Does anyone else feel they should have started the new trilogy..

IMHO, this trilogy is Rey's story in the way the OT was Luke's. Since Kylo's the main antagonist, he doesn't need as much set up. They'll delve into that time, for sure. Granted, it will probably be comics and novels, but at least it's all unified canon now.

What I'd really like would be an animated series set in the post-Jedi years. A boy can dream.

 

They direction of the sequel trilogy seems to be focusing on something much similar to the direction of the original trilogy. We saw the path of Anakin to the Dark Side in the prequel trilogy, and that seems to be something they want to avoid. This idea that these characters are familiar, but that we don't know every detail about their life. I am sure we will get some answers as things unfold, but they obviously wanted to plop us in the thick of it, and not tell the story from the beginning.

 

They way they handled Ben Solo is fine. I like a little mystery within the characters anyhow, so knowing every detail of his fall would be anti-climactic. Furthermore, they may choose to reveal more info concerning his journey to the dark side, and simultaneously tie it into future developments in E8 and E9.

 

No I like that they started with him going dark, we already got to see a start of darkness in the PT. Personally I would like a redemption plotline and a seduction plotline to happen concurrently. Would be interesting to see Rey fall to the dark side, failing where Luke succeeded (her brutal beatdown of Kylo, and the fact she was willing to kill him could foreshadow this). Then it is in fact the act of redeeming Rey, saving her from herself, that redeems Ben.

 

Agreed with the comment above: Prequels were enough for me about story how somehow falls. I rather liked the way Kylo was introduced as already fallen, and Rey being the one who he will try to seduce (mirroring Darth Vader/Luke theme), and then there being the redemption arch -- though I am very skeptic on whether there is any hope for Ben Solo. In every possible known cultures, killing your father is the ultimate sin. If there is redemption for him, it is through his death.

 

I'm just imagining Episode IX, Rey on the verge if falling to the dark side forever and Ben tearfully goes, "you're not like me, you're strong, you can resist the darkness." Then he sacrifices himself snapping Rey out of Snoke's influence.

 

I like starting out the trilogy in the midst of action and crisis. That feels very SW to me. I suspect they will leave lots to the imagination. This is something that worked so well in the OT.

The Kessel run, The Battle of Tanab, not on any mercy mission this time, bullseyeing womp rats...

 

Yeah, I like it in real-time similar to TCW .

 

I like the way the trilogy has started, what has started is something to look forward to.

 

This can still be shown in VIII in a sort of nightmare of Luke and then he is waken up by Rey and she calls him 'Master'. This could set up greatly the plot in VIII without explaining that Luke teaches Rey, too.

 

I kind of feel like we got that story already with the prequel trilogies. I think Disney and J.J. Abrams wanted to do something similar to the original trilogy, which was the origin story of a hero, and not of the villain. At least, that was my impression.

 

I agree.

 

Ben turning to the dark side wouldn't have been fun and exciting. It would have been dry and sad like the PT.

 

Don't worry, episodes 10, 11 and 12 will be prequels to the sequels and will fill in the 30 year gap between 6 and 7, although they will have to renumber 7, 8 and 9 to 10, 11 and 12 and make 10, 11 and 12 as 7, 8 and 9 - confused? you will be! At least by then they'll be able to use the guy who's playing Han Solo in the new movie!

 

I like that out of all the possible scenarios I dreamed up while waiting for the film, they managed to do it in a way I hadn't thought of (except I had Luke all by his lonesome too). In my half-written Episode VII fanfic 'The Dark Legacy' I also touched on Vader's legacy but in relation to Luke.

I'm happy I got Rey instead. She's awesome.

 

So do I. I love Rey. She'll be a great character worthy through our eyes as we watch her story unfold. What choices she will make that may tip the balance in the force whether for good or worse...hard to say at this point. But nonetheless, it will be an interesting but complex journey from start to finish but hopefully moving forward in future installments.

 

I like Reys journey from the start. We never knew Vaders beginnings except for what ObiWan said in ANH until the prequels. I always liked imagining the clone wars and who Vader was. I like what they are doing with Kylo.... I don't want a whole entire back story on him for screen.

 

I wholeheartedly agree with the OP. As it stands, I don't care about Kylo Ren as a character at all. At first, the goofy tantrum-throwing "eeevil" villain was almost endearing. But as the story moved in a more serious direction, it seemed that we weren't given enough backstory for us to actually care about his motivations. At least, it didn't feel like it to me.

 

while i have curiosities about the Solo family dynamic in the before-times and Ben's relationship with Luke, i'm glad we started from this point. i'm sure we'll get more information, but like with Vader's fall, it's more interesting to imagine how things went down rather than have someone fill in the blanks.

frankly, i feel like i understand very well what happened to Ben Solo and why he's Kylo Ren just from what TFA gave us.
i'm more interested in what they're going to do about him now than what they didn't do about him then.