The Ending: Beautiful, but problematic

I ordered myself a saberforge saber (crossguard, blood orange) on Black Friday and I'm hoping to have it by the end of next month, lol. My coworker brought in his to show me and the quality sold me.

 

I’m satisfied with the ending, but I don’t love it.

The ghosts of Luke and Leia basically just copied the ending from ROTJ. And while it’s cool that Rey took on the Skywalker name, this also opens up some really weird and unsettling possibilities.

If anyone can just move to Tatooine and take on the Skywalker name, does that mean maybe Shmi (or her parents) weren’t born Skywalkers? Is Skywalker now just a “John Doe” name that means anybody? I’m not saying I think those are true, and I don’t want them to be true, but the Skywalker name suddenly has a risk of being diluted.

 

Did you expect the galaxy to create a law saying that you cannot change your name to Skywalker. Now I dont know across countries, but in USA you can change your last name and dont think many restrictions on it. I used to work with a guy who changed his last name from "Worst".

--- Double Post Merged, Jan 9, 2020, Original Post Date: Jan 9, 2020 ---

So in response to initial post mostly about the happily ever after ending.

I would have liked one, but cant for the life of me see how it has worked. A lot of Reylo's wanted it, but it would be incredibly hard to pull off.

Kylo Ren did terrible things that the audience witnessed. Actually worse then what Vader did on screen in OT. Think about it who did you see Vader kill in OT. He killed a pilot or 2 during battle of Yavin. He killed Captain Organa in opening sequence. He killed a few imperials in ESB. Did he kill anyone in ROTJ. Yes he was basically 2nd in command to an evil regime and was complicity to mass murder. Kylo Ren did that and more on screen. We are introduced to him when he cold blooded murdered Lor San Tekka and then he ordered the slaughter of every man, woman and child right after. He tortured Poe, he killed Han, he nearly killed Finn. In TLJ he kills Tallie and other pilots and leads Tie pilots to where Leia and leadership was. He doesnt kill her, but his wingman almost do and do kill several others including Ackbar.

So that means after he redeems himself by saving Rey, without any consequences for his actions, he would return to the Resistance base with Rey.

Can you imagine the scene? To have the HEA he has to be welcomed back. If that had occurred the audience would howl in laughter. Just to unrealistic for words. So then the alternative is he is arrested and charged for war crimes and likely executed. Some suggest exile as punishment. So he is sent to some deserted planet with no way off. How is the HEA? Rey comes and visit occasionally? Really isnt the real happy ending is that he sacrificed himself for someone he loves and is rewarded with everlasting life.

 

Can we stop applying real life "justice" to fantasy tales?

Any day now.

 

Rey didn’t just change her name. I think it is at least strongly implied that she inherited the family legacy.

Yes, anyone can change their name to anything, but if Skywalker were just a random name, then it wouldn’t matter if she had said “Rey Antilles” (which would be a lame ending). Anyone can change their name legally, but legacy and family aren’t really matters of law.

Maybe my post did come off a little more negative than I intended. I like the ending. It’s just not the best movie ending of all time. (In my opinion, ROTJ really is the best movie ending ever.)

 

So, people being grateful a once villainous person changed their ways and helped saved their lives, but not having to like him, is too unrealistic, despite it happening in real-life?
There are many ways this could have worked without Ben being executed, imprisoned, or exiled, the writers just weren't creative enough to devise one.

 

But like RotJ, the movie avoids addressing the topic of Justice/punishment by letting the redeemed villain not die because of their sins but die because of doing the "right thing".

 

It's been said many times that Star Wars is an escape for people who are unsatisfied with real life. I agree about Star Wars being about forgiveness and redemption.

 

I like the idea JJ had with ending the Skywalker Saga where it begun, however i think it wouldve been better if Rey had called herself Rey Solo to honour the dead Ben Solo

 

No, Solo was a random name given to Han by a Imperial Officer. Organa, Leia's last name, needs to continue, since her home world was blown up. It makes more since for her to continue the Organa family name.

 

honestly don't even have to try that hard to imagine it.

• Rhee and Casterfo were both condemned for crimes against the galaxy. both of them were rescued by people who loved them anyway.
  
• Versio was welcomed into the Resistance by Lando without even so much as a slap on the wrist.
  
• Kallus was adopted by the people against whom he committed malicious and speciest genocide.
  
• Quell was recruited from a New Republic concentration camp to fight against Imperial holdouts.

this is what Star Wars is about.

real heroism, real courage isn't fighting battles. it's making peace with the people who were once your enemies.

 

Ben lives.. (@least in my head Canon)

Luke (especially Luke), Han and Leia.. they all show how that works.
There is no alternative to forgiveness

 

As soon as you get rid of real life audiences who accept and deny things going on screen based greatly on how things are in the real world.

--- Double Post Merged, Jan 10, 2020, Original Post Date: Jan 10, 2020 ---

None of them were of the scale of Kylo and none of these were witnessed on screen by general audiences.

Rhee?
Casterfo was framed.
Versio was basically a foot soldier.
Kallus for a long time worked from within and the audience saw this. I dont recall the genocide in Rebels.
Quell was again basically a foot soldier.

To me the closest thing in Star Wars you have is what happens to Leia in Bloodline when it is found out that she is the biological daughter of Darth Vader. She goes from about to be the new Supreme Chancellor to an outcast who starts the Resistance. Also how audience would accept a HEA is why Anakin dies after saving his son from the Emperor, rather then returning with Luke. Luke showing up on Endor with living Anakin would not be accepted well and I believe the same would have occurred had Rey returned with Ben.

--- Double Post Merged, Jan 10, 2020 ---

Many have said this out, but none have come forward and put together a scene or series of scenes that depict this. It doesnt need to be well written, just an outline. They dont even attempt, they just say writers just werent creative enough.

 

We don't know where Ben went. We never saw him after he disappeared and I keep wondering if he was really there. No one can tell me different. They could have been more creative with the ending, but still it could be open to a different outcome in the future. It couldn't necessarily be retconning, as I said, we never saw him after he disappeared. We never saw how he got to Exogol either. Maybe he didn't. I don't require any of your explanations otherwise, this is my head canon. Hell they brought Palps back with less.

They were never going to be a couple with a house with children, etc. Not in the sense we know. We know Rey's course was to continue the Jedi. I don't think they wanted to deal with that and Ben living, or Ben facing some kind of justice for his crimes. I can think of a few ways they could have done that in this story, but people would still over analyze it. Maybe he and Rey are now one, that's another thing I throw around when I want to think too much on it. It makes sense in a way, but I keep thinking the other most of the time when considering it.

--- Double Post Merged, Jan 10, 2020, Original Post Date: Jan 10, 2020 ---

My main problem with the ending on Tatooine isn't that I don't like it. I don't think Rey is alone, Chewie, Finn, possibly Poe, Rose, a few others may be on the ship. She couldn't fly it well alone. BB-8 is what bugs me. What is he doing there? Is she borrowing him for a mission? he's Poe's droid. Poe loans him out, but come on. And why him? No R2 or Threepio? I imagine it was that he was in Jordan or wherever and not the other droids for the shot, but it seems weird to me for him to be there.

--- Double Post Merged, Jan 10, 2020 ---

Yes I understand he was who she started the journey with, but he is Poe's droid.

 

Anyone else thought the old woman could be one of Rey’s grandmothers?

“It’s been so long... since I exiled myself here to Tatooine after I was told of a prophecy that one day my granddaughter would arrive!’

(Yes I’m joking. Mostly...)

 

Vader was never accepted by Leia, his daughter.
I don't think it's unreasonable to think Ben wouldn't be welcome back by the world at large but if Rey did he could take after his namesake and become a mysterious hermit doing good wherever he goes....

 

yes, and that's a thread that should have been explicitly resolved within the resolution with Ben but wasn't.

absolutely, just as there are cranky people who don't accept Versio, Quell, etc.
but the story is not about the world/galaxy at large. it's about the characters--the heroes--in the story.
the people we look up to. the people who model what's right.