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Why it’s difficult to watch The Last Jedi directly after The Force Awakens

By Graig Stephens

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Binge watching Star Wars:The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi proves difficult for more reasons than what some fans normally dislike about Episode VIII.

Forget Jake Skywalker, Canto Bight, Snoke’s Death, Porgs, and Rey’s parents leaving her at the fire station on Jakku so they could keep their cash for Corellian Reserve. The real issue with The Last Jedi is continuity and how it takes place directly after The Force Awakens.

One of the great binge watches in Disney era Star Wars is watching Leia receive “hope” in Rogue One and then see the Tantive IV fly past the screen in A New Hope.

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When it was revealed The Last Jedi would follow The Force Awakens directly, the thought of being able to watch these back to back was a very exciting premise. If you try to watch The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi  back to back, they feel more out of place than a droid in a Mos Eisley watering hole.

At times it feels the movie could not decide how long after The Force Awakens it took place, forgetting that it set the time period at the opening, which actually takes place slightly before the end of The Force Awakens.

Here are few things that off between to the two movies:

Poe Dameron

Some hours after the Battle at Starkiller Base, Poe is promoted to Commander. If there was a Commander who didn’t come back from the Stakiller Base battle I could see a need to fill that void, but Poe was the highest ranking fighter there already.

Now that the First Order has knowledge of the resistances base, it has time to think about promotions? They should get packing and get off that base. Maybe Leia was over confident since they held a ceremony for Luke and Han (and Chewie!) on Yavin 4 after the first Death Star blew up.

What is with these rebels patting everyone on the back in the middle of war? If the Resistance knew the First Order was coming in such large force by frantically trying to get off base, maybe Nien Nunb should have raised a hand and asked if they could hold participation trophies until everyone was safe at their next hidden base.

Photo credit: Lucasfilm

General Hux

General Hux was a strong competent man of military in The Force Awakens. Clearly a madman with a lust for power. His speech at Starkiller base is one that could be swapped with an Axis of Evil diatribe.

Days after defeat at Starkiller base, he becomes a buffoon who’s lust for domination faded, is disregarded by his own men and even Snoke who leaned on him to save Kylo Ren from his emo shame after being bested by a girl.

Snoke who is only seen in The Force Awakens in a hidden throne room reveals himself on the bridge to all to humiliate Hux in front of the crew. How is he supposed to lead seriously after that? Now every time he is gives an order, the crew is going to have a mental image of him flying face down on the platform.

Photo Credit: [Star Wars: The Last Jedi] LucasfilmSnoke’s motivation

Luke has been cut off from the force for years. He has learned too much about SIth and Jedi, and realized the Force is much larger than any one group. A surprise to be sure.

Though Luke is gone, Snoke wants to rid the galaxy of him to ensure that hope is lost and the First Order can reign supreme.

In The Last Jedi, Snoke pulls a classic bad guy misstep and reveals his motivations. He tells Rey  he assumed incorrectly that Luke would be the light that rises to counter Ren’s dark. Huh??? Luke had already blown up a Death Star, donated a hand to Bespin, and turned the Dark Lord of the Sith to the light before “light”ing him on fire.

All this well ahead of Princess Leia eating for two. Clearly, Luke was the light. Snoke would have been the counter to Luke, and Rey the counter to Ren. We all saw that. How did Snoke miss it? He needs to get out of wild space more. Or not… As soon as he revealed himself in the galaxy he died. But lets not discuss that.

Maz Kanata

Maz Kanata, a small business owner, just experienced a devastating loss. The bar she ran for a thousand years was needlessly destroyed by the First Order while searching for a droid.

Instead of coming inside to ask a few questions they start bombing the crap out of the place. If they need the droid so badly, are they not concerned with a misplaced bomb or shot. I get it. Stormtroopers are insanely accurate, right?

Anyway back to Maz…As a small business owner its great to see her in The Last Jedi not crying about her loss, as she has moved on apparently to another planet to handle a labor dispute. Does this mean she has other business interests? All you entrepreneurs out there can take note. Don’t keep all your Porg eggs in one basket.

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She was such a great character. And now the only way I hear Han Solo in my head. HAAAN SOLOOO! She seemed shoehorned in for no real reason other to reveal she has another love besides Chewbacca. This red plom bloom character, who needs to find a Gambling Anonymous group stat.

Have you tried to watch The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi back to back? What else feels off to you besides common complaints?

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