Star Wars VIII: The Last Jedi is the second installment in the third trilogy of nine mainstream Star Wars movies that started back in 1977 with Episode IV: A New Hope. Back then, there was no such thing as CGI or 3D. So filmmaker George Lucas invented technology to make his vision come to life. His films were groundbreaking and laid the foundation for some of the greatest advances in cinema. Episodes IV, V, and VI were movies that changed how movies are made. They were ahead of their time and still hold up forty years later. In 1999, Lucas went back to tell us how it all began with Episode I: The Phantom Menace. CGI technology had come a long way, but it wasn't perfect. For his original trilogy, Lucas invented new technology to create what he saw in his mind. He received heavy criticism for Episode I as he seemed instead to settle for what technology was available at the time. He listened to the critics and scaled it back for Episode III, but it still lacked what made the original trilogy so special. In 2015, JJ Abrams and Disney joined forces (pun intended) to release Episode VII: The Force Awakens and it was the perfect blend of technology versus actual characters and actual props. Episode VIII continues Rey's (Daisy Ridley) Jedi training with Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill).
Rather than talk too much about Episode VIII, I want to draw some parallels between the 7 that are already out there. Some people criticized Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) for being too weak and whiny. But look at how Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd and Hayden Christensen) and Luke both started out. It seems that the whinier you are as a juvenile, the stronger Jedi you will eventually become.
In Episode I, we meet young Anakin Skywalker. He's a whiny boy but the force is strong in him. Qui-Gon Jin (Liam Neeson) takes him under his wing to begin Jedi training, against the advice of the council. The movie ends with a pod race that Anakin wins and is rewarded at a trophy ceremony. In Episode IV, we meet young Luke Skywalker. He's a whiny boy but the force is strong in him. Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness) takes him under his wing to begin Jedi training, against the advice of Yoda. The movie ends with Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Luke saving Princess Leah and they are rewarded at a medal ceremony. Episode VII introduces us to Rey. She's not whiny, but she's alone and the force is inexplicably strong within her. She joins the fight with the Rebellion. While there is no trophy ceremony, she is the one who ultimately finds the long lost Luke Skywalker and presents him with his own light saber.
In Episode II, Anakin's training is progressing rapidly. It is revealed that Senator Palpatin is really the dark Sith Lord they've been looking for and he begins to tempt Anakin with the power of the dark side. During a battle with Count Dooku, Anakin loses his hand. The movie ends with Anakin's arm and prosthetic hand around Padme (Natalie Portman) with C3PO and R2-D2 at their side. In Episode V, Luke's training is progressing rapidly. It is revealed the Darth Vader is actually Luke's father as he begins to try to seduce Luke to the dark side. During a battle with Vader, Luke loses his hand. The movie ends with Luke's arm and prosthetic hand around Leah (Carrie Fisher) with C3PO and R2-D2 at their side. Both movies begin to take a darker turn from their lighter predecessor preparing us for the darkest third installment of Return of the Jedi and Revenge of the Sith. Ironically, the original working title for Episode VI was Revenge of the Jedi, but Lucas changed it to Return because a Jedi does not seek revenge. That is a characteristic of the dark side, hence Revenge of the Sith.
In Episode III, there are three major battles at the end of the movie. On land, the Gungans are fighting with the Rebels against the battle droids. And Yoda fights against Emperor Sidious. And Anakin goes toe-to-toe with his mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor). Obi-Wan wins and Anakin is transformed into Darth Vader. In Episode VI, there are three major battles at the end of the movie. On land, the Ewoks are fighting with the Storm Troopers trying to help Han and Leah take down the Death Star's protective shield. In space, Lando (Billy Dee Williams) leads a battle against the Empire's fleet to take down the Death Star. And Luke fights against Darth Vader. This time Luke wins, with the aid of his father against the Emperor as Luke has successfully brought Anakin back from the dark side.
So, if history repeats itself a third time, there should be some similarities in the newly released Star Wars VIII: The Last Jedi. Rey's training should progress rapidly. There should be a surprising reveal. The previews lead us to believe there could be some darkness in Luke. It could also be in the revealing of who the holographic dark lord Snoke really is. Kylo Ren will grow more powerful as he is increasingly agitated with the struggle inside himself. It will be darker than Episode VII: The Force Awakens, but not nearly as dark as Episode IX will be in two more years. JJ Abrams is not directing The Last Jedi, but has handed over the reigns to a fairly new director Rian Johnson who's most notable works are a few episodes of Breaking Bad and the Sci-Fi movie Looper. But, from the previews, Johnson looks like he is more than up for the challenge. I gave Episode VII a rare perfect 5 Star rating. I'm expecting the same perfection, so I'm going to go ahead and predict a 5 Star follow-up for Episode VIII: The Last Jedi. Am I right? We shall see.
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