't the Jedi take children away from their parents and teach them to break all attachments to those they fear to lose?

 

Weak. While I am not claiming to "speak for the entire audience," it is a very safe assumption that pretty much anyone who considers themselves to be a fan of the original trilogy is going to have an emotional investment in Han and Leia and their relationship.

They are not exactly secondary characters. Their relationship, and the way it evolved, it a HUGE part of the trilogy.

 

I have an intense emotional relationship with the OT since its what I grew up with. I have ZERO issues with the ST characterizations of the Big Three. To each his own.