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.