On paper, this first scene in the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy has most of the elements fans have come to expect from this franchise: a lot of action, a little humor, and a high-stakes struggle between a handful of rebels and a powerful galactic empire. Why, then, do we say this scene is proof that the franchise was doomed? For one thing, the man that Poe is speaking to is never identified onscreen, something made that much more confusing by his acting like an old family friend while talking to Kylo.
Sure, it’s always good to see Max von Sydow onscreen, but this scene introduces a frequent Sequel Trilogy problem: empty dialogue meant to sound mysterious and new characters shoehorned in without any explanation. Yes, this character (Lor San Tekka, if you’re curious) gets fleshed out in later books, but we shouldn’t have to pay more and do our own homework just to figure out crucial plot details like this. Even the character’s death reveals narrative problems because we are meant to feel bad for the death of an “old friend” style character despite never even learning anything about who he is.