Opinionated: Something… Something… Star Wars

Star Wars is the ultimate introduction to the imagination, or, at least, that’s the way I feel about it. George Lucas shot for the stars, almost literally in fact, (if you consider blue screen to be reality), when he created this thick, simmering brew of knights, magic, pilots, pirates, gangsters, aliens and robots set in a galaxy far, far away. What has made Star Wars so memorable has been the fantastic characters and their intricate personalities, the inventive and innovative pieces of technology that have influenced our society, the marvelous vistas that are sprawled across a plethora of planets and, most importantly, the infinite possibilities of the universe itself. With a bounty of brilliant ideas, Star Wars has endured as a pillar of power in the modern world… until now.

When George Lucas sold Lucasfilm to the Walt Disney Company, he sold every part of it, especially Star Wars. After the purchase, Bob Iger and his acolytes had an immediate desire to begin plans to continue the exploits of Lucas’s galactic adventures. Kathleen Kennedy, Lucas’s personal selection to succeed him as the leader of Lucasfilm, began the process of reviving the Star Wars saga at the behest of Disney, with the first task being to craft a new trilogy that was meant to thrill and exhilarate the masses. In the conception of the new Star Wars trilogy, the corporate proprietor of the galaxy far, far away made a decision based on old grudges harbored by resentful people who despised the prequel trilogy, which were films that depicted the rise of the Empire, its evil Emperor and that dictator’s ultimate warrior, Darth Vader. While the birth of the Empire as an interesting story and subsequent film seemed like a guaranteed success, the results, while financially tremendous, yielded a wave of hatred towards George Lucas that seemed to be merely one of disappointment in both the acting and dialogue of the characters. As time went on, it would be revealed that what the prequels had truly done was opened Pandora’s Box, if you will. People, of many shapes, sizes and ages, despised seeing Star Wars as any-thing but what it had been when initially conceived, that of a tale of Rebels and Imperials, out-laws who waged a secret war against an oppressive government that ruled an entire galaxy. When faced with a reality that, once upon a time, the galaxy was far more intricate and complex, people felt as if their adolescence was a lie, to some extent, and that they had been deceived. Take, for example, Darth Vader, who, as many believed, was supposed to be born evil by the account of some (despite being redeemed by his son in his final moments), or an ace pilot who had little to do with the Jedi (despite the actual Star Wars movie saying to the contrary). What of Obi-Wan Kenobi, who many believed to be an old man for far longer than he was actually revealed to be? We should all be grateful that so few people took offense to the origin of R2-D2, who was actually given an upgrade in importance as being an astromech droid, whose job it was to fix the space-ship while it was under attack (not bad for comedy relief). To get to the point, nostalgia (which has been considered by some people, over the centuries, to actually be a sign of evil [I’m not kidding]), has tainted what Star Wars could be by cursing it to remain what it once was and nothing more.

The idea of constantly returning to the same concept for picture after picture is both lazy and tedious, yet that is what keeps happening with each Star Wars picture under Disney’s command. With only the anthology films (which are built to mimic the past, not present the future) introducing new ideas to the fun, how can you prepare for future films? The prequels, despite their flaws, have spawned so many interesting premises for the future that it should make the new guard feel inferior at every turn, considering the only great developments that have debuted with the latest films are a woman as a hero, a black man as leading man, a lightsaber that makes no sense and a fight scene with warriors with names from ancient mythology wearing costumes that look like some-thing from Alice in Wonderland (the costumes are cool). The creative possibilities of Star Wars are being whisked aside in favor of pleasing those who are to opposed to change, which is just a shame, because Star Wars is the rare story available that can go any-where and do any-thing. That being said, the problems with the new Star Wars pictures are not simply the lack of creative developments, but of a true purpose for this trilogy and of any picture destined to follow it.

Let’s take Episode IX, which is due to arrive in December of 2019. What is the point of that film? Are they merely going to show the defeat of the Empire, now known as the First Order, without even revealing how the Empire survived? What of those within the Republic who had supported the Empire when it was in power? Did the corrupt politicians hide their identities and stay in office? Couldn’t those corrupt senators and their kind and ilk have a part in rebuilding the Empire into this First Order, all while slowly using litigation to revive Imperial policies? On paper, that little diatribe sounds about as exciting as what people insulted George Lucas for with his prequels, but those are just some of the questions that need to be answered with the finale of the sequel trilogy. Who was Snoke? Rian Johnson may not think it was important, but when you consider that he drove a young man to commit patricide as well as amassed an army of millions of soldiers and can torture people with his mind, perhaps it’s a good idea to look a little deeper. What turned Ben Solo to the Dark Side of the Force? Snoke talked him into it, but there had to be some-thing more substantial then “my dad won’t play catch with me” driving Ben to evil? What of Luke Skywalker? Was Luke trying to stop the creation of the First Order when Ben turned? Why was Han Solo such a bad father to Ben? Was it just because Han was an orphan or was there some-thing more at work? Are Rey’s parents really losers, or does Ben know some-thing few others do? Where did the new Storm-troopers come from? Supposedly, the First Order kidnapped infants and trained them to be killers, but that seems to be less the case when you consider the amount of soldiers the First Order has. If they were snatched from their parents, then what planet(s) did Snoke steal the kids from? The fact of the matter is, based on the previous efforts of the new trilogy, we probably shouldn’t expect too much in the way of answers. That being said, people should demand that a story with as much potential as Star Wars, especially one with the massive budget it has at its disposal, should strive to be bold and daring’ like all great art.

Before you get the impression that I’m writing a quick complaint column just to make a happy buck, I think I should put my money where my mouth is and give you my version of Star Wars: Episode IX.

1. On Raigolla, a group of explorers, of varying species, are navigating the humid jungles of the planet to reach an ancient temple. Led by archaeologist Jon Kanen, the group reaches the temple and enters, where they evade many traps inside the confines of the temple until they reach the center, where they find a black diamond called the Sytaraq. They escape the temple after it begins to collapse, only to be caught by a tribe of cultists called the Managana. The cult takes the group to their lair, where they torture them and present Jon Kanen’s partner, Q’lo Q’al, to a great beast as a sacrifice to appease it (they believe the beast an agent of their gods). Kanen kills the cult leader and helps Q’lo kill the beast, while the group escapes from the lair of the Managana. As the group returns to their ship, two of the other group members betray the group to steal the Sytaraq. When the cyborg pirate Demethur Krull arrives with his crew, the traitors are revealed to be his acolytes and a fight ensues, which sees Jon Kanen escape in his ship with Q’lo Q’al and a third group member named Trax Rane. As the trio escape into space, Trax Rane betrays the pair and flees in an escape pod with the Sytaraq, killing Q’lo Q’al when he tries to stop him. Trax is received by Kylo Ren’s command ship, where Trax is revealed as an officer of the First Order. Kylo has the Sytaraq taken to the armory, where it will be applied to a new suit of armor he has commissioned.
2. After eleven months of fighting, the Resistance has been beaten and is preparing to surrender on the home-world of the new Empire, Stronnar. With Leia dead after the wounds she gained during “The Last Jedi”, Poe Dameron is now the Resistance leader, with Rey, Finn, Rose Tico and Chewbacca his commanding officers. As the scant remains of the Resistance prepare to sign a peace treaty with the First Order to bring about an end to the war and the return of the Empire, Rey and Finn have infiltrated a different part of the First Order’s fortress on Stronnar. Along with Chewbacca and a Resistance battalion dressed in Storm-trooper armor, Rey and Finn attempt to sneak into the main computer room where every base on the conquered worlds of the First Order is controlled. The Resistance fighters are caught after they breach the computer’s defenses, but before they can gain complete control of the network. When Rey and the group are brought to the treaty signing, Trax Rane, who is revealed as the Grand Moff of the First Order, is ordered to prepare the execution chamber for Poe Dameron, who pleads for his Resistance fighters to keep their lives. In the execution room, Poe Dameron is locked in the chamber, which is an incinerator no less, and comes close to death, when the power shuts off. It is discovered that Rey and her friends were able to inject a virus into the computer and, subsequently, to every base operated by the First Order. The First Order now vulnerable, the galactic citizens fight back against the Empire in every corner of the galaxy. Rey chases Kylo Ren to his armory, where his armor has been forged with the Sytaraq diamond. A massive lightsaber duel ensues between Rey and the vastly more powerful Ren (thanks to the power of the Sytaraq), with Rey narrowly besting her opponent by destroying his cross-guard lightsaber. Kylo Ren escapes Stronnar with only his life, Darth Vader’s old lightsaber and the Sytaraq, which is now barely contained by the heavily damaged armor. Trax Dane is killed by Jon Kanen, who is revealed to be a Resistance general. General Hux discovers that his superiors are now out of power and he takes his chance to become the Supreme Leader. Hux escapes with a Dreadnaught ship containing the mere thousands of Storm-troopers left at his disposal. Finn is ordered to lead the charge and destroy the remaining Storm-troopers, but accepts surrender when the First Order admits defeat. With victory declared across the galaxy, the Resistance celebrates as the Republic is restored.
3. A grand ceremony is held on the new Republic capital planet of Latalia, where Rey, Finn, Poe, Rose, and Chewbacca are rewarded for restoring peace and justice to the galaxy. Poe is made the new Viceroy of Defense, while Finn is declared General of the Republic military by new Supreme Chancellor Araqos Duun. Rey leaves Latalia looking for a quiet life, while Rose accepts a position as a galactic ambassador for peace.
4. On Ach-To, a mysterious figure emerges in white robes from a bright light on the island that the Jedi Master Luke Skywalker once called home. The person finds Luke’s lightsaber and takes it. The person lifts Luke’s X-Wing from the ocean and puts it on the island.
5. Rey hears Luke’s voice speak to her in her mind and he tells her to go to Eliquoth, in the Unknown Region.
6. On the prison planet Carceron, a group of mercenaries steals six prisoners frozen in carbonite. Using a prison riot as a distraction, the raid is a success.
7. On Praetoria, a shadowy being cloaked in darkness meets with the mercenaries, who deliver the six prisoners to the being. The being has the mercenaries killed by the Praetorian Guard, the very same who protected Supreme Leader Snoke when he was alive. The six prisoners are thawed and awoken to reveal the Knights of Ren and they are promised revenge against the one who betrayed them to Carceron, Kylo Ren.
8. Finn is charged by the Republic to lead a task force to hunt down the remains of the First Order, who are rumored to have rendezvoused on the criminal epicenter of the galaxy, the planet Noirion. On Noirion, Finn, along with his second-in-command, Kalath Viell (who fought in the final battle of the war on Stronnar) and Chewbacca, lead an undercover hit squad to find where Hux and the Storm-troopers are meeting. Learning that Hux has been granted sanctuary in the fortress of the master of all crime syndicates, Taran Roar, Finn and his team, who are wearing disguises in the forms of nanobite masks, infiltrate the domain of Roar, only to be discovered by the gangster after discovering Roar’s plan to help rebuild the First Order. Finn is taken to Kiio Nane, a crooked fight promoter who places Finn into the Captheon, a massive technological arena where warriors fight each other. Finn fights numerous gladiators until he wins. As Finn battles the warriors, “DJ” frees Chewbacca and the other members of the task force, along with the help of several people in armor adorned with the Rebellion/Resistance symbol. As the heroes attempt an escape, “DJ” has a brief lightsaber duel with Taran Roar before he flees Noirion with the rest of the heroes.
9. On Jaalor, Finn meets the leader of their liberators… Lando Calrissian. Lando has been a fugitive since several years before the war began, claiming that he was about to expose the corruption in the new Republic before Luke disappeared. Amassing an army of rogues and renegades, including Jon Kanen and other fighters from the Resistance, Lando, along with his son Obain and daughter Kelesia, are leading a Revolution against the corrupt members of the Republic government who were secretly in league with the Empire and helped to create the First Order. Having followed the Revolution back to Jaalor, Hux and the First Order attacks their base. After a fierce battle, Finn finally gets his chance to kill General Hux, but hesitates when Hux him a copy of the First Order data-base, which includes all communications made to every ship since the First Order was formed. As Hux tells Finn that the data-base holds information that changes the course of the war and the galaxy, Hux is killed by Kalath Viell, who then urges Finn to kill the Revolution before the Republic fleet arrives to arrest them. Finn insists on apprehending the Revolution and so it is done. When the Republic realizes that Finn has the First Order data-base, they order Kalath to kill him, just in case he has seen its contents. Finn barely evades murder by falling into a chasm inhabited by a litany of wild, vicious beasts. Finn beats the beasts, with “DJ’s” help and flees to Latalia to find Poe, so he can tell him of this treachery.
10. The mysterious figure prepares the dried ship and departs for Eliquoth.
11. Rey, along with C3-PO and R2-D2, arrives on Eliquoth to find that the lush, beautiful planet is inhabited by Force-users who have fled to this planet for centuries to avoid having to use their powers as a weapon for the Sith or the Jedi. Led by Mace Windu, who survived his battle with Darth Sidious on Coruscant, they offer Rey asylum for as long as she wishes it. Rey meets a woman and her grand-child Kira, who Rey befriends when Luke’s voice asks her to do so. At night, Rey climbs to the top of Mount Tano when Luke’s voice asks her to and when she reaches the top she finds the mysterious figure… Luke Skywalker. Luke tells her that he did not die on Ach-to, but did enter the Force. Luke has returned to finish the prophecy, which is to bring balance to the Force. Rey brings Luke to meet the villagers, where Luke takes the woman into the village temple and helps her regain her memory. The woman remembers that Luke was once her husband and that her name is Mara Jade. Luke and Mara join with Kira, where the child learns that Luke is her grand-father.
12. Kylo Ren is on the run in the galaxy, with numerous bounty hunters, including Boba Fett (who crawled out of the Sarlacc pit, just like in the Expanded Universe) and pirates chasing him to gain the fortune placed on his head, while the galactic police pursue him as well. Kylo flees to Mustafar, losing the cops in the process where he battles the Knights of Ren. The knights defeat him and take Ren and the Sytaraq to Praetoria.
13. On Praetoria, Kylo calls to Rey to help him. Rey answers the call in the cover of night and goes to Praetoria. Rey is captured as she tries to free Kylo. In the Praetorian king’s throne room, both she and Kylo are met by… Snoke. In disbelief of how Snoke could have survived, he tells Rey to search her feelings for the truth. Snoke decides to put both Rey and Ren into the Dalascos, the ancient Praetorian fight arena.
14. Finn tries to tell Poe about what happened on Jaamor, but he believes that Finn must be delusional from the damage he incurred in the fight. Finn frees Lando, “DJ”, Obain, Kelesia and Chewbacca, while also taking BB-8 from Poe and fleeing to Mekanokis, the home of the greatest technology company in the galaxy, to use their computer to decode the data-base card (it is impossible to decode the card with standard technology). On Mekanokis, Ghatis Oppol, the owner of the planet, allows them use of his system under the pretense he believes that Finn is on official Republic business. “DJ” cracks the code on the card and the information is revealed to be that the new Republic leaders, numerous criminals and entrepreneurs from all across the galaxy were the ones to fund the First Order and aid its rise to power. Finn also learn that the last message to come from the First Order was one of surrender and that themessage came before Finn was ordered to destroy the Imperial armada on Stronnar. Oppol, informed of Finn’s deceit by the Supreme Chancellor himself, orders his droids to kill the heroes. The heroes escape to find Rey (but not before Lando grabs a crate with some-thing in it), thanks to a tracker Finn has on the Millennium Falcon. Kalath Viell brings a battalion to pursue the Revolution and secretly tracks them to Praetoria.
15. On Praetoria, Rey and Kylo Ren have their lightsaber duel, where Ren narrowly defeats Rey. When Ren is urged to kill Rey, he refuses. The king of Praetoria, urged by Snoke, sends dozens of Praetorian warriors to kill both fighters. The Revolution arrives on Praetoria to help Rey. During the battle, Luke and the Force-users arrive to aid in the fight as well. Suddenly, Taran Roar appears in the throne room to take the Sytaraq. “DJ” confronts Roar and removes a nanobite mask to reveal that he is actually a Dathomirian warrior named Kanus Eloc. Engaging in a lightsaber duel, Taran Roar’s helmut is damaged, forcing him to reveal his identity… Darth Maul (who survived death through his years of use of Dathomirian sorcery). Just as Rey and Luke enter the room, Maul kills Eloc. Luke grows angry and duels with Maul while Kylo has Snoke cornered in another part of the citadel. Snoke and Kylo duel, with Snoke evading capture. Maul flees with the Sytaraq. Kalath Viell arrives and takes the data-card from Finn. Kalath betrays the Republic and flees without them. The galactic police arrive to arrest Rey and the Revolution.
16. On Latalia, Finn is held before the Republic court. Poe gives Finn’s lawyer a piece of evidence to use on Finn’s behalf, which is a copy of the data-card that Poe had secretly made just in case. The data-card exposes the new Republic as a front for the First Order and the Empire. The citizens of the galaxy join the Revolution and dispose the corrupt politicians from power. Rey and Finn follow Kalath to the Unknown Region while Luke takes Mara Jade Kylo Ren/Ben Solo and Mace Windu to pursue Darth Maul. Before Rey leaves with the Falcon, Lando uploads the ship’s navigation system into a droid body, thereby returning his old friend, L3-37, to an identical body like the one she had.
17. Rey and Finn follow Kalath to what appears to be a moon, but it is really a space-station. The heroes soon learn that Kalath is actually Captain Phasma in disguise and that she is Snoke’s other apprentice. The heroes learn what the space-station is for, which is creating superior soldiers. Phasma was the one of those prospective soldiers, but when the Empire was destroyed when she was an infant, her parents, who were scientists on the project, took her to a distant planet to live a quiet life. Phasma would not be denied her destiny, how-ever, and she spent many years battling to return here to finish the soldiers, so she could conquer the galaxy. Then, in a shock, Finn learns that all of the First Order soldiers were actually made from the same process. Rey, in an even greater shock, discovers that she is one of those genetic creations, stolen from the First Order just as Phasma was from the Empire. Rey “parents” were “nobodies”, but they loved her and died protecting her from the First Order. Rey and Finn fight Phasma, who is armed with Darth Sidious/Emperor Palpatine’s old lightsaber (she has also donned her old armor) and kill her. Rey and Finn destroy the space-station and the super-soldier machine, forever. The heroes fly to Luke and their destiny.
18. Darth Maul arrives on Epidar, where he enters an ancient temple. Luke, Mara Jade and Ben Solo enter the temple as well when they arrive. Both parties race each other to the center of the temple, evading the numerous traps laid about the labyrinth inside. Rey and Finn enter the temple and endure the same trials and tribulations. The heroes reach the center first and meet the Whills, the rulers of the universe. Snoke is revealed to have already snuck into the temple, which he can do because he is a Whill. Snoke then kills the Whills while the Knights of Ren, who came with Snoke, fight the heroes and are eventually killed. As Snoke absorbs the power of the Whills, Snoke finally reveals himself as Darth Plageius, the master of death. Maul enters the fray and fights Luke and Ben after the Sytaraq is taken by Snoke, who absorbs its power and becomes the one true master of the Force. Snoke fights with Mace until kills him. As Maul fights Luke and Ben, Luke chides for Maul killing the real children of Han and Leia, while Maul boasts he can now finish what he started and murder father in front of son. Ben takes Maul’s lightsaber to his heart, to save his father… Luke. Ben hated Luke for abandoning him to Han and Leia after he learned of this when he was a child and rebelled as a teen, having a lover and later a child, named Kira. Maul killed Han and Leia’s children while trying to kill Luke and when Luke and Mara went into hiding because of the assassination attempt, they left Ben with Han and Leia to give him a better life. When Maul disappeared, Ben was a rebellious teen and Luke tried to save his soul, but to no avail. Ben dies and Luke forces Maul into the eternal fires of the Force, leaving him to drift in the abyss, forever. Rey and Mara fight Snoke when Luke joins the fight. Luke, mortally wounded by Snoke, gives his power to Rey, who destroys Snoke, and the Whills, for all time, ensuring that the Force will have no master. Epidar begins to explode as Rey, Finn and Mara Jade exit the temple. Finn saves Rey and Mara from fire and lightning by using the Force, which he never could do, until now. The heroes escape and there is now balance in the Force.

Now, that may not be the greatest story ever written, but it’s a good start. I hope the finale of the Star Wars sequel trilogy is filled with risks and chances, just like all great art should be.