Star Wars is one of the most intimidating subjects for this author, and not just because it’s one of the world’s biggest story franchises. Star Wars is a lot like its country of origin, the United States. It’s big, it’s loud, it’s colorful, and mostly subjective. Anything one can say about, the exact opposite or at least a counterbalancing point is also true.

• It gave us one of the best female heroes of all time!
  • But it put her in a slave bikini for half a movie!
    • But then she uses the pimp’s chain to strangle him!
• Holy crap it’s not afraid to be dark and show the good guys losing, so edgy!
  • Next movie: Everyone is saved by tribal, woodland teddy bears!
• Look at the way that Lucas incorporated samurai fighting and asian philosophy into his American blockbuster!
  • How’s that diversity looking until 25 years into the franchise?
• Look at this amazing hopeful and emotional stories, enriching people’s lives!
  • Rabid fandom, collectables, toys, marketing...
• Episodes IV and V!
  • Episodes VI, I, II, III

The thing that makes this latest iteration so special to yours truly is that it recognizes all that Star Wars is, warts and blessings. It subverts those things that were always the subject of water cooler riffing on the franchise.(See Kylo Ren’s Helmet) Luke’s entire character seems to be constructed just to undo the Jedi’s lightsaber stroking of the prequel films. Rian Johnson doesn’t even blink in flipping a lot of The Force Awakens’ plot points on their heads. This movie changes Star Wars in a way that one suspects that Rogue One was preparing us for: it says to us that nothing is written in stone, and as much as history rhymes, it can’t actually repeat itself.

Spoiler Territory!!!

Rey’s quest for meaning is basically a crash course in self-exploration philosophy. Not to project too much after coming out a class of Plato’s Republic, but this whole movie is screaming: “YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU THINK YOU KNOW ABOUT THE FORCE” She reenacts her own version of the allegory of the Cave in a search for knowledge that is later revealed to be a red herring. A Star Wars central hero finally has legitimately humble origins for once! All that legacy of the chosen family nonsense has hopefully, at long last, been defenestrated. Good riddance.

“A history of failure”: that’s the Jedi legacy that Luke has vowed to put a stop to. And he is damn right to do it. For those who are lifelong fans of the cannon but have always been hyper-aware of its storytelling flaws, this rebuke of the old standards by the quintessential old standard himself was warmly welcome.

Like strange bipedal manatee milk fresh from the teat, this Star Wars was the refreshingly nutritious and creamy swig the series needed to take.