Disclaimer - I do not own Star Wars and never will. That goes to Disney...
A long time ago in a galaxy far,
far away. . . .
STAR
WARS
Episode VIII
THE LAST JEDI
Chaos grips the galaxy. Following
the destruction of the
STARKILLER BASE, the First
Order has retreated into the
Unknown Regions to heal their
wounds.
The Resistance has begun the
arduous task of maintaining order
in the galaxy. With the New
Republic destroyed, powerful
factions seek to rule as
the new government.
On the planet Ahch-To, young Rey
has begun to learn the ways of
the Force from the legendary
Luke Skywalker...
A long time ago, I saw "The Last Jedi" in theaters. I was alone when I saw it, so that I could see how I would react to the film by myself before seeing it with a group of friends. When I watched it by myself in that theater for the first time, I did not like what I watched. The film that I watched felt like a film that was passed on just the first draft with little to no changes, hoping to compensate this with moments of humor in places where they didn't need it. But that wasn't the part I found most insulting; what I found insulting was just how disrespectful it was to not just the character of Luke Skywalker, but to the structure of the Saga as a whole by throwing away all our heroes faced in the past, even in "The Force Awakens", just to make room for 'conflict'.
When I saw it again with a friend in January, I only grew more angry at the wasted potential that the film was filled with just to fulfill the director's vision of 'subversion' with themes of disregarding the past that felt out of place and unwarranted in a film like Star Wars. It wanted to be a deconstruction of the Saga, but came across as being insulting and cynical to a series that showed us a monster being redeemed at the end of his life by the love his son had for him, who still believed that there was still hope in him when everyone else didn't. And then to just have that son become everything that he was suppose to be better than, to never give up on those whose souls are tainted by the powers of darkness throw in the towel on everything he, and his family and friends, fought and bled for a great many years ago was just . . . a betrayal.
I wrote the first, and only, chapter of my original draft to try and write a story that would vent my frustrations on the film I watched. After I calmed down, I abandoned the project to work on other things before coming back after watching "The Last Jedi" for the third and last time recently. I'm no longer fueled to write by vitriol and bitter spite, but to write so that I could tell my story on what should've been. A story of hope and betrayal, friends and enemies, love and hate, the light and dark sides of the cosmic Force in a series that I've been in love with since I first saw it as a child many years ago.
And now, with all that out of the way, I hope that you enjoy the story.