9 questions that need to be answered in final Star Wars film
The final Star Wars movie, The Rise Of Skywalker, hits cinemas soon where they are going to try to wrap up this part of the franchise. Here are nine pivotal questions we need answered in the final film.
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Unless you are from a galaxy far, far away, you probably already know the final Star Wars movie, The Rise Of Skywalker, hits cinemas on December 19 with the force of a Death Star.
After being part of pop culture for more than 40 years, they’re going to attempt to wrap up this part of the franchise, please everyone, gets fans excited for future spin-offs and try to take the title as highest-grossing movie of all time from Avengers Endgame.
So, no pressure then.
Everyone from those who spend their weekends dressed as a Wookiee or a Stormtrooper to the ones who think that Salacious Crumb is a rap artist will be affected by this film in some way.
Children will want the toys, adults will want to see the film and the naysayers will just want it to stop, please.
If you’ve forgotten what happened last time, here’s nine pivotal questions we need answered by the final film.
WILL REY TURN TO THE DARK SIDE?
An earlier trailer showed an evil-looking Rey, complete with Sith-style hood and a red lightsaber.
The most recent trailer showed no hint of that, because Disney was terrified it would hear the noise of millions of tween girls scratching out all Rey merchandise from their Christmas lists. So what will we see in the movie? As fans of The Empire Strikes Back will remember, Luke was tempted by the Dark Side and found himself wearing a Darth Vader mask.
So is this a nod towards that? Star Wars also has a strong theme of redemption, with the first six movies about the descent and then final redemption of Anakin Skywalker.
Until now, most fans thought the redemption story would be Kylo Ren turning back into Ben Solo. But maybe that’s not going to happen and instead the redemption will be Rey?
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WILL KYLO REN TURN GOOD?
This is the flipside of the “Rey going bad” question. If Rey’s flirtation with the Dark Side was just a dream or lesson, then will Kylo Ren redeem himself? Some fans might say that after murdering his father Han Solo, Kylo doesn’t deserve to turn good.
But Darth Vader slaughtered his way across the galaxy for 20 years before redeeming himself, including killing children. So that doesn’t hold up.
With Snoke killed in The Last Jedi, it seemed Kylo was now the boss of the First Order, so there would be nobody to turn against. Yet the trailers have dangled the idea that Emperor Palpatine didn’t die in Return Of The Jedi and he’s been pulling the strings all this time. If that is the case, then Kylo can “do a Darth Vader” and save the day by turning good again.
Whether Kylo Ren turns good or not, surely there has to be consequences for killing Han. You don’t knock off one of the franchise’s most beloved characters and get away with it.
So will he met his just desserts as a baddie, or will he turn good and sacrifice himself somehow? It’s doubtful whether fans would be willing to accept a quick: “Sorry ’bout that” from Kylo and then have him take his place as a protector of the galaxy. There has to be consequences. But what will they be?
HOW WILL LEIA BE USED?
Tragically we lost Carrie Fisher before filming began on the ninth film. Apparently there is a fair bit of footage left over from The Last Jedi and, of course they could use some digital trickery to bring her back, the way she made a guest “appearance” in Rogue One. But how much of a part will she play? Will she be a Jedi, now Luke is gone? Will this film be a celebration of her character? They have to do something to immortalise her – but what will it be?
WHAT NOW FOR LUKE?
Luke Skywalker is dead but he’s a Force Ghost now, so can return. But how will he be used? Ben Kenobi and Yoda have played pretty passive roles as Force Ghosts.
Ben just gave useless advice and Yoda only popped up at the end of ROTJ. Will they give Luke more to do or will he just offer a couple of pieces of advice? Surely he has to play a major role in redeeming either Kylo, or Rey, or both.
IS PALPATINE BACK?
We’ve heard his laugh in the trailers but is he really back? And how did he survive being hurled down an exhaust shaft by Vader and then having the Death Star II blow up around him? And, if so, why hasn’t he shown himself before now? One answer could be he’s a Force Ghost and has been causing trouble and stirring up the First Order. Or maybe he really is back. Either way, we want to see him go down for good. How about a Force Ghost lightsaber battle between him and Yoda?
WHO ARE REY’S PARENTS?
We first found her waiting on a desert planet for her parents to return, just around the corner from the Millennium Falcon. Coincidence? Well, fans thought not but Rian Johnson’s Last Jedi movie tried to blast that theory into a million pieces, claiming she was a nobody from ordinary parents. But is it really that mundane? Remember, we thought Luke’s dad was a murdered Jedi until the end of TESB. We have to get an answer. And we’d like it to be a good one, please.
WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH FINN’S BACKGROUND?
Rey is a mystery but so is Finn. Stormtroopers don’t tend to rip off their helmets and join the Resistance. Plus he’s a black dude in an organisation with more than a whiff of the Nazis about it. How did he end up there? Why did he defect? We don’t have time for a full backstory but we need something!
CAN THEY REALLY END IT?
Disney has made no secret about wanting to make The Rise Of Skywalker the highest-grossing movie of all time, overtaking Avengers Endgame. But that movie benefited from an incredible ending that tied up the tales of pivotal characters while leaving the door open for several different approaches to hero movies. Disney has said this is the last “Skywalker” Star Wars movie and any further movies will feature different characters. So can it tie up all the loose threads while leaving the door open for future stories? It’s a big ask. And, as Game Of Thrones found to its cost, if you ramp up fan expectation, you are setting yourself up for fan disappointment.