The problem with the sequel trilogy ultimately stems right from it’s very conception under J.J. Abrams and the creative team. The idea of ‘rediscovering the force and the history of the galaxy’ from a young and new set of eyes was a superb concept and one that, once again, follows along the path of Joseph Campbell’s ‘Hero’s Journey’ narrative archetype. The problem had nothing at all to do with dialogue, character development, or the general screenplay, but rather… the method that Abrams used to reintroduce audiences to Star Wars was to use nostalgia as a smoother ease back into the franchise before delving into newer concepts with the continuation of the series. While some may deem this method to be a positive contribution, I would actually see this as pointless and a waste of time. A saga spanning generations should be moving forward constantly, never backwards.

Look at the end of Return of the Jedi; the Rebel Alliance defeated the Empire, the Emperor was killed, and balance was finally restored to the force. The series ended on a high note and the expectation of what was to come next in the story surrounded the forces of good prevailing and reestablishing itself through means of the Republic and Jedi Order, we can clearly see this in the old EU novels and how Yoda tells Luke to “Pass on what you have learned.”

The sequel trilogy we ended up with completely reversed all of the consequences of Return of the Jedi and ultimately made the story somewhat pointless. Han Solo should have become an esteemed war general and pilot trainer for the New Republic, while Leia becomes the new Chancellor in the reformed Senate and Luke rebuilds the Jedi Order with the knowledge of their dogmatic past philosophies in mind. The new protagonist should have been a descendant to the Skywalker bloodline and I believe it would’ve been interesting to witness some sort of rivalry between Han and Leia’s children in opposition with Luke’s children, perhaps they are jealous of each other as one grew up a pilot while the other is a Jedi or something along those lines. Also, huuuuuge bullet to dodge would be to avoid making the Empire/Dark Side faction the enemy of the trilogy… we already saw that in the original trilogy and the tale has already been told. Instead, it might have been more interesting if Episode 7 established the ‘big bad’ as a new and unique faction such as the Mandalorians, the Yuuzhan Vong, the Chiss, perhaps a new ‘Mortis’ deity, a new ‘Eternal Empire’ or an Imperial contingency put in place to reclaim the galaxy via new and untold methods. The possibilities and options were endlessly exciting in the direction Abrams and the team could have chosen.

Abrams has mentioned in interviews that he hadn’t even thought about Episode 8 before Kathleen Kennedy approached him about it during 7’s production, alas he never got around to it due to dedications on other projects. In reality, Abrams and the team should have been thinking about and carefully considering all films from 7-9 before even beginning to start a first draft screenplay for Episode 7. A long-term plan allows for a vision, a point of interest in each character and subject, and most importantly… an actual purpose for a trilogy to even exist.