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5 Ways J.J. Abrams Can Redeem the Star Wars Franchise


In 2015, a whole new generation of Star Wars fans was born when the J.J. Abrams-helmed The Force Awakens arrived in theaters from here to a galaxy far, far away. Sure, some criticized it for feeling like a rehash of A New Hope, but as Abrams himself stated, this was done intentionally to help ease audiences back into the world George Lucas created four decades earlier. Besides, when all was said in done, the majority of moviegoers were too busy salivating over the limitless potential for the future of the sequel trilogy to dwell on the striking similarities between Episodes IV and VII.

Then, two years later, Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi hit the big screen and has since become arguably the most polarizing Star Wars movie of all-time. From the characterization of Luke Skywalker to the apparent disregard for everything Abrams set up in Episode VII to the way it radically subverted expectations, numerous fans were left disappointed by the film and disillusioned with the franchise. Then again, others were completely enamored with Johnson’s approach, including Lucasfilm, which was made crystal clear when we learned Johnson would return to oversee a new trilogy of Star Wars films.

Regardless of how you feel about The Last Jedi, though, it can’t be denied that Star Wars needs to get back on track. While Episode VIII cleaned up at the box office and was largely adored by critics, it took a vicious beating from fans. In turn, the next Star Wars film, Solo, only received a lukewarm reception and performed abysmally from a financial standpoint.

So, how can Episode IX rebound? Well, we have some ideas that will likely satisfy both those who loved The Last Jedi and those who were left wanting more. Here are five ways J.J. Abrams can redeem the Star Wars franchise:

  1. Provide a Backstory for Snoke

    In The Force Awakens, we were introduced to Supreme Leader Snoke, the enigmatic figurehead of the villainous First Order. As a projection, he loomed tall over Kylo Ren and General Hux, and fans were eager to learn more about him in The Last Jedi. However, rather than discover who Snoke really was, or even where he came from, fans watched as he was sliced in half by Kylo Ren.

    Admittedly, this was an epic moment that set the stage for an equally epic clash between Kylo Ren, Rey and the Elite Praetorian Guard. Still, it’s easy to see why some fans were disappointed.

    That being said, in Episode IX, perhaps Abrams could provide some insight as to how Snoke came to power in the first place. Even if it’s done posthumously, it’d go a long way in terms of giving the sequel trilogy a more well-rounded narrative throughline. Otherwise, Snoke will feel like nothing more than an out-of-place antagonist who never really mattered.

  2. Deliver the Knights of Ren

    Speaking of Snoke, in The Force Awakens, we learned through his expository dialogue that Kylo Ren was the master of a group known as the Knights of Ren, who we saw briefly during Rey’s Force vision. Unfortunately, that’s the only time we’ve seen them in the sequel trilogy.

    It’s expected that the Knights of Ren will appear in Episode IX, and they were even featured on a leaked poster that surfaced online. Hopefully, that means we’ll learn more about their purpose, as well as the reason for their absence in the previous two saga films.

  3. Give Leia a Fitting Farewell

    The death of Carrie Fisher was one of the greatest losses in Star Wars fandom. Nevertheless, fans took solace in the fact that Fisher managed to finish filming her scenes for The Last Jedi before her passing, meaning they’d get to see her reprise her role as Leia Organa one last time. That begged the question, though: what would happen with Leia in Episode IX?

    Well, as it turns out, Episode IX will also include Leia, albeit through archival footage. Still, given that this film is the final entry in the Skywalker saga, it seems only right that Leia be given a fitting farewell. According to Oscar Isaac, Fisher’s time in the film is brief, but honors the late actor in a “beautiful way,” so we’ll just have to wait and see what that equates to when we see the final product.

  4. Revisit Rey’s Parentage

    Is Rey a Skywalker? Is she a Kenobi? Is she a Solo? These are the types of questions fans were asking after The Force Awakens, where we learned Rey was abandoned on Jakku as a child. However, in The Last Jedi, Kylo Ren told Rey what she’d apparently “known” all along, which is that her parents were nobodies; just drunks who sold her for booze money.

    This, of course, didn’t sit well with the countless fans that spent two years theorizing who Rey’s real parents were. And, to be fair, that’s not necessarily Lucasfilm or Rian Johnson’s fault. Their job isn’t to cater to fans’ checklists; it’s to tell compelling stories. It is Lucasfilm’s fault for putting different creative minds in charge of trying to tell a single, cohesive, three-chapter story, though.

    In any case, with Abrams returning for Episode IX, he’s now in the position to revisit this dangling plot point he introduced in Episode VII. After all, would anyone really be surprised if it turned out Kylo Ren was simply lying to Rey in an attempt to sway her to his side?

    To be clear, though, there’s nothing inherently wrong with Rey’s lineage not being important. Still, if Abrams is able to successfully revive and resolve the mystery he created in TFA, more power to him.

  5. Luke Skywalker

    Perhaps the biggest complaint about The Last Jedi was the portrayal of Luke Skywalker. After only seeing him for mere seconds in The Force Awakens, fans were expecting Episode VIII to deliver some of the greatest Luke moments imaginable, and what they got instead was a disillusioned hermit who cut himself off from the Force, teased his new “apprentice” and preferred his green milk farm-fresh.

    Did it make sense that the Luke we saw in The Last Jedi would be radically different than the one we’d seen over 30 years earlier in Return of the Jedi, especially considering this was after he’d spent years in exile following his greatest failure? Of course. Still, that doesn’t mean we can’t get a more traditional version of Luke in Episode IX.

    We already know Mark Hamill is returning, presumably to portray Luke as a Force Ghost. However, as we saw with Yoda, being a Force Ghost doesn’t mean he can’t interact with the world around him and display incredible power. What’s more, there’s also the potential for flashback scenes of Luke leading his fledgling New Jedi Order, which – until now – we’ve only seen the collapse of.

    Whether Abrams manages to deliver a satisfying conclusion to the Skywalker saga remains to be seen. Either way, Episode IX will surely be a defining moment in the Star Wars franchise.

For more articles like this, take a look at our Star Wars: Episode IX and Lists page.