SPECULATION Dark Side Backstory to TFA

Hi everyone,

I’m going to attempt a dark side backstory to TFA by synthesizing various speculations from other forum members, some spoilers, and recently divulged info from the new books (such as the Acolytes of the Beyond and their interest in Vader artifacts, and Sidious’ hunt for dark side origins beyond the galaxy).

Here we go:

At some point in the distant past, a dark side practitioner from beyond the galaxy arrives in the Star Wars galaxy we know and establishes the Sith order.

In the PT and OT era, Sidious secretly collects and trains force-sensitive children to be adult envoys he sends out into the unmapped parts of the galaxy and beyond, searching for the origin of the dark side, so Sidious can gain greater knowledge of its secrets.

After the fall of Sidious and Vader, a remnant of the Empire retreats to a dark corner of the galaxy, similar to the Nazi contingent that regroups in Argentina after WWII. There they encounter a group called the Acolytes of the Beyond, dark side practitioners who are either 1) the force sensitive envoys of Sidious, or 2) a quasi-religious group unaffiliated with the Sith, with strong ties to the dark side origins beyond the galaxy, or 3) a mix of both groups. Regardless, this group would show strong interest in the legend of Vader, and would also have knowledge of dark side secrets unknown to Sidious.

Within the Acolytes of Beyond is a more esoteric, exclusive and militant group called the Knights of Ren. Think of these as 33 degree Masons, who have greater power and knowledge than the rest of the Masonic order. For example, the Acolytes would be aware of the power of Kyber crystals as conduits of the force, and would know how to harness the power of a crystal-core planet as a weapon capable of destroying entire planetary systems, but only the Knights would have an understanding of life after death, and the dark side mechanics of resurrection. The Knights would also be aware of the true lineage of Vader, his spontaneous birth via the force, and that the Skywalker bloodline is Vader’s bloodline, while the Acolytes would just be aware that Vader wielded great dark side power, perhaps the greatest in history.

In their quest to reestablish a galactic system of order founded on dark side tenets, the Knights seek to summon and harness the power of dark side spirits who have departed this plane. To this end, they gather artifacts that belonged to powerful dark side users from the past, but to complete their ambitious mission, they will need not just masks and lightsabers, but blood from the bloodline the force itself spawned, and perhaps a vessel…

Meanwhile, post-ROTJ, Luke has established a Jedi school. Among his students are two young Solo/Organa children. While Luke is away, the Knights appear out of the darkness and lay waste to the school. They successfully kidnap the son, but in the confusion the daughter escapes and stows away on a departing ship, or is taken and hidden away by a sympathetic 3rd party. Luke returns in great shame to find himself once again the last of the Jedi, with his sister’s children gone forever due to his negligence and dark side blindness...

Several years later, Kylo Ren, an orphan who’s risen to power within the Knights of Ren, hunts for the last Skywalker relic, the lightsaber wielded by both father and son, and encounters a scavenger on a remote planet who is surprisingly strong in the force…

 

Yeah that's really a second-layer of speculation based on the image of a hooded Luke from the trailer next to burning embers, and the rumor that he's been in seclusion or missing for several years (and some spoiler reports). I agree it would need to play into some larger story arc to support the first-layer of speculation here -- i.e. the force ghosts let this happen so the new dark side threat (Knights of Ren, First Order) could be adequately challenged later (Luke and Rey etc would need to go through certain personal catastrophes in order to be conditioned in such a way they could successfully combat the emerging threat).

 

I'm actually one of those annoying droids that agrees that Plagueis could've faked his own death (by going into some death-like slumber knowing he would "awaken" at a later date), or died knowing he would later be resurrected in spirit or corporeal form by the Accolytes or Knights. In fact, it could have been Plagueis who secretly set up the Accolyte/Knight order on the other side of the Galaxy while Sidious was preoccupied with becoming Emperor.

 

The image of Boba Fett's suit as a collectable relic lines up with that scene in Aftermath where his post-Sarlaac, acid-damaged suit makes an appearance. Not that I think they'll port the Prophets directly into TFA, but I wonder if they've mined this for content? Interesting stuff for sure. I agree TFA became more intriguing with the reveal of KOR, and the reveal of the Acolytes of the Beyond in Aftermath has me equally intrigued, as does the dark side excursions to the edge of the Galaxy. This is how you make a universe feel larger. I don't care if every single new lead character is related to somebody from the OT, as long as the structural mythology itself evolves in ways that feel fresh and dynamic.

 

Yeah most protocol droids don't have any patience for reading fiction, and I'm no exception -- and from the various synopses of the main Aftermath narrative I've processed it doesn't look like I'm missing much -- but the "interlude" pieces of Aftermath, those specifically concerned with world-building, are very, very interesting. Planting seeds, as it were, to germinate into new, sprawling narratives. That's why I'm optimistic even if TFA ends up feeling like a nostalgic, mediocre misfire like Superman Returns. I have a lot of confidence in the Lucasfilm story group to guide the general structure and larger strategy of the SW universe. It's funny, it makes me think of that exchange in ESB where Han says "No time to discuss this as a committee" and Leia responds "I am not a committee!" But it's precisely this committee approach that seems to be working here (witness how The Clone Wars reoriented the PT elements into something meaningful), where you have a genuine synthesis of ideas that produces a synergistic effect rather than a tepid lowest common denominator product.