"It ruined Luke's character."Before I explain why I strongly disagree with this, let me just say that if you didn't like hermit Luke, you should be blaming TFA since Luke would not be isolated if he wasn't hiding from something.That said, I felt his character was handled perfectly given that setup.Given only the original trilogy, if we were to learn that Luke was hiding from something, what would it be? What would be unresolved in his character?In Empire, Luke comes across as somewhat stubborn, even a little bratty with Yoda. He disobeys Yoda's warnings and leaves his training early.There was no indication that he ever It can be argued that he never overcame this character flaw. At every stage he is rewarded for this behavior. He thinks leaving his training early will allow him to save his friends, and he's right. He thinks he can turn Vader to the light, and he's right. He never really questioned that he could become a Jedi master, and he was right.In TLJ we learn that he is finally forced to face this flaw. He thinks he can train a new Jedi order, despite very little formal training. Because he is Luke Skywalker and he no longer has any mentors to tell him no, nobody questions that he can do it. But he fails, because he never learned to confront his vanity, and his legendary status only served to strengthen it.This means he still has weakness to conquer. His susceptibility to the dark, the weakness that kept him on the edge of murdering Vader despite his better intentions during the climax of ROTJ, the weakness that caused him to slice off his father's hand returns to haunt him. He sees Kylo's future and for a brief moment he is vain enough to think he can stomp out evil with evil. But he is older and wiser than he was in ROTJ, he recognizes his weakness far more quickly and puts an end to it. But it is too late.Recognizing the dangers of vanity and hero worship, Luke believes the most important thing for him to do is isolate himself and renounce the Jedi, which he believes are inherently vain.But he is still hiding. He does not confront and process the dark. He doesn't realize he hasn't actually dealt with his vanity. So the dark beneath the island festers. And what is it but the most clear symbol of vanity, a mirror.He teaches all of this to Rey, and in the process she learns that myths are just that, heros are flawed. Ultimately, it gives her the strength to face and conquer her fear. Her parents are nobodies who do not love her, and that is okay. Because heroes can be flawed. This is what gives her the courage to resist the dark and refuse to join Kylo.Luke fails to recognize all of this until Yoda appears before him and we see in their interactions how little he's really changed from the person we saw in Empire. Luke thinks he's betraying the Jedi when he threatens to burn the sacred texts, but Yoda shows him this does not matter. It is clear Luke wanted Yoda to talk him out of destroying the texts and is essentially throwing a tantrum for attention. The last bits of vanity fade away as Luke realizes that this isn't his story anymore, that his failings are what taught Rey.In realizing that this is no longer his story, he learns the full lessons of the Jedi and conquers his greatest weakness. This is why his force projection trick is very much earned. He fights like a true Jedi, not with violence, bit by using the dark side's temptations against itself. He has become a true master like Obi Wan before him, ready to pass the torch to the next generation while setting an example of nonviolent heroism. Like his mentors, he has learned everything he needed to learn, and he becomes one with the force that balances light and dark.Edited out an excessively strong assertionEdit to clarify nothing here is meant to imply the original trilogy was somehow an incomplete arc that needed TLJ to complete it, rather that I thought TLJ's interpretation was intelligent and cohesive with the originals. via /r/StarWars http://ift.tt/2CeiXYs
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