#it makes sense though yknow. with ray using the moments before his suicide attempt to loudly declare his humanity

[goldiipond]

ohh so ray uses his scarf to hide his id number. ok well what if i hurt someone

[midnightrooftops]

Rise of Skywalker should’ve been the entire trilogy.

Allow me to explain: Opening crawl to Force Awakens: The emperor is dead! The New Republic has enjoyed twenty years of peace and rebuilding after the Battle of Endor under the leadership of Galactic Minister Leia Organa. But, on the eve of her resignation, a voice from the past has been broadcast across the galaxy. The First Order, a group of Empire loyalist, has been waiting in the shadows for just this broadcast. Uprisings across the galaxy have erupting and the new peace has been threatened. With Luke Skywalker missing, Leia sends one team to find her brother and another to find the source of the broadcast. Poe Dameron, the Republic’s best pilot, heads to the planet of Jakku where an old Republic friend has information on Skywalker’s whereabouts.  *End Crawl* The beginning of Force Awakens opens pretty much the same. Poe locates Old Guy, gets the information and gives it to BB8, then gets captured. Finn questions his position in the First Order. Kylo is introduced, as is the First Order’s harsh nature. The village isn’t ready for an attack and maybe there’s a throw-away line about “peace”.  Finn’s scene reveals old stormtrooper tactics are still being conducted with the First Order. Poe should say something like “The Republic has outlawed kidnapping children” or something. Maybe he’s also surprised to see so many storm troopers. It should be evident that This Doesn’t Happen Anymore and is another thing for Finn to think about (”if it doesn’t happen, why did it happen to me? Where do I come from? Why am I doing this?”). They escape and crash.  Rey is introduced the same too. She’s an orphan living alone in the scraps of the Empire, trying to survive. She meets BB8, property of the Republic and wonders why a Republic droid is this far from the galaxy capital. Finn finds her and they escape in a ship that isn’t the Falcon.  They start to get boarded by a Ship We Don’t See and panic, thinking it’s the First Order hunting them. It’s actually Han Solo and the falcon. He returned to smuggling but heard a plea for help from the Republic. Rey questions why he’s not with his wife but he deflects the question, saying something like he’s “not one for politics” or maybe “peace doesn’t pay the bills”.  MEANWHILE, Kylo is angry the pilot and droid got away, as he’s also trying to find Skywalker. He asks to hear the broadcast and it’s revealed that it’s Palpatine’s voice declaring ownership of the galaxy and for the loyalist to rise up. He demands any new leads, of which there are none. It’s revealed that the First Order has been decades in the making, even during the Empire should it fall. His character is very much revealed as ruthless and has something to prove.  Han takes the kids to a remote “safe spot” where smugglers, bounty hunters and other criminal frequent. This is where Maz is. She’s force-sensitive, but not a Jedi and says something like “The Jedi weren’t responsible for peace but for war” or SOMETHING to open the line of questioning about the past republic system. Rey says she feels something here, something she never felt on Jakku. “They say no one remembers Jakku, not even the Force” or something to indicate maybe the Force is “blocked” or something. This would later give reason to Rey being left there ( abandon a force-sensitive girl on a force-void planet. Also, Luke leaving any information being left of Jakku would also make sense. Who looks for a Jedi on a planet where he can’t use his power. Also, it could be an old Sith Planet. Have a line about “the Jedi never went to Jakku. It’s history with the sith make it unbalanced with the Force”. That would leave it open for guessing what happened there before while still explaining that Jakku was not a planet people went to.) If you really want to stay true to the movie, stick with the First Order having a Death Star planet-destroyer ray. This would make sense because they want to RULE THE GALAXY AGAIN and this is a time of peace. So they DESTROY the New Republic. There’s a moment of fear for Han and gang about Leia. The First Order then attacks Maz’s place for the droid and we get the same results.  You can end the movie the exact same way. We find our Kylo is Han’s son, Han dies. Leia is fine, steps down as leader of the Republic but into the role of general again. (Afterall, the ENTIRE REPUBLIC was just terribly attacked. It’s war for the first time in two decades.)  On the ship, Rey should discover the broadcast. Maybe this is the first time we hear it and someone says “That’s the Emperor. But he’s dead” or something. Or she SEEMS to recognize the voice but doesn’t say anything. Either way, Rey is then directly connected to what’s going on with the galaxy. For the first time in her life, she’s directly involved with the fate of the galaxy.  It ends with Leia getting the information about where Luke is and Kylo getting a clue on where the Emperor’s broadcast came from. Rey finds Luke, Kylo finds... a sinister planet. Basically, the beginning of Rise of Skywalker is the ending of Force Awakens. We don’t see who Kylo finds, adding drama and suspense. Maybe we have the line “I have been the voice inside your head this whole time” and the Emperor’s laugh but we shouldn’t see him. Cue- The Last Jedi Leia and co are under attack by the First Order. The galaxy is in chaos with the destruction of the Republic Capital. The Galactic Minister that was supposed to take over for Leia is MIA and so Leia is forced to do both politics AND battle strategy. Someone offhandedly makes a comment about how “this is how the Emperor got his power last time.” Therefore, doubt is being cast on the New Republic and Leia in general. Conflict! Drama! Last Jedi happens the same with Rey and Luke, revealing he left the “Jedi” after failing to restart the Jedi Order. We learn that Kylo/Ben was a failed student and he couldn’t face his sister and brother in law afterwards. Again, this reflects on the prequeals (not that anyone wants to connect to that) and criticizes them for what they did before (took children from their homes/families, rallied hard against the sith and threw the galaxy into way. It’s a great way to criticize the prequeals while actually giving them A Point, yknow?) HOWEVER, the space race with Leia, Poe and Finn doesn’t happen. Or rather, it does but not for the entire movie. They try to outrun the First Order ships to get to a safe point. Poe is frustrated with the chain of command not saying anything to anyone and tries to mutiny under the guise of Leia being incapacitated during a firing attack and rumors on the ship that people INSIDE THE REPUBLIC are trying to restart the Empire. Finn attempts to leave to find out where he came from but is stopped by Rose, thinking he’s a deserter. She traps him and Poe comes to find them, talks about the mutiny. Rose, having just lost a sister from the First Order attack, is horrified to hear it might be an inside job and agrees to the mutiny to get answers. Finn realizes Poe, his first ever “friend” is asking for his help and agrees to stay and support him.  Leia wakes up in time to stop the “mutiny”. It’s revealed they’re heading to a secret Rebellion base, used during the wars that no one but Leia and Holdo knows about. But, she agrees, someone is helping the First Order track them through hyperspace. She turns to Finn and for a horrifying moment, everyone believes HE’s THE SPY.  Storm troopers have implanted tracking chips, Leia explains. It’s been outlawed in the New Republic but the Empire used tracking chips to ensure absolute loyalty. She asks Finn if he knew. He didn’t. He agrees to undergo an surgery to remove the chip and it’s clear in his face he’s reflecting on the idea of continuing to help the First Order even after rebelling. He’s been a tool his whole life and can’t escape it.  The tracking device is removed and the Republic makes for the hidden base. Meanwhile, confrontation on the main First Order ship with Rey, who came from Luke’s planet and Kylo. Kylo, with the whole movie “seeing” her, is trying to get her to rebel. She shows up, dedicated to “save him” but Kylo reveals she knows who she is. “You’re a Palpatine” he says, as the reveal. “You belong to the dark side. We KNOW how to run the galaxy so no child is parent-less again.” Rey refuses and she’s faced with a room full of guards and Kylo. Kylo orders her to be let free but Hux, being as he’s been (the Tarkin character) orders them both dead (BETRAYAL!!) Rey finds herself fighting along side Kylo and, even thought she failed to save him, she’s not sure he’s beyond redemption.  However, her own reveal is haunting her. The republic has gained safety in the hidden base. But then! The First Order shows up. Finn yells it’s not him (funny moment) and of course not but how did they know about the base?! Oh no!  Finn runs a suicide run to defeat the first order from destroying Leia and the remaining acting government? But Rose stops Finn from sacrificing himself with a message more like “you were raised for evil, but you deserve good.” instead of her stupid protest. This is stating to Finn “YOU ARE VALUED BEYOND WHAT YOU CAN GIVE” I don’t even know what to fill in for the casino scene. Maybe Finn and Rose going to a more Republic town that talks about the differences between the Republic and Empire, something that skews the line so that it reveals citizens are confused from propaganda on both sides and the role of the Empire is just a “concept” to younger people. It’s a great metaphor for WWII. Also reflects how you “can’t trust the government, can’t trust the Jedi” mentality. It’s refreshing for Star Wars fans while also being politically correct. There’s no right or wrong about the message so it still works in the Disney family.  ANYWAY. Last Jedi ends with Rey saying she needs more training and Leia smiling. Even though Luke is gone, Leia has the means and desire to train Rey. “As a Jedi?” “As a promoter of peace” again to reiterate that the Jedi are DEAD as is their belief. In the next movie, we’ll see more of that. Also, it should be revealed by LUKE, that he is not the last Jedi, but Leia is. It’s probably revealed by him when Rey heads out to help the Republic. She asks Luke to take on his position, “Be a Jedi!” but he reveals. “I am not a Jedi. The path of Jedi was peace. I never was. Leia, she’s the jedi.” This reveals that Leia is the last Jedi and maybe the “past training” montage takes place in Last Jedi. Anyway, Leia is revealed as the Last Jedi.  During Rise of Skywalker, Rey is trying to find the evil behind Kylo, aka Palpatine. So she is searching for the Sith Planet. This leaves her a bit MIA while Finn and Poe try to find more information on the First Order. Especially because the New Republic is in desperate need of help since the government is destroyed.  Basically, the Last Jedi ends with on the idea that “the New Republic is dead thanks to attack, propaganda and doubt of the government. Stakes!!! Anyway, Leia says they need to find the source of the “First Order” and rey is off to search, all the while Kylo is starting to question his position (like FINN!!!) but Palpatine tries to use his parent’s transgressions to keep him loyal. (It also starts weighing on him, like Rey, like maybe he’s just being the tool he was trying to avoid being for the Jedi, but only for the Sith.) Rey tries to find a “wayfinder” from the first movie, leads her to the Death Star Crash Site. Finn meets fellow Storm Troopers who have rebelled and made their life on their own. He learns from them that it’s not important where you came from, or what you did, but what you strive to do.  Leia dies trying to reach Ben and Poe gets notification that he’s the new LEADER OF THE REPUBLIC, like, not just the general but LEADER. He struggles to understand what that means. He’s been impulsive in the past and has learned politics through the mutiny so he’s not confident with his position.  Maybe before Rey leaves, she says something like “power belongs to those that don’t want it” or something, bc she’s thinking about being a Palpatine” while Finn says “You were kind to an enemy, you’ve got my vote” or something to indicate that Poe believes in kindness over enforcement (reflecting on the mutiny)  The galxy coming together to fight against the First Order/Palpatine in the end would mean more. That the galaxy fights for Peace, for the Republic would be a great moment after all those moments of doubt and manipulation. Palpatine would be defeated again by the REPUBLIC, by people that believed in the good of other people. Rey would still have a whole conflict about her “heritage of evil” while Kylo would have a full teenage rebellion arch. Basically, Kylo would eventually be redeemed like the Star Wars way while Rey succumbed more and more into darkness and hate (My parents SOLD ME, I’m the granddaughter of the EMPEROR, I mean nothing but my power)  WHAT THIS ACCOMPLISHES: The ending isn’t rushed. Palpatine isn’t “oh hey, he’s alive” but instead a questionable option throughout three movies. It also expands on the lore of Star Wars with the Sith stuff and hopefully explains why certain people are more adapt at the Force (Palpatine explains his bloodline is PURE and maybe he created the Skywalker bloodline so they have a link. Or whatever they deiced to do. Maybe it’s “Skywalker was pure of Force, so I had to create my own” or something. Make the lore interesting, especially since they destroyed all of it, bastards.) Anyway, Kylo’s sacrifice MEANS something, because Rey was the first person he felt believed in him. Palpatine wasn’t a random “Oh btw, i’ve been here all along!” And the New Republic wasn’t disregarded but heavily scrutinized to create a better galaxy. It really explains the aftermath of the Empire without staying in the status quo. It doesn’t disregard what the original trilogy did but expands on it. It also unites the mistakes of the Prequels to a tangible ending.  Also.... The Emperor makes so much sense, though the daughter/son should’ve been a lot older. Maybe make Rey a Great Granddaughter. Because family life in an important stance for politics, so “Senator Palpatine” would be totally more believable to have a family. Maybe we didn’t see it but I think it’s okay to say that he had a wife. A flashback about his SON, who wanted nothing to do with politics, would explain why he wasn’t evident in the prequels but also the idea of Rey being abandoned. “No one escaped the Emperor, not even his Son.” With the dialogue of the Rise of Skywalker, he didn’t give a shit that she was family except that she could give him a new body, like Voldemort.” Anyway, the “Final Order” is just an old “Empire” plot Palpatine has been saving and building. It’s not that each star destroyer has the means to destroy planets but that the Republic is so vulnerable right now. This is a sinister enough plot because not only are they the reason the New Republic has failed but they are also causing strife and doubt about the New Republic not being better than the Empire.  Also, you have Rey struggle with Power vs. Corruption and then removes herself from the galaxy. You also have Leia being the Last Jedi, as intended, even though she put away her lightsaber for the galaxy.  You also have the answers to the important plot questions:  1. Why is this happening NOW (bc the changing of the guard for the New Republic is a great time to sow distrust and propaganda) 2. Why are these characters important to the plot (Because Rey is the grand/great grand daughter of the last Emperor, Ben is the son of the ruling figure, Poe is a great man in line for the “throne”/leadership and Finn is a victim of the wars/ a regular joe shmoe that could change the war” 3. What do your characters want? (Rey wants to be part of something, learn where she comes from; Finn wants to understand why he’s here and what he has to offer; Poe wants to do the right thing) 4. What’s the conflict in the story? (Rey learns she could destroy the Republic and her search may have put everyone she’s grown to love in jeopardy; Finn has to reconciling being a pawn in way with being a PERSON to make a choice and what that means for his identity; Poe is battling the “do everything for good” mentality with his past mistakes and questioning how “good he really is.) Overall, all three of the “trio” teach us about choices, destiny, upbringing and that doing what’s RIGHT is a choice. Which is the main goal for Star Wars. Luke was the son of the most ruthless dictator and he fought against temptation. Anakin loved more than any Jedi and it lead to him choosing Her over EVERYTHING ELSE. Palpatine represents complete temptation and power.