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Your ideal Star Wars Sequel Trilogy — Page 3

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I really like your idea of an Imperial Triumvirate. I would definitely run with that idea. It would provide a lot of potential for factional infighting and intrigue, while allowing the IR to be more multifaceted.

Although I liked the Imperial Knights, I always perceived them as a neutral entity who have no quarrel with the Jedi, which defeats the purpose of being antagonists, so I am sticking to my version of the Knights of Ren even if they are merely “Sith lite” as you put it.

I suppose so. But you could still make them fit a more antagonistic role through their political alignment. Simply, the Jedi would have to oppose them because they’re the enforcing arm of a tyrannical regime, even if they don’t use the Dark Side. They would represent what the Jedi Order could become if it were led astray by a charismatic leader with rhetoric about Force supremacy. So, the battle between the Jedi and Knights of Ren would really be a battle over the future of the Light Side and its role in the galaxy. Though, you can always merge both ideas, and have Kylo and the Knights of Ren gradually slip further and further into the Dark Side as the war progresses.

Actually that would make Luke a man in denial, which IMO would be far too depressing.

It’s not denial. It’s just Luke doing what he’s always done: carrying on in spite of trauma and adversity. It would endear the audience to Luke, showing the very human struggle he’s going through in his life, while also showing that he never gave up on his duty. It’s more realistic to how depression works in real life, and it doesn’t take away Luke’s likability.

But we can’t turn back. Fear is their greatest defense. I doubt if the actual security there is any greater than it was on Aquilae or Sullust. And what there is is most likely directed towards a large-scale assault.

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I’d go for setting the sequels 100 years after ROTJ. Chewie, R2, 3PO, and ghost Luke would be the only returning characters (limit Han and Leia to flashbacks). Basically turn Luke into an Avatar Roku-like character, serving as a mentor for a new cast of characters looking to end a Jedi-New Sith war. Spirit Palpatine could return, if one really wanted him back in some significant capacity.

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My opinion is remaking the sequels is pointless. But they still have time to make a Luke Skywalker show. Look how great Mark Hamill looked in those behind the scenes Mando clips without the need of cgi or makeup. A Jedi Academy series set in between episodes VI and VII where Luke actually does something and isn’t at the end of his journey would be awesome. Of course now it would just be pointless fanservice unless there is a sufficient story to connect to the one in Last Jedi and feel a part of the whole.

Hell they could even get Rian back to write and direct for the series to show Luke’s fall. Doubt he is available though because of Knives out sequels.

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JadedSkywalker said:

Doubt he is available though because of Knives out sequels.

A part of me fears this will put Johnson’s SW trilogy on indefinite hiatus, which is a real shame, because I would love to see what he can do with Star Wars unconstrained by a previously established story.

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 (Edited)

Ideally, I would have preferred the Sequel Trilogy be made in the 90’s, before the prequel trilogy. But assuming that my hypothetical sequels had to come out in 2015, 2017, and 2019, here’s what I would probably do, off the top of my head:

At the start of VII, the galaxy is in a state of cold war, with the two largest galactic factions, the Republic and the Empire (still just called the Empire), having maintained a ceasefire for about a decade or so. Under the leadership of Gilad Pellaeon, and with the support of the mysterious Knights of Ren, the Empire has shifted away from its sinister past and become a less destructive, if still somewhat despotic faction. In the years since the ceasefire, the Knights of Ren have grown hugely in number, especially since they started recruiting within both Imperial and Republic space, with many former Jedi apprentices having left to join the secretive group.

Rey, Finn, and Poe will still be our main heroes. The protagonist of the trilogy will be Finn, a Stormtrooper who’s fiercely loyal to the Empire, while having a strong code of honor. He develops an unlikely friendship with Rey the scavenger and Poe the Republic pilot.

Covert attacks begin to take place against both the Republic and Empire, with each faction being framed for the attacks on the other. Agents within both governments carry out subversion to weaken the ceasefire and push the factions back towards open war. Finn is perhaps betrayed by one of these corrupt governors and left for dead on a desolate planet, where he meets Rey. After doing some investigating later on, the heroes might mistakingly suspect that the Knights of Ren are behind the attacks.

Leia is the chief executive of the Republic. Han is a Republic general. Lando has settled down as baron of another wealthy city. Luke leads a small, reclusive Jedi Order on a wilderness planet in the Mid Rim, still struggling with what the new Order’s role should be in the larger galaxy, especially with the ongoing cold war and the increasingly prominent Knights of Ren. Our heroes find Luke near the end of VII’s second act, and Finn, discovering his Force sensitivity, begins to train with him.

Eventually, near the end of VII, it’s discovered that these corrupt agents within both factions have been working together to destabilize the galaxy in preparation for a massive invasion. Luke perhaps sensed this imminent attack beforehand, and had investigated evidence of a prior invasion by the same species in the ancient past. Finn, Rey, and Poe discover a scout ship belonging to this species, and the climax of VII will be the start of the invasion of this species in full force. VII ends with the Empire being devastated first, and the Republic bracing itself for the oncoming storm. Gilad Pellaeon is killed. Luke and his apprentices come out of seclusion to defend the Republic, while the Knights of Ren begin to wage fierce guerilla warfare against the invaders that are now occupying Imperial worlds.

The climax of VIII will be the fall of Coruscant. Han or Leia is killed in this attack. By the end, both the Republic and Empire are scattered and in shambles. With the war seeming unwinnable, the Knights of Ren will become increasingly ruthless and desperate in their tactics, veering closer towards the Dark Side.

IX will be about 3 hours long. It will feature the Republic and Empire joining their forces for the first time in their history to repel the invaders.

Finn will now be a full Jedi Knight, leading a group of fellow Knights and padawans to different contested planets in need of being defended or reclaimed. Along the way, they encounter Kylo Ren and some of his Knights (I haven’t decided yet whether Kylo will be related to anyone. I’d also like to work him into the plots of VII and VIII, but I haven’t decided on what his role will be yet.), and the two groups join forces for a while. But it becomes clear through Kylo’s scorched-earth tactics that he is growing increasingly unhinged and aggressive to the point of bloodlust, and that he considers civilian lives entirely expendable as long as the Empire wins in the end.

Kylo becomes more and more obsessed with obtaining hidden knowledge to not just repel the invaders, but to destroy them utterly. This search eventually leads him to Korriban, where he and his Knights recover Sith holocrons and artifacts, and are at last fully consumed by the Dark Side.

The climax of IX will the joint Republic-Empire reclamation of Coruscant. The attack will be a major victory that cripples the invaders, forcing what’s left of their military to flee into the Unknown Regions. In the midst of the battle, the Knights of Ren arrive, using their new knowledge of the Dark Side to devastate the fleeing enemy. As the battle is winding down, the Republic and Empire discover that the invaders had already begun to transport their own civilians to settle on Coruscant and other newly conquered worlds. With the enemy forces in retreat, these civilians are left stranded on the planet, at the mercy of the victorious Republic and Empire. Kylo, being the highest ranking Imperial still alive, orders that they be put to death. Finn, Luke, and the other Jedi object to this, while the Republic overall is split on the issue.

In spite of this, Kylo and his troops (as well as some Republic troops, of their own accord) begin to carry out a purge of the planet, with the Jedi and some of the other Republic troops fighting against them. The situation devolves into planetwide chaos, and taking advantage of this as well as the Republic’s momentary indecision, Kylo assumes absolute control of Coruscant, declaring himself Emperor and Sith Lord. Kylo then kills Luke.

Finn, Rey, and Poe lead a final desperate mission to stop Kylo. Finn battles Kylo in a duel, defeats him, but spares his life, instead handing him over to be tried for his crimes.

In the aftermath of the War, the shattered Republic and Empire are at last dissolved, reformed into a galaxy-wide defensive coalition, prepared in the event that any such invasion or upheaval should happen again. Finn carries on Luke’s legacy as the new leader of the Jedi Order.

But we can’t turn back. Fear is their greatest defense. I doubt if the actual security there is any greater than it was on Aquilae or Sullust. And what there is is most likely directed towards a large-scale assault.

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Servii said:

Ideally, I would have preferred the Sequel Trilogy be made in the 90’s, before the prequel trilogy. But assuming that my hypothetical sequels had to come out in 2015, 2017, and 2019, here’s what I would probably do, off the top of my head:

At the start of VII, the galaxy is in a state of cold war, with the two largest galactic factions, the Republic and the Empire (still just called the Empire), having maintained a ceasefire for about a decade or so. Under the leadership of Gilad Pellaeon, and with the support of the mysterious Knights of Ren, the Empire has shifted away from its sinister past and become a less destructive, if still somewhat despotic faction. In the years since the ceasefire, the Knights of Ren have grown hugely in number, especially since they started recruiting within both Imperial and Republic space, with many former Jedi apprentices having left to join the secretive group.

Rey, Finn, and Poe will still be our main heroes. The protagonist of the trilogy will be Finn, a Stormtrooper who’s fiercely loyal to the Empire, while having a strong code of honor. He develops an unlikely friendship with Rey the scavenger and Poe the Republic pilot.

Covert attacks begin to take place against both the Republic and Empire, with each faction being framed for the attacks on the other. Agents within both governments carry out subversion to weaken the ceasefire and push the factions back towards open war. Finn is perhaps betrayed by one of these corrupt governors and left for dead on a desolate planet, where he meets Rey. After doing some investigating later on, the heroes might mistakingly suspect that the Knights of Ren are behind the attacks.

Leia is the chief executive of the Republic. Han is a Republic general. Lando has settled down as baron of another wealthy city. Luke leads a small, reclusive Jedi Order on a wilderness planet in the Mid Rim, still struggling with what the new Order’s role should be in the larger galaxy, especially with the ongoing cold war and the increasingly prominent Knights of Ren. Our heroes find Luke near the end of VII’s second act, and Finn, discovering his Force sensitivity, begins to train with him.

Eventually, near the end of VII, it’s discovered that these corrupt agents within both factions have been working together to destabilize the galaxy in preparation for a massive invasion. Luke perhaps sensed this imminent attack beforehand, and had investigated evidence of a prior invasion by the same species in the ancient past. Finn, Rey, and Poe discover a scout ship belonging to this species, and the climax of VII will be the start of the invasion of this species in full force. VII ends with the Empire being devastated first, and the Republic bracing itself for the oncoming storm. Gilad Pellaeon is killed. Luke and his apprentices come out of seclusion to defend the Republic, while the Knights of Ren begin to wage fierce guerilla warfare against the invaders that are now occupying Imperial worlds.

The climax of VIII will be the fall of Coruscant. Han or Leia is killed in this attack. By the end, both the Republic and Empire are scattered and in shambles. With the war seeming unwinnable, the Knights of Ren will become increasingly ruthless and desperate in their tactics, veering closer towards the Dark Side.

IX will be about 3 hours long. It will feature the Republic and Empire joining their forces for the first time in their history to repel the invaders.

Finn will now be a full Jedi Knight, leading a group of fellow Knights and padawans to different contested planets in need of being defended or reclaimed. Along the way, they encounter Kylo Ren and some of his Knights (I haven’t decided yet whether Kylo will be related to anyone. I’d also like to work him into the plots of VII and VIII, but I haven’t decided on what his role will be yet.), and the two groups join forces for a while. But it becomes clear through Kylo’s scorched-earth tactics that he is growing increasingly unhinged and aggressive to the point of bloodlust, and that he considers civilian lives entirely expendable as long as the Empire wins in the end.

Kylo becomes more and more obsessed with obtaining hidden knowledge to not just repel the invaders, but to destroy them utterly. This search eventually leads him to Korriban, where he and his Knights recover Sith holocrons and artifacts, and are at last fully consumed by the Dark Side.

The climax of IX will the joint Republic-Empire reclamation of Coruscant. The attack will be a major victory that cripples the invaders, forcing what’s left of their military to flee into the Unknown Regions. In the midst of the battle, the Knights of Ren arrive, using their new knowledge of the Dark Side to devastate the fleeing enemy. As the battle is winding down, the Republic and Empire discover that the invaders had already begun to transport their own civilians to settle on Coruscant and other newly conquered worlds. With the enemy forces in retreat, these civilians are left stranded on the planet, at the mercy of the victorious Republic and Empire. Kylo, being the highest ranking Imperial still alive, orders that they be put to death. Finn, Luke, and the other Jedi object to this, while the Republic overall is split on the issue.

In spite of this, Kylo and his troops (as well as some Republic troops, of their own accord) begin to carry out a purge of the planet, with the Jedi and some of the other Republic troops fighting against them. The situation devolves into planetwide chaos, and taking advantage of this as well as the Republic’s momentary indecision, Kylo assumes absolute control of Coruscant, declaring himself Emperor and Sith Lord. Kylo then kills Luke.

Finn, Rey, and Poe lead a final desperate mission to stop Kylo. Finn battles Kylo in a duel, defeats him, but spares his life, instead handing him over to be tried for his crimes.

In the aftermath of the War, the shattered Republic and Empire are at last dissolved, reformed into a galaxy-wide defensive coalition, prepared in the event that any such invasion or upheaval should happen again. Finn carries on Luke’s legacy as the new leader of the Jedi Order.

Bravo.

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Sit JJ and Rian down in a room and get them to come up with a more fluid and special edition version of the sequel trilogy. A more joined-up and cursive trilogy of films, maybe even with a budget for new or altered shots and scenes.

The Sequel Special Edition.

They could both claim it was always meant to be this way, and the technology was not up to it at the time!
Disney and LucasFilm would both be ecstatic with the money, positive media attention, and having another new subset of fans to market to.
It is not my own ideal sequel trilogy, but would likely make for a better experience for us fans who were disappointed with them, especially with the concluding film in the trilogy.

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Have Rian write and JJ direct if they’re gonna collaborate. I often see it the other way around, but TLJ was the best written one and TFA was the best directed one, so I feel like it would work better that way around.

Reading R + L ≠ J theories

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 (Edited)

SparkySywer said:

Have Rian write and JJ direct if they’re gonna collaborate. I often see it the other way around, but TLJ was the best written one and TFA was the best directed one, so I feel like it would work better that way around.

I strongly disagree that The Force Awakens is the best directed of the two. There’s too much quick cutting and frantic rush to get from Point A to B. There’s no sense of scale or atmosphere. We often see characters begin talking and mid sentence there’s a quick cut. It’s particularly noticable when Han is talking to the gangs. He’s good at getting mostly solid performances from his cast but it’s not enough. I personally don’t think his style suits Star Wars. I think The Last Jedi is a step up in every single way. The script just needed a bit more polishing.

“Heroes come in all sizes, and you don’t have to be a giant hero. You can be a very small hero. It’s just as important to understand that accepting self-responsibility for the things you do, having good manners, caring about other people - these are heroic acts. Everybody has the choice of being a hero or not being a hero every day of their lives.” - George Lucas

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People often overlook that documentary-style filmmaking was a significant element in the original Star Wars, which helped give a sense of reality to the fantastical world.

With TFA nearly every shot has dramatic camera movement, the shots cut for the fleeting emotion of the scene and the scenes existing within a fragile web of movie logic that begins to dissolve upon any closer inspection.

Though TLJ is better in this regard, it still feels like the director is driving the focus of the scenes with singleminded intention.

IMO, a stationary camera on a tripod is sometimes the best answer.

You probably don’t recognize me because of the red arm.
Episode 9 Rewrite, The Starlight Project (Released!) and ANH Technicolor Project (Released!)

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NeverarGreat said:

People often overlook that documentary-style filmmaking was a significant element in the original Star Wars, which helped give a sense of reality to the fantastical world.

With TFA nearly every shot has dramatic camera movement, the shots cut for the fleeting emotion of the scene and the scenes existing within a fragile web of movie logic that begins to dissolve upon any closer inspection.

Though TLJ is better in this regard, it still feels like the director is driving the focus of the scenes with singleminded intention.

IMO, a stationary camera on a tripod is sometimes the best answer.

The Prequels as well. Overall though I agree. Of the films in its trilogy I think The Last Jedi does the best job. Not neccessary in the sense of connecting to the first six but the look established by The Force Awakens. It’s more grounded and focused.

“Heroes come in all sizes, and you don’t have to be a giant hero. You can be a very small hero. It’s just as important to understand that accepting self-responsibility for the things you do, having good manners, caring about other people - these are heroic acts. Everybody has the choice of being a hero or not being a hero every day of their lives.” - George Lucas

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 (Edited)

I’ve revised my Sequel Trilogy concept.

The Galactic Civil War continued for another 2 decades after Endor, becoming a long, grinding effort to drive back what was left of the Empire. At last, the receding Empire sued for peace with the Republic, with the resulting treaty favoring the Republic and ensuring the Empire could never reclaim its lost territory.

An extremist splinter faction of the Empire, calling themselves the First Order, refused to accept the treaty and launched a surprise attack into Republic space. The First Order was able to devastate the Republic world Mon Calamari before being pushed back by a joint Republic-Empire force. Emperor Roan Fel denounced the First Order as traitors, and aided the Republic in pursuing the First Order into deep space.

Going against the cautionary advice of his uncle Luke, young Jedi Knight Ben Solo joined this military effort, demanding justice for the lives lost on Mon Calamari. Ben quickly rose to the status of war hero as he became a key player in the battles along the edges of the Unknown Regions. The First Order fought with fanaticism, being pushed back planet by planet at a steep cost to both sides.

Then, out of nowhere, the First Order seemingly abandoned the war, and vanished into the Unknown Regions. Ben then spent the next few years working alongside Republic Special Ops officer Poe Dameron to explore and chart the Unknown Regions and track down the First Order fleet. Poe was eventually recalled back to Coruscant, leaving Ben to continue his search alone.

Ben finally discovers where they fled to: the old Imperial prison world of Belsavis. Strangely, the First Order doesn’t fire on his ship when he arrives, instead hailing him and telling him that he is expected at a specific location on the planet. Ben goes along with this, sensing no trap or deception, and arrives at the most heavily locked down place on the planet. A First Order officer greets him as he lands, but Ben notes that something seems off about him, as though he’s not acting of his own free will. The strange officer leads him into the deepest part of the prison, to meet with their new leader. Someone who had been kept in bodily stasis there for several decades, per Emperor Palpatine’s orders.

His name? Jedi Master Jorus C’baoth.

Palpatine considered C’baoth a potential asset due to his unusually powerful battle meditation, and instead of killing him, had him imprisoned and kept in semi-conscious stasis as a form of torture, hoping to break his will and make him serve the Empire. C’baoth never broke, and had remained in stasis all those years after Palpatine’s death. But in his confined state, his mental Force powers grew, until he was able to not just influence people, but outright destroy a person’s identity and enslave their mind to his will. When the First Order fleet arrived over Belsavis, C’baoth sensed their coming, and mentally subjugated their highest ranking members, essentially turning the faction into his own personal army.

Ben spoke with C’baoth for a long time, learning from him about the ancient history of the Jedi and Sith. The two Jedi spoke long on morality and philosophy, and C’baoth showed Ben the remains of dead planets, devastated long ago in the Great Hyperspace War. He led Ben to the same conclusion he had reached: that as long as the Jedi existed, a new Sith would inevitably reemerge, and the resulting war would devastate the galaxy, as had happened many times before. From Ben, C’baoth learns about Luke Skywalker and his new Jedi academy on Yavin IV. C’baoth condemns the new Jedi Order as folly. “It may take 50 years,” C’baoth declared. “It may take 1000 years. It does not matter. This new Order will one day breed a new Sith. It should never have been founded.”

C’baoth then made clear to Ben his plans for the galaxy. He intended to use the First Order to seize control of the Empire, and then sweep across the galaxy, forcefully unifying it under his leadership. The concept of individual freedom would be annihilated. All other Force users would be compelled to sever their own connection to the Force or be put to death. Having found Ben Solo, the heir of Darth Vader, the final piece of C’baoth’s plan was complete, and he could begin his power play.

This is where Episode VII begins. In this rewrite, rather than revering Darth Vader, Ben Solo takes up the mantle of Lord Vader as a calculated move to assert his legitimacy to the Empire. Wearing a mask and suit largely modeled after Vader’s, but modified in several ways to suit his own body, he leads a First Order surprise attack on the Imperial capital world of Bastion. Fighting his way past the Emperor’s elite guards, he hunts down and fatally wounds Emperor Fel before declaring himself publically as Lord Vader and the rightful ruler of the Empire. He then gives an impassioned speech calling for renewed war against the Republic, and the restoration of Imperial authority over the Galactic Core.

The surviving members of the Emperor’s guard are given a choice: kneel or die. Most of them submit to the new Vader, and many stormtroopers on the planet join them, while many others remain loyal to Fel. Civil war breaks out in the streets before the pro-Vader faction secures control of Bastion. Amid the chaos, a small contingent of loyalist stormtroopers break into the Imperial Palace and rescue the badly wounded Emperor. Once it becomes clear that the battle is lost, these troopers attempt to shuttle the dying Emperor off of the planet to safe territory, but their ship is severely damaged as it tries to escape, losing its hyperdrive. The ship is then pursued across space by TIE fighters before being shot down and crash landing on the planet Jakku. Every passenger is killed instantly except for Emperor Fel and a lone stormtrooper. The last trooper tries to pull the Emperor out of the rubble, but to no avail, and right before the Emperor dies, he gives a final command to the stormtrooper: tell the Republic, and Chancellor Organa, what has happened.

The stormtrooper’s name? Finn.

And that’s how I’d begin Episode VII.

But we can’t turn back. Fear is their greatest defense. I doubt if the actual security there is any greater than it was on Aquilae or Sullust. And what there is is most likely directed towards a large-scale assault.

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I’d watch/read that

Reading R + L ≠ J theories

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Hasn’t been made yet, and probably won’t since Kathy Kennedy thinks trilogies and the Skywalker Saga are over. But i’d like to see Rey rebuild the Jedi Order, with Finn as her Padawan. Not sure what role Poe would have leading Rogue Squadron would be a step down from being General. I have no idea who should be Chancellor of the new new republic, with Leia gone.

Their wouldn’t be a new Sith or more new Empire or first orders, unless like in Zahn there was some mopping up to be done. The galaxy would be at peace. With the Empire and the New Republic in a truce of sorts. Each with their own sovereign borders.

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 (Edited)

Servii said:

I’ve revised my Sequel Trilogy concept.

The Galactic Civil War continued for another 2 decades after Endor, becoming a long, grinding effort to drive back what was left of the Empire. At last, the receding Empire sued for peace with the Republic, with the resulting treaty favoring the Republic and ensuring the Empire could never reclaim its lost territory.

An extremist splinter faction of the Empire, calling themselves the First Order, refused to accept the treaty and launched a surprise attack into Republic space. The First Order was able to devastate the Republic world Mon Calamari before being pushed back by a joint Republic-Empire force. Emperor Roan Fel denounced the First Order as traitors, and aided the Republic in pursuing the First Order into deep space.

Going against the cautionary advice of his uncle Luke, young Jedi Knight Ben Solo joined this military effort, demanding justice for the lives lost on Mon Calamari. Ben quickly rose to the status of war hero as he became a key player in the battles along the edges of the Unknown Regions. The First Order fought with fanaticism, being pushed back planet by planet at a steep cost to both sides.

Then, out of nowhere, the First Order seemingly abandoned the war, and vanished into the Unknown Regions. Ben then spent the next few years working alongside Republic Special Ops officer Poe Dameron to explore and chart the Unknown Regions and track down the First Order fleet. Poe was eventually recalled back to Coruscant, leaving Ben to continue his search alone.

Ben finally discovers where they fled to: the old Imperial prison world of Belsavis. Strangely, the First Order doesn’t fire on his ship when he arrives, instead hailing him and telling him that he is expected at a specific location on the planet. Ben goes along with this, sensing no trap or deception, and arrives at the most heavily locked down place on the planet. A First Order officer greets him as he lands, but Ben notes that something seems off about him, as though he’s not acting of his own free will. The strange officer leads him into the deepest part of the prison, to meet with their new leader. Someone who had been kept in bodily stasis there for several decades, per Emperor Palpatine’s orders.

His name? Jedi Master Jorus C’baoth.

Palpatine considered C’baoth a potential asset due to his unusually powerful battle meditation, and instead of killing him, had him imprisoned and kept in semi-conscious stasis as a form of torture, hoping to break his will and make him serve the Empire. C’baoth never broke, and had remained in stasis all those years after Palpatine’s death. But in his confined state, his mental Force powers grew, until he was able to not just influence people, but outright destroy a person’s identity and enslave their mind to his will. When the First Order fleet arrived over Belsavis, C’baoth sensed their coming, and mentally subjugated their highest ranking members, essentially turning the faction into his own personal army.

Ben spoke with C’baoth for a long time, learning from him about the ancient history of the Jedi and Sith. The two Jedi spoke long on morality and philosophy, and C’baoth showed Ben the remains of dead planets, devastated long ago in the Great Hyperspace War. He led Ben to the same conclusion he had reached: that as long as the Jedi existed, a new Sith would inevitably reemerge, and the resulting war would devastate the galaxy, as had happened many times before. From Ben, C’baoth learns about Luke Skywalker and his new Jedi academy on Yavin IV. C’baoth condemns the new Jedi Order as folly. “It may take 50 years,” C’baoth declared. “It may take 1000 years. It does not matter. This new Order will one day breed a new Sith. It should never have been founded.”

C’baoth then made clear to Ben his plans for the galaxy. He intended to use the First Order to seize control of the Empire, and then sweep across the galaxy, forcefully unifying it under his leadership. The concept of individual freedom would be annihilated. All other Force users would be compelled to sever their own connection to the Force or be put to death. Having found Ben Solo, the heir of Darth Vader, the final piece of C’baoth’s plan was complete, and he could begin his power play.

This is where Episode VII begins. In this rewrite, rather than revering Darth Vader, Ben Solo takes up the mantle of Lord Vader as a calculated move to assert his legitimacy to the Empire. Wearing a mask and suit largely modeled after Vader’s, but modified in several ways to suit his own body, he leads a First Order surprise attack on the Imperial capital world of Bastion. Fighting his way past the Emperor’s elite guards, he hunts down and fatally wounds Emperor Fel before declaring himself publically as Lord Vader and the rightful ruler of the Empire. He then gives an impassioned speech calling for renewed war against the Republic, and the restoration of Imperial authority over the Galactic Core.

The surviving members of the Emperor’s guard are given a choice: kneel or die. Most of them submit to the new Vader, and many stormtroopers on the planet join them, while many others remain loyal to Fel. Civil war breaks out in the streets before the pro-Vader faction secures control of Bastion. Amid the chaos, a small contingent of loyalist stormtroopers break into the Imperial Palace and rescue the badly wounded Emperor. Once it becomes clear that the battle is lost, these troopers attempt to shuttle the dying Emperor off of the planet to safe territory, but their ship is severely damaged as it tries to escape, losing its hyperdrive. The ship is then pursued across space by TIE fighters before being shot down and crash landing on the planet Jakku. Every passenger is killed instantly except for Emperor Fel and a lone stormtrooper. The last trooper tries to pull the Emperor out of the rubble, but to no avail, and right before the Emperor dies, he gives a final command to the stormtrooper: tell the Republic, and Chancellor Organa, what has happened.

The stormtrooper’s name? Finn.

And that’s how I’d begin Episode VII.

You are a treasure here on OT.com Servi! Now, I know you stole these ideas from the best 2 Expanded Universe efforts (the Heir to The Empire trilogy and KOTOR 1 and 2), but that is okay! 😃

“It is only through interaction, through decision and choice, through confrontation, physical or mental, that the Force can grow within you.”
-Kreia, Jedi Master and Sith Lord

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theprequelsrule said:

Servii said:

I’ve revised my Sequel Trilogy concept.

The Galactic Civil War continued for another 2 decades after Endor, becoming a long, grinding effort to drive back what was left of the Empire. At last, the receding Empire sued for peace with the Republic, with the resulting treaty favoring the Republic and ensuring the Empire could never reclaim its lost territory.

An extremist splinter faction of the Empire, calling themselves the First Order, refused to accept the treaty and launched a surprise attack into Republic space. The First Order was able to devastate the Republic world Mon Calamari before being pushed back by a joint Republic-Empire force. Emperor Roan Fel denounced the First Order as traitors, and aided the Republic in pursuing the First Order into deep space.

Going against the cautionary advice of his uncle Luke, young Jedi Knight Ben Solo joined this military effort, demanding justice for the lives lost on Mon Calamari. Ben quickly rose to the status of war hero as he became a key player in the battles along the edges of the Unknown Regions. The First Order fought with fanaticism, being pushed back planet by planet at a steep cost to both sides.

Then, out of nowhere, the First Order seemingly abandoned the war, and vanished into the Unknown Regions. Ben then spent the next few years working alongside Republic Special Ops officer Poe Dameron to explore and chart the Unknown Regions and track down the First Order fleet. Poe was eventually recalled back to Coruscant, leaving Ben to continue his search alone.

Ben finally discovers where they fled to: the old Imperial prison world of Belsavis. Strangely, the First Order doesn’t fire on his ship when he arrives, instead hailing him and telling him that he is expected at a specific location on the planet. Ben goes along with this, sensing no trap or deception, and arrives at the most heavily locked down place on the planet. A First Order officer greets him as he lands, but Ben notes that something seems off about him, as though he’s not acting of his own free will. The strange officer leads him into the deepest part of the prison, to meet with their new leader. Someone who had been kept in bodily stasis there for several decades, per Emperor Palpatine’s orders.

His name? Jedi Master Jorus C’baoth.

Palpatine considered C’baoth a potential asset due to his unusually powerful battle meditation, and instead of killing him, had him imprisoned and kept in semi-conscious stasis as a form of torture, hoping to break his will and make him serve the Empire. C’baoth never broke, and had remained in stasis all those years after Palpatine’s death. But in his confined state, his mental Force powers grew, until he was able to not just influence people, but outright destroy a person’s identity and enslave their mind to his will. When the First Order fleet arrived over Belsavis, C’baoth sensed their coming, and mentally subjugated their highest ranking members, essentially turning the faction into his own personal army.

Ben spoke with C’baoth for a long time, learning from him about the ancient history of the Jedi and Sith. The two Jedi spoke long on morality and philosophy, and C’baoth showed Ben the remains of dead planets, devastated long ago in the Great Hyperspace War. He led Ben to the same conclusion he had reached: that as long as the Jedi existed, a new Sith would inevitably reemerge, and the resulting war would devastate the galaxy, as had happened many times before. From Ben, C’baoth learns about Luke Skywalker and his new Jedi academy on Yavin IV. C’baoth condemns the new Jedi Order as folly. “It may take 50 years,” C’baoth declared. “It may take 1000 years. It does not matter. This new Order will one day breed a new Sith. It should never have been founded.”

C’baoth then made clear to Ben his plans for the galaxy. He intended to use the First Order to seize control of the Empire, and then sweep across the galaxy, forcefully unifying it under his leadership. The concept of individual freedom would be annihilated. All other Force users would be compelled to sever their own connection to the Force or be put to death. Having found Ben Solo, the heir of Darth Vader, the final piece of C’baoth’s plan was complete, and he could begin his power play.

This is where Episode VII begins. In this rewrite, rather than revering Darth Vader, Ben Solo takes up the mantle of Lord Vader as a calculated move to assert his legitimacy to the Empire. Wearing a mask and suit largely modeled after Vader’s, but modified in several ways to suit his own body, he leads a First Order surprise attack on the Imperial capital world of Bastion. Fighting his way past the Emperor’s elite guards, he hunts down and fatally wounds Emperor Fel before declaring himself publically as Lord Vader and the rightful ruler of the Empire. He then gives an impassioned speech calling for renewed war against the Republic, and the restoration of Imperial authority over the Galactic Core.

The surviving members of the Emperor’s guard are given a choice: kneel or die. Most of them submit to the new Vader, and many stormtroopers on the planet join them, while many others remain loyal to Fel. Civil war breaks out in the streets before the pro-Vader faction secures control of Bastion. Amid the chaos, a small contingent of loyalist stormtroopers break into the Imperial Palace and rescue the badly wounded Emperor. Once it becomes clear that the battle is lost, these troopers attempt to shuttle the dying Emperor off of the planet to safe territory, but their ship is severely damaged as it tries to escape, losing its hyperdrive. The ship is then pursued across space by TIE fighters before being shot down and crash landing on the planet Jakku. Every passenger is killed instantly except for Emperor Fel and a lone stormtrooper. The last trooper tries to pull the Emperor out of the rubble, but to no avail, and right before the Emperor dies, he gives a final command to the stormtrooper: tell the Republic, and Chancellor Organa, what has happened.

The stormtrooper’s name? Finn.

And that’s how I’d begin Episode VII.

You are a treasure here on OT.com Servi! Now, I know you stole these ideas from the best 2 Expanded Universe efforts (the Heir to The Empire trilogy and KOTOR 1 and 2), but that is okay! 😃

Thanks! I really appreciate that. Yeah, I synthesized some ideas from different EU stories.

But we can’t turn back. Fear is their greatest defense. I doubt if the actual security there is any greater than it was on Aquilae or Sullust. And what there is is most likely directed towards a large-scale assault.

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In retrospect, one of the frustrating things about the sequel trilogy, and the new EU, is that they do contain some very interesting elements that weren’t better realised: the Knights of Ren, the Sith Eternal, the revelation of Luke’s and Leia’s parentage, a Stormtrooper rebellion, corrupt weapons manufacturers, Luke’s search for old Jedi temples, an attack on the Imperial shipyards/hijacking a star destroyer (from the screenplay of ‘Duel of the Fates’), the New Republic Starhawks, etc.

I can only imagine where we might be if Bob Iger had given Michael Arndt more time to work on the sequel story.

Servii said:

At the start of VII, the galaxy is in a state of cold war, with the two largest galactic factions, the Republic and the Empire (still just called the Empire), having maintained a ceasefire for about a decade or so.

Covert attacks begin to take place against both the Republic and Empire, with each faction being framed for the attacks on the other. Agents within both governments carry out subversion to weaken the ceasefire and push the factions back towards open war.

I always thought the Bond films could provide a useful formula for post-Endor Star Wars - have a Spectre-like enemy organisation trying to destroy the peace/provoke war between the New Republic & Imperial Remnant. The Sith Eternal could have taken such a role, with the Knights of Ren among their agents.

Perhaps the theft of ancient Sith and Jedi artefacts leads the new Jedi to launch a mission to investigate. You could have a resurgent Mandalore and rogue Imperial warlords in the mix too. Less focus on super-weapons, more on smart weapons or ancient Sith weapons (plagues, poisons, etc). If you still want a big space battle either build up to that by gradually establishing the threat of the Sith Eternal throughout the trilogy, or have a series of conflicts provoked by the Sith Eternal: an Imperial civil war, a Mandalorian attack on an Imperial warlord, a Corruscant uprising, etc.

A stormtrooper rebellion could be instigated by Sith agents as a means to make the Imperial remnant need their help. Perhaps have a second trilogy where the Sith Eternal emerges as a greater military power, having usurped the Sith-averse military leadership of the Imperial Remnant or reforged their ancient alliance with Mandalore.

If Rey exists I’d like her to be Rey nobody. Bar Ben, none of the new Jedi have connections to the legacy characters. Have Finn lead the Stormtrooper rebellion.

If Ben Solo was to turn, I’d like to see that happen in the context of his grandfather being revealed to be Darth Vader. Let’s see what impact that had on Luke’s Jedi academy & Leia’s standing in the senate. (Make her the chancellor.) The agents of the Sith eternal could be behind this. This would also sow the seeds of a crisis of confidence for Luke.

There was a storyline in the old Marvel comics I might have adapted for Ben’s downfall, where an imperial agent - Shira Brie, later Dark Lady Lumiya - infiltrates the rebellion. (The rebels use captured Tie fighters to attack a secret Imperial armada. Luke accidentally shoots her down in a space battle after using the force to identify who is an enemy, and becomes a pariah.)

Use the outline of that but with an agent of the Sith Eternal who infiltrates the new Jedi order. She either frames Ben or he seemingly kills her during a mission, leading the other Jedi students, and Luke, to fear he’s another Vader. Have this come after or as Ben’s lineage is revealed. This throws the Jedi Academy - & it’s relationship with the New Republic - into chaos. I’m not sure I’d have Ben eventually turn, be possessed by a Sith artefact or just be treated as an outcast though. Perhaps have this be the moment when the Knights of Ren attack and frame him for its destruction.

I agree with others, especially Servii (prefer your first outline), that they could have cherry picked elements from the EU, especially Dark Empire, the Thrawn Trilogy and even Legacy (but more for the Imperial framework that the story or characters). I’d be inclined to open the trilogy with a New Republic rescue mission on a war torn Corruscant, and have a main Imperial faction that has rejected the Sith, which the Sith Eternal wants to undermine. (Perhaps have Ben &/or Luke on that mission, encountering a mysterious figure plundering artefacts from the old Jedi temple/Imperial palace amid the civil war. This leads them to travel to other temples to investigate other thefts.)

I do think Adam Driver could have elevated a storyline similar to the Luke plot of the first Dark Empire comic series. Have him try to infiltrate the Sith Eternal, either falling to the Darkside or being manipulated by them. Perhaps he ends up as a Ronin-type figure (a bit like the character in Visions), travelling round the Unknown regions to continue resistance against the Sith Eternal - also a callback to Gary Kurtz’s plans for Luke at the end of Return of the Jedi.

But I also think the High Republic series has elements that might equally have worked in the sequel era, e.g. you could invert the Death Star storyline to have an attack - sabotage - on a New Republic space station akin to Starlight Beacon, which is thwarted but leads to a hyperspace disaster that makes maintaining the peace more difficult. Have an uneasy alliance between the new Jedi order and New Republic spies (or Imperial spies) which leads to the unknown regions, etc.

You might even have tied the storyline into an Old Republic trilogy. Have the Sith Eternal, who worship the ancient Dark Lords, kidnap force sensitive children in an attempt to resurrect an undead Sith. You explore that Sith Lord’s story in an Old Republic film or series.

Basically, there were - and still are - loads of possibilities. & I think it would be possible to adapt the above ideas to a post-sequel film series: an uneasy peace among different galactic factions; rebuilding the Jedi order; a Spectre-like Sith or other Dark Side group undermining the peace & carrying out covert/terrorist attacks.

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Servii said:

I’ve revised my Sequel Trilogy concept.

Going against the cautionary advice of his uncle Luke, young Jedi Knight Ben Solo joined this military effort, demanding justice for the lives lost on Mon Calamari. Ben quickly rose to the status of war hero as he became a key player in the battles along the edges of the Unknown Regions. The First Order fought with fanaticism, being pushed back planet by planet at a steep cost to both sides.

Funnily enough, this is similar to what I think should have happened with Anakin in the prequels. Have him pushed into using Dark Side knowledge in a bid to end the war quickly. I kind of see Nolan’s Batman trilogy as a framework. But whereas Bruce is broken by the Joker, Anakin is pushed to fully embrace the Dark Side by a fanatical opponent, and perhaps the mentorship of a supposedly grey Jedi who is secretly a Sith.

Back to the Sequels, I think we have very similar ideas about an Imperial civil war orchestrated by Dark Side agents. A post-Endor Imperial civil war would have given the New Republic the chance to establish itself but also created a different military threat to the galaxy. I always thought the First Order should have been a fanatical splinter group that manipulates it’s way to split or overthrow a more moderate Imperial Remnant.

Over the course of the story I have in mind, I’d have an initially thriving new Jedi order, which is then thrown into chaos. But it is eventually recognised as essential in the fight against a new Sith threat.

Having the Sith Eternal operate as a Spectre-like organisation means you could have an unseen leader, possibly an older generation Sith, and a roster of sinister agents, who are also rivals, you could focus on in different films.

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His name? Jedi Master Jorus C’baoth.

Actually, wait. This might be a crazy idea, but what if it was Sifo Dyas, instead?

But we can’t turn back. Fear is their greatest defense. I doubt if the actual security there is any greater than it was on Aquilae or Sullust. And what there is is most likely directed towards a large-scale assault.

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Servii said:

His name? Jedi Master Jorus C’baoth.

Actually, wait. This might be a crazy idea, but what if it was Sifo Dyas, instead?

My idea would be to go for an ancient name, like Ulic Qel-Droma or Freedon Nadd. The reasoning here would be to sell the new threat as the return of a truly ancient anti-hero/villain leading the enemy faction of the ST, an order that Palpatine/Vader never knew about and was behind some events of the PT and OT.

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One idea (I’m not sure if this is what you were thinking) would be to make the Knights of Ren similar to the Imperial Knights from the Legacy Era: Force users who reject the Dark Side, but serve an authoritarian regime, perhaps out of some sense of a “greater good.” That way, the story won’t require bringing the Dark Side back after RotJ, but will portray a whole new, different corruption of the Jedi ideology that has to be defeated. I wouldn’t have them massacre Luke’s Jedi Order, but I would have them convert most of Luke’s students away from his teachings, leaving Luke disheartened but not totally broken.

I love this idea. It allows us to revive the conflict between Empire and Republic, but in a more refreshing and innovative way. I have a few ideas based on this.

This version of the Trilogy begin with the conquest of Coruscant by the New Empire and the fall of the New Republic, with the Imperial Knights settling in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. They convert most of the Jedi to their cause and exile those who don’t want to follow their ideology. So, Luke and a small group of exiled Jedi move to Tython along with the leaders of the New Republic Who were exiled by the New Empire. After that, they all start a resistance to defeat the New Empire and restore the Jedi Order and the New Republic. However, unlike the Sequel Trilogy we got, in this Trilogy Luke’s Jedi Order would be similar to its Legends version, so now the Jedi allow marriage and attachment. And Han and Leia have only one son, that is, Anakin Solo, who joined the Imperial Knights and that at the end of the trilogy returns to be a Jedi.

Furthermore, it would be very interesting if the figure of Anakin Skywalker had a central role within such a Sequel Trilogy. I mean, Luke was the one who redeemed him and made him fulfill the Prophecy, so it would be nice if Luke was constantly trying to remind everyone of the good side of his father. It would be nice if Luke discovered all the good deeds Anakin did before he became Darth Vader, and if he tried to teach the Jedi to respect the figure of Anakin Skywalker, as the Chosen One and as the Clone Wars hero he was, instead of constantly continuing to condemn what he did when he was Darth Vader.

«This is where the fun begins!»
(Anakin Skywalker)

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Nothing all that major though I’d have the First Order be controlled by an oligarchy which are the Knights of Ren. Cut Snoke and perhaps change Hux into one of the Knights. Also, the knights are all defected students of Luke

“Get over violence, madness and death? What else is there?”

Also known as Mr. Liquid Jungle.

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My ideal ST would’ve been made in place of the PT, and would’ve pulled from the EU at the time. But if that’s off the table, then my ST would’ve taken place at least a hundred years after ROTJ. All the OT characters would be dead, except the droids and maybe Chewie, and Luke would be a Force ghost. Instead of the First Order/Knights of Ren, the baddies would be a corrupt New Republic/fallen Jedi Order. I’d keep Rey as the main character, but dump the Mary Sue and mystery box BS.

“The Anarchists are right in everything; in the negation of the existing order and in the assertion that, without Authority there could not be worse violence than that of Authority under existing conditions. They are mistaken only in thinking that anarchy can be instituted by a violent revolution… There can be only one permanent revolution — a moral one: the regeneration of the inner man. How is this revolution to take place? Nobody knows how it will take place in humanity, but every man feels it clearly in himself. And yet in our world everybody thinks of changing humanity, and nobody thinks of changing himself.”

― Leo Tolstoy

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I didn’t mind THE FORCE AWAKENS, despite the recycling. It was entertaining enough and felt like something that could be built on. I actually really liked where Johnson was taking it in THE LAST JEDI, which I suppose puts me in the minority. So if I were to change things, I’d mainly change THE RISE OF SKYWALKER. The big failing of that film is that it failed to address, let alone complete, Rey’s proper character arc. If you think about it, a recurring theme of each trilogy is the young hero being tasked with correcting the failures of their mentors. Anakin in the Prequels was supposed to break through the ossification of the Jedi Order, which had failed to extinguish the Sith and had become so hidebound and complacent that their great enemy returned right under their noses. Luke in the OT was likewise tasked with achieving what his masters could not: defeating both Vader and his Emperor.

In a nutshell, both Anakin and Luke live in a galaxy defined by the failures of the previous generation. The path to becoming a true hero lies in transcending those failures and finding a new way forward. Consider Luke’s situation. Obi-Wan and Yoda had failed to defeat the Emperor, and they had likewise failed to redeem Anakin. Their hope was for Luke to kill Vader and defeat the Emperor without falling to the Dark Side in the process. Basically, they wanted a rematch of the end of REVENGE OF THE SITH. Luke, however, forged a new path – his own path. He rejected the Emperor by throwing down his weapon, and offered his father unconditional love. It was counterintuitive, and it’s nothing Yoda or Obi-Wan would have tried (or if they had, they may not have succeeded). But for Luke, it worked. He succeeded where his masters had failed.

So what about Rey? She took Luke as her mentor, and his failures were not Obi-Wan and Yoda’s failures. Luke’s failure was that he had not passed on what he had learned. Setting himself the herculean task of rebuilding the Jedi Order, he had failed to build a vital community, a community that could endure. Rey’s task ought to have been to succeed where Luke failed … to bring together a fellowship of Force users that could survive the depredations of a fanatic like Kylo Ren. Ren’s goal would have been to prove that there was nothing Rey could build that he could not burn to the ground. Her triumph would have been to prove him wrong.

This seemed to be where Johnson was pointing at the end of THE LAST JEDI, with Rey rescuing the ancient Jedi texts, and Force-sensitives like Broom Boy awakening to their potential. But Abrams ignored all of that in RISE OF SKYWALKER. Instead, he has Rey grapple with her dark ancestry, redeem the bad guy through the power of love, and reject the temptations of the Evil Emperor. She doesn’t build on Luke’s failures, she just repeats his successes, beat for beat. It was an awful failure of imagination and it left me, as a viewer, totally uninterested and disengaged. Perhaps future films or shows involving Rey will address some of these concerns. But the chance to tell that story in the context of her natural ideological foil, Kylo “Burn it All Down” Ren, has been squandered. And that’s a real pity.

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I love how you lay out the logic of that approach for Rey’s story. You’re right, TFA outlines that Luke failed to rebuild the Jedi, so it would’ve made sense to see Rey succeed at that. There is the implication that she will, but you can say the same for Luke at the end of ROTJ.

One thing I liked about Colin Trevorrow’s Duel of the Fates script was how it ended with Rey and company building a new home for future Jedi.

Maybe it would’ve been too much, but it could’ve been fun to have had a significant time skip with Episode IX, and we see that Rey has already begun training new Jedi. And you could’ve had a fun climax where the new Jedi fight the Knights of Ren.

I think one issue would’ve been introducing several new characters, let alone giving enough screen time to existing characters, like Finn and Poe. Even though Finn and Poe do have their own stories, they could’ve had them both start down the Jedi path too. I think people wanted to see Finn become a Jedi, so you could’ve had more hints to them both being Force-sensitive. And maybe Rey succeeds where Luke doesn’t because she doesn’t try to rebuild the Jedi are her own, but with the help of her friends. They do it together. And you could’ve contrasted Rey’s relationship with her friends and Kylo’s relationship with the Knights of Ren. Maybe there is infighting amongst the Knights, or they’re planning to usurp Kylo. We could see how the Knights of Ren are just like the Sith, despite trying to be different. And with the new Jedi, we could see how they might function differently than the old Jedi, and how they hopefully won’t repeat the same mistakes as them.

A lot of potential ideas there.