Star Wars and the Hero's Journey: The Myth is Broken

[@aeliaosca9398]

I cried ugly tears watching this. As a non-American I never had such insight into how the American monomyth is being reflected in the modern blockbusters and why they always let me down at some point, making the hero tragicaly misunderstood and unhappy. What I ever hoped for Star Wars ending was to give a true reconciliation and a hopful future for the heros. I'm stunned that even a family franchise had to have such a bitter lesson for the kids.

[@GhoulishGwyn]

I mean, it’s pretty damn hopeful at the end. Not sure what movie you were watching.

[@我没钱啊订阅好不好啊]

Who cares that your American or non-American? Just state your damn point. Annoying

[@Ottolineification]

@@GhoulishGwyn the main character dying in vain is not hopeful

[@deborahminter6231]

Agreed!

[@thesilvershining]

This video Ty, it broke my damn heart. I just don't think I can forgive them... I feel like 8 movies and 42 years of epic storytelling were ruined in less than 2.5 hours. The story was begging for the completion of the myth, Ben's living atonement, Rey and Ben's love balancing each other, saving and redeeming the galaxy despite all odds, these characters deserved it. We as fans deserved it. I'm just so depressed and lost. Killing off this entire family while the legacy son was redeemed and ready to start life anew with his beloved. The galaxy was in need of these very special dyad heroes for decades to come, Ben and Rey both struggling with the darkness but overcoming it with each other... they had so much to teach current and future generations of Force users, so much compassion and wisdom to share with a wounded galaxy.

[@Julia-di1sf]

Yes this. All this. It's 6 months later and I'm still broken about it.

[@evelina2548]

@@Julia-di1sf It's been over a year and I'm still not over it. 💔

[@Julia-di1sf]

@@evelina2548 💔❤️ I feel you, as I still feel no different 😔 I can at least watch The Last Jedi again, but it's the only one of the saga that I can...as far as I'm concerned the saga ends with the open ending of TLJ, and then it's my headcanon from there.

[@evelina2548]

@@Julia-di1sf It's the same for me. 💔😔I really like TLJ and I still watch it but I haven't rewatched ROS. It's not canon for me

[@deborahminter6231]

Agreed!

[@JainaSoloB312]

Wow, this is amazing. Personally I loved TROS, but there was always something about the ending that didn't feel right to me. Now I understand why. Rey overcomes Palpatine through sheer power, not moral superiority. And she doesn't directly improve the community, she just saves it from destruction. We're meant to feel happy for her at the end but why is she all alone? Where are her friends? Where is her found family that's meant to be a major theme? Why has she chosen self-exile when that's historically been the Jedi punishment for failure? It didn't feel right, and now I understand. It's not the same mythic structure. It doesn't complete the Campbell monomyth, but it's not the start of a new myth either. Thank you for putting into words what so many of us fans have been feeling without knowing why💜

[@motor4X4kombat]

1-she went there to bury Luke and leias lightsaber to honor them. 2-she has now the resistence as their friends since she was fighting with agaist the first order . Plus BB8 was with her. 3- when you see her hugging with poe and Finn (the first person from His lonely life that care about her, and in the previous film she always wanted to know if he Was fine when she was in arch to) with puré joy its pretty much clear that they are their family now. And not a whinney emo. 4-again she Is not in exile she just went there to burry the lightsaber to honor the Skywalker family, plus she still has the Milenium Falcon she can still get the hell out of here if she want she Is not waiting for someone like she was on jakku. If the last jedi haters thinks "killing the past" Is the main theme of the movie and not learning from failure, then you really think "everything sucks" Is the main them of the movie "when in reality Is "bloodlines do not definied your identidy"

[@CamkirE]

Thank You, for the explanation for why I felt so sad when TROS ended. This is why when Ben Solo died and Rey ended up alone again it all felt so weird and wrong. This is not the fairy tale ending I thought the story was heading for. So sad.

[@Chadult]

@Char Aznable But..but I thought fanboys hated TLJ. It's been the narrative since 2017, no? I think everyone got disappointed with the ST..no one won. I wish the fandom would stop tearing each other apart.

[@vittoriacolona]

@Char Aznable I rest my case.

[@vittoriacolona]

How could it be a fairy tale ending when Ben killed Han for no valid reason, other than Snoke told him to and childish resentment? Ben buckets of blood on his hands, too much for anyone to want to work with. I think Ren did great things with Rey in showing her that she is not 'alone' (in terms of being rejected) and he made her face hard truths--or at least face the facts that her parents abandoned her, so she could get on with he life and be who she was meant to be. But ideal husband material for her? No.

[@mariapatriot9356]

@@vittoriacolona The problem is that ALL of the ancillary back-story about Ben Solo points to him being victimized by Palpatine beginning in the womb. The cult of Snoke led him to believe that killing Han would bring him inner peace. When Ben finally had moral agency, LF killed him after 5 minutes instead of allowing him to atone for his crimes.

[@CamkirE]

Vittoria Colonna the co writer in TROS has just stated in an interview that TROS is a fairy tale and that Rey is like a princess. This is also something both JJ and Adam Driver have said since TFA. I know that SW always mixes all genres like there is a little bit of samurai films in them, and western. But also fantasy and fairy tales. And Kylo Ren was from the beginning set up to be redeemed.

[@jillians.4606]

I think that’s the fault I found most with TROS: Rey at the end seems unaffected by her journey, to the point that she is isolated on a desert planet, a hero who is comforted by the ghosts of people who have left her their legacy. She WAS akin to Superman in that moment, the hero getting one respite before having to take up the mantle and save the galaxy again at some point in the future. Yet what is there for her? The man we believed she loved is dead, yet she does not shed a tear or grieve this tremendous loss, her other half, the other part of the “dyad in the Force.” Rey standing on Tatooine at the end of TROS did not give me hope or fulfillment or even closure; I saw a girl squaring her shoulders, the weight of the galaxy ever more being her burden because somehow that is what it means to be a Skywalker, blood or no. Further, Western media tells us that you have to die to pay for your sins. Ben Solo’s death shook me not because I was watching my ship fall apart; I believed that the Skywalker line would live on through him trying to atone for what he had done, what it had meant for him to enforce evil and violence and fear. But that kind of narrative has no play here. The only thing that resonated was that Ben died giving his life to save the woman he loved. Even just at the end, if Ben had been a force ghost, saying, “I’m here with you,” the answer to Rey saying earlier in the film, “Be with me” (and, no, the answer was not Luke and Leia Force ghosts). But, anyway, this was a beautiful video. I learned so much, and I look forward to more content like this. ❤️

[@DealingWithDylan]

The end was, I believe, intentionally ambiguous for those paying close enough attention. Ben is gone, but not dead, and Rey knows this...

[@awakenow7147]

@@DealingWithDylan I truly hope this is the direction they were going. The fact he didn't show up as a Force Ghost is telling. People think Ben went out "just like Anakin did". But this is clearly not the case.

[@jankom.7783]

We need new, better trilogy. With only one director. And a script known before they start making the first movie.

[@orinanime]

@@jankom.7783 why do people keep insisting that one director and a pre-planned trilogy would be better? The prequels were planned out by one director. They weren't good. The original trilogy had 3 writers and 3 directors and constant rewrites and ESB and ROTJ weren't pre-planned. And they're much beloved by the vast majority.

[@jankom.7783]

@@orinanime Consistency

[@WhatTheForce]

Chilling and thought provoking - I still have hope

[@Lucy-td9zc]

Joseph Campbell's life work was finding the common thread of all mythologies and religions... not generating his own philosophy. When he talks about the opposite sides of the "mask of eternity", that's how Luke described the Force in TLJ....embracing the opposites. Hegel talks about transcending the opposites (thesis and antithesis) to achieve synthesis. I thought that's where they were going with the love/hate tension between light/dark Kylo and Rey.... transcending the opposites to bring balance to the force.....but they went for what you called the american Monomyth. Wasted opportunity. Thanks for the video!

[@WitandFolly]

I didn't say he intentionally generated his own philosophy. But he DID. Anyone can generate their own philosophy. Anyone's life and lessons and quotes can be broken down into philosophical ideas. Nothing that Campbell talks about has one meaning. He thinks cyclically. Everything is connected and therefore any one thing can have multiple meanings that change with the time or context. And yes, they had the thesis and the antithesis with TFA and TLJ but did not provide the synthesis with TROS. Absolutely missed opportunities.

[@Lucy-td9zc]

@@WitandFolly You did a good job of hitting the major points - especially your conclusion that love is the synthesis.

[@KimberlyStarr21]

Thank you for this. TROS has put a wound in my heart that I don't think will ever be healed. I have hope that the story group can mend the saga, but I'm being realistic with my expectations. The one thing we know with Star Wars even in the worst of times like when Anakin tells the Father on Mortis, "There's always hope." 💞

[@DealingWithDylan]

It's not over.

[@captainbritain7379]

11:33 I love how Avatar: The Last Airbender rejects this idea.

[@charlien6123]

But aang did have home to return to because his friends and his lover katana is his new home

[@moonsofix]

Nice summation of how a lot of lofty lore nerds feel myself included. I feel like Star Wars, at least the sequel trilogy, is just too much of a focus grouped corporate mess to truly connect with anyone. Its not a passion project for anyone in particular. Lucas has faults but he seemed to at least have a passion and coherent vision for what he was trying to say, warts and all. I felt no real connection to Rey and that really hurt the new movies. She feels like a cardboard cutout of a character they couldnt figure out how to bring to fruition. Adam Driver is the driving force behind these movies and I still dont really understand where hes coming from either.

[@awakenow7147]

Not enough exposition for Rey, Ben, or Luke. Rey simply needed to fail more, and that could have brought a lot more out of her. Ben needed more visual exposition in regards to his backstory. I wanted to see exactly how abandoned he was by his parents, and I wanted to see exactly how Snoke/Palps was brainwashing him during his youth. And Luke needed more build-up to the edgy guy we see in Episode VIII. Its hard for many fans to empathize with his darkness, because we don't see any details that lead up to it. "show don't tell" is one of the first rules of writing!

[@awakenow7147]

@@Aaron722076 Yeah I wish they'd show it in movies too. At the very least, have some kind of limited series Clone Wars-esque show about Luke's Jedi Order or something. This same channel made a video explaining why things were so easy for Rey. They create a compelling argument from a symbolic standpoint. But it still feels...unnatural to me.

[@GlassActivist]

@@awakenow7147 You've missed the point. Kylo and Rey are both struggling to overcome what damaged them, to overcome their obstacles to realising their own true selves. The back story is not important, the struggle is what matters.

[@awakenow7147]

@@GlassActivist Backstory is important. Showing where the character is coming from helps to garner empathy from the audience. I feel that the audience would've been more accepting if they would have been shown more information about these characters during the past 30 years(mainly referring to Luke and Ben). I will even apply this to Anakin. Despite their flaws, the prequels at least gave us a decent backstory to the character, essentially making Vader better in my opinion. In Rey's case, her backstory is sufficient as is. I just thought they could've done better with the "failure" aspect of her character.

[@barbarianjk2355]

​@@awakenow7147 I agree! Also, they ignore too much of the worldbuilding that was established before, specially in the prequels... When you have such a huge galaxy, such a detailed backstory which is contained in the original 6 films plus The Clone Wars series... you can't just treat the "world" as some sort of "props"... it needs to be treated with love, as if it were a character in itself. But even worse is that they tossed away the original creator's script... that's unacceptable from a storyteller's point of view.

[@Conceicao4]

Thank you. I had such high expectations for TROS, and all I was left with was emptiness, it just feels like a giant hole on the saga, when it was supposed to be a satisfying conclusion.

[@babybunkerboo]

Mythic dissonance! YES! TROS could’ve been the GREATest ❤️ story for the next generation of kids!😫TY for this!🙏

[@Ncholasbloom]

@Char Aznable tros is flawed as areall the other filmsand yeah rey'sarc doesn't feel done butshe chose to embrace her adoptive family

[@skyemckenna4557]

Well done! The myth is broken and it’s heart & gut wrenching. TRoS felt like a patchwork of ideas all sewn together but with very few threads tying in with the prior two films, let alone the rest of the saga. I walked out feeling numb when I expected elation. It’s almost been a month & I’m no closer to accepting what we were given. I can’t even watch the other SW films. Knowing the outcome and that it breaks so unclean from the myth, damages the eight before & lessens the characters. Shattered expectations aside, I’ve stuck around for 42 years and hope is part of my DNA. I’m going to continue to cling to it and wait for the spark to reignite.

[@DaleESkywalker]

Hi Skye :) I think we'll find some closure in the next chapter. The Saga ends but the Story Lives on.

[@vittoriacolona]

How did TROS not tie into the previous two films? They were clearly connected to me.

[@vittoriacolona]

@Char Aznable I was replying to the statement from the OP "TRoS felt like a patchwork of ideas all sewn together but with very few threads tying in with the prior two films, let alone the rest of the saga."

[@Ariel_emerald]

at the very least TLJ works as a great conclusion to the saga, one that leaves the future uncertain but hopeful.

[@GhoulishGwyn]

The myth is not broken. Just putting those words together doesn’t actually mean anything.

[@tracy2539]

Thank you for your thoughtful words, once again. I completely agree & I'm so upset with the end of this saga. They had such an opportunity to end this correctly & they botched it. And while some are still hopeful, I dont think they will ever bring Ben back and complete this myth. They ended the damn bloodline, which is so morbid.

[@GhoulishGwyn]

They didn’t botch it. You just don’t get Star Wars as a whole.

[@CanaryWorfRuns]

This is an excellent video, it really puts academic reason behind the feeling of emptiness I had walking out of TROS. So well researched, great work.

[@fgsfds123q]

I've been on board with everything the Star Wars films have done, through all the unfounded hate thrown at the prequels, to the ramped up vitriol directed towards the sequels. I genuinely love both side-stories, too. I see every film in theaters at least twice, as many as 8 times for episode 1 when I was a wee lad (sorry/thanks for putting up with that, mom). But when I walked up to the ticket window for what was going to be viewing #2 of TRoS, I stopped... and bought a ticket to Knives Out instead. I wasn't feeling it at all. When I first saw TRoS, it was the only SW film that left me feeling utterly empty. No hype, no excitement. I couldn't remember moments, nothing stood out. All I had was this "...huh..." feeling. I've thought long about what it is that was so disappointing about the film, and perhaps the sequels as a whole in retrospect. I came up with plenty of complaints, but the key thing that I landed on was that "there's no payoff." Which is a really simple way of stating what you've gone into for 17 minutes. I appreciate your in-depth analysis and insight into what it was that happened with TRoS. Really helps me understand on a deeper level why I left the film feeling the way I did after loving every other film so much.

[@WitandFolly]

💗

[@pacman5698]

"Help me, Rian Johnson. You're my only hope." - The franchise

[@empirex334]

For me, it was an utter lack of catharsis- throughout the entire film (due to pacing) and at the end. We always knew the Resistance was going to win. I want to see what happened to everyone on an emotional level. And a happy ending for the Skywalkers should have been a given.

[@pacman5698]

@@empirex334 Look on the bright side. TLJ ends everything wonderfully if you ignore that the events of TRoS took place.

[@GlassActivist]

@@empirex334 I don't think the Skywalkers needed a happy ending with Ben. Luke and Anakin both got theirs, I think that Rian Johnson did the right thing breaking away from genetic bloodline redemption. JJ majorly screwed up the final movie. Rian Johnson gave him an open canvass and he painted a poo emoji with extra lens flares.

[@BrittanyTenpennybooks]

So well thought out! TROS left me feeling hollow and that's because Rey's hero's journey was never complete.

[@vittoriacolona]

@Char Aznable You have to be kidding me. Rey was never developed or changed? Did we watch the same films? Rey in TFA and for most of the TLJ was naive, reckless and impulsive and who looked for her self worth in others. By time she TROS she is more confident and calm and become her own woman. Rey's arc through 3 movies is: Desperately wants to know her family - > Accepts her ancestry doesn't define her - > Understands she can choose her family for herself. So by the time she learns her "true" lineage any attachment she would have to that information has been thoroughly disposed of. Her choice to embrace Luke and Leia as her family is way more impactful . Yes, understandably got upset that Palpatine killed her parents and ruined her childhood. That was 15 years of pain and anger being released. For her not to have changed would be for her to have remained naive, impulsive and more to the point on Jakku waiting for her parents to return or to have allowed people into her life.

[@loudand_clear4883]

The end of the movie didn’t real right because her quest for her identity should’ve been embraced for who she was not who she wishes to be

[@loudand_clear4883]

Vittoria Colonna it’s the writers fault tho. We saw the character’s potential that’s all, not her fault there’s bad writing

[@2bebothered]

@@loudand_clear4883 she does but she also doesn't let who she is shackle her down. Being a skywalker meant more to her because they've been there for her. Palatine killed her parents and had her abandoned for years. She discards him. She doesn't let her being related to him stop her. If it was Rey from TFA then she would have cared. Think of it as an adoptive child taking in his adoptive parents and discarding their murderous biological parents.

[@2bebothered]

@Fedce idk if that applies. Rey and Ben had a connection and romance but i dont think it was official like that

[@screech4505]

This video has made me realise another reason why I love the Netflix She-ra series so much now. Their journey was truly both about duty and love. The universe was saved using that love because She-ra herself was encouraged to look at what she wanted and encouraged not to do it alone.

[@Howl14]

I honestly think that, out of the numerous mistakes Disney has made, advertising Episode IX as "the end of the skywalker saga" was their biggest, most avoidable one. If they hadn't constantly repeated that line, they could have pulled off another trilogy maybe in 15 years, this time getting the ending right. Instead we get an ending that falls flat, an ending of a story that was supposed to give hope.

[@Ariel_emerald]

it was very clearly a corporate decision. "the skywalker saga" as a concept did not exist until the first marketing for TROS. note that none of the trailers for the other two movies have this line, they were simply advertising new movies or the "next chapter". after the fan backlash to the last jedi, Disney was scared shitless and decided to pull the plug with the most spineless movie of all time. its disgusting that they didn't even feel confident enough to tell a story that worked as its own movie

[@spacedragon7541]

This was so well articulated and shows what at the core of this movie really caused me to disconnect from the film. They broke the myth. I’m just... so disappointed. All I can hope that maybe LF will try to either repair the story by continuing it and... some how get back to the Joseph Campbell’s myth?? I can sort of see outs for the story to do that. We’ll see if they’ll take them with comics, books, and perhaps animated shows.

[@galahcockatoo]

I watched a lot of movies and the ones I remember well and can watch many times all have one thing in common: They provoke a deep emotional response and connection with the characters and I. I wanted the same from this film, but got a kaleidoscope of pictures,scenes and explanations (that I didn't want or need). There's wasn't a resolution at the end of the film and it felt like it didn't really end. The mith is not complete, you are absolutely right! I wonder/hope if they are going to pursue the world between worlds possibility with Ben being stuck there. If so, why tell us it's the end of the saga 🤦‍♀️. They had no plan for this trilogy and now we have to brainstorm from the puzzle of the last movie, what is going on. There were moments that I loved...sorry for the rant. Thanks for the great podcast!

[@Howl14]

They told us its the end of the saga cuz they gave up :/

[@huntermedero6970]

Thank you for perfectly pointing out the issues I have with TROS, I felt emotionless through the whole movie & now understand why!

[@rickblaine9670]

Great video! I think you got the point with particular precision when you said that Vader’s sacrifice wasn’t passed on to the Galaxy at large. The whole new trilogy was basically built around Luke and Leia not bothering to tell Ben who his grandfather truly was, which is... well, the same thing the OT was built around, only with Luke in Ben’s place. And Ben obviously took the news far worse than Luke did. Anyway, the point is the Sequels should have gone beyond that, beyond Anakin, to give Luke and Leia their own story. The Vader story, the Jedi vs Sith story, was beautifully ended by RotJ. Even if Luke wasn’t shown telling everyone the truth, given his personality all evidence points to him doing so. He was proud of his father, despite everything, he was proud of being his son until the very end. To Luke, hiding the truth about Anakin’s last act of bravery and redemption would’ve been (and it was, in fact) an insult to Anakin’s memory.

[@fidelitycreate]

5:56 I agree.. It undermines the sacrifice of Anakin and everything Luke went through to redeem his Father like nothing changed therefore nothing he did mattered. As a consequence of bringing back Palpatine, Anakin is not The Choosen one who destroys the Sith (Palpatine) and bring balance to the force. Was Rey the chosen one all along? That essentially makes the entire saga the Palpatine saga, not the Skywalker Saga. But why didn't Palpatine get someone to turn his son to the dark side? Does force sensativity skip a generation? Did he escape his Father's influence? That implies that he and his wife were good. Why would he then abandon Rey? It makes no sense to me. I was in it for Reylo. What I wanted was a Romeo and Juliet love story. The Sith and the Jedi replacing the 2 families. Seeing Rey turn to the dark side at the end of the second movie (being the darkest installment) would of been so amazing and then Ben realising he's made a horrible mistake and attempts and successfully turns her back to the light and they both go off an have lots of space babies continuing not only The Skywalker family but the teachings of the Jedi, but reinventing it somehow for a new generation. 10:53 typical. I would rather be an Angel. Although that said, I believe forgivness is earned not freely given 13:33 Who is the bride. God? 15:24 That was weird... What are we talking about here by exploring ones dark side? Define dark. The American Monomyth sounds wrong to me. But that said.... Is it possible to write a story to satisfy both Monomyths? I agree, love is the answer. I think the ending was a shift in the idea that a name is tied to an idealism not a bloodline, so anyone can be a Skywalker, if they believe they can be. I appriciate the sentiment but that's not how the original 2 trilogies were and in 2020 bloodline still matters as socially we are organised into family units based on who conceived us... I dunno... It's poorly executed as there is little sense of community in these movies and Rey goes back to being ALONE AGAIN. honesty it's enough to make me want to become a film maker just to fix this... And Superman, and Batman, And The X-men.

[@barbarianjk2355]

Well, as a Catholic, from what I know, the Bride symbolism usually refers to the Church, the Church being every Christian. However, as Joseph Campbell puts it here, it seems like it could have a broader meaning, such as humanity. "The One divides into the many." After all, the Good News is for everyone, not just Catholics, Orthodoxes, Protestants, e tc.

[@DealingWithDylan]

Rey and Ben's journey isn't over yet.

[@brigantiablackbird]

To hell with the American monomyth! Our culture is more than an exercise of futility and strife, more than "selfless" heroes, and more than the philosophical errors of the Puritans. We are a better story than that as a nation--and it's past time for the entertainment industry--in it's ENTIRETY--to start reflecting that.

[@te-ter]

Holy molly. I cried watching this. This may've additionally explained why I found such disconnect with Western (or, let's be frank, American) heroes. It also offered an insight into my personal struggles with how I, despite the previously mentioned disconnect, tried to mould myself into the American hero archetype. Thank you. (And yes I suppose I've sounded so pretentious, I'm sorry 😅😅)

[@LenkaDanian]

i was so upset while watching this movie. this video is the perfect explanation of why i felt this way. saying ep9 ruined the whole saga is not an exaggeration, goes against everything previously established no mater how we look at it be it lore or the myth. thank you for this video and i can't wait to see your next one

[@isabellamego5321]

I think Rey deserved better, she deserved to complete her journey, not this backpedal to the start, to childhood, innocently sliding or whatever. She really was the embodiment of my childhood dreams, a beautiful and powerful force sensitive girl, fighting with a lightsaber. However I wanted to see her grow, a woman, an adult doing shit in her own terms, the culmination of what we saw in TLJ. But no, the character that should appeal to young woman is now a fan bro daydream of virginal and moral virtue, that just sickens me

[@WitandFolly]

Agreed 😞💔

[@motor4X4kombat]

Suck to be you. Daisy said that she Will not be playing the character again. And since she become the least popular character amount the fans, specially with he Arrival of the mandalorian and baby yoda, they won't expand her in any material since lucafilms does what everybody wants insted what everybody needs. Just like the sideline Rose because of backlash.

[@coreybell2223]

The entire sequel trilogy only took place over the course of a year. What did you expect?

[@isabellamego5321]

@@coreybell2223 I don't think that's a excuse for a poorly written character

[@brittasdanceqi]

Very interesting. I've never thought of Joseph Campbell's #monomyth versus the #AmericanMonomyth which is violence overcomes evil and the hero must walk alone, which is NOT the monomyth presented in "The Hero with a Thousand Faces." Made me rethink my own mythic conditioning via the American stories. It really is quite shocking how deeply violence is woven into our culture. How myths are interpreted MATTERS. JC talks about the 2 readings of the #ChristianMyth and what that implies to it's followers. Thank you for bringing this up. Provoking.

[@ninac4327]

A very interesting view. I also feel very disappointed with the sad end of the saga. I was waiting for Ben's redemption arc since TFA. But in each movie I though he went too far to redeem himself and get a happy ending. He killed his father and many innocent people, he was power hungry and he still showed a very violent behaviour (strangling) in TROS. Now, I'm certain Disney/the writers always wanted to kill the last Skywalker at the end, which is unforgivable. IMO, Kylo should have turned to the light side at the end of Episode 8. Then, Episode 9 could focus in his redemption and atonement. In the few minutes we had with Ben Solo, I could see a different character that reminded me of Han Solo. They didn't want to let go of Kylo Ren as villain until the very end. At the beginning, they had a lot of villains that could have replaced him like Snoke, Knights of Ren, Phasma. Reylo was not developed very well. They should have taken advantage of the acting and chemistry between the actors. It had more sense that the last Skywalker help to kill Palpatine.

[@HereForTheShips]

I really enjoyed this video. I feel like I learned a lot about the pulse under good storytelling. This explains so well why the ending feels "wrong" and incomplete. It goes against the myth the entire saga was meant to be following... I'm so sad Star Wars decided to end the Skywalker saga with the death of the Skywalker bloodline. If they were going for a tragic, cold, dead ending and basically kill off this story, they achieved it; it bothers me, though, that they pretend that was a "satisfying" ending, and even show Rey smiling in the end, while completely omitting even a mention of Ben Solo, Ben and Rey's love, and his sacrifice... Everyone hugs, they celebrate, and you don't know what they're celebrating for or even what to feel because Rey's lover and soulmate (her dyad partner which is pretty much the same, tbh) has just died in her arms giving her his life so she could live, and there's no acknowledgement later of what he did or any scene to show how Rey felt. Rey just stands smiling a weird smile, alone again in a desert sand planet, with a droid as company, and the credits roll in. That's not satisfying. I hope Ben and Rey's story can continue somehow in comics, novels, etc. and complete the journey in a satisfying way.

[@pacman5698]

Thank you for this video. You and many others are really resonating with me why now that we have all three movies completed, why The Last Jedi is not only the STRONGEST of the sequel trilogy, it's the most true to what the original trilogy was about, and perhaps one of the most engaging dives into Campbell's writings and his view on what the hero means to ourselves and culture more than any other. It seems to me the backlash of the fanbase essentially wanted films that made us "feel good" but didn't really make us think or see the heroes we remember from those movies evolve. Perhaps one of the reasons why Rogue One, Solo, Mandalorian, etc. are so loved and seen as "better" to Episode VIII is because they all play it safe in regards to the characters we used to see. Just show us a universe, adventures, cool-stuff, and remind us of why we love Star Wars, but don't actually WRITE a movie like an original installment. The Force Awakens is a good film even if it is a bit indulgent in its nostalgia for the originals, but the main reason is that it knows how to handle its characters. The Last Jedi, on the other hand, is what feels as if modern filmmakers wanted us to respect the writings Campbell made people like Lucas want to make Star Wars in the first place. If one familiarizes one's self with the classic journeys of heroes and what Joseph wrote about, you should have been EXPECTING Luke to have this downfall from grace and become a disheveled hermit. NOT dreading the possibility. Heroes, especially ancient ones that inspired our current ones tend to come to unhappy or bittersweet endings. Beowulf, Jason, Hercules, and of course, King Arthur, and Campbell wrote about how heroes in their later years have to deal with a rebirth of consciousness. Meaning that our heroes can't expect to revive stuff that was previously lost to history beat for beat and expect it to work. Instead victory comes in the form of the new and how we take the lessons from the past and apply them to the future. Johnson structured all of VIII around this and flat-out made it the main message of the movie ("The GREATEST teacher, failure is.) and the direction was setting up IX to be that ideal ending to the myths Campbell wrote of. The Jedi Order ends, but the Jedi themselves will live on in another form and create a more stable and pure future as a result. Rey puts down her selfish needs to belong to a legacy and have a clear place and accepts the fact her being heroic is all that matters. And Luke is given his Arthurian ending and ends his life on a hopeful, if not bittersweet note. Accepting his failings and cynicism and realizing the universe needs a heroic legend as a source of hope to fight against evil. Even if the hero himself may never be real. This right here, the rebirth of the Jedi, the passing on of better ideas and uncomfortable truths to Rey, and perhaps irreversible damage to Kylo still with the possibility that Ben is still there, is all inline with the myth Campbell wrote of coming full circle. What type of new and more stable future, the elixir brought forth from the events of things such as the rise of the First Order, the birth of Kylo, and the discovery of heroes like Rey bring to the galaxy are we going to see? It's this reason why TLJ means the most to people who have really wrapped their heads around Campbell's teachings and how they were expressed in the originals. Just look at George Lucas himself. Reports show he thought VIII was the best sequel out of all them, calling it "beautifully made". But it seems so much of the fanbase wanted the mythology of Star Wars to reflect wish-fulfillment and not ""destroying their childhood." that they weren't able to accept the fact TLJ is what the next logical step should be for the story of Skywalker instead of going straight to Jedi Knight Academy type stuff or just giving Luke another swashbuckling adventure out of the gate. Like, just end all of Luke's struggles, or if he has any, make sure they are minimal so that he doesn't seem to "out of character". Ironically, they went after Johnson for "not getting Star Wars" or being some sort of "hack" but all I think these people did was prove that there was never an interest in them to see the Skywalker Saga be given its best possible ending. Hearing Johnson talk about how cycles of light and darkness repeat and Luke's parallels with Arthur show how much he knows about the myths and writings that inspired Luke to begin with. And it seems TRoS was so deadset on kowtowing to those vapid and lazy criticisms on how TLJ "wasn't Star Wars" or "Not my Luke Skywalker!" that instead of sticking with their guns and crafting one of the best endings you could have given the Skywalkers at the end of their journey, that they decided to ignore it to appease all that spewing. Rey became a Palpatine to explain her "Mary-Sueness" (good God, I can't believe how people kept believing that crap for two years straight), Luke was all of a sudden this happy, bright boyscout again as opposed to the far more engaging stoic and wise old master who had sacrificed himself to bring hope back to the galaxy in TLJ, and no more risks or explorations of the force in such engaging ways seen in VIII. I think it's obvious that the ending of the Skywalker Saga we should have gotten via following TLJ should have played out. Rey is still a nobody proving the force and the ability of a Jedi belongs to EVERYBODY instead of a select few, a new generation of Jedi come up, they no longer exist as an order and structured themselves to not believe in a binary belief of light and dark like in the past, Ben is redeemed and helps Rey in multiple ways, and the galaxy has peace kept by existing in a new form. And everybody remembers the figures of Anakin and Luke for helping forge this new bright future for the galaxy. That right there both fits inline with the idea of the heroes bringing back their newfound knowledge to the community, and respecting the hero's decision to become victorious through the rebirth of a mindset. At this point...Johnson...I can't wait for your own trilogy. And thank you for everything in TLJ...

[@awakenow7147]

Not sure if you read the canon book: Luke: Secrets of the Jedi. But it seems to line up with much of what you say here. Luke comes to the conclusion that one can approach the Force in a balanced fashion. Not adhering to light or dark codes of conduct...simply flowing with the Force in purity. This is likely what TLJ was attempting to kickstart for Episode IX. This, and the message of love being key to "balance".

[@kiwilambdrumsnz1049]

Yes

[@aaronz1326]

I've seen people who love the recent trilogy and people who hate it, but I wasn't aware some people liked the first two movies and disliked the last. Curious.

[@Thesaura]

Thank you so much for such a thorough analysis: your videos never fail to be educating, thought-provoking, and presented in a way that enriches the source material. I hope you keep making Star Wars videos (even though I would absolutely understand if you choose not to), and eagerly await the next one :)

[@WitandFolly]

I will be 👍🏻 I have to do one for Rey's journey and as long as they keep making stories, I'll be paying attention.

[@chagis100]

This video perfectly put into words why Rise of Skywalker feels cheap and disconnected from the story

[@claudiacaturegli254]

Thank you! Your videos never cease to amaze me. Your analysis and editing are the best, and the theme covered are so interesting. I've learned more in these years from the reylo and Star Wars fandom, than in school. Bless you!

[@adriannespring8598]

Truth!! So fucking true!! Ugh, I cannot get any peace or catharsis from TROS. It's anger inducing, incoherent and absolutely ruinous.

[@JAGtheTrekkieGEMINI1701]

For me and MANY others, the Heroe´s journey of Luke have ALWAYS ENDED in Return of the Jedi!

[@damohelvete]

Thank you for your thought provoking videos. Its good fun to engage with star wars with no fan boys and looking at it more culturally, which is way more enticing. Keep up the great work!

[@winterzephyrr]

Thank you for this. I am also upset at how dissonant TROS is to the rest of the series and I’ve been trying to write fanfic to cope. I’ve been referencing your videos a lot, especially the heroine’s journey one

[@miriamfratianni645]

Wow, what a great explanation. I was trying to make sense of it all and you explained perfectly, what bothered me. At the movie theater I was truly hoping, that for once two silent lovers, albeit having a different upbringing and experiences, will rise up together AND together they will master the challenges in the galaxy. In that sense, Ben was missing on Reys' side on Tattooine. I was crushed, when Ben died. Why always take it away? I truly feel, Rey and Ben together would have broken the usual strange romantic plot pattern that SW offers. A chance, that TROS truly blew. It's almost, as if love can only be touched throughout the galaxy but never truly engaged in or lived out. When their connection was so extraordinary even for Palpatine, it leaves you unfulfilled. And I am not talking about wanting a cheesy romantic SW story. But a solid story with Adam Driver and Daisy could easily make this work on a very tasteful and powerful level. Rey and Ben both would be kick-ass galactic balancers. They've proven it so far. Now, nevertheless I loved TROS. Contrary of what most experienced, I left the theater uplifted and totally motivated *LOL* I felt like 12 years old again. But yes, in my eyes, they clearly blew this potential. So, let's hope, Ben is a temporary in the in-btw-world. I have hope, that Ben is to return to be on Reys' side.

[@DereksDichotomy]

The Rise of Skywalker's final act will always be the most enlightening lesson in how not to craft a monumentally crowd-pleasing conclusion to a beloved 40 year old franchise. Ben Solo should've lived. The Dyad of Reylo needed to bring balance, once and for all. Whoever was responsible for denying us a worthy ending to this incomparable Saga must know by now that they have permanently scarred Star Wars forever. We will forgive, but we shan't soon forget just how deeply canon has been irrevocably betrayed. May the force be with you, always. Save the dream! #BenSoloDeservedBetter #Reylo4Ever #NotMyCanon #TheDemiseOfSkywalker #RespekTheSwolo

[@ledhceb]

I'd really love to see your take on Steven Universe as a (imperfect) counterpoint to the American Monomyth.

[@SH-fx6ks]

This deserves way more views. This is what my problem has been for a while, the actual Skywalker saga is one of the greatest myths in human history. Up there with the myths of Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, China, The Norse Sagas and such. I don't hate the sequels as action movies, but they are not good stories. Sorry to say but the story of Rey is not up there with the story of Luke, Anakin, Hercules, Thor etc. The story of the Skywalkers will be retold in one form or another for the rest of our time. I think Rey will be forgotten unless one day seriously overhauled.

[@alexandralim3381]

I liked the first movies but then this final one, I didn't know why exactly and I hadn't realized how complex it was of a reason. This really helped me understand why I lost appreciation and care for the earlier movies, what went wrong.

[@SPDYellow]

The Rise of Skywalker is a deeply cynical film, thrown together in a desperate effort to appease all the worst people, which even if the movie had been good, wouldn't have worked. Some of it is due to SW having one of the most toxic fanbases around, generally being a bunch of unpleasable assholes, but there's the old saying, "You try to please everyone, you wind up pleasing no one" that seems to sum up Rise. Frankly I loved The Last Jedi. While it does have its flaws, it really feels like they were trying to do something new with the franchise. There was real ambition behind this film and ambition is a beautiful thing, even when it fails. I think the Last Jedi managed to mostly achieve its ambitions, though it fell short in other areas. If given a choice between the ambition of Last Jedi and the cynicism of Rise, I will choose ambition every time.

[@bradneece2409]

Rian Johnson actually understood true mythic storytelling and explored it....... then surprise surprise western audiences hated it. Now because of that, we have TROS.

[@melikeskalico3812]

the problem was NEVER the mythic storytelling. the problem was that its a really shitty movie

[@bradneece2409]

@@stennlake I totally get that view. But I rather like how open-ended TLJ left things. It gave JJ room to do anything (and because there was no plan, I think that's a good thing instead of leaving the next director with a ton of mysteries and setups with little plan of what the payoffs to those are supposed to be), but instead he kinda made a discount return of the Jedi. And when I said "true mythic storytelling" I was mostly referring to theme. I suppose I wasn't considering the other aspects 😅.

[@bradneece2409]

@@melikeskalico3812 I think it's an okay movie. Lots of little problems and a bad subplot. But at least for me, I think core is pretty strong and the payoffs in the second and third act to all of the disjointed themes and ideas it sets up are really good. If I wanted to see an awful movie, I'd watch transformers 5. But if I was okay with watching a pretty wonky plot with some creative directions that I disagreed with, but had an overall coherent thematic throughline and style, I'd watch TLJ. But that's just my take.

[@bradneece2409]

@@stennlake I'm not saying that having no plan is a good thing. What I'm saying is that since there was nothing laid out, then perhaps it would have been better to leave each movie open-ended in terms of plot and focus more on setting up character dynamics (HTTYD style), which would give the following director more room to work with. Hell I'm trying to write a 5 book series. Believe me, I understand the importance of planning. But with the knowledge that there was no plan, I feel like JJ didn't think ahead and wrote Rian into a corner, and in return, Rian tried to give Trevorow room to do what he wanted. But with Kathleen's poor management and JJ's (imo) lack of creativity, they ended up wasting that opportunity, and instead they spent so much run time trying to fix things, rather than accepting the problems and trying to move on and do something new. And I don't entirely agree with that sentiment of marvel. The broad strokes were definitely planned, but so much of it was made up and changed as they went along. (Especially with Thor and Hulk's charterers). And the leap from Tony Stark at the end of Iron Man 3 to Tony in age of Ultron is just bad character regression. And while I do somewhat see that retroactively the first 6 Skywalker movies are about Vader's fall and redemption, I don't see the theme of redemption as the central thesis of the original trilogy. When you look at the arc of the protagonist Luke, I see it more as him learning to better process his emotions as he metaphorically transitions into adulthood. The theme of redemption is never explored until return of the Jedi, and it's the conclusion to the antagonist's arc. I think the Skywalker saga was more about the generations of the family. The prequels about the father, the originals about the children, and the sequels about the grandchildren (just grandson in Disney Canon). George's quote about the saga being about Vader's arc (after so many times he said it was about the 3 generations) I feel undermines so much of the original trilogy and Luke's importance in the story.

[@brianbrush5107]

@@stennlake We did not get TROS because of Rian, we got TROS because they undid what Rian did. TLJ works with TFA, TFA had tons of things set up and TLJ just went about them in an unexpected way. That isn't the same as ignoring something.

[@BloodlustBane121]

What's funny is that we're reading The Hero with a Thousand Faces currently in Mythology class. This video is spot 👍🏾.

[@joereal9012]

The new star wars fail to have heroes or journey... Thanks for the video, very interesting.

[@empirex334]

I'm sad. I'm just sad. We aren't allowed to have happy endings anymore?

[@orinanime]

Anymore? Return of the Jedi has almost the same ending. Revenge of the Sith has a completely unhappy ending. Millions of stories throughout history have unhappy endings. Plenty of stories have happy endings. Take off your nostalgia goggles and don't be so hyperbolic.

[@jalenhart7651]

Rey basically ended exactly where she started. Now she just has a stronger stick

[@mlrafiki]

Ty, this is just lovely. Heartbreaking, but so important. I understand why you wanted to keep the runtime down but I feel like there's SO much more to explore, so I hope you do! I always love your analyses. Thank you for sharing your content with us.

[@WitandFolly]

there's a lot I want to go into once the digital copy is released. I need the footage to explain better 👍🏻

[@nickwoodfin2690]

One of this best video essays I have ever seen on this platform.

[@JustinWoo]

Really fantastic video. Thank you for this. TROS was such a frustrating disappointment for a variety of reasons, but particularly the ones you mention in this video. One thing I want to remark on - I noticed you showed Max, from Mad Max Fury Road, leaving Immortan Joe's city at the end of the movie, and he appears when you talk about the hero leaving, i.e. the hero does not stay in the society and share the elixir. However, I would contend that Furiosa is actually the Campbellian hero, and she stays to lead the city and share the elixir of feminism and just rule (though perhaps not democracy - the film doesn't really remark on that). Max's journey is one from cynicism to hope, that good can come from intervention in affairs of the world, rather than raw survival and self interest. I always got the impression that he was going to start going around helping people again, given the way he kind of softly smiles / salutes Furiosa at the end of the film. Maybe Max is the FIRST one to receive the elixir - the elixir being the message that you must give of yourself to the world - symbolized by Max's universal donor blood, and how he uses it to save Furiosa's life.

[@blondetapperware8289]

Very eloquently said! It truly is a tragedy that the creators believe that the only way to end the skywalker saga was to completely end the skywalker bloodline. In your opinion, do you believe there is any way to repair the myth?

[@WitandFolly]

I do. maybe not in the Skywalker Saga, but the Star Wars myth overall... I'm not sure but I have hope

[@jessicatatum7769]

All I could think as you were describing the American monomyth/the antihero was one of my favorite Korean webnovels, SSS-class Suicide Hunter, and how it turns that kind of hero completely on its head. It gave me a little hope following the travesty that was the ending of the sequel trilogy

[@klonaya]

Thank you! *holds back tears at the last scene of the video*

[@deborahminter6231]

Wow! Good video! It explains why fans were so disappointed by the sequel trilogy, it affects the positive message Star Wars gave. It really didn't continue the heroes journey, Luke Skywalker was no longer the master of his universe but made redundant mistakes that contributed to history repeating itself. That was only one example of what was wrong with the sequel trilogy. The creators didn't understand the deeper meaning of Star Wars or what gave his journey heart. They were more focused on making a buck! I completely agree with your message about love. Unfortunately the new films had no interest in preserving anything about the previous heroes or Skywalker Saga, which is what at the end of the day failed the trilogy.

[@battleupsaber462]

TROS shit the bed so badly it was embarrassing. The themes the entire saga was building towards- all gone, yeeted into a pit just like Ben was. Pathetic. Only the Rian trilogy can save us now

[@bethanylaurenreads]

THANK YOU FOR THIS!!!!!!!! It made me feel so validated.

[@joelklimkowski715]

This was top notch! Definitely deserves way more views! Subscribed and sharing.

[@leonardocastro4354]

Brilliant. However, from my point of view and many others, Star Wars epidodes 7, 8 and 9 do not present the hero's journey. Rey is always powerful and never fails from the very beginning. She doesn't need masters or lessons. It becames obvious in Ep 9 when they tried to respond to the criticism and show her training a little and adressing to Luke and Leia as Masters. Great video! Congrats!

[@WitandFolly]

the Hero's Journey doesn't say anything about training lol

[@leonardocastro4354]

@@WitandFolly Yes, the hero's journey doesn't necessarily needs training. However, training is a great part of the Jedi's mithology. Rey never needed any training or advise. She never fails. This is what makes Rey a very boring caracther. Except when JJ tried to fix it responding to the fans criticism but the damage was already done and final result was a bad and disappointing script.We all know that right? Box office numbers are way below from expectated.

[@brianbrush5107]

Rey very much goes through numerous trials Well she did in the first 2 At least. She spent her life on a hellish planet even though she could get away because she deluded herself into thinking her parents would go back Her belief she can change Kylo gets her tortured and Kylo just goes full evil overlord.

[@thinhvo3893]

@@leonardocastro4354 It almost as if you miss the point of the video and you write everything that is an antithesis of everything she been saying. She even made multiple video why rey competent doesnt matter or how training have no narrative purpose and arent requirement. What training Frodo have to go through during his hero journey? It almost as if you just look this video up and think this is a typical TROS bash without actually listen to the damn video. She even made a video how Jedi training is the antithesis of star wars and it go against everything star wars is about.

[@Hero_Of_Old]

See, this is what George understood.

[@onlyonezenn6037]

Thank you for making this: I needed this video to keep and use always.

[@malloryrosten7647]

I would love for you to talk about the new She-Ra, it does a fantastic job of exploring how heroes balance their personal, ordinary attachments with their greater purpose, and says something really beautiful and refreshing .

[@srkalski]

this have given me so much to think about,,,, you perfectly explain why TROS lacks any satisfaction and fulfillment to the saga. watching this makes the direction they should have gone even clearer and it hurts my heart so much

[@DanieEdge]

So beautiful ty. Thank you

[@Unworshipediety]

I really like the work put into these videos as they cause me to watch them from start to end, eager to gather up all the information.

[@markdodak2198]

I like your videos. They are very insightful

[@WitandFolly]

thank you so much 🙌🏻💗

[@leolunacoolj]

This video is one of my favorite takes on TROS. I hope more people find your channel.

[@WitandFolly]

thank you!

[@writingref]

More people need to see this. Im so glad someone else finally made a video from the standpoint of Campbell Wayward Jedi - if you ever saw any of his videos - was the only other one At time of the last jedi, i was so sure the myth would come full circle and all the haters of episode 8 would understand Rey and Anakin were part of the same circle generated by the “Whills” of the force. But alas... disney did not trust its audience when they had a temper tantrum

[@XanderKarr]

Your editing is top notch! Subbed

[@Fi_Sci_]

TROS didn’t leave too huge of an impact on me, all I asked of it was to be a fulfilling conclusion to Arguably the least captivating story in the entire Saga, which is putting it mildly considering how disjointed it seemed in certain areas with its storytelling, but that’s mostly the fault of Disney for putting Star Wars in the hands of more than one directors vision, as a result. I don’t hate the sequels, in fact I admire some of the ideas and characters like Kylo Ren they had created, but unfortunately when compared to an original George Lucas Star Wars Story, *_There was room for improvement._* And unfortunately despite the fact I left the theater if TROS satisfied, that does not mean it was the noblest ending of a Story told for generations, and I wish that weren’t the case because I really did like The Sequels but in the end it felt as if there was still more to the story, but not enough time to tell it. Had TROS been given 3 hours like Avengers Endgame was, perhaps TROS could’ve been given a more fair chance, rather then what we arguably received as Two movies crammed into a tight space, one to fix Last Jedi’s “problems,” and the other an actual effort to make a conclusion to a story full of characters we try to connect with but they never share enough screen time with each other to do so.

[@olgaradulovic7684]

THANK YOU so much for speaking for all of us who saw TROS for what it is - a morally corrupt, spiritually empty narrative and I'm using the term 'narrative' very loosely here. I honestly never saw anything so disgusting like TROS in my entire life.

[@olgaradulovic7684]

I watched it in its entirety now. WOW. WOW. An amazing analysis... and a heartbreaking conclusion.

[@CleverlyCoCo]

Perfectly articulates why I felt so empty at the end. Great job!

[@cindym3278]

This is so beautiful. Thank you so much for expressing all my feelings and frustrations with TroS so eloquently and passionately.

[@OldRepublicPodcastORP]

HOPE is essential. LOVE is essential. MYTH is essential.

[@BRONZALiVE]

How I think it should have ended... Ben gets to live and Rey convinces him to go with her to the resistance, but as they arrive we see Ben doesn't feel right like he doesn't belong, they both get out and Finn and Poe meet up and see Ben and Rey, they immediately react and try to attack then Rey stops Finn from attacking, she says hes not the same person, and Ben says sorry to Finn for all he has done to him, and they have a moment of forgiveness, then Rey thinks Ben is coming when he says to Rey that he can't go, its not his place he doesn't belong there, then Rey gets all emotional and tries to persuade him, but then he tells her that hell always be around, but right now hes going away for along time, so he departs in his Tie fighter and Rey, Finn, and Poe all look off and epic music plays while we see a shot of Ben face from within the ship, and thats the last we see of him, and the next scene is Rey burrying the saber, and so fourth. I think this ending would've been a bit better, its open-ended which isnt a bad thing cause Ben Solo was the best character to come out of this trilogy, and it would be cool like 15 years down the line to see what he's doing while Rey has her jedi order, or maybe its the end of that, but when Rey is training her students she could tell them stories about the last Skywalker and how he rose to greatness but no one has heard of him in a long time, I just hate that in every star wars film, when someone is redeemed they have to die, Like that happened with Vader, but I really wanted Ben to live and to just leave it open-ended, its still got all the closure it needs, but it will feel a bit more rewarding knowing that Ben did not just turn back to the light but he got to live, but the sad part is he decided he didnt belong with Rey and the others and he went away himself.

[@vanessa-b]

This is phenomenal, thank you for this!

[@stephen6279]

But by Rey saying she's a Skywalker, yes, the blood line is done, but not the name, so there could still be more skywalker stories later.

[@vernonmullen]

Bravo.

[@clintmontgomery5108]

Your right on all accounts... except for your thoughts on the fandom. This is exactly what we have bin saying all along. That Disney’s discussion to go the monamyth route instead of completing the hero’s journey was the biggest mistake they could have done. It was Luke’s Right and responsible to return with the Knowledge he learned to better the Galaxy... and instead Disney decided to use him as the fallen hero after he had already succeeded. It is totally out of order and out of place but necessary to make the Monomyth fit in the Star Wars universe.

[@WitandFolly]

the comments on fandom are in reaction to how the reylo fandom has been treated

[@emmachristmas1641]

I am fascinated by this video. I love what you have to say. I'd love to watch a video analysis on Trollhunters ;)

[@BrachioInGen]

I would honestly and truly love to know your thoughts on what steps and stories should have been taken and further, have you read the original Ep 9 treatment and your interpretations of it!!

[@lonehunter4213]

Great Work ..... There will never be any Love for Disney Star Wars 7 8 and 9 from me...............

[@molliethomas2585]

Well, it's official. As an American I fucking hate our monomyth. Fingers crossed that LucasFilm pulls its head out of its ass and sees that this isn't what we want. BRING BACK BEN SOLO!!!!!!!!

[@gonzalogonzalez2585]

This video is truly amazing. It alone made me subscribe. Thank you, for this!

[@1998rks]

TROS cheapened Star Wars for me.

[@TheHobbyistMagic]

Your analysis is insightful and masterful. I'm excited to watch more from you!

[@blancadsalazar]

Beautiful!!! 💓

[@isaachiggs1925]

Hmm... I'll have to watch the series again to see exactly what effect this has. This probably won't make anyone feel better, but there is an interesting use of different kinds of Hero's Journeys throughout the nine films. The prequals are a tragedy, the originals are a Hero's Journey, and the sequels are an American Hero's Journey. So you have this transition from grief and horror to something incomplete but optimistic to something fantastical... Seen in this light, Stare Wars as a whole has a very pessimistic message. The ultimate victory is inapplicable and the more applicable story is incomplete, so what we're left with is the tragedy. You can expect real life to leave you lying on the ground next to some lava with three of your limbs chopped off, in other words.

[@zoetropeguardian]

Although I disagree with you a couple of times like about how the process in which Star Wars was made under George had no plan there was something very thoughtful and thought provoking about the rest of what you said. It's certainly a big part of what's missing from Star Wars these days. Star Wars ended for me with Return of the Jedi but I also think about what if George had finished his story. His plan for the Sequels had Leia (the feminine in myth) restore Balance of the Force. Her daughter was also going to be the main character of the last generation. Based off of George's patterns and what he said of Luke passing on in his Episode IX after training and restoring the Jedi Order I think it can be inferred the daughter would be the new Grand Jedi Master. So in essence the story was always leading to the feminine bringing balance back to the galaxy back from the darkness after Padme gave away democracy in TPM and Anakin destroying the Jedi in ROTS. We also would've seen the Whills and found out the story behind Anakin's origins. Seeing creation really brings the mythological tradition of Star Wars full circle. If you want to learn more about George's process I highly recommend Jonathan Rinzler's Making Of books. You may also like the video on here called Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed. The latter is a great look at the mythology George drew on for Star Wars as a lot of it goes beyond only Joseph Campbell. Oh and do check out Rick Worley's video essay about the Whills. It's a great insight into the myth of how George planned to connect things too. The short story is George cancelled the Sequels in part because of his divorce and decided to combine some of the ideas for what he planned for them in ROTJ. Then later the fan backlash for the Prequels I think took a toll on him because as late as 1999 in a BBC special Rick McCallum and Steven Spielberg talked about George's process for the Prequels being part of the plan for the Sequels. It was also mentioned to be a saga about the family. Then of course in 2011 he started working again and developing ideas based off of original ideas like with the previous trilogies. He changed his mind until the very end and decided to sell as he wanted to raise his daughter and do other things with his life like starting a museum. Ulimately, thank you for a great video essay. I really enjoyed it. Including what you said about The Last Jedi. It's one of those films that I go back and forth on depending on the day. Sometimes I do appreciate it but other days I can't get there at all. I think it will always be like that for me but I do appreciate your thoughts as it gives me something to think about on the good days I have with it.

[@Desimcd]

Ya the ending was so bleak in a time where we are feeling a lack of hope I think we needed more of a sweeter ending to start the next adventure

[@kingnewbs]

Thanks for making this.

[@L333ize]

Glad I discovered your channel

[@CameronKiesser]

Should have a seizure warning for those flashes.

[@djalpargata]

I really liked the work put on this. Just got a little Trippy/convulsiony at near the end with the background flashing colours over black with dim letters had to look away a couple times. But continued listening. THUMBS UP kind reviewer. Thumbs regardless.

[@WitandFolly]

one of those things that looked great in the editor and not so good after upload. i've learned :)

[@shanezellow]

What a lovely video. Thank you.

[@NicholasKiersey]

Excellent