I initially didn’t want to write this article. Something told me I should just leave well enough alone and not let my curiosity lead me down a path that might spoil the culmination of a 9-film saga that I have been watching since I was old enough to poop my diaper. “It’s not worth it”, I told myself. After all, this film is being released in less than two months...surely I can keep it together until then...right?
Wrong. So wrong.
In fact, we were all wrong.
Let me explain.
Note: While I wouldn’t technically consider this a spoiler (I don’t post any leaked photos or information) I would still advise caution if you want to go into this movie blind. I certainly think I have figured it out, but I don’t have any inside information to confirm my theory. Read at your own risk.
Triggered
I was doing fine while watching the trailer for the first time...not worrying about over-analyzing it...just enjoying the fantastic visuals, moving music, and rollercoaster of emotions that commonly arrives alongside a brand new Star Wars trailer. I wasn’t even planning on writing a breakdown for it, since this week has been perhaps the busiest of all the busy weeks I’ve ever had in my college career. I was just ready to enjoy the trailer and then run around foaming at the mouth about it like every other Star Wars fanatic...and for most of the trailer, that’s exactly how it went down. But then I saw something in the trailer that I couldn’t unsee. Something that set off a chain reaction of random theories I’ve had in my head ever since the end credits of The Last Jedi like a line of dominoes.
If you’ve read any of my other Star Wars articles, you would know that I have quite a few theories about how this saga will end, and the significance of certain characters that most of the haters seem to misunderstand. It is no secret that I like to play around with the possibilities, and doing so has led me to accurately predict many things across multiple fandoms (Check out my Avengers Endgame Articles if you want proof). However, this Star Wars trilogy had me stumped. I genuinely couldn’t figure out what the hell was going to happen at the end of Episode 9, and just how in God’s name JJ was going to pull it all together.
...until I saw the final shot of the trailer that is.
As soon as I saw that final shot of Rey tearing up at the end of the trailer, many dots seemingly were connected in my head, and I immediately thought that I had just actually figured out how the saga ends on my own. You see, unlike most other things in the past, I’ve actually kept away from all the leaks and rumors surrounding The Rise of Skywalker. I also heard many things about The Last Jedi, and my ideas about the film going into the theater were very different than those I had while walking out. At least when it comes to Star Wars and Marvel Studios lately...the leaks can rarely be trusted anymore. I decided it wasn’t worth the trouble of sifting through all those “leaks” and “rumors” just to try and come up with a vague outline of the film that would prove to be completely wrong once the film was actually released.
However, this was different. I didn’t come up with this theory by forcing together random pieces belonging to different puzzles. I came up with this on my own...and it feels right which is what inspired me to write this article. This theory makes so much sense to me, and I had to tell someone. It seems as if all my other friends are tired of discussing theories,so you lovely people here on Steemit are all I got.
Bear with me while I break it down.
Always
As soon as the trailer concluded, I ran to my computer to see if anyone had come to the same conclusions I had, and to my surprise, no one has (from what I’ve seen). At first I was shocked that no one else had put it together, but after pondering it for a moment, I quickly understood. It has to do with the structure of the trailer, and the fact that we as the general public have fallen victim to the marketing practices we see so commonly with big secretive films like this. To the untrained eye, the final shot...although clearly taking place at the end of the film...doesn’t seem to be too interesting or insightful. It’s a 2-second still of Rey tearing up while Luke and Leia act like our favorite twins and complete each other’s sentences. “The force will be with you...always” they say together. Now the reason most people missed the significance of this line, is due to the fact that in most modern trailers...lines and dialogue are commonly taken out of context to either throw people off the scent, or to highlight something that is happening visually at that point in the trailer. Very rarely does a voice-over happen in a modern trailer that takes place directly in the scene in which it is heard.
This is an exception.
You see most people heard Luke and Leia saying that line together at the end of the film and immediately came to one of two conclusions:
Luke and Leia say the same exact thing at two different points in the film, and they cut it together for the trailer to give it emotional impact
They actually do say this line together, but it surely doesn’t take place at that exact moment in the film because why would they give that away? After All, Disney has remained pretty tight-lipped about this film after the backlash they received after The Last Jedi. Why would they risk spoiling the film, if they want as many butts in the theaters seats as possible?
Both of those conclusions are extremely understandable, and it highlights why this was such a brilliantly sneaky move by the creative team who made this trailer. They played off our willingness to accept the notion that they wouldn’t put any spoilers in this trailer, when in fact, they shoved it right in our faces.
Yes, I believe Luke and Leia’s line actually takes place at this exact moment in the film, and unlike most other theories out there, I don’t think she is looking at anything to make her tear up like that...because it’s all happening in her head.
I wrote an article some time ago about how the most important detail that everyone missed while watching The Last Jedi is the revelation that force ghosts can interact with and physically manipulate the real world. Yoda demonstrates this by hitting Luke over the head with his staff, and blowing up the sacred jedi library. In this moment, it is revealed to us that force ghosts can physically exert their will on the real world, and I don’t think this was any accident...
This was deliberately placed into the film to act as foreshadowing for the ending of the saga.
Time It Is…
In that very same scene where Yoda blows up a tree, he also confirms to Luke that “time it is” for the Jedi Order to end. This seems to contradict the ending of the film where Luke tells Kylo that Rey “will not be the last jedi”. Most people chalked this up to bad writing, but I say different. I think that it IS time for the OLD jedi order to end...and for the new one to begin. Now I don’t know what Rey’s fate will be at the end of episode IX, but I do know one thing. Her “destiny” that Luke mentions in a separate voice-over earlier in the latest trailer has always been one thing...to balance the force. This is why she has that vision when she touches Anakin's lightsaber in The Force Awakens.
Now I can already feel some of you angrily heading down to the comment section to say that Rey can’t and shouldn’t be the one to balance the force, because she isn’t a Skywalker, and it has always been prophesied that a Skywalker would be the one to bring balance to the force. What if I told you that we have been misinterpreting the prophecy this whole time. We certainly wouldn’t be alone. The entire jedi order thought it was Anakin in the prequels...Yoda and Obi-Wan thought it was Luke in the OT...and we idiots have been arguing over who was the chosen one ever since...when the answer has been something entirely different altogether.
The balancing hasn’t even taken place yet. The prophecy hasn’t even been fufilled. There is no such thing as the chosen one....
There are only the chosen ONES (plural).
All three of the Skywalkers are the chosen one...and together they will fulfill the prophecy at the end of this film. We all know that by the film’s end, Leia will have passed...meaning all three Skywalkers are dead and in the afterlife. We also know that Leia had previously received jedi training, so it we can assume that Luke taught her the secrets of becoming a force ghost after she passed. If she decides to indeed become a force ghost (she will), then that will mean that all three Skywalkers are force ghosts...and thanks to The Last Jedi, we now know that they can physically manipulate the real world.
Now this is where things get interesting…
We’ve Passed On All We Know
Now that all three Skywalkers are ghosts, the prophecy can finally be fulfilled...and in order for that to happen, the jedi order MUST end. The one as seen throughout the saga, at least. The one that gave rise to, and enabled the most powerful darkness that the galaxy will ever see. A new jedi order must rise that champions “balance” as their main core belief. They must allow themselves to feel and utilize the full range of emotions and embody the force in totality...which is something the prequel Jedi frowned upon and punished (and the original ancient jedi championed). This was why palpatine and the Skywalkers even came into existence in the first place. The force will always balance itself. Both of these ideas have been mentioned by Snoke himself in The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi
"If Skywalker returns...the new jedi will rise"
"Darkness Rises...and light to meet it."
However, where snoke (palpatine) was mistaken is his belief that Luke must be alive to fufill the prophecy and give rise to the new jedi order. We all fell for this trap too. We as the audience, as well as Snoke/Palpatine have completely failed to realize that even though the Skywalkers, Yoda, and Obi-Wan are dead...they can still exert their physical will on the universe, so it remains unbalanced.
The force will always balance itself.
As they trained and grew stronger and more knowledgeable in the afterlife...the force made sure that Palpatine rose to equal their power. For the force to be truly balanced, any jedi who still remains a force ghost must be destroyed, and Palpatine (and his army) must be completely obliterated.
This is where Rey comes in.
In another article I wrote last year, I discussed my theory on how Snoke (Palpatine) was using ancient sith techniques to literally drain the life energy out of powerful beings to extend his life like some sort of psychic vampire. This can be seen firsthand by comparing snoke’s appearance in The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi.
He looks healthier and more rejuvenated because he has been using this power to slowly become young again. However, in order to make a real difference, he needs real power...which is why Snoke/Palpatine has always been obsessed with finding the most powerful being in the galaxy and training him/her to peak performance. He could then initiate this sith ritual to drain them of their life energy and become young again...thereby extending his life and making him immortal as long as he does this every 100 years or so. I think Snoke/Palpatine is an ancient entity. I think he has been around for a LONG time...feeding off the energy of his apprentices.
He created Anakin for this reason, and he did the same with Rey. He only created them to be vessels of immense power for him to marinate until he was old and ripe and ready to be young again...and I think he will finally succeed at the end of the film.
You heard me. I think we will finally see what Papa Palps has had in store for the galaxy ever since we first saw that beautiful face in The Empire Strikes Back. Here’s how I think it will go down:
Rey and Kylo fight early in the film. Rey wins. Kylo gets pissed. They fight again. Kylo Wins. Kylo, torn by his feelings for Rey, can’t bring himself to kill her. He explains that his intentions have been good this whole time, and that after destroying the Jedi order, he would destroy his own army as well as himself. He saw the flawed ways of the Jedi and knew that they were doing nothing but harming the universe with their existence. The galaxy deserved peace, and they would never get it with the sith and jedi running around. Rey and Kylo come together in agreement and decide to help take down the emperor themselves (They discover that he is still alive during this scene in the trailer when they are both in the throne room).
The go to where the emperor is hiding. The emperor reveals that this has been the plan the whole time. Like he said in The Last Jedi “It was I who bridged your minds…” and he DID brag that he saw Kylo’s true intentions of killing him: “I cannot be betrayed...I cannot be beaten...I see his every intent...He turns the lightsaber to strike true...and kills his TRUE ENEMY” (his true enemy being Palpatine). He further confirms this in the latest trailer when he says “Long have I waited...and now your coming together will be your undoing”.
He wanted them to be in this exact place at this exact time...together. Two of the most powerful force beings in existence. He will then initiate the sith ritual and attempt to drain Rey of her life force. Kylo sacrifices his life to try and give her time, but Palpatine defeats him easily and drains them both...killing them in the process. As both of their lifeless bodies lay sprawled on the floor, Palpatine looks like a young man again and proceeds to display his power.
When all hope seems to be lost, Rey will suddenly stand up. It is revealed that the spirits of Anakin, Luke, and Leia, as well as the rest of the jedi ghosts, have used the force to resuscitate her and bring her back to life. Then in a long scene that only takes a fraction of a second in real-time, we get flashes of everything that has ever happened in any of the films. This is because one-by-one the force ghosts are offering their energy, memories, training, and life force to Rey...essentially becoming one with her in the process. It is explained that after doing this, they are gone for good and can never return. Perhaps they each give Rey a personal farewell before offering their knowledge and power to her. By the end of the sequence, only Luke and Leia remain, and this is when we hear Luke give that speech that we have heard bits and pieces of throughout the trailers.
“We’ve passed on all we know...a thousand generations live in you know...but this is your fight”. The speech will probably be longer than this, and obviously Leia will say something as well. They will then both bid farewell to Rey and tell her that the force will always be with her before offering themselves to her.
Rey now has the combined strength, power, training, and wisdom of Obi-Wan, Yoda, Anakin, Luke, and Leia (perhaps literally a thousand generations of jedi as well). With her power equalling Palpatine’s ancient evil, the final showdown of the saga ensues and it’s unlike anything we’ve ever seen...however Palpatine is technically immortal, so he can’t be killed like a normal human (this is why he survived at the end of ROTJ). At some point, Rey will get the upper hand and strike Palpatine with The Dagger of Mortis, which is now confirmed to both be in the film and possessed by Rey with this shot:
If you watch the Clone Wars, then you already know that the Dagger of Mortis is a very powerful artifact usually wielded by ancient force gods to kill other immortal force entities. Palpatine, having been struck fatally with the Dagger of Mortis is finally destroyed after a thousand years of terror, and since all the force ghosts are gone, the force is finally balanced...at least partially. They could end Rey’s story here by having her sacrifice herself to achieve the killing blow...and then do a broom-boy type scenario similar to the ending of The Last Jedi where it is revealed that the force has begun selecting it’s next wave of force-sensitive children to be trained in the correct ways of the jedi. Not the flawed ones we have seen throughout the saga. Or they could have her survive and teach the next generation of jedi in the true ways of the force. Either option they choose to go with will inevitably have a twin-suns reference. Credits roll.
Prophecy fulfilled. The end.
I think I may have struck gold here, but what do you think? Let me know in the comments below, and look out for my review of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker as soon as it comes out. Until then…
-SAF