"The Force Awakens" (with SPOILERS)

oop, if they accepted the expanded universe as canon, they would have plenty of source material for good storytelling that they wouldn't have to conjure bullcrap like aliens vs. Jedi.

 

Aren't they slowly reintegrating a lot of the expanded universe stuff as canon? Just in a slightly tweaked form to fit what's going on with the new trilogy? I thought they'd brought some of the EU characters like Thrawn back into the fold in the newer novels and comics.

 

Batman-
The Clone Wars animated series and Darth Maul: Son of Dathomir.
The latter of which forms the nice spine for a standalone, if they feel like making an interesting movie about a villain whose motivations we still know squat about.

 

They did. Also, the animated Clone Wars series remained canon and Rebels is canon.

That said, a hell of a lot from the EU is gone and can't really fit the current canon. Part of that was Luke successfully bringing back the Jedi Order. Part was Han and Leia having three children, all trained as Jedi. One did turn evil, though Jacen Solo was quite different from Ben Solo.

Luke also had a wife and they had a child together. That is just the tip of a very large iceberg in dozens of books.

 

They could bring back some of the pre-Return of the Jedi stuff. Like, I was surprised they cut out Shadows of the Empire, which was seemingly done almost entirely by Lucasarts.

 

That was a really sharp piece of criticism.

 

You think so? I may have to read it again, I guess.

I read it back with TSP first posted it, and didn't think much of it at all. Honestly, I wasn't even sure what it was saying -- too long, and seemed kind of convoluted, and more focused on fan narcissism than I could believe was really intended by the movie.

The review struck me as being way too philosophical -- to the point of being so esoteric that whatever point it was making was lost, at least on me. I just didn't get the same things out of the movie that the reviewer got, at all. But, as I said, I'll have to give it another read.

 

“With all of these movies, Obi-Wan’s whole speech about a certain point of view always applies, so I think that you have to always think about the context of how information is given.”

That sounds an awful lot like he doesn't think the issue of Rey's parentage is settled. I agree with you that it should be, but given some of the fan backlash, it wouldn't surprise me to see them pivot and give her a "better" backstory.

 

I could certainly see that being the case. As in, really, why should we necessarily believe anything Kylo Ren/Ben says, anyway? And he was trying to bring Rey over to his side, to team with him, when he said it, so the point you make about context is valid.

 

To clarify, I was quoting director Rian Johnson in the first paragraph.

 

Two reasons:

1. The director said that Ren was telling the truth.
2. Because it would be stupid and cheating and shitty storytelling if we couldn't. Has there been a single indication that, in general, Kylo Ren/Ben Solo is dishonest? That he lies? Not that I can think of. Certainly there was no specific indication that he was lying to Rey in this instance. Everything, in fact, pointed to the notion that he was telling the truth. As others have pointed out, you can see it on Rey's face: She knows he's telling the truth. You can't just lard generic villain traits onto a character we have already gotten to know over the course of two episodes.

 

I pretty much agree with you. My sense of things is that Kylo Ren will eventually come back to the light. I was just saying that I could see Kylo Ren, perhaps, lying for the sake of winning over Rey, and that her backstory could possibly take a different turn on that axis.

That said, I don't know that there's been any instance in which Ben Solo has lied. But, honestly, if he could murder his father in cold blood, when Han was reaching out to him, no less, well, then I'd say that, yes, it's an indication that Ben Solo certainly might lie. Neither he nor his word is necessarily to be trusted.