ST How much did the main characters change in TLJ ?

Call it character arcs or whatever , Johnson has spoke about how in his writing process he tried to put each of them through the wringer as is typical of a second act and is of course key to a drama .

But what about TLJ how much do you think they changed or grew ?

Luke has an arc , he obviously comes back to believing in hope again etc.

But what of the others ?

 

Kylo Ren got even more frustrated..

 

Kylo has accepted his dark path and isn't looking back. Rey learned that heroes can disappoint and is going to revive the Jedi Order for a new age. Luke returned to his RoTJ self and came to peace with himself in the end. Leia has failed with her Resistance, accepted that Ben Solo is gone and is now going to show the survivors how to Rebel. Poe made some big time mistakes and will be more cool headed. Finn learned that it's not about fighting to destroy what you hate, but to protect what you love. Rose suffered loss and also learned that heroes can disappoint.

 

The characters became more resolute in their paths but not much changed as far as the direction they were headed.

 

I guess this will do:

https://starwarsanalysis.com/character-growth-in-the-last-jedi-hero-version/

 

I think the only characters with serious character arcs were Kylo Ren and Poe Dameron.

Ren had by far the best arc because it was vital that he did become more resolute after how conflicted he was in TFA. Seeing him do what Anakin couldn't by killing his master (even if I ****ing hate how much context that left us without) was satisfying. Leaving the mask behind and showing that he's not pretending at being a villain anymore was also a smart idea. With this trilogy I've tried to stop thinking about X character will always beat Y character and accepted anyone can kill anyone in the right situation.

Poe obviously learned that sometimes it's better to run away and cut your losses. Not every battle can be a victory. The mutiny was perhaps a bit too far but if he really is going to become the leader of the resistance then it's an important lesson. Hopefully this will pay off in Episode IX at some point.

Finn honestly didn't do much. A lot of the time he was relying on Rose, BB8 or DJ. I suppose he finally decided that he wanted to fight for the Resistance but honestly I think he should have been there by the end of TFA anyway. It didn't help that his counter part only had two minutes of screen time and then died instantly. I would have liked more between Finn and Phasma.

Rey went down in my books a little. It should have been obvious that Kylo Ren had chosen the dark side in spite of the conflict within himself. She just saw him murder Han and now she's attacking Luke because he tells her Luke attacked him? Really? But much like Finn, Rey didn't actually do a whole lot this film so I'm hoping I can just ignore it and she will carry on developing in Episode IX.

I've already made my feelings about Luke abundantly clear so I'll leave him out of this post.

 

FINN
Finn started as a guy who was mostly in this for Rey and only Rey. He met a guy who's mantra was don't join. Something he previously had considered. When it ends he's moved past Rey as his primary motivation. She's one of many now and he's part of the Resistence.

POE
Poe was the best pilot in the fleet but he was more of a player/coach than an actual leader/coach. He expected everyone else could fly as well as him and do the things he could do and that made him a lousy leader. He showed a rebellious side we'd seen briefly under torture in TFA extend to him organizing a mutiny because of what he felt was cowardice. Leia teaches him about fight vs flight and that wars aren't won with one or the other but both. He also learns not to judge a book by its cover when someone he may have associated as an artsy elitist visually makes one of the bravest sacrifices of all in Holdo. He finishes by ordering his suicide mission off, knowing it will result in more loss of life than help the cause.

REY
Rey begins TLJ on one heck of a roll. She's been able to convince people of her viewpoints and been able to combine her Jakku fighting techniques -- where she had to scrap and claw for meals and likely her living quarters -- with the Force to become a formidable fighter. However, along the way she displayed real naivete and an never-ending hope and trust that seemed ripe for exploit. And it is exploited by Snoke and Ben Solo. Where she'd been able to convince Finn to stay and (in her mind) Luke to train her, and seen Ben Solo kill Snoke in a vision that proved as real as Luke on the island did... she was unable to Ben Solo. This is a wakeup call to her about trust and how strengths, when over-confident, can be turned against you. The hero usually faces setbacks in act 2 and this was hers.

KYLO REN
Kylo Ren began humiliated and with Hux smiling at him like a brother who'd just been told by father that he was his favorite. He found someone he truly connects with and admires in Rey and this has changed him and inspired him. He uses this to kill his demeaning boss, take control of the First Order and punish Hux. And Rey has become his new weakness. He finally hears the apology from Luke Skywalker he never thought he'd hear and is stunned by the incredible Force power of the light.

ROSE
Rose starts out feeling like she's barely part of the resistence and behind the scenes, fixing equipment, and turning in defectors and goes on an adventure, gets to ride one of her favorite animals in the galaxy, and free them, and turn the head of the male hero she could barely talk around when she first met him.

LUKE
Luke begins in isolation and content to live out his days off the land. He's always been a pacifist right down to throwing his saber aside in front of the Emperor. He wasn't into the Jedi to become a ruthless killing machine. He was in it to find purpose and he's lost that purpose. He feels guilty over what happened with Ben Solo but he's not sure how to process that guilt. Instead of working on the issue below his nose he's day dreaming off to the horizon and thinking about the Order as a whole and how it's the Order's fault for all of the things that have happened. To make matters worse, he knows people see him as a hero and mythical-like figure and he feels like a fraud. Through conversations with Rey he realizes that while his own perception of the events that lead to the destruction of the temple were already bad enough that he'd felt guilty... Ben Solo's account was even worse. And even if it wasn't true... Luke realized it's possible he felt those emotions in that moment. This lesson about perception of conflicts was really interesting to me and it seems that it helped Luke on the path to enlightenment but he still had more growth ahead. Yoda reminds him that he's falling back into old habits and weaknesses and eliminates the block from his mind by figuratively cutting off the leash that Luke thought was the heart of his problems: The Order itself. Knowing full well that Rey has taken the Jedi texts to learn from, Yoda channels the tremendous Force connection of the island into lightening and burns the tree down as though to say, "Are all your problems fixed now? No, well that's because they're inside you. As they have been before." Yoda helps him realize also that teachers (and parents to a certain extent) can only teach their children so much and that they eventually move on. Luke is renewed and finds balance within himself and becomes stronger with the Force. He decides that there is value in being the spark to a new generation of freedom fighters and does so not with an onslaught of death. Through total mastery of the Force and a display of defence being the best offence... he inspires the resistence to keep fighting while reminding his former apprentice that he is on the wrong path because of how powerful the Light can be when mastered. He also gets to say what he wants to to Leia and Ben and then becomes one with the Force the way all great masters do.

Those are the main characters anyway.

 

I'd argue that Rose also got to save Finn from self sacrifice whereas she wasn't in a position to do that for her sister.

 

Good point. Very true. In fact, I've edited my Rose section here above now (bolded) because you've inspired me more.