Welcome to the first of a series of articles written by guest contributors, laying down their own opinions on characters and situation of the galaxy far, far away. The first article is by guest writer Philip Harrison Vazquez.
Having watched the Episode IX panel from Star Wars Celebration Chicago it was great to see the fans reaction to Kelly Marie Tran, to see them treat her with such kindness, it literally brought her to tears. Remember what Obi-Wan Kenobi said of the Force in A New Hope, “It’s an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us; it binds the galaxy together.” Outside of the fictional galaxy of Star Wars, we the fans, are the Force, and just like the Force there is a dark and a light side. It’s up to us how we use it.
I was deeply saddened when Kelly felt the need to leave social media due to the constant backlash she received for playing a Rose Tico, a character I personally loved, she stole the movie for me. Everyone is entitled to their opinions and feelings on Rose, BUT remember Kelly is not Rose, she auditioned for a role written by someone else and she gave a voice and a face to that character, but other people directed her actions. Now let me tell you my thoughts on Rose and hopefully open your mind and eyes to a different perspective.
When you think about the most memorable characters from Star Wars, who comes to mind? Luke, Han, Leia, Chewbacca, Obi-Wan, Darth Vader, Palpatine, Anakin, Padme, Rey, Finn, the list goes on and on. But of those characters who can we truly relate to? Certainly we can relate to certain aspects of many of those characters. But when I think about Rose, she is me, she’s you, she’s all of us, the everyman of Star Wars. She isn’t an amazing pilot, nor is she a crackshot, she isn’t physically strong, or a Force user. She was a mechanic doing whatever she could to help the cause she believed in. The scene with her sister, Paige brings tears to me eyes every time I watch it. When she grabs the necklace and gives that final kick and pushes the button, you know her thoughts are on her sister, the ultimate sacrifice for the one she loves.
When we finally meet Rose she’s a greasemonkey, just doing what needs to be done, another cog in the wheel that is the Resistance. When she realizes who Finn is the reaction she gives is exactly what we would do if we met a hero! If anyone reading this has met an idol of theirs you get tongue tied and flustered, you lose your train of thought and forget how to do talking, at least I know it happens to me! She is in awe that she’s meeting a hero of the Resistance, someone who defected from the First Order to fight for peace and freedom.
Many people argue that her storyline with Finn and Canto Bight ultimately goes nowhere, that in fact the Resistance is worse off because of their actions with D.J. While I don’t disagree with that, why is that a bad thing??? How many times in your life did you set out with a goal in mind, just to have things go sideways and everything falls apart? Life is not perfect, life doesn’t always go as planned. That doesn’t matter though, what matters is what we learn from our journey, good and bad.
She shows Finn the cost of war, that things may look bright and wonderful from a distance, but once you get up close you see how dirty and ugly it really is. As the saying goes, everyone likes a good hamburger, but no one wants to see how the ground beef is made. She opens his eyes to a larger galaxy, one where he can make a difference. Even D.J. has a role to play in getting Finn where he needs to be, showing him that there are people out there that are neither good nor bad, but stand in between, using both sides for their own profit. This is ultimately where Finn currently is, he didn’t want to be a part of the First Order, but he was not fully committed to the Resistance either. I argue that someone who plays both sides is truly worse then either side because they are self-centered. Remember, good and bad are usually based on perspective, not many villains believe themselves to be evil, they just work toward their goals no matter the cost.
“That’s how we’re gonna win. Not fighting what we hate, but saving what we love.” People mock this line, but love the line of “Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering” Those are basically saying the same thing! You can’t abolish hate with hate, you need to hold on to what is special and matters in order to persevere, otherwise you’ll become what you hate in the end. You need to draw the line and focus on what you’re fighting for and not just focus on the goal of winning at all costs, because it will cost you everything.
Because of her, Finn finally found his reason for fighting. He was no longer an ex-Stormtrooper just trying to escape the First Order and helping Rey. He realized the galaxy is larger than himself and has an opportunity to actually make a difference. He knows what the First Order is capable of and he finally understands what he is fighting for so he can become the hero everyone thought he was from the stories that were told.
If I can leave everyone who reads this with one final thought, like I said earlier we are the Force, let’s be a force for good. Let’s not repeat what happened with the wonderful Ahmed Best – Jar Jar Binks – with Kelly.
I am excited to see Kelly back to reprise her role and I cannot wait for Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker…..whatever that ends up meaning!
Article written by guest contributor Philip Harrison Vazquez. All opinions are entirely that of the guest writer, not of Fantha Tracks.