Star Wars: Episode IX

[fairweatherfan]

Saw someone on Twitter ask if the three most recent Star Wars movies are even a trilogy.

It's a fair question.

Yes, they involve many of the same characters.  But is there an arc?  Is there a coherent narrative?  Is the central character the same in each one?

It certainly does not seem to be the case that there are consistent themes or ideas communicated across all three movies.


I still haven't seen TROS, but from everything I've read it seems as though these are really just three distinct movies, almost like separate seasons of a television show, that happen to be set in the same timeframe in a particular universe with a (mostly) shared set of main characters.

The coherent theme of the trilogy is trying to clumsily remix the original trilogy in a way that's at least as monetizable. That's pretty much it - slightly to moderately tweaked and rearranged elements and events with the original trilogy characters as wise old guides for the new ones. Right up to MODERATE BUT OBVIOUS SPOILER HIGHLIGHT TEXT suddenly trotting out the Emperor as the Last Boss of Star Wars again.

The only one that really ever tried to be something more than that was Last Jedi, and it only did that sporadically and fans mostly hated those parts.

It felt kinda like one of those "we showed a machine learning algorithm the old movies and told it to write a new set" things you see sometimes. Enjoyable moments were almost all callbacks and the plots mostly seemed like a loose roadmap to get to those references and remixes.

I haven't seen 9 yet, but from what I've read it seems like the 3 movies are about Kylo and Rey jointly.  Again I haven't seen 9, but the first two were definitely about their competing though connected story lines.

I can see how that may have been the general idea, but I dont' know if there was a consistent thread from TFA to TLJ, and nothing I've read about TROS suggests that it's been clarified in the most recent episode.

It's definitely clarified and made really really explicit in the new one, just in kind of an abrupt and hamhanded way. But they make a point to tell the audience "here's why these two are special and connected" and thematically it's hammered a lot as well, especially late.

[Donoghus]

Saw Rise on Thursday.  It was entertaining but I really wouldn't label it a good Star Wars film.  Way too much fan service and nonsensical (even by SW standards) at times.   It often felt like they were making the movie on the fly.

(SPOILERS)

I hated the return of Palpatine plot and the final battle felt more Marvel than SW at times.  Palpatine now with ability to shoot force lightning to disable essentially every starship in the sky?  Thought all the Jedi calling out to Rey as she's lying on the ground was a bit cheesy.   The Leia stuff seemed chopped & forced (albeit, I'm not sure how they could've handled it).   I was entertained but came away underwhelmed.  I really would've liked to have seen what Lucas vision for the sequel trilogy would've been.   

[Fafnir]

Saw Rise on Thursday.  It was entertaining but I really wouldn't label it a good Star Wars film.  Way too much fan service and nonsensical (even by SW standards) at times.   It often felt like they were making the movie on the fly.

The whole "we have 18 hours" thing bothered me a lot.

[PhoSita]

It's definitely clarified and made really really explicit in the new one, just in kind of an abrupt and hamhanded way. But they make a point to tell the audience "here's why these two are special and connected" and thematically it's hammered a lot as well, especially late.

I've read most of the spoilers so I kinda know how they try to establish this from a plot perspective, but do the characters actually exhibit growth in a way that makes sense over the three movies?

Do we have a better sense of who Rey and Ben / Kylo are as people by the end of TROS compared to the beginning of TFA?  Or has a bunch of plot stuff happened and the main change is in the powers / abilities they've acquired / spontaneously developed along the way?



It's not like the original movies were perfect in that respect, of course.  Luke does exhibit genuine change / growth between the start of ANH and the end of ROTJ.  A lot of that growth seems to happen off screen between Empire and Return, though.

[fairweatherfan]

(SPOILERS)

I hated the return of Palpatine plot and the final battle felt more Marvel than SW at times.  Palpatine now with ability to shoot force lightning to disable essentially every starship in the sky?  Thought all the Jedi calling out to Rey as she's lying on the ground was a bit cheesy.   The Leia stuff seemed chopped & forced (albeit, I'm not sure how they could've handled it).   I was entertained but came away underwhelmed.  I really would've liked to have seen what Lucas vision for the sequel trilogy would've been.

SPOILERS

The whole Emperor thing was a huge mess esp with regard to Rey, but one thing I really disliked was how the "strike me down" speech from Jedi was turned into like a weird formal ritual with very specific results and of course Palpatine announcing every action in advance just like Snoke did in the last one.

Then she kills a bunch of other people, then him, but it's somehow completely uncorrupting because they weren't doing their little magic spell. Felt like the implications of her actions had more to do with whether a goofy ritual is happening than their alignment with Light/Dark Side morality that actually makes the choices interesting.

[fairweatherfan]

It's definitely clarified and made really really explicit in the new one, just in kind of an abrupt and hamhanded way. But they make a point to tell the audience "here's why these two are special and connected" and thematically it's hammered a lot as well, especially late.

I've read most of the spoilers so I kinda know how they try to establish this from a plot perspective, but do the characters actually exhibit growth in a way that makes sense over the three movies?

Do we have a better sense of who Rey and Ben / Kylo are as people by the end of TROS compared to the beginning of TFA?  Or has a bunch of plot stuff happened and the main change is in the powers / abilities they've acquired / spontaneously developed along the way?



It's not like the original movies were perfect in that respect, of course.  Luke does exhibit genuine change / growth between the start of ANH and the end of ROTJ.  A lot of that growth seems to happen off screen between Empire and Return, though.

Kylo to an extent - it's clumsy and mostly abrupt but they definitely try for an arc across the three movies. Driver sells it pretty well for what it is. One thing I really liked about his character is he starts off wanting to be Vader, then steadily rebels more and more against that, first for bad motives then for good ones, but still winds up doing the same kind of stuff Vader did when he flipped. I just can't tell if that was intentional thematically or just another mess.

Rey has always mostly felt like a cipher to me, I just don't think Ridley has enough range/nuance, or at least not enough to overcome the script. But I can tell what they're going for with parentage and family and choice with her, it just isn't conveyed well. And it definitely seemed like they tried to change the lineage angle between 8 and 9 which made for some of the most awkward retconning in this one, which is really saying something.

So I'd say you can see the outlines of where they intended for growth arcs but the execution is generally sloppy.

[dannyboy35]

 Anakin wanted to save Oadme. It was his reason for turning. So all along it WAS  a light side power? That’s confusing. How did Rey know and not Anakin or Luke. Why did Obi wan say he can’t intefere when now they can interact?

[dannyboy35]

Clone wars and revenge of Sith were explicit in retaining g consciousness needing training. That’s gone now?

[CelticsPoetry]

Anakin wanted to save Oadme. It was his reason for turning. So all along it WAS  a light side power? That’s confusing. How did Rey know and not Anakin or Luke. Why did Obi wan say he can’t intefere when now they can interact?

What is a light side power? What did Rey know? Please be more specific

[Donoghus]

Anakin wanted to save Oadme. It was his reason for turning. So all along it WAS  a light side power? That’s confusing. How did Rey know and not Anakin or Luke. Why did Obi wan say he can’t intefere when now they can interact?

What is a light side power? What did Rey know? Please be more specific

I’m guessing he’s referring to the power to heal. 

[PhoSita]

Finished The Mandalorian.

Taika Waititi directed the finale, and also provided the voice for IG-11.


He's really good.

Fun, entertaining end to a really solid season.

[Celtics4ever]

Anakin wanted to save Oadme.

Who is Oadme?  Is that a new character?

[Sketch5]

Anakin wanted to save Oadme.

It was his side piece.
Who is Oadme?  Is that a new character?