u/Alhbaz98

I’m going to attempt to elaborate on how these plot threads are both retconning the Sequels (I mean that in a positive sense of providing added context) and setting up the post Sequel storyline.

Baylan’s aim:
The Ahsoka Season 2 trailer seems to normalize the idea of fallen Jedi inasmuch not all Jedi who fall become Sith. I would guess the Jedi that Ahsoka and Anakin face in the forest is another fallen Jedi doing something sinister at the behest of Count Dooku like Quinlan Voss and Pong Krell. This sets up Baylan’s motivations as a corrupt Jedi where Anakin mentions Baylan claimed knowledge of a power that could end wars. It’s assumed that Anakin and Baylan simply knew each other as Jedi but the question is how? My suspicion is that they knew each other as mutual friends of one Chancellor Palpatine. Baylan would have never mentioned such delusions of grandeur in front of the council but would have confided in Anakin and especially Palpatine. If Baylan claimed to have knowledge of this power than how much more would Palpatine have already been aware of such power and coveted it. In the Aftermath novels, it is confirmed Palpatine was in search of this power beyond the known regions of the galaxy that he believed was the source of his power. Therefore whatever Baylan is searching for and whatever Palpatine would still be searching for is the same thing. What is this thing? Abeloth is an interesting theory nevertheless narratively she would weaken Palpatine’s role as the big bad of this time period which narratively needs to be strengthened and reinforced. We also don’t really have evidence of her existence in canon. I think the simpler answer that the Acolyte sets up is that the power Baylan and Palpatine are after is a vergeance with the power of eternal life. This vergeance is connected both with the power of the Mortis gods and the Force Dyad. Therefore, Palpatine is using Baylan to grant him access to this power.

Regarding Thrawn’s war we know from Mandalorian Season 3 that Palpatine is using Thrawn to distract the New Republic from Brendol Hux’s Project Necromancer. I wrote in another post titled “Supreme Leader Hux: The Fulfillment of Project Necromancer” that Brendol’s son Armitage is the successful clone of Palpatine that Brendol is hiding and abusing to strengthen his connection to both the darkside and his other daddy Sheev. In this view, Armitage was no mere simple General but was the hidden Sith Lord playing both sides of the First Order-Resistance War so he can rise to power in the events of the post-Sequel stories. Nevertheless, in the context of this story Thrawn creates chaos, feeds the military industrial complex, and force the New Republic to compromise on democratic norms while Brendol creates what will become the First Order and grooms his son to lead it.

So on Peridea we get the spiritual while in the known galaxy we see the political. We also see as in both canon and legends that Palpatine is willing to use corrupted Jedi, not just Sith apprentices to meet his goals. He’s using Baylan to gain access to that sweet sweet unlimited power while he is using Thrawn to ensure that his precious baby boy grows up outside the watchful eye of the New Republic. Once again Palpatine is using chaos and a wide variety of servants to return to power with a new empire more vile than the last. Ahsoka Season 2 is also normalizing the idea of non Sith fallen Jedi being servants of the Sith. This is not new lore but often overlooked in the context of the lore. This sets up the conflict for the post Sequel trilogy’s “Protestant reformation in space” as Damon Lindelof put it normalizing the idea that not all Jedi are good and many will work for the Sith for their own ambition. Ahsoka Season 2 is reinforcing that the New Republic is a weak government that can’t keep healthy levels of order and failed to completely dismantle Imperial institutions which will allow the First Order to rise to destabilize it. Though the First Order’s coup ultimately failed history teaches us that fascist coups are usually just the beginning not the end of a fascist movement. Governments with weak democratic institutions like the New Republic often become increasingly authoritarian to compensate and after a near death experience like the Hosnian Cataclysm I’d expect them to return from their hiatus as a police state that will rise in the power vacuum. History also teaches us to never underestimate fascist politicians like Armitage Hux who seem ridiculous and powerless on the surface but beneath the surface are the devil incarnate. I wouldn’t presume that he died in TROS with his body not shown to be dead like Snoke’s and I am of the opinion that he is a Sith that will rise to power like his father before him.

On the Chimaera after nearly executing a perfectly planned battle having outplayed Hera, Ezra, and Ackbar with the battle virtually won that would deal a crushing blow to the New Republic. Though there was one factor he could never account for, Ben Solo, the grandson of Anakin Skywalker, piloting the falcon at 10 years old blows up the Chimaera. All these events being carefully orchestrated by Snoke to create a power vacuum in the Imperial Remnant to exploit and to prepare a new apprentice for himself while Ben Solo gets his coming of age story before joining the Jedi Order.

I have spoken.

This is an introduction of a series of posts I hope to make that are character studies of Sequel characters I think will play a large role in the next trilogy. The main characters, besides the younger new characters through whose lens and point of view we will see the older characters through, I believe will be a mythic force triad. You’re probably wondering triad? I thought it was a Dyad? My response to that is yes. The Dyad is actually part of a Triad and we have already seen the Triad in the Sequel trilogy but our third character operated off screen. That third character is none other than Ahsoka Tano. Wait Ahsoka Tano? You mean the Clone Wars character who would be really old by the Sequels and is presumed to have died by then. Yes, yes, and yes. I could bore you with lore reasons as to why she could be around. Regarding that all I will say is that alien Jedi typically have much longer lifespans than their human counterparts. In other words, it would not at all break canon for Ahsoka to appear as being only slightly older than Ben by the time of the 15 year time jump between trilogies despite their huge age gap just as Rosario Dawson is only slightly older than Adam Driver making the casting align perfectly for this plot line. Now you’re probably wondering where is my evidence for this and I got you.

Two is powerful. As Reylo’s we embrace the power of two in Ben and Rey, but as anyone who has ever tried to maintain a relationship without having any kind of common loved one whether it be a family member, friend, community, or even a common purpose, two is discord. Two fights a lot as we see in the Sequel trilogy. Two alone is not enough. That is the Sith rule of two. When two is alone, the relationship deteriorates into one holding the power and the other craving it which is totally unhealthy. The Jedi master padawan dynamic is so powerful and is ideally a model for healthy relationships because the two are not alone. They have the Jedi order, the lightside, and the broader community of beings from all cultures and religions that serve the light in their own way. They are not alone. They are part of the power of many. From this broader community comes a third which brings harmony to the natural discord of two. This imagery has its roots in the Orginal Trilogy. The first image of Star Wars is of that massive Star Destroyer chasing that tiny rebel ship but in the background is Tatooine and its twin moons. The twin moons are the power of two, and Tatooine is the third. The image of the Twin Suns, which is totally about the Dyad, also features this hidden third because they are Tatooine’s suns. Tatooine is the third. Han and Leia are the power of two in the OT, and Luke is the third. Anakin and Padme are the power of two but they ultimately lose one another because their third Obi-Wan is bound by a rigid Sith like interpretation of Jedi doctrine that forbids the three from coming together. In the Clone Wars, Obi-Wan and Anakin is the power of two, Ahsoka is the third, and the break down of this triad relationship ultimately dooms the relationship of the Dyad of Anakin and Obi-Wan. In the Mortis Apocalypse, we learn of the three’s cosmic destiny. Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka are elevated as a cosmic triad that reflects the Father, Son, and Daughter. The Father is the force incarnate, the balance who reflects who Anakin is inside. Obi-Wan is someone who is captive to the light. Too much light is imbalance and is actually profound darkness. Ahsoka struggles with the dark but darkness can be overcome and give way to the light. Anakin is torn between the two. A common misconception in Star Wars is that darkness is bad. It’s not. Passion, fear, anger, and even feelings of hate are all normal human experiences. The problem is when these things are repressed allowing them to take over the driver seat rather than serving their role as compliments to the light. The experience of the profound spiritual imbalance is what is called falling to the darkside. This triad actually foreshadows the long game and Ahsoka’s, who is the main protagonist of the Clone, larger destiny with the heirs to Anakin and Obi-Wan. This comes to head when Anakin saves Ahsoka from death, imbuing her with the essence of the daughter. In other words, Ahsoka who struggles with the dark becomes the embodiment of the light itself. Ahsoka is the light side of the force, and in the Ahsoka series we are seeing Ahsoka begin to discover who she really is.

With this context in mind, I exhort us to see the Sequels from a new perspective. The Sequels are often interpreted as a story about Rey bringing Ben back to the light. The problem with this interpretation is that isn’t really what happens in the Sequels. Rey is antagonistic to Ben for most of the trilogy especially when Ben doesn’t conform to her expectations, and even after force healing Ben (which was her making restitution for attempting to dishonorably kill him out of anger and hate) she runs off unwilling to face her shame head on. In the end, it’s actually Ben who saves Rey from the darkside which is a plot point that will give the next trilogy a lot of juice. The novelization for TROS revealed Rey fully intended to become the dark lady of the Sith if it were not for Ben showing up. This reveals Rey’s decision to reject the darkside was externally anchored rather than internally leaving a gaping plot point for the next trilogy. Like Obi-Wan Kenobi before her, Rey struggles with the light allowing the darkside to creep into her being while appearing as light. Rey is not the one pulling Ben to the light. He thinks that she is. It appears that way, but as Obi-Wan himself said do not trust your eyes. To be clear this is not to decenter Reylo or Rey’s role in Ben’s journey, but to add nuance to it. In other words, Rey does function as a conduit of the light and the lights will. However, Rey herself is not the light.

I would argue that the story of the Sequels, which is totally about Reylo and Ben and Rey’s relationship, isn’t primarily about Rey bringing Ben back from the darkness though she does play a role in this. The story of the Sequels is actually about Ben Solo being seduced by the light-don’t read too much into that. It’s actually about Ahsoka Tano doing for Ben what she was too young to do for Anakin. It’s about Ahsoka Tano, the embodiment of the light, saving Ben and by extension Rey as well. The key phrase that describes this happens in TFA when Kylo Ren says “I feel it again that pull to the light”. As we’ve already learned from the Clone Wars Ahsoka is the light incarnate therefore Ahsoka is the one that is pulling Ben to her. The experience of being torn apart is Ben’s spiritual experience of the larger cosmic battle in the backdrop of the Sequels between Ahsoka Tano and Darth Sidious for Ben’s soul, a motif that got cut from the Clone Wars that was introduced in Rebels during Ezra’s World Between Worlds Apocalypse. When Maz says, “the light. It’s always been there. It will guide you.” Maz is talking about Ahsoka. From an early age, Ahsoka has been watching over and protecting Rey through her connection to the world between worlds. Rey’s skills develop quickly because she is being guided by Ahsoka Tano through the force just as Ben is. Because the Dyad is connected through the force, they both are being shaped and guided by two opposing forces Ahsoka Tano and Darth Sidious, but ultimately Ahsoka prevails. When Ben and Rey touch hands, the light in both of them coming together, it is being facilitated by Ahsoka Tano. When Ben talks with Han, he is actually having a World Between Worlds experience being facilitated by Ahsoka. Then when Rey touches the world between worlds to hear the voices of the Jedi, whose voice finally reveals herself. Ahsoka Tano. When Ben saves Rey, he is being guided by Ahsoka. When Ben disappears in the force, it is described as the force itself embracing him in their arms and the experience is described as coming home for Ben. Ben is being pulled into the WBW by Ahsoka herself so she can use her powers given to her by the daughter to bring Ben back to light. She couldn’t save Anakin, but she did save Ben.

As I do these character studies I will go into more detail in how the three interacted in the Sequels. For me, the romance of Ben and Rey falls into a larger backdrop of this story of Ahsoka saving Ben from the fate she couldn’t save Anakin from. It’s cosmic correction. It is the birth of an everlasting friendship. The Dyad alone is discord. The Dyad plus Ahsoka and the power of many is the most powerful force we’ve seen in Star Wars.

After thinking about the Gospel According to John and watching Maul Shadow Lord today has finally given me the language to talk about this thing that has been brewing in my mind and if we’re honest is the future of Star Wars the fandom as a whole is hesitant to admit as inevitable. While a gospel account and a series about Darth Maul seem random and a bit contradictory the two have more in common than one would exist. They are both mythological media: one rooted in the Jewish storytelling tradition and the other heavily influenced by the Jewish storytelling tradition. Judaism and the Jewish storytelling tradition embrace something that was lost in western thought and is slowly returning through new age spirituality and the growing need of DBT to address a mental health crisis is the embrace of contradictions and paradoxes. In other words, the embrace of two ideas, thoughts, or perspectives that seem contradictory or like opposites but can actually coexist. One contradiction and paradox in the first book of the Jewish Torah that is mirrored in the ending of the Gospel According to John is the dual creation account and the dual ending to John. With this in mind, I am convinced that Simon Kinberg’s trilogy is the second Sequel Trilogy.

I could go on about the practical reasons that a Second Sequel Trilogy is needed, but that would bore us all and is sure to add to the already polarized Star Wars discourse. Instead, I’d prefer to stay in the realm of myth. Since Star Wars, especially in post-Sequel media, is all about two’s and the Sequel trilogy is all about twos therefore the Sequels would also exist in twos. Two trilogies to complete the story of two trilogies. Just as there was an original and a prequel trilogy. There must also be two Sequel trilogies that mirror the structure of the original two trilogies. One that zooms in on a small proxy war, and one that zooms out and shows the consequences and spiritual significance of that proxy war. The originals zoom in on the war for the fate of the galaxy then zooms out and shows the spiritual significance of a grander proxy war that lead to it. It’s like poetry, it rhymes. Just as the common thread of the originals was Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi, the common thread of the Sequels is Ben Solo, the heir to Anakin Skywalker, and Rey Skywalker, the spiritual (and perhaps biological) heir to Obi-Wan Kenobi. Always two their are, no more, no less. The common thread that binds the Star Wars saga together is the hidden presence of the apprentice to Anakin Skywalker Ahsoka Tano whose subtle revelation in The Rise of Skywalker will lead to her on screen revelation in the Second Sequel Trilogy.

The other common thread is the Chosen One Anakin Skywalker and his heir Ben Solo. For this reason, I expect the Second Sequel Trilogy to center on the story of Ben Solo and his rise to finishing Anakin’s work in fulfilling the Chosen One prophecy. We can’t have our heroes without our villains also. Palpatine embodies that dark spiritual force that has brought all the misfortune upon our heroes. I am equally convinced that Hux is Palpatine’s clone son and will return as his heir as Supreme Leader of the Third Order. I made a post regarding this on Star Wars Speculation titled “Supreme Leader Hux: The Culmination of Project Necromancer”. If you have any questions on why I’m so convinced this will happen feel free to ask me in the comments.

Now I’m going to bring this all back to Reylo because this is a Reylo sub after all. The Dyad is crucial to this story but just as their relationship was tenuous for most of the Sequel trilogy how much more tenuous will their relationship be in the grander more cosmic Second Sequel Trilogy. Just as Luke lost his order and cut himself off from the force so will Rey lose her order and cut herself off from the Dyad itself. This coupled with Ben’s guilt for his past as Kylo Ren, and their coequal responsibility in the rise of the Third Order, their relationship will be tumultuous in this trilogy even more than it was in the previous one. In the end, however our Dyad will return by the end because Ben is the chosen one, him and Rey are the Dyad, and together with the power of many they will overcome evil, but not without the cost of many inflictions on their hearts inflicted by the spirit of Sidious. How romantic this will all be I will leave up to the imaginations of this very creative community, but if you thought the last trilogy was romantic then how much more will this one be.