ST Star Wars: Legacy of the Force (A proposed arc to the Sequel Trilogy)

"There is no death, there is the force." -Jedi Code

Here’s my long-winded idea for the perfect arc to the ST. Ties up arcs from the prequels , gives Anakin a worthy legacy in a IX episode arc, all while retaining the mysticism of the force. This isn’t strictly speculation as much as it is a mind dump of what I would like to see. Look for the TL;DRs if you want to save some time.

Disclaimer: In this idealized plot, I'm subscribing to 4 theories (Snoke=Plagueis, Finn=Force sensitive, Rey = Luke's daughter, and Rey goes dark-"ish"). The first 2 aren't strictly necessary and can be worked around, but if mention of these theories is unbearable, you've been warned).

1) What’s the point?

A. Star wars is the Skywalker family generational saga and the main characters will have a familial connection to the Skywalker clan. The point of the sequel trilogy specifically is to flesh out the nature of the force. This is a continuation of the “balance to the force” idea that was originally tossed around dring the prequels​

B. This continued theme is supported explicitly in the TFA novelization (the prologue excerpts the Journal of the Whills which foretells a “resolving of the gray” [referring to the force].​

C. **TL;DR The ideal use of the force relies on both light and dark sides of the force.** ​

2) Characters and their motivations

A. Kylo Ren: desires to finish what his grandfather (Vader started). Some think this to mean to elimination of the Jedi. I would contend that Vader’s ultimate goal was to have the power over life and death. Preventing the death of Padme was the tipping point for his turn to the dark side. Ep’s VIII/IX are fertile ground to explore why Kylo may want power over life and death​

i. I suspect that his motivations fundamentally stem from a desire to to good. Perhaps someone close to him died. Perhaps as a child, he was particularly sensitive to suffering and death. ​

ii. Snoke twisted his motivations ala Palpatine and caused him to turn. Of course, this is all part of Snoke's plan to use Kylo Ren for his own motives (explained below).​

iii. Adding believeability: Perhaps Kylo thinks that through power over life and death, he could bring back loved ones. It's easy to see how this mindset could drive Ben Solo to increasingly rationalize killing others to further his goals, spiraling into darkness. Killing becomes trivial if you can bring people back.​

iv. **TL;DR Kylo REN wants immortality (what greater power can there be) and/or to save life/resurrect the dead. He has to sacrifice his soul to do it.**​

C. Snoke: I like the idea of Snoke is Plagueis for really only one reason. Plagueis, for all intents and purposes is dead, physically killed by his apprentice, Palpatine. What does he seek? Resurrection. It’s a plain and simple premise​

i. The catch? Sith, being purely dark side wielders cannot manfest as force ghosts​

ii. Some powerful light-side users, like Obi-Wan, Yoda, and Co. can manifest from the netherwold of the force as ghosts. The catch? They have no real physical impact on the living world.​

iii. OTOH, Sith are incredibly attached to the corporeal world; they fear death. In several now Legends stories, the most powerful sith could channel the dark side to remain alive, even as their bodies decayed. In the canon, Vader used the dark side to remain alive after his inuries on Mustafar. While alive, they would ironically be diminished in power, stature, etc. They are alive, but not semi-omniscient and omnipresent force ghosts who are "more powerful than you could possibly imagine"​

iv. Snoke/Plagueis realizes that the path to physical/spiritual immortality lies at the perfect interface of light and dark. If he could access the serenity of mind epitomized by a light side user, with the emotion and corporeal attachment of a dark side user, he could theoretically manifest as a physical force ghost.​

v. What does he need? It’s answered in the TFA novelization: KYLO REN, the perfect combination of light and dark. I suspect that his plan could simply be to push Kylo to that perfect balance. He needs an exceptionally strong force user (eg a Skywalker) to do it. ​

D. **TL;DR Snoke means to occupy the body of a powerful combined light/dark force user to resurrect himself**​

E. Rey: I suspect that Rey’s attachment to family and her fear of abandonment will bring her to the razors edge between light and dark. This can be teased out in more or less 1-2 ways​

3) So what would happen

A. EPISODE VIII - The Knights of Ren: Rey and Kylo are trained in their respective disciplines. Kylo masters the dark side under Snoke, while Rey achieves some mastery of the light under Luke. They are forced into confrontation by FO attack that includes the surviving knights of Ren, during which Kylo gains the upper hand. I think the movie's much talked about darkness would have to stem from (2) things: a character death in a addition to a favorite character's fall from grace. The character to die would have to be popular and have a character arc that is relatively complete. This is probably Poe Dameron, who is essentially a flawless hero from the start of TFA. As for the so-called fall from grace? Look no further than our favorite scavenger (more below).​

B. The Switch: The alignment ambiguity of our protagonist and antagonist was teased repeatedly in TFA ​

i. Kylo’s “pull to the light”, his being weakened by Han’s murder in the novelization​

ii. Rey’s anger/hate being instrumental to defeating Kylo in their 1st duel​

iii. Kylo will be unable to kill Rey, despite defeating her. He cannot deny his pull to the light. So Snoke abandons/betrays Kylo. Here Kylo, no longer a knight of Ren, begins his redemptive arc.​

iv. Rey goes dark, or at least begins her fall, becoming a KNIGHT OF REN. NOW SHE WILL ATTEMPT TO FINISH WHAT VADER STARTED. Here are some possibilities as to why: Rey’s mother was killed by the KOR. Kylo was involved. Rey is seeking revenge. OR Luke has somehow mislead Rey or not given her the whole truth, either about her nature, or Luke’s involvement in her abandonment. Rey’s flirtation with the darkside will be driven by rage. ​

v. **TL;DR: By the end of Episode VIII, Kylo turns away from the dark side. However, Rey’s motivations will lean toward a more dark side path. Dare I say to achieve mastery of death? Perhaps to bring her family/mother back from death or if they are alive, save them from death. Or more simply, she wants to end Snoke and will do anything to make this happen**​

4) The climax - Episode IX: Legacy of the Jedi > This is where Snoke will attempt to resurrect himself. What’s changed? Kylo has been tossed aside. He will use Rey as his vessel.

A. Setting: I think a literal approach to the final confrontation would make for an exciting setting. ​

B. When I think of the literal/physical manifestation of a light dark boundary, the one sci-fi element that fits this idea best, simultaneously captures the audience's imagination, and is the ultimate unknown? A BLACK HOLE. Outside the black hole you have Yoda’s “crude matter”, the corporeal world. Beyond the event horizon, corporeal matter is destroyed. Only the force remains.​

C. TL;DR A Black hole is a sci-fi friendly metaphor for the interface of light and dark, of the living force & cosmic netherworld of the force, where a certain villain could cross from the spiritual to the physical realm.​

D. In fact we already have one such place in the Star Wars legendarium for this final confrontation: THE MAW, a cluster of black holes (in Legends, this cluster is where/how Han made his famous 12 parsec Kessel run).​

E. We also get a fantastic setting for a space battle as Resistance/Republic forces, lead by none other than Leia, clash with the FO forces gathered around Snoke, all amidst the light/space distorting spectacle of multiple black holes (Imagine the visuals from Interstellar, but on a larger scale).​

5) Resolution

A. Finn and Luke attempt to both reach Rey to save her soul while simultaneously trying to stop Snoke. ​

B. Mainly through Finn, Rey is brought back from her complete fall to the dark. ​

C. Snoke is defeated, either a physical conflict of some sort or a spiritual defeat b/c he no longer has a powerful vessel to occupy​

D. Unfortunately ,our climax happened at an event horizon. **** happens. Things blow up. I think that our heroes will end up hopelessly falling to their doom, despite their victory.​

E. THE SACRIFICE: Whatever ship/station they are fighting on blows up as it is torn apart by the black hole’s tidal forces. Luke does something nobody has seen before. He uses force stasis on an unprecedented scale, holding the explosion around our protagonists. He will use the last of his life energy, becoming one with the force as he holds the explosion and pushes Rey/Finn to safety. ​

i. Rey: {weeping as she is gently pushed away} “Please! Don’t go!” (repeating her words on Jakku as a 5yo girl)​

ii. Luke: {shining w/ almost pure light} “*I* will be with you…always” a nice reference to Obi-wan’s line in ANH, but with a more familial twist.​

iii. {swelling variation on the force theme}​

F. Leia will see this explosion and it will seem all hope is lost…until she senses Rey and Finn’s presences in the force. For the very first time, we will see Leia actively use the force to pull our heroes, now floating unconscious in the vacuum of space. She will then be joined by none other than Kylo Ren. Mother and Son saving our heroes together. ​

G. Kylo will have a heart to heart conversation with Leia, but he will not stay. Rather, he will become a gray jedi and wanderer, seeking to atone for his crimes.​

H. Rey and Finn are seen reigniting the jedi in a new and more balanced order of force users.​

I. THE TWIST: Rey, Leia, Finn, and Kylo can still feel Luke’s presence. The Jedi grandmaster himself manifests in a new way the fans have never seen before, achieving what Snoke could not. The key? His light-sided harmony with the force and simultaneously, his attachment to and love for his family, most importantly his one daughter: Rey​

J. END CREDITS

 

"Here's my long winded idea"


Might want to work on the sales pitch.


Or, to be more constructive; everyone here is really into Star Wars and have our ideas about where it should go, but you'll get more response and people engaging more if you discuss your ideas separately in relevant threads - to be blunt about it, there's no good reason for anyone to invest time in weighing up your unified theory rather than anyone else's. Just join in on threads saying interesting stuff and you'll get people interested

 

Yes, that's basically the takeaway here. Most of the topics addressed in that opening post are being discussed separately here in various threads already. A lot of what is said above could be interesting and have value when discussed in those relevant threads, but it doesn't really foster discussion here when it's presented as a new thread and is all summarized together in one long "this is everything I think will happen in the rest of the ST" presentation.

By all means, create a new thread if there really isn't an existing one that makes sense for discussion of a specific facet of your ideas... but this thread as it stands won't foster much discussion, or worse yet it could pull it away from more specific threads where others' ideas are being discussed too. So I'm going to lock this.