What I expect to see in "Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker"
Well, since most of my predictions for "Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi" (read them over here) of course were wrong, I thought I have some fun and write another post, about the things we can expect to see in "Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker".
Again, all we can do at this point is speculate about the plot and how things are going to get wrappend up by J.J. Abrams, for this new trilogy AND the Skywalker saga as a whole. After reading a whole bunch of stuff on the internet and watching video's about it, I have a pretty clear vision of how things are going to play out, for Rey, Kylo and some other familiar faces from the past movies, that we haven't seen in any of the previous two other movies of the new trilogy.
So sit back, take a glass of blue milk and enjoy my extremely speculative post, that you of course also should take with a big grain of salt...Unless I'm right on the money this time around! But the chances of that are approximately 3,720 to 1.
No Ian McDiarmid in the flesh
Taking a bit of a gamble here, but I don't expect to see Ian McDiarmid to return in the flesh, to reprise his role of emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidious. The role he last played in "Star Wars: Episode VI - The Return of the Jedi", in which he took a bit of a tumble into a well, after getting thrown in by his apprentice and former ultimate bad guy, Darth Vader.The fact that none of McDiarmid's involved got leaked or even rumored, prior to to the first trailer release and McDiarmid's appearance at SWCC 2019, is the biggest give away for me.
If McDiarmid is to reprise his role of Palpatine/Sidious, it's fair to assume that his role is supposed to be a pretty big one, considering that he's supposed to be the main villain of the movie.
Yet, there also is absolutely no denying that the characer of Palpatine/Sidious is in the movie and will play undoubtedly a big part in the movie its conclusion and the Skywalker saga in general.
It is likely that we are going to see some form of Sidious again, maybe in a younger body this time around. The character Matt Smith plays could be a younger version of the Sidious character. A clone perhaps, or more likely a person who's body gets used by Sidious essence. In that same light, it is likely that Snoke turns out to be another person, 'possesed' by Sidious' spirit. Snoke and Sidious definitely shared some characteristic and it would explain who the Emperor's them played during Snoke's big scenes in "Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi". It would make composer John Williams smarter than any of use, for figuring this out early!
So is McDiarmid not involved at all with this movie? Well, maybe still to some extent. Maybe he'll lend his voice to the character, like he has done before during some episodes of "Star Wars Rebels". Or perhaps he'll show up in some flashbacks, old holograms and during one of the final scenes. So yeah, McDiarmid not showing up in the flesh might not be entirely the case. I just don't expect him to play a big part as the character.
The Skywalker who will rise is Rey
Here is a suprise for you; Rey will turn out to be a Skywalker after all! Her heritage has been much speculated about, ever since the release of "Star Wars: Episode: The Force Awakens", in 2015. Her turning out to be a Skywalker, as a sort of lost daughter to Luke or Leia or Han, which would make her Kylo's sister, always seemed like the least interesting or suprising way to go with the strong female character.She will turn out to be a Skywalker that's my prediction, anyway), but she won't be directely related to either Luke or Leia. Well, at least not in a natural way.
The entire Star Wars saga always have been about Anakin Skywalker. Not just the prequel trilogy, but the original trilogy as well, in which Anakin was the one who eventually brought balance to the force. Luke was a catalyst for his story, that got wrapped up with Anakin's death, in "Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi" (spoiler!!1).
Why is this important to mention? Well, because other than a few shots of his old helmet and a handful of mentions by Kylo Ren and Snoke, we haven't seen anything of Darth Vader or Anakin in the new trilogy. With the return of Palpatine it would only make sense for Anakin to return as well, since according to the prophecy, he's the one who brings balance to the force.
It would be pretty weird though for Anakin, played by Hayden Christensen again, to wander into this movie again. Not just because his character is supposed to dead, but also because it would be far too random and confusing for people who aren't all that familiar with Star Wars. You have to remember, of course this movie is going to appeal to Star Wars fans all over the world, but you also always have to keep in mind, as a film-maker and studio, that people who aren't that familiar with Star Wars are going to watch this movie and need to be appealed to, in order for it to become a massive financial success. Yes, that's how it works, boys and girls. It can't all be fan service. While I do expect Anakin to play some sort of role in the movie.
A way for Anakin to return, is through Rey. What if -here it comes- Rey turns out to be a clone of Anakin? Sounds corny, but it's a way to ultimately fullfill the prophecy and it allows Rey to become the Skywalker to rise, as well as to provide an answer to her background.She doesn't remember who she is or comes from because she has no past. It also explains the force vision of Rey in the cave, in "Star Wars: Episode VII - The Last Jedi", in which she was confronted by multiple versions of herself. When she tried to see her parents, all she got was an image of herself, because she has no natural parents.
But who created the clone? That would be none other than Sidious, in an attempt to bring back the greatest Sith of all time and create an ultimate version of him, to serve by his side. It also explains why Rey has some formidable force strenghts, as well as some dark side tendencies, which even Luke feared. He even commented on it how he had seen that raw strenght only once before and how it didn't scare him enough back then. Luke could of course have been talking about young Ben Solo, but even in that case, Ben of course is Anakin's grandson. The same genes and characteristics flow through his body, as through Rey's, if she turns out to be a clone of Anakin.
Sidious most likely attempted to create multiple clones of Anakin through the decades, while trying to perfect him. Rey's just one of them, who somehow got freed, maybe by rebels, during a raid on a cloning facility. Maybe she was brought to a family, which she considered to be her own throughout the years, but she was let go once the family relealized who she truly was. Rather than killing her, which they didn't had the heart for, the hid her on a remote planet (Jakku in this case), where she could live her life, without ever getting noticed.
It could also explain the 'dark Rey', who was shown in some of the early footage. Rather then being another force vision, it could simply be another clone. Used by Sidious to train and do his bidding. It would be pretty interesting to watch Rey battle a version of herself.
It could also explain the 'dark Rey', who was shown in some of the early footage. Rather then being another force vision, it could simply be another clone. Used by Sidious to train and do his bidding. It would be pretty interesting to watch Rey battle a version of herself.
There will be a big sacrifice
Rather then Rey or Anakin sacrificing herself/himself again to bring balance to the force, it's is more likely that Rey is going to survive and Anakin is going to remain to be the force ghost that he is. It's more likely that Kylo Ren is going to meet his ultimate demise, by the end of the movie, in which he turns out to be an hero after all. There obviously is a lot of conflict- and still good in Kylo Ren. It however seems unlikely that his character is going to get redeemed and lives on to be a good guy. After all, this is the person who killed fan favorite Han Solo. There are some things that just can't be forgiven...One of the ways his character could have been redeemed was if Leia forgave him. However since Carrie Fisher passed away and it is unlikely that there is any previously shot footage of Kylo and Leia, that can be used within this context, it is unlikely that this is going to happen. Kylo has to die. And what better way for him to do so than making his death a meaningful one, in which he redeems himself. Perhaps with the help of Anakin's guidance, which could be another way for the character of Anakin to fullfill the prophecy once and for all.
Oh, and speaking of epic conclusion; how awesome would it be to have all force ghost appear toward the end of the movie and have them battle it out with Sidious, alongside. I'm not just talking about Luke and Anakin here, but also Obi-Wan (played by Ewan McGregor again) Yoda, Qui-Gon (please Liam. Don't be grumpy and just say 'yes') and Mace Windu (the de-aging effects worked perfect on Samual L. Jackson in "Captain Marvel")! I don't know, just thought I would throw it in here as well.
So there it is! No need to see the movie anymore, since you already know everything of importance that will happen in it. Nah, not really of course. It would be interesting to see how many of my 'predications' and expectations will eventually end up in the movie. Of course not everything, but perhaps a few elements of it.
It doesn't matter though, since the movie no doubt is going to provide us with plenty of suprises and moments that are going to both thrill the casual viewers as well as the biggest Star Wars lovers.
