How Star Wars: Last Jedi is about Gender Equality
Despite the fandom being split 50/50 on its merits, The Last Jedi is undoubtedly one of my favorite Star Wars movies.
Pop Culture Detective posted a video today that put into words why I loved the movie so much when I saw it. I remember seeing the twists and turns the movie took me through and leaving the theater exhilarated as my mom snored asleep next to me. (Thanks for going to the theater with me mom).
Star Wars: The Last Jedi isn’t about the all virtuous masculine hero saving the day decisively. No, this movie is about the messiness and fragileness of male masculinity in Luke, Poe, and Finn. Their weaknesses and flaws are put on display as the heroines call them out on their BS attitudes for being cowardly, arrogant, and selfish respectively.
— SPOILERS AHEAD. SKIP IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE MOVIE. —
The movie highlights the flaws of legendary Jedi Master, Luke Skywalker, and in doing so humanizes him. Luke’s story arc puts into forefront how the demons of the Dark Side is never conquered. Luke, despite saving the galaxy multiple times, is plagued by his momentary lapse of judgement.
Driven by fear, Luke almost murders his nephew while he’s sleeping. Ben Solo awoken by the sound of the lightsaber fears for his life as Luke’s green lightsaber glows a foot away from his face. Ben looks up to see a teacher who has failed him. Ben manages to escape, turns to the dark side, changes his name to Kylo Ren, and essentially becomes Darth Vader’s successor. Luke retreats in isolation ashamed of his actions.
Even the great Jedi Master makes mistakes. And the greatest leaders in our own reality makes mistakes too.
When Rey finds Luke broken, she pushes him to confront the Dark Side. She pushes him to confront his failure. Rey literally offers him to stand up and take his lightsaber. Instead, Luke looks away and stays laying down on the rainy steps of the desolate island he is holed up in. Fed up with his weakness, Rey leaves to confront his failure for him.
In the climax of the movie Luke does show up, but only after the majority of the fighting has taken place. Luke is there only to give the Resistance a moment to escape with the help of Rey.
The idea of a women being the leader to stand up and confront the bad guy is counter to conventional pop culture. Luke isn’t the one that ends up having a badass fight scene. It’s Rey.
— SPOILERS DONE. CONTINUE ON. —
Men in this movie become better heroes because their female counterparts challenge them. They learn “to trust women’s ideas and decisions and then becoming better people… because of it… It’s a vital lesson that men need to learn if we are to achieve gender equality.”
The movie is by no means perfect, but I love The Last Jedi for challenging the flawed masculine ideals and the idealistic portrayal of heros in society.
If you disagree. Lets discuss in the comment section after you watch the video below. It goes into more detail on how Poe is mentored by his women superiors and how Finn learns to value a larger cause than his own life.
— MAJOR SPOILERS IN VIDEO BELOW. DEFINITELY DON’T WATCH UNLESS YOU’VE SEEN THE LAST JEDI. —
