So true; there was so much potential to explore a conflicted character struggling to balance his past with his rejection of the ideals he was indoctrinated into since childhood; the struggle with adjusting to being a 'civilian' and then deciding to join the 'rebellion'. But it went totally unexplored. As you point out, after the first 20 minutes his backstory didn't even seem to matter to his character. He acted like a college prep boy, not an indoctrinated child soldier, and he oddly seemed to think killing his former colleagues who he knows went through the same indoctrination was a perfectly okay thing to do and had no hesitation or moral conflict. He acted like killing them was scoring a goal (or touchdown).
Then it got even worse when Rey entered his life because then he became a buffoonish character that had a pathetic unrequited crush (like something out of a middle school boy) with Rey and was the butt of every joke.
At that point why even bother with the backstory? it literally has no impact on his personality or character, it only serves to have him have some plot moving knowledge (almost akin to a deus ex machina).
So bad; and yet again one of the many (many) flaws that was started with the failures of TFA. I am still baffled that anyone even defends that film. How can they still not see what terribly underdeveloped and shaky premises TFA started the new trilogy with. Even if they can say it was mindless joy ride that they had fun with, once their brains turned back on (by TLJ release) they should known what a disaster of a plot they were dealing with.
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