SPECULATION How Might the Movie End?

You know, I actually think that would be really interesting. Going in Luke is "training" Rey, but the story does a 180 and he ends up teaming with Kylo. I am down with that speculation. The only thing is though, that Luke's fate and Rey's fate seem to be entwined through Maz's comments to her. Unless it was only in the short term.

 

Snoke kills Leia trying to draw Luke into a battle. Setting up an epics Episode IX

 

Act 3 ends on Crait, with Leia and a rag-tag few resistance fighters trying to defend an old outpost with out-of-date tech. The shot of Leia standing alone at the base entrance is telling - there isn't much of a defense here. FO has a huge force of technology, dozens of walkers, Kylo in his shuttle - all there to finally extinguish the Resistance.

The blast doors close, the skimmers put up a fight, but ultimately Kylo and a contingent of troopers "enter the base" in the shot that is reminiscent of Anakin entering the Academy.

Hidden in the base is the nearly defeated Leia, but she has always believed there is "still good in.." Kylo. He didn't pull the trigger when he had the chance earlier, and he certainly won't do it now.

This is Kylo's moment of truth. His scar is healed up. He has brought a dozen troopers in to exterminate the "traitors"... but he has to face Leia.

In this moment, he knows that killing his father didn't give him the strength he thought it would. Would killing his mom do any better?

No.

Instead he must "let the past die. Kill it, if you have to. It is the only way to become who you are meant to be."

He says this either as an aside or directly to Leia after killing his own troopers with his plasma sword, sparks and embers floating around him.

He looks at Leia and extends his hand.

How else could it end? Killing Leia? He had the chance earlier and didn't. She is the true believer and knows what Kylo can become.

They are the new hope.

 

I think it'll end in another cliffhanger, though I'm not sure how.

I do agree with @thehiredgun, though, that I think Kylo Ren is reaching his hand out to Leia. I do believe that she is ultimately what allows him to find the good in himself and return to the light, which he'll do in this film. (That's a whole different topic, though.)

I don't know that they'll end this film with Rey being captured by Snoke, but it would be rather interesting. If they want to end it on a rather sad but potentially optimistic note, the way The Empire Strikes Back and Attack of the Clones did, I could see it ending with Leia's death in some sort of sacrificial way. (I know, I've heard all of the comments that she was supposed to be "integral" to Episode IX, but I still wouldn't be completely surprised if the plan was for her to die in this film anyways.)

I could also see them straying from the norm and ending it with something shocking, as they did with The Force Awakens. Perhaps this film ends with Rey's parentage being revealed. Perhaps it ends with one of the main characters switching sides. Who knows?

 

You know, it could have a conclusive ending and STILL be cliff-hanger-esque. Just like ESB. The chips fall how they may. So-and-so may lose to so-and-so, and character X or Y is compromised or betrayed. Once the audience has settled into that fact, we get bits of pensive looks out windows, war preparations being made, Sith alchemy going on, etc that all lead us up to the final confrontation(s) in episode 9. Roll credits. Ep9 is obviously the film that ties up all loose ends. So if they do ep8 right it will require some loose ends of sorts that need tying.

 

I think it will end with the galaxy in chaos, neither side winning and the set up for all out war at least for a good portion of episode IX....I don't think Rey will end up captured in the end of episode VIII but she might go after the FO to avenge something or save someone.

 

Rey leaves Luke.

 

Another Cliffhanger like TFA. Rey maybe turning to the darkside, Kylo Ren turning to the Light Side, etc. Something that isn't definitive and will get fans to debate for the next 2 years.

 

Basically what Jedi77-83 just said. We don't know EXACTLY how the movie will end, but it will most definitely end with a cliffhanger. That is 99,9999999 % sure.

 

Something like this

 

Here's an analysis of what appears to happen at the end of the film.

• Rey, Chewie, R2 appear to leave Ahch-To on the Falcon (D23 Screenshot)
• Rey, Finn, Rose, DJ, Kylo are seen on the Supremacy (Trailer, BTS2)
• Rey, Poe, C-3PO, R2-D2 and resistance personnel are seen together on the Falcon (BTS2)
• Falcon, Rey, Finn, Poe, Leia, Kylo are seen on Crait (Trailer, BTS)
• Walkers start attack before Dusk, Resistance ski speeders attack
• Leia talks to Rey on Crait outside base (BTS)
• Leia appears to lock herself in the base (Trailer)
• Poe's speeder is lost and he dives into a trench (BTS2)
• Walkers stop in front of the base at dusk - no speeders in site - ground with red marks all over - Kylo shuttle seen on approach
• Kylo is seen walking into base with troopers w/flashlights

Possibly Relevant Force Link Dialog

• Stormtrooper: "The prisoner is ready for your interrogation." "You're going to your cells." "All Troopers to their Stations" "Blast'em" "Crew members trapped, send a rescue team." "Crush the intruders" "All troops to the trash compactors" "Shut down the trash compactor!" "Sir, we're searching the area" "Surrender" "Trooper reporting for duty" "Take the prisoner to Supreme Leader Snoke" "Alert on Hanger level, check it out" "Intruder! Inform Captain Phasma" "You will never get off this ship alive!" "We have targets in custody"
• DJ: "Hey, I'm a thief" "Let's get this over with" "Oh, for Hutt's sake"
• Snoke: "For you, all is lost" "Fulfill your destiny" "Find the Resistance and destroy them" "I have been expecting you" "You are foolish to come here" "Guards"
• Kylo: "Put every Hangar on lock down" "I've been waiting for you" "We're done here"
• Leia: "Together we can defeat the First Order"

Things Implied

• There is an infiltration/rescue/escape from the Supremacy
• The walkers attacking Crait were launched from the Supremacy
• The Resistance puts up a fight, but fails
• Kylo confronts Leia

Open Issues

• Did the Supremacy get destroyed? unlikely otherwise the Resistance has won... again (no tension)
• Was Snoke defeated? unlikely else who is the antagonist?
• Does Kylo kill Leia? unlikely (she was to have a bigger role in IX per Hamill)
• How can what is left of the Resistance escape Crait? This is the big mystery!

Possibilities

• Luke arrives to save the day!
  • The Vanity Fair photo shoot w/Luke & Leia is in the base on Crait. Luke is wearing white Jedi robes with brown glove - this outfit combo has not been seen elsewhere. But this could also just be a photo shoot option.
  • If Luke saves the day it diminishes Rey/Kylo and makes him the hero instead of them. Does he pull an Obi-Wan and sacrifice himself? hmm... maybe
  • If Luke shows up - then what happens to Kylo Resistance showdown? Resistance escapes? Kylo sucks again and gets chewed out by Snoke again?
• Leia sacrifices herself / uses the Force
  • The trailers set this notion up, but again, Hamill said she was to have a bigger role in IX
  • Maybe Leia does use the Force, but to convince Kylo to join her - but then what - the movie ends with Kylo and Leia and the rest of the resistance sitting in the rebel base all ***-baya? She would have to send the Resistance away and let herself be captured alone for this to make sense. There is a shot of her smiling and giving a salute in the BTS real that might match up to this.
• Kylo kills Leia
  • Would Kylo kill his mom after all the angst he has over killing dad? Would they really end with Kylo marching up to his defeated mom in the base and kill her? That would be horrible. Kylo becomes nonredeemable from that point.
  • Killing Leia does not jive with Hamill saying Leia was to be in IX
• Kylo joins Leia
  • Kylo talks of killing the past and becoming who you were meant to be. This makes sense for both Kylo and Leia. They both must forgive the sins of the past and forge ahead with the future in order for greatness.
  • Leia figure says "Together we can defeat the First Order" - who else would she say this to? This is a very Vader thing to say ... and who else to say it to other than her son?
  • If so, movie rolls credits with Kylo extending a hand? What about all the walkers? What about Supremacy? That's one big weird assault that ended with no real outcome unless they show them all fleeing together.

Just looking at the above, a likely ending might go like this:

• The Resistance puts up one last fight on Crait but this looks like it could be the last of them
• Leia tells them all to evacuate and flee, but leaves herself as bait
• Kylo shows up to infiltrate the base, finds Leia and they make up

The cliffhanger: Resistance thinks all is lost. Snoke thinks he's won. We aren't sure if Kylo is sincere about flipping.

Episode IX then pits Kylo (sans Leia) trying to convince the Resistance Heroes that Leia put him charge and that he knows how to take down Snoke.

Reasons to like this: It doesn't go the way you think. Kylo will now try to finish the work Anakin started. Anakin wanted galactic peace (but he had crappy route to it). The Star Wars can come to an end when Kylo puts an end to it. The Skywalker bloodline now has a complete ending from Ep 1 to 9 that makes sense. He and Rey establish the balance in the Force.

 

Thing is, before the latest trailer, I would have agreed with many of you: Rey ends up with Snoke, probably aboard The Supremacy, and that’s the last we see of her before IX.

It’s ambiguous; it harkens back to Han being taken away by Boba at the end of TESB; it leaves us with a bunch of questions.

But the fact that we see Rey being interrogated by Snoke in what seems to be his throne room in the latest trailer, coupled with the fact that RJ has said that anything they wanted to keep under wraps still is, suggests to me that the film can’t end with that being the last we see of Rey before IX.

It’s equivalent to showing Doomsday charging up his laser vision to use on Batman in the BvS trailer everyone hated. I just don’t see Rian showing us how Rey ends up.

Which makes me think that she has to escape. If anything revealing is to be said - I’m all for Snoke being the one to reveal her parentage; regardless of who her parents are, this would again call back to TESB, but would be a pretty major twist if she’s already met her parent/s earlier in the film - then this would be the perfect time to do it, as I don’t see Luke helping her as much as she might want him to, and even if Kylo tries to help out and reveals some things, perhaps clearing up her visions, I doubt that it could be anything as major as this.

Finn is almost definitely off whatever FO ship he snoops around by the end of the film, but we have no idea where Rose might be, nor DJ. It would also make sense for Kylo to be in the throne room, seeing as he seems to lead the attack on Crait.

The only logical way Rey escapes Snoke’s grasp that I can think of, as strong as it is, is with the help of Kylo (or potentially Luke I guess?). Him helping doesn’t mean that he’s redeemed and this film is a TESB/ROTJ rehash: it simply means that Kylo’s ideals are either at odds with Snoke’s or aligned with Rey’s, which is an interesting conflict in itself.

Rey might escape, then, but the question then becomes: what happens to Kylo?

He could escape too, but it wouldn’t make sense for him to run to the Resistance, considering his position in the First Order and being responsible for the murders of Lor San Tekka, Han Solo and a small village in TFA alone. They would undoubtedly turn him away, regardless of what his mother might say or think.

So I think there are two likely options for the cliffhanger at the end of TLJ, if we have the timeline of the film right: one I’ve already mentioned, being that Kylo takes off in a ship he commandeers from either the Resistance or First Order and the film ends with his position and alliances still unresolved as he jumps into hyperspace, or perhaps Rey escapes but Kylo is left at the mercy of Snoke and the (remaining members of?) Praetorian Guard.

 

the galaxy in crisis: probably a victory for the First Order on some level, but Luke and Leia reunited (and the promise of a big comeback), but Rey and Ren both gone rogue (together).

 

Rey turns to the Darkside, Kylo turns to the light. The scene at the end of the trailer with Kylo holding out his hand is probably at the end of the film after he turns good, reaches out to Luke Skywalker. Episode IX is the quest to save Rey. I hope I'm wrong lol

 

Kylo staring at remaining FO fleet fleeing from the bridge of Leia's ship.

 

An EMP goes off crashing all ships on Crait.

Now we get an interquel cartoon series of all our characters fighting each other on the planet. This will last 4 seasons until both sides are finally rescued.

And now Episode IX can take place.

 

TLJ ends with Rey giving Luke back his lightsaber and flying away with Kylo leaving Finn running behind them screaming "NO NO NO NO REY!". Luke then picks up the lightsaber and hands it to Finn and says: "You must learn the ways of the Force if you want to win that girl." END CREDITS!!

 

I'm wondering if, even though Rey will not turn to the Dark Side, the film will end in a sort of cliffhanger way that could imply it.

Rey will end up with Snoke and that'll be the last we see of her, while the film will end with Ben extending his hand out to Leia, rejoining the Light Side. I read some of what you guys said in regards to Rey and Kylo Ren and thought that might be an interesting way to end it. (That being said, I still want closure for Leia and feel like ending the film on a cliffhanger with her would make it very difficult for there to be ANY closure in The Last Jedi, because surely we won't get all of it if everyone is telling the truth about her surviving this film.)

 

Im starting to think Snoke may capture Luke and 9 might be about rescuing him..... either that or he dies allowing Rey to escape..... or maybe Rey Loses a limb and just escapes with her life and new knowladge after a revelation about her parents.