Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is a thing, apparently!

Hey, you know that thing called Star Wars? The franchise that popularized science fantasy and went on to be a modern classic to the point where even people who have never watched Star Wars at least have heard of it? Well there's a new movie coming this December.

Now if you've been on the Internet for the last year or so, you know that the previous (main) film, Star Wars: The Last Jedi was very... Controversial, to say the least. You either think it's the best film in the franchise, due to it subverting and playing with the tropes that Star Wars invented, you hate it because it strayed a little bit too far from the formula and feel that it's a Star Wars film in name only and Lucasfilm's TERRIBLE post-release PR left a bad taste in your mouth, or you are like me and acknowledge that while Last Jedi presented some cool ideas (weaponizing FTL travel, an elderly Luke Skywalker becoming a mentor figure, etc.), the execution of those ideas undermined them greatly. And that's what happens when you let a director (in this case Rian Johnson) who is well known for his love of creating deliberately polarizing films, for a mainstream franchise designed to appeal to as large a demographic as possible. And before anyone asks, once upon a time Rian Johnson said, and I quote, "The mark of a truly great movie is when people will argue over the actual quality of the movie for years to come". Keep in mind he said this a decade before Disney got the legal rights to Star Wars. So he is like some kind of deranged movie prophet, and the prophecy he delivered was Last Jedi.  

But Rian Johnson isn't directing this film! Hallelujah! Instead we got the lover of lens flares himself, J.J. Abrams. It's actually funny, Kathleen Kennedy (the executive producer in charge of Lucasfilm, and by extension Star Wars) once publicly promised to let Rian Johnson make his own trilogy at some point because she personally was highly impressed by the subversive nature of Last Jedi, long before the controversy surrounding that film began to surface. Personally, if it was up to me, I would have given Johnson a spin-off or two (even though I dislike Johnson's style and disagree with him on several matters, I understand that there are plenty of people who love his work), and gave the whole trilogy deal to Abrams, because I prefer Abrams' style, partly because J.J. Abrams is almost always guaranteed to give the longtime fans what they want (sometimes at the expense of newcomers).

But here's an interesting question. It has become common knowledge now that Abrams and Johnson were not on the same page when the first two films of the Sequel Trilogy were being produced, and the result was Johnson completely derailing the story that Abrams had quietly set up behind the scenes. So as much as I (and many others) joke about Johnson "ruining Star Wars FOREVER!", Abrams was also at fault here for not telling anybody his original vision for the story. Like if the Sequel trilogy was a Dungeons & Dragons campaign, Abrams would be the Dungeon Master and Johnson would be That One Player. You know the one, the guy that constantly tries to derail the campaign by doing something stupid. That's the management of the Sequel trilogy in a nutshell. But now that Abrams is back at the helm of this metaphorical spaceship, should he retcon Last Jedi (for those of you who don't know, retconning means to ignore the previous film and pretend it doesn't exist)? The answer is, well, yes and no. Unlike every detractor of Last Jedi ever, who would gladly retcon the everloving crab-cakes out of it, I realize there are serious pros and cons to consider when retconning Last Jedi. If it is retconned, then while the detractors can sleep well knowing a film that they despise is no longer officially canon, it also serves as a slap in the face to people who do like Last Jedi. Plus, do you know how much hard work people put into cinematography? The average production and development cycle of a live action film is 3-5 years. That's three-to-five years, dozens, sometimes hundreds, of people put their blood, sweat, and tears into a project meant to entertain the masses. So retconning Last Jedi is a slap in the face to the people that put it together in the first place. But between the shot of Kylo Ren's helmet being repaired, and the very title of the film, it leads me to believe that Last Jedi is at least partially retconned.

Allow me to explain what I mean. Oh, and spoilers for Last Jedi, I guess. Towards the end of the film Rey and Kylo reveal that Rey's parents were total losers and she isn't some long-lost relative of Luke Skywalker (or, for that matter, Obi-Wan Kenobi, like I personally predicted). Now on the one hand, Rey just being a young woman who is naturally strong with the Force is a pretty neat idea. On the other hand, by essentially deconfirming every theory on the Internet simultaneously, except for that one joke I made a long time ago (in a galaxy far, far away) about Rey being a total nobody, it has lead to several accusations of Rey being what us writers like to call a Mary Sue. When a character in a story becomes impossibly perfect at everything (and with little to no explanation on why they are so perfect), and have no real flaws, weaknesses, or moments to mature and grow as a person. Mary Sues (sometimes called Gary Stus) are usually writing mistakes caused by novice writers or writers trying to make a character a good role model for kids in real life but don't know how to flesh the character out properly. While most writers will argue that having the main character be a Mary Sue is a cardinal sin, others have made the argument that Mary Sues can be well-suited for a series aimed at a much younger audience (indeed, part of the reason Superman became popular was because he was a good role model for kids, even if he does meet most of the criteria for being a Mary Sue). 

But is Rey actually a Mary Sue? Within the context of Star Wars, we got a protagonist that is good with technology, which does make sense, given she survived on a desert world by herself by selling and repairing old tech. She also has flying skills good enough to earn the respect of Han Solo, the best pilot in the entire galaxy, which also makes sense, since while Rey was waiting for her birth family to return, she spent her free-time doing practice flights in the stratosphere. She also has decent hand-to-hand combat skills, which also makes sense, because again, she grew up on a hostile desert world where the people back-stab each-other on a regular basis, so of course she'd be able to defend herself. She also instantly learns how to do the Jedi Mind Trick, and that... Doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I mean, yeah, Rey being strong with the Force is cool, but the Jedi Mind Trick is an incredibly advanced technique, that takes several months for a Jedi to learn properly. Rey literally just discovered she has Force powers, and somehow manages to perform the Mind Trick perfectly while restrained. 

What bothers me the most is the fact she didn't do the finger wave thing that you literally have to do for the Mind Trick to work. But aside from that, there's a logical explanation for most of Rey's skillset, so I feel she isn't quite a Mary Sue (remember, in order to count as a Mary Sue the character not only needs to be good at everything, but also have no logical explanation for why the character is good at everything). But for all the people complaining that Rey's combat skills make her too powerful for her to not be a Mary Sue, I say this...

Anyone remember Starkiller from Star Wars: The Force Unleashed? Great game, by the way, but holy crab-cakes, Starkiller is hilariously overpowered. This is the guy who, from the planet's surface, used the Force to rip a Star Destroyer from orbit, slam it into the ground, and tear it apart from the inside out, all within the span of a single minute. Starkiller is so powerful he makes the moderately impressive Rey seem like a little kid in a Luke Skywalker Halloween costume. And keep in mind, Starkiller isn't a Skywalker at all! He's just some random Force-Sensitive kid Darth Vader stumbled upon by accident when he and Emperor Palpatine first took over the galaxy. Rey shouldn't count as a Mary Sue until she can do something on a similar scale (and have no explanation for how she can do so), at least in my opinion. Also, contrary to what you might find on the Internet, where people are free to vent their negativity with little to no consequence, there are plenty of people who genuinely like Rey as a character, one of them actually being my mother. No really, she never got into Star Wars prior to Force Awakens, and part of that reason she even became a Star Wars fan was because she immediately fell in love with Rey. So now when I rant about obscure Star Wars trivia she actually knows (for the most part) what I'm talking about. So the Sequel Trilogy did something right, to get my mother hooked on Star Wars.

But the main reason I believe Last Jedi will be retconned (at least partially) is because of the very title of the film, The Rise of Skywalker. Sure, sure, they could do something clever and be using the Skywalker name as a symbolic meaning (like Rey adopting the title of Skywalker as a way to honor Luke and Leia's memory), which admittedly would be kind of cool. But I have this feeling in my gut where Abrams is going to be like "Hey you remember when Johnson revealed Rey was a nobody? He was lying, she's totally the long-lost daughter of Luke Skywalker!". And, frankly, I wouldn't have a problem with that. I mean, I would rather Rey's heritage be more imaginative than just "daughter of the previous protagonist" but at least by being a Skywalker, Rey's Force powers get a good enough explanation to quell Mary Sue accusations (for those that don't know, the Skywalker family is stated, several times, to be abnormally strong with the Force, and as such they are much more powerful than the average Jedi). And before anyone says "You know Rey could be Han Solo and Leia Organa's daughter!" let me just say that Rey interacted with both of those characters and neither one recognized her, so Rey being their child seems very unlikely and can border on "gaping plot hole" levels of inconsistency. But you know what? It could be the title doesn't refer to anything and they went with it because it just sounded cool. I mean, Last Jedi kind of did that (and had a very forced title drop to boot). But ultimately, retconning, unless handled in a way that makes sense, doesn't change the fact that Last Jedi exists. Retconning it isn't going to change the controversy, it isn't going to change the arguments, and it DEFINITELY won't change the behind the scenes drama that has been plaguing the whole Trilogy.

On a less Rey-centric note, Rise of Skywalker is looking pretty good. The trailer had some cool scenes in it, but in typical Abrams fashion it didn't show anything to give us an idea of the overall plot. Heck, some of the stuff the staff said AFTER the trailer released gave us more insight into the story than the actual trailer. Namely, Rise of Skywalker takes place a few years after the previous two films. So it's already better than Last Jedi, which took place right after Force Awakens and by doing so it broke the number one rule of making a Star Wars film, and that is making sure each film takes place after a Time Skip. No really, Last Jedi is the only film in the franchise that doesn't take place after a Time Skip.

So, let's do a quick wishlist of all the things I want in Rise of Skywalker. Because I'm a Star Wars in 2019, which means I'm obligated to do so.

1. Give *clap* Rey *clap* A *clap* Saber-Staff. In Force Awakens Rey fought with a staff. In Last Jedi Rey fought with a Lightsaber. So in this film, when Rey inevitably builds her own Lightsaber and stops using a hand-me-down Saber from Luke, please, for the love of the Force, have it be a Saber-Staff. I don't care what anyone else says, Saber-Staves are cool.
2. Kill Rey X Kylo Ren. Just kill it. Kill it with Fire, even. That 'ship is one of the few things that make me feel actively angry. Frankly, Supreme Leader Snoke using the Force to basically 'ship Rey and Kylo Ren together In-Universe is probably the thing I dislike most about Last Jedi. So if that becomes a thing here, I will unleash the wrath of a thousand dragons. Somehow. First I need to actually get some dragons, but once I do, I shall unleash their wrath.
3. Rey X Finn. I... actually don't want to kill this 'ship. In fact, this is the one Sequel trilogy 'ship I wouldn't mind becoming canon. I don't know why, but In My Opinion, Rey and Finn have the best chemistry together out of the Sequel Era characters. So kill Finn X Rose AND Finn X Poe while we're at it.
4. For the love of all that is good and pure in this universe, let the military officers be ACTUALLY COMPETENT AND FIT FOR THEIR OFFICE. If I see a General commanding a fleet, an Admiral commanding ground forces, or either of these make decisions so laughably stupid that the only justification for those decisions is to extend the film's run time and prevent what would be a one-sided conflict from ending too early, I will call everyone at Disney out for their shenanigans. Seriously, a General commands ground forces, like infantry and land-based vehicles, and an Admiral commands battleships and fliers, which in this case would be spaceships and star fighters. HOW HARD IS IT TO KEEP THAT STRAIGHT!?

But most importantly, we need either Rey to become a Gray Jedi, or Kylo Ren to become a Villain Protagonist. I know I said earlier that Rey is most likely going to be retconned into being a Skywalker judging solely from the title, but a more optimistic and less cynical part of me wants to say that the "Rise of Skywalker" is referring to Kylo Ren "Rising" up to atone for his crimes, or "Rising" up a greater evil. We know for a fact that Kylo Ren is the son of Leia, who is Luke's brother, and out of the confirmed living Skywalkers, he's the one least likely to die. I personally don't think Kylo is going to be killed off. Whether they go all out and make him a Villain Protagonist (which, admittedly, I would be down for), or they give him a redemption arc, I have no idea, his character and role in the story could go either way.

Kylo Ren's doing Lairats now. Good for him.

Overall though, I am cautiously optimistic. It's funny actually, while I was watching the trailer the pessimistic part of my brain kept whispering, "Don't get excited, Spencer! Remember how amazing the Last Jedi trailers were? You're setting yourself up for disappointment!" while the more optimistic part of my brain kept screaming "THIS IS FREAKING AWESOME!!!". But I don't really know if I am going to see it at launch. I mean, I am a Star Wars fan, and I've been a fan since I was three, and I am, for the most part, willing to ride any storm of polarizing films to get to the good stuff. What I'm saying is, Rise of Skywalker has to be a real dumpster fire for me to leave the fandom forever. And while I am confident that J.J. Abrams will give us the best movie he can given what he has to work with, I can't shake this feeling that Rian Johnson, and maybe even Kathleen Kennedy herself, has kind of put him in a corner.

This isn't an image from the trailer, by the way, but I'm about
to talk about the Emperor and this is the best image I could find.

Oh, and Emperor Palpatine is back. At the end of the trailer we hear the signature cackle of Dark Lord of the Sith himself. And Ian McDiarmid (the actor that portrays Palpatine) basically confirmed that Palpatine will be involved in the plot in at least some form. I don't know how I feel about this. On the one hand, having Palpatine return would be cool, since his presence alone lifts the burden of primary antagonist off of Kylo Ren's shoulders, which would make that potential redemption arc more believable (and I am not too sure how well Kylo Ren would do as a primary antagonist himself). On the other, unless they handle Palpatine's return in a clever way, it could across as desperate and uncreative, and would further jokes about Abrams' films being glorified fan-fiction.

But like I said, I'm genuinely excited for Rise of Skywalker. The visuals look fantastic, the music is goose-bump worthy, and the logo is pretty neat. All it needs is a good story and conclusion, and it basically has to be a conclusion of epic scale, since this is the final (theatrical) film focusing on the Skywalker saga (read; any and all Star Wars films released after Rise of Skywalker will have nothing to do with the Skywalker family and will presumably focus on the less explored regions of the galaxy). But are you excited for Rise of Skywalker? Did Rian Johnson condemn Star Wars to a fate worse than death (read; making films that objectively speaking are well-put together but start to fall apart once you examine the more artistic aspects, such as storytelling and character interaction)? Or do you even care about the melodrama plaguing this fanbase? Leave a comment or something. I enjoy reading them.

P.S. On a side note, Disney apparently has plans to turn Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (one of the best Star Wars video games ever made) into a film. And it's being directed by the showrunners for Game of Thrones! ...Frankly that announcement has me really hyped up more than it should. But alas, they don't have anywhere near enough information publicly available for me to research, and they don't even have a poster ready. But when that poster drops, you know I will talk about it.