Get Reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeekt!
So now that we have all of the ranting and raving of the movie out of the way, what could have possibly been done to make a movie that fits in with the lore while pushing the franchise forward? Putting aside the prequels, I have to state one undeniable fact: Star Wars is going to make billions no matter what happens because of the brand. Therefore, how do we get an audience emotionally involved?
1. Skip All That First Order Garbage.
Imagine having freaks like these guys coming after the heroes.
Even though it would be at the expense of iconic imagery, we don’t really need to see the First Order or any remnants of the former Empire in the story. The Rebels are victorious, so turning the franchise into a repeat of historical events just seems like lazy writing. Still, how would you get everyone into the story without a villain? That seems pretty stupid in itself, doesn’t it?
It’s simple. Make one invade from outside of the known galaxy.
The New Jedi Order had something like that called the Yuuzhan Vong. They were an enemy that relied on biologically engineered technology, but there was one thing that was strange and almost terrifying about them: The Force didn’t work all that well on them. They couldn’t be mind tricked, telekinetic powers just made them stumble, and they could easily get the drop on a Jedi because they were undetectable unless you were looking for them.
Now, we don’t want to make an exact copy of them because we’d just turn into Kathleen Kennedy, but imagine the possibilities. The Jedi can’t protect people against them? What the hell are we gonna do?! They are coming through and overwhelming everyone through sheer force? There has to be a plan right?! It adds a lot more tension to things than having the not-Rebellion blowing up the not-Empire’s base.
2. The Force Awakens… In Everyone.
Similar, but different.
Imagine if we keep the basic premise of The Force Awakens, throw out the Starkiller, and keep the basic conflict between the Republic and the First Order largely intact. There is just one other change that would incite total chaos across the galaxy.
Huge numbers of people learn that they are able to harness the Force.
I liken it to Operation Paperclip in that Kylo and Luke would be running across the galaxy, attempting to grab as many people as they can before things go horribly wrong in order to get an edge in the Cold War. Of course, you could also include a certain number of individuals that are effectively horrible people that have turned to the Dark Side or Light Side, but wish to either stay away from the conflict or carve out a piece of the galaxy for themselves. The Republic is weakened, it’s a race against time, and the constraints of making a copy of the old movies would be totally removed.
3. Have Kylo Go Home With Han.
At least, we would be able to take him seriously.
It may not have given Harrison Ford the death that he wanted, but an interesting concept that would have opened up the story would be to have Kylo turn away from the Dark Side at the end of the movie. Why? It would be a question of how he could make amends and find peace in himself in a way that Anakin Skywalker never could. There would be an interesting comparison between Ben and Rey, where the latter makes her journey to become a hero and the former tries to claw his way back to what that even means.
You could even make Kylo be a bit reckless in future installments, but that’s another story for another time.
4. Get M.A.D.
This would be epic.
The idea of a Cold War is something that is new to Star Wars, so why not amp up the comparisons and make it seem a little bit like a confrontation between superpowers? Sure, the First Order has the resources to construct a Starkiller, but an elegant twist would be to allow the Republic to construct one of their own. This is a storyline that would open up a whole range of dilemmas, but it would provide a great excuse for the idea of a proxy war that was presented in the story that we got.
You could have pro-First Order groups fighting inside of Republic territory, while the Resistance is making their own strikes. Battles are raging across the galaxy while both central governments are funding their respective sides, avoiding a direct confrontation. There also may be areas of divided loyalty where there a direct intervention is required, such as Jakku.
Conclusion
In the end, we need a deeper meaning to the entertainment that we seek out. If we are stuck with the scraps of a glorious past, then there isn’t much to feel great about, is there? Sure, you could pick this movie apart for a whole bunch of reasons, but in the end, The Force Awakens suffers because it failed to connect the dots and make us proud to follow a new generation of heroes. It did not show us a glorious and chaotic future that we could be proud to be a part of, but a universe that seems doomed to recall the demons of the past over and over again until its’ ultimate destruction.
No Comments Yet