On paper, the opening scene of the Star Wars sequel trilogy contains most of the elements fans have come to expect from the series: action packed, a little humor, and a dangerous battle between a small group of rebels and the powerful Galactic Empire. So why is this scene proof that the series is doomed? For one, the man Poe is talking to is never revealed on screen, which makes it even more confusing as he acts like an old family friend while talking to Kylo.
Of course, it’s always nice to see Max von Sydow on screen, but this scene presents a common problem with the sequel trilogy: empty dialogue meant to create an air of mystery, and a new character shoved in without explanation. Sure, this character (Lor San Tekka, if you’re interested) is explored in more detail in later books, but we shouldn’t have to pay more to find out for ourselves just to understand such a crucial plot detail. Even the death of a character exposes a story problem, because we’re meant to sympathize with the death of a character like an “old friend,” but we’re never told who that person was.
