In this post, I will cover the first few minutes of TLJ, including the following plot points (see also Star Wars Episode 8 – Coming to Terms, pt. V):
- The Resistance escapes from D’Qar / Fight against the First Order / The First Order chases the Resistance
Actually, from my point of view, this part of the movie is one of the better parts. The overall story arc is generally fitting what I had expected after TFA. However, that does not mean that I would have nothing to complain. So, let’s start:
First of all, the opening crawl tells us the following:
The FIRST ORDER reigns. Having decimated the peaceful Republic, Supreme Leader Snoke now deploys the merciless legions to seize military control of the galaxy. Only General Leia Organa's band of RESISTANCE fighters stand against the rising tyranny, certain that Jedi Master Luke Skywalker will return and restore a spark of hope to the fight. But the Resistance has been exposed. As the First Order speeds toward the rebel base, the brave heroes mount a desperate escape....
How does the First Order reign? Granted, they have destroyed the Hosnian System, including the headquarters of the Galatic Senate and the capital of the New Republic, but shortly after the Resistance blew up the First Order’s giant Starkiller Base. So, how was the First Order, without having their presumably mightiest weapon at hand, able to overthrow the rest of the New Republic? Especially, considering that the time frame between the end of TFA and the beginning of TLJ seems to be very short. Could be considered nitpicking, especially the movie does not show that the First Order reigns, but it bothers me.
However, the movie starts with showing the Resistance’s preparations for clearing D’Qar. During which the fleet of the First Order arrives and starts to attack the fleeing Resistance. To win some time for the Resistance Poe starts a one-man show to distract the first order. Nothing wrong with this, especially since Poe is that kind dauntless pilot. After having flown to the First Order’s fleet, he has radio contact with the flagship of the fleet and demands to speak with General Hux, playing for time. Therefore, he pretends to not hear Hux in order to tall more time for the Resistance. Still, nothing wrong with that approach in general. But then … he tells sort of a ‚yo mama joke‘ about Hux. WTF? That’s not how Star Wars is supposed to work! I’m definitively not against that kind of jokes in general, in Marvel movies for example it’s actually hilarious to have those sometimes, but that particular kind of humor has never been part of Star Wars – and it should have stayed that way in my opinion. And before someone says it: Yes, George Lucas is not a poet, actually he’s the one who wrote dialogues like „i don’t like sand. it’s coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere“, but at least Anakin Skywalker never told a yo mama joke to Padmé …
Anyway, after mocking General Hux, Poe and BB-8 start a very risky maneuver to get the defenses of one of the dreadnought ships out of order. They succeed, because Poe’s X-Wing is to „puny“ to be attacked by the large dreadnought and it takes too long to get a TIE fighter armada up and flying. That is, again, an idea that I actually like. Albeit, this is very similar to Luke’s puny X-Wing fighter attacking the first death star. I am only pointing this out, because Rian Johnson, the writer and director of TLJ, was very anxious to create something new – at least that’s what he is saying. And the same Rian Johnson did not even exchange the type of the attacking ship… (Is it sort of mocking Rian Johnson, if I point things out that do not bother me, only to show how inconsistent TLJ is? Yes? Good!)
After the defenses of the dreadnought are down, Poe commands the bomber’s of the Resistance’s fleet to attack that dreadnought, despite Leia orders him to only flee and do nothing else. Poe being Poe ignores that order and does not recall the bombers. While trying to get the dreadnought down – eventually successful – all of the bombers are destroyed and Poe manages it only just to escape. Nothing wrong here. I think it fits Poe character to ignore Leia’s order and also the small subplot about Rose’s sister who is against all odds able to release the salvaging load of bombs was adequate (although full of clichés…). I noticed people talking about the physical impossibility of „dropping“ bombs in space, because there is no gravity. And yes, that may be true, but maybe that’s how physics works in a galaxy far, far away? But seriously, that’s nothing that bothers me, since physical exactness has never been important in Star Wars… for example, the Millennium Falcon can go „.5 past light speed“, which would turn Einstein over in his grave.
Altogether, that very first part of the movie is rather simple to fix from my point of view: Just remove the ‚yo mama jokes‘ and then it should be okay.