*** WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD ***
Meanwhile, it is Ben Solo that stands at the center of the more interesting reflection on hope. Remember that Star Wars has always been a story about a family. Leia's "last spark of hope" in the eventual victory of the Resistance/Rebellion is really a reflection of the last spark of hope she holds for her son. Thus, the incredibly dark ending of the movie, when there is barely a final spark left, is not just about the dire state of the war against the First Order, but about the fact that, by this time in the story, we have seen two tragically failed attempts to reclaim him from the dark side. And this really makes sense. While Kylo Ren is not as menacing and strong of a villain as Vader was (and that's supposed to be part of the point), he is certainly as shiver-inducingly evil, if not more so. In fact, while he may not have been the villain some fans wanted from a sequel trilogy, it makes him a very interesting next step in the story. He is determined not to "fall away" from the dark side the way his grandfather finally did. What finally broke Vader? His love for his son. That is the beauty of Leia's response to Han, in "The Force Awakens," when he tries to pass off the job of reclaiming Ben on Luke: "Luke's a Jedi; you're his father." Luke was not able to reclaim Vader because he was now a Jedi. He was able to do it because he was his son. Ben realizes that, and he is determined to rid himself of the "weakness" that finally became his grandfather's "downfall." Thus, while the story does seem to allude to definite tension between father and son, this is not about daddy issues. He didn't murder his father because he hated him. He did it because he loved him (which is why it's sad that his motivation seems to be a little watered down in this film). That is the depth of his sickness. Yet, that same love truly is the "weakness" that remains as the last spark of hope for him. He meant what he said that he needed Han's help to kill him. He could not do it on his own, but had to take advantage of that spark of hope that was fueling Han's love, as he laid his life on the line for his son and for the woman he loved. For the same reason, when he was alone in a cockpit, he could not bring himself to fire the shot that might have killed his mother. That final spark of hope remains, leaving us to wonder whether there could be any actual truth to Rey's claim, when she finally leaves Luke, that Ben must be their last hope.
And that takes us to the biggest controversy of all: the portrayal of Luke in this movie. This may be a very unpopular opinion, but that is one of the parts of this movie that I thought was more well done than the rest. ***ducking to avoid flying vegetables or rocks*** First of all, the portrayal of the very dark place Luke is in, at this his final hour, is not unrealistic. It's just not what (many) fans wanted. Well, to that, I can only say (with love), get over it. The irony is that the strong backlash to Luke's portrayal proves part of Johnson's apparent point. It is proof that many fans have idealized Luke into this legend who couldn't possibly be in this dark place near the end. Well, this idealization fails to recall what Luke was actually like in the original trilogy. He was whiny, impulsive, and overly emotional. It was not his unbreakable strength or wisdom or added maturity that made him the hero of "Return of the Jedi". It was his love and his childlike faith that there must still be good in his father. The beauty of his return to Endor as the hero, at the end, is that he didn't go there to kill the Emperor or win the war. He went in to save one soul. And in the process, his lack of control over his emotions was almost the end of him multiple times. Part of the reason he proves Yoda wrong is, not only because his father's final destiny is not "forever dominated" by the dark side, but because he himself (according to the rules Yoda has taught him about the light and dark) falls down the dark path a few times in that throne room battle. So, the character traits he has demonstrated over the years make it quite likely that, in the end, after a failure that cuts him so deep, he could mask his despair in now more sophisticated sounding whining. That is totally Luke Skywalker with Rey on that island. We just don't like to see him that way. I get that. I didn't like it, per se, either. But, it becomes a very interesting "final chapter" for him.
So, what is it that really cuts him so deep? The irony is that all of the silly philosophical, religious critique he launches into is just a distraction. It reminds me a bit of the moment in the dialogue with the Samaritan Woman at the Well (John 4), when Jesus starts talking about her own personal sin and brokenness and she responds by quickly redirecting the conversation to external matters of rules for worship. Yet, Rey eventually unveils the truth, during the "lesson" about failure, that the real issue is about his failure with his nephew. Yet, an important part of that pain is clearly about how he failed his sister, who entrusted her own son to him. It is most interesting how both Han and Luke are profoundly motivated by their love for Leia in their final episodes (just as them discovering their respective loves for her was crucial to the original trilogy). The story has always been about the love within the Skywalker family. Thus, with all this emotion involved, the impulsive fear response he describes when he realized the depth of Ben's darkness is not unbelievable. But, it is just that: impulsive fear. It was not a clear and decisive act. But, it could not be undone. It reminds me a bit of the story behind the martyrdom of Saint Thomas Beckett, whose murder was unintentionally ordered by his friend, King Henry II. He was speaking out of pure emotional impulse, without any decisive intent to order his friend's death. But, it could not be undone. There is definitely some truth to Yoda's insistence that failure is a powerful teacher. Luke's failure is meant to teach us all not to allow ourselves to be ruled by our emotions, as he so often is. This final failure to control his emotions (which was always a battle for him) shows us just how disastrous the result can be, even if we would not have necessarily followed through. And so this story about "the last spark of hope" was not just about hope for redeeming the villain, but about hope for redeeming the one with whom Leia identifies the spark itself, who now finds himself at the lowest point of his life. And his final "redemption" is very interesting indeed. But, some spark of hope is finally reignited in him, which is enough to prompt him to go, not only to help the rebels escape, but to relight that spark of hope in his sister. His dialogue with Ben in the process of the showdown is most interesting and we will see whether it amounts to any seeds planted for the future. But, it is interesting to see how Rey was instrumental in forcing him to deal with the source of his despair, his inability to reconcile with his own failure. With the help of a final appearance from his old mentor, the spark is reignited (with the not-so-subtle symbol of a tree set ablaze).
Truly, this was not the story many of us wanted, but it does become an interesting tale about the last spark of hope for the Skywalker family and for the galaxy. In both Ben and Luke, we see how love is both what leads to their downfall, in different senses for each, and what holds the hope for their redemption. Love indeed is a "weakness." It makes us vulnerable. It leads us to change and even to lay down our lives. And it also renews our lives. It is the full extent of our strength. It is the last spark of hope. And it is not snuffed out.