The Sequel Trilogy is about the healing of legacies. It may not feel as connected and compact as the PT and OT in terms of one interlaced story, that being said it is a necessary addition, as most family dramas explore 3 generations of families and a lot of myths and legends usually have some introspection on the legacy of the heroes they follow.
So the ST is about Anakin’s legacy. Kylo Ren/Ben Solo. He is the physical representation of Anakin/Darth Vader’s legacy. We have one side, Anakin/Ben, pulling him the to the light and Vader/Kylo Ren keeping him on the darkside. He is the literal representation of Anakin/Darth Vader on a much more dynamic scale… Ultimately it’s the Anakin side of him that wins and with it, comes the healing of Anakin’s original sin, saving the one you love from dying, which he ultimately does as the last sacrificial act of the Skywalkers. This also completes the “Jesus” arc that George set up for the Skywalkers:
Anakin is the Chosen One born of no father
Luke is the redeemer
Ben is the resurrector
The ST is about Palpatine’s legacy. Rey Palpatine Skywalker. She starts off the trilogy amongst the old, rotting ruins of the old Empire, much like her grandfather literally is at the time. We see her struggle with the darkside, though through Luke’s heroic legacy inspiring her, Leia training her and her connection to Ben Solo, she’s kept on the light path until she ultimately rejects her lineage completely. The Skywalkers are the ultimate redeeming family and that is only solidified after the ST has them redeeming the Palpatine line, the last piece of the redemption puzzle, redeeming their mortal enemy’s line so much so she takes the Skywalker name to honor them and continues the Jedi because of them.
The ST is about Luke’s legacy. Luke in the OT is not the ultimate representation of light that people seem to think he was. Luke was very much a dynamic character who had struggles with the darkside while trying to keep the light for no other reason than he wants to be light. But that still doesn’t negate his struggles nor does it rid them when he defies the Emperor. Throughout the OT, Luke is the personification of the both halves of light and dark, and so we next find Luke in the most extreme example of this… Purgatory, Limbo, Avalon… He’s as gray as gray can get (Lucas’ version of gray, not “gray Jedi” nonsense). He’s disconnected from the force and removed himself from the galaxy, believing the Legacy of the Jedi is ultimately failure, something the OT does not overtly address (The failings of the Jedi in the PT, I mean). We learn that while the Jedi were ultimately lost, their legacy was heroism and that heroism inspired him to do great, mythical things for which the Galaxy at large still seems him as a hero for.
The final piece of the puzzle here is the Jedi legacy at large. Now I did address it in Luke’s paragraph, but it also pertains to how the Jedi will continue. They’re reformed in this trilogy. Brought back to their original roots thanks to Luke finding the Sacred Texts… The formulaic, rigid structuring of the Jedi Order will change. The dogma will change… Palpatine’s return shows the first large task of the new Jedi, the task that is the most important to the Order, guarding the force. Anakin was the one who balanced it. Now Rey and Ben are the ones trying to keep it in balance… They are guardians of the balance, showcased literally by Rey having a gold saber, much like the Temple Guards used to wield…
Thank you for coming to my Ewok Talk
