A Thousand Stars: Episode V, Part 19
Oct. 2nd, 2025 03:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
matrilBack on the Falcon, everyone's cranky and trying to repair the clunky old ship. This shot gives us a sense of the cramped space Leia is working in, almost as if the camera had to be tucked into a corner just to catch a glimpse of her. Curiously, the next shot is angled from below. Han looks kind of hesitant, almost meek as he peeks in on Leia's work.
Now, perhaps, we'll come to a controversial opinion. Han's behavior in this scene could be interpreted as creepy or even coercive. Leia tells him repeatedly to back off, and he doesn't. He moves closer, engages in more un-requested physical contact, and essentially backs her into a wall until he cuts off her last protest with a kiss.
However...I don't actually think Han is a creep. I think this sort of 'putting up a protest but she secretly wants it' is a common trope in storytelling that hadn't undergone much scrutiny at the time this film was made, and has only more recently been called into question as problematic. Meaning, I don't think Han was intended to come across as creepy. We all know that Leia has feelings for him and keeps stubbornly denying them till she lets her guard down. When the shot pulls back, it's obvious that she's reciprocating, not fighting or frozen. We can understand things about characters that don't necessarily work in real life. In real life, no means no and only an enthusiastic yes means yes. And that's enough moralizing about consent for today.
Meanwhile, the scene is interrupted by a delightfully oblivious Threepio, who thinks that Han's sarcastic thanks is entirely genuine. And we get a truly pained look from Han when he realizes that Leia has fled. There's a lot of deep feelings going on here, but they're really lousy at sharing them.
Next time, the face of evil...
Now, perhaps, we'll come to a controversial opinion. Han's behavior in this scene could be interpreted as creepy or even coercive. Leia tells him repeatedly to back off, and he doesn't. He moves closer, engages in more un-requested physical contact, and essentially backs her into a wall until he cuts off her last protest with a kiss.
However...I don't actually think Han is a creep. I think this sort of 'putting up a protest but she secretly wants it' is a common trope in storytelling that hadn't undergone much scrutiny at the time this film was made, and has only more recently been called into question as problematic. Meaning, I don't think Han was intended to come across as creepy. We all know that Leia has feelings for him and keeps stubbornly denying them till she lets her guard down. When the shot pulls back, it's obvious that she's reciprocating, not fighting or frozen. We can understand things about characters that don't necessarily work in real life. In real life, no means no and only an enthusiastic yes means yes. And that's enough moralizing about consent for today.
Meanwhile, the scene is interrupted by a delightfully oblivious Threepio, who thinks that Han's sarcastic thanks is entirely genuine. And we get a truly pained look from Han when he realizes that Leia has fled. There's a lot of deep feelings going on here, but they're really lousy at sharing them.
Next time, the face of evil...
