Star Wars Episode IX: 3 suggestions based on the latest from J.J. Abrams

With Star Wars Episode IX still in the works, and J.J. Abrams already talking about what he has in mind for the film, let’s point out what we want to see.

There’s no way to get around this, and it’s premature as premature could be, especially considering that Star Wars: The Last Jedi isn’t out yet, but at the same time, when J.J. Abrams has reportedly spoken to fans — and definitely spoken to the BBC, as collected together in one piece by Star Wars News Net — then we feel perfectly fine in taking the very small tidbits there and spinning them out into some potential ideas for Star Wars: Episode IX.

Padmé, please

As SWNN points out, the idea is that the prequels will somehow play a role in how Episode IX concludes the sequel trilogy. Even though common wisdom still dislikes the prequels, there are things to examine about them.

One is the sometimes-neglected Padmé Amidala and some of the thematic ideas she represented. We’ve always wanted more for her. As of late, books like Leia, Princess of Alderaan have obliquely referred to her; she has some Forces of Destiny shorts, too, and the latest trailer for Star Wars Battlefront II has Naboo involved.

If the Star Wars films are about the Skywalkers and their collective legacy, then they should be about Padmé, too, and that’s something the sequel trilogy hasn’t examined as much yet. Yes, Anakin was Darth Vader.

Look, all we want is one of the next generation, Kylo Ren or Rey (if she’s a Skywalker), finding value in Padmé’s ideas of practicality married with idealism and carrying that on from Leia. (We still think the Kylo Ren redemption arc is happening, by the way.)

Keep the love going

One of Abrams’ best decisions when making The Force Awakens was to use some practical effects as a shout-out to the way the original trilogy did things. Not only did it ground the film a little more (which sounds ridiculous for a space opera, but there you go), but it also showed how much care went into the movie. Looking at what Abrams said to the BBC, that idea of loving the work seems quite apparent. Even if things go somewhere we don’t expect, the road will seem smoother if we can see that at least there was effort put into it.

Okay, slightly smoother.

Effort went into the prequels, too.

(One has to balance defense of the prequels with a little snark.)

Follow through

Both the fan account and the BBC interview feature Abrams saying, to paraphrase, that there’s a desire to push Episode IX as a film and story wise as well. The fan post uses the phrase “big surprises”, while the BBC has Abrams saying “we have to take [the Star Wars films] places that they haven’t gone.”

Great, do that. It’s that simple.

Also, don’t call it From His Nap.

Next: Solo: A Star Wars Story is possibly the most boring name in the galaxy

Once we see The Last Jedi, it’ll be a lot easier to discern what we want of Episode IX, but for now, there’s where things seem to be going.