Many questions have arisen after The Force Awakens hit theaters last Thursday. Many little details (some would call them plot holes) were left unsaid and unacknowledged. This is fine. Star Wars thrives on asking fans to take things in good faith either to be explained later through EU materials or some other way. However, if you are absolutely clamoring for more details, then you should go ahead and take a look at The Force Awakens’ novelization.
Again, because I guess we can’t be too careful, here be spoilers. If spoilers you wish to avoid, turn back now you do, yes. Hmm.
No, seriously. If you haven’t watched (or read) The Force Awakens, turn the hell away.
According to The Daily Dot’s incredible list, there are plenty of plot points that are expanded upon, providing context, detail, and more than a little fanfic fodder. What was once just a background element in the film–the Resistance official on that doomed planet in the Hosnian system, how the hell R2 wakes up–is spelled out in black and white.
It’s important to note that the novelization is based on a somewhat earlier version of the script, so it’s possible there are discrepancies. There’s one noted difference (how Kylo felt after killing Han), but even then, it’s subtle and could still hold true.
While I am excited to know at least one reason for R2-D2’s awakening (see how that works), I’m mostly intrigued by the description of Rey’s inner dialogue the moment she defeats Kylo Ren. According to the novelization, she hears a voice telling her to kill Kylo that said:
Kill him, a voice inside her head said. It was amorphous, unidentifiable, raw. Pure vengeful emotion. So easy, she told herself. So quick.
As The Daily Dot’s Eric Geller points out, that pull to take the easy path and kill is something all practitioners of the Force experience–that’s the Dark Side attempting to seduce people. Watching that scene in the theater, you can perhaps see just a momentary flicker of temptation pass through Rey’s eyes, but that’s something that isn’t called to attention. It just happens. No dialogue needed to happen in the film because it did such a great job of showing, not telling.
But with that being said, it’s still so intriguing to think that this voice just seems to manifest in a lot of Jedi and Sith folk. It casts a nice parallel to all the other moments of temptation, and really gives Rey’s awakening journey a nice benchmark.
That or I’m just a bit of a Jedi/Force nerd. Probably both.
You should definitely check out the full list over on The Daily Dot for all the other intriguing details that the film doesn’t expand on. At the very least, you’ve got argument fodder for backing up your Rey x Poe ship or Kylo’s hope for redemption.
Go on, then. Nerd out!
—Please make note of The Mary Sue’s general comment policy.—
Do you follow The Mary Sue on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, & Google +?
Published: Dec 22, 2015 10:48 am