The Star Wars Skywalker saga is officially in the books with the Rise of Skywalker concluding the nine-movie arc in a scattershot of a movie that shoved in as many plot holes as it did answers. It is JJ Abrams, so we should not be surprised. This is the man behind Lost. All those sci-fi elements? How about a church ending?
Most point to The Last Jedi as the reason why the sequel trilogy fell flat (Disney isn’t complaining about the billions it made), but fans are quick to pick apart the issues with the three films. And there are a ton of problems in all three films.
But, instead of listing the plot holes, missteps, and general head-scratching wtf moments, let’s examine how to flesh out the trilogy fully. Is there a way to fix the sequel trilogy with one tweak which wouldn’t even require the actor in question to be present?
Having seen all three movies, the answer is yes, and it would make for a moment rivaling Darth Vader’s comment to Luke on Bespin that he was his father.
It’s hard to find a more shocking moment in sci-fi cinematic history. It also helped the early 80s weren’t littered with Star Wars fan sites leaking entire scripts and plot points.
Now, the sequel trilogy. I think we were all a bit shocked when we heard the Emperor’s cackling laugh during the first trailer for Rise of Skywalker. Like wait, what? Didn’t Vader toss his ass off the ledge before the Death Star II exploded? How is he alive? We get the answer because Sith alchemy and methods that would be deemed unnatural.
Ok, the Emperor is back. He’s the big bad of the entire trilogy. Knowing that, there’s a way to fix the whole arc while having an epic moment for the fans of the original trilogy.
The scene in The Last Jedi, where Kylo Ren kills Snoke, would have been the perfect spot to introduce the Emperor as the true villain of the trilogy.
Extend the scene slightly to include the dialogue we have at the beginning of the Rise of Skywalker.
Cue every Star Wars fan losing their damn minds. One, it would have been a signature Star Wars moment. The Last Jedi had very few leaks, so the likelihood of it ending up on Reddit before the release would be less likely. I know everyone’s jaw would have hit the floor at that moment. Instead of a piece of marketing material, it could have been the moment everyone talked about.
Two, it frees up space in the ninth film to slow the pacing and let the Star Wars moments happen organically. In its current form, The Rise of Skywalker is a chaotic mess of a movie with fantastic moments.
Moving the Emperor reveal to The Last Jedi would instantly connect all three films. Would it fix everything? No, but it damn sure places The Last Jedi in a spot where it feels connected within the confines of the trilogy.
That’s one clip rearranged to fit the broader narrative. It doesn’t fix everything. There are a ton of plot holes and just general ‘this makes no sense’ moments, but until Disney reboots it, we are left with what could have been. If you told me to fix the trilogy with one scene, it would be introducing the Emperor earlier. And dialogue wise, the Snoke death scene is the logical choice.
Oh, and a better damn space battle. How are you going to have a fleet with every damn ship in the galaxy and us not see some broadsides from Mon Cal cruisers against the Final Order fleet?