Star Wars Episode IX - SPOILER THREAD

[DaneMcCloud]

Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker had its premiere last night at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood. Non-Spoiler reviews and Twitter mentions are trickling out and they're overwhelmingly positive.

I'll be seeing the film Thursday night, 6:30pm PST but I'm not sure if I'll have time to post because we're traveling for the holidays, leaving at 4am the next morning. If I can't post Thursday evening, I'll get to it at some point over the weekend, maybe after I've seen it a second time.

It's a Spoiler thread but let's try to keep the real spoilery stuff in the Spoiler Tags through the weekend, just so we don't ruin the movie for someone that accidentally clicks on the thread.

Let's hear it!

[Buehler445]

Originally Posted by Hammock Parties

Say what you want about Star Wars.

I'd **** Daisy Ridley like she was the cure.

[Hammock Parties]

way better than rise of skywalker

Ren should have been a part of the trilogy

https://readcomiconline.to/Comic/Sta...ue-1?id=165066

[Al Bundy]

I thought it was an ok movie. I saw it a second time and what a jumbled mess.

[DaneMcCloud]

This is a much better version of the Treatment synopsis of the Reddit Leak, which has been confirmed as Original by Trevorrow.

Hindsight is 20/20 and all and I'm not sure if this would have made for a "better" film than JJ's but it definitely would have been much different, if not more cogent and coherent.

Spoiler!

The film’s original title is “Star Wars: Duel Of The Fates” and it begins with The First Order having cut off all communication between planets to suppress a rising rebellion inspired by Luke’s stand at the Battle of Crait. The Resistance’s mission is to re-open communication and call the galaxy to war.

The opening sequence of the film is set at the Kuat Shipyards and sees Finn, Rose, and BB8 steal a Star Destroyer full of old Imperial weapons and vehicles. During this heist Finn sees a fallen Stormtrooper without his helmet on and recognizes him. As a result, his internal conflict when it comes to killing his former brothers and sisters in arms is reignited.

Kylo Ren is missing as far as now Chancellor Hux is aware, but a now stubbled Kylo is on Mustafar and haunted by Luke’s force ghost. In Vader’s Temple, Kylo finds a hologram recording of Palpatine with a message for Vader – If Luke kills Palpatine, Vader is to take Luke to the Remnicore System to see Palpatine’s teacher Tor Valum.

The Holocron detects Kylo isn’t Vader and explodes in red lighting, burning him in the process – Leia force senses it just as the Kuat team return with their stolen Star Destroyer. Rey is still having nightmares involving her connection to Kylo, but in her researching Luke’s old Jedi texts she learns of a ‘Force Beacon’ – a hidden communication system from the Old Republic that can send a signal to 50 planets and call them to war – a signal the First Order can’t stop. The problem? Said system is under the Jedi Temple on a now enemy-occupied Coruscant.

Force ghost Luke appears as Rey trains, pushing her to get stronger, while Kylo makes it back to Coruscant and confronts Hux before heading off again after picking up and then throwing Vader’s mask off a balcony – his devotion to the man shattered. He confronts the 7000-year-old Tor Valum and begins training with him.

The Resistance splits into two missions. The first has Rey, Poe and Chewbacca going to the planet Bonadan to find guidance for Rey. The second team is Rose, Finn, R2 and 3PO who set out to activate the force beacon.

The first team, pursued by the Knights of Ren, reach Bonadan where a Seer manages to extract a star chart out of Rey’s mind from her visions with Kylo. The Knights of Ren show up and fight Rey in a lightsaber battle.

The second team succeed at igniting the beacon, but the First Order soon cut it off and force them to flee into Coruscant’s underbelly. The pair are captured and sent to a POW camp where Rose is interrogated by Hux. Eventually, they escape with Finn having recruited defecting Stormtroopers to fight back.

Rey and Kylo eventually get to Mortis and battle when it’s ultimately revealed Kylo killed Rey’s parents at the behest of Snoke. Towards the end attempts are made to save Ben, but are unsuccessful and he is ‘extinguished’.

Leia brings her forces to Coruscant to battle the First Order with fighting in space and on the ground. Chewie flies an X-Wing at one point. The film ends with Finn and Rose taking all the Force-sensitive youth to a remote planet so Rey can train the next generation of Jedi including ‘Broom Boy’.

The other month came reports that Leia’s servant was Rey’s mother in this version of the script, that was immediately debunked as they were from Jack Thorne’s version of the script. Trevorrow exited the project one month after Thorne was hired to rewrite Trevorrow and Connolly’s script.

[Sorry]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

You guys may or may not have seen this but supposedly, the Colin Trevorrow and Derek Connelly's early draft of their Episode IX script was leaked on Reddit. It sounds legit and would have been very, very different from the movie that was eventually made and released.

I'll put it in Spoiler Tags to make it easier to read:

Spoiler!

Trevorrow's draft is from 12.16.16 (a week before Carrie's death)

Title is DUEL OF THE FATES

CRAWL:

The iron grip of the FIRST ORDER has spread to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. Only a few scattered planets remain unoccupied. Traitorous acts are punishable by death.

Determined to suffocate a growing unrest, Supreme Leader KYLO REN has silenced all communication between neighboring systems.

Led by GENERAL LEIA ORGANA, the Resistance has planned a secret mission to prevent their annihilation and forge a path to freedom...

Opens at the Kuat Shipyards (man on a mission-style)

BB-8 and Rose Tico (allegedly a key character in script) are infiltrating Kuat Moon where First Order build their ships (workers are oppressed). There is an orbital ring and moon below it. Finn and Poe are there. No R2/3PO. Rey arrives.

The plan: Send explosive into the power shaft that delivers raw ore into the ring.

Plan goes wrong. (RBM loves dialogue at this moment.) First Order is able to contain blast. Admiral Vaughn says Resistance tactics are "pitful."

Rey disguised as a Tusken Raider is revealed to have created her own weapon (a double-blade lightsaber hybrid of her staff and Luke's cracked saber).

They battle and Poe, Finn, Rose, Rey, and BB-8 STEAL A STAR DESTROYER (Eclipse-class) and escape.

The Knife 9 a ship containing the Knights of Ren arrives a Kuat. Ataska (?) Ren kills Admiral Vaughn for his failure.

CUT TO: CORUSCANT. No longer a vibrant city. "The new structures are built atop the art deco structure of the old republic." Occupied by the First Order now (they have a citadel/palace there). Citizens are scavengers now. Hux is now CHANCELLOR HUX and is addressing Bisc Kova (traitor who helped Resist. steal Star Destroyer.) Kova is executed with a light blade guillotine.

Hux and Commander Selleck have a meeting with several alien war lords (ode to ANH imperial council scene). First Order has allies. They are aware of Rey being the last Jedi. Council wants to know WHERE IS KYLO REN? He is missing. Hux only knows he has gone searching for something of great power.

CUT TO: MUSTAFAR. Kylo Ren is alone, except for a Darth Maul-esque droid. He has stubble indicating search has been for a long time. Ren is being HAUNTED by Luke's force ghost.

Luke: "This is where the dark path leads; an empty tomb." Kylo (retort): "Where did your path lead?"

Luke is trying to convince him to go back to Leia. Kylo: "I'm going to be more powerful than any Jedi...even you."

In Vader's Temple, Kylo finds a Sith Holocron which reveals a hologram of Palpatine. Recording is for Vader. Palpatine has a contingency for Vader if Luke kills him. Vader is to take Luke to the Remnicore (?) System to see TOR VALUM, Master of Sith/Palpatine's Teacher.

After scanning Kylo, the Holocron explodes and releases red lighting which burns Kylo, who screams.

CUT TO: RESISTANCE BASE on KOR-ALAF (?). Leia is introduced as she feels what's happening to Ben. Chewbacca and Lt. Connix tell Leia that the Kuat team is back. They're shocked to see a Star Destroyer (which is landed onto the planet). Funny moment w/ Rey using Mind Trick on First Order officers who were still on the ship.

Rey confides in Finn that she doesn't feel like she has what it takes to be a Jedi and can't live up to everyone's expectations. Finn asks her if she still senses Kylo. Rey confesses she's been having nightmares. Finn asks if it's Kylo. Rey says she can't explain their connection.

Finn: "You have to shut him out. He can't change. It's too late." Rey: "It's never to late to change. You taught me that Finn."

Resistance realizes that the Star Destroyer stills has most of it's weapons (tanks, TIEs, etc). Only missing piece is an army to use it.

Rey researching the Jedi texts from Anch-To discovers that under Coruscant Jedi Temple there is a communication system (called a FORCE BEACON) from the Old Republic that can send a signal to 50 planets. They plan on using it to get allies. First Order can't stop it, since it predates Imperial tech. Rey: "Hope is all we have left."

Force Ghost Luke appears as Rey trains. Luke is pushing Rey to get stronger in the Force, while he is pushing Kylo to let Ben out.

Kylo makes it back to Coruscant. Face is damaged. Mandalorian armor is smelted and is been applied to his face. Confronts Hux and belittles him, saying he doesn't need titles.

Rey to Luke as they train: "Balance? The dark suffocates the light, light extinguishes the dark. Over and over and over again. How is that balance in the force?"

Luke: "I know that anger. My father had it too.'

Rey: "So says my master and his master before him. A thousand masters so eager to tell us how to live."

Rest of exchange between Rey and Luke is basically Rey trying to back away from being a Jedi (she admits she is NO ONE) and Luke trying to convince her (he says the Force is speaking to her).

Back to Kylo. He and Hux continue to snipe at each other. Kylo says he's leaving again, but not before telling Hux the power he discovered will make destroying planets insignificant. Kylo's last order to Hux: "Find the Resistance, wipe them out, leave the girl to me."

TEAM A (Rose, Finn, R2, 3PO): Going to Coruscant to light the beacon.

TEAM B (Rey, Poe, Chewbacca): Going to a planet to find someone to help Rey figure out what she needs to do. (side: Yes, his descrp. is that vague)

Kylo is going to a Sith Planet/Remnicore. EDIT: Before he leaves Coruscant, he takes Vader's mask and says he understands Vader now. Kylo: "You allowed love to cloud your judgement" and he throws Vader's mask off of a balcony and it shatters.

Leia stays at the base overseeing the Resistance.

Before Rey leaves, she and Leia have an exchange were Rey says she believes there's still good in Kylo. Leia is skeptical, but Rey believes in her Jedi Training. Leia: "You're not like my father or my brother. You're new. Whatever happens, remember the force choose you Rey. You're story isn't written by anyone else."

RMB starts summarizing now:

First Order tracks down stolen Star Destroyer to Kor-Alaf. Resistance escapes.

TEAM A successfully infiltrates the Jedi Temple and turn on the beacon. Cut to different places around the galaxy receiving the signal (Bossk cameo). It is then cut off by the First Order. TEAM A then flee into the underbelly of Coruscant.

TEAM B are being pursued by the Knife 9 (Knights of Ren ship) and eventually reach the planet Bonadan.

Kylo reaches Remincore and confronts Tor Valum (7000 yrs old, alien of unknown origin, spindly, intense sinewy muscle -- very Lovecraftian). Kylo begins training with Valum. Ode to ESB Cave scene: Kylo fights Vader. Fight is brutal and Kylo loses.

Bonadan: Poe takes Rey to a Seer who can pull information out of memories. The Seer pulls a star chart out of Rey's mind from her visions w/ Kylo. Knights of Ren show up and fight Rey in a lightsaber battle. She defeats them and TEAM B escapes.

Both Rey and Kylo eventually get to MORTIS.

Leia asks Lando if he will organize the smugglers and fight the First Order.

Rose is captured and tortured by the First Order, but is able to escape.

Finn/R2/3PO start a citizens uprising on Coruscant around the First Order's Citadel/Palace.

Leia brings her forces to Coruscant to battle the FO. Massive space battle, ground battle (ROTJ-style you know the works lol). Chewie flies an X-Wing.

Rey and Kylo battle on Mortis, using force energy that can pull from each other. At some point is revealed Kylo killed Rey's parents at the behest of Snoke. Towards the end, Luke/Obi Wan/Yoda appear as Force Ghosts to save Ben, but are unsuccessful. Ben is "extinguished."

RMB seems to be at the end, so just for house keeping sake - Resistance won, First Order loses.

One final deet: Han Solo did appear in the script and does confront Kylo at some point.

Not terribly better than JJs but better than just killing off Ben. I still would’ve like to see Rey embrace the dark side and Ben end up saving the day

[Sassy Squatch]

That would've flowed better as an ending to this trilogy, I guess.

Spoiler!

Guessing it wasn't given the green light because of Ben not being redeemed?

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by Superturtle

That would've flowed better as an ending to this trilogy, I guess.

Spoiler!

Guessing it wasn't given the green light because of Ben not being redeemed?

First off, my apologies for that awful transcription. I've found a much better version and I'll replace that one shortly.

Secondly, it was a Treatment, which is different than a Rough Draft of a Script, which is how it was (incorrectly) described on Reddit.

A Treatment is more than an Outline but far less than a script. It's basically a collection of ideas about how the story *should* unfold, with Capitalized Words in places. It's kind of weird to read at first, especially someone that's new to the business, and whoever transcribed it from Reddit didn't know how to read and transcribe properly.

From my understanding (this what I was told by Disney insiders) is that Trevorrow's script leaned heavily on Luke & Leia, as he felt they were extremely under-utilized in the first two sequels. He wrote the part about Han appearing to Kylo Ren, which is part of the reason why he and Connelly received Story By Credit. Basically, he wanted the OT heroes to be heroes once again.

Also, Lucasfilm (ahem, KK), was pissed that Poe, Finn & Rey weren't as central to the story and that Kylo's end was "too dark". Apparently, they battled and battled and battled until KK just outright fired Trevorrow, without a plan in place.

Hence, Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker.

[Sassy Squatch]

So Trevorrow actually understood what people wanted from the OT characters, then. Also, killed off your Big Bad in the 2nd movie. If you weren't prepared for the consequences that followed, like potentially making Kylo the actual real main antagonist, DONT ****ING DO THAT!!! God, KK needs to go.

[Sorry]

There should be riots lol

[Red Dawg]

Disney ruined everything.

[Red Dawg]

Palpatine being alive is insanely stupid. He blew up on the Death Star in the middle of outter space.

[Chiefspants]

Originally Posted by Sorry

Not terribly better than JJs but better than just killing off Ben. I still would’ve like to see Rey embrace the dark side and Ben end up saving the day

This outline reads a lot like The Last Jedi in that there IS a potentially great movie there, but a few details need to be culled (like the 7,000,000,000 year old sith lord, who JJ pretty much just replaced with Palps) to make it successful.

They just replace those moments with Ben having visions of Vader on his own and having these insightful conversations with Luke, that could be awesome.

TROS was always going to be cookie cutter fan-service, which is precisely why JJ was hired on.

[DaneMcCloud]

This is supposedly the Final Draft of Trevorrow's script. It's a bit different than the first draft (or Treatment). I don't know if this would have made for a better movie but it seems like it would have been more of a fitting end to the latest trilogy.

And, most importantly (IMO, anyway), it doesn't mess with Anakin's Story Arc in the slightest.

Spoiler!

The Final Trevorrow Draft of Star Wars Episode IX: Duel of the Fates Notes

Crawl: The First Order is everywhere, Ren is on a quest to dig up ancient Dark Side stuff and the Knights of Ren search for Rey. The Resistance plan a secret mission to fire to light the fire of revolution.

BASIC PLOT: the transmission has been jammed and the Resistance can’t communicate. Once the friends steal a cache of weapons from the First Order, they prepare to attack the Capital of the First Order once Rey goes to the Jedi Spire of Osis and sends a message out to get the galaxy to join them in the fight. Kylo is trying to kill Rey so he can finally and full be on the Dark Side.

Opens on a First Order space station in Kuat Orbital — BB-8 is undercover on a mission with Rose. They are working at disabling a security checkpoint for their friends to arrive

There’s an ORIBITAL RING that looms in the sky that destroyers dock into like spikes on a punk bracelet.

On the Kuat moon, Finn is disguised as an alien worker who is under the reign of First Order Stormtroopers. But when he’s getting found out, a robed Poe comes to assist him as they wait for BB-8 to disable the weapons checkpoint. After a close call, they get through.

Rose has been waiting for them for six weeks when Finn and Poe arrive; she tells them her plan on how to plans detonation a chain reaction that will destroy the Orbital Ring — which will include the fleet of new fleet of destroyers. Rose wants them to take out the enemy’s fuel source and be light years away before they know they’ve been hit. Their plan uses BB-8 and they have obstacles, but the bomb doesn’t go off! They’re trapped about to be killed by the Troopers when Rey shows up with a double-lightsaber and saves them — they didn’t know she was following them.

Rey sees the migrant upbringing and want to help with her Force powers, but Poe, Finn, and Rose want her to go with them and follow their plan. She ignores them and goes to help the migrants, but the tie fighters blast at them — Rey has to give up what she wants to do (save the migrants) and escape with her friends for the future good of the galaxy.

There’s an idea that the migrants and kids see that Rey is a Jedi and are reverent of her and the fallen order.

The friends decide to escape on a star destroyer — Poe can fly anything. To get there, they have a ride a turbolift, which is made for droids. The G-force almost crushes their bodies. On the fueling dock, they take a Glide Rover to the Eclipse Destroyer. Admiral Vonn realizes they are getting on an empty Destroyer.

Rey uses the Force to get the crewman on the destroyer to take them to the Nirauan system. They barely get out of the docking station as Poe is struggling to fly the dreadnought. BB-8 has to get to them on his maintenance shuttle. Rey wants to them to get to lightspeed, but it’s risky — yet they pull it off.

Knife 9 is a ship belonging to the Knights of Ren — we are introduced to the Knights, with names and everything. Admiral Vonn gives them an update, but they are placed a location cipher in BB-8 so they can track Rey, then Vonn is killed by them.

On Remicore, we meet an 11 year-old Dade, street-worn and alone, amidst the First Order that patrols this First Order Capital. Chancellor Hux looks down on the city. He tells Lord Gherlid, a disgusted alien, that the Resistance is almost vanquished, but the alien believes the youth are on the verge of revolt.

The aliens talks about how they want the last hope of the Jedi, Rey, to be killed. A Darth Maul-like character, Sollony Ren. With Kylo, gone, Hux and the others have to listen to Sollony Ren.

Kylo travels to Moraband to a Sith temple with ancient statues. Supreme Leader Snoke has him follow a message to find the hologram of Darth Plagueis. Luke shows up as a ghost to tell Kylo that this is the path to an empty hollow tomb — but he doesn’t listen. Opening the holocron, red Force lightning attacks Kylo and the damage spreads across his face.

Rey has a dream that connects her to Kylo; Finn talks to her about it. She’s worried she’s not strong enough, but the children, everyone, believes in her.

Poe is going to park the destroyer on a moon. Rose is dubious.
Poe finds weaponry on the ship, enough TIE fighters, and walkers to take over the Capital.

They call back to the base, but Leia tells them they’re under attack and they lose contact. All of the bases are seemingly being attacked and they can’t get in contact with anyone. Rey tells them they have to go back to the base; they have no choice.

Kylo is on the verge of death when a group of wommels save him and take him to their cave; he’s moved by their selflessness.

Poe, Finn, Rey, and Rose’s stolen TIE-shuttle arrives from lightspeed to a battle on Korilev; where they find the last of the Resistance and C-3PO. The friends put Leia on the Falcon and they blow up the base as they leave, but not before a TIE crashes into a tower and destruction hits. Chewie barely gets Leia onboard

Leia dies after she gives Rey a message — she fades away with the Force.
In the cave, Kylo can feel that his mother passed. The wommels are so kind that they calm his rage.

Meanwhile on the Falcon, they are hit by blasts as they try to get out of there — it’s the Knife 9 ship with the Knights of Ren. Poe pushes the Falcon hard and when they go to warp speed, they leave a trail of fire behind them.

The Falcon crash lands in a frozen ocean — the group deals with rising waters as they sink in the ship and try to survive.
Rey goes back to save the Jedi texts in the drowning Falcon — she uses her blue saber to break through a wall with Finn as they survive.

At Remincore, Kylo is in much worse shape, relying on droids to keep him alive, purple scars and burns. Sollony sees that Kylo found it, their “macguffin’ — the Sith Holocron. Sollony, female, tells Kylo that since he and Rey are both pupils of Luke, he needs to sever this connection to clear his fate to the Dark Side.

Kylo gets a new, more savage mask; closer to Vader.
Meanwhile, on the frozen planet of Wavett, the friends try to survive and Chewie finds a broken-off piece of the radar dish from the Falcon. They can get a transmission for help.

Poe and Finn talk about their complicated admiration for Rey, which ties into their funny relationship as brothers (not romantically).

Angry, Rey beats up a piece of crashed spaceship when Force ghost Luke talks to her. Luke feels that he’s losing her, she believes that she’s no one — so the Last Jedi is dead. Rey believes that Kylo is drawn to the light while Luke believes he can’t be redeemed.

Rey reveals that Leia asked her to end Kylo’s pain. Luke gives her a lightsaber before he disappears. He says she won’t be a Jedi until she faces Kylo.
BB-8 has found a map in the Destroyer proving the First Order knows where all of the resistance bases are. They’re taking them out one by one. The Resistance needs to warn them, but the transmissions are jammed.

REY HAS A NEW GOAL AT THE MIDPOINT: from the Jedi texts, she learned of an old ancient form of communication, before the Old Republic, the Spire of Isis; a sacred chamber to prevent any Sith from using it. Only a Jedi may enter. Rey needs help, but she could maybe find the location of this Spire. Poe knows a Astromancer who helps Jedi, she works with the Space Digger.

Poe wants to fight and head to the Capital to cut off the head of the beast with their arsenal.

They will split up — Rey, Poe, and Chewie will find the Spire, and Finn, and Rose will go to Remicore.

Rey and Kylo have a Force Connection talk; his face has healed — he feels his light (his calling for his mother when she died) and he feels Rey’s darkness.

Poe and friends buy a new ship, the Phantom Hawk from a bearded old man named Fobis, who gives it to them for free because he recognizes Rey. Rey and Finn hug goodbye.

Kylo meets with Hux and is angry that Rey is still alive, he almost kills Hux as he wants Hux to tell the Knights the moment Rey is found. His life depends on it.

Rey uses her Force powers to help them get out of a docking array. Poe tells Rey to dial down her Jedi look and she does. They get to Bonadan where Poe used to live with his grandfather.

The Phantom Hawk arrives in the Capital and Finn wears a disguise. R2 has a code that help them get through to find the underground resistance army.
They come across Dade, the kid from earlier. When they get there it’s empty and troopers attack them. They rush back to the ship as they fight.

Rey gets caught up in a drinking contest with aliens.
Finn fights with a trooper whose helmet comes off and Finn questions him to remember his past before he was taken by the First Order. Finn tells him to get a name and find something worth fighting for.

Poe and Rey get to a den and meet Nomi, a tiny alien who listens to Rey’s wish to find a planet. Nomi says the Jedi will know the destination and there the two will meet, the dark and light. In the vision that Rey is having, she will sacrifice herself to Kylo to save the galaxy.

In the war room, Hux tells Solllony that Finn was seen at the Capital. Kylo approaches and wants to know where Rey is, but Finn won’t tell him. Finn jumps in the darkness to escapes.

Rey can sense that Finn and the others need help; Poe and Rey escape on a Londo Cart through the city area. Then, they sail away on a boat, meet by the Knife 9 ship.

A kid has a Rey doll and Rey does a Force push.
Rey finds the Knights of Ren with the Force and Poe is hit in the arm. REY SHOOTS PURPLE LIGHTNING FROM HER FINGERTIPS, KILLING ONE OF THE KNIGHTS OF REN. Poe and Chewie are taken aback by this.

Rey makes Poe leave with Chewie to go help the Resistance (Finn and Rose). She kisses him to make him do this.

Rey needs to stay to face Kylo and end this. She now goes full Jedi with the robe. She talks to force Luke about her past. Who she really is — Luke says she already knows as she seethes with anger. He explains who the Knights of Ren are, former students of his and that Kylo wanted to be Rey’s teacher. Rey is mad because Kylo lied to her.

Kylo knows he has to go to the spire to meet with Rey and finish her; he can’t let her reach the spire.

Finn is stuck in a sludge, fighting a monster in the sewer when Dade comes to help him. The underground Resistance army is pretty ragged.
Chewie knows they need help, so he leads Poe to a cabaret club to meet with Lando. He gets them to a private lounge after telling Poe he flew with his mother. When Lando turns down the offer to help, Poe tell him that his mother was right about him.

Rose is being tortured by Hux in order to get the signature codes for the dreadnought. She won’t tell them and Hux is ordered to kill her.

Rey flies in the Knife 9 and has subliminal flashbacks when she crashes the ship out of deep space, landing on Osis — she’s made it to the Spire.
Kylo also has a rough landing in the same place.

Finn talks with Dade who reveals there’s a hundred million rustics hiding out, but could fight and that’s what the First Order is afraid of. Finn inspires the room to rise up and resist. His arc is complete from when he was a trooper, then traitor.

Finn was able to help Poe get in contact with Connix and others from the dreadnaught. Poe tells them that they will fly with a hundred pilots and Finn will have a ground game. Rey will get reinforcements once she gets the signal out from the Jedi spire.

In the Osis woods, Rey makes her way to the spire when she gets a flashback of her parents leaving her and telling her they will come back. This makes her angry — she slices a tree in half.

Kylo walks to the spire as well and sees a house and goes inside to find Han Solo, who talks to him about how he has everything he needs with his family; telling him he can always go back and his mother loves him. Flashback of Han killed by Kylo.

At Reminicore, Finn leads a ragtag resistance attack with the underground army, led by Dade. C-3PO and R2-D2 help as well. The trooper Finn talked to earlier has joined them and has a name now, Rafe.

By the spire, Kylo and Rey have a face off. Rey knows he’s in pain and alone. He knows she’s mad about her life on Jakku and blames Kylo for killing her family, but he says it was Snoke. Rey pulls out her double saber. Kylo says that Rey was protected.

Poe gives the next in line command to Dade and Poe goes to fight; in which Poe is instantly outnumbered. They need more pilots!

Hux wants to send out undisciplined mercs to keep the peace.
Sollony sess the holocron and gets the Dark Power and it doesn’t hurt her like it did with Kylo.

Finn inspired the Rustics and they charge the First Order.
Kylo believes that if he kills Rey, there will be no Jedi left. He will control the Force. As they fight, Rey cuts his face and it’s metallic underneath.

The capital gets hit hard with resistance fire; the fact that they have a stolen dreadnought is key to their success.

Chewie in his X-wing with BB-8 crash land, but he did a good job.
Rose escapes and reveals to Finn that the Capital is a ship. BB-8 needs to stop the ship from going into hyperspace.

Ren slashes Rey and after he should he could have been her teacher, he knocks her down and leaves her for dead.

Ren destroys the Jedi temple when ghost Luke shows up to reason with him.

Rey starts to feel something as Luke does a VO about how everyone is connected by the Force. So, Rose and Poe feel something and Finn can sense Rey — a surge of hope.

Rey comes back to fight Ren and he calls her “No One” — she disagrees, no one is no one. They keep fighting.

In the ground fight, C-3PO doesn’t want to leave R2-D2 in battle.
Connix is going to retreat as they are taking heavy fire, but they are saved by Lando and a thousand ships. He came back!

Rey has a chance to kill Kylo, but she doesn’t. She tries to get Ben to come back. She forgives him. He has to make a choice — a different kind of balance.

Sollony shows up and grabs Kylo. She’s too powerful for Rey to fight off. Rey is beaten down, but when the stone debris is about to crush her, Kylo comes in to save her. Rey takes half of her double saber and gives it to Kylo.

Connix tells Poe to do something reckless.

Poe gives Finn a resistance flag when they are reunited and Finn waves it — big character beat.

The oiler crashes on the front steps of the barricade.

Sollony is about to kill Rey, but Ren takes the hit and dies. Then Rey kills Sollony in an rage of necessary darkness. Sollony falls dead.

As he’s dying Ren says that Rey’s name is Solana. Rey Solana. Ren dies.
Almost dead, Rey knows she has to climb the Jedi Spire, clawing her way up.

She enters the Force-based transmissions tower. A lot of stuff moving around Rey with Kyber crystals.

She sends her message out to the galaxy with Rey as a projection, saying her full name. Rey Solana. Telling everyone that hope is not lost.

Bossk is at a den when he sees the projection and wants to join.

Hux learned that they don’t have the ships to attack the Capital because they are tied up elsewhere since Rey sent out the message. They are outnumbered 3 to 1.

Rose is able to escape the Capital before she crashes into the sun.
Finn can tell Rey is alive.

Luke tells Rey that she is a Jedi, but not the last. He will never leave her. Life returns to her.

Rey glows and wonders aloud if she’s dead, but Yoda tells her there is no death with Jedi. But Rey is not finished.

At a ceremony, Chewie gets a special medal. The friends wonder if Rey is really gone.

Lando has a moment with C-3PO about R2-D2 coming back to life and Lando is touched to see a flood of memories that they had.

Finn reads a story to the young kids and they ask if they really think Rey is gone. Finn believes she’s alive because of The Force!

Poe and Chewie are flying and they find a beacon on a planet.

Rey is on the Wavett planet, pulling the Falcon out of the icy water.

Last shot is Rey returning to the Jedi school to teach young kids.

[Chiefspants]

That third act needs a Rogue One Tony Gilroy style re-write, but I'm more excited about the bones of it than I was about any of TROS' storybeats.

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by Chiefspants

That third act needs a Rogue One Tony Gilroy style re-write, but I'm more excited about the bones of it than I was about any of TROS' storybeats.

KK brought in Jack Thorne to polish the script after firing Trevorrow but dumped that version as well, once JJ agreed to write and direct IX. There's no going back now but at the very least, Colin Trevorrow and Derek Connelly wrote a cohesive story that aligned well with TFA & TLJ. Again, I don't know how well it would have been received but it *seems* like a better story in which to conclude the saga.

Really, the bottom line is this: If KK was hell bent on creating a new trilogy with a new cast of characters, the sequels shouldn't have been sequels at all. They should have been new, standalone movies set in the distant future. That way, "proper" stories about Han, Luke & Leia could have been told by either recasting or creating an entirely new storyline for them.

There's no way to do that now...