I still haven’t come up with any ideas for episodes VIII and IX, but at the risk of appearing needy, I would like to read some feedback on my proposed episode VII.
Sure thing. I really like the idea of the New Republic doing well while the Imperial Remnant resorts to more subtle and sinister tactics - to differentiate from the OT more, I’d have liked the sequel trilogy to have had the bad guys be the underdogs, but a growing threat which the Republic does not take seriously. The scenario in the sequels, where the FO suddenly have all this amazing military force somehow, is rather bad worldbuilding and a large contrivance.
I’m with you on keeping Luke as he is in TLJ - I think that’s a really compelling story. My issue would be that you’re cutting it in half. In TLJ, it’s crucial that Luke regains his optimism and sense of self at the end of the film, finding purpose in letting the Resistance fight another day. He is the heart of that film, but in this version he’s just a vehicle for some character conflict (Rey persuading him to train her), the necessary method of getting Rey that crucial training, and then being killed off to further the arc of the main villain. Regarding that last part, I’m fine with Snoke being treated that way in TLJ, but not Luke. He also would never get the chance to emerge from that state of pessimism and lack of self-belief that so many fans hated.
Another criticism would be that this seems like a lot to happen in one film and might be too ambitious, but that’s a minor one. It’s a structural issue, while I think the premise of your ep VII is very solid! I also like that the Knights of Ren would provide insight into the supremacist ideology of dark siders, and have a more interesting motive than ‘standing around and looking cool’. I also like that you don’t feel the need to continue the ‘Skywalker saga’ as such, making Kylo a villain not tied directly to this group of characters we’ve already been following. A complaint I have about the sequels is that too many characters feel part of this interconnected tight-knit group. In this version, Rey has no special heritage to define her, and neither does Kylo. I don’t mind him being Han and Leia’s son at all, but thematically this is much nicer. Great thoughts.