Seduced by Reylo

First warning: I can’t seem to break the habit of writing ten-page essays, even four years after leaving college. (I was able to whittle this one down to about seven.)

Second warning: this is a blog post about Reylo. Yes, THAT Reylo. Perhaps the most infamous pairing (“ship”) in the current Star Wars fandom. If you don’t want to hear anything about it, especially anything that tries to deal with it in a fair or positive light, this post is not for you. Come back later when I’m blogging about something else. 

(This is also not the official Valentine’s Day post for this year. Stay tuned.)

One of the most important life lessons I have learned from Star Wars is in this quote from Qui-gon Jinn in The Phantom Menace: “Your focus determines your reality.” This idea is nowhere more real than in fandom. What I focus on as a fan is different from what other people focus on—that is, the way I as a fan perceive certain issues and engage with the content.

Read More: Movie Quote Meditation “Your Focus Determines Your Reality”

This difference in focus between different people is a driving issue in Star Wars, and it was especially defining in the relationship between Kylo Ren/Ben Solo and Rey in the sequel trilogy, as I will explain below. A lot of this post is about stuff from the sequels that caught my attention and how I have tried to make sense of it. 

Disclaimers and Disgust

I want to start by going on the record as saying that I DO NOT approve of Kylo Ren’s evil behavior. At all. I am not one of those people (some of whom are Reylo shippers) who go to lengths to excuse or justify his actions or the tyranny of the First Order. The moral arguments against trying to frame Kylo Ren as “good” as well as Reylo existing are valid.

Read More: Kylo Ren is Actually A Great Villain, Polygon

I also want nothing to do with the toxic behavior that Reylo die-hards AND Reylo haters have engaged in over the last four years. Fans who persecute other fans over shipping preferences, characters, or any given issue are despicable. I make it a point to not emulate that behavior. I do not endorse that behavior. I am not a crusader out to smear any real person who likes Reylo.

The thing about Reylo is I don’t really “ship” Kylo and Rey, or at least I haven’t up until this point. I never wanted to ship them in the first place. I don’t imagine them getting married, or going out dancing, or being cute together, I haven’t given them an imaginary happy ending or a playlist (but as we speak that may be changing). 

Yes, No, Maybe: ‘The Rise of Skywalker’ in Review

I thought the entire premise of the Star Wars sequel trilogy was to be “better” than the Prequels: better dialogue, more practical effects, no “whining” Anakin, and so on. Episodes 7 and 8 managed to reach…some of these goals, but overall episode 9, The Rise of Skywalker—the one that was supposed to tie off the unified “saga”—feels like a step backwards from that premise and from Star Wars as a whole. 

My main grievances are Palpatine “returning” as the main villain, the deaths of one or more main characters, the treatment of the main heroine and villain/antihero, and some moments of tacky dialogue.

I understand that there are people who thought that Revenge of the Sith was a terrible film. Back in the day there may even have been people who thought Return of the Jedi was sub-par. The thing is, The Rise of Skywalker has flaws that are even more appalling and inexcusable than those two films combined.

Fun Facts about December 14 (My Birthday)

An interesting way to spend your birthday week is to look up facts about the history of your birthday. Here are some of my most interesting findings about the day December 14. Some of these things I have known for a while, others are things that I decided to look up out of curiosity for a blog post.

Three Thoughts on ‘The Last Jedi’

*updated*

I saw The Last Jedi twice in theaters. If I had had more time and money I would have gone more. Here are my takeaways based on my own responses to the film and the reactions of other fans. It is not a review, since it’s a little late for that, but just a series of personal reflections.

#1: The First Order is Bad News

Here’s something I’ve been thinking ever since before The Force Awakens came out: if Lucasfilm wants the new “Empire” of the Sequel trilogy to be scary, they’re doing it right.

The Empire may have been cruel, but The First Order is terrifying Is it the throwbacks to Nazi Germany that gives me chills? Yes. But there are two other things that come to mind:

Child torture and brainwashing:

The First Order’s stormtroopers are not concripts, but they are not clone troopers either. They were taken from their parents as infants, raised by the First Order in an environment controlled with military discipline and propaganda. Finn spent his whole life up until TFA as FN-2187.