The Force Doth Awaken

You know, if the William Shakespeare's Star Wars series wasn't so well done, then it would seem ridiculous to continue doing a new book for each movie; Ian Doescher, however, handles it all so that I do in fact remain eager for more.

The Force Doth Awaken is the latest. What makes this one a little more, shall we say, precarious, is that we're still in the middle of hearing this story. The other episodes could have references to what was coming next or to what a character might be thinking at a certain moment (but that audiences at the time the movie came out might not have known yet), but The Force Awakens is the only piece of the puzzle we have for the new trilogy. So in many ways that did limit what this book could do. It's almost more in that regards like the first Shakespeare's book. That book was more about translating the movie's dialogue into Shakespearean language. As the books continued, they grew, filling out with soliloquies and other lengthy bits and numerous references to particular passages in Shakespeare. Because the content of this episode is still ambiguous, there couldn't be as much of that type of content, so this book does go somewhat back to the older style of just changing the language (though I think in a much more complete way than that first book did). Example: we don't I think really know everything Kylo Ren was thinking (or the precise reasons behind what he says or does) in moments like the interrogation scene or the final lightsaber duel, so when this book did add to the dialogue it could only add obvious things that we do know for certain (like his surprise at finding out Rey's strength in the Force).

All of this isn't to say that Ian Doescher didn't take advantage of some opportunities to wax poetic. In particular, when Han approaches his son and later when Leia senses Han's loss. Oh, and I do love that the "balcony scene" in the film becomes an actual balcony scene in this book. The balcony scene being Rey standing up above Han and Kylo on Starkiller Base (for anyone interested in that particular Rey/Kylo theory).

You know, a thought occurred to me while reading this book. You know how some people are hoping that Rey isn't in fact related to any of the familiar characters? I realized that if their theory is correct and Rey is just a person (as opposed to Luke's daughter or Leia's daughter or Obi-Wan's daughter or Anakin reincarnated or Phasma's daughter, etc.), then that means two things. One, it shows that everyone is important. Two, when Anakin and Luke's lightsaber flies to her instead of to Kylo, it shows that we all have a personal choice about who we decide to be. Kylo is Luke's nephew and Anakin's grandson, but the lightsaber aligns with the light side and he has chosen the dark side, so it shuns him. Rey is currently on the light side, so it accepted her based on that association despite the blood connection with Kylo. Perhaps Rey will turn out to be related to the Skywalker line (or there will be another connection), but I like this concept that it was the choice of alignment that allowed her to take the saber. And it was the way that the dialogue comes out in this book that made me think of that.

So, yes, I am still having a good time with these books. They're quick reads, too, which is probably also what helps. They're not overdone; they're just right. And like with the other more recent ones, there really isn't much comedy to it anymore. It's fun and it's serious. (Well, there was a bit of comedy with the two stormtroopers talking about the repetitive nature of Star Wars stories--that was lovely.) And you also don't really need to read all of them; you could just jump in and read only this one (or this one first and the rest later).

The Mask of Kylo Ren

The mask of Darth Vader was fashioned after a skull, with blank spaces for eyes to imply the nonexistence of a soul. The mask of Kylo Ren is formed without a mouth because his is a character who cannot speak.

There are many possible ways in which he can't speak. It may be that he doesn't know how to express himself or even that he doesn't know what he wants to express; "I'm being torn apart," he says. Perhaps he is hiding something, which would be the case if he is some kind of double or undercover agent. Or it might be that someone is trying to not let him speak; he is being contained in some way (presumably by Snoke). He himself might also be trying to repress something (like the light), to not let it speak out of his mouth and his actions.

Visually, the mask looks something like a criminal's muzzle, something made to contain threats and danger. It suggests that Kylo Ren is a threat, which is in fact why he chooses to wear this mask: he wants to look like intimidating, like his grandfather before him. But his mask has less of a "crown" than Vader's did: he is less powerful. And where Vader's mask was about blankness, Ren's is about blocking. There was nothing for Vader to hide because he had all but killed all the good in himself, but Ren has much that he still tries to suppress.

Speaking of his mask leads me to think of his face. I commented before on the unique, well, mutilation that Kylo Ren receives during his battle with Rey: Star Wars has so much of chopping off hands and limbs but he just got some deep wounds and a sliced face. Now I see why the face is significant.

The face is vanity. The face is self-image and your level of comfort with the idea of how other people perceive you. Ren wore the mask to feel powerful and to intimidate others into thinking he was powerful. So when Rey cuts his face, that's showing that his true face is damaged and that he is aware that it's damaged. The vanity is marred. The bravado fades into shock. His self-image struggles, as it probably has before, as only anger (which he is so quick to cultivate) can heal. Unless he can finally accept that he is damaged--and that damage to the light is not good.

Oh, Kylo Ren, don't you see that even though you've fashioned this dark mask for yourself, you are constantly wanting to take off the mask and let your own face be free? This shroud of darkness is not the answer. If you continue down this path, you will have even more scars than the slash across your face. It's never too late to turn away, but now you're marked. Now your mask is not just there to intimidate: it is there to hide your weakness and decay, as visually represented by a deep scar.

Thoughts on the New Star Wars Information

In case you haven't heard, J.J. Abrams announced in a Q&A that Rey's parents aren't in The Force Awakens, which has given rise to much more speculation about who she is and what her role will be in the future films. In particular, people are excited that this makes Reylo possible and might mean that Rey is a Kenobi.

I had to take a little bit of time to ponder this new info. I'd been planning a different post on the movie (the DVD release has me excited to start talking about it again), but we'll just let that wait for some other time. For now let me get some thoughts out (probably nothing that hasn't already been said elsewhere, just my way of putting together what I think sounds most plausible). I also just want to record at what point I thought what--that way I can look back at this years from now and see how right or wrong I was.

When I first saw Episode VII, I was convinced Rey was Luke's daughter. Absolutely convinced. But the more I thought about it, the more boring that seemed. And then as time went on, my interest started to transfer from Rey to Kylo Ren. I went into it all loving Rey's character and walked out thinking only about Kylo Ren.

So by the time J.J. Abrams made his little declaration (which had better be true and not just a lie to throw us off the track), I was already feeling like Rey wasn't Luke's daughter after all. It's almost a relief now to think that she isn't and to feel like I don't have to keep wondering if that's true. Yes, the movie is constantly pairing her, visually, with Luke (her outfit looks like his Episode IV getup and her new outfit at the end of the movie closely resembles his Episode V look), but that can be because of theme instead of because they're related: her character can be playing the same role in this trilogy that Luke played in the OT. Like how BB-8 resembles R2 in some ways because he plays a similar role in the story as R2 did--not because he's a droid descendent of R2.

And now on to Reylo. I have confirmation (in this post) that I was considering the idea of Reylo at least by the second time I watched the movie. I figured that if the characters weren't related, then this was a way that they could be connected, with Rey possibly helping bring Ren back to the light side. And I thought it also made sense with the dual look the two characters have: one light and one dark, both paired together and reflected back on each other.

I thought about that. But I also apparently mostly dismissed the idea at the time (I still thought they were probably cousins). And now, well, I'm just like everyone else: I can't stop thinking about the idea of Reylo (I kind of like saying that name, too: it's funny).

It makes sense. I just rewatched the movie with this theory in mind. And if fits very well in his side: the complication's move on her side. Here is how I can picture it.

I tend to be interested in the theories that Ren is not all bad. We know that he was born with equal capacity for the light and dark sides because that's been stated (Even though that seems weird because how is that different from someone's free will to choose light or dark? Or does Star Wars believe in fate over free will now? Did it always?). The question is how much he wants to follow the light or dark side: everything he says and much of what he does is ambiguous. Is he ultimately trying to defeat Snoke by getting in close to his enemy? Is he trying to channel both the light and dark sides simultaneously to achieve the greatest power? Or is he just stumbling after mistakes he made because of his bad family life? We don't know anything for sure, but there is enough material like this that he isn't just a blank, evil character and therefore we can imagine how some type of relationship with Rey might develop.

Then watch the movie, watch his scenes with Rey, watch how he looks at her and what he says to her. He either knows something about her (her identity, her past, or the meaning of her strength with the Force) or he loves her (either romantically of platonically). He does look her up and down when he first meets her--in a completely ambiguous way (Adam Driver certainly knows his acting); he might be kind of checking her out or simply sizing up his enemy. He obviously grows fascinated by her, which could be because he likes her or simply because of her power (or, of course, both). When he takes off his mask in the interrogation scene, it's as if he wants her to see his face. Because it'll make his task easier? I don't see how. So it can only be because he wants her to see him as human and not the "creature in a mask." Either because some part of him wants her to like his face or because he is hoping to get her to join him on the dark side and showing his humanity seems like a good way to do this. (Or he might remove his mask to see if she recognizes him from the past, to test and see if she is who he thinks she might be. But I'm not sure about that one: it seems possible that they might have known each other in the past, but that would need a lot of explaining.)

Then there's this. Both novelizations (adult and junior editions) have Ren telling Rey that he's going to take the map from her mind and to not be afraid. But the movie's line is a little different. There's a gap after he talks about taking the map and then he says, "Don't be afraid. I feel it, too." Feel what? The presence of the map? No. Her fear? That seems more likely (though this would more be him thinking he feels her fear but actually he's the one who's afraid). Someone said it's the connection between them. Maybe.

In both novelizations is also the line from Snoke: "You feel compassion for her?" Ren denies this but the fact that Snoke says it must mean there's some truth to it. The question is whether he means compassion as in sympathy or as in Anakin's definition that he gave to Padme in Episode II (basically, love).

If Ren's attracted to Rey, then that would easily give a reason for him not wanting to kill her in the final lightsaber battle (I can't quite bring myself to believe that he was really trying to defeat her, for whatever reason). After all, in the beginning he just throw her at a tree and fights Finn instead--then she has to peskily start a fight with him. He offers to teach her. How's that for a pick up line: "I can show you the ways of the Force." Could be because he wants her to stay with him or just because he knows she's strong and wants her on his side.

What makes me pause so much is his expression after she beats him. There he is on the ground, all wounded and cut up and defeated--and he looks maybe like he's having an out of body experience, maybe he's a little shocked but mostly he just looks still. Kylo Ren, still. Usually when things don't go his way or he gets shocked he reacts by getting angry and throwing a tantrum and slashing things with his lightsaber. Obviously he's very injured here so that affects how he can react, but he doesn't even look angry. Whatever it is, there has to be a reason why he isn't angry at Rey: if it had been anyone else defeating him he would have been angry. But because it's her he isn't.

So in the future I think there will be even more scenes between these two characters. Possibly they may shift light/dark roles (Rey has to get tempted by the dark side at some point, just as Luke was. Maybe Kylo Ren himself will be her temptation.). Possibly a love story will develop (Ren has to either come back to the light side or be revealed to be secretly working for the good all along for this to happen: no one's advocating a creepy attacker/victim relationship here. Even if Rey joins him on the dark side, I still don't think that would make up for how he treated her.). But they are for sure connected in some way, even if it is just thematically.

Why Kylo Ren Is the New Darth Vader

Yes, Episode VII spoilers.

Months ago when the merch for The Force Awakens started showing up in stores, I was somewhat indignant that Kylo Ren was everywhere, trying to replace Darth Vader as the main villain. I didn't know who Kylo Ren was, so why would I be interested in seeing him everywhere (well, I did like Rey just because of her costume--but that's a different matter)?

And then we come to the character he establishes in the movie. When he first appears, it seems that he is an attempt at another dark, ruthless, evil character. So your first instinct is to compare him to Vader, to see how his mask's voice is different from Vader's, how (though tall) his figure is not as physically imposing as Vader's, how he walks about with such force and power and yet not somehow quite the same command that Vader had. And then at some point you realize that all of this is intentional; for me, the moment came when he takes off his mask while talking to Rey. In that moment, his character clicked into place.

As I've said before, I came to realize that Kylo Ren isn't just a character we call a wannabe--he is written as a wannabe. He wants to take the place of Darth Vader. He isn't wholly successful yet--but he's trying. And that's just as sinister, if not more sinister, than if he were a full, blown-out, flat baddie character (like Darth Maul, who always felt rather temporary and therefore not terribly powerful or important in the long run).

Back when I started thinking about Episode VII, I wondered how it was possible to continue the story, where the writers would take it. Both the OT and the PT are Vader's story, Anakin's story: it is his character arc that informs the most important part of both trilogies. He was Star Wars. So how do you make Star Wars without Vader? (And I realize that there are and have always been plenty of books and such that focus on other characters--but I'm focusing on the movies here.) Well, you have to create a new Vader. And what made Vader Vader not just as himself but also as an important feature of both trilogies was his character arc. That was where the value was, where the themes were, and where all my greatest interest was. So if you want to try and replace that, you can't just create a villain: you have to create someone with a significant and engaging character arc. And Kylo Ren is just that.

I keep getting more obsessed with this character (Vader will always be Vader--liking a new character doesn't have to replace the old ones). I love the theory that he's secretly trying to take over the First Order from the inside; it's so easy to find evidence for this. But the reality is more complicated, isn't it?

I keep pausing on his conversation with Vader's melted helmet. "I will finish what you started . . . grandfather." We've been so focused on the first phrase that what about that last word? "Grandfather?" Does that seem a little odd to anyone else? Okay, it can just be a line in there to reveal who Kylo Ren is, but that isn't really necessary because Han and Leia (and even Snoke) talk about who he is. Think about it. If he's such a fan of Vader/his accomplishments, then wouldn't he feel the need to have a little more decorum? Wouldn't he have some other title, something else to call this powerful, dark figure? Grandfather? It's such a familiar term, so informal, and it hints so much of kindness. (This could also just back up the idea that Ren simply believes he is in the right and isn't "evil"--but I like to think otherwise.)

So perhaps people are right. When he says grandfather, it means that he is talking of Anakin, not to Vader (Anakin's Force Ghost for Episode VIII, anyone?). And when he fears that he will never be as strong as Darth Vader, it is that he fears he will never have the strength to turn away from the darkness in the end as Vader did. There is that line of his, where he talks of feeling the pull to the light again as if it's a bad thing--but maybe it's a bad thing just because the timing isn't right? Or just because he knows he needs to continue the farce for a little longer, in order to accomplish something.

Whenever I try and remind myself of how creepy and sinister Kylo Ren could be, I keep getting reminded of that constant duality that is in him. When he's talking creepily/threateningly to Rey, he also could seem almost reluctant to actually look in her mind for what he wants--it's like he's trying to put it off (which could also mean that there is something about his "mind power" that works at a cost to himself, even that it's simply unpleasant to do). When he kills Han Solo, he cries. He talks for the whole movie about hating his father but then he cries when he kills him. It's just the best thing ever. Is he trying to be dark or secretly trying to be good--and does he even know what he's trying to do?

There wasn't so much mystery around Darth Vader in Episode IV as this, was there? Kylo Ren, if you're just getting started, this is a good start and I can't wait to see what else is in store. . . . So many years of guessing and theories and imaginings, that's what. (This reminds me of the time before Episode III came out. There was a joke about how Darth Vader's face was burned when he was taking cookies out of the oven . . . it's so funny now to think that we once didn't know how Vader became the burnt, mostly-machine figure he is in the OT.)

(Oh, and what's with the face-slashing of Kylo Ren by Rey? Usually the bodily deformations [hands and arms getting chopped off] happen in the second episode of a trilogy. So why does he get them now? Will he have scars? And why do the slashes on his face look suspiciously like the scars on Snoke's face? Snoke must be him from the future [has anyone built up evidence for that theory yet?] Maybe the slashes are just a physical representation of the deterioration that took place within him when he killed his father. I could talk about this all day--but I've already filled up the space of two or three posts, haven't I?)

The Novelization & the Second Viewing

Yes, there will be spoilers of The Force Awakens.

We're all just taking Episode VII into our skin now, aren't we? Back when they started releasing all the march before the movie last year, everything looked so foreign and unknown and now it's all becoming familiar and part of the whole picture. Now Episode VII is moving away from being "the new movie" to simply being the seventh installment (wow, are we really on seven already?).

The Book

I guess we'll start with Alan Dean Foster's novelization. (Side note: his author bio paragraph says he lives in Prescott, Arizona--really? He lives just right there? I've probably walked by him at some point; that's so cool that someone just right there wrote this book.) The tone of the narration is just right: something about it (like the movie, I guess) hits right in between the narrative styles for the original trilogy's novelizations and those of the prequel trilogy. It's more updated than those older books but it also has something of that (I almost want to call it more "sci-fi" style, though that isn't quite what I mean) style. Neutral, straightforward, good use of descriptions (not overdone but always used with weight and meaning when it's called for). And a look into different characters' heads.

It was strange reading the novelization after I'd only seen the movie once. It was a way of reliving the movie--but it was also odd because I hadn't had a chance to memorize lines and conversations and scenes yet. So it wasn't until I saw the movie again that I really realized where certain conversations are extended in the book and which pieces are added in/developed in more detail. There was less extending in here than with the prequel trilogy's novelizations: here, it was more about making conversations a few lines longer than about adding in whole new scenes. So I would say it's more about relieving the movie than adding much to it (which is perfectly fine). It was great fun to read and go over favorite scenes with a little more leisure. I got the Barnes & Noble copy, which has a couple of color inserts that include pictures from the movie--it's very much in the look of the 1976 edition of Star Wars that they released before that movie came out (Can you believe that I actually have that edition? Antique stores are so wonderful; I just happened on the book sitting randomly underneath a cookbook, where I wouldn't have seen it if I hadn't been making it a point to check spines.)

The Movie

And now the second viewing of the movie. I watched it in 2D this time because I wanted to see it in the Cine Capri theatre at Harkins (which is a much bigger screen, though not as big as IMAX [which I find too big], and also includes Dolby Atmos sound). I'd forgotten how great the Cine Capri is; it really is the best way to watch a 2D movie.

I still found the title sequence so beautiful. And this time it's like I was watching in a completely new way in regards to character: I knew a little bit about who everyone was this time, so I could easier see what's going on in every scene. Kylo Ren just keeps getting better and better the more you think about his character: there is something so soft and warm about him that just makes him even more terrifying when you realize that, despite this, he wants to be dark. And Adam Driver plays him so well: there is so much depth to the way he plays every subtle thing that I know there is so much more that we're going to get from this character.

And the way that he relates to Rey. In such a specific way. For a brief moment, I even wondered if it was possible if she was his daughter. I know, the actors are only about ten years apart in age, but if Padme was supposed to be 14 (Natalie Portman certainly wasn't 14) in The Phantom Menace, then maybe Rey was 16 (they do keep referring to her as "the girl") and Ren was 34? But no, the novelization says that Rey isn't quite twenty. So that rules out that theory. But I'm just starting to think that my initial thought that Rey is Luke's daughter might not be quite it: it seems too obvious. And she can't be Han and Leia's (Leia makes such a big deal of wanting Ren back that I don't think she would act so neutral about Rey if Rey were her own daughter).

That made me wonder if she isn't related to Kylo Ren at all--in which case maybe she might develop into his love interest later on in the movies, which would enable her to be the one to turn him away from the dark side. (Is it weird that I just went from her being his daughter to his love interest? Sorry.) I feel like there is a certain something about the way that he relates to her that could support this possibility--but it just doesn't quite feel right, either, does it? I have a feeling that the answer might be something that none of us are expecting, a theory no one has said yet--in which case we'll just have to wait.

So I'll go back to thinking of them as cousins for now, flip sides of a coin. I mean, don't you love that picture that's on the book cover, with them right next to each other, his lightsaber right up against her staff? Whatever the connection between them, I love the constant comparing and linking of them. It's very Star Wars, the ideas about light and dark and balance and whatnot. And when he tells her that she needs a teacher, I think there is more to that line, something more that we don't know yet. It is easy to find evidence for that theory that Kylo Ren is only pretending to take part in the dark side just to defeat the First Order from the inside (very easy, almost too easy--even if the theory isn't the case, I think this shows just how complicated his situation is). You could take it as he's pleading with her to fight back enough that he can't defeat her--even though he also seems so taken aback every time she shows how powerful she is/can be.

The first time I saw the movie, I was content simply to say that it was good: I didn't need to determine how good it was. But now that I've seen it again, I realize that it was in fact good. This movie, like those that came before, will last generations. It's kept to the same things that we recognize and love while also introducing a new take on everything for the next chapter in the story. Everything is becoming familiar and lovable, from the big things like the friendship between Rey and Finn to the little things like that fantastic bird on Jakku that eats metal that you see in only one quick shot.

I've been thinking about a couple of other things, too. Star Wars has never really had flashbacks. But Episode VII keeps referring to things that have happened in such a way that I wonder if we'll have flashbacks in the next movie. How will we learn what happened to Luke, to Ren, and to Rey? Will we see some of it happen in flashbacks, or just have it all explained to us? It feels like the answers are too complicated for quick explanations. But I've been coming up with some possibilities.

You know how Ren goes into people's minds to take information? Well, maybe Rey had memories erased or blocked from her mind in a similar way. I'm guessing that Rey is Luke's daughter, so after Ren went bad, Luke was worried that he would fail Rey in the same way. So to protect her from himself, he sent her away/stayed away from her and to protect her from Ren, he blocked her memories. That would explain why, when she comes to him on the island, he has such a sad look on his face (which I didn't even notice the first time). But whatever happened before, presumably he's going to train her now--and what advice will he give? What advice can he give?

As the last sentence in the novelization, what will happen next? I can't wait to find out but I'm also going to try and savor the wondering for the next two years (after all, when I was young I got to watch the whole original trilogy in a row without having to wait years in between each one--the prequel trilogy is different because you always knew how it was all going to end, in general if not in detail).

The Awakening of the Art

I used to like when, at the end of an episode of Wishbone, they would show a clip of how they had made the sets or something like that. And my interest in watching behind-the-scenes as a child translated into an interest in movie books as I got older. What started as just a couple of movie companions has now grown into quite a pile, one that's also more diversified and detailed than just movie companions. So while I wait for the movie companion for The Force Awakens to come out, I've settled in with the art book by Phil Szostak.

As far as movie art books go, I guess what I've mostly read are the ones Weta put together for The Hobbit (I have the last one sitting waiting to be read, by the way--I do promise I'll get to it before too long). This one is very different from those. Those are more about pencilled and painted sketches or illustrations, with many small images of anything from sets to props to small clothing items or accessories. And it had lots and lots of captions and quotes.

This one is more brief, though it still comes in at around 250 pages. The images are more done by computer, often collaborations from different people who worked on the movie (one did the background, one did the characters, one colored it in, etc.). There are also a few photographs (just a few). The computer-made images are less interesting, to me, to look at of themselves--so I was focusing a lot more on the decisions they were making design-wise in each image (which, of course, is the point: it's concept art).

The commentary felt fairly brief to me. Each section has a short introduction, maybe a couple of paragraphs, that's focused more on explaining who was working on the project at the time/who had stopped working on it and what exactly they achieved during that time period (an approved design for Kylo Ren or a certain ship, etc.). Then the pages with the images tend to have a couple of quotes about the images. Each image does have a caption with its title and the artist; however, these captions usually weren't enough for me. I wanted to know a little more. Sometimes I almost felt a little confused about where the images were for, which set or which part in the story. And sometimes I just wanted to hear more elaboration, more talk about what they liked about one design or why it didn't work out. I wanted a little more discussion. I guess the images are supposed to speak for themselves.

Which, I mean, they do: I'm not saying this wasn't a good book. There is a lot to look at and any glimpse into the creative process and how a concept grew into a movie is interesting to see. Some things started out very different from the final product. The way the book is organized (by timeline rather than by object, location, or character), you may get a couple of pictures of ships next to some images of Kylo Ren, then get another group with more ships and some characters in Maz's castle, then maybe the Falcon and more pictures of Kylo Ren. I'm more used to having each item grouped together (all the pictures of Maz's castle together, instead of spread around, for instance), but this format does give you a better idea of how the process actually happens: not everything is linear.

The Force Awakens

This post contains spoilers. Do not continue reading if you have not seen the movie yet.