Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker - The Saga Ends (maybe) - SPOILERS

I was originally going to post this on the Movie Rant/Review thread, but I think there is enough potential for discussion on this one that it deserves its own thing.

In just a few days, the "final" mainline Star Wars movie will release. Rise of Skywalker is the releasing amid probably the most divisive Star Wars fans have ever been. This whole sequel trilogy has been a bit of a mess in all honesty. I actually quite liked The Force Awakens and thought it set up a potentially great story. It wasn't perfect (Rey managing to over power Kylo Ren without ever touching a lightsaber prior, Finn fighting a random stormtrooper instead of Captain Phasma, Maz has Anakin's lightsaber for some reason that never gets revealed) but there some seriously cool moments - even if it did feel like a rehash of A New Hope at a few points.

However, all of the setup of the first movie seemingly got thrown out the window in The Last Jedi. There were several questions brought up in the first film that could have lead to some really neat plot points in this film, that seemed to just build up to nothing really. Who are Reys parents? They must be someone super important and powerful if they are getting mentioned this much. Sike! There just some random junk traders that sold her for drinking money. Who is Snoke? He must be this super important villain that has this wild backstory for how he became so powerful. Sike! He dies without any sort of explanation for who he is and doesn't really do much of anything besides toss Rey around for a few seconds. Finn seems cool, a stormtrooper turned good? He must have to do something important throughout these movies, maybe he's even force sensitive. Sike! He's just a normal guy who doesn't really do much of anything. All the old characters are back, they probably have a big part in this new film, right? Sike! In the Last Jedi every original trilogy character besides Luke has roughly a combined total of maybe 15 minitues of screen time and half of that is Leia. I could go o

I think this all comes down to Disney choosing to wing it with the new trilogy and not having a set beginning and end point. They made TFA, had all of the set up for a great story, and then hired a different director and took it in a completely different direction. Now this first director is coming back and isn't happy how things were handled by the other guy and is going change things up again which is going to leave all of the films feeling rather disjointed. Early reviews of the film reflect that it will likely be the case. JJ Abrams didn't like The Last Jedi (To be fair neither did a large majority of people), so now he's going to have to backtrack on many key points in this film. If there was a single director and a planned beginning and end for this trilogy, it would be miles more appealing then what the final result will be.

Regarding the actual movie, at the very least it be a visual spectacle. The shots we've seen so far all look beautiful for sure. However, plot wise this movie - for better or worse - looks like complete chaos. I think this quote from @ThylacineAlive in regards to final trailer conveys that pretty well, "Th-they're... they're riding HORSES on the top of a Star Destroyer which just rose out of the ice of a space iceberg...".

Seriously though, I get its the big finale and all but like, damn. They are cramming so much into this thing one must wonder how they plan to execute it all. Plus, they are going to have to answer A LOT of questions in this one film.

• How the hell did palpatine survive falling several thousand feet and a nuclear explosion in space!?
• How the hell did palpatine create hundreds of star destroyers with the ability to destroy planets, and why are they rising out of the ocean!?
• Where did Rey come from and why is she so powerful despite having would could barely be considered minimal training?
• Is Snoke important to anything at all or was he just a pointless character who will never get explained?
• If its called "Rise of Skywalker" then how will the Skywalkers relate to the story anyway?
• Who are the Knights of Ren and where have they been this whole time?
• If Anakin didn't kill palpatine in Return of the Jedi than why was he considered the chosen one to destroy the sith?
• Where did Poe come from and what other trait can he get besides being a really good pilot?

Admittedly, I have seen a handful of leaks from the premier last night and I know at least some of these will get an answer. Even though I am a bit concerned on how this movie will turn out, there is some stuff to be excited for.

• It looks like the old characters (C3-PO,R2-D2, Chewbacca, Lando) may actually get a decent amount of screen time in this film. Its great that the whole cast of main characters are finally going on an adventure together.
• I did see what palpatine looks like in the leaks and honestly, he looks pretty cool. I think theater goers will enjoy seeing his reveal.
• Rose seems to do significantly less in this film then The Last Jedi, which IMO is a good thing.
• Luke will hopefully be back as a force ghost and maybe now he will be more true to character this time around.
• Again, no matter the quality of the plot, this movie will look great in the visual department.

I am excited to see this film, as Ive been with every Star Wars film. Some of the leaks I did see do leave me concerned (one in particular near the end of the film sounds ridiculously bad) but it will be a good time either way. I would love to hear some other thoughts and opinions on how this things going to go down.

 

I'm also mixed myself...

Pros:
-It's Star Wars. I still love seeing Star Wars on the big screen. I still enjoy Luke Skywalker and Chewbacca.
-Regardless of execution in the final film, I do like that Palpatine still plays a role in this sequel trilogy. I always felt like that a character who was the final big bad in the OT and manipulated an entire galaxy during the PT should play some sort of role in a sequel trilogy, regardless of whether he survived or not.
-Some enjoyable actors.
-Visually gorgeous, as usual.

Cons:
-Everything I've seen so far reminds me of a problem I have with both TFA and TLJ. Like those movies, it seems like, rather than forging something new, it's just repeating status quos and scenarios from the OT. The prequels, whatever one thinks about them, at least furthered the story of A Galaxy Far, Far Away. The ST, far from "subverting expectations" to me personally, has just regurgitated existing elements for the most part, so for the few things that actually are somewhat new, it doesn't work in the universe, because the fictional universe has not changed along with the characters like Luke. Whatever one thinks about what they did to Luke (I happened to enjoy Luke's character a lot in The Last Jedi), it's like Disney doesn't want Star Wars to escape the OT comfort zone/safe space.
-I think it's time Hollywood take a break from "Rise of.." titles.
-J. J. Abrams, while a competent film maker in many ways, tends to make the safest tripe imaginable.

 

I forgot about the space iceberg...

~Thylo

 

I just assumed that Kylo was lying about Rey's parents - judging by the title of this movie I am sure we will get some answers.

 

I sure hope so.

 

Tbh Rey's parents being nobody is something I wanted to happen, I'm pretty tired of every hero/villain being the descendant of another great hero/villain. The issue is the reveal was done terribly and with no other explanation for Rey's immense and seemingly unrestricted power level her being the child of some great force user was all we had left.

For anyone who doesn't want to know anything about the movie avoid the below:

Spoiler: Plot Leaks

While the leaks I looked through have definitely changed by now due to the reshoots, from my understanding most of what was revealed is still going to happen in the movie. Unfortunately for us, this means Rey's parentage will be retconned. According to the leaks her parents will still be nobodies, but now her grandfather will be Palpatine which will supposedly explain why she's so powerful. She will refuse to be a Palpatine, though, and choose instead to be a Skywalker because that's how genetics work in the StarWars universe I guess.

~Thylo

 

Here are some spoilers to discuss the spoilers...

Spoiler: Plot Leaks

I actually think it's cool that Rey has some sort of relation to palpatine. It's a decent explanation to her rather absurd level of power. However, I think it's sorta weird how its her grandfather of all things. For one, that means that an actual human being would want to have kids with palpatine, need I say more? Also, how come Reys parents aren't force sensitive yet she is? It would have made since if Rey was some sort of clone of palatines because according to other leaks (again be mindful of spoilers) that is apparently what snoke was.

Also, Rey identifying as a Skywalker is just baffling. I get Disney wants these sequels to be "woke" and all but like, that is just so incredibly bizare that someone wrote that and was like, "yeah, this is it. This is how were gonna end this thing."

 

Spoiler

I don't think it's supposed to be that someone wanted to have kids with Sheev... I agree that her being his granddaughter does give some sort of explanation for her power, but I think it's an extremely lazy one. Plus think about this: if Palpatine fathered Anakin as is implied in Revenge of the Sith then that means Darth Vader is Rey's half brother. This also means that Luke and Leia were her nephew/niece and that makes Kylo her great nephew even though Snoke (and by affiliation Palpatine?) was trying to make some sort of romantic connection between then (or at least that's what the fans insist). I suppose after the insane Jon SnowXDaenarys incest shipping this shouldn't surprise me but damn. Also talk about convoluted!

Either way, I can't wait for C3P0 to be able to read the ancient Sith text (which child slave Anakin programmed him to do?) but also not be able to translate it to others for plot reasons, so then he has to commit the passage to memory and then get a system reboot to be able to translate it, which will whip his memory--but only after 5 minutes so he has time to still translate it to the others before then becoming C3-T1000-0 for most of the rest of the movie.

What fun I will have laughing at this in the theater.

~Thylo

 

Spoiler warning alore - this is becoming the most secretive discussion on ZC...
I'd like to see this from a positive pov:
- With the right people in charge, Disney can create pretty good SW content; like The Mandalorian.
- There'll always be Episodes IV-VI.
- I can use the money I would have spent on movie tickets on better Christmas gifts or my animals.
- If this upcoming movie and other Disney movie projects with a similar focus of virtue signaling over story & character development fail, Disney might take note and maybe change the course, leading to better products.
- If this movie flops, Disney might replace Kathleen Kennedy...

 

- If this movie goes the way it's definitely going to go, we'll have plenty of new material to laugh at!

~Thylo

 

Probably would be better if that was in the title, yeah. As for your "spoiler", yes that was just a fan theory although it's very likely that's what the initial plan was. The director of The Last Jedi (the porg one) very notorious threw out the plan the director of the first movie had laid out and just did whatever he wanted. This is why Snoke, the big bady from the first movie is killed off in the second without any explanation of who he is, Rey's parents are revealed to be nobodies, and the Knights of Ren literally disappear. The director of the first one is back for the third one which is why a lot of the stuff done in TLJ is now being undone. It's like a big petty game. For instance:
1) In The Force Awakens, Kylo Ren has this cool wannabe Darth Vader mask that was integral to his identity (apparently).
2) In The Last Jedi, Kylo Ren destroys his mask because he's told it's stupid and immature and he's outgrown it (in the literal 12 hours that have passed between the two movies).
3) In The Rise of Skywalker trailer, Kylo is seen rebuilding his mask because it's who he is and he needs it.

Patterns like that will be ripe throughout the trilogy once it's done.

~Thylo

 

Not really related to the plot of any of these movies, but I'm still saying there is no way that this is the last Star Wars movie.

 

To be fair, I made this thread with also the intend of discussion of already known quantities (non leak stuff) before release and any reviews of the movie after release. Considering there is already a way to prevent spoilers from being seen by those who don’t want to, I don’t think it’s necessary to change the title of the thread at the moment.

I definitely agree with the the whole “Kylos Mask Pattern” and it didn’t help that The Last Jedi starts literally moments after The Force Awakens making these abrupt changes in character even more strange. Anakin’s lightsaber was destroyed in the last movie and is also being repaired in this one. If the leaks we discussed do come to fruition - which most of them likely are - then there are numerous other examples proving this theory true.

 

Well it won't be, this is just supposed to be the final main episodic StarWars film. I don't believe it will be, but for a time they're planning on focusing on side stories and other adventures. Supposedly an Old Republic trilogy was planned with the showrunners of Game of Thrones but I'm pretty sure that died in the genocide of King's Landing since they're now working on some HP Lovecraft story. Rian Johnson is supposed to be making his own trilogy as well but that's probably dead following TLJ backlash.

~Thylo

 

Yeah, I sure have no desire to watch the adventure's of Broom Boy on Canto Bight.

 

Honestly any Star Wars after the first six seems more like an attempt to make money off the franchise to me. Especially now that most of the original actors have passed or are too old to reprise their roles, the new movies don't hold much interest for me. The Empire gets bigger and badder, the tiny resistance beats them up against the atrocious odds, they celebrate, and then do it all over again come next movie. Along with leaving us with more questions than answers, sadness as our favorite characters fall one by one, and ever increasing numbers of cgi fights and odd lifeforms. Just starts getting old...

 

I agree, and I think that's one of the reasons why I'm really enjoying the new Mandalorian show on Disney+. It's very different from any other Star Wars movie/ tv show we've gotten, with more morally ambiguous characters and less predictable good guy vs bad guy stories.

 

Saw the film last night. To keep it spoiler free - it’s purely a sequel to Force Awakens. Other than the deaths of Snoke and Luke the events of Last Jedi have little to no impact on the film.

The biggest problem this trilogy has had is that there has clearly been no planning or forethought. I’m admittedly a massive Star Wars apologist, and enjoy all the films in their own right, including this one; but it doesn’t work as a finale. Say whatever you like about George Lucas and the prequels, but at least those films had a through line. A beginning point and an end point. George knew what he was doing whereas Kathleen Kennedy and they ‘story group’ seem to have just made all this up as they go along.