Nine Things We Want to See in Star Wars: Episode IX
It’s been a few weeks since Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Star Wars: Episode VIII—The Last Jedi) took us back to a galaxy far, far away, and that film is still one of the only things the internet can talk about these days. From people loving it(like this writer) to fans getting so upset that they started a petition to strike it from the official cannon, writer/director Rian Johnson’s vision of the Star Wars galaxy is certainly polarizing, but it has proven wildly successful and has many fans anxiously waiting to see what’s in store when Episode IX hits theaters Christmas 2019.
We know that Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) director, J.J. Abrams, will be returning to the director’s chair to close out the trilogy, but outside of that we do not know much else. With that in mind, we here at CinemaNerdz feel that it’s never too early to start a wish list, so here are nine things we want to see in Star Wars: Episode IX. Just a word of caution, there are obviously major spoilers for The Last Jedi in the space below, so please proceed with caution if you’re one of the few who hasn’t seen the film yet.
9. A Time Jump
A Porg from “Star Wars: Episode VIII—The Last Jedi”
Unlike the cliffhanger of an ending in The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi wraps up a lot of the immediate storylines quite nicely. The Resistance escapes the clutches of the First Order by flying away on the Millennium Falcon, Kylo Ren becomes the Supreme Leader of the First Order, and Luke Skywalker peacefully passes away. While there is the somewhat loose end of the broom kid at the end, it is kind of refreshing to see a modern-day blockbuster end in a satisfying way instead of leaving the sequel to answer numerous questions. Having said that, we cannot see Episode IX picking up exactly where The Last Jedi leaves off. There must be a time jump of some kind where either the Resistance and First Order face off against each other with the fate of the galaxy at stake. There was a time jump between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back which worked perfectly, and we think it would work well here too.
8. A Proper Send-Off for Carrie Fisher and Princess/General Leia
Carrie Fisher in “Star Wars: Episode VIII—The Last Jedi.” © 2017 Lucasfilm Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
One of the more intriguing storylines heading into The Last Jedi was how they were going to handle the untimely death of Carrie Fisher. Writer/director Rian Johnson and LucasFilm thought it would be disrespectful to alter her role or add any CGI scenes to her performance. The result is beautiful as General Leia is one of the crucial characters in The Last Jedi, and ultimately the Resistance. The unfortunate thing is that we won’t be able to see Leia in Episode IX (it’s already been confirmed there will be no CGI Leia in the next movie) so we’re hoping that they give her the proper send-off her character deserves. Leia ends up right in the middle of the Resistance at the end of The Last Jedi, so we think a time jump would help them with this situation.
7. High Stakes for the Entire Galaxy
A space battle in “Star Wars: Episode VIII—The Last Jedi.” © 2017 Lucasfilm Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
The Last Jedi was epic in the way it treated its characters, but not with regards to the grand scheme of the galaxy. The plot focuses on the Resistance dwindling by the moment, barely outrunning the First Order and then escaping after the battle on Crait. The movie decides to focus on the development of its main characters (Kylo, Rey, Poe, Finn, and Rose) while deepening the mythology of its classic characters (Luke and Leia). These developments should pay off in Episode IX as we hope the final chapter in this new trilogy will not only conclude the arcs of its many characters, but give us galaxy altering stakes.
6. Finn and Rose End Up Together
John Boyega and Kelly Marie Tran in “Star Wars: Episode VIII—The Last Jedi.” Photo by David James – © Copyright: 2016 Lucasfilm Ltd. & â¢, All Rights Reserved.
One of the most maligned plot points in The Last Jedi was the storyline concerning Finn and Rose. Taking a large chunk of screen time in a movie that was already two and a half hours long (the longest Star Wars film to date), many fans felt their adventure was pointless. While I could argue how it’s not, their journey ends with Rose saving Finn from sacrificing himself to save the Resistance. She professes her love for him, faints, and then Finn places a blanket on her at the end of the film. The more we think about their interaction on Canto Bight and Rose’s line of “stop fighting what we hate and start saving what we love,” the more we think their arc would be best served if they end up together. They brought out the best in each other and hopefully more of that happens in Episode IX.
5. Poe As a Leader
Oscar Isaac in “Star Wars: Episode VIII—The Last Jedi.” © 2017 Lucasfilm Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Poe went through a lot in The Last Jedi. His first mission might have been successful, but it was at the cost of losing a lot of people and resources. Holdo (Laura Dern) calls him out for being a “trigger happy flyboy” and someone who is quick to blow something up before thinking about the whole picture. It seems that Poe took that to heart because during the battle of Crait he orders people to peel off from the cannon and urges everyone to run away to the mines. He seems to have learned the lesson that survival is the ultimate victory and we would love to see what kind of leader he eventually turns into. His arc from being a “trigger happy flyboy” to an intelligent, compassionate Resistance leader is one we would love to see come full circle.
4. Rey Trains the Next Generation of Jedi
Daisy Ridley in “Star Wars: Episode VIII—The Last Jedi.”
Although we didn’t get the same training session between Luke and Rey as we did between Yoda and Luke, Rey did learn some important lessons during her time on Ahch-To. Luke also tells Kylo Ren that he will not be the last Jedi and then it cuts to Rey helping the Resistance escape from the mine. While she did not receive the training she (or the audience) thought she would get from Luke, we think that Luke showed her the true power of the Force and some interesting insight into the Jedi religion. Rey also snuck the Jedi texts onto the Millennium Falcon, so we hope she has plans to teach a new generation about the Force.
3. Kylo Ren Becomes a Complete Villain
Adam Driver in “Star Wars: Episode VIII—The Last Jedi.”
Please read this next sentence very carefully: Kylo Ren is the series’ best developed villain, and that argument might not even be close. There is absolutely no doubt that Darth Vader is the most iconic villain of the entire series, and possibly of all-time. The prequel trilogy tried to show his change from Anakin Skywalker to Darth Vader in an intriguing way, and while some of it worked, most of it didn’t live up to the mythos of the character. What The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi did with Kylo Ren’s dark journey was better than anything that happened in the prequels. He is a villain with many layers and by the end of The Last Jedi is positioned to be the big bad of Episode IX. His murder of Supreme Leader Snoke and the subsequent throne room scene was one of the best parts of the film and we hope that Abrams can conclude this character arc in a proper way.
2. Luke as a Force Ghost
Mark Hamill in “Star Wars: Episode VIII—The Last Jedi.”
One of the biggest surprises of The Last Jedi was when Yoda came to Luke on Ahch-To. His speech about the Jedi and the importance of failure helped Luke see why he needed to help Rey and the Resistance instead of spending his days in isolation. Much like his teacher came back in his most dire moment, we think that Luke will come to Rey when she needs him the most in Episode IX. Luke also says to Kylo, “See you around kid” which gives us the impression that he is not done communicating with his nephew.
1. A Proper Conclusion to the “Skywalker Saga”
Mark Hamill and Daisy Ridley in “Star Wars: Episode VIII—The Last Jedi.”
LucasFilm has always said that the “Episode” films were part of the “Skywalker Saga,” which means every installment (not including last year’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and this year’s Solo: A Star Wars Story) focuses on at least one member of the Skywalker family. The prequels had Anakin; the original trilogy had Darth Vader, Luke, and Leia; and now the current trilogy has Luke, Leia, and Ben Solo/Kylo Ren. We’re assuming that Kylo and Rey were telling the truth when they said Rey’s parents were nobodies, but there is always the possibility of them retconning that and saying she is related to the Skywalkers (or even the Kenobis). If we believe that Kylo is the last surviving Skywalker, this could be a way to properly wrap up the “Skywalker Saga” in a satisfying way. His character must come to a definite conclusion, whether by death or turning towards the light, in our eyes. This would allow LucasFilm to explore other parts of the galaxy, which seems likely with Rian Johnson’s upcoming new trilogy.
Scott Davis
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