Preface:

About six months before the first teaser trailer for TFA dropped, my older brother and I had a serious falling out. We didn't speak for about 8 weeks, and our first real conversation that we had on our path to reconciliation was about the trailer. In the months and years that followed, our love for Star Wars is the thing that made us closer than ever.

We would talk on the phone for hours every week, unpacking rumors, leaks, and theories. We loved TFA, and spent most of 2016 and 17 theorizing what Episode VIII would be. This year - this horrible, horrible year - was the first without a Star Wars film since 2014, and the first year that we didn't have a feature film to discuss and speculate about. But our conversations continued.

Discussing Star Wars with family and friends is something that has helped me cope with the difficult circumstances we've all been enduring. But rather than speculate about an upcoming film (for whatever reason, The Mandalorian just never became something we discussed the way we did the features) we started to revisit our old ideas for the Sequel Trilogy.

The treatment that follows is mostly based on ideas that we concocted back before TLJ was released in theaters. The broad stroke ideas were things we thought of back then, along with loads of other stuff, but I wrote all of this and established the structure of the narrative this year.

This isn't my attempt to correct or overwrite TLJ or even TROS, instead it's just me sharing some ideas that I thought were pretty cool. I've posted the whole thing here along with some other little essays and things that I've written. I've also got a loose outline for Episode IX that I would expand if folks are interested in seeing where this version of the story goes.

I hope people enjoy! (Also, this is my first post after about five years, so I appreciate anyone who takes the time to read. It's about thirty pages long, a 45 min read!)

 

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...

STAR WARS
EPISODE VIII
FALL OF THE LOST HEROES

The Republic has been annihilated! The wicked FIRST ORDER has seized control of hundreds of star systems, with thousands more pledging allegiance to Supreme Leader Snoke.

General Leia Organa and her brave RESISTANCE soldiers search the galaxy for allies, hoping that Jedi Master Luke Skywalker will turn the dreadful tide, and extinguish the fire of the dark side once and for all.

Ace pilot Poe Dameron, desperate to muster the strength to fight the First Order, responds to a mysterious distress beacon coming from the ashes of the shattered government….

We pan across a field of stars to find…

…ASTEROIDS. We’re in what’s left of the HOSNIAN SYSTEM, the seat of the Galactic Republic that Starkiller Base annihilated six weeks ago.

X-WING FIGHTERS fly into view, escorting an aging HOPLON-CLASS HEAVY SHUTTLE. POE DAMERON leads the formation of allies through the maze of planetary debris, while BB-8 keeps his keen sensors locked on the mysterious call for help.

The shuttle clips a floating rock. FINN is still getting used to this whole piloting thing, and does his best to keep up with his more experienced friends. And C-3PO isn’t much of a copilot.

Poe warns his team that the First Order could attack any minute as they come upon a disabled OMICRON LIGHT CRUISER, a sleek REPUBLIC war ship and the source of the distress call.

Finn, SNAP WEXLEY, and JESSIKA PAVA land their ships in Cruiser’s hangar, while Poe and the rest of the squadron keep watch for any hostile activity.

As if on cue, a massive STAR DESTROYER drops out of hyperspace. GENERAL HUX commands from the bridge, and orders TIE FIGHTERS to swarm the vulnerable heroes.

Poe and his allies jet into action, meeting the challenge of the sinister enemy head-on. They draw the fight deep into the asteroids, using the perilous environment to their advantage.

As Poe reminds everyone that he’s the best damn pilot in the galaxy, the First Order identifies him as the pilot who destroyed Starkiller Base. For Hux, this just got personal. The enraged General orders experimental TIE SPIDERS into combat!

Just as the heroes absorb the sight of the lethal new ships, one of them fires an ENERGY WEB, a net-like blast that envelops an X-Wing and crashes it into a nearby asteroid.

Now Poe’s got a challenge! He banters with BB-8 as he loops his black fighter into position to take out the First Order’s new-fangled toys.

But Hux is certain these new weapons will exact his revenge on those responsible for his defeat. He commands his officers to inform Supreme Leader Snoke of their impending victory.

Meanwhile, Finn and his companions find the survivor on board the Republic Cruiser: a Senator and former Rebel hero named NOLA GRAVES. She’s wounded and unconscious.

Snap determines that the Cruiser’s too damaged to fly, so Finn lugs the sleeping Senator back to the hangar. He insists that he’ll get her to safety, urging the other pilots take to their X-Wings and join the fight.

Finn carries Nola on board the shuttle and tries to take off, but the engines won’t ignite. (This thing’s definitely on its last legs!) As C-3PO panics, Finn requests troubleshooting instructions from the best teacher he’s ever had.

I don’t really have time for this! Poe shouts as he maneuvers to avoid the TIE Spiders’ deadly webs. But Finn insists, asking Poe if he wants to come down there and fly that thing.

Absolutely not. Poe relents and explains a modified take-off procedure to his friend while blasting the enemy ships to dust. Finn manages to take off and joins the heroes’ formation. Together, they leap into hyperspace.

And then a First Order officer demands an update on behalf of Supreme Leader Snoke. Hux is embarrassed by their failure to destroy a small squad of fighters and struggles to answer.

We’ve killed rebels, CAPTAIN PHASMA sneers, interjecting. She adds that it’s only a matter of time before they’ve purged the shrinking Resistance from the Galaxy!

- - -

TERRASCONT MAJOR has thrived for centuries in the Outer Rim. Industrial and bleak, it’s one of the first societies to welcome the rigid governance of the First Order.

THE SEAT OF SUPREMACY, Snoke’s brutal, mountainous headquarters, presides over an expanse of smoldering SHIP YARDS, protected beneath a flickering energy shield. A stunning fleet of STAR DESTROYERS floats above.

The KNIGHTS OF REN escort their master, KYLO REN, through the grand hallways of The Supremacy. They pass legions of STORM TROOPERS and vast galleries of heavy WEAPONS and VEHICLES.

Kylo stops at the threshold of Snoke’s Chamber and commands his Knights to wait in the corridor; they are not yet worthy to join him in the presence of the Supreme Leader.

Ancient pillars and statues flank a wide staircase, as if the Supremacy were built around the ruins of a TEMPLE. Shelves full of TEXTS line the deep walls — Snoke’s personal library.

Kylo Ren approaches his master with caution and reverence. SUPREME LEADER SNOKE, his twisted body hidden by DARK ROBES, scowls at his apprentice from his elevated position.

Kylo kneels and removes his helmet, revealing the SCAR scorched across his face. Snoke declares that he senses his student’s pain in the wake of Han’s death, and encourages him to use these feelings as fuel for the dark side of the Force.

But Ren is not satisfied with this council. Killing Han was supposed to be his ultimate sacrifice on the path to mastering the dark side. He demands to complete his training.

How dare a student demand anything from a teacher? Snoke simmers with rage and takes the opportunity to belittle his apprentice. He blames Kylo’s conflicted character for his weakness, and his failure to defeat Rey.

As the wicked teacher browses his selection of books, he accuses Ren of being mistaken about their roles in the grand unfolding history of the Galaxy. He claims that Ren’s clouded resolve has blinded him to the tremor in the Force that Snoke has so plainly felt: the scavenger girl has attained the presence of Luke Skywalker!

This turn of events is a grave threat to the First Order, so they must hasten their plans. Snoke gives Kylo Ren an opportunity to redeem himself: a final task to complete his training.

Snoke, condescending to his ignorant apprentice, opens an ancient book and reveals THE LANTERN OF THE WHILLS — a relic that can heal and restore power. Kylo must find this object so that Snoke can recover his former strength.

Snoke offers a hint of exposition here, recalling his life before his long sleep.

Kylo has no idea where to begin the search for this lost relic. Snoke summons the Knights of Ren into the chamber, and invites TARROCK, to step forward.

The sinister Knight kneels beside Kylo as an equal, a gesture that sparks new anger in the power-hungry apprentice. Snoke praises Tarrock for already locating a cult of traitors who possess the means to locate the Lantern.

Now Kylo is desperate to please his master. He pledges to complete this mission and deliver the strength to destroy the Jedi.

- - -

A heavy storm rages on AHCH-TO. REY, soaked to the core, runs an improvised obstacle course among the ruins of a JEDI TEMPLE.

She demonstrates the strength and agility she earned through years of living off the scrap-heaps of Jakku. She’s determined, confident, poised… until she SLIPS!

She tumbles down a rocky slope, and spills over a cliff. She catches the edge just in time and dangles hundreds of feet above the violent ocean and jagged rocks.

Then we hear an aged voice, hardened like gravel. A Jedi’s strength flows from the Force. LUKE SKYWALKER reaches down and extends his hand. Didn’t anyone ever tell you that?

He lifts her to safety. She takes the rare opportunity to speak with him and tries to form an argument that will convince him to help. From their brief interaction, we infer that he simply refused to take the light saber when she first arrived. Luke walks away, and leaves her sitting on the muddy rocks.

Master Skywalker! She calls after him.

Not anymore.

She hurries to catch up. He’s bothered by her presence, but notices a bleeding wound on her arm. He enters his modest HUT to recover supplies to treat her injury. She’s curious about what’s inside.

He returns and cleans her wound. It becomes clear that this is the first significant time they’ve spent together since she arrived on the island. She wants to know why he won’t help the Resistance. Luke refuses to answer this all-important question. Then she doubles-down, why won’t you help ME?

There’s a pregnant moment, as if she’s finally reached the former hero. I Can’t, he confesses before hastily getting up to leave.

But you’re our only hope, she begs.

I’ve heard that one before. He commands her to leave the island, for good. He disappears into his hut, and leaves her there alone, in the rain, with nothing but her curiosity and frustration.

- - -

The RESISTANCE FLEET is a group of mis-matched FREIGHTERS, FRIGATES, and CRUISERS. We find Leia’s command ship, THE RENAISSANCE, leading them through the outer rim.

GENERAL LEIA ORGANA strides through the corridors with purpose. OFFICERS and CREW MEMBERS salute as she passes.

Wouldya tell them to stop doing that? She says to Poe. He’s tried, but they insist on treating her with the reverence she’s earned.

They barge into the infirmary, where Nola Graves is arguing with C-3PO as he nervously tries to keep her resting and recovering from her injuries. The droid surrenders at the sight of Leia. Graves doesn’t waste time with pleasantries, they have urgent business to attend to.

On the ship’s bridge, Nola Graves briefs Leia and the Resistance Leadership: when Starkiller Base destroyed the Hosnian system, Senators who were off-world banded together and gathered the remaining ships in the Republic Fleet to continue the fight against the new regime.

They didn’t know if Leia was still out there: the Resistance base had been destroyed by the time they got there. But they were able to make contact with ALDERAAN.

Poe, always handy to provoke some exposition, doesn’t understand. Wasn’t Alderaan destroyed by the Death Star? Yes, but the remaining people from Alderaan have a hidden colony, a space station built from the planetary fragments of their destroyed home world.

Now, they claim to possess the strength to defend themselves against the First Order. Senator Graves’ attempt to meet with their delegation was ambushed, Alderaan never showed up, and she was the only survivor.

Worse yet, based on the most recent transmissions she’s received, the KING OF ALDERAAN is stranded on NABOO, where the First Order has taken control. If the Resistance rescues him, they can form an alliance strong enough to defeat Supreme Leader Snoke.

Leia meditates in her private chamber. Poe and Finn enter, debating the situation at hand, and disrupting their leader’s concentration. Finn seems to register the significance of their disruption more than Poe.

Poe is eager to acquire Alderaan as an ally. Destroying Starkiller Base has given them momentum, and now is the only time they’ll be able to amass the strength they need to win. Finn, on the other hand, is suspicious. If Alderaan has military strength, why didn’t they join the Republic or help the Resistance in the first place?

Leia takes over, appreciating Finn’s insight. Alderaan has closed themselves off, they’re isolationist, concerned only with the preservation of their people and culture. She layers in the observation that, since the defeat of the Empire, the Galaxy has never been truly unified. The absence of the Jedi’s wisdom and moral leadership has kept the Republic splintered and weak.

The two friends leave it in Leia’s hands, they trust her to decide whether or not to rescue the King of Alderaan and seek his allegiance. Leia recognizes the urgency of the situation and reluctantly agrees to help.

But Poe makes one last point: Leia was their princess, she is in a unique position to seek Alderaan’s help. But it’s not that simple. Leia knows that they don’t see her as their princess any longer, they see her for who she really is: the daughter of VADER.

- - -

VADER’S MASK in the center of Kylo’s chamber. He sits in front of it, lamenting to it once again. He fears that Snoke will betray him, and that Tarrock will become the dark lord’s new apprentice. He lashes out in anger and frustration after it fails to respond.

Kylo finds Tarrock, a humanoid-alien, on a terrace overlooking the grim shipyards of the First Order.

Tarrock offers a gift to Kylo, a gesture of allegiance. Kylo, no-longer accustomed to receiving acts of kindness, accepts the elegant box skeptically. He opens it to find Darth Vader’s charred LIGHTSABER. Tarrock remarks that this is an appropriate gift. Kylo thanks him, but remains suspicious.

The other KNIGHTS join them and they prepare to depart for MUSTAFAR. A few subtle glances among the Knights give us the impression that they may be conspiring against their leader.

- - -

Sunset on Ahch-To. Luke assembles a MOISTURE VAPORATOR, just like the ones he used to tend on Tatooine.

Rey and CHEWBACCA observe from a distance. Rey tells Chewie that she’s seen Luke work on the device every day, but she doesn’t understand why. He howls an answer that seems to make her understand. She remarks that she’s also from a desert planet.

She tells Chewie to keep watch while she sneaks to his hut and slips inside.

The room is dark and empty, except for a STAIRWELL that leads underground. She hesitates, looks back once more, and then descends into the cellar.

The deep chamber is an ancient LIBRARY of texts and holocrons, scrolls and artifacts. Robes and relics from past Jedi are everywhere.

Rey moves to Luke’s personal section of the room, a cluttered desk and his living space. She finds loose DRAWINGS, sketches of a younger, more regal Luke Skywalker. In one he stands among TWO YOUNG JEDI STUDENTS. Another drawing shows only the TWO YOUNG JEDI, both teenage boys.

Who drew these? Rey finds the signature: BEN.

She finds books piled up amongst the clutter. She reaches for one of them, curious to see what Luke’s been reading about. A drawing of the LANTERN OF THE WHILLS on an open page. As she moves the book into better light, she accidentally triggers a HOLOGRAM MESSAGE FROM LEIA.

The General is younger here, and she’s talking to BEN. She’s telling him that she misses him, that she loves him, trying to explain why she sent him to be with Luke. Before Rey can fully absorb or make sense of what Leia’s saying, ANOTHER MESSAGE activates, and then another and another until DOZENS OF HOLOGRAMS are all talking at once. Each one is Leia or HAN SOLO talking to Ben — or asking Luke about him. These scattered details paint the picture of concerned parents who know their abandoned son is headed down the wrong path.

What are you doing here? Luke is not pleased, and the holograms fall silent. He told her to leave this place. Rey responds that she knows why Luke refuses to help, The Force has left him.

Luke sinks into his own silence, showing Rey that she’s right. She holds up the book, suddenly understanding that all this time that he has been gone, he’s been looking for a way to reconnect to the Force. But Luke has lost all hope and belief. It left him for a reason.

Rey suggests that she can help him, but he is too ashamed to accept her offer. Not even she can help him. He wants Rey to leave him in peace.

As Rey moves to exit, Luke finds Ben’s drawings and conceals them.

He asks Rey not to tell Leia what he has become. Rey responds, the truth would extinguish what little hope Leia and the Resistance have left. She adds that the Luke Skywalker from the stories would never let the faintest glimmer of hope die.

Rey boards the MILLENNIUM FALCON and finds Chewbacca eating a meal. She chastises him for letting Luke sneak up on her. He growls a defense, pointing out that Luke is a Jedi.

R2D2 whistles a question and Rey apologizes that Luke won’t be joining them. She hastily moves through the cabin, getting ready for the journey home, and then moves to close the ramp… And sees Luke standing just outside the Falcon.

He tells her that, even though he can’t use the Force, he can still teach her what he knows. He needs her help to complete one last mission: he needs to find the Lantern of the Whills. It’s the only way he’ll restore his power. Rey agrees to help recover this artifact as a means to learn the ways of the Jedi from Luke.

Rey sends Chewbacca and R2 back to the Resistance with a recorded message. She tells her departing companions that she and Luke will be okay. Chewie gives her a simple lanyard with a blinking BEACON. She smiles, and exits the iconic ship. The Falcon takes off and speeds into space.

 

General Hux kneels before Supreme Leader Snoke. The wicked monster commands his general that it is time to address the Galaxy and reveal himself as the head of this new, terrible regime.

Snoke presents himself as a giant possessing magnificent power as he speaks on a HOLOGRAM broadcast. He delivers a frightening speech proclaiming the First Order as the ultimate power in the galaxy, and naming himself as the heir to Palpatine’s Empire.

He commands the worlds of the galaxy to surrender their young into service in the First Order or suffer the same fate as the Hosnian system.

We see the citizens of multiple PLANETS witness this address under the cruel oppression of the First Order and their mechanized weapons.

STAR DESTROYERS rain fire on rebellious cities. STORM TROOPERS execute freedom fighters and seize children from their families. Planetary RULERS accept First Order banners and wear the regime’s uniform.

Snoke concludes his speech by announcing that the Jedi have been eradicated, the Resistance destroyed, and any further enemies of the First Order will be annihilated.

- - -

Finn and Poe watch the end of Snoke’s broadcast. Finn asks Poe if he thinks it’s true that the First Order has killed Skywalker, and by extension, Rey. Poe dismisses it as a lie, after all, they’re still alive and Snoke claimed they were dead, too. Poe does his best to move on from the somber moment, and channels his grief and worry into an eagerness to fight.

But Finn is still worried about Rey. Poe reassures him, and even uses some Jedi-esque advice he learned from Leia, telling Finn to breathe, and to center himself in the moment. Finn obeys, takes a few deep breaths.

Did that help? Poe asks.

Not really.

Oh well, what do you want from me? I tried. Poe says as he enters the Renaissance hangar bay to prepare for their mission.

Leia approaches Finn. She witnessed his exchange with Poe and tells him that she can sense what Rey means to Finn, and if something happens to her, he’ll know.

Leia, Graves and Finn board a CIVILIAN CRUISER, wondering if they’ll be safe. Poe, as always, is unflinchingly confident as he takes off and charts a course to Naboo.

- - -

MUSTAFAR. Vader’s castle is a menacing shell of its former self. Kylo’s SHUTTLE lands nearby. Kylo marches his Knights to the ruined castle, an image that recalls Anakin Skywalker leading Clones into the Jedi Temple.

RED GUARDS defend their sanctuary, but Kylo and his monstrous allies make short work of these pathetic warriors. ODIO MON-SHIRO, High Priest of the Sith, watches the violence dispassionately as other PRIESTS join him in the fractured chamber.

Kylo dispatches the final Guard, then points the jagged blade of his light saber at Odio. The High Priest simply shrugs off the threat as if this assault has been expected for some time. He admits that he has wanted to meet the young Skywalker, and is pleased that he has finally come to his ancestral home.

Kylo is frustrated by the formality of these Priests, and tries to intimidate them as he demands to know how to find the Lantern. But the Priests are unconcerned.

Odio hits us with some exposition. Vader had been searching for the Lantern as a means to heal himself, but his search for his son distracted him. To the Priest, this was an unwise choice. Had Vader never tried to apprehend Luke, he would have restored himself, and become the most powerful being the galaxy has ever known.

The Priest asks if Kylo knows The Seven Orders of the Sith. These are ancient laws that the early Sith obeyed. The seventh states something to the effect of Unlimited power is mine; I hold all power forever.

Odio promises that, if Kylo finds the Lantern, he will be able summon Vader’s power, as well as the eternal power of the Sith. It is here that Kylo confesses, under the gaze of the Knights of Ren, that he serves Supreme Leader Snoke.

Odio asks why the heir to Vader’s power would serve another. Kylo pledges his allegiance to Snoke, but it’s clear that the Priest’s question has planted a seed of doubt.

Nevertheless, Odio instructs Kylo to enter a dark corridor, telling him that he will find what he’s looking for inside. Tarrock and the Knights move to follow, but Kylo must enter alone.

The hallway is long, narrow, cold. Kylo exhales steam as he moves deeper into darkness. The path opens up into a CHAMBER bathed in red light. He senses movement, hears whispers. He ignites his weapon — DARTH VADER STANDS BEFORE HIM!

But it’s just Vader’s full, intact suit, displayed with reverence. Kylo admires it, touches it, feels the DARK SIDE radiating off of it as if it’s consuming him. He speaks quietly to it, a dark confessional, admitting his own weakness, begging his grandfather for strength and resolve.

Vader BREATHES. The lights go out. Kylo’s weapon is extinguished. In the sudden darkness Vader’s suit disappears. A grotesque FIGURE takes its place. He is missing limbs, burned and tormented. This is ANAKIN in the flesh.

The silent vision mirrors Kylo’s movements. Ren brings his glowing blade closer to Anakin’s face. The hideous creature opens his EVIL RED EYES. Kylo is startled, and STABS Anakin in the chest. The figure turns to ASH.

The FLOOR DROPS OUT and Kylo FALLS. He splashes into black liquid and fights to stay afloat, struggling to keep his breath. But it’s as if something is PULLING him down. He can’t fight any longer, he surrenders.

He sinks to the bottom and the liquid disperses in a violent splash. Kylo catches his breath as dim lights reveal his surroundings: he is inside Vader’s bacta-tank. He panics, and unleashes a powerful wave of energy that shatters the glass around him.

A single, BLACK CRYSTAL rests before him. He removes the red crystal from Vader’s charred hilt and inserts this strange, black crystal. He turns on the weapon. Instead of a blade, a projection of ancient text — instructions on how to find the lantern — beams from the weapon. Kylo shuts off the device, satisfied with his discovery, but unnerved by the strange experience.

- - -

Luke brings Rey to the highest peak of the Jedi Temple, a section carved into the face of the rocky hillside. He tells her that this blank wall of stone is actually a gateway to the planet of Karmaal, a world powerful with the Force that is virtually unreachable through other means.

She must open it with the Force. How?

Luke offers some basic, Jedi-type guidance, but the challenge is clear: Rey doesn’t believe that she can do it. Why? Because she’s just a scavenger from a junk yard, unworthy of the gifts the Force seems to have given her.

Luke encourages her, says that the Force doesn’t care where she’s from or who her family is. Instead, Luke says that he sees a person who was raised with every excuse to be selfish, angry, and without morals, but yet she has elected to be good. The Force trusts her, that’s why she’s been chosen.

So if she trusts the Force, it will show her how to open the door.

Rey centers herself, takes a meditative breath, then examines her surroundings. Luke stops her, she’s relying too much on her physical senses. He blindfolds her.

Luke watches as Rey focuses for a suspenseful moment. She declares that the carved section in the rock is NOT the gate. She takes a few steps as Luke asks what she sees. She answers simply: she sees the portal to Karmaal.

She asks Luke to follow her, but he refuses. Something seems wrong. He asks her to come back to him. She takes off her blindfold, revealing that she has walked off of the cliff and is floating above the island.

But rather than return to solid ground, she steps a little closer to Luke and asks him to take her hand. He hesitates, showing that his belief in the force has waned. She asks again…

Luke takes her hand -

And they immediately FALL into a CAVE.

Vines snake across the rocky walls. The blue sky of Ahch-To casts light into the hidden tunnel. They take a few steps, the light quickly receding. Rey ignites her light saber, then Luke ignites his, and they use their glowing weapons to illumine their path ahead.

- - -

A pair of STAR DESTROYERS keep sinister watch over NABOO.

Poe keeps a safe distance between the First Order and his civilian ship. Nola Graves is nervous about this. They’re in a defenseless vessel. Finn doubles-down on this anxiety, shaken by the sight of his old captors.

Relax, Poe assures them, they’re here to stop an insurrection, not enforce a blockade. No one, not even BB-8, is sure about Poe’s reasoning here, but they’re going with it.

A First Order Officer contacts them as they approach, Finn takes the lead and offers a convincing lie that demonstrates loyalty to the First Order and gets them passed the Star Destroyers…

…Except Captain Phasma heard Finn’s voice as he spoke to the officers. She plays back a recording of the transmission. She’s sure it’s him, the traitor FN-2187.

The heroes pass over the occupied capital of THEED. Its vibrant warmth has been depleted. It’s cold and gray now. Lethal FIRST ORDER TRIPOD WALKERS stand in the streets, as STORMTROOPERS keep oppressive watch.

They land in a hidden cave built into a cliff, similar to the hangars at the Theed Palace. Poe, Finn, Leia, Graves, BB-8 and a small team of SOLDIERS make their way to an old, abandoned MANOR HOUSE, quite possibly Padme’s family estate.

They approach carefully and reach the rear entrance. So, what, am I just supposed to knock, Poe wonders just before a B1 BATTLE DROID appears and aims a BLASTER!

A dozen BATTLE DROIDS surround the heroes. They raise their hands, lower their weapons. Stand down! HORTUS AURREUM, King of Alderaan, commands his droids to let them go. He welcomes the Resistance heroes into his safe house, which won’t be safe for much longer.

Finn is curious about the threatening Droids protecting the King’s entourage. Aurreum explains that, since there are so few pure blood Alderaanians left, their lives are too valuable to risk in combat.

Leia suggests that they depart as soon as possible so they can get the King back to his people, and forge their new alliance.

But the King doesn’t want an alliance. He jabs Leia, calling her the false princess, and describing Naboo as a fitting location for them to finally meet. After all, it is her true home world.

But the wise General is above this pettiness, she emphasizes the need for all agents of justice to unite against the First Order. Aurreum no longer believes that justice is possible, not since their planet was destroyed.

Poe interjects here: while the King has been safely hiding in his space station, the Resistance destroyed Starkiller Base with nothing, just the scraps left over from the Republic fleet. But Aurreum insists that Poe doesn’t understand the real threat of the First Order, nor does he understand the loss endured by the people of Alderaan.

Finn, reading Aurreum’s demeanor, agrees that there is much to fear from the First Order, more than anyone realizes. He shares details from his story and finds common ground with the king. He sets Leia up to make the final point, that if they don’t work together the fight is basically over, the First Order has won.

The Resistance soldiers notice First Order ships in the sky, searching for the heroes. It’s time to go. But still, Aurreum refuses. His whole purpose on Naboo was to plan an assault on a nearby First Order research station and recover an advanced POWER CORE that will strengthen Alderaan’s defenses, making it virtually indestructible. If the Resistance heroes accomplish this task, Aurreum will agree to their new alliance.

The Battle Droids activate! Roger-Roger as they mechanically strike a defensive formation, alerting the heroes to the approaching STORM TROOPERS outside. The urgency mounts, but the king remains stubborn — he won’t depart until the Resistance agrees to help.

Finn volunteers for the mission, a surprise to his friends. They know what infiltrating a First Order vessel means for him. With this assurance, Aurreum agrees to to depart.

The heroes blast their way out, fighting along side the lethal Battle Droids. They make their way to the ship as more First Order forces surround them.

Poe takes the pilot’s chair and starts the engines. Finn sits beside him and begins making hyperspace calculations. Poe is startled, you can’t do that!

Finn tells Poe that the best pilot who ever lived showed him how to do it, recalling a memory of Han Solo. Poe doubles-down, asking Finn if he’s sure about some of the details. Finn confesses that he’s also using his instincts. As the remaining heroes board the ship, and the First Order closes in, Poe has no choice but to trust Finn — they blast into hyperspace and escape!

On a Star Destroyer, Captain Phasma contacts Hux and tells him that Finn, Poe and other Resistance fighters were spotted on Naboo. Hux sends reinforcements, ordering her to track down the heroes and end the Resistance.

He asks if her work on Naboo is complete. She informs him that the human young have been harvested, and that only Gungans are left. He orders her to attack the cities, and burn the planet to ash. The First Order ships attack and burn the planet.

The heroes return to the RENAISSANCE. Poe asks Finn if he’s really up for their mission, and gives him the option to play a different role. Then they receive word that the First Order has attacked the civilians on Naboo. Finn elaborates on what he said earlier: they don’t understand the true threat. The First Order will destroy anything in their path. Finn is determined to do his part to defeat them.

And in this somber moment, an unknown ship appears on the Renaissance’s scanners. They try to make contact… and hear only a WOOKIEE ROAR in response!

The Millennium Falcon bursts into the hangar and lands. R2D2 rolls down the ramp and greets C-3PO. Chewie follows and hugs Finn, then Leia.

Finn is disappointed that Rey is not with them.

R2 plays a message from Rey. She tells them that she’s made contact with Luke Skywalker, but LIES, telling them that he’s well, and he’s agreed to help the Resistance. But they’re returning by a different path. She is deliberately vague.

And while the message invigorates many of the Resistance fighters, Finn is worried. Leia registers his concern and reflects his intuitive reaction.

- - -

Rey and Luke make their way through the dark cave. She shares details from her life on a desert planet, trying to create common ground. But Luke sees through this.

The conversation transitions, and Luke shares an opinion that the Jedi, as an institution, ultimately failed. Water drips from above. They assume they’re getting closer to an exit, but Luke has a bad feeling about this.

Rey brings up Ben Solo, recalling the drawings and messages from his parents. She asks if there’s hope for him to return to the light. Luke says it’s hopeless. They reach the cave’s exit…

They’re on a grassy world. Heavy rain falls. Rey spots a TEMPLE ahead of them, maybe it’s a shelter? She rushes ahead.

But Luke recognizes this place, he stops her. He tells her they’re on KARMAAL, and that the Temple isn’t real. She’s not sure what he means by this…

Then TWO YOUNG JEDI burst from the Temple, struggling to hold their own against an enraged BEN SOLO in a futile light saber duel. Rey recognizes them as the Jedi from Ben’s drawings. She ignites her weapon, wanting to help them…

Luke tells her it’s pointless. This isn’t real.

Ben shouts at his opponents, telling them that Luke has abandoned them. He’s abandoned all of them. He tells them that the Jedi are dead, commanding them to join him or die.

Luke hangs his head in shame as he watches this unfold. He urges Rey to move along, they don’t need to see this.

One of the Jedi makes a valiant, skilled attack. Ben KILLS HIM in defense. He has a look of SHOCK on his face as he watches the young Padawan die at his hand. Then the other Jedi makes a desperate attack, Ben KILLS HIM TOO.

Their names were CROSS and LANCE, Luke says, and they were my best students.

Luke keeps walking, eager to escape this painful memory. But Rey keeps watching as Ben hardens his face to keep himself from crying. He respectfully lowers their bodies to the muddy ground and takes their lightsabers.

Rey tells Luke she can see the remorse in Ben, but Luke insists that what she has witnessed should dispel any thought that Kylo has good in him from her mind. He is bad and he will always be bad.

As Luke finishes his point, the apparition of Ben walks between them, close enough to touch but completely unaware of their presence. He disappears into the rain and fog, and then the sequence of events begins again.

Rey realizes they’re trapped there. Luke takes both of her hands and asks her what she feels. Cold. Rain. Wind. He tells her to close her eyes and focus on the moment, clear her mind, feel the living force. He asks her again, what does she feel? Nothing.

She opens her eyes and the true rocky, lifeless environment of KARMAAL reveals itself.

Luke reveals a JEDI STAR COMPASS and remarks that they should keep moving. They have a long journey ahead, and The Force has a wicked sense of humor. He’s not sure what it’ll send their way.

- - -

Kylo Ren’s COMMAND SHUTTLE makes a rough landing on what appears to be a dead planet. Their surroundings are charred to ash. Heavy clouds hang overhead. The ship is malfunctioning, but Kylo is more concerened about finding the Lantern than performing repairs.

Kylo leads his Knights through desolate ruins. Tarrock suggests contacting the Supreme Leader to give him an update on their progress. Kylo insists that Snoke is patient, and they don’t need to bother their master simply to tell him that they are doing what’s expected of them.

Kylo turns on Vader’s lightsaber, it points them in the direction of the Lantern. Kylo commands his knights to follow, and he leads them through an ancient gate.

The ruins DISSOLVE and they find themselves on a lush, green planet. A house stands in the distance, warm and inviting. A LITTLE BOY outside, obscured by tall grass.

Kylo registers the child — his younger self — and the sight chills him to the core. He commands his Knights to walk away, and ignore the lies this world will tell them.

- - -

Luke and Rey trudge through a blistering snow storm. Rey shivers, Luke doesn’t. She wonders why he can handle it so well if he’s unable to use the force. He explains that it’s not about using the force, it’s about being aware of it and understanding it.

He still knows the information he’s learned. He knows what this planet is, so its effects are diminished on him. It’s like the planet is pulling one great-big Jedi Mind Trick.

She’s curious as to why Luke lost his power. He elaborates on his cynical view of the Jedi, and opens up about his experience with Ben.

He knew from the time Ben was very young that he had darkness inside him. Leia felt it too. They thought learning the ways of the force and the noble principles of the Jedi would help, but over time Luke realized that what Ben needed was love. Luke showed Ben the same love that brought Anakin Skywalker back from the prison of Darth Vader, but it wasn’t enough.

When Ben finally became a servant to Supreme Leader Snoke all of the faith in the force that Luke had acquired vanished. The lessons he learned in his victory against Palpatine and Vader were proven wrong. The Jedi were proven wrong. This is when he lost his power.

But then he adds that it seems like that power has awakened in her.

Rey is suffering in the extreme cold. Luke remarks that it feels like Hoth. Her efforts to feel the living force aren’t working.

He encourages her to center her feelings. He tells her that she needs to understand the balance in the world around her — the cooperation of life, the nurturing elements. A few TAUNTAUNS gallop by. To her, the cold is oppressive, hostile, but these creatures flourish in it.

She still doesn’t believe she can muster the strength or patience to see the world in this way, or even that learning about the Force will make any difference against the cruelty she’s seen in the galaxy.

He tells her that the entire galaxy is governed by the force, and in time, the power she channels here will become a power she can muster anywhere. But it’s too cold, she can’t make it stop, and she’s worried she’ll freeze to death!

Luke implores her to focus on somewhere peaceful, somewhere that gives her comfort. A serine expression settles on her face as the last snow falls. The fog dissolves and they realize they’re inside the ruins of a Star Destroyer.

Rey smiles as she recalls the solitude, focus, and control of exploring one of these wrecks. Luke checks his compass and they trudge ahead.

A distant BOOM disrupts the peaceful moment. Something huge is out there, and it’s heading their way. A hideous RANCOR rips into the chamber!

The heroes duck as it swipes with its dangerous claws. They take cover and hide. Rey ignites her weapon and charges to fight! But come on, it’s a Rancor, even with her powerful weapon it easily knocks her away. She crawls back to Luke, acknowledging that they need a better plan.

UNKAR PLUTT calls out to Rey, ordering her to come home. Luke and Rey exchange remarks as the grotesque alien tries to make Rey feel like she’s nothing more than that scared orphan on Jakku.

The Rancor furiously rips the ship apart as Unkar continues to call out to Rey, threatening her the way he did for her entire life. Luke reminds Rey of who she is and what she can do.

Rey confronts Unkar Plutt. The Rancor towers over her as she talks to her old tormenter. He tries to manipulate her, and reminds her that her family will be back for her any day now. She rejects his lies, and refuses to succumb to his demeaning tactics.

Luke watches as she banishes him from her memory, overcoming a lingering sense of unworthiness. The villains dissolve to dust and the heroes exit the ruined ship.

- - -

Finn, Poe, and Chewie sit beside each other in the Resistance Heavy Shuttle, surrounded by a handful of other SOLDIERS. X-WINGS, piloted by Snap, Jessika, and others, fly escort as they approach the FIRST ORDER RESEARCH STATION.

Poe tells Finn that everything is gonna be alright, adding stay calm. I am calm, Finn responds, steeling himself as they launch their attack.

Battle Droids detach from the Shuttle’s wings and rocket toward the station, firing their blasters. The fierce robots connect to the station’s hull and blast open the HANGAR BAY SHIELD, allowing the Resistance Shuttle to make an aggressive landing.

The droids provide cover to Finn, Poe, and Chewie as they swiftly and efficiently take control of the hangar. BB-8 accesses a terminal and finds the location of the valuable POWER CORE. The clever droid shows a schematic of the device — the thing is gigantic!

Poe gestures to a FIRST ORDER SUPPLY FREIGHTER, telling Chewbacca to take control of the vessel and get it ready for take off. Chewie gets to work!

Meanwhile, the STATION COMMANDER urgently contacts Hux, they’re under attack! TIE FIGHTERS swarm into action! Snap and Jessika are ready for them, and the squad of X-Wings meets the enemy head-on.

Die Imperial Scum! Droids stalk down the Station corridor, mowing through Storm Troopers with chilling efficiency. These aren’t as hapless as their Clone Wars-Era predecessors, these things are lethal. And Poe recognizes it, they’re a little too good at this!

While BB-8 works on opening a BLAST DOOR, the final obstacle standing between the heroes and the power core, Finn drifts toward a familiar sight. He comes upon a VIEWING WINDOW looking down on HUNDREDS OF CHILDREN seated at programming consoles wearing strange helmets.

Poe calls out to Finn as the droid gets the doors open. Finn looks back at his friend, and Poe can tell that something’s wrong. He joins Finn at the window and sees the kidnapped younglings. Finn doesn’t need to say anything at all. We won’t leave without them, Poe says.

We got company! Jessika announces from her X-Wing as three STAR DESTROYERS boom out of hyperspace. They need to move, and fast!

Poe makes a swift decision, he’ll secure the Power Core, Finn will go after the kids. The daring pilot commands a group of droids to cover his friend. Roger-Roger.

One of the Destroyers docks with the Station. Captain Phasma leads a battalion of Storm Troopers on board. She seems to know exactly what the heroes are looking for and orders her soldiers to secure the Power Core. She will disable their ship: they’ll be trapped.

King Aurreum, speaking from the bridge of The Renaissance, asks Poe for an update as he and the droids work on getting the Power Core out of its encasement. As Poe answers, Finn interrupts the transmission, saying that he’s freeing the kids. Aurreum is quick to point out that rescuing kids wasn’t part of their mission. But Leia counters him, supporting the choices her soldiers have made.

Storm Troopers open fire on Poe as he and his team move the gigantic device back to the hangar. Despite the vicious tactics of the battle droids, the Storm Troopers manage to take out some of the Resistance heroes.

Meanwhile, Finn and his robot allies escort HUNDREDS OF CHILDREN through almost-empty hallways. He hits a button to open the hangar doors and the children flood toward their ship… but CAPTAIN PHASMA and her Troopers are there to stop their escape. She snatches up one of the kids and holds a lethal blade to its neck. She threatens Finn, ordering him to surrender.

But Poe and his team arrive from a separate entrance! The moment of distraction allows Finn to TACKLE PHASMA. It’s on now!

She throws him off, gets to her feet, and wields a pair of vicious swords. Finn draws a blaster and opens fire, but the bolts of energy have little effect on her powerful armor.

Poe, along with Chewbacca, herds the kids on board before securing that valuable power core.

Phasma advances on Finn. His blaster is useless. She swings her blades, he dodges, jumps back, rolls to avoid her. She taunts him as she attacks, using her words to cut into his spirit. He was always a pathetic trooper, and now he can’t even stand to fight.

Her blade slices his shirt, almost got him that time! He finds a heavy WRENCH, a tool the size of a baseball bat, and catches her with an unexpected blow.

With the kids on board and the battle droids in retreat mode, it’s just Finn and Phasma now. Poe calls for his friend to escape. But Phasma mocks him for running away again. Finn attacks with his makeshift weapon. BAD MOVE. The sadistic Captain moves swiftly and slashes Finn across his abdomen. HE FALLS.

Phasma moves to strike a FINAL BLOW… Battle Droids shower her with blaster fire, knocking her to the ground. They give enough cover for Poe to carry his friend on board the stolen First Order ship.

The heroes take off and flee the station. The X-Wings defend them from TIE Fighters and the deadly canons of the Star Destroyers. They don’t have much time to get into hyperspace.

Poe wades through the mess of rescued CHILDREN (the Battle Droids make terrible babysitters) and gets to the cockpit, asking Chewie why they haven’t made the jump to hyperspace.

King Aurreum refuses to give Alderaan’s coordinates to a First Order vessel. Poe is furious: Finn urgently needs help! He threatens to drop the Power Core if the king doesn’t transmit the coordinates. Leia cosigns, and the King gives in.

- - -

Kylo and the Knights of Ren seem lost on Karmaal. An aurora glows over the night sky as they try to make their way through the maze of rocks.

Kylo becomes separated from his allies as he moves deeper into the surreal terrain. He turns corners, weaving between rocks. And then the landscape opens up into a clearing.

He finds REY standing beside a still pond. She senses his presence and turns with her light saber drawn. It’s a stand-off for a moment, both warriors in their ready positions.

Kylo lowers his weapon, unsure if Rey is really there. The two circle each other as they speak, suspicious and careful of what they say. Kylo deduces that, if she’s on the same planet, then they’re also looking for the Lantern — so Luke must not be able to use the Force. And yet, for all these years, he just assumed Luke was a coward.

She turns this around on him, only a coward would kill his own father.

Kylo rejects this assertion, insists that killing Han required bravery and resolve. He points out that she can’t remember ever caring about anyone, nor can she recall anyone who ever cared about her, so how could she even begin to understand the sacrifice he made?

She brings up the messages from his parents, the drawings, she can sense who he once was. She can feel Ben calling to her.

But he is emboldened by what the Sith Priests have told him, that he can inherit the power of the Sith, the power of his bloodline. He tells her that Snoke wants her dead, and that his Knights are close by. She is strong in the force, but can she handle all seven of them? She asks what does he want. Does he want to kill her, too?

He will spare her life if she surrenders Luke Skywalker. With Skywalker gone, he can show her the true power of the Force. She insists that he has nothing to teach her. There is nothing she could learn from him. Are you sure about that?

He asks if Skywalker has confessed to her yet. Confessed what?

Kylo teases her now. All the years she’s spent waiting, desperately clinging on to her fading memories of a family that abandoned her.

Rey gets angry, demanding to know the truth. But Kylo just continues to taunt and provoke her. She ignites her weapon and attacks with anger. Kylo avoids her effortlessly. She realizes that this is what he wants: for her to use her anger, her pain. She turns off the weapon and backs down.

She accuses Kylo of making this up. He doesn’t really know anything about her family. He smirks, allowing her to believe that if she wants. But Rey is off balance now, she declares that she’s done with this conversation.

She disappears. The Knights find Kylo. Tarrock wonders why he didn’t call to them when he found a way out of the maze.

Rey finds herself back with Luke beside a camp fire. He doesn’t have any sense of where she just was, or who she was talking to. Instead, he just asks her to get some rest. Tomorrow they will reach the FIRST JEDI TEMPLE.

But Rey recalls Luke’s cynicism while they were in the cold. He elaborates on his criticism and argues that at the height of their power, the Jedi failed to protect the galaxy from the Sith. All of their pride, rules, and rituals blinded them to the threat.

Rey’s heard this story before. She points out that they failed because the greatest Jedi the galaxy had ever seen betrayed them. The idea puts a dent in Luke’s argument.

- - -

The planetary fragments of ALDERAAN are bound together, assembled into a massive SPACE STATION and protected by a powerful energy shield. It looks like the lower half of the Death Star with sections of vibrant land planted on top of it.

HEAVY CANNONS threaten enemies from the mechanical sections of the colony, a sharp contrast to the beautiful patches of ideal landscape. THE PALACE overlooks a courtyard full of artifacts salvaged and rescued from the destruction of their planet.

King Aurreum tells Nola Graves and Leia that the power core has been installed. The colony can enjoy protection under the most powerful shield ever designed. Leia makes note of the abundance of weaponry on this peaceful space station.

Graves arises to Aurreum’s defense. The weapons are for protection only, and now with the combined might from the Resistance and Republic fleets, the First Order is hardly a threat to them. But Leia points out that it’s not about theirsurvival, it’s about the entire galaxy.

Graves and Aurreum seem to have something up their sleeve. Leia senses something is wrong.

Poe and BB-8 visit Finn in the medical bay. Finn is concerned about the kids he rescued. Poe tells him that they’ve been welcomed into the community there. He’s surprised, despite Aurreum being kind of a jerk, the colony is actually a peaceful place.

Poe makes it clear to Finn that he’s done a heroic thing. Chewie enters and hugs Finn. Finn asks if there’s been any more word from Rey. There hasn’t, but Chewie gives Finn the beacon that is paired with hers.

- - -

Luke’s compass points them toward the first Jedi Temple. They pass traces of a long-extinct civilization as the rocky landscape gives way to a thriving, lush environment full of strange plants.

Luke explains that as they get closer, the Force will manifest the memories of thousands of generations of Jedi who sought out this temple.

Faint GHOSTS OF JEDI trudge passed them, blinking in and out of view like flickering holograms. Luke describes them as echoes in the Force, assuring Rey that they’re harmless and unaware.

Rey asks Luke if he knows who she is, and who her family is.

Why did it take you so long to ask? He asks, admitting that he does.

Rey is appropriately upset, and asks why he hasn’t told her. He responds that she isn’t ready to know the truth. He tells her that he once learned a secret that he wasn’t ready to know, and it almost destroyed him.

She demands that he answer.

But he elaborates on the stakes. When he learned the truth about his father it almost destroyed the rebellion, the Jedi, and every hope for peace and justice in the galaxy.

She insists that she’s ready.

You always were impatient.

She’s taken off guard by this. We could all sense it. He continues by telling her that she was the youngest student at his academy. She was just a child, but she was the brightest and most promising. Everyone could feel her potential. Even Ben.

When Ben betrayed them and helped the Knights of Ren massacre the Jedi, Luke hid Rey to protect her.

She’s angry now. Luke deduces that Kylo spoke to her.

Rather than defend his choices or further elaborate, Luke tells Rey that this is what Ren wants. He begs her not to lose focus and to keep control of her feelings. He reminds her that the world is what she makes it.

Then their setting becomes a desert.

Luke asks Rey if Kylo is on Karmaal. She confirms that he is, and Luke makes another confession: he means to destroy the Lantern, not use it.

What?

Luke explains that if Ren is there, he’s searching for it so he can return Snoke to his full strength. He drops a little more exposition, saying that Snoke is a powerful being from thousands of years ago, from the Order of Ren — dark force users whose acts of deception created the Sith. His power, if restored, could bring unimaginable suffering to the galaxy. They can’t let that happen.

He says that the Resistance doesn’t need Luke Skywalker, or the Jedi, and the Lantern is too dangerous — they must destroy it or, eventually, it will fall into the wrong hands.

 

Leia moves urgently through the corridors of Alderaan. C3PO and R2D2 can barely keep up. She finds Poe telling a young Alderaanian woman that he’s got Alderaanian blood, on my mother’s side.

Leia pulls him away from his conquest and tells him she’s suspicious about Aurreum and Graves’ true intentions. She wants him to assemble a team and meet her in the control room to confront their new allies.

Poe finds Finn in the medical bay, tosses his jacket at him and tells him they’ve got a job to do. He points at Chewie, you too, shaggy.

Leia leads her Resistance fighters into the control room and confronts King Aurreum and Nola Graves. She reminds them that she was on board the Death Star when it destroyed their home, she knows what a super weapon feels like.

Aurreum reveals that their battle station houses a seismic pulse cannon that, following the initial, catastrophic blast, will unleash earthquakes that will rip the planet’s surface apart. They have located the First Order’s headquarters on Terrascont Major and will destroy the base, and the ship yards that manufacture their arsenal of Star Destroyers.

But Leia protests: the citizens of the planet are not the First Order. They’re victims of the regime’s oppression like anyone else. They can’t use this weapon if it will kill innocent people.

Aurreum and Graves make a strong argument: this planet houses and arms the First Order. If they attack, it will strike a major strategic blow, and killing Snoke could end the war all together.

An OFFICER informs Graves that the hyperdrive is ready to activate. Poe is shocked, they’re going to attack now!? Of course! The First Order still thinks its main adversary is just the pitiful Resistance! Why give the enemy time to plan a defense?

Graves orders the jump into hyperspace and alerts the Republic Fleet to muster at the rendezvous point at Terrascont Major. Leia and her allies feel helpless to stop this turn of events.

- - -

Rey and Luke travel through the desert terrain. The FIRST JEDI TEMPLE is little more than some boulders stacked upon one another. Perhaps thousands of years ago it was a spectacular sight, but the ages have been unkind and weathered it to dust.

As the heroes approach, the surrounding ghosts are more abundant, more visible. It’s haunting and etherial. Rey ascends to an altar, where the LANTERN OF THE WHILLS, a humble, simple object, waits to be claimed.

Rey takes it and offers it to Luke, asking him to reconsider his decision.

He takes it from her, and points out how it’s covered in dust and dirt. The filth is so thick that any light coming from this lantern would be obscured. He likens this light to the Force, and the filthy lantern to the Jedi Order. Over the centuries they added so much dogma and institutional baggage that, by the end, the power of the Force could no longer reach those that needed it. He cleans off the lantern and gives it back to Rey, telling her to destroy it.

The Lantern leaves Rey’s hands and flies into Kylo Ren’s menacing grip!

The Knights of Ren show their fierce weapons, ready to unleash hell on the outnumbered Jedi. Kylo’s blade sparks to life. He threatens Rey, this is her last chance. She can join them, or die.

He continues to taunt them, exchanging words with his former master, and provoking his new, young rival.

Luke whispers to Rey, calmly suggesting that they take them together.

But Rey lashes out! She charges at the Knights, immediately cutting one of them down with her mighty weapon.

Luke’s green blade flashes to life, meeting the attacking Knights with expert skill! Even without the Force as an ally, he’s still pretty damn good with that light saber. He takes on two of the Knights at once…

…While Rey holds her own against another three. But Tarrock is a much more powerful foe than the others, and she won’t be able to hold them off for long. She struggles against the overwhelming odds. Nevertheless, Rey delivers a stunning flurry of attacks to wound another one of the faceless enemies.

And just as Luke destroys two of the Knights of Ren, their master joins the fight! The aged Jedi is no match for his ruthless enemy. Kylo takes control of the duel quickly, and brutalizes his former teacher. He takes out years of pain and anger on the weakened hero, beating him into submission and wounding him badly. This feels like the end of Luke Skywalker.

Rey frantically defends against Tarrock and his remaining allies. She’s hurt, and Tarrock is gaining the upper hand. As she fends off the sinister enemies, Tarrock connects with a devastating attack. She can barely fight. She’s wounded, and she knows she’s lost. But she won’t give up…

Kylo Ren calls out to Rey. He holds Luke in submission, keeping his spitting blade ready to deliver a kill stroke. Rey sees her powerless teacher and stops fighting.

Kylo issues his offer one last time: join them, or he will kill Luke. But Tarrock quietly suggests to Kylo that they should abandon these theatrics. They should kill them and escape.

Kylo lashes out at him, but Tarrock stands his ground. He tells Kylo, again, that they need to get back to their ship. Kylo orders Tarrock to be patient.

Kylo returns his attention to Rey, and asks if Luke told her the truth about her identity. She said that he did, that Luke hid her on Jakku to protect her.

Kylo pushes Luke to the ground, furious that after all these years the supposedly wise Jedi is still telling lies about what happened. He reveals that Luke was too afraid to confront Kylo, so he sent his best students to do it while he fled. Those students, Cross and Lance, were Rey’s brothers.

Rey is startled.

Kylo continues, sensing her emotions churning. He emphasizes that Luke was scared and sacrificed Rey’s only family to protect himself. He tells her that her brothers were weak, that they never stood a chance, and that Skywalker let them die.

Rey resists, recalling that they were Ben’s best friends. Sentimentality is weakness, he responds. Then he commands her to kill Skywalker. Kill the former master so that she can live, so that she accepts that the only way to deal with the people who harm you, is to harm them so much worse.

There’s no way out for Rey. She cannot defeat Ren, Tarrock, and their two remaining companions on her own. Luke, injured and powerless, cannot help her. She considers Kylo’s offer, considers what she’s learned about her family.

And then she drops her weapon.

She refuses to fight any more. She saw the remorse in Kylo when he killed her brothers, and also when he killed his father. She feels the conflict inside him, and knows that there is good. She invites him to burden himself with the remorse of her death, but will not become what he wants her to be. She closes her eyes, focuses on the living force…

Luke watches Rey and feels his strength returning.

Kylo ignites his weapon, preparing to execute Rey. He raises it, readying the kill-stroke… Then the weapon FALLS APART in his hand. He’s confused…

…And then Luke, wounded and beaten, rises to his feet, his hand outstretched. Before the villain can react, a massive blast from THE FORCE slices toward Kylo. It rips rocks from the ground and knocks Ren off his feet. Rey scrambles away as Luke, still hobbled, keeps a storm of debris raining on Kylo.

Tarrock rushes to help Ren, but Luke simply throws him back! He calls out to Kylo, telling him they need to escape.

Kylo pushes to his feet, using the Force to protect himself from Luke’s onslaught. He summons the green Skywalker saber. Luke notices his weapon hurtling toward Kylo and TURNS IT ON with the Force. The blade nearly cuts Kylo down, but he stops it just in time.

Kylo staggers away, and flees with the surviving Knights of Ren, taking the lantern with him.

Luke, exhausted and wounded, collapses. Rey gathers him into her arms, desperate to help. She’s injured, too, and tries to get him on his feet. But it’s hopeless, they’re too weak. His eyes close, and she struggles to stay awake.

- - -

On Alderaan, Leia, Finn, and Poe discuss whether or not to seize control of the colony. The bad news is that, because their vessel is so large, the hyperdrive takes about an hour to re-charge before it can active again — meaning they’ll be sitting ducks over the First Order’s headquarters until they can escape.

Poe suggests launching an attack using their conventional weapons. Alderaan will think twice about firing the weapon if it’ll take out their allies, and maybe they’ll even take out some of the enemy while defending themselves.

But Finn, his concentration suddenly focused on Rey, senses that something is wrong. He removes himself from the conversation. Leia senses it, too, and boy, does Poe feel left out. Finn declares that he needs to go, he needs to find Rey.

Finn finds Chewie and the two of them, with R2, board the Falcon. The navigational computer cannot locate Rey. Finn tells Chewie to get them as close as they can, and he’ll guide them the rest of the way.

They blast out of the Alderaan hangar and into hyperspace.

- - -

Kylo’s shuttle lands on Terrascont Major. Hux is angry with Kylo: while he was running around the galaxy for his own selfish reasons, the Resistance managed to steal a power core for a component of Snoke’s GALACTIC ARRAY.

Kylo, wounded and angry, force-chokes the ruthless weakling, refusing to accept blame for the General’s failure. He tosses him aside and marches to Snoke’s chambers.

Kylo and Tarrock deliver Snoke’s prize. The ancient, wicked creature is delighted by their success. He asks Tarrock and the Knights to excuse themselves so he may speak with Kylo in private.

Snoke leads Kylo deep into his library. The walls seem to peel apart, revealing a sinister altar standing in the center of a deep chasm. This is the heart of an ancient, dark-side temple.

Snoke is disappointed that Ren failed to kill Skywalker and the scavenger girl. Kylo defends himself, insisting that Rey and Luke are stranded on Karmaal, if they’re not dead yet, they will be soon. Snoke is not convinced, but chooses to focus on Kylo’s success: he has delivered the Lantern of the Whills.

Kylo presents the modest object to his master. Snoke takes it, and uses the Force to open it. He places it on the altar.

Kylo reveals the red kyber crystal from Vader’s light saber and places it inside the lantern. It begins to GLOW. In a spectacular display of energy, the Lantern bursts to life and HEALS Snoke’s grotesque disfigurements, restoring the fierce creature’s power and health.

But just as the vicious Supreme Leader enjoys his unlimited power moment, BOMBS shake the entire Seat of Supremacy! The Resistance ATTACKS!

- - -

Poe, in his X-Wing, leads the full arsenal of the Resistance into an assault above Terrascont Major. Snap, Jessika, and the rest of the pilots strike with everything they’ve got!

- - -

Tarrock and the Knights of Ren join Hux in the command center. The desperate General screams at his officers, ordering every pilot into combat. The Alderaan colony looms overhead, threatening doom. Tarrock and the Knights head to their modified ELITE TIE STRIKERS and join the fight with special orders to blast Poe from the sky.

- - -

In the Alderaan control room, Aurreum reacts to the Resistance’s attack. They’re in the line of fire! Leia enters the room, arguing that they cannot kill innocent people — if they do, they’ll become the very thing they’ve spent their lives trying to destroy.

Aurreum has no use for such philosophical nonsense. He doesn’t care what he becomes as long as the First Order is eradicated. He orders his officers to charge the weapon and installs a firing key. He commands his security droids to restrain Leia and shoot her if she tries anything. The mindless robots obey, roger-roger.

- - -

Kylo and Snoke watch as the battle rages overhead. Ren suggests that Snoke moves to a safe location, but Snoke is no longer vulnerable to these pathetic attacks! He has something else to show his apprentice…

Snoke tells Kylo that he has completed his training and is ready to embark on the next part of his long journey. He waves his hand, making a stone pillar rise from the floor of the temple. Ancient text is carved into the dark rock. These are the Seven Orders of the Sith. Snoke declares that The FIRST ORDER of the Sith is something to the effect of I will conquer the weak; the conquered shall be annihilated.

Snoke illumines a hologram, a map of the entire galaxy, and explains that Palpatine’s mistake was trying to rule. The true master of the dark side understands that extermination is the path to unlimited power.

Kylo is horrified as the reality of what Snoke is saying dawns on him.

- - -

Poe and the Resistance target as many First Order ships as they can, but the enemy’s numbers are overwhelming. The allied forces are doing serious damage to the fleet of destroyers, but making little impact on the base itself. The colony’s hyperdrive is nowhere near being charged, and the Knights of Ren are coming after Poe in their lethal ships!

Aurreum orders the allied ships to retreat. Poe gives him a smart answer, but the King insists that they will not hesitate to fire the weapon with their allies below.

An officer informs us that the weapon is ready to fire. Aurreum goes to hit the ignition… but the firing key is missing!

Nola Graves knows exactly who has it: Leia. You’d better believe she used the force to swipe it!

Leia refuses to give up the firing key, once again imploring her allies to do the right thing. Let them find another way to fight the First Order, together, as one.

Aurreum rejects this argument. They’re running out of time, the First Order’s overwhelming numbers are simply devouring the Resistance’s meager attack. He cuts deeper: Not only is Leia the daughter of Vader, but her son is Kylo Ren — the Jedi Killer! For all her moral posturing, she’s just trying to protect her only child!

But she corrects him: her son is dead!

- - -

Snoke reveals an ANCIENT WEAPON, an array distributed throughout the galaxy, that will incinerate any systems that are would dare to oppose the First Order or are deemed unworthy to join their ranks.

But Kylo is not interested in ruling ash. He’s horrified by Snoke’s plan.

Snoke corrects him, it wasn’t his plan.

A HOLOGRAM of EMPEROR PALPATINE appears. He KNEELS and begins his message by referring to Snoke as Master D’maanicus Snoke. He says that he has been destroyed and his Empire overthrown. And since the galaxy has refused their great peace, it must be destroyed.

As Palpatine’s message plays, Snoke invites Kylo Ren to help him achieve what Palpatine and Vader could not: exterminate the unworthy from the galaxy, eliminate all who would stand in their way. Punish the disobedient for their rebellion against the Empire and ensure that such a challenge could never flourish again.

Kylo hesitates. Snoke senses his internal conflict. He demands that Kylo pledge allegiance to their cause, but the young warrior keeps quiet.

And just as Kylo reaches out to summon the Lantern of the Whills, Snoke seizes him with the Force and casts him deep into the dark chasm. Kylo Ren falls to certain death.

- - -

Leia staggers, overcome by a sudden and devastating tremor in the force. In that vulnerable moment, Nola Graves grabs the firing key and tosses it to Aurreum. He activates the weapon!

- - -

Poe sees the massive cannon in the belly of the Alderaan colony open and swell with power. This blast is going to be HUGE. He orders a full retreat, but the swarm of enemy fighters makes their escape a real fight!

- - -

Hux orders a full evacuation of the Seat of Supremacy. ALARMS SCREAM. Officers scramble and flee. Ships launch.

- - -

Leia rises to confront Graves and Aurreum. They tell her that firing the weapon will bring peace. It’s not the peace she wants, but peace nonetheless. But of course, peace was never the goal. If it were, why not just acquiesce to the Empire. No, she fights for Justice. As she makes her final point, Alderaan’s WEAPON FIRES!

- - -

The blast rips through STAR DESTROYERS, shreds through the Seat of Supremacy’s shields, and demolishes the base!

- - -

Poe and some of his allies escape the blast…

… but SNAP isn’t so lucky, and gets caught in the devastating shaft of energy!

- - -

Meanwhile, First Order ships ESCAPE the blast and launch into hyperspace. Hux watches the wave of destruction from the safety of a Star Destroyer. An OFFICER informs him that the Supreme Leader’s ship has made the jump into hyperspace. Hux asks about Kylo Ren — no one has seen him.

Hux smiles as his ship speeds into hyperspace.

- - -

Kylo Ren sprawls out on the rocky floor of the dark chasm, lifeless.

- - -

Rey opens her eyes. It’s dark. Hideous trees surround her. Luke is unconscious beside her. She hears noises, and looks up to see…

…young Luke Skywalker walks over to YODA and sits beside him. He’s exhausted and says, it’s too big…

Rey looks to Luke and sees that he has awakened. He watches as Yoda teaches his younger self, saying: My ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us, binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. You must feel the Force flow around you…

These words land hard on Luke, and also on Rey. Luke tells her that she must rebuild the Jedi, not the institution full of dogma and arrogance, but a new order — one that will make sure the light serves the people who need it most.

Rebuild the Jedi, not as they were, but as they should be.

The swamps of Degobah shrivel-up and dry, becoming the desert sands of Tatooine, the twin suns hanging low on the horizon just above the familiar homestead. A CHILD runs to a red-haired WOMAN who calls out to Luke.

Luke rises to his feet, says goodbye to Rey, and walks to join them. As he gets closer to the homestead, his clothing changes and the world fades away.

Rey sits there, alone, on a rocky deserted world. Luke’s green lightsaber is all that’s left of him. It seems hopeless, but her BEACON starts to blink…

… And then the Millennium Falcon bursts through the clouds! She’s overcome with joy as Chewbacca rushes to her aid! He helps her up as she asks how he found her, and how they knew to come for her. Chewbacca points to the Falcon’s ramp…

… Just as Finn steps onto the ground. He approaches slowly, full of relief and joy at the sight of his most profound friend. He wraps Rey in a deep hug, and this is a sufficient answer for her. They get her on board and take off….

- - -

The Alderaan station looms over the smoldering planet.

Leia, Finn, Poe, and their droid companions, stare down at the severe damage to the surface of Terrascont Major. Rey, her wounds bandaged, joins them at the window. Her friends are happy to see her, but what has the Resistance become?

Cut to a field of stars. Credits roll.

 

And then....

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away....

Star Wars

Episode IX

KYLO REN is dead! The fearsome KNIGHTS OF REN have risen to become Supreme Leader Snoke’s cruel enforcers, and spread fear across the galaxy.

REY, the young Jedi Knight, has returned to help General Leia Organa rekindle hope in the galaxy, and strengthen her alliance of RESISTANCE fighters. Little do they know that the FIRST ORDER has secretly built a sinister new weapon, even more destructive than the maniacal Starkiller Base.

Finn, devoted leader in the fight to restore freedom to the galaxy, travels to the far reaches of space, where an unexpected ally promises information that could hold the key to ultimate victory….