5 Ways The Rise of Skywalker Did Not Retcon The Last Jedi(And 1 Depending on a Certain Point of View)

The ninth and final movie in the Star Wars Skywalker saga, The Rise of Skywalker, divided Star Wars fans just like its predecessor The Last Jedi.

Some of the fans complaints was that it almost completely ignored the events of The Last Jedi or try to retcon some of the decisions director Rian Johnson made in Episode VIII.

In my eyes, I did not see The Rise of Skywalker as a total retcon of The Last Jedi and if you read below, I have five reasons to back up my theory, plus one that is open for debate.

Rey + Kylo Ren's Connection

The main thread of the sequel trilogy was the connection shared by Rey and Kylo Ren.
In TLJ, Rey and Kylo were able to have conversations even though they were in two different places, thanks to the Force.
This connection or "Force Skype" as Star Wars fans have come to call it continue throughout the early parts of TROS until Kylo reveals to Rey that she is the granddaughter of Emperor Palpatine and that she and Kylo are a force dyad, which means while they are two separate beings, they are one being and possess the same powers when it comes to the Force, plus sense each other's feelings.
This is re-enforced in the final showdown at Exegol when Rey puts her lightsaber behind her back, only to have it end  up with Kylo even though they are in separate rooms.
Poe's Ascension to Resistance Leader

As he watched Luke sacrifice himself to save the resistance at the end of The Last Jedi, Poe Dameron told his Resistance that they would be "the spark that'll light the fire that'll burn the First Order down".
In Rise of Skywalker, Poe is determined to fulfill on his promise as he has become one of the strongest leaders in the Resistance, eventually becoming general and leading the troops for the final battle at Exegol.
But throughout the film, Poe reiterates his determination to burn the First Order down, as he has a heated argument with Rey early in the film saying she is their best warrior and that she shouldn't be wasting her time Jedi training, then denying his old flame Zorii Bliss's request to leave with her by saying "I can't walk out of this war. Not until it's over".
Then there is the final battle when he tells his fellow troops to pull back as it looks like they are outnumbered, a departure from beginning of The Last Jedi when his reckless abandon got Resistance troops killed, believing the battle is lost until Lando arrives with the rest of the cavalry.
The Resistance is Small

By the end of TLJ, the Resistance had been shrunken to almost a dozen people or just enough to fit on the Millenimum Falcon.
When we first see the Resistance, it is still rather small as it seems they have only a few dozen people ready to fight.
A lot of critics believes this goes against the last shot of TLJ where a boy learning about Luke's sacrifice on Crait would inspire the rest of the galaxy to fight against the First Order.
However when Poe and Zorii are talking on Kijimi, Poe talks about how no one answered the Resistance's distress call at the end of TLJ, with Zorii telling Poe that those are who want to fight the First Order but are maybe too scared.
Maybe it was the death of Leia or Lando's persuasion, but the Resistance was able to overwhelm the First Order and turn the tide for a victory at Exegol.
Luke's Way of Thinking

One of the most memorable moments of TORS is when Rey throws her lightsaber into a fire only to have the force ghost of Luke Skywalker catch and tell Rey "A Jedi's weapon deserves more respect".
Many saw this as a contradiction of Luke's first moment in TLJ when he throws the same lightsaber over his head after it was given to him by Rey.
But I see it as Luke embracing his role as a Jedi master to save Rey from making the same mistake as he did when he went into exile after Ben Solo turned to the dark side.
By the end of TLJ, Luke's faith in the Jedi had been restored and his appearance in TROS proves that as he convinces Rey not to give into the fear like he did and it is not her blood that makes who she is but rather her heart and spirit.
Plus, it was an awesome callback to The Empire Strikes Back when he lifts the X-wing out of the water to give to Rey to pilot to Exegol for her final showdown with Palpatine.
Ben Solo's Redemption

Some fans believed that Kylo Ren, the former Ben Solo, was not redeemable, especially after murdering his father in TFA and becoming supreme leader of the First Order by the end of TLJ.
However, Kylo would turn away from the dark side and return to the light side after he sensed his mother calling out to him just before she died.
While some were disappointed in this turn of events, it was foreshadowed in TLJ during a space battle when Kylo sensed his mother on a Resistance ship, but hesitated to fire on it.
This brief moment showed Kylo still loved his mother, but felt because of what he had done and who he had became, he could not be redeemed.
He even told Rey before their lightsaber duel on the remains of the Death Star that "You can't go back to her now. Just like I can't" when he tried to convince Rey that because she was a Palpatine she would not be to able to resist the power of the dark side.
However, Ben is able to turn back the light following Leia's death and a little help from his dad when he tells his son that even though his mother is dead, Ben could honor her by fighting for what she believed in and helping Rey, which he ultimately does.
Okay, those are five definite ways in which TROS did not retcon TLJ.
But this way is debatable but hear me out.
Rey's Heritage

One of the complaints about TLJ was the revealtion that Rey's parents were just junkers who sold her for drinking money and leaving her on the planet Jakku.
Many fans were hoping it would be revealed that Rey would be Luke's daughter or maybe the granddaughter of Obi-Wan Kenobi only to be disappointed she had no connection to any famous Jedi.
But in TROS, Kylo Ren found that Rey's parents sold her to protect her from her grandfather, Emperor Palpatine of finding her and using her for his evil purposes.
While many can see this is as a retcon, there is a scene in TLJ to suggest that might not be the case.
When Luke is giving his first lesson to Rey, she is able to cause a geyser of water to explode and rocks to break, leading Luke to say "I've seen this raw strength once before, in Ben Solo. It didn't scare me then. It does now".
Even though Luke had cut himself off from the Force, did this scene seem to reveal that were some sort of darkness inside Rey?
Luke tells Rey in TORS that Leia, who had not cut herself from the Force, knew that Rey was a Palpatine but trained her anyway because of Rey's spirit and good heart.
Anyway, it is something to ponder about as this article comes to an end.

9 Things I Want To See in Star Wars Episode IX

We are almost a year and a half away from the final chapter of the sequel trilogy in the Star Wars saga, as Episode IX is described as the last chapter in the Skywalker saga.
While that doesn't mean this will be the last time we see Rey, Finn, and Poe Dameron, it means that it bring to a close the story arc of three generations of the Skywalker ranging from patriarch Anakin, who would go on to become Darth Vader, only to be redeemed by his son Luke after years on the dark side, which was followed by Luke's nephew, Ben, turning to the dark side and becoming Kylo Ren.
Anyway, December 20, 2019 can't came soon enough for many Star Wars fans, though they are many who claim they are going to sit the next movie out after the unevenness that was  The Last Jedi,  here are nine suggestions I have for director J.J. Abrams and the rest of the makers to include in Episode IX.
9. Give Rose Something To Do

The character of Rose Tico, played by Kelly Marie Tran, was one of the many problems with The Last Jedi, not because she was an Asian woman, but because she was inconsequential to the plot of the movie until the very end when she saved Finn from certain death in the Battle of Scarif.
Hopefully, Rose will be given an important role in the Resistance's fight against the First Order to give her character something to do rather than just tag along with Finn in a storyline that had no impact.
8. How Does Maz Kanata Know So Much?

Rey's awakening with the Force occurred at the bar owned by Maz Kanata when she came across the lightsaber originally owned by Anakin and Luke Skywalker.
Maz described herself as "no Jedi, but I know the Force" in The Force Awakens, but unfortunately her character was reduced to a cameo in The Last Jedi where she gave information that ended sending Finn and Rose on a wild goose chase.
My hope for Episode IX is that we get to explore Maz's background and how she came into contact with Luke's original lightsaber and if she can mentor Rey in some way now that Luke is part of the Force.
7. A Double-Edged Lightsaber For Rey

With Anakin and Luke's old light saber being destroyed in The Last Jedi, its time for Rey to build herself a new lightsaber, just like Luke did Return of the Jedi.
Rey used a quarterstaff in The Force Awakens and carried with her in The Last Jedi, which gives me and many other Star Wars fans the idea that Rey should have a double-edged lightsaber like the one Darth Maul had in The Phantom Menace.
6. All the droids together in one scene

The sequel trilogy is seen by some as the passing of the torch from the characters of the original trilogy to the new generation and nothing better exemplifies that the droid BB-8 being a major plot point in The Force Awakens and having the most screen time of any of the droids in The Last Jedi.
But I would like to see BB-8 together with C-3P0 and R2-D2 in one sequence in Episode IX because I would think if BB-8 and R2 got together, they would could some form of mischief that would provide a scene of comic relief in the film as Threepio tries his best to get handle on the two droids.
5. Finn and Poe become leaders of the Resistance

By the end of The Last Jedi, Finn risked his life to try and stop the cannon from destroying the Resistance(only to be saved by Rose)while Poe told the remaining members of the Resistance that they would be "the spark that will light the fire that will burn the First Order down".
My hopes for Poe and Finn is not to get together romantically(as some Star Wars fans want)but become true leaders of the Resistance much in the way Luke and Han did in the original trilogy.
That would help complete their character transformations from the beginning of the new trilogy from stormtrooper questioning his purpose(Finn) and reckless X-wing pilot(Poe).
4. Lando Piloting The Millennimum Falcon

Old school Star Wars fans got their wish when it was announced that Billy Dee Williams would be returning to play Lando Calrissian in Episode IX.

Assuming Lando has returned to help the Resistance, I think it is fitting that he pilot the Millennium Falcon in the movie's climatic battle like he did in Return of the Jedi.

Plus, it would bring the Falcon and Lando's story arc full circle as the ship that made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs returns to its original owner.

3. The Knights of Ren

In the vision that she had in The Force Awakens, Rey saw Kylo Ren with a bunch of other lads dressed in costumes know as the Knights of Ren, followers of the Dark Side led by Kylo.
An opportunity to know about these mysterious Knights was missed in The Last Jedi, but maybe we'll get to find if they are the students that followed Ben Solo after Luke tried to kill them and if they have come to power now that Snoke, Kylo Ren's mentor, is dead(at least we think he's dead).
2. Ghost Han Solo

Mark Hamill is confirmed to be in Episode IX as we believe he will show up in the form of a Force Ghost since he told Kylo Ren "See you around, kid" before he became one with the Force at the end of The Last Jedi.
But wouldn't it be cool to see Han Solo show up as a ghost or a figment of Kylo's imagination in Episode IX?
Ford is not supposed to appear in Episode IX as he was killed at the hands of his son in The Force Awakens, but he could show up in a surprise cameo to perhaps haunt his son as maybe Ben becomes conflicted between the dark and light sides as he is set to be the last Skywalker.
1. The Ultimate Lightsaber Duel Between Rey and Kylo Ren

Rey and Kylo Ren have clearly being set up as the primary protagonist and antagonist of this sequel trilogy, so the hope I have for Episode IX is these two engage in the greatest lightsaber duel in the history of the Star Wars franchise.
Their lightsaber duel in Episode VII was very brief but one of the best moments of the film and the two taking down Snoke's guards in Episode VIII was the best moment of that film.
With Rey having gained more experience in using a lightsaber, she should fight Kylo in a lightsaber duel that puts all the lightsaber duels in the previous Star Wars to shame.
Plus, if she has a double-edged lightsaber to go against Kylo's cross-bladed lightsaber, who knows what could happened.

Well, those are the things I hope happens in Star Wars: Episode IX, let me know what you think and if you have any thing you want to see in the final movie of the Skywalker saga.

5 Things The Last Jedi Got Right

Since its release last December, The Last Jedi has been become the most polarizing movie in the history of the Star Wars franchise.

On Rotten Tomatoes, the cumulative score of movie critics give Episode VIII a 91% rating, compared to only a 46% rating from moviegoers, 10 points lower than Attack of the Clones and 13 points lower than The Phantom Menace.

I think the 46% rating is ridiculous as the movie was not as bad as some fans made it out to be.

While the movie did have its problems(Check out my article: 3 Ways That Could Have Made The Last Jedi Better)to me, it is certainly better than Menace and Clones, but it still a far cry from the Original  Trilogy and step down from its predecessor The Force Awakens.

However, there were a few moments and storylines that I liked in The Last Jedi, that I have decided to detail in this article.

BTW, if you have not seen the movie, stop reading now.

With that out of the way, here are five things that I think The Last Jedi got right. 

Rey-Kylo Ren Connection

Throughout the movie, Rey and Kylo Ren are having conversations though the use of the Force even though they are in different places of the galaxy.

This leads to some fiery back-and-forth between the two as Rey scolds Kylo for murdering his father, Han Solo, and Ren trying to convince Rey he is the victim as Luke tried to kill him when he feared the darkness growing in Kylo, who was still Ben Solo at the time.

Eventually, Rey believes she can bring Kylo bring to the light side leading to a confrontation on Supreme Leader Snoke's ship, while Rey confronts Kylo's new master, only to have Kylo betray him and kill him, leading to the best moment of the film when Rey and Kylo kill the rest of Snoke's guards.

For a moment, I actually thought Kylo was going to return to being Ben Solo, but ultimately he decides to remain on the dark side and tries to persuade Rey to join him, only for her to refuse.

What I like about all the stuff with Rey and Kylo Ren(minus Rey getting to see Kylo Ren with his shirt off)is that it sets up that Rey and Kylo are the same and the opposite.

What I mean is they feel they that both grew up alone, with Rey's parents abandoning her while Kylo was sent away by Han and Leia to train with Luke, which gives them a connection, yet there are at opposites end of the spectrum, as Rey clearly is a follower of the light side while Kylo follows the dark side.

All this should set up a dramatic final showdown between the two in Episode IX.

Poe's Story Arc

My favorite character out of this new trilogy as been X-Wing pilot Poe Dameron, played by Oscar Isaac because of his sense of humor and cool bravado.
I loved the opening scene when he tries to distract General Hux and the First Order in order for the Resistance to escape from their base with a prank call to Hux, and then leading a counterattack to blow up a First Order battleship.

However, Dameron's attack leads to a scolding from Princess Leia as his mission led to several deaths on those of the side of the Resistance.
This begins the best storyline out of the movie as Poe learns what means to be a leader during the course of the film as he tries an insurrection when Admiral Holdo(Laura Dean) takes over after Leia goes into a coma.
Then after seeing Holdo's sacrifice to allow the Resistance to evacuate the planet Crait, Poe realizes that sometimes it is important to fight another day when he tells his comrades to abort their attempt to destroy the cannon the First Order was trying to use to destroy what's left of the Resistance.
Finally, when Luke shows up to his sacrifice in order for the Resistance to escape, Poe essentially tells his friends that wars are not with how much destruction you cause to the other side, but with the spirit of the people who believe in what they are fighting for.

This speech completes Poe's transformation from cocky X-Wing pilot to a true leader of the Resistance.
C-3PO being C-3PO

I think the most overlooked aspect of The Last Jedi was the appearance of C-3PO as he once again provide comic relief with his mere presence.
During the opening evacuation scene, Leia tells him "Wipe that nervous expression of your face" then interacts with Poe during his attempted coup by telling Dameron "Sir, I'm almost afraid to ask" to which Poe replies "Good instinct, 3PO, go with that."
Then in the climatic moments where the Resistance tries to escape from the cave in Crait, Poe yells at 3PO to shut up when 3PO tries to the odds of finding an exit(They were 15, 428 to 1 by the way).
It seems C-3PO was used a symbol for the old generation(Luke, Han, Leia) passing the baton to the new generation(Rey, Finn, Poe) and still seems to annoy his friends after all these years.
Hopefully in Episode IX, we'll get to some more banter between 3PO and Poe, and maybe some with Rey and Finn.
The Yoda Cameo

One of the best scenes out of The Last Jedi, was the surprise appearance of Yoda, Luke's former teacher.

While many(including myself)were confused when he was able to destroy the Jedi Temple as a ghost, we were still happy to see him because showed up at the right time to give the kick in the ass that Luke needed after whining all film about his screw-up that made his nephew, Ben, turn to the dark side and decided not to teach Rey, the ways of the Force like Yoda to him.

After one of the funnier moments in the film when he hits Luke with his walking stick, Yoda tells Skywalker "The greatest teacher, failure is" and that he must learn from his mistake and save what's left of the Resistance which leads to the final thing I liked about the film...

Luke's Last Stand

When it appears the Resistance is about to surrender, Luke finally shows up to save the day.

At first, I wonder did he get a haircut and dye job from his trip from Ahch-To(the planet where he was staying in exile)to Crait, until we find out that Luke is just projected himself using the Force.

Still, we get a emotional but brief reunion between brother and sister, as Luke comfrots Leia before going out in front of the First Order's ships where he appears he is going to be oblierated as Kylo Ren orders every ship to fire everything they got on Luke, only to none of it hit him, to which Luke just brushes off his shoulders.

This leads to Kylo coming down to taunt Skywalker,  saying he and the First Order now rule the galaxy to which Skywalker replies that the war is only beginning and that he will not be the Last Jedi.

The confrontation ends with Luke saying "See you around, kid" as his projection disappears and Luke becomes one of the Force on Ahch-To.

While maybe we wanted to see of the greatest lightsaber duels in Star Wars history, what we got instead was a scene reminiscent of the lightsaber duel in the original Star Wars in which Darth Vader talks trash to Obi-Wan Kenobi saying he is the most powerful being in the galaxy only to have Obi-Wan respond that he would be "more powerful than you can possibly imagine" if Vader killed him.

Essentially, Kylo was acting like Vader and Luke acting like Obi-Wan in this confrontation.

Plus, the "See you around, kid" is a great quote because Luke was telling Kylo "I'll be haunting you even though I'm dead".

So those are the five things that I liked about The Last Jedi.

If have any thoughts, please comment and let me know.

3 Ways That Could Have Made The Last Jedi Better

The response to Star Wars: The Last Jedi has been to say at the very least, polarizing, with a number of fans declaring one of the best films of the franchise, while many others calling it the worst entry of the entire Skywalker saga.
While the film had some highlights(Poe's call to Hux at the beginning of the film and Rey and Kylo Ren's beatdown of Snoke's guards), I felt the movie was sloppy at times and that Rian Johnson, who also wrote the film, was in way over his head when it came to Episode VIII of the Skywalker saga.
This backlash has lead many Star Wars fans to say that they will never see another Star Wars movie again.
I didn't think the movie was that bad, but they are some things that I think could have been done better.
Here are three possible solutions that I think could have made The Last Jedi a better movie.
Make Finn + Rose Go Straight To The First Order Ship

My biggest problem with The Last Jedi was the storyline involving Finn and new character Rose having to go a Las Vegas style planet to find a codebreaker(Bencio Del Toro) in hopes of disabling the tracking device on the First Order ship the Supremacy.
The storyline culminates with Del Toro's character betraying Finn and Rose, making their mission a failure and this storyline almost feel like a complete waste of time.
What Johnson could have done is have Finn and Rose try to go straight to the source, the Supremacy, rather than going to Casino Bight, which is the name of the planet they went to find Del Toro, who is ultimately killed and becomes a rather pointless character in the story, but gives him a nice paycheck outside of his Heineken commercials.
I think this way could have better provided more action and mischief as the pair, along with BB-8, prowl through the ship looking for the tracking device while also giving Captain Phasma, the stormtrooper that Finn put in the trash compact in The Force Awakens, in knowing that Finn was abroad the ship a bigger role as she attempted to seek her revenge on the former stormtrooper rather than have her role reduced to like a minute in the final cut.
Or they could have kept the storyline in the movie but instead of meeting Bencio Del Toro, find Lando Calrissian and bring him up back into the fold to help the Resistance.
Give Us A Glimpse of What's Inside the Jedi Books

Another thing Johnson did that seem to aggravate fans was give characters new Force powers like Rey and Kylo Ren being able to communicate to each other even though they were on different planets and Luke being to able to project himself onto another planet without leaving Ahch-To, the planet where Luke imposed himself in self-exile.
I believe what could have helped the audience is have a scene where Rey, who is on Ahch-To trying to bring Luke out of exile and back into the real world while also getting lessons from the Jedi, go to the cave where a collection of Jedi books that Luke is protecting, and reading a snippet from one of these books.
That way maybe we could find out that new powers that Force-sensitive people such as Rey can do without having the audience go "Wait a minute, I didn't you could do that".
Killing Off Leia

This one I wrestled with, but hear me out on this one.
Everybody was saddened by Carrie Fisher's untimely death last year which was a huge loss for those who grew up with Star Wars.
We believe that Fisher will not be used in some shape or form(unused footage or CGI)in Episode IX, so it could have made sense for Johnson to go back and have Leia killed when the bridge of her ship explodes early in the film when is hit by Resistance TIE Fighters.
That way it would have tied up the loose end of having to deal with Leia now that Fisher is no longer with us and plus giving the audience a emotional gut in the punch early in the film.
Also, it could have created more tension between Poe, the badass X-wing pilot played by Oscar Isaac, and Vice Admiral Holdo, played by Laura Dean.
And for those who didn't like the way Luke was portrayed in the film, maybe Leia's death would have made Luke feel that he needs to help the Resistance and help train Rey in the ways of the Jedi.
Instead, Johnson decided to keep all of Fisher's scenes in the film which meant we had to see that the ridiculousness of her pulling herself back to the ship using the Force after floating in space for 15 seconds without having her head explode.
But on the other hand, if she had been killed off at that point then we never would have one of the film's best moments, when she and Luke reunited toward the end of the movie.

Anyways, I'm sure many Star Wars fans have other ways they think The Last Jedi could have been better but those are three things that I think the makers could have done to make Episode VIII a better movie.