SPECULATION Wild guesses survey for Ep VIII

1) Hux hears that the base is under attack and decides to actually retreat unlike Tarkin, so he lives.
2) Agreed with training. I'd say there'd be a new secret mission for Finn, so he seeks out Rey or Finn is attacked by the KoR and some mysterious information is dropped. He goes to Rey and Luke because it has to do with them and the three of them (picking up Poe on the way somehow) head over to the next mission/third act.
3) Oh they'll be around and kicking. I bet they have some side agenda going on that they didn't mention or a most allude to in TFA.
4) They go to the New Republic (if that and the Resistance truly are separate - I've been staying away from all teasers, interviews, behind-the-scenes, etc) for help. Lando's in a position of power but is too weighed down by bureaucracy. You see shades of Anakin within Leia start to pop out, but by the end the New Republic comes around. Or for a really dark turn, the New Republic becomes pressured into helping the First Order and the Resistance is truly on the run by the end of the movie.
5) Neither, but maybe Phasma will have a change of heart after discovering she is Han's daughter? Just kidding! But seriously, maybe she has a change of heart?
6) Not going to even try to guess, but I hope Naboo comes back eventually.

 

Maz is Yoda and Ackbar's love child.

 

Or better yet, Maz and Yoda had a secret love child and it was Snoke.

Yup! Develop the characters over movie long arcs. Don't let them die after one movie. And that way, each character gets their own personal villain: Hux for Poe, Phasma for Finn, and Kylo for Rey. Also, maybe if Snoke is Plagueis, then Kylo offs Snoke at the end of TFA only for him to revive at the end of Ep VIII or beginning of IX? Crazy possibility, but wouldn't that be the twist of the trilogy.

 

1.) Rey misses Finn, but her training keeps her away. She finally expresses this to Luke and he lets her go. Rey trains with Luke, Yoda ghost, and Anakin Ghost. She has become powerful, but misses Finn.
2.) Finn, not knowing of her feelings has moved on to a hot new star pilot and is enjoying life as a Rebel Squad captain with her by his side. They have been on many missions together and have deep feelings. We see one of these at the beginning of the movie, where a squadron led by Phasma is defeated while on a secret mission.
3.) Rey returns and finds this out(about the gf), hides her feelings, but gets swept up on a mission with Finn and new GF. Lots of little snipes between the two. Rey is jealous and new GF sees her as a threat.
4.) First Order has concentrated on small victories and system gains. Their new weapons system is more of a territory defending array controlled by a dyson sphere type base. Rey and Luke plan on sneaking into the sphere to disable the array. Snoke has built a strong team of military leaders to carry out this deployment. It is used offensively and defensively
5.) Meanwhile, Phasma is on a mission to "prepare" these worlds for the rule of the first order. Finn is her direct opposite and she's been trying to hunt him down. They have a big troop battle on one of the planets and the two actually go toe to toe. Phasma trained Finn and knows him somewhat. Finn's team helps win this ground battle and Phasma flees.
6.) Luke and Rey are in trouble, and Rey can feel Finn and calls out to him(think Luke/Leia in ESB), this is where we find out Finn is Force Sensitive. He and GF along with Poe and Leia plan attack on the Dyson Sphere. Huge space battle ensues, the likes of which we have not seen. The multi-layered array and sphere have super defenses as well as new Star Destroyers.
7.) Poe, Finn, GF, Chewie and a team are to sneak in and find Rey and Luke. BB-8 and R2 are instrumental in disabling defenses along the way. Team gets split up because the Knights of Ren are deployed to stop them, while Kylo deals with Rey(Luke has masked his presence). Finn and GF find Rey as she is being defeated by Kylo. Finn and GF fight him off and get injured Rey out. Chewie and Poe meet up with them while being chased by the Knights and they escape back into the battle. Poe and Chewey have set a self-destruct on the Spear.
8.) Rey is injured and unconsciously calling for Luke and Finn. GF hears and is worried, but wonders about Luke.
9.) Luke has been seeking out Snoke. He reveals himself through the force to Snoke, who has summoned Kylo. Kylo goes to cut off Luke before he gets to Snoke. Luke says to Kylo that this is just so that you understand that the dark side can't win. He crushes Kylos saber, force pushing Kylo back. Luke goes after Snoke, but Snoke has exited the sphere and flees, masking himself from Luke. Luke contacts Leia and Rey and lets them know he is after Snoke and needs to face him alone.
10.) Rey is now conscious and is happy to see Finn. She just smiles at him and we hear that the resistance has won a large sector of the array and are moving in on the spear. The sphere is disabled, and the First Order has to flee.
11.) Snoke stating to Kylo that it is time
12.) Chewie, BB-8, Poe, new characters, Leia, R2, Finn and GF are looking out into space. Rey stands up and smiles at Finn as they all see the Resistance fleet returning to the rest of the fleet. Victory yells over the speakers in the room. Wipe to Ending!

 

My guesses:

1. Snoke in person.
2. More Jedi or Sith lore/ruins as its all that really exists of these sects other than Luke
3. A force ghost, probably Anakin
4. More politics/Republic
5. All these main characters going on some kind of mission together. They have to become a new "big three" somehow!