ST Hayden Christensen (Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader) in IX

Yoda makes more since simply because he was the go to master sage of the Jedi order in both previous trilogies. It makes more since to me for it to be Yoda, and I believe that was likely the same motivation for RJ. Obi Wan appearing would have been wonderful, and likely just as impactful, but to be honest for the general audience, Yoda is generally seen as the true master sage.

 

It was about giving the throw back feels of seeing luke and yoda talking again like in Empire Strikes Back.

You would not have got that with Anakin.

I don't think Anakin will show up in the new trilogy because they have made it clear they don't wanna make it to much about the old while they focus on the new.

When episode 8 killed off admiral ackbar in a don't blink moment you know not to expect special treatment for certain characters.

 

But Admiral Ackbar was never close to the same level as Anakin in terms of importance. The fact that they included him at all in the ST was a bit surprising (same with Nien Numb, or however his name is spelled.) As for the important characters, like Luke, Han, Leia, and Yoda, they were all given significant scenes in this trilogy. I'd put Anakin more in their tier of importance than in Ackbar's.

 

Kinda wish they went with a different approach to Force Ghosts in the ST, a future proof method of sorts. Maybe something more like Qui-Gon's fireflies in TCW, or the voices in Rey's Forceback in TFA, because I don't think we'll ever be seeing Alec Guiness's Obi-Wan in live-action again (for obvious reasons).

 

Anakin was almost in TFA. He’s gotta be in IX. And school Ren.

 

Vader is in TFA, he haunts the film throughout. You can feel his presence from the moment his theme begins to play and the shattered helmet appears. It's so obviously missing from TLJ, it leaves a massive hole and I think it's more appropriate that it's Anakin that speaks to Kylo than Luke in IX.

 

So Anakin’s going to tell Kylo that he’s in the wrong and Kylo just accepts it and turns back to the light side?

 

Well, he can always Force slap him in the face, maybe that’ll do the trick.

 

I think it would be more complex, more of a lecture that Anakin gives and likens events that happened to him. If Kylo loves Rey the path he's taking will lose her like he lost Padme.

 

Well they could always CGI Alex in Ghost form, and the appearance would be as good or better than CGI Peter Cushing as Tarkin was in RO. I don't expect it, but I would be surprised in the least.

 

I think if it came down to CGI alex over a different actor or just using yoda (puppet or cgi) with the original voice actor... you know where to go with that.

 

In earlier drafts of ROTJ Yoda and Ben rematerialize time help Luke. Anakin alone or he and Luke can rematerialize to help Rey against Ren. Ren is lost.

 

I'm trying not to get up my hopes up, but I want to see Anakin so much in IX. And I want Anakin to talk with Rey because they have a lot in common. I know it makes more sense for him to talk with Kylo, but...

 

In my opinion I think the perfect opportunity for Anakin to appear has already passed by with TLJ, but who knows, perhaps IX can surprise me.

 

Kylo has killed off his authority figures in his life - Lor San Tekka, Snoke and his father Han. He attempted (twice) to kill Uncle Luke. He allowed his mother's exact position to be fired upon.

Of all these figures, in TFA we are shown his deep reverence for his grandfather Vader. Rey reads his mind and reveals how close it is to his heart. In the novel, reportedly he cannot look upon the helmet after losing at Starkiller Base.

If the ST narrative is going to have an ounce of continuity, and Kylo resumes his mission of killing the past; it only makes sense that he faces Anakin / Vader in some way.

Remember the early rumors of Luke guarding a tomb of someone or something evil? You know, before we got old man Toshi Station Luke? Maybe that story beat morphs into Anakin / Vader guarding access to some great power in the Unknown Regions?

Snoke needed Kylo for some purpose besides being an apprentice. From what we've seen, Snoke wasn't much of a teacher. More a task master with a carrot on a stick for Kylo to follow. Recall, Han told Kylo that Snoke only wants him for his abilities. That Snoke would discard him afterward. Kylo pretty much knows that too, but is playing his own game. I truly believe Snoke was going to kill Kylo in the Throne Room if Kylo did not kill Rey. Kylo knew that too. That's why it went down like it did.

The point being - I think Snoke wasn't strong enough to go up against a next level vergence in the Force (aka Anakin). He needed "the mighty Skywalker blood" to have a shot at something he wanted.

Kylo must confront Vader (in some way) for his story arc to continue forward.

 

Yeah, some kind of Kylo/Anakin interaction is needed in IX and it would be a nice way of tying the PT to the ST and bringing the saga together in its final chapter.

 

JJ said he and CT were tying the 3 trilogies up. Who better than Anakin? The only other prequel era characters around are C3P0 and R2D2. And Kenobi and Yoda, but I don’t think they’ll CGI Guinness and it would be strange to have MacGregor.

 

We did not even see the helmet again. I am afraid we will not see anything like this.

 

I read the "tying up" as tying up the ST rather than all 3, if they want a character from the PT era then they've already got it with Yoda. I do think that Anakin is an opportunity that would be too good to miss...but then that has been the story of this trilogy for so many people.

 

Kylo can’t ignore ghosts either. He’s killed authority figures but Luke and Anakin aren’t going away.

 

Whether it will work or not, I don’t know, but I do think we’ll see Anakin in IX.

While I’m wary of taking anything in TLJ as a “clue” about Kylo’s fate (given the reality that the TLJ cake was baked before JJ took over and before IX was written), it certainly leaves the door wide open for Kylo to turn in some fashion. E.g., “No one is ever really gone,” “I’ll always be with you ...,” the golden dice, etc. Along the same lines, in the novelization, Rey doesn’t kill unconscious Kylo because the force “wasn’t done with him yet.” I’ll be shocked if he doesn’t have a measure of redemption.

If anyone is going to convince him, it has to be Anakin. Kylo hates Luke, and has no relationship with or affinity for Yoda or Kenobi. But I also agree with one of the posts above that a lecture from Anakin alone would not be a plausible turning point. Something else has to happen.

My guess is that something will be a coup by Hux (and currently unknown dark side user(s)) that leaves Kylo broken, rootless, and running for his life. Otherwise, I don’t see how you get much dramatic tension out of a straight up Rey/Kylo, lightside/darkside confrontation. We’ve already seen that twice. What is he going to do, turn against himself? I think it would be much more interesting if both Kylo and Rey are alienated from their respective sides (how will Finn/Poe/Rose feel when they learn about Rey’s onetime alliance with the most evil dude in the galaxy?) and end up with their interests aligned again at the most critical moment, when he will have one final opportunity to do the right thing. Is the Skywalker line really going to end with unrepentant Kylo? I seriously doubt that we’ll get that from JJ Abrams.

So who else but Anakin to give Kylo the push he needs to do the right thing at the end? I can’t imagine him listening to anyone else.

 

You know, if (and it's a really big if) they do go with the idea of Force ghosts returning in the flesh (and I'd think it has to be only briefly not a permanent return) then I'd love to see Ben (presumably redeemed at this point) standing side by side with Luke and Anakin, 3 generations of Skywalkers, against whatever threat was so great they came back to help face it. I'm honestly not sure how I'd feel about them returning to life (definitely wouldn't want it to be permanent) but that could be one epic moment if they handled it well.

At least I hope we get to see the 3 side by side at the end (whether they are all ghosts or Ben lives) in the victory images before the (likely) final group shot of all the heroes.

@before_the_dark is right, I just can't see them ending the Skywalker line/Skywalker saga with the last Skywalker an unrepentant darksider. It just doesn't feel right for the message of Star Wars.

 

Yes, that was my idea that if a Force ghost can return then there shouldn't be able to come and go as they wish and if they chose to become flesh again then it should be for a short time and then they can't reappear as Force ghosts, their identity is lost in the Force forever.

 

Yeah, it should definitely be a one time, temporary thing. But I think I'd like them to still be able to appear as ghosts, to say never to that closes of story possibilities. They don't have to appear again but the option should probably still be there in case future stories want/need it.

 

I think it was missing on purpose. I got the sense RJ wanted Kylo to have nothing to do with Vader by smashing his own helmet, one that he wore to act like Vader, and killing the Emperor, something that Vader failed to do (during the dark side of course), and take his place. If anything Kylo should feel like he surpassed Vader and see him as the weakling. This could make for an interesting Anakin conversation.

Or in 9 they can play off the "I will finish what you started line," though in TLJ he pretty much finished what Vader started. Maybe there will be more context to it?

But either way, I would have liked to see Vader's helmet or even his lightsaber in the background, even if it was an easter egg for the fans to see like the Robin suit in Batman V Superman. I do wonder what JJ would have done if he was doing 8, in terms of how much Vader they would have in it. I guess we will see now. One hand Disney doesn't want to go near the prequels, but at the same time, I don't see anyone other than Anakin being the one to appear if they want to "tie the saga all together."