The Star Wars franchise has a long-standing history of bringing characters back into the fold once we’ve thought we’ve seen the last of them. To paraphrase from Indiana Jones (another Lucasfilm character), they’re like bad pennies; they always turn up. Sometimes, a character’s return makes sense. A prime example of where Disney has done right is with Saw Gerrera. Forrest Whittaker’s appearance in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was appropriate. So too is the gap-filling in Gerrera’s back story with his appearance in Rebels and now The Bad Batch. Other times, characters’ returns just feel…. Forced. Take, for example, Amilyn (Vice Admiral) Holdo.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi was the most divisive film of the franchise, courtesy in part to some of its characters. Hollywood stalwart Laura Dern suffered the same fate as Kelly Marie Tran; a talented actress saddled with a poorly written character. The Vice Admiral Holdo storyline was perhaps one of the worst of Episode VIII. Her nonsensical decision not to share the evacuation plan with Poe left fans scratching their heads… which in turn drove a strong dislike for the character. So why bring her back now?
Holdo returns to Star Wars, but why?
The character makes her return in the latest Star Wars series from Marvel Comics. It’s a bit part, admittedly, in which she informs Leia that Han Solo is still frozen in carbonite an up for auction among the crime syndicates. (The current comic series takes place between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. It focusses on Luke and Leia’s search for Solo.) Was a Holdo cameo appearance necessary? Not in the least. And for many fans it’s more likely to make them cringe rather than feel the intended, nostalgic connection to The Last Jedi.
Don’t get me wrong, I love seeing characters return… if the situation is right. Ahsoka Tano and Bo-Katan Kryze returning in The Mandalorian? Fantastic. The Martez sisters appearing in The Bad Batch, to the contrary? Many didn’t care for them the first time around, like Holdo. Sometimes it’s just not necessary, even if it’s a beloved original trilogy character returning in The Rise of Skywalker (Wedge Antilles).
There is a ton more Star Wars content coming from Disney and Co. Let’s hope when characters return (and you know they will), it’s at the right time and for the right reasons.
Source: Inside the Magic
