Why, Joss, WHY?

Joss Whedon and the New Jedi Order: You heartless murderers!
(Cross-posted here.)


Yeah, I know you love it when I combine fandoms, don't you? Now, in case you didn't read the sub-title, here is the disclaimer: this blog contains huge spoilers for both Vector Prime and the movie Serenity. So if you haven't seen Serenity, first off, go buy it and watch it! In any case, here is the warning: if you ever plan to see Serenity any don't want to be spoiled, turn back now. Yes, I realize that I'm probably alienating half of the six people that read my blog, but here we go anyway.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The scene was chaotic. Han, Anakin, and Chewie scrambled to save as many of the people of Sernpidal as they could, racing against time as the planet's moon came closer and closer to the surface. Chewbacca, in a last desperate effort, hoisted a barely conscious Anakin towards the Falcon. Chewie gave Han "a resigned, contented look," and the ground fell away. Han pleaded with Anakin to take the ship back to Chewie as his son flew the Falcon away from the planet, barely keeping it in one piece. And all too soon, Sernipal's moon came crashing down upon Chewbacca, with Han looking on in horror.

I stared at the page, flabbergasted. I went back several paragraphs, as if in denial. Had I read those words correctly? To my horror, I was not mistaken.

And for some reason, I thought of Serenity.

"I am a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar."

All that lay between Malcolm Reynolds and what he needed to broadcast news of the Alliance's atrocity was an entire armada of Alliance vessels. Oh, and he had to worry about the armada of Reaver ships behind him. I dug my nails into my thighs as Wash, the pilot of the transport ship Serenity, took the ship through an obstacle course of Alliance ships, Reaver ships, explosions, and debris. After several near-misses and against impossible odds, Wash manages to get Serenity on the ground. There is a moment of silence, and then --

"I am a leaf on the wind. Watch how I - "

Shock. Disbelief. Horror. Anguish.

Wash's death didn't hit home for me until Kaylee asked where he was. Zoe, maintaining her composure, yet visibly affected, replied "He ain't coming." That's when it sunk in. Wash was dead.

I see many parallels between the deaths of Wash and Chewbacca. There were both completely unexpected. On the surface, they both seemed unnecessary. Wash found himself in the direct path of a Reaver harpoon. Chewie remained on a planet as its moon came crashing down upon the surface. Surely they both could have been in a different place at the time. It seems that both characters were victims of the cruel fates, or to put it more accurately, the whim of their creators and writers. Why were these characters killed off? Were their deaths really necessary?

They were. Wash and Chewie both died for the same reason: to raise the stakes.

Consider the situation for the crew of Serenity as they moved into the climax. Mal was prepared to give his life in order to broadcast the recording, and his crew stood behind him. Wash's death makes the audience believe that no one will survive, that this would be Mal and his crew's last stand against the Alliance. So when Zoe asked the question "Do you really think any of us are gonna get through this?" I didn't think they would. When Mal proclaimed that he was willing to die in order to get the signal through, I was afraid that this act of defiance would actually end up costing him his life. When Simon is shot, I believed it was the end for him. And when River ran back into that room full of Reavers, I was convinced that she was sacrificing herself to save her brother's life.

In the galaxy far, far away, Luke, Han, Leia, Chewbacca, and a slew of other characters had made it through crisis after crisis. But somehow, it wasn't the same anymore. Throughout the original trilogy, they were the always the underdogs. As Han piloted the Falcon from one situation to another, our heroes were always in danger. But twenty-five years later, after defeating Imperial warlords, a few Dark Jedi, and helping the New Republic through another political crisis every week, the characters of Star Wars had become invincible. No matter what kind of danger they were in, we knew they would survive, not because we had faith that they could pull through in the end, but because we knew that Lucasfilm wouldn't let them be killed off.

And then the New Jedi Order came, delivering a terrible shock. A new enemy, more ruthless and deadly than any that we had ever seen, was posing a threat to the galaxy. Even without the shock value of Chewbacca's death, the Yuuzhan Vong are a scary bunch. They are powerful, brutal, and utterly devoted to their cause. And yet, it is still easy to assume that the characters of Star Wars will be victorious in the end, without any significant losses.

Chewbacca's death struck this assumption down in an instant. If Chewbacca, a major movie character, could be killed, no one was safe. In my opinion, this was a brilliant move. As Han realized at the end of Vector Prime, his friends and family aren't invincible. This time, the stakes were higher. With the New Jedi Order, Luke, Han, and Leia became the underdogs again. They were constantly in danger. And most importantly, they were vulnerable. There was no guarantee that they would make it out of this story alive. The heroes may defeat the Yuuzhan Vong in the end, but this time, victory would carry a great price.

Heading towards the climax of Serenity and with the start of the New Jedi Order, the stakes needed to be raised in order to keep the story tense, compelling, and exciting. The deaths of Wash and Chewbacca accomplish this. Suddenly, the characters have to grapple with their grief over the death of a friend. But most importantly, their deaths show that the coming struggle will have a cost, making the audience seriously doubt that the main characters will make it out alive. Of course I was sad to see Wash and Chewie die. But I believe their deaths were necessary in order to continue two great stories and keep them compelling.