it's so frustrating to be someone who was really hardcore reysky in 2015-2017. on one hand, i love that rey is a skywalker and continues anakin's legacy even though they aren't biologically related. i genuinely think that's awesome and rey IS a skywalker. on the other hand, when i rewatch tfa i think it's blantanly clear that rey is meant to be luke's biological daughter and that when they changed directors between the first and second movie they changed the entire plan and i find that really fucking frustrating.
If the Sequel Trilogy followed the narrative of TFA
My hypothetical rewrite of the Sequel Trilogy that would've made it more in line with the original vision of TFA.
Episode VIII would be Shadow Of The Sith
Episode IX would be Children Of The Force
Notice. For the sake of things I will be saying this is a world where Carrie never died.
Rey is Luke's daughter
Leia trains Finn while Luke trains Rey
The force bond is between Rey and Finn, while Kylo Ren wants to break that bond and make Rey dependent on him
The remnants of the New Republic and The Resistance unite to face the First Order and it is now the United Republic.
Big space battles to make it feel like a larger than life war and less low sped chase and stupid yo mama jokes
Reveal that the Knights Of Ren are a mix of the Jedi who followed Kylo Ren and dark side cultists who bowed before Kylo Ren when he killed their leader.
I would keep Rose, but abandon Paige, because I feel like Paige's role could've gone to Jessika Pava. Rose would be the engineer/intelligence officer and Jessika would be her pilot girlfriend
Climax of VIII. Giant space battle over Ach-To lead by Leia and Snoke via Battle Meditation. Leia's will vs Snoke's might. Leia wants to save her brother and Rey, while Snoke wants to snuff out the light.
Kylo Ren and the Knights Of Ren fights Rey, Finn and Luke in the climax of VIII. Kylo cuts Finn's hand off and the Knights have Luke at their mercy and Rey gives herself up to save Luke and her friends
Episode IX is about Luke, Finn and the United Republic to save Rey and ending the First Order
Rey is the tipping point to Kylo Ren's plans to overthrow Snoke. While Snoke plans to turn Rey against Kylo Ren.
Stormtrooper Rebellion is Finn's version of freeing his friends from Jabba, in this case freeing his family and Rose helps him. It ends with Finn decapitating Phasma and thus being known as the Phasma slayer
After this Finn meets his sister Jannah and we'd find that Finn and Jannah are the grandchildren of Mace Windu(there would be canon material for this. Mace Windu lives and is taken care of the very people who he saved during the Clone Wars. He is nursed back to health and feels like he lost his place as a Jedi for failing the chosen one and failing to stop the rise of the Empire, so he goes into exile. He becomes a farmer and falls in love and they start a family. Mace Windu lived to see the end of the Empire and the fall of the Sith and dies in peace.)
Rey, Kylo and the Knights Of Ren would face Snoke. Snoke dies physically but takes over Kylo's body.
Cut out Zorii Bliss and replace her with an undercover Jacen Syndulla and see that he's Poe's boyfriend
Rey and Finn would battle, similarly to Revan and Bastila's fight in KOTOR with the fight being for Finn to freeing Rey from her darkness.
Luke and Leia would confront Snoke. We'd learn that Snoke was Darth Plagueis and overtime he was playing the long game after Palpatine's betrayal. The destruction of both Jedi and Sith Orders and his First and Final Order would reign over the galaxy. Snoke reveals he needed Ben Solo, the heir to Vader and the Skywalker family for his new vessel and if they stop him in his new form, he will just take Rey and teases "maybe I will just force them to create vessels for me". Twisted, but that's what the dark side does to you.
Plagueis reveals that his plan is not only for the extinction of the Jedi, but the death of the force. He wasn't just abducting children for his army. He ordered Hux and Phasma to abduct the force sensitive children around the world and the rebuilding of the Dark Reaper and the force harvesters
To replace his lost army because of the Stormtrooper Rebellion, Plagueis uses the Darkside to create the perfect army to spread his darkness, chaos and disease. The Plague troopers
A battle between the free Stormtroopers and Plagueis' Sith Troopers
Space battle between the Final Order and the United Republic. Lando leading the fight against Hux. Poe and Rose work together to destroy the dark reaper. Rose recreates the Mass Shadow Generator and uses it to destroy the Dark Reaper and Poe lands the final kill shot that destroys Hux's Super Star Destroyer
Finn breaks through to Rey and they embrace in a kiss
Luke, Leia, Rey, Jannah and Finn face Snoklo and the Knights Of Ren
When Plagueis seems to be at a weak point, he drains the life force from the KOR. "Your service is at a end, my fair knights"
Near the end of the fight, Rey and Finn mortally wounds Kylo Ren, thus forcing Plagueis to leave his dying body. Plagueis prepares to take Rey's body, but in his final moments Ben Solo returns and takes Plagueis life force and sacrifices himself to save Rey and his family. He asks Rey and Finn to kill him. In his final moments he tells Luke and Leia that he's sorry for everything. Rey and Finn kills Plagueis and Ben with him while Ben achieves redemption.
A bit of life force of Plagueis survives and still plans to take Rey, but the force ghosts of Anakin, Obi-Wan and Yoda appear and drags Plagueis into the depths of the Force, where every deceased Jedi would ensure his dark essence would never again return to wreak havoc upon the galaxy. There he would experience disembodiment in darkness, perpetual madness as if to always live with an open wound; terror without respite.
Movie ends with Leia being crowned as Queen of the United Republic. The once child soldiers of The First Order become the civilians and soldiers of this New Republic. A ceremony where Poe, Jacen, Rose and Jessika are crowned as heroes of the Republic. Jannah being the first Padawan of the new Jedi Order. A wedding between Rey and Finn and a tease of Rey and Finn as the New Jedi that rises, the Skywalkers.
