> Also, the Empire was always modeled after fascist Nazi Germany, even down to the black, white, red colors, and storm-trooper terminology.
Yes but it was also explicitly an allegory for the US in the Vietnam War. George Lucas stated as much in an interview.
> betrayal of Luke and Yoda
I'm still not sure what you see as betrayal. You seem upset with the decision to torch the sacred texts and I admit that was at least a bit heavy handed for what it was trying to do but it's hardly a betrayal. Disney had already wiped out the Extended Universe with the first movie so that can't be what colors your perception at this point.
There's nothing in the other two trilogies to suggest that Yoda would be deeply invested in the Jedi texts. If anything, his most important lesson for Luke is that he is afraid to fall for the Dark Side. TLJ simply revisits this fear as something he didn't fully overcome and that led to Ben's transformation into Kylo Ren. It doesn't portray Ben in a sympathetic light here either, he was already a flawed student and burdened by his own insecurities and shortcomings so Luke merely gave him an excuse to choose the Dark Side - and we're shown conflicting retellings of those events anyway with both retellings being clearly motivated and unreliable.
TFA set up Luke to have failed because there was clearly no big Jedi Academy in his hermitage and if he trained new Jedi before he must have had some reason to have stopped. TLJ gave him a motivation to retreat: his fear had never left him and by losing his nephew and best friend's son to the Dark Side over it, he chose to retreat to avoid causing more harm.
TLJ also gave Luke a full redemption arc. The destruction of the sacred texts symbolically throws off the shackles of dogma that he upheld in his training of new Jedi but that ultimately turned out to be inadequate to overcome his and Ben's own flaws. This establishes that Rey's Jedi training will be different and have to be a strengthening of her character rather than her discipline or abilities. Luke then sacrifices himself not only to help her and the other rebels escape but also to overcome Kylo Ren not with superior power but with compassion and intellect. He plays Kylo Ren's fury and desire for revenge like a fiddle and demonstrates its futility and impotence.
The prequel trilogy overindulged in the "pew pew lasers and swordfights" aspect of the setting the original trilogy provided, TLJ went back to the characters and the meaning behind their actions. It's kinda ironic you keep saying TLJ betrayed the characters because for all I can see it's the first new movie that takes the characters seriously and goes more than just skin deep.
You’re over analyzing the movie. It’s not nearly as profound or well thought out as you imply.
The sequel trilogy folks even admitted that they winged it and didn’t consult each other, on purpose. Resulting in a conflicted mess.
The direct take is that the epitome of hope character—who never gave up on anyone—is changed to an angry milk-drinking murderer who’s main plot point is giving up on family. In the most condescending way, at that.
The author didn’t understand or respect the character. Hamill agreed.
That you are not editing posts down to make a coherent point is perhaps a clue why you don’t appreciate ‘economy of story.’ But you should:
“perfection is attained not when there is no longer anything to add, but when there is no longer anything to take away” –Exupéry
Yes but it was also explicitly an allegory for the US in the Vietnam War. George Lucas stated as much in an interview.
> betrayal of Luke and Yoda
I'm still not sure what you see as betrayal. You seem upset with the decision to torch the sacred texts and I admit that was at least a bit heavy handed for what it was trying to do but it's hardly a betrayal. Disney had already wiped out the Extended Universe with the first movie so that can't be what colors your perception at this point.
There's nothing in the other two trilogies to suggest that Yoda would be deeply invested in the Jedi texts. If anything, his most important lesson for Luke is that he is afraid to fall for the Dark Side. TLJ simply revisits this fear as something he didn't fully overcome and that led to Ben's transformation into Kylo Ren. It doesn't portray Ben in a sympathetic light here either, he was already a flawed student and burdened by his own insecurities and shortcomings so Luke merely gave him an excuse to choose the Dark Side - and we're shown conflicting retellings of those events anyway with both retellings being clearly motivated and unreliable.
TFA set up Luke to have failed because there was clearly no big Jedi Academy in his hermitage and if he trained new Jedi before he must have had some reason to have stopped. TLJ gave him a motivation to retreat: his fear had never left him and by losing his nephew and best friend's son to the Dark Side over it, he chose to retreat to avoid causing more harm.
TLJ also gave Luke a full redemption arc. The destruction of the sacred texts symbolically throws off the shackles of dogma that he upheld in his training of new Jedi but that ultimately turned out to be inadequate to overcome his and Ben's own flaws. This establishes that Rey's Jedi training will be different and have to be a strengthening of her character rather than her discipline or abilities. Luke then sacrifices himself not only to help her and the other rebels escape but also to overcome Kylo Ren not with superior power but with compassion and intellect. He plays Kylo Ren's fury and desire for revenge like a fiddle and demonstrates its futility and impotence.
The prequel trilogy overindulged in the "pew pew lasers and swordfights" aspect of the setting the original trilogy provided, TLJ went back to the characters and the meaning behind their actions. It's kinda ironic you keep saying TLJ betrayed the characters because for all I can see it's the first new movie that takes the characters seriously and goes more than just skin deep.