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Post #1346604

Author
Delpheas
Parent topic
The Rise of Skywalker: Ascendant (Released)
Link to post in topic
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/1346604/action/topic#1346604
Date created
18-May-2020, 5:22 PM

Neerb said:

jonh said:

just adding in the opening, something that kylo has found the wayfinder …

Don’t even do that. Just keep the crawl ideas already going around about him searching for power or whatever. All we know initially is why he goes to Exogol, not how.

On Ajan Kloss, Rey learns that a wayfinder is needed to get there, beginning the search.

On Pasaana, Lando says that two were made, and he and Luke were just tracking one of them.

On the Death Star II, Kylo destroys Rey’s wayfinder and says “The only way you’re reaching Exogol is with me.”

Finally, on Ach-to, Luke tells Rey she already has what she needs, and Rey digs Kylo’s wayfinder out of his ship, repeating “two were made.”

I never got why that last part seemed so odd in the theater, but I’m just now realizing it’s because the audience knew from the beginning that Kylo had a wayfinder, and Rey never knew until Luke suggested it to her. I didn’t realize while watching that Rey didn’t know, and so my reaction was “how did Rey not think of this earlier?”

By removing Mustafar and Kylo’s nebula navigation, however, now the audience learns Kylo had one at the same time that Rey does, making it a twist reveal, although not too cheap of one since there are hints for the audience to guess scattered in the dialog throughout the movie.

How exactly Kylo got the wayfinder may seem confusing to people, but it’s a Sith artifact and we know Palpatine’s been talking to Kylo in his head, so it’s not hard to use your imagination. And really, the original movie never explains how he learned:

  • the wayfinder’s location
  • what a wayfinder even is
  • why exactly he even needed it

so we’re really just moving the goalposts and sparing the audience some extra headache.

Bringing this back in, because along with starting the film with Kylo either arriving at Exogol or navigating there, I think these are excellent points. We should find out about the 2nd wayfinder when Rey does.

Additionally, the shot of the fleet rising from the water or whatever absolutely needs to be later in the film. At the start all we need to know is Kylo found Palps and Palps has promised him more power, which Kylo grudgingly accepts. Maybe we know he wants Rey dead, maybe we don’t yet. But the fleet reveal at the start is what killed the tension for me. We shouldn’t know exactly what Palps plans for the galaxy are quite yet.