ST Rey should have joined the dark side and become Empress.

Have them both end the saga reigning on the Dark Side, with the old guard all dead, Poe imprisoned, Finn thrown into a Sarlacc Pit, the droids dismantled and Lando, Zorri and Babu Frik frozen in Carbonite forever.

Star Wars Episode IX: Another Happy Landing.

 

It would have made the movies at least somewhat better.

 

After rewatching TLJ this still stands out as an awesome idea that I legitimately wanted, despite how repulsive Kylo was. It would have been a hell of a twist, on the level of Darth Vader = Luke's father. It would not have made any sense or been earned at all, but just the gall of it.

Have Rey join Kylo in VIII, have her kill Finn, Poe, and the rest of the Resistance in IX, and have her take her place on the throne at the end of the trilogy as a hook for the next one. This should absolutely be a story/structure for a future pair of trilogies. Seeing the hero main character turn to the dark side without knowing it was going to happen (Anakin was spoiled by the OT) would still blow people's minds.

 

TLJ should have ended with the first climax. Kylo offers his hand and asks Rey to join him. Maybe she thinks she can still save him, or not, but she's obviously in danger. We flash back to Ahch-to to see Luke meditating. Perhaps he sees this. He opens his eyes, looking determined as ever. Iris out. End credits.

That would have been so much better for the trilogy. And it would have generated intrigue and excitement for the next 2 years, or until whenever EP 9 came out.

 

I too think the ST (with the basic premise it has) would have been better if Rey would have turned to the darkside. It certainly would have made for a far more compelling situation and could have mirrored the oft asked question... 'what if Luke had joined Vader at the end of TESB?'...

 

I think the only real way Rey joining Kylo works for the overall character is if she's manipulating him and stabs him in the back in like 2 seconds.

 

No objections with that lol. That's the dark side for ya. Anakin was ready to kill Palpatine in ROTS.

 

I think there’s some real creative leverage in the audience viewing that dynamic through the eyes of an antagonist. It’s something we’ve not really seen before (other than in the EU… in particular the Bane trilogy and Darth Plagues novel)... and I guess it’s something we’ll see in The Acolyte, if they hold their nerve. It requires quite a bold switch of course, which would be pivoting the ST so the focus is firmly on Kylo’s mastery of the darkside etc. I get the feeling that this was something maybe Abrams/Kasdan wanted to explore (?) but never really had the creative chops to develop it beyond what we see in TFA.

 

They could've subverted our expectations in a good way.

 

I like she stays Jedi and All The Jedi help her rise and defeat Boogey Man Palyps.

I think it would have been a teist in TROS if Rey was a twin and she meets the Dark Rey who seeks to be Empress.

 

It would’ve been even dumber than what we got, so, no.

 

Less the Palpatine Returns being set up, is Rey is going to the dark side.

Never once in all three films does she seem tempted by dark sider power. There's nothing more she wants other than ... belonging. And the dark side can't offer her that. It's not like the promise of immortality or something.

And whenever Rey gets angry - who some fans profess as hints of her dark side nature - sorry, but nah. Every time Rey gets angry, she's immediately not angry a second later. And there's nothing about her character that is anything like Palpatine. She's not brilliant. She's not devious. She's not duplicitous. She's certainly not political. There's nothing in her personality that says she's like him and on a similar path to become Empress.

So despite the 'cool concept' of a Dark Rey, the story wasn't built for it.

 

I have trouble believing Luke was ever going to turn dark. The problem with Rey is, she has almost no character that I can even decide if she'd go dark or not. If she hadn't turned while living in misery on Jakku...

 

Rey is an absolute bore of a character. If she turned dark, I would've shrugged. Just as I shrugged when she did whatever nonsense RJ and JJ made her do, in their infinitesimally limited wisdom regarding female characters. Only I might've shrugged harder.

 

Its a beautiful message that you are not doomed by blood.

 

lol. There’s isn’t evil blood. There’s no such thing as dark side blood in Rey.

It’s a dumb message that isn’t at all consistent with the lore of SW written by someone who clearly doesn’t care and just wants to be done with SW, and is copying the OT once again without understanding why or how that worked

 

I meant bloodline,she isn’t doomed to the darkness just because she’s a Palpatine.

 

That's not what the movie says. It's pretty explicit for once. JJ means blood. Actual blood. That's why she might end up evil. And she needs to overcome her evil nature, with her spirit.

That's now how it works.

 

Not how works?
Star Wars has always shown there is free will.
Luke was the Son of Vader, but chose to be a Jedi.,

 

You're not understanding. Neither did JJ. The force runs in families. The dark side doesn't exist in blood or bloodlines. Luke wasn't in danger of becoming like his father because he had Skywalker blood or was a part of that blood line. Rey is in no danger of becoming Palpatine or a dark sider because he's her grandpa, even though this is what the movie states.

The dark side is a choice that mortals choose in their quest for power. There are personality traits that lead one to that path more than others. Luke and Anakin shared those personality traits. Rey shares no personality traits with Grandpa.

 

She should’ve married Nute and become Rey Gunray.

 

I'm not sure what JJ means and I don't think you know for certain either. I think it's possible you may be overthinking this, while JJ underthought it.

 

I believe Luke literally tells Rey this during his pep talk to her when she’s giving up because she fears she’s going to the dark side because she’s a Palpatine.

And I’m almost positive that this is all an after thought by JJ.

 

That's a dumb message, because basically no one really believes that anyway. We're not Klingons. Western society doesn't believe in being "doomed by blood". We don't believe in things being passed on through blood unless it's actually heritable. We certainly don't believe in sins being passed down from grandparents to grandchildren despite the grandparent dying before their grandchildren were even born. The ST is double dumb because it tried it with Kylo, too.

Blood is a particularly stupid way to do it. If they wanted to do it, they should have had Palpatine actually raise Rey. Things can be passed on through behavior.

I'll go ahead and say this: "you're not doomed by blood" is not actually a message in the OT. The message is, and George has said this, your children can teach you to love unconditionally and redeem you. So it's more like blood can save you. So of course the ST, being dumb, tried doing the opposite.

 

I think it's more complicated than that.