TLJ is PURE Star Wars... but backwards

I've seen a lot of criticism for TLJ in the form of "it doesn't feel like Star Wars!"

This argument to me doesn't really make any sense. TLJ is extremely similar to other Star Wars films in content and even structure, just not *outcomes*. It is also eerily similar to ESB & ROTJ which we all hoped it would, while simultaneously it wouldn't.

I'll prove it by stating the arguments of why TLJ "isn't Star Wars" or "doesn't feel right" by comparing it to things that already took place that we've learned to accept & even *love* about previous movies.

- Snoke, the big bad, dies with no backstory
--- Snoke is killed in his throne room after an epic confrontation & betrayal, just like Sidious, with no backstory, just like Sidious. The only difference is his exposition was sped forward one movie & he was betrayed not out of altruism by his disciple, but out of selfishness (previous SW storyline, backwards)

- Phasma just dies! She was supposed to be badass!
--- Boba Fett

- DJ is scummy & only serves to betray our heroes
--- Lando, except instead of Lando's redemption DJ doubles down on being scummy (it's backwards)

- Luke is not what I expected. That's not he should act.
--- Grandmaster of the Jedi Yoda in ESB. Is that what you expected? Except where Yoda is optimistic Luke is pessimistic (it's BACKWARDS). Luke/Rey both go into Dark Side saturated zones & experience illusions from the Dark. They both flee the planet to save someone, Luke his friends, Rey her enemy (it's *backwards*)

- Luke force projects, that's not a canon Force power! That's not how the Force works!
--- Until ESB the Force was only a spiritual energy, the only active "power" was the Jedi Mind Trick. The Force couldn't even move things or effect the physical world. In ROTJ they introduced the Force Lightning. In TPM they introduced the Force creating life. There is nothing "new" about a new Force power.

- Luke just dies! What the ****! There was no point he could have lived! Now Rey is alone!
--- Ben Kenobi becomes one with the Force in an extremely similar situation in ANH, leaving Luke "alone" in the world to rebuild the Jedi. Yoda does the same to Luke later in ROTJ.

---The Battle of Crait is the Battle of Hoth except it takes place at the end of the film. Almost the exact same situation, rebels outnumbered on a white planet, pinned down in bunkers, escape after heavy losses.

---The main Hero is left without a lightsaber

My point is, The Last Jedi is PURE Star Wars! It's original, plays with previous motifs & riffs off of them, creating something NEW & creative to the story of Star Wars. It wasn't predictable like we thought it was, *& that is what upset people*, but it wasn't unpredictable out of left field. It was unpredictable because it didn't act on our notions of what Star Wars *was* & instead introduced it's own story of what Star Wars *is*, or even *could be*.

 

Selfishness may not be the right word but IMO Kylo's mindset behind killing Snoke was very similar to Vader pre-redemption. "Join me & we can rule the galaxy" he wants to seize control, a very Dark Side motif. Do you agree that it is similar to the Vader/Emperor/Luke storyline except backwards?