SPECULATION What the sequel trilogy means for expanded universe and fan fiction possibilities

I am not a SW fan, never really liked the OT, they're entertaining films sure, but nothing I felt that stayed with me. I am more of a Star Trek fan, I like the big ideas. On a whole I think that there is much to explore in this universe. It could cover 3 fronts the rebuilding of the Galactic Empire (ie government), the rise of the Sith and of course Rey’s rebuilding of the Jedi Order.

I think the story should jump ahead 5 years. So that no one has forgotten the war or effects of TFO but things have been either 1. Peaceful and now we have different people hungering for power (ala Game of Thrones) or things are worse, The First Order might have been hard, but they did keep the robber barons who preyed on the poor (like the oligarchs in Russia after the fall of communism). The Sith would be waiting in the shadows or slowly start to infiltrate various stages of government waiting to destroy the new government.


And of course Rey is in the middle of all of this. Given the harsh lessons that I am sure Rey has had growing up on Jakku not to mention some of the wise words that she learned from Luke and Jedi texts. She understands that the ethos that the Jedi held like being a branch of the UN who won’t interfere, is just silly. The world is very dark and very complex and should be treated as such. She could rebuild the Jedi, but this time with some much needed pragmatism. She’d be like the Judy Dench version of M. Jedi’s would be more than just peaceful keepers. Some of them would be dispatched as spy’s.

And of course she’d keep a firm eye on the Sith well aware that they probably would not have been gone away entirely.

It would also be interesting to see her struggle with her Sith/Palpatine bloodline and pull to the dark side of the force. The movie didn’t touch on it a lot. But you can see that she has a temper and can be ruthless and single minded when she wants to reach a goal. Consequences be damned.

That’s my two cents. What I laid out was more of a 10 hours drama than a film but who knows.

 

Please don't think I'm rude but......y r u here friend?

 

Because I liked the last 2 films. Am a massive fan of Rey. And sadly this is the only place I could find to have a meaningful discussion about all 3 without running into angry and negative people.

 

Oh. I'm afraid u won't like me friend. U like Rey? Fine. But 2 me when a person likes/loves Rey I c a person who likes thier heroes flawless & without weakness.

I mean even Superman had kryptonite. really what's her flaws? A scratch on the arm? A tree falling on BB-8?

JJ knew that "my parent's are nobodies" was stale bread in terms of that's my weakness storytelling so he made her a Palpatine.

 

Hey, I get this is the internet, but I'm not sure someone saying they like something really warrants a paragraph on why they're wrong, especially when it's entirely off topic. Good lord, there's enough threads to discuss Rey, and I'm sure Veronica never asked what her opinion of you would be anyway.



Anywho...yeah, I think we're in an interesting position. Much like Palpatine's game of Shah-tezh (space chess), the board has been wiped clean once again and we're in a surprisingly similar position to where we were post ROTJ.

A new Empire is crumbling, though perhaps not entirely defeated quite yet. Palpatine is one again dead (for good this time?). Our heroes are victorious.

But yet we've lost so much. Luke, Han, Leia are the big ones. The Republic itself, of course, is once again defeated, and this time there's a much stronger case to be made for decentralized authority.

Anything post the ST can delve into a lot of the post ROTJ ideas (and in fact, some may even adapt Legends post-ROTJ story threads to be post TROS now).

But now, I think they can do so in a slightly updated, more modern way, tackling more modern ideas and discussions.

 

I'm sorry friend. Sorry if I steer the ship towards another Rey debate!

If they ever go post Endo.......errr. ......post Exegol then they should go like 100 years in the future.

Especially if DR, JB, OI & AD (as a Force Ghost) never, ever want to come back.

 

Oh yeah, movie-wise I don't think we're going to see that cast return.

But it just makes me think of the 90s and early oughts when we got stuff like the Rogue Squadron games, Shadow of the Empire event, etc...

Just because the actors are gone doesn't mean their characters are.

 

No worries.
I also neglected to add that I like this forum because of the personal setting options.

I've really been impressed with the cut scenes that I have seen for the Old Republic videos on YT.

With the success of shows like GOT and Succession and many others, I think that a complex SW stories with many characters. Along with the success of TROS and TLJ I think that it shows that the public enjoy and can absorb a show or film with an intricate plot and several characters.

 

Definitely agreed.

I totally support the "Star Wars is for people of all ages" thing, and I think attempts at leaning into more edgy adult content have often gone awry (The Force Unleashed), but stuff like The Mandalorian showed it can be done. A denser, more complex thriller in the Star Wars universe would be welcome, in my opinion.

 

If I was part of Lucasfilm & was in charge of approval or disapproval of shows & DF & JF came 2 me with an idea of.......

"It's about a cool Mandalorian bounty hunter similar to Boba or Jango who finds a baby of Yoda's species & latter adopts him while going on misadventures!"

I'd say......"This is garbage! This will never work! Are you 2 insane! I wanted a dark & gritty show! Not muppet babies!"

Let's just say good thing I'm not running creative control! Ha ha!

 

Oh, absolutely.

The twist of The Child in The Mandalorian was what made it a truly great show. I was excited for gritty Star Wars before it came out, but it truly became something much more than that, and all for the better.

I'm not sure gritty Star Wars can't exist without its proverbial Baby Yoda, but in this case it was exactly what the show needed.

 

I read that in at least one philosophical discussion that Rey was intended to be an allegory for Jesus. As Star Wars has many religious and philosophical themes running through it (Jainism, Daoism, Gnosticism, Zen Buddhism and others), it kind of makes sense they would go this route. In terms of my own personal perspectives, I enjoy exploring these themes and characters in what is at face value a popcorn film designed for children.

Personally it would have been better if like Jesus or the subsequent saints that followed, if she had died at the end. Though it would have been sad for the fans (myself included) of this character, it would have made more sense.

• • https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertai...cret-symbolism-in-the-rise-of-skywalker.html/
  • https://www.focusonthefamily.ca/content/the-rise-of-skywalker-healing-adoption-and-a-new-identity

Also, her relationship to Palpatine could be interpreted as symbolic of how we are descended from Adam and the tyranny of the influence of the Original Sin over us all. Though this revelation seemed bad, when things are at their worst, good things are most valued.

"Without Rey’s understanding of her Palpatine lineage, her tutelage under Leia is simply a privilege; with an understanding of Rey’s lineage, Leia’s embrace of Rey is an act of wondrous grace, confidence, and adoption. In Leia, Rey has a “master” who knows the ominous truth of her ancestry, yet who receives and trains her still."

This leads to a change in her identity from one marked by Original Sin to the redeemed sons and daughters who have experienced His forgiveness.

• https://thinkchristian.reframemedia...ry-seeing-it-as-a-story-of-spiritual-adoption

On that theosophical note, it could be that the Last Jedi represents the transition from the Old Testament to the New. There are examples of this.

When Luke casts aside his lightsaber, he emulates Jesus in Acts 1:6-8 when he refutes the messianic expectations of him:

Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Decrying the hopes that he would tear down the Roman Imperium, Jesus instead offered a new dispensation of God's teachings, a new idea that would represent the death of the old Jewish religion. In a similar way, Luke refuses to follow the previous path of a militant Jedi order and begins to explore an alternative.

As with Jesus' radical venture to replace the Jewish religion did not exactly make him popular, so was Luke's rejection of the Jedi. Regardless of how we feel about the direction this franchise is headed, we do well to remember that faithful fans—like true disciples—don’t try to dictate how the story should go. They simply follow wherever it leads.

There are also visual similarities, in Christian mythology when Jesus died on the cross, the Jewish temple split open (Matthew 27:50-51)

And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.

51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split

With the advent of Jesus, there would be no differentiation between Goys and Goyim. Ritual piety and circumcision are no-longer prerequisites for access to God and from that moment, all had access to the divine. I guess that was the point of the film, to open up the possibilities of the Divine, represented by the light side of the force, to those who are outside of the dogmatic purview of the Jedi.

Comparable scenes were when the bolt of lightning struck the tree in Ahch-To. While the message of the Last Jedi to 'let things die' seems nihilistic from our perspective, to Christian theologians, it represents the same spiritual paradigm shift that happened when the Spirit arrived and his disruptive influence across history in that period.

https://thinkchristian.reframemedia.com/the-last-jedis-new-covenant

--- Double Post Merged, Feb 15, 2020, Original Post Date: Feb 15, 2020 ---

The problems associated with the exploration of adult themes are the following:

• Disney's image- wants to be seen to be as a family friendly producer, also it may not want to be associated with unpopular opinions and would like to stay away from politically sensitive topics
• Finance- it may be there is more of a market for family films
• Audience reaction- given the fact that reactions to certain creative changes were not exactly met with enthusiasm, people may elect to play it safe and take fewer creative risks
• Marketability- this is self explanatory

Naturally, if this were another producer like Legendary, this may be different.

In terms of what I would like to see:

• Crime Noir/Detective- something in the style of classic series like The Sweeney, Frost
• Political drama/comedy- the idea of a Yes Minister in the world of Star Wars amuses me to no end as does a series like Tudor, Pillars of The Earth or The White Queen, Elizabeth with all that juicy court intrigue
• Spy thriller- love spy thrillers
• Possible revenge thriller- think the Count of Monte Cristo

 

I see what you mean, but I think that Disney's "image" often carries an exaggerated burden.

We get it, the Mouse probably isn't gonna bankroll the next Game of Thrones spinoff. But I'm not so sure Disney is quite as sanitized as many think. They're willing to go dark, for sure. Rogue One, just being one example, but also several of the Marvel films. Not exactly Tarantino-esque, but the violence and language does sorta push that PG-13 limit at times.
Then they also put 10 Things I Hate About You on D+, which while not technically a Disney film does include some profanity (pretty sure at least one f-bomb), and is pretty suggestive.
So, while Disney may restrain some creative aspects, I think the boundaries are at least somewhat flexible.

For sure, those all sound great!

 

I want to go darker still. I know there is some difference between Warhammer and Star Wars. Warhammer having plenty of mature elements and being able to explore horror in a way that Star Wars would baulk at.

Ideally I would be looking forward to seeing some of that supernatural horror or psychological horror within a Star Wars series. I know there are some elements. I would like to see someone use the Force to alter perception for example. One who is damaged, cruel, vengeful enjoys toying with his or her prey. I know there are elements that have been hinted at but I would love to see this further explored.

A Star Wars version of Carrie, Alma Wade (FEAR), Fujino Asagami (Kara No Kyokai), Wilde (Lazarus Effect) or Fettel- that man is my spirit animal.

 

In terms of fan-fiction. I am sure there are plenty of opportunities for this. For any prospective fan-fiction writer, I would suggest the following:

• Identify your target audience and reach out to them
• Consider different perspectives to key events
• Go through any guidebooks to draw a timeline of events and identify any 'gaps'
• When creating a world, explore the following: language, culture, races, ecology, politics etc
• When telling the story in the setting, tell it from the perspective of a native- don't go full New Scientist as this will break immersion
• When creating character and directing their actions, visualise yourself as them
• Consider the character's own: relationships, beliefs, moods, etc
• Set rules and be consistent with their application
• Verisimilitude
• For unfamiliar terms, create a glossary
• Have an idea on the direction or ending- an exception is Emanon the Wanderer (based on an immortal that has being reincarnated throughout billions of years) where the journey is the main focus and not the destination
• Seek feedback from other creatives
• Read books and identify the techniques they use
• If you get burnout, put down your manuscript, walk away and take a break
• Avoid creative classes as you do not want to be a 'template' writer