#the sequels destroyed the legacy characters and all they sought to fight for and build..... how did you do that

[merrysithmas]

who had any idea rogue one and andor would be the only ones left standing after the Disney nuclear apocalypse of star wars

[hail-the-supreme-leader-kylo-ren]

EPISODE IX PREDICTIONS, HOPES, & DISCUSSION

This is a deep dive into the thoughts and questions I’ve been accumulating in regards to what might happen in Episode IX. (Sorry, it’s quite a long post).

My character predictions:

KYLO/BEN: My beautiful boy Ben is going to get redemption first and foremost. FACT. I’m so excited to see how it will go down though, so many possibilities. What’s going to be that final catalyst for Ben to finally stop resisting the Light? When we left Kylo/Ben in TLJ he had gained all the power he once sought, and yet he was utterly miserable. But, importantly Luke showing up on Crait offered Kylo that critical cathartic release he needs for the next step in his redemption journey. Looking back, TFA started with Kylo ordering a village massacre, and finished with him killing his father. We see progress in TLJ, as the act of committing patricide has been eating Kylo/Ben alive with regret and guilt, he then later cannot kill his mother, and instead he kills his tormentor, Snoke, to save Rey. So following this pattern of reversal, I predict in IX he’ll selflessly save a large group of people (the direct opposite of the original village massacre). It’s going to be so interesting to see how will he go with being The Supreme Leader of The First Order, as the evidence shows his ideology doesn’t really align with the Order. I feel like he’ll simply keep using The First Order for the sole purpose of destroying his mother’s Resistance, in a fruitless attempt to ‘kill his past’. Ultimately though, this story is about achieving balance between the Light and the Dark, not just in the force or the galaxy but also in oneself. Ben will need to accept the Light and the Dark sides in himself, and will have to come to this conclusion completely via his own initiative. Han (via Leia’s push), Luke, and Rey have all tried to convince him to the Light so far, to no avail.

REY: Strong Rey has been through a hell of a lot with Kylo/Ben in both films, and Luke in TLJ. She’s had to face her deepest fear that she’s ‘nobody’ and that her parents ‘aren’t coming back for her’. But despite this she has actually found belonging and empowerment along the way. Her self identity is in fact stronger than ever now (while Kylo/Ben is the opposite, he’s still having an identity crisis). I predict that in IX, Rey will be just as fearless and resilient as ever, but also more mature, less naive. Her relationship with the Resistance is interesting because in TFA Finn was lying to her about him belonging to the Resistance, so she was never actively apart of it, and then she was kidnapped by Kylo. Similarly, she sought Luke out for Leia (and the Resistance) in TLJ, but this was mostly a personal journey she undertook. She pursued turning Kylo/Ben to the Light, ‘for the Resistance’s sake’, but it was ultimately for her own sake. So I think that she might not completely feel like she belongs in the Resistance. It’s a sure thing, that she’ll still try to help them out how she can, but I predict it’ll once again be on her own ‘force’ related solo mission (because this fits her film narrative formula). This may be how she crosses paths with Kylo again? Also related to the Resistance, I have this gut feeling that she may clash heads with Poe over his decision making (IDK why, I just do). In terms of other predictions, it seems to be a given that she’ll repair the legacy Skywalker lightsaber, this is what Rey has done her whole life, salvage and repair. In regards to Ben, she’s learnt her lesson, and I truly believe she hasn’t given up on him, she just now knows that it has to be HIS decision to join the Light Side, she can’t ask him again – it won’t work. Like the TLJ novel states, she’s good at waiting, so deep down she’ll be waiting for him to eventually make the right decision. Also another prediction for Rey, is that the arm scar she got during the Throne Room fight will feature prominently in at least one on screen moment. I imagine it will go something like, she’s getting ready putting her satchel on etc, and looks down at her arm and remembers Ben/Kylo and that epic moment they fought together. Now Rey has a scar to remember him, and he too has one to remember her. ~swoons~ The recent costume leak (re: arm band) seem to support this scar’s significance further, but I initially thought that the scar would be important because LF chose to feature it on the damn TLJ poster.

THE WAR/THE BALANCE: This is the final film in the sequel trilogy, and this series is called “Star Wars” so I’m predicting more war, duh. However, we’ve already seen the Light side win over the Dark in the original trilogy, but it didn’t work – the Dark still rose back up. That’s why, this time round something’s got to be different. The Resistance can’t just defeat The First Order, I don’t think that’s going to cut it. TLJ expressed the nuisances of war, with the Resistance bombers and members dying, and also the large First Order crew who would’ve died on the dreadnaught. It really stuck with me what DJ said to Finn, “They blow you up today, you can blow them up tomorrow”. Maybe this wasn’t a precursor for IX, and was just Rian being Rian. But I still predict that Rey and Ben will team up again in this movie, but stay together this time, and they will initiate something like a ceasefire between the two sides, ending the vicious endless cycle of war that has plagued the galaxy for decades now. Ben and Rey are ‘the chosen one’ who will finally bring balance to the Force. It will be very interesting to see how this balance will be portrayed in a larger galactic scale.

FINN: Don’t get me wrong, I love my boy Finn, but to be honest on paper he is quite a one dimension character in regards to how he’s treated in these films. LF could’ve focused on his traumatic upbringing in The First Order and his emotions towards his ex-fellow troopers. Instead they have brushed past it, having Finn gunning down Storm Troopers with no second thought. (I guess they have the traumatic childhoods of Rey and Kylo to focus on instead). So the only prediction I have for him is that he will truly earn the title of ‘Resistance Hero’ in IX. Because in both the TFA and TLJ, he either left or tried leaving to save himself or save Rey, but by the end of TLJ he was finally committed to fighting for the Resistance’s cause (due largely to Rose’s influence).

POE: Poe was originally supposed to die in TFA, and in that movie he was really just a pilot (‘the best one in the Resistance’ though). In TLJ, he was still a pilot, but also shown to be cocky and impulsive, so the aim of TLJ was to teach him how to become a better leader, like Leia etc. So no doubt, in IX he’ll be making much better leadership calls, and assessing the risks more wisely. HOWEVER, it has been pointed out before how Poe, somewhat corrupts Holdo’s line of “We are the spark that will ignite the fire that will restore the Republic”, into “We are the spark that will light the fire that will burn the First Order down” this leads me to the juicy personal prediction (that probably won’t happen but...) maybe Poe in IX will turn into a ‘Coin’ like character, from the Hunger Games. Where Poe makes some very destructive calls, because he takes the war waaaay too far. I’m imagining this being Poe vs Hux, and it just keeps escalating and escalating in bloodshed. Hey, like I said, this probably won’t eventuate.

HUX: It seems obvious at this point that Hux is going to fail spectacularly again, for the third and final time. In TFA, his precious Starkiller Base was blown up. In TLJ, a dreadnought was destroyed under his watch, and then he lost his chance to become Supreme Leader as quickly as the opportunity arose. I predict that once he’s surrendered he’ll either sit there hilariously glaring everyone down, or pull the weasel move and beg/plead for his life. Regardless, it’ll be entertaining. Some might think that Hux is a serious military threat, and maybe in this film he might finally rise to the occasion. But throughout TLJ in particular, he was a laughing stock, and being completely honest Hux poses no serious threat to Kylo Ren. Kylo could end Hux’s life with the force or his saber, or both, within a mere second. WATCH YA BACK HUX. In all seriousness though, Hux will probably take every opportunity to undermine Kylo’s leadership – I know that. Man, do love their hate-hate colleague working relationship. 

I’m looking forward to:

More Reylo scenes – need I say more?

More Force Bond sessions, because we damn well know it ain’t gone

Seeing Kylo Ren The Supreme Leader, acting as such, sitting in his throne, and ya know just generally running The First Order (eeeeep!)

Simply seeing more Kylo scenes in general, because let's be real, Kylo/Rey/Finn are the true trio, and this is the final movie so this is our chance to finally see more of his POV. This will also be crucial to the redemption story too, as the general audience will probably need a lot more information about him to be onboard for his redemption

My favourite comedy duo Poe and Finn will be back together again at last! I cannot wait for the new banter and shenanigans with these two

John Williams’ amazing final SW score

All the new costumes/hair styles (It’s very wishful thinking but I would low-key love if the characters changed costumes at Padmé's rate)

I know the sequel trilogy hasn’t had the largest scale of cityscape world-building, but ya never know!

I’m one of those people that fell in love with the Knights of Ren during that brief rainy flashback in TFA, so hopefully they make an appearance, after all what’s a ‘Master’ of Ren without those he masters?

I’m curious to see:

What kind of leader will Kylo be of the First Order? And how is his leadership in general is tracking, is it threatened (i.e. Hux)?

How will Finn and the rest of the Resistance react to Rey being a ‘Jedi’? in TFA everyone except Kylo (and the FO, I guess) were ignorant to the fact that Rey was Force Sensitive. Obviously the resistance noticed Rey force lifting rocks at the end of TLJ, so now they’re all in the loop. Will Finn think she’s ‘changed’? (This is specifically discussed by Finn and Rose in the TLJ novel actually)

Similarly, how will the resistance react to Rey being connection to Kylo, both emotionally and via the force? (They are undeniably connected now thanks to TLJ). How will they react if they ever find out about the Throne Room? ~This is so juicy to consider~

How romantic will Reylo actually be on screen? Will there be an epic kiss? (God, I hope so)

Will Leia survive this trilogy? Han and Luke haven’t, so there’s that...

Will we get the “return to mother” moment (re: reverse Anidala), of Kylo and Leia? If she doesn’t die, this seems like a no brainer

Will the Jedi teachings (the ancient texts) even be a big deal in IX? Luke wasn’t their biggest fan after all. What opinion will Rey take?

What role will Rose play within the resistance this time round? I think it’s going be more prominent; e.g. she’ll be at the decisions making table alongside Poe, Finn, and Leia

Will there be any tie-back to the ‘original’ chosen one, Anakin, to bring this story full circle? Anakin was supposed to ‘bring balance to the Force’ after-all (even though we know Ben and Rey are going to do this)

If the KoR are in IX, will they be Kylo’s blindly pledged allies, and then during his redemption journey will they turn into foes?

With Snoke, the ‘man behind the curtain’ puppeteer style villain being gone, does there need to be a new threat/villain? Is there room for that in the story this late in the game?

Will there be more Force Ghosts in IX, now that Yoda has set a precedent by appearing in TLJ?

If/when Rey and Ben team up again, how will this be possible this time round with Kylo being Supreme Leader of The First Order? Will he chose to leave the Order, or be forced to leave early on in the film?

With Rey and Ben united, will we see some new awesome powerful Force moments? Like how Leia rescued herself in TLJ, or how Kylo froze Poe’s blaster fire, or hell, how Force Ghost Yoda conducted lighting?!

[pulltothelight]

Yo, anyone want to read my essay about why Rey and Kylo should be a thing?

Star Wars is an epic story with 40 years of impact on media and human imagination. It began as a single film about a farm boy, Luke Skywalker, who saved a far, far away galaxy from the clutches of the evil Empire. It is a fairy tale beginning long ago, and its messages and themes over the resulting 8 movies continue to center on the pull between good and evil, between the Dark and the Light sides of the Force. In the original trilogy, centered around Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, good ultimately triumphs with Luke bringing Darth Vader back to the Light. In the prequel trilogy, the movies follow Anakin Skywalker’s fall to the Dark. The sequel trilogy is now following the push and pull between the grandson of Darth Vader, Kylo Ren, and the new hope of the Force, a nobody named Rey. There is one final movie to complete this trilogy of trilogies. Of all possibilities that could happen in Star Wars episode 9, the most interesting and satisfying conclusion would include a romance between Rey and Kylo Ren. The relationship would finish what Kylo Ren’s grandfather started, would bring balance to the Force, and would bring hope to the audience. Why would any romance be necessary at all? It is the nature of the genre, and it is the pattern set out by the very movies that establish this galaxy far, far away. There is the romance between Leia Organa and Han Solo, Kylo Ren’s parents. At this point, one would be reminded of Leia and Luke turning out to be twin siblings, and so with Rey being the only other female in the sequel trilogy, one would wonder whether Rey may be related to Kylo Ren. It has been firmly established in The Last Jedi that Rey is not related to anyone from the previous films. It would make no sense for her to be the offspring of Luke, Leia, or Han, and having her be related would be bad storytelling. Rey is a nobody from nowhere. She is who she is because of what she alone has done and because of the influence of the Force. She is the new champion to bring balance to the Force. She cannot bring balance on her own. She is the light side who is unafraid of the dark. She uses both, as seen from her actions in The Last Jedi, to find her answers. Rey is not alone and is not meant to be alone. She is the yin to Kylo Ren’s yang. Kylo Ren is the result of a legacy. His grandfather is Anakin Skywalker, the Chosen One to bring balance to the Force. His fall to the dark side resulted in Darth Vader and the destruction of the Jedi Order. The Force was not in balance. There were many Jedi, but they did not use the Force to set things right in the galaxy. There was still slavery and evil and injustice. Padme Amidala was an idealist, and her ideals were her own downfall. She saw the good in everything, and when there wasn’t good where she was looking, she sought to change that. She even saw the good in Anakin Skywalker, in Darth Vader. She knew there was still good in him. It took her son, Luke Skywalker, to see that good in Anakin, and to help redeem him. Anakin did love Padme, but his search for power and control to set the world right, the same motivation as the idealistic Padme, destroyed them both. A romance between Rey and Kylo Ren is a poetic inverse of Anakin and Padme’s romance. Kylo Ren seeks power and control, but as Rey enters his life, his focus turns to her. Kylo Ren does not see the good in the galaxy because Luke Skywalker who saw the good in Darth Vader could not see the good in him. There is someone who does learn to see the good in Kylo Ren: Rey. Rey’s new mission is to bring Ben Solo back to the light. She was so sure that he would come back that she launched herself in an escape pod into space in the middle of a space battle so that she could help him. Rey may be they type of person to shoot first and ask questions later, but she risked her life to save his. Kylo Ren, aka Ben Solo, will be redeemed. He is already on that path. There is a plethora of evidence that could be discussed, but the most compelling evidence is that there are so many parallels between this story that is being told now and stories that have been told and retold. Kylo Ren is a “creature in a mask,” and this refers back to The Phantom of the Opera. The Phantom believes himself to be a monster, and so he hides behind the mask and terrorizes those who will not accept him, but a girl with a poor upbringing and immense talent sees beyond his facade. There are also parallels with the story of Beauty and the Beast. The Beast and Kylo Ren are both angry and have tantrums that are destructive and terrifying. Kylo Ren’s dialogue even alludes back to the Disney version when he tells Rey “You are my guest.” There are even parallels to the story of Hades and Persephone. There’s this strong maiden who goes into the underworld and falls in love with its king, just like Rey willingly going straight to Kylo Ren. Kylo Ren is the type of character who could have come out of any piece of classic romantic literature, like any work of Jane Austen’s or Lord Byron’s. Kylo Ren is the definition of a Byronic hero; "A Byronic hero is "a kind of hero found in several of the works of Lord Byron. Like Byron himself, a Byronic hero is a melancholy and rebellious young man, distressed by aterrible wrong he committed in the past.” These all seem to be arguments that would benefit Kylo Ren. What about Rey? Wouldn’t Finn be a better match for Rey? Wouldn’t even Poe Dameron be a better match? Finn is being paired off with Rose. They share an exciting adventure learning to fight for what they love. Poe Dameron is most concerned about his droid and his cause. Poe and Rey have only spoken once at the end of The Last Jedi where they introduce themselves to each other. Whether they were or were not better matches to Rey, the overarching plot would suffer if the bright ray of hope was paired off with anyone other than this dark prince. A romance between Rey and Kylo Ren would complete themes of redemption, good triumphing over evil, balance, and hope. Kylo Ren would have finished what his grandfather started, bringing balance to the force. Kylo Ren would be redeemed. Rey would never have to be alone again. Rey would have someone to teach her the ways of the Force. They would be able to bring down the First Order together. They would be able to build up a new order of Jedi. They would carry on the Skywalker legacy. They would complete the Star Wars Trilogy of Trilogies.