Do you remember that moment after Kylo dispatched of Supreme Leader Snoke and after he and Rey fight together to take down the elite Praetorian Guards?
Kylo extends his hand to Rey and offers for her to join him in building something new.
Do you remember that tense second when you're made to think that Rey is conflicted, mulling it over, even? She had that fixed look of deep focus. Oh, but she wasn't conflicted. Not for even a second. She was just trying to snatch the light saber from Kylo's hand.
Rey quickly refuses his offer and simply leaves.
And a very interesting door to a much more sophisticated plot was closed.
As a viewer, I kept wishing that Rey had joined Kylo. As a character who so desperately wants to Be Someone why didn't she get herself a nice Skywalker-Solo man? Kidding aside... think about the implications of that as a new story line for the next Star Wars movie to explore.
Two conflicted and powerful users of the force band together to work on their vision of how the universe should be structured. A balancing act of light and dark. Imagine Rey accepting his offer and working and struggling together with Kylo to create a new, perhaps, benevolent government. Maybe re-establish the old Republic. Perhaps it doesn't go so well and they need some wisdom. So Rey must travel to the Rebels (I refuse to call them the Resistance, ugh) to try to explain her choice and encourage them to join her and Kylo and help build the new future and end the war. Imagine the rebels capturing her and trying to turn her back to the light. After the Rebels in their misunderstanding of Rey's motives further muddy everything, then Kylo must come to attempt to rescue her and in doing so face down his mother and former teacher and confront the past that afflicts him and fills him with darkness.
That's the story I wanted to see.
I'm not attempting to write fan fiction here. I'm just exploring a line of inquiry that my mind went to for that split second in the throne room when Kylo extended his hand - let's together make something new - he seemed to be asking, begging even, the Disney executives. But no, we're stuck with the terribly unsophisticated notion that those who seek any kind of power or influence are automatically evil tyrants. Never mind that the Admiral Holdo of the eyeroll Resistance is a tyrant herself in her dealings with Poe despite being on the "good side."
And thus, the legacy of Star Wars is Leia Mary Poppins-ing her way through space and Luke drinking space seal/walrus tit milk.
Cool.
Thoughts on the new movie?