I like the ‘Rey as balance’ theme, which I feel like the trilogy was kind of setting up, then didn’t exactly deliver on.
What if we end with a voiceover, as follows:
- Pre-ending, we play up as much inner darkness (to save my friends) as possible
- Rey visits Tattooine
- We see her friends have come on the Falcon with her. She has a new family. (They stay on board)
- Rey buries the lightsabers, ignites her own. It’s gold. Something new.
- “Who are you?”
- Voiceover begins, as we see her look away to sees the spirits of her adoptive family (Luke and Leia) and an implicitly redeemed Kylo Ren, then she re-boards the falcon
- Voiceover is cut from some of her lines on TLJ during her training: “Who am I? Violence. Peace. Cold. Warmth. Death. Life. Dark. Light. I am balance.”
- Falcon shoots off into hyperspace against the twin suns.
- Final VO line, either “I am Rey” or “I am the Force”.
I think such an ending must be earned by the film, otherwise it might come off as forced, odd and perhaps even preachy.