Some other thougths on that…
THE SITH
We need them. Because they're the main antagonists in all the SW movies and if those one have to appear like the real movie, they have to be in it.
Because every movie have a lightsaber duel and only a sith (or a dark jedi, or sith apprentice, doesn't matter) can engage a jedi in duel.
And because it's "the way of the Force" to cycle and to let them rise again as "black spot of the tao"
I'm still wondering how to deal with that. But what I know is that Luke will not only understand the meaning of the prophecy about his father, but at the end of the movies will be Luke himself to pronounce a new prophecy. basically the same old prophecy, about someone that in the future will have to bring balance to the force. Not a mystical vision, just true understanding of the force. He know, now, about the cycling and simply know what eventually will happen.
The new Sith can even remain a mistery. we could briefly see them on screen. they're just "the black spot" maybe they will have to wait… what? another millennium to retake the galaxy? doesn't matter!
THE MASTERMIND
A kind of character that basically could have been tarkin, if he have had more time. His classes, his style, united to incredible strategic capacities . A character that can deal with the jedi through his cunning. A character missing from the SW movies, a Holmes-like (or Moriarty-like) genius. In a word: Thrawn. We can call him differently, make him appear differently, but I'd like to have a character like that in the story! And maybe use his name and appearence, due his popularity.
His backstory would be more or less the same. After ROTJ he reorganized the fleet in the unknown space, melting his originary chiss system with the empire and giving born to a new "nation" that share some appeal with the old empire but is basicallt something new, deeply influenced by the chiss culture.
What Thrawn is sure about, is that the rising of the Empire saved the galaxy from self destruction. The Republic, in his own view, passed the point of no return, and only through the transformation in the empire, becoming a dictatorship and even losing the senate, palpatine was able to save it. He doesn't stand for dictatorship, but he is convinced the empire was the minor bad at the time.
The rebels were terrorists and the results are free to view for everyone: after 40 years the galaxy is broken, divided, the system are going more and more distant from one another, economy and even culture are downgrading.
In the last 40 years there is been relative peace in the galaxy, but after thrawn revelation to our heroes (he and his empire were not known) we know that they have to thank him. He passed the last 4 decades struggling with little warlords, terrorist, civil war, etc, throught the unknown regions, saving the central galaxy to be messed up by a costant war.
I imagined a little dialogue between Thrawn and the heroes:
THRAWN: You proudly fought the Empire! What for? To give the galaxy to the chaos?
The Empire you fought had a purpose. Order. The Republic was collapsing. The emperor saved the galaxy form chaos, transforming the Republic in the Empire.
You made that vane.
Now the result is before your eyes. The galaxy is divided. the corruption spreads troughout the sectors controlled by hutts and other scum.
The little systems are collapsing, unused to self support themselves.
And you keep united the core world with the force, princess.
And you, Master Jedi, with a self exiled Order? You escaped the same rule of this sister of yours?
LEIA: You can't…
THRAWN ITERRUPT HER: Put it as you want. But in the last decades I fought - and win - warlords and scum freed from the death of the Empire. Made free to cross the galaxy by your rebellion!
if it wasn't for me your political order woluld have never been established.
Anyway, eventually in the story their going to be somewhat allies, giving us the opportunity to see the mastermind stand for the good guys!
THE BIG 3
These are their final adventures. I see the group splitting during the movies. Basically Ep. VII will be their last adventure together. ep. VIII will end with the death of Han (maybe killed by Fett?) and the return of chewie to kashyyk, now freed of his life debt. in ep. IX we'll see the death of both Leia and Luke. But in the same time we'll assist to the rise of the new generation of characters. The droids, obviously, will continue to serve the heirs of the heroes.
A little thing about Han: I've read an interesting post by Bingowings about Fett being the mirror of Han, but his potential wasted due to poor realization of ROTJ.
Now, if I agree, I'd like to have his ideas developed in the sequels.
And being them one the mirror of the other… I've imagined this for their death:
Boba draw his blaster to shoot to Han, but Solo is faster. Shoot. Boba fall, presumibly dead.
Han: HAN ALWAYS SHOOT FIRST!
Han turn but Boba is alive. Shoot to Han.
Maybe here some last speech between the two, before they both die.
OK, that's it. More to follow...