Jump to content

The Last Jedi an Allegory for Sexual Abuse


Poe Dameron
 Share

Recommended Posts

Ok, hear me out on this. Kylo Ren's origin is really about a child being molested by a trusted adult. Think about his turn and actions since.

 

His weird uncle sneaks into his room in the middle of the night. The boys startles awake to the sight of his uncle holding his own lightsaber in hand. The boy gets the hell out of there despite the uncle's pleas that it wasn't what he thinks. The boy runs over the people loyal to his uncle and who were a threat to him and takes his loyal friends with him. His uncle, who everyone loves, decides to lie about what happened and report that the boy was troubled and he was "just going to talk to him" when the boy freaked out and broke all his stuff. Poor, poor uncle.

 

So, now on his own, the boy joins the bad crowd that wanted him and was offering him a home. They heard his story and believed him, nodding their heads that a lot of adults are like that. The boy knows that no one else would believe him, his uncle is too respected. The boy tries his best to fit in with his new family. He dons the clothes he was supposed wear for his new role, lets his anger at the world fly, and generally does antisocial things even though it's not completely within his nature. The boy knows he's being used, but stays anyway. Attempts from loved ones and kindred spirits fail to bring him back as he's just angry at the world now and wants to destroy everything his uncle stands for.

 

Meanwhile, the uncle is embarrassed too. You see it was his first time doing such a despicable thing, and, even though he covered it up, now he's hiding out. Where once he filled his home with children, now he avoids them at all costs and the one that keeps showing up at his door makes him feel uncomfortable because it brings back guilty memories and makes him afraid he'll do it again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The parallels and character progression match up surprisingly quick. It really is an open question as to whether Johnson intended it. There are many ways to frame that scene, but Johnson chose to show Ben in bed, confused and scared, with a trusted adult hovering over him with bad intentions several times. And for that betrayal and shared secret to alter his life in a pattern not wholly unrealistic. That's a very specific context that Johnson either accidentally ran across, or had in the back of his mind.

 

But thanks for the judgement.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Since we've gotten to the point where everything is harassment I think the more salacious act with Luke comes when he goes out for a cup of blue milk. That "cow" is sitting there tits out, and dirty old Luke give Rey a look that says "I know you want in on this". Press conference with Lisa Bloom with her claiming that it IS time for the Jedi to end.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

^LOL :thumbsup:

 

All of this could have been displayed, struggle and confliction for Luke and the abuse of Kylo without Luke doing it. All it had to be was a trusted higher trained Jedi than Kylo and Luke not seeing the abuse was happening right under his nose. You dont damage Lukes character, you maintain conflict and guilt, you create a scenario for blame from Ben... Boom. Done. It doesnt have to be literal sexual abuse of course, just like this wasnt in the film.

 

Flashback is the moment when Luke finds out and Ben has had enough he cant stand it. His abuser is killed, his rage flows, he lashes out. Shock and rage. Ben the destroyer, Luke pleading, then left for dead. Ben is broken, the Jedi are gone. Ben is left in the after rage, dealing with what was done to him, what he did and now what he has left to live with.

 

Salt World Finale

 

Why didnt you see? How could YOU not see?!

 

I was not focused on the here and now.

 

Was this the future you saw?!

 

I am sorry, Ben.

 

Ben is dead, just like your old master.

 

Star Warsian cringy, call back dialogue intentional. Anyway, Kylo suddenly has reason to hate his father figures, no one saved him. Kylo has reason to hate the Jedi, the supposed righteousness, the power... no one saw and no one saved him. Luke is the parent that has to live knowing he never knew what was happening, all his vision, his powers, for what. The Jedi way is broken.

 

Kylo is now a character you want to see redeemed. The writer now has the ability to fulfill that or end it tragically. I personally would redeem Kylo and maybe end the trilogy with him in self exile like Luke was at the original temple. Perhaps with a final moment with Ben sitting in front of the destroyed tree. Off camera we hear Leia say Ben. Ben looks up and he is surrounded by sitting force ghosts, Luke, Leia maybe others. Ben says something like Talk to me... like a riff on when you quiet your mind youll hear the force. And then Ben smiles that sheepish Solo smile. There are no adventures left for Ben, only healing. Rey continues on as the teacher off planet.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So for the record-- I may be just a tiny blip as a screenwriter in Hollywood, but in the Star Wars prop community I'm king of the world having written the guide to all lightsaber props.

 

I'm about to release the latest edition with content from TLJ, and I am fully using my power to make sure legions of prop enthusiasts refer to Luke's TLJ saber as "the creepy uncle: variant.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

All of this could have been displayed, struggle and confliction for Luke and the abuse of Kylo without Luke doing it. All it had to be was a trusted higher trained Jedi than Kylo and Luke not seeing the abuse was happening right under his nose. You dont damage Lukes character, you maintain conflict and guilt, you create a scenario for blame from Ben... Boom. Done. It doesnt have to be literal sexual abuse of course, just like this wasnt in the film.

 

I get that it could have been done that way. But all the same, this is a personal story. Putting a buffer between Luke and Ben in order to protect Luke may have kept people happier, but it wouldn't have had the same level of impact. It wouldn't have explained Kylo Ren to such a degree. It wouldn't have explained why Luke was so distraught by his failures as a teacher and a man that he abandoned his own duties.

 

The image of being woken by a trusted adult with bad intentions is a potent one. I suspect that even though this hasn't been a theory many people have come up with yet (I'm not in touch with the community anymore, so I honestly don't know), that it's still a part of the reason that people have had such a visceral reaction even if they don't realize it.

 

 

 

I'm about to release the latest edition with content from TLJ, and I am fully using my power to make sure legions of prop enthusiasts refer to Luke's TLJ saber as "the creepy uncle: variant.

 

Woo hoo! Always knew I'd contribute to the Star Wars lore some day.

 

That's going right on my resume.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
Guest El Chalupacabra

Hurrrrrr.

 

Yes. And they sent the plaque to be clear, I made the saber.

Made it from scratch? Did you use the same parts used to construct the original props (IE Graflex), or did you improvise?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.