How would you change the new Star Wars trilogy

[RangerWickett]

Y'know, I think Snoke's personality would have been a delight if he'd just been Darth Plagueis, and came back from the dead instead of Palpatine.

Say that Palpatine was his apprentice, locked him away, and after Palps died, Plagueis got free and was just delighted about his apprentice's failure. He decided to ditch the Sith rule-of-two thing, which is why there were a whole bunch of Knights of Ren.

I liked his scoffing swagger, his condescension, and his more refined flamboyance than "dark robes and cackling" Palpatine. Just bring the dude back from the dead, give him some evil plot that involves force ghosts somehow, and let the little kid from the end of The Last Jedi matter somehow.

 

[Son of the Serpent]

Except, in the end, evil cannot win. That's not Star Wars.

I didnt really mean evil won. I meant palpatine got away with not dying permanently (and that is very star wars)

 

[Mage of Spellford]

After going to see RoS for the 2nd time I liked it even more. Overall kudos to JJ for closing out the trilogy with a film that felt like Star Wars.

That being said here is my re-imagined sequel trilogy
:
TFA:
You could have the same ending scene with Rey meeting Luke on the Island. At the very end I would add a scene where Snoke enters the Sith Temple and bows before Palpatine just as Vader did. I would then have the Emperor say something like Kylo's journey to the dark side is complete and you are no longer needed and then kill Snoke by force choking him to death.

TLJ- have Luke be the hermit initially like in the movie. Different motivation though: An unknown dark force is rising and corrupting the jedi. Luke was unable to prevent the fall of Kylo and he has been having visions of his own fall to the darkside. He has quarantined himself to protect the galaxy.

Rey convinces him to train her perhaps by telling him about her TFA encounter and how she can sense there is still good in Kylo-- just as Luke saved Vader. Luke agrees reluctantly to train her so she can save Kylo where he could not. During the training have the back and forth between Rey and Kylo where he is subtly trying to get her to come to the dark side and she is challenging him and trying to pull him to the light. Kylo may be pretending or not we are unsure of his allegiance but each meeting ends with Rey having increasingly vivid visions with darkside Rey - culminating in her becoming a dark empress.

Meanwhile have increasingly desperate measures and heroics where the fleet just barely gets away again and again only to have the first order show up. Poe and Finn's arc is figuring out there must be a spy and ferreting out and capturing the spy. Which they do only to discover that the FO has orders not to destroy the resistance fleet yet. (I like this idea of a spy)

Eventually Kylo lures her away from Luke (against his advice) by revealing that the alliance is heading into a trap and he offers to help her save her friends. It should gradually become apparent that the FO fleet is herding the resistance into a specific location presumably to be destroyed. But The whole thing is a ruse to lure Rey into a trap.

Kylo it is revealed is still working for Snoke (who is alive again?) and betrays Rey bringing her to Snoke. Snoke will reveal her heritage to an anguished Rey who will be crushed by the news. Kylo will then surprise Rey by killing Snoke. He will offer his hand and make his pitch and the two of them will fight off Snoke's guards and flee together. Messed up by the revelation of her heritage she will leave with him.

The resistance having eliminated the spy will learn that the FO has a single ship, a sith destroyer that can track them through hyperspace. Have a mission with a one-in-a-million shot at destroying the Sith ship in a ship flown by Poe with Finn as gunner. Have force ghost Luke's voice provide the impetus for Finn 'to trust his feelings' and succeed at destroying the Sith ship. The battered Resistance fleet is just able to just barely take off to safety into hyperspace. Luke dies the same way he did in TLJ.

Have the Poe and the Resistance start to mourn the loss of Rey but have Finn say something like, no she's out there, I feel it and we have to find her.

Once again the film ends with a scene in the Sith Temple. A still wet from creche Snoke will be reporting to Palpatine, he will apologize pleading that there was no way he could have predicted the 'boys' betrayal. How could he have known. Palpatine will slay Snoke again and this time he will say something like the time for masks is over and destroy dozens of Snoke clones in their creches.

TROS -
No need for a fleet of planet killer star destroyers. Make it clear that the first order now holds dominance over the galaxy.

Have a few adventures where Finn and Poe are searching for Rey but they are always a few steps behind her. More scenes that show the FO's strength but show that they have just stopped short of total dominance .

Have some scenes that show dissension amongst the FO military leadership. Their goal to be the ultimate power in the universe has been met and the resistance is now insignificant. But emphasize they have no clear leadership or goal.

Kylo and Rey discover the location of the puppet master that has been pulling all of the strings from the shadows. Kylo will will reiterate that it is her destiny to rule beside him and they both have seen the visions. The two will go to Endor to find a mguffin like Luke's map that will lead them to the puppet master.

Now have a scene where the Emperor's image appears on the bridge of every FO ship. Have the FO officers essentially fall to their knees before the image. Have the Emperor tell the FO he is back and to prepare for his Final Orders. Show that the FO is galvanized by the return of their emperor.

Have the final battle between Palpatine and Kylo and Rey take place in the Sith temple. He again uses their life force to heal himself. Have Rey and Kylo turned into husks just like the emperor was in the prequels. With them defeated he turns his back on them. Have the return of the Emperor revealed to the entire galaxy, --his plan to cow and inspire fear among all the people heralding the rise of the new Empire.

Have the galvanized FO find the Resistance stronghold and begin their attack (just like Empire) and have the resistance on the edge of defeat.

Have the broken Kylo have the scene with Han that brings him back to the light or just have him look at her broken body and have a change of heart. Have Ben crawl over and give his life force to revitalize Rey.

Show that unlike what Palpatine expected his reappearance has instead united the galaxy in a way not seen before. This is the straw that broke the camel's back and the people will not allow a new empire. Instead they rise up. Have the gargantuan fleet of ships from the myriad worlds show up and save the resistance.

Have the revitalized Rey rise up and bolstered by all of the Jedi spirits together with the positive and determined energy of the the rising force of the people fight Palpatine like in RoS.

During Rey's final battle have scenes of People rising up and defeating the FO perhaps more and more FO child soldiers throw down their weapons and join the fight against the rising Empire. A wave of resistance.

Have her destroy Palpatine and the Sith.

A celebration where people across the galaxy are patting each other on the back and congratulating each other. A community that spans the universe at least for a moment in common cause.

Then have Rey bury Ben on Tattoine. Then the Skywalker thing. I kind of liked that.

MK

I know that this recycles some ideas from the original trilogy but see it as a homage.

 

[Imaculata]

I see a lot of people running with the idea of Palpatine being the main villain, but why? Making the emperor come back was an idea born out of desperation, after Rian Johnson killed off Snoke a film too soon. Just make Snoke the main villain throughout the whole trilogy, and ignore the patching that JJ had to do in The Rise of Skywalker.

 

[Zardnaar]

Smoke being tied to Darth Plagueious would have been thing.

Luke's and Vaders thing still works but the Emperor's master is the big bad.

 

[Blackrat]

Add Jar Jar through cgi and make him either a hero or villain through clever dialogue that fits in the existing scenes...

Seriously, I seem to be the only SW fan who actually liked Jar Jar

 

[Vael]

I see a lot of people running with the idea of Palpatine being the main villain, but why? Making the emperor come back was an idea born out of desperation, after Rian Johnson killed off Snoke a film too soon. Just make Snoke the main villain throughout the whole trilogy, and ignore the patching that JJ had to do in The Rise of Skywalker.

The task, at least as the OP set out, was to minimize the changes, which most people have ignored. Palpatine is in Rise, while I would change his impact and make it less, "it was him behind everything all along!", if I'm following the guidelines, I can't just delete him. If I were starting Episode IX from scratch, I probably would.

I disagree that Snoke was killed too early though. The through line of TFA and TLJ is the ascent of Kylo Ren into darkness, having him kill Snoke was an important step for his character.

I guess it becomes a matter of how Ben Solo/Kylo Ren's arc is to end. If he is to be redeemed, maybe Palpatine is needed? I don't think other Sith have the resonance.

 

[Imaculata]

I guess it becomes a matter of how Ben Solo/Kylo Ren's arc is to end. If he is to be redeemed, maybe Palpatine is needed? I don't think other Sith have the resonance.

I think it matters little for his redemption arc if he faces Palpatine or Snoke at the end. And it would seem from The Force Awakens that JJ definitely meant for Snoke to be the main villain of the trilogy.

I think there are ways for Kylo Ren to make that same ascent/descent into darkness, without Snoke being killed in the second movie.

 

[ART!]

Fewer desert planets. I get the appeal of the starkness, desolation, and the light, but a) it all risks getting confused with Tattooine, and b) there's so many other biomes (or whatever the right term is). Why not a grasslands planet, or a Mongolian plateau planet, or a Scottish highlands planet, or etcetera.

Let's get Luke, Han, and Leia back together, even for just a cool little moment.

More references to stuff Luke, Han, and Leia did after ROTJ. It could just be passing references. Just a sense that they had some cool adventures together after ROTJ.

Give Han a beard, too.

 

[Ryujin]

Came pretty close to shooting a Scottish Highlands planet when they shot Luke's hideaway in Ireland.