This weekend, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the most anticipated movie in years, was finally released. And while JJ Abrams’ take on the franchise is a satisfying adventure on its own, in many ways it feels like set-up for what’s to come, stoking the fires of anticipation for the rest of the trilogy. The ending is almost cruel in how it teases us, making Episode VIII’s May 2017 release seem that much further away. Here are ten things to look forward to from episode VIII. This listicle contains nuclear, satanic spoilers for The Force Awakens. You have been warned.
-Anthony Calamunci
1. Rey and Luke – TFA’s aforementioned “cruel ending” has Rey finally meeting Luke for the first time, presenting him with Anakin’s lightsaber. The prospect of seeing the two interact is exciting, to say the least. One imagines that Luke will train Rey in the ways of the force, just as Yoda taught him. How has Luke changed over the years? What is he doing by himself on that mysterious planet?
2. Rey’s backstory – One of the many things that TFA has on the prequels is that it moves. The film is very fast-paced without giving us much room to breathe. It’s all forward-momentum and little-to-no exposition. Naturally, this is very exciting to watch. However, it comes at the expense of some perhaps helpful or interesting backstory. Who exactly is Rey waiting for at the start of the movie? Why did they leave? This sort of information would give us more insight into her character and make her arc more resonant. Perhaps this will come out in the next film.
3. Leia’s arc – The most seismic event in TFA in undoubtedly the death of Han Solo, one of the franchise’s most beloved characters. How will Leia deal with this? Likely it will provide further motivation to bring down the First Order. Also, how will this impact her feelings on her son Kylo Ren? Is there any hope that the two can salvage their relationship now?
4. Kylo Ren’s arc – Ren’s fate is left hanging in the balance at the end of TFA, with him being gravely injured in his lightsaber fight with Rey. Ren is perhaps the most fascinating new character in the film and it seems unlikely that he would be killed off this early in the trilogy. I imagine that by the end of the trilogy he will turn away from the dark side, but who knows? And how will his act towards the end of the film impact his development?
5. The First Order’s plans made clear – The larger plan of the First Order beyond “destroy the Jedi!” isn’t really clear in I am eager to see more about their goals and larger philosophy in the sequel, and what it is exactly that separates these guys from the Empire that came before them. Who is Snoke? What does he want?
6. Boba Fett? Lando? – TFA saw the return of most of the beloved characters from the original trilogy. The two big exceptions are of course Lando Calrissian and Boba Fett. Lando was still alive at the end of Return of the Jedi, and Boba Fett’s fate is uncertain, so it seems unlikely they won’t return. However, there has been talk of a Boba Fett standalone movie, so maybe they’ll wait for that to bring back the iconic character.
7. Empire Strikes Back homage – In many ways, TFA harkens back to the original Star Wars (I will never call it “A New Hope”), so it seems that they might opt to do something similar with the next film and Empire (considered by many fans to be the best in the series). This means heightened stakes, a darker tone, and more emotional intensity.
9. Benicio del Toro as the villain – The excellent Benicio del Toro has reportedly been cast as the villain of the next film. One of TFA’s strongest assets is its casting, which is outstanding across the board. There’s no reason that shouldn’t continue in the sequel. Del Toro is a fascinating choice and I am eager to see what he does with the part.
10. Anything could happen – At the end of the day, we really don’t know much of anything about Episode VIII. The marketing of TFA kept spoilers to a minimum and I am confident that Disney will opt for the same strategy going into the next film. I’m excited to see whatever happens next. At least we get Rogue One next year to tide us over.