Star Wars fans accused J.J. Abrams of playing it too safe in The Force Awakens, but this will no longer be an issue in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, because for the trilogy capper, he's doing the opposite.
For the final film in the trilogy to end the nine-film saga, Abrams revealed to Vanity Fair, where new images and details about the film were revealed, that he has a very different approach.
"Working on nine, I found myself approaching it slightly differently. Which is to say that, on seven, I felt beholden to Star Wars in a way that was interesting—I was doing what to the best of my ability I felt Star Wars should be," he explained.
"It felt slightly more renegade; it felt slightly more like, you know, F*** it. I'm going to do the thing that feels right because it does, not because it adheres to something," he went on to say.
Abrams went so far as to say that he is willing to take some huge risks inspired by the boldness that Rian Johnson showed in writing and directing Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
He points out that the sequel trilogy is about this new young generation who are left "to deal with all the debt that has come before." Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will delve into the burden of what the previous generation has done.
"And it's the sins of the father, and it's the wisdom and the accomplishments of those who did great things, but it's also those who committed atrocities, and the idea that this group is up against this unspeakable evil and are they prepared? Are they ready? What have they learned from before? It's less about grandeur. It's less about restoring an old age. It's more about preserving a sense of freedom and not being one of the oppressed," he mused.
This would explain why Emperor Palpatine is making a comeback and Rey and the heroes are seen looking at the remains of the Death Star at what appears to be Endor in the teaser trailer.
What do you think of Abrams' approach for the film?
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hits theaters December.
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