Star Wars Episodes VIII & IX
[STAR WARS SPOILERS CONTAINED HEREIN]
Have you ever stumbled onto a theory that sounds so good that it seems it MUST be true? Well... I think my theory for the direction the next two episodes of Star Wars will take sounds pretty solid.
If you'd like to take a few minutes to nerd out with me....read below and share your thoughts... I might have nailed it, I don't know...
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I have sub-theories on who Supreme Leader Snoke and Rey could be, but regardless, the plot-line is set for a showdown between these two. Maz Kanata refers to Snoke/The First Order as a new incarnation of evil. She doesn't say "The Dark Side", she says they are just the new evil. Throughout Episodes 1-6 The Dark Side is synonymous with evil... but I think that's all about to change.
I'd like to propose that all along, the Sith and the Jedis have had wrong views of The Force, and how to properly apply it to achieve their goals. Just as in our own human history, opposing religious factions vilify each other with strong language while adhering to limited and narrow views of how things "should be", the Jedi Order's dogmatic view of the Force limited it to living a hermetic, cerebral and emotionally detached life. They called this the "Light". The Sith sought out the "Dark" qualities of the Force, not because this side was inherently evil, but because it was easy for them to access this side and use for THEIR evil purposes. It's been said that the Dark side isnt necessarily more "powerful", its just more seductive.... I think that's because it allows for a shortcut to the power of the Force. The Jedi have to train their whole lives and have natural giftings in order to use The Light. The Sith are able to find the same powers thru, perhaps, less training.... its an easier path to power.
Anakin was conflicted, and gifted, because unlike the other Jedi, he saw functionality in both sides, and he tapped into the Dark and the Light sides. He was on a path of achieving a "balance" that neither side offered. He was searching for a way to use the Dark side to tap into love, compassion, and other things that weren't necessarily "selfish", but balanced altruism with self-reliance. Unfortunately, before he was able to truly understand both sides of the Force, Darth Sidious manipulated him to the Dark Side fully, which he was using for his own evil purposes. In his manipulation, Sidious threw out some clues to show that the Dark Side wasn't necessarily all evil; "a life of purpose, a life of conscience". Just as some dictators in our own history has deluded themselves to commit horrible acts of violence for the sake of a greater good "peace", the Emperor I think felt he was truly justified in destroying the Jedi and that the Dark Side was the "true nature" of The Force.
I believe the prophecy of Anakin bringing balance to the Force will come thru his bloodline in Rey. Whether Rey is Luke's daughter, Kylo Ren's sister, or another offspring, she is clearly off the charts with her abilities. She's already matched Kylo, who's blood related to Anakin and trained in the Jedi arts, on the first day she discovered she was Force sensitive. We will see her go on to be the most powerful Jedi, and the only one who utlimately has the power to defeat Snoke. Snoke, who's origin's are as of yet unknown, is quite likely Darth Plagueis, the master of Darth Sidious. Sidious said that Plagueis was so powerful that he could "create life" and "cheat death". By this token, couldn't he be powerful enough to have resurrected himself from the dead? We have yet to see resurrection in the universe of Star Wars... but it makes sense that this could be an evolution of The Force. JJ Abrams and Lucas, Im positive, didn't set out to just rehash old ideas (sure, there are plenty of cool bits of nostalgia here and there we'll see throughout the next two episodes), but to introduce an expanded view on what the Force is. This also makes sense in how Lucas is a big follower of Joseph Campbell's "Hero's Journey" as a template for mythology. We've yet to see a "resurrection" in the story on a scale like this... it makes sense to introduce it at this time.
Still following me? In order to defeat Plagueis, a being who has the ability to resurrect himself, it would take more than Force powers or fancy saber work to defeat him. It would take an entirely new understanding of the nature of the Force itself, something Plagueis has missed himself as he's only tapping into The Dark Side. This is where "balance" comes into play. I think that in the next two episodes, Rey is going to flirt with the Dark Side enough to understand its proper application. In Return of the Jedi, it seems like Luke used the Dark Side for a moment in order to conquer Vader, but didn't give in fully too it. Perhaps in a battle with Kylo Ren, she turns to the Dark Side for a moment and defeats him. I believe that it'll be because in that moment she discovers Kylo killed Han, who is her father (the family she was waiting for) and in her anger she kills Kylo. It's for this reason Plagueis selected Kylo as his apprentice; because he wanted to set up a scenario where Kylo kills Han, giving Rey reason to turn to the Dark Side when she kills him in revenge.
It's clear to me that Kylo is being used by Plagueis as a means to get to Rey, she's the prize. He wants her, the most powerfully gifted user of the force to be his apprentice. He's patiently waited a few generations, thru the rule of Sidious as Emperor, for Sidious to be destroyed and Rey to be born, for he himself to return in resurrected form. He's set everything else in play for this moment.... The fall of the Jedi, the rise of Luke to defeat Vader and the Emperor, the training of Kylo Ren and birth of New Order, to bring about a situation where Rey will come to him. With his power of omniscience, I don't think she'd be able to get close enough to him to defeat him unless something unforseeable (to him) happens. I think she'll essentially allow herself to appear "Dark" as a 'sleeper agent' of sorts, then with his guard down she balances herself out with the Light and kills him. The Force will be "balanced" within her in a ying and yang way, completing the prophecy and the ultimate evil will be defeated finally.
With these new revelations about the Force's nature, Episode 9 will end with a satisfying "finality", yet a whole new possibility for future plot-lines will be now open for future episodes.
