5 things I want to see in Episode 8

i have the same exact read on all of this as you do! it's so obvious that he deliberately separates himself from Hux and Snoke when they fire up Starkiller.

i also see him more externally composed in viii ~ more than ever he needs to keep it together because Snoke it not going to be pleased with him after his compounded failures in vii, even if he did dutifully kill his father. but i think he'll be so determined to please Snoke that he'll be able to snuff Ben Solo for a while. he has to; i can't see him functioning at all otherwise.

so yeah, playing the part, but i don't think he's capable of strategically making choices to avoid harm (his one attempt to thwart the Starkiller was so awkward and obvious). he might learn to do better ultimately, but i still believe Snoke deliberately keeps him out of balance and unable to think for himself (he's a danger otherwise).

in the end i want to see Ren find the strength to fight Snoke. and i want him to learn that from Rey.

 

I love the fact that's he's so conflicted. He's obviously gone through some stuff, to the point where he feels out of place by his mother or uncle's side, has had his head turned by Snoke and is now desperate to make himself at home within the FO. After some gestation, I'm now starting to think he won't return to the light and will become extremely villainous ultimately leading to his demise. I think that killing Han was the no going back moment and it also helped the audience to dislike him, so they can hope for Han's death to be avenged.

 

"Externally composed", exactly! That's the phrase I was looking for. I think his training with Snoke will allow him to master the display of his emotions, so no more tantrums etc, but it won't stop him being influenced by his conscience which has been inflamed by his murder of Han. I see him gradually moving away from the FO over the course of Ep.VIII to the extent that he will leave by the end or have committed an action that forces him out.

I'm not so sure that Rey has the emotional strength/stability herself at the moment to inspire Ren nor the desire to do so during the course of Ep.VIII. Maybe by ep.IX but I'm quite convinced that Rey will struggle with her own inner demons during ep.VIII or risk attaining the title of "Mary Sue" that many people grant her.

This is the other direction, and If I'm honest the more likely course, that Kylo will take after Han's death. I think I called it the "Joffrey" route which is essentially a villain that people love to hate, and for a lot of people Han's death has already done that for Kylo. I find that type of villain less satisfying but I think that TPTB will probably keep it simple for the ST.

 

i agree; i'd like to see him be actively struggling to get out of the FO by the end of viii. i also agree that right now as she is Rey is no help to him. but he's lonely and she's the only person in the universe who can understand him (Luke has already failed in that regard as far as he's concerned). so even if he comes out of the gate swinging at her, i still think they'll ultimately end up working together. maybe Luke will turn him by invoking Han somehow. Luke needs redemption in that too, i suppose, though i kinda hate the idea that Luke can reach him when Han couldn't. which is why i fall back to Rey ~ hahaha

i really don't want this. totally less satisfying. we have Snoke and Hux and whole of the FO to be the real villains. Han Solo's line can't end with failure. he and Leia deserve better!

 

Maybe Snoke throws out Kylo like the trash and Kylo realizes what's happened and leaves the galaxy all together ...

 

I'd love a long scene where Luke is talking to Rey as she meditates telling her his version of what the force means to him, what it means to the galaxy and what he believes there role is all juxtaposed against a similiar scene of Snoke telling kylo his version of all the same questions.

Would love some scene either a flashback or vision that shows how Vaders shadow still looms over the galaxy as well as Palpatines.

 

YES! I lika that idea. It would be a perfect way for disney to tell us their version of the force. Both the light and the dark. Perhaps it could include what happened to the force post ROTJ and explain more about the awakening from TFA.

Or will Luke just have a Ladyshaver and a midi-clorian-analysing-thing?

 

The list of things (I think) I would like to see hasn't changed since seeing Episode 7 teasers! (And was pretty similar to @OKP23.)

1. Rey's backstory.
2. Snoke's backstory.
3. How Ben turned Ren.
4. What these new Knights are about.
5. What Luke's relationship to the force is.

Welcome to the Cantina @Jon T Zon!

 

Thank you!
TFA left us with so meny questions. I hope ep VIII will be a leveled mix of new story and answers to earlier questions. I dont want it to be like Lost. but still, ep VIII cant be a prequel to ep VII.

 

What if Snoke has the powers to temporarily take over a host body with his mind and Rey suddenly becomes "evil" at times and has to try to fight it and stuffs .

 

1. It to be stated that Rey is Luke's daughter, and a little backstory
2. Luke doing cool Jedi master things, being reunited with Leia. Also Luke using his green lightsaber.
3. Yoda force ghost helping to train Rey. Then an ObiWan ghost (Ewan McGregor) also show up to help Luke get over his failure.
4. Maz using the force.
5. Han to show up alive. When he fell, Maz collected his body and put in a bacta tank. Kylo purposely stabbed him in the lower side to not kill him.
6. Show Snoke training Kylo in the darkside. The reverse of the ESB Dagobah training scenes.

 

Thought a bit out of the box here
1 Some different lightsaber colours we haven't seen in episodes much (or at all) eg Rey constructs white or purple lightsaber/Kylo ren has a new black lightsaber
2 we get to see someone construct a lightsaber
3 A powerful plot twist such as someone acting as a double agent eg rey turns to dark side and kylo ren turns to the light in a role reversal, or a character is revealed as force sensitive or a double agent eg Poe is a spy and/or force sensitive
4 Snoke is an old Republic era dark side user rather than someone like plagueis
5 Disney doesn't turn Star Wars into a gay romance drama by having Finn and Poe have a romantic relationship

 

Welcome to the Cantina @Noel - where outside of the box thinking is...(generally)...appreciated!
5. Is that why Finn was asking Rey if she had a boyfriend?

 

1. Yes, I'm partial to a white lightsaber for Rey myself. Kylo, black could work.
2. Yes, agreed.
3. Rey and Kylo "switching places" would be a really bad idea imo. But I'm open to other "twists" provided that they're done well.
4. I REALLY like the "Snoke is an ancient DS user" idea (I've mentioned it before myself).
5. I'd have no problems with an LGBT romance in a SW film, but it's not going to happen here.

 

I do think they may have a crack at a love triangle. Finn longing for Rey and Poe longing for Finn? But then again, Rey's story will be moving forward even more rapidly and there probably won't be time for any goofy side-stuff.

 

I shared this old news elsewhere but had couldn't help myself. Warning: you might not want to play the clip @Noel!

 

Lol I think someone saw a joke somewhere and just ran with it -_- .

 

Can. Not. Unsee.

 

My 2 cc

1. Epic Lightsabre Final Battle were Luke and Rey face Kylo Ren and The Knights of Ren (Battle Royale Style with plenty of Deaths)
2. Understanding Rey is a No One, some little girl Luke found and protect (Oliver Twist style always rewards the audience)
3. Knowing Snoke IS Snoke (finding out Snoke is an old Sith Dude pulling everybody strings)
4. More and Bigger Fighter Battles (the best thing of ANH that wasn't copied, go figure)
5. Introduce Bounty Hunters (don't bring Boba Fett back go to old ones like Bossk or Danik Jerriko)

 

1. Space Battle(s)! (They weren't any "space" battles on TFA, only the so-called dogfights on planets)
2. Not copying ESB much, just play with the "look" of it
3. Having a "I am Your Father-Brother-Sister" thing again but not making it very clear (don't mind whether Rey is a Skywalker or Solo child or Force reborn or whatever... just amaze us!)
4. Luke should definitely kick some ass, it's been so many years. After all that happened he shouldn't be just a mentor
5. Luke explaining Rey's parentage but keeps a secret for some big reason, like Obi-Wan on OT.

In general, I would love to see them try to change the classic OT feel a bit, I mean TFA did pay tribute in a big way to the originals, so they have to make it a bit more fresh. It won't be easy but they have to try. I have faith in Johnson, I loved "Looper". (Strange thing though I didn't liked Abrams Star Trek movies that much but loved TFA.)