With Avengers Endgame out (and having seen it), the next movie I am REALLY
hyped to see is Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker. The teaser trailer and title were
announced/released two weeks ago, and I've had some time to dwell on them. Below are five questions people might have
about the film, and I put forth multiple choice possibilities and choose my
answer with reasoning. It'll be
interesting to go back here 8 months from now (Yikes!) and see how close I was.
I have now seen the Rise of Skywalker. For my full thoughts on it, you'll have to see my more recent post here. *SPOILER ALERT* I will of course be discussing spoilers so this is your warning.
1. So, apparently Palpatine returns, based on his cackle at the end of the teaser trailer. How is he able to return?
A. He returns as a spirit, much like a Force Ghost (The dark side version of it possibly). Not able to physically appear but in spirit.
B. A clone was made of him
C. He survived falling down the ventilation shaft.
D. He inhabits the body of someone or something else (Like Voldemort)
Answer: I'm gonna go with A, but neither C nor D would surprise me. My prediction is that there is a Dark Side way of becoming one with the Force. Obviously, we'd hear him and he'd be able to influence Kylo Ren and say things like, "Do what your grandfather failed to do." I only included B because I believe that happened in the Expanded Universe novels, although I doubt they'd take that idea straight from them. Option D would be cool to see, however. Could we see him inhabit Snoke's body?
The closest actual answer would be C. He had some assistance, clearly, but never fully died.
2. What will the relationship of Kylo Ren and Rey be like at the end of Episode IX?
A. Non-existent, as one will be dead.
B. Still enemies
C. Allies, or at least will have a truce
D. Romantic
Answer: I want it to be D, but Rey's parentage is still in question. Kylo told Rey her parents were nobodies, but he could have been lying (or possibly misled by Snoke). She still could be his sister or cousin. I'll go with C as my prediction, but I want it to be D. They won't kill Rey off, and I don't think JJ Abrams will want to kill Kylo off either, so I don't think it will be A. And I highly doubt they'll still be enemies; it would just feel like we need another film to resolve their conflict.
Officially it is A 😢, but for a brief moment is was C and D. I should have known Ben/Kylo would die because this film was billed for it "concluding the Skywalker saga", and if he had survived, the Skywalkers would live on.
3. Speaking of Rey's parentage, what is it?
A. Kylo was telling the truth. Her parents were nobodies.
B. Luke is her father. He abandoned her mother, and her mother (And stepfather?) left her on Jakku.
C. Han and Leia are her parents. She was conceived in secret and hidden on Jakku.
D. She is a manifestation of the Force, much like Anakin.
Answer: I just find it difficult to be B or C. Wouldn't they know about it and want to tell her? Also, I've noticed a bit of a conflict between JJ Abrams and Rian Johnson, who directed Episode VIII. They had different ideas for the films, so I think it might not be A. I'm leaning more and more to D. It would be kind of a copy cat origin story, but if they do it differently and uniquely it could work. So I'll go with D, with A as my second choice. They have to address this in Ep. IX, at least to some extent.
Wow, none of the above. Technically A is right, but they were trying to be nobodies in order to protect their daughter from her grandfather. I had a feeling JJ would decide Rian Johnson's choice wasn't good enough, I just had no idea she would be related to him.
4. What does the title, "The Rise of Skywalker" mean?
A. Skywalker is or becomes a title for Jedi. Much like "Darth" is for the Sith, Skywalker becomes a title for Jedi as the Jedi rise and Rey (and possibly Kylo/Ben) start a new Jedi order. So Rey would be "Skywalker Rey".
B. Rey is a Skywalker, and she learns her true identity.
C. Luke's influence as a Force Ghost is critical to the Resistance and he aids in their victory.
D. Luke and Palpatine have a Force Ghost battle and Luke comes out on top.
E. Kylo sheds his name "Kylo Ren" and becomes "Ben Skywalker" (Not Solo).
Answer: It's a pretty vague title. I got answer "A" from someone's theory on Reddit, which I really liked obviously. Although you wouldn't see a title called "The Rise of Darth". But I can see Skywalker referring to a group of people and not just one person. B is obviously a candidate. C and D kind of go together and both could be possible. I know D sounds ludicrous but I could see it happening. E could mean the title is about Kylo Ren, since he has Skywalker blood. If he returns to the light he could identify himself "as a Skywalker". The title of Episode VII referred to Rey (indirectly). The title of Episode VIII referred to Luke. I think the title of Episode IX will refer to someone else as well, which leaves only Kylo Ren. It could be about his redemption and return to the light side, so I'll go with E. However, most people are figuring this must refer to Luke, so my next best guess would be "C".
The actual answer is kind of a cross between A and B. Rey assumed the Skywalker name, almost as if it were a title. My friend even said it was like Luke or Leia adopted her from beyond the grave.
5. The fates of the following people:
A. Kylo Ren:
a. Dead
b. Alive, but still Dark
c. Alive and turned to Light
Answer: C. It's gotta be, right? I touched on this in question in number 3, and I said I don't think they'll kill Kylo off. At least I hope they don't. If it was B they would need another film or something to resolve this, wouldn't they? It would be like leaving Darth Vader alive and still dark side oriented after "Return of the Jedi".
I should have known, like I said above. He sacrificed himself for Rey and hopefully Rey would respect his memory and tell everyone he was a hero.
B. Captain Phasma:
a. She died in Episode VIII
b. She comes back in IX but dies
c. She comes back in IX and lives
Answer: B. JJ and Rian have an internal conflict going on from what I've gathered. JJ will want to undo what Rian did and bring back Captain Phasma, only to have her die for real.
Falling that far into a pit of fire on a ship going down is hard to survive, especially for a non-Sith/Jedi. I think bringing her back would've been a slap in the face to Rian Johnson.
C. General Hux:
a. Dead
b. Dead
c. Dead
Answer: All of the above. Is there any chance this guy survives? He clearly has no good in his heart. The only question is how he will die.
Well, yes, but who saw him helping out the good guys? Not me! Kylo clearly got on his bad side, so Hux took action. Too bad for him General Pryde saw right through him.
C. a. How will Hux die?
1. Rey kills him
2. Finn or Poe kills him
3. Kylo turns on him and kills him
Answer: Number 1 wouldn't be satisfying enough. I'd like to see 2, have a battle between non-Force users. But I think it will be 3.
I didn't even consider him being a spy and one of the first order generals killing him. Gotta consider every possibility.
D. Leia:
a. Alive and present
b. Alive but gone away/missing
c. Dead
Answer: I almost forgot about Leia. Hard to say how much of an impact she'll have, with Carrie Fisher passing before they could film any of Episode IX. I will say C, and they'll make it as tear-inducing as possible.
I was right. I was impressed with how much footage they had of Carrie and how they were able to use it. It was tear-inducing, although I didn't cry myself. But I felt like it after seeing Chewbacca's reacting to Leia's passing.
Well, there you have it. I answered the five (plus) biggest questions about Episode IX. It's still almost 8 months away and I cannot wait for it to get here!
Meh, not terrible predictions, but some really caught me off guard. Click the link above to see my full thoughts on Rise of Skywalker. 🙂
I have now seen the Rise of Skywalker. For my full thoughts on it, you'll have to see my more recent post here. *SPOILER ALERT* I will of course be discussing spoilers so this is your warning.
1. So, apparently Palpatine returns, based on his cackle at the end of the teaser trailer. How is he able to return?
A. He returns as a spirit, much like a Force Ghost (The dark side version of it possibly). Not able to physically appear but in spirit.
B. A clone was made of him
C. He survived falling down the ventilation shaft.
D. He inhabits the body of someone or something else (Like Voldemort)
Answer: I'm gonna go with A, but neither C nor D would surprise me. My prediction is that there is a Dark Side way of becoming one with the Force. Obviously, we'd hear him and he'd be able to influence Kylo Ren and say things like, "Do what your grandfather failed to do." I only included B because I believe that happened in the Expanded Universe novels, although I doubt they'd take that idea straight from them. Option D would be cool to see, however. Could we see him inhabit Snoke's body?
The closest actual answer would be C. He had some assistance, clearly, but never fully died.
2. What will the relationship of Kylo Ren and Rey be like at the end of Episode IX?
A. Non-existent, as one will be dead.
B. Still enemies
C. Allies, or at least will have a truce
D. Romantic
Answer: I want it to be D, but Rey's parentage is still in question. Kylo told Rey her parents were nobodies, but he could have been lying (or possibly misled by Snoke). She still could be his sister or cousin. I'll go with C as my prediction, but I want it to be D. They won't kill Rey off, and I don't think JJ Abrams will want to kill Kylo off either, so I don't think it will be A. And I highly doubt they'll still be enemies; it would just feel like we need another film to resolve their conflict.
Officially it is A 😢, but for a brief moment is was C and D. I should have known Ben/Kylo would die because this film was billed for it "concluding the Skywalker saga", and if he had survived, the Skywalkers would live on.
3. Speaking of Rey's parentage, what is it?
A. Kylo was telling the truth. Her parents were nobodies.
B. Luke is her father. He abandoned her mother, and her mother (And stepfather?) left her on Jakku.
C. Han and Leia are her parents. She was conceived in secret and hidden on Jakku.
D. She is a manifestation of the Force, much like Anakin.
Answer: I just find it difficult to be B or C. Wouldn't they know about it and want to tell her? Also, I've noticed a bit of a conflict between JJ Abrams and Rian Johnson, who directed Episode VIII. They had different ideas for the films, so I think it might not be A. I'm leaning more and more to D. It would be kind of a copy cat origin story, but if they do it differently and uniquely it could work. So I'll go with D, with A as my second choice. They have to address this in Ep. IX, at least to some extent.
Wow, none of the above. Technically A is right, but they were trying to be nobodies in order to protect their daughter from her grandfather. I had a feeling JJ would decide Rian Johnson's choice wasn't good enough, I just had no idea she would be related to him.
4. What does the title, "The Rise of Skywalker" mean?
A. Skywalker is or becomes a title for Jedi. Much like "Darth" is for the Sith, Skywalker becomes a title for Jedi as the Jedi rise and Rey (and possibly Kylo/Ben) start a new Jedi order. So Rey would be "Skywalker Rey".
B. Rey is a Skywalker, and she learns her true identity.
C. Luke's influence as a Force Ghost is critical to the Resistance and he aids in their victory.
D. Luke and Palpatine have a Force Ghost battle and Luke comes out on top.
E. Kylo sheds his name "Kylo Ren" and becomes "Ben Skywalker" (Not Solo).
Answer: It's a pretty vague title. I got answer "A" from someone's theory on Reddit, which I really liked obviously. Although you wouldn't see a title called "The Rise of Darth". But I can see Skywalker referring to a group of people and not just one person. B is obviously a candidate. C and D kind of go together and both could be possible. I know D sounds ludicrous but I could see it happening. E could mean the title is about Kylo Ren, since he has Skywalker blood. If he returns to the light he could identify himself "as a Skywalker". The title of Episode VII referred to Rey (indirectly). The title of Episode VIII referred to Luke. I think the title of Episode IX will refer to someone else as well, which leaves only Kylo Ren. It could be about his redemption and return to the light side, so I'll go with E. However, most people are figuring this must refer to Luke, so my next best guess would be "C".
The actual answer is kind of a cross between A and B. Rey assumed the Skywalker name, almost as if it were a title. My friend even said it was like Luke or Leia adopted her from beyond the grave.
5. The fates of the following people:
A. Kylo Ren:
a. Dead
b. Alive, but still Dark
c. Alive and turned to Light
Answer: C. It's gotta be, right? I touched on this in question in number 3, and I said I don't think they'll kill Kylo off. At least I hope they don't. If it was B they would need another film or something to resolve this, wouldn't they? It would be like leaving Darth Vader alive and still dark side oriented after "Return of the Jedi".
I should have known, like I said above. He sacrificed himself for Rey and hopefully Rey would respect his memory and tell everyone he was a hero.
B. Captain Phasma:
a. She died in Episode VIII
b. She comes back in IX but dies
c. She comes back in IX and lives
Answer: B. JJ and Rian have an internal conflict going on from what I've gathered. JJ will want to undo what Rian did and bring back Captain Phasma, only to have her die for real.
Falling that far into a pit of fire on a ship going down is hard to survive, especially for a non-Sith/Jedi. I think bringing her back would've been a slap in the face to Rian Johnson.
C. General Hux:
a. Dead
b. Dead
c. Dead
Answer: All of the above. Is there any chance this guy survives? He clearly has no good in his heart. The only question is how he will die.
Well, yes, but who saw him helping out the good guys? Not me! Kylo clearly got on his bad side, so Hux took action. Too bad for him General Pryde saw right through him.
C. a. How will Hux die?
1. Rey kills him
2. Finn or Poe kills him
3. Kylo turns on him and kills him
Answer: Number 1 wouldn't be satisfying enough. I'd like to see 2, have a battle between non-Force users. But I think it will be 3.
I didn't even consider him being a spy and one of the first order generals killing him. Gotta consider every possibility.
D. Leia:
a. Alive and present
b. Alive but gone away/missing
c. Dead
Answer: I almost forgot about Leia. Hard to say how much of an impact she'll have, with Carrie Fisher passing before they could film any of Episode IX. I will say C, and they'll make it as tear-inducing as possible.
I was right. I was impressed with how much footage they had of Carrie and how they were able to use it. It was tear-inducing, although I didn't cry myself. But I felt like it after seeing Chewbacca's reacting to Leia's passing.
Well, there you have it. I answered the five (plus) biggest questions about Episode IX. It's still almost 8 months away and I cannot wait for it to get here!
Meh, not terrible predictions, but some really caught me off guard. Click the link above to see my full thoughts on Rise of Skywalker. 🙂
