Earlier today Disney uploaded J.J.Abrams teaser trailer from D23. A few hours ago, I wrote a post breaking down the trailer.
Being a long-time fan of the franchise.. I am filled with a mix of glee and trepidation about the final film in the series. Part of me is as giddy as a school boy. Growing up on the original trilogy, I'm even willing to forgive and forget some aspects of the prequels.. At the same time, I would classify The Last Jedi as a disappointment, and the apprehension that is growing in me over the last entry is akin to that which I felt as season 8 of GoT unfurled, only magnified.
Still, the 2 minute reel that was dropped on us today was laced with exciting glimpses into what may be in store for long time and newer fans alike. I felt obligated to show it to my boys, who I've already introduce to the rest of the space opera. Watching it with them for a second time something hit me.. Something I want to call..
Star Wars has not been unknown for throwing in a few surprise twists into the films and.. I'm sure the statute of limitations on this has expired, but I'll say it anyway: SPOILER WARNING for all previous films in the franchise. And, if you haven't done so already, you might want to check out the latest RISE OF SKYWALKER teaser trailer before we get started..
Ok, now that that is out of the way, let's dive right in...
I don't know why I thought of this.. obviously my initial reaction to the shock clip showing Rey decked out in a black Sith robe, sporting a custom foldable red kyber crystal lightsaber, was.. WHAA?? and then WTF? and then WOW!
Then my brain started searching for meaning. A possible explanation of why Rey had seemingly turned to the Dark Side.. The first thought was that it was another vision that Rey was having, as she frequently did in The Force Awakens, touching Luke's lightsaber, and also The Last Jedi, when she enters the cave in search of her parents (remember that one for later..), There are also the older films in the franchise to consider.. like in Empire Strikes Back, when Luke sees himself as Darth Vader in the Dagobah Cave..
It is feasible, especially Star War's and J.J.'s tendency to repeat common elements from old films.. (think the blatant Death Star copy from The Force Awakens)
However, something in my mind dismissed notion of a vision.. for some reason.. I think it looks too polished to be part of a disjointed dream-like sequence..
The next thing that popped into my head that was that it was a rue on Rey's part.. that she was in disguise to disarm the Dark Lord, Emperor Palpatine, to get close enough to kill him and end the threat.. but I don't think that would fly.. besides, they just pulled that trick in Last Jedi with Kylo deceiving and killing Emperor Snoke.
So what could it be? And then it hit me.. what if it's NOT a vision OR a deception.. what if.. it's TRUE.. what if Rey actually DOES turn to the dark side.. think about it.. All the extremely powerful force users throughout the Star Wars films have flirted with evil.
Luke is tempted, and even seen wearing black robes and losing control as Palpatine pressures him during the Return of the Jedi, following the events of Empire Strikes back.. Luke's father, Anakin, was obviously successfully corrupted as the prequels show his transformation into Darth Vader.
We've already seen Rey show glimpses of tendency towards a darker nature.. especially in that aforementioned cave visit in Last Jedi, where she "Went straight to the Dark" according to Luke..
But, wait.. if Rey turns all Daenerys Targaryen on us, then all hope is lost, right? We would lose the protagonist, and evil would spread unchecked through the universe!!.. well.. slow down.. what about our boy, Kylo?.. he's the worst, right? Darth Vader wanna be with a school boy temper.. He killed Han Solo, his own dad for chrissake.. yes, yes, I hear ya, but what if he is doing all those things for a reason..
Hear me out.. Rise of Skywalker is being set up with a lot of parallels to Return of the Jedi.. what if.. like it's antecedent, the secret lies in the title.. Return of the Jedi might be seen as a nod to Luke and Leia and their Rebel Alliance coming back for the win after being knocked down in Empire.. but in this case, Jedi could also very well refer to Anakin Skywalker foresaking the Dark Side to return to the light, as a Jedi.. this is corroborated by the events at the end of the film, where Darth Vader (Anakin) ultimately sacrifices himself to kill? Palaptine, and save his son, Luke. This act ultimately redeems Vader, and fulfills the prophecy that he would be the chosen one to bring balance to the force.
So with this in mind, the Skywalker, in Rise of Skywalker, has nothing to do with Rey, as many might speculate, but rather, Ren, who is, in fact, a Skywalker by blood.. his mother is Leia, and his grandfather was Vader AKA Anakin Skywalker. Obviously Ren is born super powerful in the force like his gramps, but what if that raw power attracted something sinister, as it did with Anakin in the prequels? Palatine might be dead, but let's remember Obi Wan's warning to Vader in a New Hope:
If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.
Kenobi's death allowed him to become one with the force, and more efficient at guiding Luke to his destiny. It also served as fuel for Luke in his desire to topple the Empire.. But what if the same could be true for masters of the Dark side of the force? By killing Palpatine, Vader has unwittingly turned him into an omnipresent entity that is one with the dark side.. this would allow him to whisper in the ears of those he wished to corrupt, without even having to be present.
Perhaps he envied Ren's power and wished to turn it into a force of evil.. he corrupted Ren and turned him loose on the Jedi training camp that Luke built.. reminiscent of Anakin killing younglings in Revenge of the Sith.
Could it be, that like, his grandfather, Kylo returns to the light.. what if killing Solo was to completely sell the ruse that his is working for the Dark Side.. but looking at the scene in The Force Awakens, where Kylo is talking to the mangled mask of Darth Vader, we might uncover something more..
We see that Ben Solo is being pulled back towards the light.. like Anakin was, but he has unfinished business.. Solo's ultimate plan is to get close enough to Palpatine to end him for good.. He needs to steel himself and keep up appearances that he has been turned.. to do that, he must kill Han.. the task left unfinished by Vader wasn't to end the alliance in favor of galactic imperialism.. it was to end the tyranny of the dark side.. he killed (or tried to kill) Sheev Palaptine, remember?? So Ben Solo saying, I'll finish what you started is refering to ending the emperor once and for all.
The main theme across all of the films is balance.. balance in the force, balance between good and evil. Rey's superior power is likely to attract attention from Palpatine.. if she is corrupted (perhaps because she cannot find closure about being abandoned by her parents when she was young??) then someone with matching power will have to show up on the light side of the force.. that person is Ben Solo.. yes, Rey and Ren will have an epic battle, but not in the roles you think..
On a side note. to bring actual closure.. there would need to be a lasting balance in the force.. too many Jedi's = killed younglings.. too many dark lords = Returning (Skywalker) Jedi's.. it's a state of permanent flux.. instead of dark and light, there will have to be some grey area in between where the dust settled..
Rey and Ren might switch roles in the ninth installment, but they would ultimately have to team up and end both the alliance and the first order to insure a lasting balance.. but just like the polarized political scene of today, even THAT might not be possible.. besides, I don't think Disney would go that route.. they are all about Good triumphing over Evil.. not about balance.. in that case.. things probably should have been left as is when they wrapped Return of the Jedi 36 years ago..