ST Your Hopes For Ep. IX

I hope Star Wars hires a Bollywood starlet to be in Episode IX....especially as a dark side apprentice of Kylo Ren.

 

Eg, Dipika Padukone as Kylo's apprentice...

 

Long time lurker and this will be my first post . . .

Just came from my third viewing of VIII and shared these thoughts with three others . . . one said my ideas have some artistic merit and he was very harsh on VIII. The other two were casual fans who weren't really analyzing the film too much.

I agree with earlier notions expressed on these forums that 1) there should be a large time jump and 2) Reylo should be completed in a way which mirrors/subverts the Anakin-Padme romance of the sequels. There's some other things I think but they tend towards being minor.

What has really bothered me about both VII and VIII was the lack of world building (and a third DS in VII). [FWIW, I consider TFA to be 8/10 and TLJ to be 9/10] So, I appear to be in the minority about appreciating the Canto Bight subplot as it enlarged the scope of VIII's plot which to me had scaling issues in part due to a lack of time jump. And really I should not have to read an art book or whatever to understand what is going on on a macro level. It would've taken 1 minute in VII to explain why the New Republic was so limited militarily (a treaty) compared to the FO which you expect to be the underdogs this time around. So, what I am about to propose actually needs to be shown somehow.

Basically, I think there needs to be an overt political message which is different from the endings of either the other trilogies. ROTS was clearly an Irag War protest film. Additionally, if the Alliance wins then that's just a repeat of ROTJ. I propose instead that IX end with the decisive destruction of both the FO and Alliance. This fits in with themes about the Force belonging to no one and the treatment of Kylo Ren as a protagonist in his own right. There is a return to local control of governance in each system as any resultant galactic government is seen as too distant. Reylo can fit into here as a way of showing two people from opposite sides deciding that neither side has a right to control the galaxy and to just forget it all and escape. DJ would also seem to fit in well here but I'm not sure how. And sure bring back Lando but don't kill him to show that not all the OT heroes need to die on screen.

There have been a lot of complaints that the ST is a SJW fanfic. I would say it leans left in general but sometimes not (The FO and Empire are both shown to suppress religious thought). Localism vs. globalism is a current political debate much like the invasion of Iraq in 2005. However, it does not fall so clearly on a left-right scale although in the US right nationalism is predominant. This message in the final film would bring balance to the political bent of the ST based upon the audiences watching it! More seriously, it would fit with 1) not being a rehash 2) fitting in with themes of self-determination in the ST 3) provide symmetry to the Saga at large and 4) puts a potential additional sequel trilogy in a good place to avoid rehashing any of the other trilogies as any Rebel-Empire plot would be less available.

Feel free to tear this apart. I'll respond to even the harshest criticisms.

 

The Last Jedi very much felt like a soft reboot of The Force Awakens, so what we've effectively had so far is two episode 7s, although TLJ was so long, it's kind of like we've gotten an Episode 7.5.

Either way, an Episode 9 presents some challenges because based on the end of 8, then 9 is going to feel like a fresh start in a way. Do you skip far ahead so 9 feels like a stand-alone movie, but one with enough distance from 8 that some interesting things have taken place in between that, when alluded to can serve as the "episode 8" we didn't see on screen?

I think you have to show Rey really growing and changing in 9. That's the key. She didn't change much in TLJ. Poe did that in TLJ, so his character is now solidified for the finale as the leader of the Rebels and Leia's protege. Good stuff there. And without Fisher around, I think he'll have a big role in the film. (hopefully Connix does too)

Finn...Well I don't know what they are doing with his character, really, so he could go either way. But not much as worked out for Finn, except cheap shotting Phasma, but a nice big win for Finn where his plan actually works and saves the day would be great. And maybe JJ does follow through with the Rose romance and that's a subplot in 9 with them getting together under duress like Han & Leia in ESB.

Kylo seems to have made his choice for the dark side, but who knows. He's still so volatile. I want Force Ghost Luke to haunt him at least once. I want JJ to bring Ford back for 1-2 days of work, too. Have Kylo dream about his father, as Luke hinted that he would.

Start Ep 9 with a pan down to the Falcon flying past. We see Han talking to someone, then we see it's Ben Solo in the cockpit next to his father, then we see Kylo killing Han again, and Snoke laughing and then Kylo wakes up in his chambers in a cold sweat...

Maybe Ghost Luke delivers a message from Leia to Kylo in a way. "Your mother always saw the light in you, and Ben she forgives you." And that helps turn Kylo back to the light, but it seems doubtful.

How satisfying is a movie where Rey simply kills Kylo in a duel, and the Rebels finish off the First Order base, and then that's it? I suppose we will find out.

But I think they skip ahead 4-5 years in the timeline, mention Leia's passing in the crawl, have a short funeral scene, and then show Leia as a Force Ghost at the end with Luke, watching the other heroes from afar. Surely they have outtake footage that can be used for a dialog-free ghost appearance. And I think that's respectful. IMO.

 

Welcome. Honored that your first post was in my thread. I agree pretty much. One of the more annoying things in this trilogy is why the first order is where it’s at. I haven’t read the books and comics to know, but we should know of history in the film.

Like how did the empire transition to the first order? Or was the first order taken from the ground up? Also how could the rebels/resistance be in the same spot 30 years later? I mean it’s believable, given the fall of the republic in TFA but no outer rim help in TLJ? I guess the Galaxy really is screwed. But then again we don’t know how big the first order is and how much they really control the Galaxy. I mean they pretty much put all of their marbles to destroy what’s left of a few resistance ships?

 

I've been saying Ben was the protagonist even in TFA this entire time.

 

Luke restores his connection to the force before the confrontation with Rey where he gives the accurate replay of the night the temple was destroyed.

Yoda states that he has missed Luke, it is strongly implied that severing his connection did the same with his relationship with his master and now that it is restored he can once again interact with him.

 

Rey had quite a dramatic change. She went from relying on others for guidance to finding her own way. Instead of following mentors like Luke or Kylo, she realized that she has to make her own choices, be her own person.

That mirror scene in the cave couldn't have been any clearer: in the end, there's only you. Not your parents, not your friends, not your heroes, not your enemies. Others can help you, but in the end, you have to figure out your own life. This is a lesson most of us struggle with as young adults...

 

Not terrible ideas. The problem w/ this IMO is RJ already killed your idea of Hux being the new Thrawn / strategy guy b/c the tactics that he had him employ in the TLJ were so stupid. Fell for the com link gag, OJ slow bronco chase, landed on the salt planet to confront rather then bomb the hell out of them from a distance. He's already screwed as the tactical genius by the horrid script. Again, JMO.

 

I think Episode 9 should quickly get over with so the sole focus can be Anthologies.

Preferrably without destroying any other legacy characters, such as Lando. I fully expect a mention that Wedge gets captured and murdered, though, for spite.

 

Well I've jumped ship on the franchise after this last movie, personally. I have zero interest in any direction they choose to butcher it further in. However, a touching ending would be a slow, dramatic turn of Kylo Ren back to the light side. Maybe he finally ends up with Rey and makes the First Order become a new galactic republic in some way. It wouldn't be without a fight, though. Bring back the Knights of Ren! Have them turn on Kylo as Kylo has a change of heart, or make them integral as the villains somehow. You simply can't be done with them! They're so interesting!

Just...whatever happens... have someone please live in peace in these films! Not everyone HAS to die. I played Trivial Pursuit once, Star Wars Edition, and they said that C3PO and R2 are the only characters who lasted in every episode. Come on now... that's sad.

 

Give me Coruscant and Knights of Ren I'll be happy.

 

I had the idea of a female apprentice of Kylo's too. If the movie skips a couple of years that could work.

 

Must have for a SW movie -- a dark side female apprentice. Especially if it's a sultry dark haired kind. Very under-explored in the movies, tho we see it in TCW and Rebels.

 

At the end of IX, Luke will wake up and realize the entire ST was just a nightmare.

He will then give his wife Mara a good morning kiss and go train some future Jedi in his highly successful and expanding Jedi Order

 

I mostly appreciate your observations, though I've never bought the "lack of world building" argument. It's nonsense in my view.

And I'm trying to be tactful here, but anyone who uses that "SJW" argument is a fool, and should be disregarded.

 

I agree it's nonsense but there should also be consideration given to maximizing the number of audiences without sacrificing artistic integrity. The ending I describe could also be interpreted as anti-colonial-it's political but also ambiguous enough that everyone can just pretend it fits their narrative. Although then again some people are never satisfied.

And more to the point, it's an ending that either of the previous trilogies lacked. I really don't want some ending where Rey kills Kylo and the Alliance gains control of the galaxy.

 

I think a time jump would give space to address a lot of these types of problems.

 

I think they should hire me writing the script for the episode IX. I know some don't like A Last Jedi that much but I would make everything work. There would be some surprises I can tell you!

 

Like Jar Jar being a reincarnated Tarkin?

 

Man having Thrawn or that type of character would have been epic. Would make me feel better about the first order being a threat and not a joke. Hux not his father intimidated me in the slightest.

 

I hope Snoke stays dead, as it would ruin Kylo's "grand moment" in TLJ. I'm not saying it's a no-go for me, but they have to be really smart about how they handle it, so it doesn't feel like a cheap attempt at raising the stakes. In relation to this, I hope General Hux finally gets to shine as a somewhat capable villain. Kylo Ren started to act the part of a "big bad" in TLJ, now we just need Hux to do the same... perhaps by almost succesfully killing the new would-be Supreme Leader? I certainly would love to see that play out as a solid subplot!

I also hope Luke play's a healthy part in Episode IX... if only because Mark Hamill's performance was so awesome, it left me wanting more!

 

You've got a good point, but in this case I'd say to simply make Hux into a genius, consistency be damned. The whole thing is a trainwreck, so some desperate measures are needed. To bring in another First Order military leader would be too jarring imho. We've gotta work with what we have. However I can understand if you view this differently.

 

I almost think the movie (saga) should end with a bit of an short epilogue where we see R2 and 3PO separated from the group off on their own (blasted into an escape pod or something), recalling the crazy adventure they just had. Something like that.