Ubalblog

[  Mood: Cool ]
[  Currently: Eating Breakfast ]
So as I was crashing around the kitchen this morning, I actually looked down and registered that I had put on my "Joss Whedon is My Master Now" T-Shirt, which made me think of my "Han Shot First" T-Shirt.

Now this got me off onto my stream of rant about that change in Episode IV. I ran through the fact that Han is a black hat. He is a good man that has been turned bad by life. He is a survivor, as the scene shows. And in the Jungian archetypes that Lucas admits he based the whole story one, that fits.

To me, Episode IV is far more about the redemption of Han by Luke, and not in a slashy way, than it is about anything else. It is Han’s friendship with Luke that redeems him, making him willing to risk his own skin at the end, and not go pay off Jabba, to save Luke. It is not, as some people would have you believe, the love of a good woman.

This friendship further pulls him into the rebellion, making him stay longer, and sets up the whole bounty hunter thing for Episode V. It is also the friendship that allows Han to finally become a good enough human being that Leia would give him the time of day.

Then the thought crossed my mind that the redemption of Han is really a dress rehearsal for the redemption of Anakin. That through Han’s conversion, Luke learns that he can save people, and so he is willing to risk it on his father.

No, I didn’t do this whole thing out loud in the kitchen to the audience of the cat. It was in my head. But I thought I should write it down. I do believe there is a PhD thesis in Film Studies here somewhere. Maybe someday when I am old and grey. Or maybe not.

P.S. Interestingly enough, as I was looking for the links for the T-Shirts, I came across this page, where "Han Shot First" has become their rallying cry.