My Geek Gals, we must talk…it is serious. It’s April, four months into the year and we still have no TITLE, TEASER TRAILER, POSTER, NOTHING for the upcoming film Star Wars Episode IX, set to open on De. 20, 2019. We are mere months away!
Star Wars Celebration in Chicago This Weekend!
https://tenor.com/embed.jsStar Wars Celebration, a bi-annual convention of all things Star Wars, takes place this weekend April 11-15 in Chicago. At the last celebration in 2017, the teaser trailer for The Last Jedi was presented by Rian Johnson and Kathleen Kennedy.
So, all signs point to the title and teaser being revealed at the Star Wars Episode IX panel at Star Wars Celebration this Friday, April 12. The panel will be led by J.J. Abrams and Kathleen Kennedy and anticipation is building as they should reveal all! And possibly the title could be unveiled before April 11 as to allow for any leaks of toys and licensing products that will also be showcased at Celebration. Merchandising has always been a huge component of Star Wars and this is definitely exhibited at Celebration.
Fan Expectations are HIGH
https://tenor.com/embed.jsDisney is under tremendous pressure to “make good” on this final chapter in the Star Wars Skywalker Saga. Since the release of The Last Jedi, there has been a lot of negative chat on the interwebs from fans dismayed with how Disney has handled the Star Wars Saga since taking over from George Lucas. And there was tremendous backlash over the plot outcomes in The Last Jedi, such as the direction of Luke Skywalker as an embittered hermit, the death of Snoke and continual addition of characters and unnecessary plot threads (ahem, cough… Canto Bight).
So will Disney be able to bring the epic to a satisfying close for fans and critics? Will bringing back Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian help? Will there be closure for Rey and her mysterious parents? The Star Wars story has been beloved for 42 years and it has been confirmed this is the end of the Skywalker story, in particular.
Fake News!
https://tenor.com/embed.jsAs with any movie shrouded in secrecy, speculation and rumors are abound! Everything from Hayden Christensen coming back as an Anakin Force ghost to General Thrawn making an appearance to Rey turning to the dark side. So. Many. Theories. Too many theories!
And yes, a poster was leaked on March 27 and people went bananas because it had the Knights of Ren on it but it also had C-3PO with a bowcaster and Chewbacca looking confused…and it turned out to be photoshopped by a fan site but made its way across the internet. It caused so much commotion and speculation that even Mark Hamill took to Twitter to call the poster a fake!
A Redditor also supposedly leaked what he claimed to be a view of an early storyboard. It contained some bizarre claims, including a love child belonging to Rey and Kylo Ren, an underwater world used for sinister purposes by the First Order and no sign of Luke Skywalker! You can check out his claims here.
So what will ACTUALLY happen in Episode IX?
https://tenor.com/embed.jsThere are so many loose ends that need to be tied up.
How will they handle Carrie Fisher’s absence due to her untimely death in 2016? Lucasfilm has said they won’t use CGI or another actor, but will incorporate unused footage from The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. Her character is still alive and leading remnants of the Resistance. So it remains to be seen how General Organa’s story will be concluded. Mark Hamill has confirmed filming scenes for Episode 9 and so in all likelihood, his role will be as a Force ghost.
And perhaps most controversial is how the relationship between Rey and Kylo Ren will play out. Their relationship has provoked division among the fanbase… so controversial that their own fans, known as “Reylos” have been banned from some fan sites and reddits. Reylos believe that Kylo and Rey will eventually be together and the amount of fan fiction and fan art created on that story line is amazing. And yes, there is some legitimate chemistry between the two characters-definitely in the dramatic throne room fight scene in The Last Jedi — but some fans are concerned because of the abusive and cruel nature that Kylo exhibits. And would protagonist Rey honestly commit to someone that she watched murder Han Solo, his own father, and also countless thousands in the galaxy?
Conclusion
https://tenor.com/embed.jsI don’t know, Geek Gals…I’m not gonna lie, I’m kind of stressed out about Episode 9. I loved Star Wars since I was seven years old and I want a happy ending!! What say you Geek Gals–what do you expect from Episode 9?
Featured image credit: Disney and Lucasfilm
Geek Gals 