Production
has already begun on the final film in the new Star
Wars
trilogy.
However, The
Last Jedi
was
so flawed and divisive that the entire franchise is in danger of
collapsing, as evidenced by the horrible box office of the very
enjoyable Solo.
How
can this be fixed?
A
friend of mine, Rick O., asked me what my ideal version of Star
Wars Episode IX would
be. I thought about it.
I
thought about it way too much.
We
have had no story elements leaked so far. But if I was placed
in charge of Star
Wars Episode IX,
here is what the movie would be. It would have to try and
recapture the optimism out of the cynicism. It would have to
tie together the events of all the films. It would have to say
something new that hasn’t been said before while at the same time
being consistent with the themes of the Star
Wars universe.
It would have to give a resolution to the character arcs
established in the previous two films.
And
it would have to be a satisfying and exciting adventure.
I
don’t know if my idea is perfect, but this is what my Episode
IX
would
be:
STAR
WARS
Episode
IX
THE
POWER OF THE FORCE
It is a dark time for the galaxy. With the collapse of the GALACTIC REPUBLIC, chaos ensues. Star Systems have come under the control of various waring factions and criminal gangs, with no protection for the innocents.
Kylo Ren, leader of the remenants of THE FIRST ORDER, takes his maurading band of fanatical followers to hunt down and eradicate any trace of THE RESISTANCE at all costs.
Meanwhile, REY, the last remaing Jedi, has been scouring the galaxy for children sensitive to the Force in order to start a NEW JEDI ORDER to restore freedom and order to the galaxy...
The
movie then begins as a ship lands on the remnants of Canto Bight.
The planet has been pillaged in the ensuing wars. Rey and Finn
secretly land on the planet in the middle of a fight between warring
factions of slavers and former slaves. Neither side takes
kindly to Rey and Finn. They land on the planet to find a force
sensitive child (the one from the end of The
Last Jedi)
When they find him in the chaos, they realize that they have to
save all of his other slave children friends, even though there is no room in
their small ship. They decide to break into a secure hanger and
steal a bigger ship.
Problems
compound when The First Order arrives. Not interested in making
alliances with either side of the fight, Kylo Ren orders his troops
to kill both sides. The slavers and former slaves begin to
fight the First Order, but they are both horribly outmatched.
Rey,
Finn, and the children make it to the hangar, but the ships are all
blown up. They are confronted by a mysterious masked figure
(not Kylo Ren). This masked person uses a purple lightsaber and
confronts Rey. Rey has reforged Luke’s lightsaber, but now
the blade glows golden-yellow. There is an epic lightsaber fight. But the
bombardment from The First Order ships in orbit knocks Rey out. The
masked figure steals the force sensitive child and escapes in a light
spaceship that slips through the space battle above.
The
bombardment gets heavier. Kylo senses Rey unconscious on the
planet. He has a moment of feeling, but then orders the
soldiers to annihilate the city. Before they can execute the
order, Poe Dameron and a squadron of Resistance ships comes and
engages the First Order. Poe orders a transport down on the
planet to rescue Finn, Rey, and the children. He then orders all of the Resistance ships to destroy one of The First Order's large capital ships and then hyper jump
away. Kylo Ren becomes enraged.
Rey
awakens on the new command ship, the Solo.
Finn tells her that they saved the other children, but that they lost the force-sensitive child to the mysterious masked figure. He then tells her that Poe ordered that the Resistance jumped away and abandoned Canto Bight. Rey goes to confront Poe. Poe, as the new de facto
leader of the Resistance, has adopted a strategy of slowly whittling
away the First Order's resources. Rather than engage them in
full-scale battles, they hit them, do damage, and escape before they
lose anything. His plan is a slow war of attrition. But Rey points
out that the people of the planets have no one to defend them. Those
people's biggest problem is not the First Order, but the chaos and
criminal gangs that are causing destruction. Poe insists that they
have take out the First Order first. Rey insists that they protect
the people first and train new peacekeeping Jedi. Finn is
caught in the middle. Before they can progress further in their
fight, they receive news that Leia has died.
Kylo
Ren is in his room on his new command ship, the Phoenix.
He feels a disturbance in the Force. He knows his mother
has died. He tries to hold back a tear but cannot. He then
hears Darth Vader's voice. The voice calls him weak. Kylo rails
against him. He says he doesn't need Vader anymore. He killed
Snoke, he is in charge of the First Order, and he will kill the Last
Jedi. Vader tells him that Kylo Ren will fail. Even if he kills
Rey, there will one day be more Jedi and more Sith. The wheel that
Kylo has been trying to break will keep turning. Unless Kylo
listens to Vader, who has a plan.
On
the Planet of Naboo, a funeral is held at the seaside location where
Anakin and Padme were married. C-3PO speaks about how he and R2
were witnesses to that union. C-3PO doesn't remember it himself because his memory was erased, but R2 assures him it happened. And that marriage produced two of the most
extraordinary Skywalker children now gone: Luke and Leia. C-3PO
reminds those gathered that those we love are never really gone. R2
plays a hologram of Leia for everyone. During this funeral, Rey can
see into the past and she witnesses the wedding Anakin and Padme
herself.
Rey
wanders off, emotional. She then hears Luke's voice. She turns
to see the force ghost of Luke. She tells him she is sorry for
abandoning him and not listening to him about Kylo Ren being beyond
redemption. He says he was sorry for not listening to her and
joining the fight sooner. She says she doesn't know if she doing
what's right. He says, no one knows, but that we just have to
go forward as best we can. None of us has all the answers. He tells
her that she has a larger role to play, a bigger destiny. She
says she doesn't because she comes from nothing and is no one. He
asks who told her this. She tells him Kylo Ren told her that her
parents were no one. He tells her that Kylo isn't the most honest
person. She said she felt it to be true. He tells her sometimes
we too easily believe our greatest hopes and deepest fears, like he did with Ben Solo. She says
she heard what Luke said to Leia and that Kylo was beyond redemption.
He says that isn't what he said. He said "I
can't
save him." She asks if that's her destiny: to save Kylo Ren. He says,
"I didn't say that." He tells her to listen Maz and that he
is sorry.
Luke
disappears and Maz Kanata shows up, being carried by Chewbacca. Maz
tells them that they have to leave now because she knows where the
masked figure has taken the child. Just as she begins to tell
her, The First Order arrives. The First Orders destroys all of the
Resistance ships in orbit. They don't fire from space. Instead,
they receive a message from Kylo Ren to surrender Rey to him. Rey
offers to surrender, but Poe knows that it is a trap. Maz says
she knows someone who might help.
Maz
leads them to a very old Gungan in rags. She tells him the time
has come. The old gungan says that he used to be wealthy and he used
to be a senator. He saved all of his money and used it for a
special purpose. He knew that Naboo would never be fully safe. He
created a small, but strong fleet of Naboo starfighters that he gives
to Poe and the Resistance to fight The First Order and protect Naboo.
In the meantime, losing patience, Kylo sends down his
apprentices, the Knights of Ren to take Rey. He also sends a
battalion of storm troopers led by the badly damaged Captain Phasma.
Finn tries to fend off the stormtroopers and Rey takes on the Knights
of Ren. Rey and the others fight on the ground and overcome
them.
Poe
gives the order and the remaining Resistance pilots engage the First Order in a
space battle. Poe wants to fight along side of the other
pilots, but because the weapons systems of the Millenium Falcon are damaged
he as to escort the Falcon to safety. On board the Falcon are
Chewbacca, Rey, Finn, R2, Threepio, and Maz. They break through the
line. Kylo Ren flies into a rage. The voice of Vader tells him
patience. Things are now set into motion that will lead her to
him.
On
the Falcon, Maz shows them they have kidnapped DJ from the last
movie. He reveals that Ogama the Hutt has put a bounty on any
force-sensitive child. He does not know why. Finn says that
they can't trust him, but Maz says they can. As she says this,
DJ rubs his newly attached bionic arm as Chewbacca laughs. Slightly
horrified, Rey says to Poe, who is flying a Naboo starfighter next to the Falcon, that they need to go and negotiate the
release of the children from Ogama on Tatooine. Poe argues that
he has to get back to the fight against The First Order but Rey tells
him that if they don't start fighting to save the innocents, there
will be now one left to build a Republic. She says it's what Leia
would do.
During
the journey, it is discovered that the masked figure has stowed away
on the Falcon and attacks Rey. The masked figure nearly takes control
of the Falcon. The heroes get Poe to fire on the Falcon from
his Naboo starfighter, causing damage to the ship and jolting the
attacker enough for the heroes to get the upper hand. When they do,
they subdue and unmask the intruder, who is revealed to be a woman in
her early 40s with red hair.
While she is unconscious, they
discuss what to do with her. Poe recommends that they jettison her
and Finn agrees. Rey sends the others out of where she is holding the
prisoner. Luke appears again and she asks for his advice. He works
her through the possibilities of killing the prisoner or letting her live. But he refuses to give her an answer. She
yells at him in frustration. The prisoner stirs and asks who she is talking to.
Rey asks her for her name. She says her name is Mara Jade. She is a
bounty hunter. Luke tells Rey that Mara was one of his first
students, even before he started the new Jedi Academy. But she left
only after a few short years of training to make her fortune. Mara continues to ask who Rey is talking to. Rey
asks her if she is Jedi or Sith and she says she is in it for herself
and that good and bad are illusions. She says the Sith are
tyrannical. But so are the Jedi. She says her uncle was only a child
when he was taken away from his family and brainwashed by the Jedi. Her family
never saw him again. Rey asks what Mara has done with the force child
and what Mara wants with her. Mara tells her that Ogama put out a
bounty on all Force-sensitive children. But then when Mara told Ogama
about Rey after their encounter on Canto Bight, he offered 50,000 for her alive. Mara says that Ogama did
not say why. Rey asks if they are walking into a trap. Mara says that
Rey will find out.
Back on the Phoenix,
Kylo has assembled the remaining Knights of Ren. He tells them he has
had a vision that will lead to an end of the past, an end of the Jedi
and Sith. He tells them that when he was just a padawan, Darth Vader
appeared to him and told him that he would take his place as the most
powerful Force user in history; that Kylo would be the new Vader. But
now Kylo wants the Jedi and Sith to end. And Vader will lead him to
this destiny. He tells them that it may cost them their lives. They
all pledge themselves to the mission.
The heroes land on
Tatooine. Rey says she’s been here before. Finn says it just
reminds her of Jakku. Maz and Chewbacca remain behind to fix the
damaged Falcon. Poe, Finn, and Rey have Mara lead them to Ogama’s
lair. They come upon the remains of the Lars Homestead. Rey
sees visions of it as if it is still in working order. She then looks
and sees Ghost Luke standing looking at the sunset. He said that all
his young life he wanted to leave the Lars farm. But he appreciated
the home they gave him too late. He tells Rey never take family for
granted. She says she doesn't have a family anymore. He says
that family is what you make it. And he tells her again that he is
sorry. Before she can ask why he's sorry, Mara Jade comes by and
tells her that they are close to Ogama. When Rey asks where, Mara
points to a city on the horizon. Rey notices that the city appears to
be getting bigger. Mara says that the city is a floating city
that travels in perpetual twilight around the planet. While Rey is
distracted, Mara attacks her and subdues her. Mara then quickly
dispatches Poe and Finn.
Back
on the Falcon, DJ is able to send a communication to someone saying
that he is on the planet and that they should come get him.
Mara
takes her prisoners to Mos Ikarus City, the city that floats above
the desert wastes. She brings the bound prisoners before Ogama
the Hutt. Ogama is pleased because they have now the last Jedi in
Rey. Rey denies that she is who Ogama says she is. But then
Rose Tico appears by Ogama's side and confirms Rey's identity. She has been working as a
technician for Ogama. She confronts Poe who kicked her out of
the Resistance for stopping Finn from destroying the cannon on Crait.
She then found DJ who got her a job as a technical helper to Ogama.
Her skill as technician made her indispensable to Ogama. Just
then DJ shows up with Maz and Chewbacca in chains. Mara collects her
bounty. Rey demands to know where the Force children are and wants to
know what Ogama wants with them. Ogama refuses to say much,
only that he doesn't want them but is gathering them to deliver them
to someone else. Ogama orders Finn and Poe to be executed. They
aren't needed because they are not Force sensitive. Finn offers to
trade their lives for another force user. Finn tells Ogama
about Mara's force abilities. Mara claims that Finn is lying. Ogama
says he believes Mara, but then has one of his henchmen hit her with
a tranquilizer dart.
Mara
awakens and finds herself on the desert floor chained to Rey. Above
them is Mos Ikarus. Ogama wants to make sure both women are Force users so he puts them to the test. He has dropped them right
next to a sleeping Krayt Dragon. With no weapons, Rey and Mara must
survive. At first Mara refuses to use her powers.
While
Ogama and his crew are watching in amusement. Rose informs him
that he is getting an urgent message from their buyer. Ogama
tries to waive it off but the buyer says that it is urgent. Ogama
and Rose go into a private room to make contact.
Back
on the surface, Rey and Mara try to outrun the Krayt Dragon, but it
is too large. It also digs underneath them and almost chomps
them, but instead breaks their bonds. Mara begins to run away, but
the Krayt Dragon follows. Rey uses her force powers to pelt the
Krayt Dragon with the bones of its kills.
Back
in the private room, Ogama and Rose establish contact with the buyer.
It is Hux. He is no longer a general, having abandoned The First Order when Kylo took over. He is in hologram form and is
at the center of a hologram council of various crime lords and
warlords with their lieutenants standing guard. He says that
they should bring their Force-sensitive captives to him. Many of the
crime lords balk and want more money. Hux quickly and effortlessly
gives in. He even offers extra. Suspicious, they ask why he is
so free with money. He tells them he is about to become wealthier
than anyone in the history of the galaxy and they can join him. He
explains that he discovered a derelict space station. It is ancient,
older than the Republic, older than even the Jedi. He got it working
again. It hovers outside the center of the galaxy and draws massive
amounts of energy from the galaxy's center and processes it into
unlimited fuel. With this fuel you could to run an entire fleet
of star destroyers around the galaxy and never come close to running
low. The crime lords want in. Ogama asks why they need the Force sensitive people for. Hux says technology on the space station is
ancient and alien. The harvesting process requires a unique energy
source: Force-sensitives. They are hooked up to machines and
their ability to use the Force is harnessed to syphon energy from
the galaxy core. Ogama wants to be exclusive partners with Hux. The
other crime lords balk. Ogama gives a signal and all of the other
crime lords' lieutenants execute their leaders. Hux is impressed and
sends the coordinates to the base. Ogama asks what the base is
called. Hux says that the language used is dead, so he has no
idea.
Ogama
returns to see the Krayt Dragon coming close to killing Rey. The
Krayt Dragon is about to devour her when suddenly Mara force-lifts
Rey out of the way. Together they make a stand against the
Dragon. Ogama says he's seen enough and that they should take the
women and kill the other prisoners. Rose takes out her pistol
and points it at Poe. Suddenly, she shoots it at a nearby control
panel. This releases the bindings of the prisoners. Rose throws
the heroes some weapons and they begin to fight their way out. BB-8
and R2 are catapulted down to the surface and race towards Rey and
Mara. When they get close enough they fire lightsabers at Mara
and Rey who catch them and fend off the Dragon.
While
running through Mos Ikarus, Rose explains to Finn that Poe sent her
deep undercover. She had to wait until she knew where Hux had
gone. Chewbacca and Maz rescue the children. Rose then sabotages Mos
Ikarus and it begins to crash. The criminal inhabitants begin
to flee, including Ogama. Poe, Finn, and the others make it the
Falcon. DJ begs to be rescued too. Rose wants to leave him, but Finn
says they may need him to get to Hux. Chewbacca, Maz, and the
children arrive and board the Falcon. Rose says that she is staying.
Mos Ikarus is actually built on the bones of a super star destroyer
and she plans to save it for the Resistance. Poe agrees to stay
and help her. Chewbacca flies the Falcon and rescues Mara and Rey.
The
Falcon drops the children off at the Lars homestead. Maz gets
it up and running. Rey tells Maz and Chewbacca to stay and watch the
children. She has to go and rescue the others on Hux's base.
Mara tries to leave, saying this isn't her fight. Rey says that
now her secret about being a Force user is out, she will never be
safe until Hux's base is shut down. Reluctantly, Mara agrees.
Finn
tells Rey that she should stay with the children because she is the
future. If they lose her, they have no one to teach the
children the ways of the Force. Rey says she has to go. She
takes the Jedi texts and gives them to Maz in case she doesn't make
it back. Rey is still disturbed by the fact that she knows she has
been to Tatooine before. Maz reminds her of her words from The
Force Awakens,
"When you live as long as I have you see the same eyes in other
people." Maz says that Rey's eyes are seeing what they
once did in another life. She says that life creates the Force, but
life flows through the Force. That is the real power of the Force.
And that for the rare person, they come back from the Force to live
life over again, hopefully to get right what they got wrong before.
Maz asks Rey if she ever wondered why she was so good at fixing
things, why she was so adept and using the Force, why she is so skilled with a lightsaber that she could beat Kylo Ren on her first attempt, and why the
lightsaber called to her. Rey refuses listen and leaves.
Rey,
Finn, and Mara board the Falcon and leave for the secret base.
At Hux's base, Kylo Ren and the First Order fleet arrive. Hux appears in a hologram communication to Kylo. Kylo begins to Force choke Hux. Hux appears to be choking but then laughs. The
ancient base has built-in safeguards against an attack by
Force-users. Hux relishes the chance to tell Kylo off once and
for all. Darth Vader tells Kylo to ask permission to board. Kylo does
and Hux smarmily grants permission.
On
the Falcon, Mara asks Rey why she risks her lives for strangers. Rey
says her family needs her. Mara points out that Finn, Poe, Chewbacca, and Maz aren't Rey's family. Rey says that family is what you make of it. Mara asks about her family.
Rey says she doesn't know them. Rey asks Mara about her family. Mara says she
doesn't have a family any more. Rey asks what her uncle's name
was. Mara says she doesn't know, her father never told her. But
Mara’s father's name was Yoo-El Fore Kenobi. Rey is ecstatic
that Mara is related to Obi-Wan. Mara asks where Rey is from. Rey
says she is from Jakku. Mara says that she once crash landed on Jakku
but was patched up by a couple of junkers but that they took
something from her. Mara then looks at Rey strangely and asks
how old Rey is.
Before
she can answer Finn pulls Rey away. Finn tells Rey that he was
studying the schematics that Rose gave him. Hux had sent
limited information to Ogama. But from the looks of it, they may be
able to board, but someone is going to have to stay behind and
disable the auto guns for escape. Finn says that he will remain
behind and Rey can take the children. Rey begins to fight him, but
Finn grabs her and kisses her. He tells her that all he ever wanted
before he met her was to survive at any cost away from The First
Order. But when he finally met her, he knew that there are some
things worth giving your life for. Before Rey can respond, Mara tells
them they have come up on the base.
The
Falcon sees the base but is out of range. They can see the
remains of The First Order Fleet. Finn says they can sneak in
towards the bottom hangar. The base is design to fight massive
fleets and to keep the prisoners from escaping. It should make
it easier to break in. Finn grabs DJ and forces him to cut through
the security grid like he did to Snoke's ship. DJ agrees only
because they are approaching the base now and if he doesn't sneak
them in, they will all die.
Once
they land, Finn goes to find the weapons control with BB-8. Rey
and Mara go to find the Force children.
Meanwhile, Hux welcomes Kylo and the Knights of Ren. Hux is surrounded by
his soldiers, each with an energy force field that prevents the Force users from harming them. Hux shows Kylo the controls for the
base and how they are feeding off of the center of the galaxy. Kylo
says it is beautiful and that he understands now. Kylo goes to
the controls and reverses the flow. The energy from the station
begins to flow back into the heart of the galaxy. Hux yells at him to
stop. Kylo says this is how we end the Jedi and the Sith: by ending
everything. Kylo is going to destroy the galaxy. Hux's soldiers
attack and the Knights of Ren defend. Kylo pushes with the Force against Hux's shield but it glows brighter. Hux says that the
shields absorb the Force and makes it stronger. Kylo then pushes hard
against the shield. It gets stronger and stronger. It then
begins to get darker. Hux doesn't understand. Kylo says that the
shield was too weak. It was letting in light and air. Now it's
getting stronger and cutting off those things as well. Hux screams as
the shield becomes so strong that it becomes a tomb. Kylo
returns to the controls and floods the galaxy's heart with energy.
Finn
sees what is happening to the energy beacon and tells Mara and Rey
over a comm link that they are running out of time. They need
to get the Force users away from the power source or the galaxy will
die. Finn decides to try and blow up the energy beacon. Finn is
ambushed along the way by Captain Phasma and the stormtroopers.
Phasma calls him a traitor. Finn asks the stormtroopers if this is
the life they want. He says that all of them were kidnapped
from their families at a young age and that they were forced to do
The First Order’s bidding. But they don’t have to do what they
are told. They can choose their own family. Some of the
stormtroopers take off their helmets, others do not. The ones that
remove their helmets fight alongside Finn and a battle ensues.
Mara
and Rey find the Force sensitives. Kylo is waiting there for
them along with the remaining Knights of Ren. Kylo tells them
that the Force sensitives are wired into the base’s system. He
says Mara and Rey cannot free them. Kylo says that the only way they
can save the galaxy is to kill the force sensitives hooked up to the
base because that will cut off the base’s energy supply. He
says he won’t stop them if they try.
Mara
considers killing them to save the galaxy. But Rey stops her
and tells her there has to be a better way. Rey appeals to Kylo
to let them go. Kylo says, “Still trying to save my soul? You
should have learned I’m a lost cause. Isn’t that right, Luke?”
Luke as a Force ghost appears next to Rey. Rey asks Luke for
help, but he says he cannot interfere. But he does appeal to Kylo to
stop this madness. Kylo says, “Two can play it this game.” A
Force ghost of Vader appears, except he glows red instead of blue.
Vader tells Kylo that his destiny is at hand. Rey tells Kylo not to
listen to him. She says, “That’s not Darth Vader.” He
asks her why she would say that.
She says, “Because I am Darth
Vader.”
Kylo is shocked by this news and scoffs at it. Rey
looks at Luke. Luke asks her how long she’s known. Rey says ever
since Maz told her that she had been on Tatooine before in another
life. That’s why she is connected to the lightsaber and to Luke and
to Ben Solo. She tells Kylo that the spirit of Vader is in her.
Kylo
looks at the Vader Ghost, confused. Vader laughs and then transforms into the large Force Ghost of Snoke. Kylo and Rey are shocked. Mara asks what
they are looking at. The Force Ghost of Yoda then appears next to Luke. The
scene plays out like this:
LUKE:
Snoke!
YODA:
His true name, that is not.
REY:
Who is he?
SNOKE:
I have been known by many names. Kylo Ren knows it. He was always fond
of saying, “The Supreme Leader is wise!”
REY:
I don’t understand!
LUKE:
He’s a Sith: Darth Plagueis the Wise. He was the one
who trained Darth Sidious, the Emperor. Palpatine killed him.
SNOKE:
I let my apprentice think he had killed me. It let me stay in
the shadows until his silly little Empire inevitably fell. All
that time I knew that there were better, subtler ways to work the
power of the Force. You have no idea how easy it was to corrupt
this one [points to Kylo] by pretending to be his idol: Darth Vader.
However you, Skywalker, were harder to crack. But I was able to get my
tendrils into your mind. I stoked the fire or fear and paranoia over your
nephew. I almost got you to kill him. But your connection to the Light stopped you from doing it. But it did not matter. Either way I knew one of
you would fall from the Light by my hand!
REY:
And the one that fell was your end.
SNOKE:
End? Don’t you understand, girl? I am Darth Plagueis! I
am master of life. I will go on. It is the galaxy that will
die!
At
this point Kylo and Rey attack Snoke with lightsabers, but they have
no effect. Snoke laughs. Luke says to Rey, “You know how I
said I cannot interfere? That’s over.” Luke’s Force Ghost form grows and attacks Snoke, as does Yoda. Snoke enters the minds of
the Knights of Ren and has them attack Kylo, Rey, and Mara.
Meanwhile,
Finn is fighting his way down to the energy beacon. He is
stopped by a group of First Order Stormtroopers. But suddenly, they
get word that the space station is under attack. Poe, leading a
small fleet of Naboo starfighters leads an assault, with Rose Tico
piloting the space-faring Mos Ikarus. In the distraction, Finn is
able to fight his way out of the ambush. He gets on a comm to
Rose and Poe and tells them that he can’t get to the energy beacon
but that they can destroy it from space. Poe orders the ships to take
out the energy beacon to stop it from destroying the galaxy. Rose
charges her ship ahead, boldly claiming how great it is to be able to
pilot an entire Super Star Destroyer single-handedly.
Back
in the prisoner’s chamber, Snoke is fighting Luke and Yoda and he
is winning. Rey, Kylo, and Mara are barely able to hold back
the Knights of Ren. Snoke is able to knock back Luke. Snoke takes
hold of Yoda and obliterates his ghost form. Snoke tells the
horrified Luke and Rey that Yoda has merged with the Force and will
no longer be able to re-emerge as a Force Ghost now that he has endured this "second death." Luke stands
resolved but hesitates. Snoke taunts him, telling Luke that he is all
alone. Rey and Kylo are too busy fighting the Knights. Snoke
approaches Mara and taunts Luke again saying Luke will die again
because these others like Mara have no idea that they could help.
Mara says, “That’s all I needed to hear.” She then hits
Snoke with Force lightning, sending him flying. Luke looks at Mara
shocked.
LUKE:
I thought you couldn’t see me.
MARA:
I lied. You look good.
LUKE:
I never taught you how to use lightning.
MARA:
I picked up a few things after I left. Mad?
LUKE:
Not now.
Luke
and Mara face off against Snoke.
The
overload of energy to galaxy’s center is approaching critical.
Finn makes it to the weapons control to try and shut it down to
help the Resistance ships. There he is confronted alone by
Captain Phasma. The two engage in a knock-down fight. In the process,
Finn goes to overload the weapons system. Phasma yells at him to stop.
If he does, she’ll tell him where he can find his real family. Finn
pauses for a moment and then says that he has a real family. He
overloads the system and runs out as the room explodes with Phasma
inside.
The
weapons control is destroyed and the ships engage with the beacon,
but it is too heavily armored. Some suggest using the Holdo
maneuver and hitting at lightspeed. Poe says that won’t work
because none of the ships have the prototype shields that Holdo’s
ship had. Rose Tico looks at the beacon and tells Poe to move
all the other Resistance ships out of the way. She then points Mos Ikarus at the
energy beacon. On the comms, she calls up Finn. She tells him she
finally understands what he was doing on Crait and why she was
selfish for stopping him. She says that she hopes that this
makes up for it. Finn yells at her to stop, but it is too late. She
says she’s not destroying what she hates. She’s saving what she
loves. She crashes Mos Ikarus into the energy beacon and stops it
from destroying the galaxy. But it hits the space station and the
station begins to be pulled into the gravity of the galaxy’s
center.
Finn
tells Rey over the coms that the station is hurtling towards
destruction. She fights her way through the Knights of Ren with
Kylo. Mara and Luke are fighting Snoke, but they are slowing being
overwhelmed. Kylo and Rey finish the Knights of Ren, but the
force-sensitives are still hooked up to the station. Rey begs Kylo to
let them go so that they can be rescued. Kylo says they can’t
be saved. The station is drawing on their life energy to stay
functional. He says they will die and it will feed off their residual
Force energy in their bodies until they are used up. If they
cut off that power, they will all die.
Rey
tells him that they have to try something. Kylo says he is not
a hero. He is beyond saving, even Luke said so. Rey says that
Luke only said that Luke couldn’t save him. Kylo says that Rey
can’t save him either. She says she knows. But she said that
the Force is connected to life, not death: that is the power of the
Force. Rey reaches out with the Force with all her might and
then collapses. Kylo catches her, unsure of what she has done. But
he looks up and sees that she has summoned two more Force Ghosts who glow with a golden light: Han
and Leia.
Han
and Leia approach their son. He says to them he’s sorry. They
say that they know. He says he has no excuse. They say they
know that too. But that doesn’t change the fact that he is
their family and that they will always love him. Ben Solo says,
“I know what I have to do, but I don’t know if I have the
strength to do it. Will you help me?” They reach out and
touch their son’s face and wipe away his tear. They then help him to his feet. Rey begins to come
to just in time to see Ben head towards the power lines that are drawing the
life out of the Force-sensitives. He pulls the lines apart as
the energy still flows through them. Ben looks back at Rey. She begs
him to stop. He looks at her and simply says, “Thank you, Rey.”
He then thrusts himself into the energy field. The station
begins to drain Ben’s life energy and the Force-sensitives are
released. Ben is overcome and he dies. The space station continues to feed off of the residual energy of his body, but it is failing.
Snoke
has almost gotten the better of Luke and Mara. He sees that Rey
is trying to escape with the Force sensitives. He blocks their
way and says that if the galaxy won’t die, then at least Snoke can
kill them. Then Snoke hears a voice say, “The Force is not
about death. It is about life. That is the power of the Force”
Snoke turns around to see the Force Ghosts of Han, Leia, and
Ben Solo all attack him.
Finn
arrives and helps lead the Force-sensitives back to the Falcon. Rey
lingers behind because she wants to help. Snoke is being overcome,
but he still attacks with vigor. He knocks out Mara Jade. Ben
tells Rey to save her while she can. He then looks at Mara and says
to Rey, “I lied when I told you your parents were nobody.”
Before he can say anything else, Snoke gets his hands on him
the way he did Yoda. Rey cries out, but grabs Mara and heads for the
Falcon.
Snoke
begins to destroy Ben’s Force Ghost. As Snoke does, he says,
“Time for you to experience true death. You will never come back! You are going to be one with the Force forever!” Ben reaches out and
places his hands on Snoke, causing Snoke’s Force Ghost to begin to
be destroyed. Ben’s last words are, “The Force will be with
you, always.” Snoke and Ben destroy each other’s Force Ghosts in
a blinding flash. This ripples through the station. Rey, Finn
and the others on the Falcon make it away just in time for station to
explode.
On
the Falcon, Rey tells Finn she is sorry about Rose. Finn tells
her she died a hero. The two kiss. Finn looks over at DJ and he says
that it isn’t fair that Rose died and someone like DJ lives. Rey
says that as long as there is life, no one is beyond redemption, even
Kylo Ren or Darth Vader. Rey goes to Mara as she wakes up. Rey holds
her hand. Mara touches Rey’s face.
The
Naboo fleet lands back on Tatooine at the now functional Lars
homestead. Maz and Chewbacca and the Force sensitive children
greet them with cheers. Poe comes and finds Finn and Rey and embraces them. Everyone celebrates in a festive atmosphere. Finn
and Rey step away from the group and embrace. Rey looks off and sees the Force Ghosts of Luke,
Han, and Leia smiling at them. Poe, Maz, and Chewbacca join Rey and Finn as all
of them look out at the twin suns setting while the others celebrate
the birth of a new age.
