Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker

One of the greatest moments in Star Wars films

I have not seen The Rise of Skywalker. This makes two Star Wars movies I did not go and see opening week in the theater and both of those I have not seen at all. Up until Solo A Star Wars story, I had seen every Star Wars movie in the theater. There was an excitement to the opening scroll of text while the Star Wars theme played. The text, as it came up onto the screen, brought you back to the world of Jedi and Sith. There has always been something magical about it. Entering that world in a dark theater with popcorn in my lap was a great break from reality.
The last Star Wars movie I loved was Rogue One. I sat watching in the dark and was enjoying the movie. I didn't love it, but I was enjoying it. Darth Vader made a cameo in the middle of the film, and I thought it was a great tribute to the past. The movie went on, and I got caught up in the plot to steal the plans for the Death Star. It was good.
Near the end, the Death Star fired upon the planet, and the explosion killed all the main characters. It was sad, but I thought it fit the plot.
Then we were brought back up into space, and several of the empire's ships flew towards the rebels fleeing ship. We moved into a dark hallway, and there was the familiar sound of breathing. It took a second for me to realize what was about to happen. When the red glow of the lightsaber lit up the darkness, I burst with excitement. This was something I had waited my entire life for. I got to see Darth Vader being the badass I had always known he was. He destroyed his enemies. He moved down the hallway deflecting the laser blast with ease. He used the force for destruction and death. The movie went from a B to an A+ in less than the minute it took for him to move down the hallway. That was what a Star Wars movie was about. The power of the force and the lightsaber.
Three years later, I sat in the theater opening day for The Last Jedi. I knew the movie would have Luke Skywalker in it. Luke, who had turned Darth Vader back to the light. I had spent years reading books with Luke in them, where he had grown to be one of the most powerful Jedi to ever live.
I was waiting for the same excellent treatment of Luke that had been given to Darth Vader. A way for him to go out in style. Instead, when he was handed his lightsaber, he looked at it for a moment and tossed it over his shoulder. He was a broken and beaten down man. Not the Jedi that I had expected him to be. After he tossed the lightsaber, everything went downhill from there. In the end, Luke appeared as a Force ghost to distract The First Order so that the remaining rebels could escape. It was a weak way for Luke to go out.

One of the worst moments in Star Wars films. Notice the finger?

I sat watching and my heart was broken. What had just happened? When the lights came on at the end of the movie I was heartbroken. I had gone to see the movie with my oldest friend. He really liked the movie and he was excited when the movie was over. We had such different experiences watching the movie.

All I wanted was the same kind of treatment for Luke that Darth Vader had received. Show off how much of a badass Luke could be. Even if he had died, as long as he had gone down fighting it would have been worth it. Instead, I got a weird movie with a slow-motion version of Speed in space. Luke was sad and broken and I left the movie feeling like I had been punched in the chest. Enough has been written or said about how bad that movie was so I won’t pile on. I just wanted Luke to receive the same kind of treatment that was given to Darth Vader. Let Luke show the power of the light side of the force.

So I didn’t go see The Rise of Skywalker in the theater and I won’t go see any of the new Star Wars movies until they hand the reins over to someone who loves Star Wars. The creative team behind The Mandalorian is not a bad idea. I’m just saying. They seem to understand Star Wars and they are bringing in Ahsoka Tano for season 2. That should be awesome. I hope they give her the treatment she deserves.