Regarding The Rise of Skywalker

 

Regarding The Rise of Skywalker

 

The final instalment of the Sequel Trilogy is almost at hand, just nine days away as I write. Star Wars fans have been speculating for many months, and no sooner would one theory pop up as another would fall with the arrival of a new trailer or a fact from promotional material. Episode IX is eagerly awaited, both by those who’ve enjoyed the previous two and those who simply want to whole thing over and done with. Here I will share with you my own perspective, as a fervent prequelist who grew up with Lucas’s 2nd trilogy.

Possibilities I like

Resurrection of Luke Skywalker – In a film called “Rise of Skywalker”, this one seems inevitable and I will certainly be smiling when I see it on the silver screen. I don’t expect Luke to play a large part in the film, but I do think he’ll pop up for a grand showdown in the final act.

Resurrection of Anakin Skywalker – As above. If I were to make a prediction I would say a Force Ghost for him is more likely. It would be stunning to see if it were to happen.

Palpatine returns via a host body – Sith Alchemy is the only honest way Palpatine can return, and it won’t be fair to the ending of the OT if he appears as he was on Death Star 2. A miraculous survival can only be though a mysterious, Dark-side equivalent of a Force Ghost. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s Matt Smith that plays the role of this character on screen, with McDiarmid lending the voice.

Kylo searching for Palpatine – My bet is that Kylo Ren is seeking out Palpatine during the first act of the film, and when he unleashes him he quickly realises that he’s let a greenie out of the bottle. He wants to become a Sith to emulate his grandfather, but for Palpatine he’s a tool and he’s going to wrestle control of the First Order from him. Richard E. Grant’s character might be installed as a temporary Supreme Leader of the First Order, before its reorganised into the Second Galactic Empire.

Palpatine battling Anakin and Luke in another dimension – This would be spectacular if were cross-cut with Rey fighting Kylo on the water planet of the trailer. Star Wars to George Lucas is all about its rhymes and it would reflect the two battles we saw during the 2nd half of Revenge of the Sith. If a lightsabre battle involving the evil mastermind is to transpire, it’s got to be an all-Ghost battle vs the Skywalker clan.

Lots of R2D2 – We’ve seen very little of this droid in the Sequel Trilogy so far. He’s had no impact on its course, whereas in both the OT and PT he was very important to the plot. If this truly is a unified trilogy of trilogies, he will play a part in this movie.

Little of Rose – I really didn’t enjoy this annoying character in TLJ, which I felt was a needless portrayal of in-universe fangirling, and would hope that, as with Jar Jar Binks in AOTC, the filmmakers can significantly reduce her screentime. Just let her leave Finn alone, please.

Little of BB8 – I’ve never been a fan of the blatant football-inspired design, and it’s obvious that his rise has come at the expense of R2D2. I’m pretty certain I’m going to be disappointed on this one. I guess merchandising rules the roast here.

Finn given greater authority – I found him to be wasted in TLJ and would like him to play a more substantial role in this film, devoid of stalkers, and possibly directing Rey and Poe.

Possibilities I’m okay with

Rey as a Palpatine – It’s not a story decision I’m clamouring for, but if it ends up happening I think it’ll add enormous depth to her character. I didn’t like the “nobody” explanation given by Kylo in TLJ after so much speculation in the build-up, and if I can remember correctly, I was hoping for a Luke connection.

Snoke’s background briefly explained – If it happens that Snoke’s origins are completely ignored, I won’t be pleased, but if they are touched on, and only lightly, I don’t think that’s actually so bad. At this stage the damage has already been done with his sudden demise in TLJ, which was done for the sake of cheap subversion. It shouldn’t take long to detail how he was a puppet of the Sith Lord.

Leia dying – I’m not convinced Abrams and Co. can pull off Leia without the late, great Carrie Fisher. I thought the CGI imitation in Rogue One was one the worst parts of that film, and I really don’t want to see it used again. I think a heroic death somewhere in the middle of the film is the best option available, and mirrors what’s already happened with Luke and Han.

Little introspection – I’d love to see some of this, but with all the new characters the filmmaker have to grapple with, it won’t turn me off if they can’t. There’s a good chance for this in conversations between Kylo and Palpatine, if they should happen. Abram’s has called the Opera scene his favourite in the PT, and one has to wonder if he’s going to try to pull off something similar.

Finn being Force sensitive – we saw signs of this in Episode VII, when he wielded a lightsabre against storm troopers (the best laser sword fight we’ve had it in the ST in my opinion ), so it wouldn’t be a massive shock if they wrote it in. Don’t forget, in the lead up to TFA, many of us were convinced that he would be the Jedi.

The Republic not being depicted – like with Snoke, I feel this one is a lost cause. The Sequel Trilogy has deliberately steered away from dealing with the larger picture, and instead zoomed in on particular character relationships and operatic space battles (specifically derivatives of what happened in ANH). The insistence on “The Resistance” – a synonym for Rebellion 2.0 – has frustrated me, and I don’t see it changing.

Possibilities that would destroy the film

Anakin doesn’t appear – this one would essentially ruin the movie for me. These films are now branded the “Skywalker Saga”, and it would be utterly ridiculous for the founder of that family not to play a part in something as conspicuously called as “The Rise of Skywalker”. Darth Vader’s mask has already appeared before Kylo a few times, and it’s about time it spoke back as Anakin – a man surely with life lessons applicable to his grandson. It’s crucial that it’s somebody like the Chosen One who can put the seed of doubt in his head, because there is nobody else after the failure of his uncle and the limitations on using his mother.

The idea that Palpatine can survive, while the guy who deliberately killed him has to stay dead is, quite frankly, disturbing. We know from the recent cannon material that Anakin is still active as a Force Ghost to Luke post-ROTJ, so why wouldn’t he do something about his old master returning? One can see him staying hushed about Snoke, but for Palpatine, who he knows better than anyone else? No, I’m not buying that. As I’ve written elsewhere “you can’t have one without the other: they encapsulate all the strengths and weaknesses of the two sides of the Force”.

We already see Darth Vader’s mask visually present in the trailer, so to not have Anakin then visually, or as mere audio instead, would be too much to swallow. Voice acting can be done by Matt Lanter, not Hayden Christensen. This film needs to honour Anakin, who as the Chosen One, brought balance to the Force by destroying the Sith in ROTJ. So Palpatine can not have survived that, and been waiting 30 years in the Dark.

Skywalker as some sort of replacement for the Jedi Order – This would be spitting on the face of the original 6 films. Sure, the PT showed the JO to have serious problems, but it also painted a picture of an organisation doing its very best to protect governing institutions whose decay were far beyond their control. The OT, therefore, can be viewed as a redemption for the Order via their faith in Luke. The Skywalkers are servants of the Jedi – to say the opposite is narcissism bordering on Sith ideology. It is simply Anakin and his descendants, and the Jedi, like any institution, will go on without them (it won’t forget them though). These names-turned-titles can stick with offices of dictatorship: Ceasar, Augustus, Khan etc.

Rey single-handed defeating Palpatine – Given how powerful the Sith mastermind is, and how long he may have been waiting, this one makes zero sense. Luke isn’t able to defeat him in the OT despite far greater training, and neither should the new kid on the block. I don’t honestly know how Palpatine can truly be defeated if he can resurrect himself, it does seem like they’ve opened a Pandora’s Box. I would prefer if he were still dead.

Ben Solo isn’t redeemed – Like it or not, but the message of redemption is part of Star Wars’ DNA. It’s been reiterated numerous times, the most recent being “No one’s ever really gone” from Luke Skywalker. After the failure of the subversion gimmick in TLJ, I’ve have had enough and am more than willing to settle for what others will almost certainly mistakenly interpret as “predictable”.

The question of whether the character dies in the process is a different matter entirely, and that’s difficult to predict. With the encouragement of Anakin, the resolve of Rey, and the treachery of Palpatine, one can only hope that Ben is the one to rise. Which means…

The Ending

Ben Solo has to be the one to re-kill Palpatine. I suspect if he does it’ll be through some strange new Force Power. Rey has got to fail like Luke in ROTJ, but I’m sure her skills will build up a lot during the film. Ben may well die in the process, but he’ll have saved her life if so.

My prediction is that the Force Ghosts of Anakin, Luke, and (if dead) Leia and Ben will all appear to Rey and her successful band of Rebels. I certainly don’t want to see them do the twin suns as an ending, which was already done for ROTS.

There will be balance in the Force if, and only if, Palpatine – the manifestation of the Sith – is defeated.

Prequel references

I will jump out of my seat if we see any signs of the new Jedi Order resembling what we got in the PT (younglings, Jedi Temple, High Council etc), but Abrams’ lack of interest in institutions – visually symbolised in TFA by the capital’s oblivion – leads me doubt its chances. It would be awesome to get a little flash of it.

It’s unlikely we’ll see any of the PT planets appearing, though I’ll be happily surprised if it happens. There’s a strong argument to be made for Tatoinne, given its primacy in both the OT and PT, but the current trilogy already has Jaku and may be introducing us to yet another new dessert planet (the scenes shot in Jordan). Also, with Alderran blown up, Naboo is the best candidate for Leia’s final resting place.

Having some Gungans or battle droids (and not just dimly in the background either) in the film would be a superb way to tie the 9 films together, if they want to be truly honest to their branding.

It will be fascinating to see just how much of the Prequel Trilogy’s music makes it into the final film. We’ve been told that all the themes from past instalments will make an appearance, which I honestly find hard to wrap ones head around. Where would Anakin’s Dark Deeds or Across the Stars possibly go? I can see a reworking of Duel of the Fates being successfully applied, and we got a glimpse at that in one of the TV spots. If Anakin shows up, they’ve got to play his theme from Episode I.

Other things

It’s been interesting following the fanbase’s speculation the last number of months. At one point Rey being a Clone or going to the Dark Side were popular theories, yet now they’re completely dismissed. The idea of Rey and Kylo as a potential couple, which was ludicrous to begin with(much like if Padmé said yes to Vader on Mustafar), though popular amongst a certain corner of Twitter, seems to have fallen away too. I don’t think they’ll be any other romances – they had a chance with Rey and Finn, but dropped it.

As a big fan of Anakin – which you’ll surely have noticed – it’s been remarkable to witness the massive amount of online support for his appearance in TROS. Not only have outlets as significant as the Hollywood Reporter published articles of support, but you’ve had serious prequel critics of the prequels calling for his inclusion, or “time to do Hayden justice”.

I’m betting he will appear, but again, if it’s only as a voice, or a voice among many others, that will be a disaster. This is not Plo Koon, Ahsoka Tano or even Yoda – this is the very founder of the very Skywalker clan, and that is quite a distinction which needs to be respected. Likewise, if he’s just one Force Ghost among others (a temple of ghosts, let’s say) that will also be spitting on Anakin’s importance. The only exception here would be with Luke, his son, and it would likely be at a final celebration like in ROTJ’s Endor – that would be a small consolation I may or may not take. If the film is to get any thumbs up, he needs to be visible and needs to speak to his grandson (even if it is only for a minute) and/or Rey.

I don’t really mind what they do with Lando, Poe or Finn’s friend. I think Poe is definitely going to get a boost by being with his two friends, as we see in the trailer, so I expect good things, and not the quarrelling fool in TLJ. I am worried though that some of these newer characters, like Dominic Monaghan or Keri Russells’ character, may end up being as terrible and time-wasting as Benicio del Toros’ was in TLJ.

I’d like to see Chewie die in a blaze of glory. The Millennium falcon should not be in any more films after Episode IX, as they’ve used the gimmick enough in the ST – blow it up if need be here.