SPECULATION Who lives, who dies, and why -

I wouldn't be surprised if all of this was true. Only question is, if Rey is a Skywalker, then Leia wouldn't be the last of their lineage.

 

I would've had Leia dead BEFORE TFA but now she is in the ST I can't see her dying in any of the movies.
I think Luke will do a Yoda in IX.
In VIII, I think Hux will definitely go and be replaced by BDT. Otherwise too many villains.
Finn and Phasma have unfinished business so this could see the end of one of them - I'm guessing Phasma.
Will be interesting to see if they keep all 3 droids around. I could see Threepio getting blasted.
If Poe is involved more I am sure he will live on. But if he's a bit part again it could be bye bye in 8 (see what I did there?!).

 

This is one of the statements that get shoved our throats since the beginning.
I guess Luke and Leia gets killed off one by one just to annoy the old loyal fans from the first hour.
R2-D2/C3-PO/Chewbacca are costumes and the actors who are portraying them are changeable, it would not make sense to kill these three off.
They are making alot of money with the droids and Chewie. (they need them alive)

 

If Luke is to die it has to be in 9 and then h can force ghost in the next trilogy.

 

There is only enough room for so many characters in each movie so for the guys who think everyone is going to live until the last few minutes of IX you are kidding yourself. TFA's pacing is what I would consider blazing. It's among the fastest I've seen in a movie. There was barely enough time to get everyone in. Actually there wasn't even enough time to get everyone in. JJ has stated that scenes of Maz and Phasma were cut because of the pacing and the need for those scenes.

I think while the story of Luke being in self exile and going to the first Jedi temple to seek refuge/guidance is cool it was definitely also designed to give some breathing room to the other characters, mainly Han. For all intents and purposes TFA was Han's. It gave an extremely generous amount of that awesome character we all know and love and took him from us in a way that couldn't be more important to the story and that's all you could have really asked for. That being said, I think VIII will be Luke's time to shine for obvious reasons but I don't think that means he dies too. If we loose Luke it will prob be in IX and I'm sure it will be in an extremely meaningful way like Han. I think one human character from the OT should be left when all is said and done though. It's a little unnecessary to kill them all off.

As for the new characters, I can see Hux biting it in VIII. I think he cuts it a little close and his arrogance will end up getting the better of him in some way much like Tarkin. I'm hoping Phasma has a bigger role in VIII and we at least get to see a little more of something from her. I can see a Finn vs. Phasma showdown in VIII and Finn isn't going down this time . If we lose Hux and Phasma in VIII that makes some room for those cool looking Knights we keep hearing about

I think both Snoke and Kylo will be dead by the end of IX and possibly by each other's hand. It is pretty clear that Han is right (especially if you've read the novelization). Snoke does not care about Kylo, he wants him to do his dirty work and now that he has discovered Rey he will do anything to get her to "join him or die". He will most likely exploit Kylo to the point of destruction until Rey, the only person who can make him see, shows him how he has been used. History repeats itself. The grandson and granddaughter of "the chosen one" only existing because of Anakin's existence bring balance to the force by the end of IX.

We will see.

 

As Supreme Leader Snoke said: "We shall see. We shall see."

 

My Death Predictions:

- Luke Skywalker will definitely die/past away in this trilogy just like Yoda and Obi-Wan in OT, but probably only dies in Ep XIX
(they need to create screen time to the new lead character - Rey)
- Phasma as it is it's just a waste of time, make her kill someone, do something or just kill her
(but if the Skywalker Twin theory is true she might be the one to link up with Rey)
- I liked Hux in TFA but if they bring more villains in Ep VIII, Hux should go
- Leia is the big boss in the Resistence and still have something to say in Kylo Ren future, she's not gonna die anytime soon
(part of the Disney StarWars pro Woman league?)
- Rey, Finn, BB-8 and Poe are the leads and they should stay like that but Poe needs more action and screen time
- What's gonna happen with the Original Droids, C3PO and R2D2? Tricky question here because they are already substituted by BB 8
(this might really leave us, perhaps with Luke)
- Snoke will definitely die in this trilogy, most likely in Ep XIX by a super Jedi master Rey Skywalker or by the Born Again Ben Solo
(i've already stated here that i liked Kylo killed him in Ep VIII)
- Chewbacca doesn't make much sense without Han Solo but might have a future as Ben Solo sidekick
- Maz Kanata must fade out from the movies, could appear to link something from the past but has no influence in the plot development
- The big question goes to Kylo Ren future, will he redeem himself and saves the day or just go darker and evil to die at the hands of Super-Rey
(my personnal option would go to make Ben Solo really evil, killing and torturing everbody but in the end he kills Rey and Leia, the Bad Guys WIN)

Edit: I think the "trend" now is to no more "Force Ghosts" in Star Wars, i completely agree because they rise so many questions and i have spent to many time discussing them over the years. Force Ghost are no more (for now - for this trilogy)