ST Ways TLJ Builds/Fails to Build Anticipation for Ep. 9

Lol. Good Lord. This is what we're coming to? We're now wondering how it could be possible for a story to spread or become bigger than reality? This is where we're stuck at and nitpicking? Pathetic.

 

One thing to remember too - TLJ is a direct sequel to TFA, taking place a day or at most days after the end of Ep. VII. So it’s possible the hope fostered through the Galaxy wasn’t just because of Luke but also the destruction of SKB (and to a lesser degree the Dreadknought) . They all happened within a very short span of time. The kids may have been enthralled by the legend of Luke Skywalker, but the spark of hope in the Galaxy may have been ignited by ALL that happened involving the Resistance first defeating then escaping the First Order. We just saw a very small isolated instance of that hope.

 

Ok, well to get it back on track: I don't think it was as much the Resistance as the FO who spread the story of Luke's actions on Crait e.g Stormtroopers drinking in bars "Man, you should have seen it, we opened fire with everything we had and he just walked away from it! Our Supreme Leader speared him with his lightsaber - and it just passed through him." So, in IX, will we see defections? IX is going to be very interesting. Luke appeared to the Resistance as a symbol of hope but also to the FO as someone to be feared. The audience and the Resistance know Luke died. But to the rest of the galaxy, by ep IX, he has taken on a god-like status. And gods can't die.... The FO is in serious trouble by the end of TLJ. IX is going to be epic!

 

Maybe not in bars, but amongst the ranks and any outposts they have. I mean, let's see what they have to talk about :
- First ever FO Stormtrooper defection
- Destruction of Starkiller Base
- Destruction of their Dreadnought, The Fulminatrix
- Death of Supreme Leader snoke
- Destruction of their flagship, The Supremacy
- Jedi Master Luke Skywalker holding off an entire battalion of FO Walkers ,as well as showing no weapons can hurt him
- Luke outwitting the new Supreme Leader
- Successful escape of the remanants of the Resistance even though they were cornered

...and all this happened in what, like a week? BAD week for the FO! Even like 2 or 3 of these spread around the Galaxy would hurt the FO's stature. But all of them happening within such a short timespan? the First Order may have militarily won the day, but their reputation has suffered a serious,critical blow.

 

I think a lot of plot points that occurred in eight, could have been held back for nine. I felt after watching it a couple of times, the saga felt finished. Or, more like, now what? You get the feeling of: "oh ok, we're done, what's there left to do?"

I agree with the previous post that FO has suffered a bit blow in its reputation and having been outsmarted by the rebellion.

Palp_Faction, I like your ideas, but could JJ write that off in a simple line or two within the script as backstory somehow?

I agree, he would be considered, more legend that anything else now.

 

Let’s get a stormtrooper Rebellion started

 

I was wondering, and I've only seen TLJ once so I might be miss-remembering, but does the First Order at large (maybe including Kylo, I suppose) still think Luke is alive? No one actually knows he's dead apart from Rey and Leia.

 

I think Kylo should have realized Luke was a projection and since he said earlier to Rey that it can kill you, he should know that Luke is dead at the end. If he felt it or not. Also this boom boy scene is more a scene as a memorial of a dead person.

 

The fact that Kylo couldn't tell that Luke was a projection just further neuters him as a threat, because it was so obvious.

 

It's entirely possible that all of the First Order thinks he's still alive and more powerful than ever. Kylo probably knows he's dead though.

 

You see exactly what I mean when I say hyperspace tracking is a possible sequel hook. I'm glad I'm not the only one.

 

Is a problem that he wasn't followed to Canto Bight though isn't it? Also throws out all the RO easter egg discussion when it was introduced. https://www.inverse.com/article/39518-star-wars-last-jedi-rogue-one-easter-egg-hyperspace-tracking

I like the spirt of the idea but if it was the case BB8 would have also been found much sooner is it was known Finn was with him in TFA.

 

This movie does build a big anticipation for Episode 9. Kylo will be very powerful and it will be up to Rey and her friends to ensure the galaxy does not swing to darkness. I think Episode 9 will be big. TLJ left questions on the table, and threw others out the door, but we are guaranteed to be blown away. J.J. won't let us down.

 

See I don't believe that Kylo will be very powerful. There's been two movies, and both have failed to convey that about him imo. I don't buy him as a threat to Rey at all. The villains here, feel completely non-threatening, which kills most of the tension straight away.

 

Unless Kylo Ren defeats Rey and wins in the end of Episode IX, there is no hope for him to recover. People expect a happy ending for the Star Wars Saga. Episode IX is supposedly the last chapter. Kylo Ren has two movies to become a great threat, but squanders them both. He didn't properly kill Snoke and made a fool of himself by Rey and later, Luke. Vader at least recovered from his humiliating defeat in ANH by striking back with a vengeance in TESB. Episode V was Vader's movie. And he won triumphantly for the most part even if he didn't get his objective.

This actually gives tension for Luke when he faces Vader again.

 

TLJ was really the place to have Kylo prove himself as a threat and/or inflict a real defeat on Rey. But neither of those happened, so trying to sell him as a threat suddenly, in the final film of the trilogy, would feel like a massive contrivance.