ST Episode IX Story Discussion

Some big developments coming out of the weekend from Making Star Wars and similarly connected leakers. Let’s try to put the pieces together here for at least the Sidious/Rey/Kylo Ren McGuffin developments which appear to be the main spine of episode IX. There will be subplots throughout, though less than we’ve seen previously, as a result of the heroes all being together.

Act 1
Without much time to spare, and the plethora of lead-in materials available, J.J. will try to hit the ground running and tell us a lot about the current state of things while driving the narrative at the same time.

Within a scene or two I expect a full continuation of where Rian Johnson last left things in VIII. Only the year later. Rey has slammed the door on Kylo Ren and is changed by the incidents of VIII and less interested in anything related to Kylo Ren beyond defeating him and his military. Luke has found peace and purpose and believes the pros of the Jedi teachings outweigh the cons and is a bigger part of Rey’s life now. Finn & Rose have grown into a couple off screen. The heroes are still enormously outgunned and undermanned and Kylo Ren continues to rule the galaxy and thinks about Rey far more than she is thinking of him.

Act 1 inciting incident
We know that both sides are in a mad dash toward various McGuffins so the only logical conclusion for such a setup is the perception that both see this hunt as game-changing for their sides. My best guess at this point is intel is gathered by the Resistance indicating that Kylo Ren’s Knights have returned and have been searching for something that will ensure his rule indefinitely and have found a clue. The Resistance, already facing long odds, wants to know what that is and wants to stop it or get it before he does. My guess as well is that the language around this will present it more as a weapon or object of power initially rather than what it ultimately ends up being. As we know the hunt evolves. So, the inciting incident becomes the belief that if the heroes can’t stop the villains from getting this object of power all will be lost and that if the heroes can get it perhaps it can turn the tide. Think the drama of the McGuffin hunt for the infinity stones if wondering about an example. Or the holy grail. Or the ark for more Indiana Jones-style examples. There may also be something to the first search point that triggers something in one of the Resistance members to believe that they have an idea of what they might be after which ends up being incorrect but gives them hope.

Meanwhile, at the same time some important character work will update us on dynamics here as well. Perhaps Rey isn’t part of this first briefing because we see her training with Luke to show her progress and that these two have been working together. Similarly, we might see a kiss from Finn to Rose near her command center to establish that those two are now a couple.

We spend time with Kylo and the antagonists and see the McGuffin Hunt more from his perspective. Perhaps he was aware Snoke was looking for this. Perhaps Snoke sent the Knights of Ren back and they have an update. Decent opportunity for some much desired exposition here. It’s here where we also realize Kylo remains obsessed with Rey far more than she is him. Perhaps he confides to the Vader helmet. Perhaps it’s established as though he is having a full convo win the helmet to set up here he’s losing his grip and the twist later that it was in fact Sidious communicating with him and pretending to be his grandfather later. These Vader mask talks could be the counter for the Rey & Luke talks as the story switches between sides.

We also see Matt Smith in some of the McGuffin settings as Sidious’s mysterious Acolyte from time to time to show Sidious own preparations before the audience truly knows what’s up. Imagine this cloaked figure in black in various scenes we see later being one step ahead.

Act 1 climax
The heroes beat the antagonists to the first McGuffin site and Kylo Ren sees Rey and her friends with his own eyes for the first time since the events of VIII and realizes that they’re after the same thing. There’s likely a moment where Rey & Kylo lock eyes before she uses a new power that impresses him and the audience and perhaps a counter by the Knights of Ren to show off their skill. There’s perhaps a casualty or two here by a couple minor Resistance characters to show the stakes and establish the Knights as powerful in a similar way. Heroes get away. Kylo can’t determine the next clue. He converses with his mask. The mask tells him to seek out an Oracle.

The heroes decipher the next clue and arrive at the swamp planet and are caught by Naomi Ackie’s group and asked why they’re sneaking around this planet. They share some info and become allies.

Kylo Ren and his knights arrive on the swamp planet, too, and he tells them to wait while he speaks to the Oracle.

The Oracle gets into his feelings with Rey and helps him to realize the next clue which is actually on the same planet he’s already on.

With the help of the new allies, who know the planet’s key geographical features, the heroes have also figured out the next clue but are behind now. They arrive to see Kylo and the Knights getting the next McGuffin. Which is something that leads to the eventual Wayfinder.

Here Naomi Ackie’s character is shown to be impressive in battle and likely catches the eye of Finn for her combat talent. Later they realize they’re siblings separated by the FO child program. There’s a battle here and the new allies take more casualties but the FO is more interested in the next clue so they leave a snall crew to finish off this group and realize the talent of the heroes who win this battle and are able to explore the same location where Kylo acquired the next McGuffin and realize that they might be able to find the next location from what remains in the space even without it based on something C3PO recalls from the ROTS era. This leads them to the Tantive. The villains meanwhile end up back on Mustafar to see the alien who reforges Kylo Ren’s mask because they can’t get past some kind of gateway without that done to add some fantasy elements to it all and give the Knights some much needed lore that ties back to ancient times.

Act 2 revelations and climaxes

This is the point where J.J. will want those who don’t spoil things for themselves to feel like hope is lost and to wonder how the heroes can possibly overcome the obstacles they’re now facing.

Kylo Ren and the Knights find the Sith Troopers snd Allegiant General Pryde with a fleet of red bad ass looking Destroyers that have Death Star tech.

Rey and the heroes come to the droid planet and Rey meets Zorri and Lando. Where more of her past comes to light and rocks her world and brings out dark side anger we haven’t seen from her before. There will be more of her story saved for later but the first glimpses are here.

Info from the droid factory brings the heroes down to Pasana. Allegiant General Pryde informs Kylo Ren that there are even more gifts from the old Emperor awaiting for him on Pasana. He begins working with General Hux to exile Kylo Ren and the Knights for the Emperor himself and the two of them as leaders. Hux accepts.

He arrives there with his knights and the new Sith Troopers and the General tells him to use the Wayfinder and he does. The sand moves and an underground layer opens full of droids and a hologram of Sidious greeting Snoke and his Knights of Ren indicating that he had foreseen the rise of his Order in visions and was preparing for it long ago. After some fun villainous grandstanding and exposition Sidious indicates that his latest clone army was even more talented than the last and executes Order 67. Hux laughs with Pryde as they watch from afar as the Sith Troopers then turn on Kylo Ren and the Knights but their combined power is formidable and they escape just as the heroes are arriving to see this play out.

Sith Troopers spot the heroes and begin fighting them as well and through this large battle we see the Knights and heroes pushing back against the Sith Trooper threat collectively. Matt Smith’s character joins General Pryde to focusing more on the final phase of the Emperor’s grand plan. His return to destroy the Jedi once and for all and the Skywalker family and bring the Sith back. They jump to Endor’s moon toward the Death Star 2’s wreckage and the heroes and Knights continue their battle versus the remaining Sith Troopers until they’re all dead.

Rey attacks Kylo as things wind down and everyone watches their incredible talents. Meanwhile to them the backgrounds shift to Star Wars past and they talk about what’s happened between them and Rey asks why he lied about her past. He tells her he wanted her to join him on the dark side. He asks how she knew and she tells him her true lineage and it shocks him and he thinks it’s impossible.

The heroes and villains then briefly discuss this development and this new threat but Rey doesn’t trust Kylo Ren at all any longer and the possible uneasy alliance fractures quickly with both sides leaving and making their way to the Death Star site vastly outnumbered by the combined might of the Sith Trooper army and ships and the FO who are all heading there.

Act 3
Everything combines there at the Death Star site as the Acolyte allows himself to become possessed by Sidious and brings Sidious back. Rey’s past and her connection to the Skywalker family all reach fever pitch here. Then comes the happier endings for everyone.

 

@Ender_and_Bean, I think you are on to something but I think there are some holes filled in a bit since we received the last trailer.

1. IMO the massive fleet of ISDs is, or at least is part of, what Kylo/The Knights of Ren and the Resistance are looking for. IMO they are all trying to get this mysterious fleet and use it to win the war. Obviously the Resistance could use a new fleet since they were decimated in TLJ. Kylo could use it because maybe he's seeing more rebellious activity on the many planets of the galaxy that still remember what it was like living under Palps and the Empire.
2. Little does either side know, however, but the Emperor is ultimately in control of this mystery fleet and he's planning on using it to retake control of the galaxy. I further think that the KoR will turn on Kylo and join the Emperor and his army of clone sith troopers.
3. I think we'll see Kylo and the FO join forces with the Resistance to combat the Emperor and his Sith armada. This is where we'll get the "war of all wars" that we've been hearing rumors about. It will also explain why, in the first teaser, one scene seemed to show Kylo give a Rock Bottom to a KoR with a white armored FO trooper shooting at someone off screen (most likely red armored sith troopers).
4. My guess is somewhere along the line, you are correct in that Rey will find out the truth about her lineage and it will be something that drives her to the dark side. Kylo, on the other hand, will start to see the error of his ways. Maybe via a visit from Anakin, Luke, Obi-Wan, etc that help open his eyes to how he was being duped by the Emperor all along. Oh, and don't forget Leia...I bet she is somehow involved in bringing Kylo back to the light. Regardless, I bet you are right when you say that Kylo is speaking to who he thinks is Vader, but it's really the Emperor. Anakin will likely be correcting him on this at some point.
5. In the end, I bet Kylo has to sacrifice himself to bring Rey back to the light and she defeats the Emperor once and for all, possibly with a little help from some friendly neighborhood force ghosts that she knows.

I have to admit, a story like this has me intrigued. If it goes down like this (with what Ender_and_Bean has also put together), I could see myself getting excited for this movie and accepting the ST as more than pure garbage. That being said, this story is complex with a lot of elements that need to be fleshed out without going too quickly. That's why I hope this movie is at least 2.5 hours long, if not 3.

 

I don’t know @Vezner - resurrecting the Emperor just so Rey can beat him once and for all wouldn’t really convince me on the ST as a whole.

 

Star Wars: The Hand of Monkey, in theaters 2019.

 

What do you think of the reddit so called plot leak?

 

It's probably like 80% on with things are wrong or in the wrong order, and definitely a heck of a lot missing.

 

They IMO took a look at ROTS when staging the confrontations in TROS, in swapped temporal order: Mustafar = Death Star duel while Ben and Rey versus Palps is a rearrangement of Mace versus Palps and Anakin. In TROS, Ben reverses Anakin's betrayal by coming back to help Rey. He gets electrocuted and thrown into the abyss like Mace whereas Rey deflects Palps' lightning back on him using lightsabres, like Mace successfully did until Anakin chopped of his hand - given that I remember correctly.

 

Story kind of feels like POTC but instead of introducing Davey Jones in part 2, he is intro'ed in part 3.

 

God, I hope the leaks are wrong on many points.

 

Lord Cutler Beckett was clearly the primary overarching antagonist of the second and third POTC films, not Davy Jones.

 

I will just be happy if certain questions are answered:

Who is Rey?
Who was (is?) Snoke?
How did Palpatine survive and in what form?
How did the Death Star manage to generally hold together in a recognisable form, and how did its parts manage to travel and crash relatively intact? I can deal with 'Star Wars physics' but I need this one answered.
How does this movie both satisfactorily end and connect with all that came before?

 

Do you guys think that Hux will receive a relatively minor role with respect to 7 and 8 ?

I haven't seen him in the trailer nor in the manifest. Nobody is talking about him.

 

I'm not sure if it's canon but Battlefront 2 has lots of big bits of DS2 debris floating around. Most of which I crash into when playing the game. It certainly doesn't fit into real world physics but makes for a bit of dun.

I reckon he's been relegated like most of the ST bad guys, and is replaced by the Allegiant forces. So a small part overall. The introduction of more powerful enemies is, I guess, an attempt to up the ante on how the good guys are going to overcome new super evil bad guys, not just those we were expecting to defeat (eg. Hux).

 

He will betray the first order and when trying to run away he will be eaten by an alien turtle a leak said.

 

It would be awesome.

 

I find it somewhat interesting that Yoda said "Lost Ben Solo, you did. Lose Rey, we must not."
While that COULD be read as him putting the blame on Luke, it SHOULD probably be taken as "This time, we'll do it together"... which would mean that Yoda will appear in TROS. Whether we'll see him or just hear his voice remains to be seen.

 

Since Leia has been put in the mentor role for Rey and Luke won't train her any more than he did in TLJ (Rey won't even communicate with him until she has to go face Palpatine), I think that this Yoda line won't have any added meaning. He will be one of the many jedi powering up Rey just by talking to her through the Force. She probably won't even mention him by name in the entire movie.

 

Of course she won't. I'm not suggesting that Yoda will play a prominent role in any way, just that he and other Jedi from the past will appear in some capacity - and probably in the scene you mentioned.

 

I hope your right because boy some of the leaks makes me think that the Palpy is Thanos in Star Wars. Its a little ridiculous. So Im hoping that some of that stuff, no, I want to say everything posted within the last month aint true cause this movie will look like a smorgasbord of ROTJ, and that kind of movie was back in 1983. I'm worried about this movie.

 

I agree 100%. I was worries about TLJ when I saw the Canto Bight set leaks, and I am worried about this one too. I guess we will see in about a month.

 

I wouldn't worry too much, a lot of the "leaks" for TLJ were just flat out wrong, I think TROS is gonna be one hell of a ride (I hope!)

 

I am not talking about "wrong" leaks. I became worried for TLJ when I saw the pics from the set of Canto Bight when they showed the speeders, the aliens in a boat, and all the fancy clothing. I started to wonder and worry. Unfortunately I was right. Now for TROS, similar feelings. Although adding the alleged plot leaks from Reddit to what I am seeing in trailers. . . I have that heavy feeling again.

 

It's canon.

 

Oh, I see what you're saying. Yeah I'm honestly cautiously optimistic I want it to be a hell of a ride but I'm not sure what's in store for us.. Like I said in another board the more I think about TROS the less hyped I become, almost like a "lets get this over with." I don't know, so many mixed feelings.

 

wrong thread oops