Solo: a radical reading

cover the logo “the Empire Strikes Back” emblazoned. I wonder how many payments my mother made to SM Shoemart to acquire that.

Every Star Wars movie that Disney churns out therefore attracts an audience of forty- something men. Almost of them would have father issues just like the protagonist of the series had that the franchise milked to the hilt. This could explain the attraction and the success of the franchise, perhaps to a certain extent. A lot of men with troubled father-son relationships could relate to their family patriarchs coming from the dark side and most could only wish for the same kind of regretful redemption at the end of the first three installments of the film.

Since then, the celluloid universe that George Lucas invented with the Star Wars franchise had since branched out from this simple tale of good and evil and family progeny to prequels and sequels pushing the narrative arcs to new story-telling terrains. In a previous review, I have expressed frustration over how the franchise mimicked the local telenovelas in using family progeny to explain the origins and transfer of the fabled Jedi powers. Coupled with the question of who is Luke’s father was the issue of who gets to inherit the mind tricks and superhuman strength as if it were private property passed from a patriarch to an heir. I was almost tempted to move over to the dark side because of this, noting that the first order was more modern and actually had clear socialist goals.

I am relieved that last year’s installment “The Last Jedi” (2017) elides this tired issue altogether with the female character Rey, acquiring the fabled Jedi powers from sheer force of will and strength of character. Finally, the Jedi magic is not some family heirloom to be passed around by patriarchs to their male sons. This appears to be so until the next movie unravels and reveals anew explanatory answers to the complex celluloid Star Wars universe.

So what does the latest installment “Solo” (2018) offer amidst the increasing number of Star Wars movies, a safe bet is that there would be one every year? A lot actually. It provides a very essential explanation on the basis of the allied rebellion or the “resistance,” a revelation of the political economy that fuels the whole Star Wars franchise, all the while, entertaining us with