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With “Star Wars The Force Awakens” just around the corner and with all the secrecy shrouding the film, due to director JJ Abrams’s mystery box, there has been much speculation on the actual story of the movie. Heck, there has only been two teasers and one theatrical trailer. With the lack of information some of the speculation has become down right ridiculous. Jar Jar Binks a Sith Lord? Luke Skywalker has gone to the Dark Side and is the new villain?…Come on? It’s ridiculous. First off Luke is not Kylo Ren. Luke didn’t go to the Dark Side. Kylo Ren is played by Adam Driver. After all Luke went through, after tossing his lightsaber aside defying the Emperor. After redeeming his father, it would go against Luke’s very character arc and it would destroy the whole point of the story. Yes, I understand Luke is absent from the marketing…that’s the point. If you could put the movie in a logline it would be: “Where is Luke Skywalker?” There is your movie. It’s a journey to find Luke Skywalker, which leads me to the point of this post.
After watching two trailers, after reading several articles and interviews, after reading some of the new books that take place post “Return of the Jedi” I think I have a pretty good idea of what this movie is about and why Luke is missing. I’m good at deducing these things…So WARNING! I might be right with some of these key plot points and characters. If you don’t want to be spoiled…back away. If you think I’m being silly, then read on and see how crazy accurate I am. Either way it’s fun to speculate.
Potential Spoilers Below:
Before we can get into the plot of the current movie we have to take a few steps back. “The Force Awakens” takes place roughly 30 years after the events of “Return of the Jedi”. Those 30 years hold the key to the events of the “The Force Awakens” What is the landscape of the galaxy after the events?
State of the Galaxy:
After the events of “Return of the Jedi”, despite the destruction of the Death Star, the Empire was not fully destroyed. Instead it created mass confusion and a funneling power grab in the galaxy. That mass narrative was that that the Rebels defeated the Empire by destroying the Death Star. Not that Luke Skywalker redeemed Darth-Vader and as a result Darth Vader killed the last Sith Lord. It’s a massive galaxy and most think Vader died as a martyr at the hands of Luke. If you think about it, only Luke witnessed what his father did and I’m sure he only told Han and Leia. After the battle of Endor what was left of the Empire was pushed back into the Outer Rim of the galaxy. The Empire went out in search of the “Acolytes of the Beyond”. Emperor Palpatine believed beyond the known universe is where his powers came from. Long ago he sent Imperials to the edges of space to build labs and communication stations to study and search of the “Acolytes of the Beyond”, dark force users, not Sith. After the Empire was defeated that is where they went to hide.
We know what happened to the Galactic Empire, now what happened to the Rebels? The Rebels became the New Republic and Mon Mothma became the head of the Senate. Mon Mothma cuts the military down by a large amount and trains individual planets to defend themselves. My guess is Princess Leia is not happy about this, especially when the Empire returns as a new rebranded military force called, “The First Order”. That’s when Leia becomes a general and creates her own military called, “The Resistance” which is separate from the New Republic. She created the Resistance to keep the First Order in check, just in case they attacked. A lot of these Post-Jedi concepts I’ve just stated are not my original thoughts, but little pieces given to us from the new book “Aftermath” by Chuck Wendig. With this, a few articles, and trailers we can start piecing the story together and in doing so we can figure out why Luke is missing.
I believe Luke starts a new Jedi Academy till a group called, “The Knights of Ren” show up on the scene siding with The First Order. Who are the “Knights of Ren”? They are force sensitive Darth-Vader fanboys who collect old Vader and Sith relics in order to revive the long lost persona of Darth-Vader. One of the members of the Knights of Ren is the film’s new villain Kylo Ren. Why is Kylo Ren a Darth-Vader fanboy with so much influence and power within the First Order?…I think he is the son of Han Solo and Princess Leia, the grandson of Darth-Vader. Kylo Ren could have been one of the first few Padawans to be trained by Luke Skywalker. Kylo is drawn to the Dark Side of his grandfather and perhaps Luke failed to tell him that Vader saved the galaxy and returned to the Light Side. This mistake costs Luke. Kylo joins the Knights of Ren and becomes Kylo Ren. The Knight of Ren later wipe out the Jedi Padawans and they finish what Darth Vader started. The Knights of Ren could also be after an ancient Sith or Jedi artifact that Luke might be guarding. In Jedi funeral tradition Luke burns the bodies of his dead Padawan’s. Luke sends R2-D2 off to be with Leia while he goes in hiding to meditate and perhaps guard something. There he waits for the Force to call him out of hiding. much like his old master’s Obi-Wan and Yoda. These events also put stress on Han and Leia and they each go on separate paths. These are the events I believe shape the story we see in the present film.
The Main Story:
Now we get to the main plot of The Force Awakens moving forward 10 or so years. Poe Dameron a hot shot pilot played by Oscar Isaac, under the command of Leia goes to the desert planet of Jakku, where a villager has stumbled on Luke’s old blue lightsaber. Poe Dameron shows up on Jakku and takes the lightsaber. But the First Order has intercepted Poe’s message and sends a fleet to the planet. Poe hides the lightsaber inside a droid…BB-8. That’s when we are introduced to Finn or FN2187, played by John Boyega, a young force sensitive Stormtrooper who was trained and indoctrinated at a young age, much like Hitlers Youth. Leading this group is a chromed Stormtrooper named, Captain Phasma, played by Gwendoline Christie. Finn might be her prodigy. Among this group is a close friend of Finn’s. His friend dies when the village is raided. The force convicts Finn and there is an awakening in him. He lets villagers free. Kylo Ren and Phasma are not pleased with him.
BB-8 escapes and Poe Dameron is captured. Poe is tortured by Kylo Ren on the whereabouts of the lightsaber. He’s then thrown into a prison cell. Finn helps Poe Dameron escape by commandeering a Tie Fighter. The Tie Fighter is shot down and it crashes back on Jakku. Poe Dameron and Finn get split up in the crash. Poe calls Leia for back up. Finn takes his armor off and puts on Poe’s jacket and stumbles through the desert.
We are then introduced to Rey, played by Daisy Ridley. She’s a young scavenger living in solitude. She wants adventure and wants to leave the planet, but can’t because she’s waiting for her family. She comes across BB-8 and Finn. That’s when Tie Fighters show up and fire upon them. They run in search for a ship and they end up stealing…the Millennium Falcon. Rey is force sensitive and a dang good pilot. She flies the Falcon through a Star Destroyer grave yard while Finn guns down the Ties on the gun turrets. Finn wants to get the heck out of dodge and meet back up with Poe. Rey doesn’t want to leave because her parents promised to return for her. The Falcon is then taken over by a bigger ship owned by Han Solo and Chewbacca who were in the area looking for their ship.
“Chewie…We’re home.” – Han Solo
This is when BB-8 pops out Luke’s old lightsaber. Han Solo shares old stories about Luke to Finn and Rey. Han Solo takes them to a planet called “Takodana”. On the planet is a castle that houses smugglers and pirates. This castle is owned by Maz Kanata played by Lupita Nyong’o. She’s a short, very old CGI pirate, but she’s not just any pirate. She is force sensitive and wise. Han Solo hands her the lightsaber and she analyzes it in hopes of finding Luke Skywalker. Maz realizes Rey and Finn are force sensitive and explains the history of the lightsaber in greater detail. Rey has a vision, perhaps a calling from the force that she struggles to accept. Rey runs away from the castle. The First Order led by Kylo Ren attacks Maz Kanata’s castle and Rey is captured. Poe Dameron leads a squadron of X-Wings to fight the First Order. Han, Chewie, Finn, and Maz escape on the Falcon.
The Falcon will land on the Resistance base where Han and Leia meet for the first time in a long time. On the base they analyze the lightsaber further and get some more info on Luke’s location. In the war room Finn shares some secrets on the First Order’s new military base and weapon called”Starkiller Base”. It’d a weapon/base built inside a snow planet. Finn tells them its weakness and Leia decides to attack it with her own new weapon, a controversial weapon. Perhaps this is to show a role reversal harkening back to “A New Hope” . Maz gives the lightsaber to Leia, Leia gives it to Finn. While the Resistance is attacking Starkiller Base, Finn, Han, and Chewie will be attempting to rescue Rey and perhaps put some charges on that super weapon.
Back at Starkiller Base, Kylo Ren is interrogating Rey with the force. He will be shocked that she’s just a scavenger. She turns the tables and uses the force on him. He leaves the room boiling. She uses the force to escape and manipulate troopers Obi-Wan style.
The Falcon crashes on the snowy planet of Starkiller Base. Han and Chewie shoot their way into the base and Finn cuts his way in with the lightsaber. They then put charges on the weapons generators. At the same time Poe attacks the base with his squadron and Leia is in her super weapon ready to strike. Starkiller Base fires their weapon probably destroying several Resistance warships at once.
Rey escapes and Kylo Ren chases after her. She runs into Han, Chewie, and Finn. The charges are set. Han knows the truth about Kylo so he exchanges some words with him and steps out between him and the rest of the group protecting them. Han Solo tells them to leave. They run off to the Falcon, and thats when Kylo-Ren kills…Han Solo…his father. Yep, I’m calling it. Han bites it. It will be a massive tearjerker that will propel the new trilogy forward. I can see Leia feeling his death through the force and being emotionally torn apart. In “Empire Strikes Back” Harrison Ford originally wanted George Lucas to kill off Han Solo in a sacrificial way. I think Han gets that noble ending this time around, completing that character arc. The scoundrel that was self centered is now the sacrificial hero that believes in the force and is willing to die for it so these young heroes can find Luke train and save the galaxy. I feel like he is the Obi-Wan type in this movie. Lucas and all the episodes of Star Wars had a rhyme to them. That is why this plot makes so much sense.
After Han’s death Kylo Ren will trudge through the snow covered woods searching for Luke’s lightsaber. That’s when he’s met with an enraged Finn. Finn ignites the blue blade and they duel in the snow. Finn is hard hitting and holds his own but in the end I feel like Kylo Ren will chop off his arm in standard Star Wars fashion. Rey will be horrified and will be crying over his body, the body you see in the trailer. She takes the lightsaber realizing it is her calling. She fights Kylo Ren. Kylo Ren senses something different about her and retreats. Rey, Finn, and Chewie escape. Kylo Ren escapes separately before the Resistance manages to destroy the First Order base.
The Resistance returns to home base. Rey, Chewie, Leia, and Maz grieve over the loss of Han Solo. Rey now wants to find Luke and train to be a Jedi. Finn is healing at this point with a new robotic arm.
Rey cracks the code and she jumps aboard the Millennium Falcon with Chewie, BB-8, and R2-D2. They travel to a planet with Islands.
Kylo Ren reports to his master Supreme Leader Snoke. Who is a fully CGI character played by Andy Serkis. I might be wrong, but I believe Snoke is not really Snoke. I feel like there is more to his character that will be revealed in later films. In order to connect all trilogies I believe Snoke is…Darth Plagueis. Plagueis was Emperor Palpatine’s old master. Why do I think Snoke is Plagueis? Palpatine explains to Anakin in Episode III that Plagueis had the ability to cheat death, yet Palpatine killed Plagueis in his sleep. How can he kill him if he can cheat death? Plagueis can even create life. Call me crazy, but what if Plagueis created Anakin Skywalker, so Anakin could kill Palpatine, so that he can return to control the galaxy? But in the process, the Force balanced itself out to where Anakin was also the chosen one and through his ancestors they will continue to bring balance when evil rises? The force using what was used for evil and using it for good. What if Plagueis is the one now manipulating the new senate, but he’s not at full power yet until a certain relic is recovered, perhaps a relic Luke is guarding. It’s a crazy thought.
This leads me to what I think will be the final scene. Rey, a nobody returns the blade to its rightful master. I imagine Rey walking up to the temple steps with the “Throne Room” theme from A New Hope blaring. A hooded figure steps out of the shadows…You hear a voice over from Kylo Ren and Snoke’s conversation: “There has been an awakening, have you felt it? The Dark Side and the Light.” The hooded figure peals back his hood revealing Luke Skywalker. I can hear him saying:”My daughter”…cut to credits.
I think the theater would go crazy. I do believe Rey is a Skywalker. She could either be Luke’s child or she could be Han and Leia’s. But my money is on Rey being Luke’s daughter. Rey has the same upbringing as Anakin and Luke and that’s no a coincidence. I think he knew the attack was coming on the new Jedi temple and he left with his daughter and placed her on a planet far from the First Order at a very young age, he even perhaps wipes her memory. When he returns he finds that the Knights of Ren wiped out all of his Jedi. Perhaps he feels guilty and selfish for saving his daughter while others perished. So he goes in hiding to meditate and to find the will of the force…And it takes the force to make an old lightsaber return to the hands of his child and the death of a good friend to bring him out of hiding to fulfill his destiny.
There you have it. Kind of long, but those are my thoughts and speculations for “The Force Awakens” I could totally be off on some of these points or some of these points won’t be explored till later films. It will be interesting to see how this all comes together. I can’t wait to see these characters evolve. Finn goes from the Stormtrooper with nothing to fight for, to the hero raising Luke’s saber agains Kylo Ren. Rey goes from being a nobody to being a somebody with a destiny. Han goes from being the scoundrel who didn’t believe the force to one who believes and it ready to die for it. I will return to this post after the movie releases to further discuss these points. Till then…May the force be with you…Always.
JL