It’s time for Disney to make Star Wars fans uncomfortable.
In episode seven, “The Force Awakens,” Han Solo meets with a group of rebels, and he practically broke the fourth wall when he said: “So it’s another Death Star.” Everyone was thinking it. The other Star Wars characters in the scene basically said: “BUT IT’S BIGGER!” Solo then follows up, “OK, how do we blow it up? There’s always a way to blow it up.” And they hatch a plan — not unlike the one in episodes five and six. The rebels, clear underdogs, pull off the upset, and destroy the (very large) Starkiller Base — not unlike what happens in episodes five and six.
There were an handful of nods at the original trilogy in episode eight, “The Last Jedi,” including Luke Skywalker’s duel with Kylo Ren — which harkened back to Obi Wan Kenobi’s duel with Darth Vader. The master sacrifices himself in a duel against his fallen padawan to help save important members of the rebellion on their getaway. Maybe Luke isn’t actually dueling with Ren (he’s some sort of force ghost) — but he still dies as a product of the duel, just like Obi Wan.
This nine-episode saga has used the same family — the Skywalkers — with a lot of the same tropes from episodes four through eight. Perhaps episodes one and two are abominations. But they were starkly different (and, again, perhaps different to the point where they were incongruous). They were fresh, and the final film in that trilogy was deeply tragic, even if the lead-up was probably poorly acted and poorly written. (Jar Jar? Really?) “Revenge of the Sith” ate at its viewers in a way no other Stars Film has. It hurt to watch the transformation as Anakin descends into Darth Vader. The point is that the second trilogy — episodes four through six — was a beautiful and fresh creation of imagination and interstellar amazingness. The first trilogy was totally different, even though George Lucas struggled to bring it all together with an unfortunate focus on intergalactic political affairs. Turns out, bureaucracy is boring.
This third trilogy hasn’t found itself. It’s lost in fan services and nostalgia. Death Stars? Recycled. The bad guy? Well, he’s Vader’s grandson, who worships Vader and even wears a mask like him. (To be fair, I think Ren is a very interesting character.) Rey is a lot like Luke (and Anakin) in that she was a deserted desert-dweller, who is gifted in the ways of the Force. Kylo Ren says she has no family, but it’s hard to believe him. “The Rise of Skywalker” could easily provide the reveal: Rey is a Skywalker. And she will Rise. That would be a shame, not because she’s not who we’re all obviously rooting for, but because it’s the most predictable plot twist. (Ren: “Rey, I am your brother.” Rey: “NOOO!!!!!!”)
When Luke burns the Jedi Temple and its contents — with some help from a mischievous Yoda — he ends the Jedi order in “The Last Jedi.” He is the last Jedi, not Rey. She’s taking a step forward away from the order, which is problematically dogmatic in its use and faux-ownership of the Force. Ren is taking a step away from the Sith, a very different (dis)order that claims to have too many answers about the Force. Together, they’re going to foray into freeform use of the Force. And J.J. Abrams, the director, better have a fresh presentation of these explorations. Perhaps there’s more to the Force than the light and the dark, the good and the bad. Perhaps there’s nuance.
There will certainly be more callbacks to the original three films. Emperor Palpatine, for example, seems to have a role to play. Perhaps they can find a way to honor those characters and plot points while stepping in a unique direction. Damn the Death Stars. Forget about the Skywalkers. (I’m sorry. I take it back.) Finish the Jedi and the Sith and find something new. Take a risk.
Do something different in “Rise of the Skywalker.”
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