With it being four months after the release of the record-breaking, X-Wing flying flick, "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," fans have come out with their support wanting more and demanding many things to happen in the next film of this new trilogy. Living in this new generation of "Star Wars" is exciting and having that constant wonder of what may happen next is a fan boy's dream.
After watching "The Force Awakens," I fell in love with the characters, the look, and the pure heart I felt when I first watched it as a kid. As many times as I watched in theaters, I walked away every time just simply satisfied with what I watched. So much happened in this film and even though I walked away satisfied I still had that curious itch of what may come next. So here is what's needed in the next chapter of the series.
1. "Hello, Luke, My Old Friend."
I was as speechless as Luke when he first appeared on screen in "The Force Awakens." "Episode VIII" needs Luke to be a Obi-Wan/Yoda type figure. He needs to have a huge role in this film that gives fans a new look at Luke- not the farm boy turned Jedi that fans are used to, but the older and wiser Luke that has seen some unspeakable things. It has been 30 years since we have seen Luke in action. We need him to face off against The First Order, confront his old student, and Ignite the green light saber and go to work on some First Order.
2. Rey's parents are....
See, with all of the speculation and theories about Rey being a Skywalker just makes it hard to believe. "Episode VIII" should differentiate itself from the original trilogy. The shock and reveal of Vader being Luke's father was something that really made people jump out of their seats. Rey's origin should be told just to give the character some backstory and to give audiences an answer. Personally, I think it may be best to give Rey her own unique back story just to stay away from the possibility of copying "Empire Strikes Back" and give the audiences something shocking to talk about. This character is someone to admire and is in my own personal list of favorite Star Wars characters. Rey, if you are the child of Jar Jar Binks .(however that may work), we will still love you.
3. Poe Dameron and The Resistance Fighters
"I can fly anything." Poe Dameron was a fantastic addition to the Star Wars universe. The guy is charming, tough, and he is the best pilot in the resistance. Oscar Isaac knocked every scene out of the ballpark. The whole concept of the resistance being this new generation's rebels is fascinating, and having Poe as the face of it makes it even more enjoyable. "Episode VIII" needs to make the troops and resistance bigger and give them a huge part in the film to show how the soldiers the old generation knew have evolved into something different and much bigger. It would be nice to see the troops and Poe closer on the battlefield and in the sky to deepen their "soldier" feel and show the battle brewing between the good side (Resistance) and the bad side (First Order).
4. Kylo Ren and The First Order
The First Order is the offspring of The Empire. The difference being that these new troopers don't miss (kidding- of course they miss). The first order was very intimidating on screen and seem to be more powerful than The Empire ever was. The three badies who are the face give the intimidation factor a whole new meaning. Captain Phasma, General Hux, and Kylo Ren all posses these identities that just scream intimidating. The next chapter in the trilogy needs to give the fans even more of that. Since Kylo Ren was shown to be a Solo it would be nice to see how his training turns out after it is complete from Snoke and see how he evolves as a leader and as a character. Captain Phasma should also be introduced in the sequel with more depth to her character. "Episode VIII" needs to show the character in some action sequences with more dialogue, basically giving her some sort of development so fans can see her true colors as a Captain and develop some kind of feud between her and Finn since, after all, he is a traitor in her eyes (and he shoved her down a trash compactor.) General Hux is the new Tarkin, only now he is more aggressive and passionate toward the organization he is apart of. Hux needs more power and it wouldn't be a bad idea to maybe give him a little action scene where he punches or shoots someone just to show that General Hux doesn't mess around.
5. The Droids We've Been Looking For
BB-8 was such a fun addition to the Saga- a new droid for a new generation. Seeing him on screen and how he interacted with everything was simply amazing. Episode VIII needs all three of the iconic droids together and interacting with one another. It would be funny seeing R2-D2 and BB-8 being complete jerks to 3PO. The droids are so iconic on their own it would be a change from just seeing the two like we have in years past, to seeing a new member of the group interacting and being simply natural with his counterparts. Episode VIII needs to give the fans and audience members a break from drama and action and show these droids simply being themselves. It would give the audience a tone change and a little comedic relief from what may or may not change the Star Wars universe.
December 15, 2017 is when this next space drama will unfold and like many fans I am beyond ready. Thanks for reading and I hope all of you fans out there enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it!
Remember kids, the force will be with you, always.
