The Rise of Skywalker: a odd ending to a disjointed sequel trilogy

The final episode of the sequel trilogy was released on December 20, 2019. Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker was an anticipated movie as fans hoped that the questions left open in The Force Awakens (2015) and The Last Jedi (2017) would be answered and bring a satisfying ending to the sequel trilogy. Unfortunately, there is very little about Rise of Skywalker I enjoyed. After watching the film, not once, not twice but three times. I can see why so many fans were disgusted with this film. The sequel trilogy was too rushed. All three films were released in four years when the original and prequel trilogies were released in six years. So, for this review, I will discuss the problems I saw with Rise of Skywalker and the sequel trilogy. I also have a few thoughts about what it is to be a Star Wars fan now.

There is no cohesiveness in the sequel trilogy. From The Force Awakens (2015), to The Last Jedi (2017) to Rise of Skywalker (2019), there is no real center to the trilogy. There is no central villain as The Last Jedi saw Snoke killed off and Rise of Skywalker brought back Emperor Palpatine who was not mentioned in the first two films. The only connectedness to this trilogy is the reappearance of the main characters: Rey, Finn, Poe and Kylo Ren/Ben Solo. The original trilogy, Episodes IV-VI, had the fight against Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine. The prequel trilogy, Episodes I-III, had the rise of Palpatine to emperor as well as the development of Darth Vader from Anakin Skywalker. There was an overall arc that connected the actions and events in the trilogies that are missing the sequel trilogy. The overall story of the sequel trilogy feels like they brainstormed ideas and decided to just add it all. There were too many writers with too many ideas, and they didn’t know how, or wanted to, to edit it down. Between the three movies, there are seven different writers with the only overlap with JJ Abrams co-writing The Force Awakens and Rise of Skywalker.

Second, there are just too many questions left unanswered. There are questions about Kylo Ren/Ben Solo. How does Kylo Ren become a good guy so quickly and so completely? From my reading on fan theories and comments, the sequel trilogy could be about Ben Solo’s internal struggle between his heroic and villainous natures which is a good idea but the movie doesn't do the idea justice. His return to the Light Side is so sudden and left unexplained in Rise of Skywalker. What does he do to redeem himself? Darth Vader saved Luke from Palpatine, what did Ben do? There are questions about the Emperor. How did Emperor come back to life? How and when did Palpatine have a son? As his personal life is left unmentioned in the prequel trilogy, this revelation seems to come out of left field. Other questions include: Who were the Knights of Ren? They are mentioned throughout the trilogy; however, they aren’t really seen until Rise of Skywalker and even that sequence was a let down to some fans. Also, what exactly is a Force dyad? Who was Snoke and how did he become Supreme Leader? One question I was most interested in learning was how did Maz Kanata get Luke’s original lightsaber? How was it retrieved from Cloud City? It would have been an interesting story to hear. It was raised in The Force Awakens as Maz says “A good question - for another time.” However, we may never hear it now. These are just some of the questions fans have asked. A quick search on the internet would find so much more.

Before Disney acquired the Star Wars, fans were ridiculed and mocked for being fans. Suddenly, now that it’s a Disney brand, its cool and hip to be a Star Wars fan. According to these new fans, a true fan cannot dislike a Star Wars film or have any criticisms about it. To be a fan now means you must like everything about the franchise. Since when can’t a fan be critical of a franchise he or she likes? Why can’t he or she point something out that doesn’t fit? Unfortunately, it is a trend I am seeing in more and more fandoms than just Star Wars. I have seen some fans hate something simply because it didn’t follow what they had thought should happen. Disliking something without evidence is just being spiteful. However, when legitimate arguments are made, the only counterargument I’ve heard is “well, they aren’t true fans then.” That’s not an argument, that’s being childish. I do want to acknowledge the toxic “fans” who openly threatened and bullied some of the actors from the films on social media, especially actress Kelly Marie Tran who played Rose Tico. That behavior is completely uncalled for and equally childish. While the character was not my favorite, it is not the actress’s fault that she was given horrible dialogue in a horrible story. Even if she did a horrible job acting, that is no reason to threaten or bully someone.

In conclusion, the sequel trilogy is like a great start to a new book which leaves you disappointed. The opening chapter set the scene to an exciting adventure. But as you read, doubt and confusion sets in. Rise of Skywalker is the last chapter of a very confusing and disjointed story. There were too many holes left in the plot. Too many questions left unanswered. Everything, including the kitchen sink, was thrown in as fan service, or just plain because they wanted to, which left a laughable and cringeworthy movie. If you have seen The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, I recommend you check out Rise of Skywalker. If you happen to like it, that’s fine. The sequel trilogy, unfortunately, is not a trilogy I will be watching again and again like I do with the original and prequel trilogies. It is unfortunate since the trilogy started strong.

I was Hungry: a real look at the American hunger crisis

I was Hungry: Cultivating Common Ground to End an American Crisis by Jeremy K. Everett is a deep look into the American hunger crisis in which millions of Americans go without food daily. Most of the hunger crisis is due to food insecurity, the lack of access to enough healthy food to live a healthy lifestyle, in which inadequate food is experienced episodically. For example, the food supply is fine for a family at the beginning of the month but soon runs out before the month is over. Everett confronts what we know about the food crisis in America as many families must face the decision whether to buy food or pay bills with food usually loses. Poverty is an extremely complex issue. He claims that Americans often think the poor are just lazy people who are looking for a handout. Everett puts forth that many of Americans that suffer from food insecurity are working families who are underemployed, having jobs that do not pay enough to cover all expenses. However, Everett doesn’t just point out the problem and say deal with it. He offers a plan, from his own experiences, on how we can come together as a nation to end hunger in America. He highlights where plans have succeeded and where plans have failed and how they could be improved.

I was Hungry is an interesting read with statistics I have heard before. Roughly 39.7 million Americans live in poverty with 12.9 million children living in food insecure households. He is critical of all politicians, church leaders and Americans who seem to be more content to bicker. He says, “Our political system has become toxic, with both sides preferring to cast stones at the other rather than coming together to find common ground for the common good.” While I agree with him that something needs to be done, unfortunately, not everyone agrees. He claims that the image of the “Welfare Queen” is a myth and while many people on SNAP food stamps are working families, the myth exists because there are examples in the real world. He also claims that the “pulling yourself up by your bootstraps” is a myth as well because it “does not apply to people who cannot afford boots.” More and more, the news media is carrying stories of the very people he is describing doing just that. They go from homeless to Harvard. Students who live and go to school in disadvantage areas are getting full ride scholarships to very prestigious schools. These students may be the exception; but to call it a “myth” when there are examples out there is shortsighted. Everett does come off, at times, as condescending and self-righteous at times, which he acknowledges, so I applaud that, he does presents a very real problem in our nation and offers real solutions and how we can come together as a community and a nation. I highly recommend I was Hungry.

I was Hungry:

Cultivating Common Ground to End an American Crisis

is available in hardcover, paperback and eBook.

Presidential Candidate Review: Hillary Clinton

As part of my political review for this election year, I will be review each of the presidential candidate. I will present a brief bio followed by reasons why I would and would not vote for each candidate. Today I will be reviewing Hillary Clinton:

Hillary Diane (nee Rodham) Clinton was born October 26, 1947 in Chicago, Illinois to Hugh and Dorothy (nee Howell) Rodham. She received her Bachelors of Arts from Wellesley College in political science in 1969 and her Juris Doctor degree from Yale University in 1973. She married William Jefferson Clinton on October 11, 1975 and has one daughter, Chelsea, born February 27, 1980. Hillary was first lady of Arkansas from 1979-1981 and 1983-1992. She was the first lady of the United States from 1993-2001. She was a US Senator of New York from 2001-2009. And she was the 67^th US Secretary of State from 2009-2013. As with Donald Trump, everyone is familiar with Hillary Clinton since she has been on the national stage for close to thirty years. I will briefly touch on a few of her views on the issues.

On the social issues, she support same-sex marriage and a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. She supports limitations on the second amendment including bans on assault weapons. Mrs. Clinton would like to see Obamacare expanded with a public option. She opposes school vouchers but supports charter schools. She supports the Common Core standards. She claims to be personally pro-life but is politically pro-choice with support for partial birth abortions. With economic issues, she supports inclusive capitalism. She wants to rescind the tax reliefs and other benefits for companies that move jobs overseas as well as impose an exit tax for companies which move headquarters overseas. She wants to provide incentives for companies that share profits with employees, communities and the environment. She currently opposed (although previously supported) the Trans-Pacific Partnership. She supports equal pay for equal work. She supports the scientific consensus on climate change and opposes the Keystone XL Pipeline.

The reason why I would vote for Clinton is I do agree with her on some of the issues. There should be equal pay between men and women who are doing the same job. There should be a better road to citizenship. I agree with her that the Keystone XL Pipeline is a bad idea. However, there are more issues that I do not agree with her. The reason why I would not vote for Clinton is I simply do not trust her (to be fair, I don’t truly trust any elected official).  She has been caught in lie after lie after lie. Instead of admitting her mistake, which I would respect more than fault her for the mistake, she lies again. She has lied about the big, important things like her email server, Benghazi. She has even been caught in a lie about a small issue like why her name is spelt with two Ls instead of the traditional one. The list goes on and on. Many have sited one reason to not vote for Clinton is due to a due a rape case. The internet has been buzzing about her defense of a child rapist. In 1975, she was appointed to defend this man, which according to my research, she did so reluctantly. She worked the case as diligently as she should have. In this country, everyone is entitled to a defense even those who are guilty.  She didn’t assert that the accuser made the story up. Other witnesses and even a child psychologist made that claim. Finally, Clinton didn’t get him off. The defendant, Thomas Alfred Taylor, agreed to a plea deal. He pled guilty and was sentenced to five years. Interview in the 1980s, she is on tape discussing the case. She does chuckle when talking about this case, however, I don’t see it as chuckling that she got a guilty man off (because he didn’t get off), I think it was a chuckle of nerves. However, the audio is very difficult to hear clearly, according to some reports.

Overall, I think Hillary Clinton has been proven she cannot be trusted with our country. She has been involved in scandal after scandal. The real estate scandal Whitewater in late 1970s and came to light in 1990s. To Benghazi cover-up in 2012 and the deleted emails of recent events. She has said that she wasn’t aware that anything marked with a “C” meant it was confidential. From what I have seen, she has ran her campaign on why Trump is dangerous for our country with little on how she is the better choice. I would have rather heard her stance on the issues than bashing Trump and his past sins. I don’t fault her, or anyone, for changing her opinions or stance on the issues. Opinions can change over time. I fault her for lying. I fault her for thinking the American people as stupid or can’t handle the truth. Unfortunately, I believe this is the mentality of many government officials so she isn’t alone in that aspect. As I’ve said before, this election will be more closely thought about, prayed over and weighed than any other election before. 

Presidential Candidate Review: Donald Trump

As part of my political review for this election year, I will be review each of the presidential candidate. I will present a brief bio followed by a brief overview of his or her stance on the issues and reasons why I would and would not vote for each candidate. Today I will be reviewing Donald Trump:

Donald John Trump was born June 14, 1946 in Queens, New York to Fred and Mary Anne (nee MacLeod) Trump. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1968. He took control of his father’s real estate and construction firm in 1971 and renamed it “The Trump Organization.” Everyone is familiar with Mr. Trump. He has lived a life of luxury and often showed it off in television shows like Entertainment Tonight and Inside Edition. In the 90s and 00s, he had a popular reality show, The Apprentice, where he’d utter his famous line, “You’re fired.” In June 2015, he announced his candidacy for president and received the Republican Party nomination in July 2016. He is controversial to say the least.

His stance on the social issues is wide. He is pro-life with exceptions for rape, incest and the health of the mother. He opposes legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. He feels that same-sex marriage should be left up to the states. Trump supports a broad interpretation of the 2^nd Amendment and opposed to gun control in general. He supports fixing the federal background checks by adding criminal and mental health records to the system. He opposes legalizing recreational marijuana but supports medical marijuana. For economic issues, he has called for the reduction of the corporate tax rate and the elimination of various business loopholes and deduction. Trump favors repealing the Affordable Care Act and replacing it with a different free market system. He also supports upgrading the Veterans Affairs facilities and getting rid of the backlogs and waitlists affecting the veterans. Trump supports school choice and local control for primary and secondary schools. He opposes the Common Core State Standards Initiative. He has pledged to cancel the Paris Climate Agreement which he claims treats the United States unfairly and favors countries like China in reductions of carbon emissions. The biggest issue Trump has talked about is immigration. Everyone is well aware he has proposed to build a wall on the US-Mexican border and plans to deport approximately 11 million illegal immigrants. Although in August 2016, he has hinted he has softened his position on the deportation. He now wants to focus on deportation for criminals, those with expired visas and other security threats.

I take issue with his campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again,” what America is he referring to? The America where if you weren’t a WASP, you weren’t considered important enough. The America where your country of origin, your religion, and your language mattered if you found a job, livable housing or even receive the other basics of life. The America where women didn’t have a voice except through their fathers and later their husbands. The America where children were forced to work in horrible conditions for little wages and no education. However, Trump isn’t the first one to use the phrase. Bill Clinton made the same statement of Making America great again in 1991, 1992 and in 2008 during Hillary’s US Senate campaign. Ronald Reagan also used the phrase in his 1980 presidential campaign. So a better slogan “Making American great for our future.”

I searched online to see what people were saying their reasons to vote for Trump. Some of the reasons were seriously laughable and I realized that I had to really think why I would vote for Trump. The main reason why I would vote for Donald Trump is he is the anti-politician. He isn’t the career politician that we are used to. Many supporters are tired of the status quo which had gotten our country nowhere. So much so that people are willing to radically vote for someone who is willing to challenge the status quo. If he can or will is another story. He is brash and in your face. He tells it like he sees it and doesn’t beat around the bush. However, the main reason why I would not vote for Donald Trump is he is vulgar and condescending. I don’t see him being respectful in a diplomatic situation. He’s a very toxic person. Another reason why I would not vote for Trump is he is thinned-skinned and vengeful. I don’t trust him as President especially with foreign leaders. I’m all for transparency; however I do not like Trump’s brand of candor. I will support someone who means what he says; however, I will not support someone who doesn’t do so calmly and respectfully. To do so without demeaning others is a quality of leadership.

Overall, I agree with his stance on some of the issues. I agree that the way things have been done is no longer working and this country needs a radical change. However, I don’t agree with all his proposals to implement those changes. My main concern about Mr. Trump is his personality and the way he behaves in the public arena. This is the man we truly want to represent us as the United States of America? I’m not sure. Is he the lesser of two evils? I’m not sure. What I am sure about is I will put more thought, consideration and prayer into my vote for president than I have in previous elections.