Star Wars: Episode IX The Way of Balance

Star Wars: Episode IX The Way of Balance, is a purposed sequel to the 2017 film ''Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi. ''It would serve as the third and final film in the Star Wars sequel trilogy and the ninth film overall.

Synopsis
Set 9 months after the events of The Last Jedi, the story opens with Kylo Ren arriving on the planet Malachor to oversee preparations on the Neo Galactic Order’s (NGO) new super weapon, the Crucible. After speaking with Admiral Hux about the weapon’s construction as well as a planned surprise attack against the Republic’s new capital world, Kylo retires to his private chambers and accesses a holocron of past Sith Lords including Darth Sidious, Darth Vader, Count Dooku, Darth Maul, Darth Plagueis, Darth Bane, Darth Nihilus, and Naga Sadow among many others. It’s revealed that the Crucible uses remnants of ancient Sith weapons such as the Star Forge to drain the lifeforce from all living things and preserves it for Kylo to absorb which would make him god like. Kylo’s mind is also being controlled by the spirit of Snoke in a Jekyll and Hyde fashion.

On the planet of Lehon, Rey heads towards a temple that once belonged to the ancient Rakata species and their Infinite Empire. Rey carries with her a rebuilt lightsaber that now includes a grey crystal and a book with a map that led her to Lehon taken from the Ahch-To Library. She enters the ancient temple and is then confronted by a vision of Darth Vader. The two engage in a lightsaber duel with Rey coming out victorious. Vader then removes his helmet revealing Anakin Skywalker. Anakin tells Rey about who she is and what her purpose is in the galaxy. It’s revealed that Rey is the Chosen One or rather, a Chosen One like Anakin. She was created to bring balance to an unbalanced galaxy and the force. 5 other figures appear, all previous Chosen Ones from different eras including Revan from the Old Republic and a Rakatan who was the first Chosen One. They tell Rey that for there to be balance, the Sith and Jedi must both be destroyed. Rey, believing herself to be the last Jedi, interoperates this to mean that she must die along with Kylo for there to be peace. When Rey presses them for more details, they become evasive. Anakin tells Rey to return to Jakku to find closure in her past before going out to try and fulfill the Chosen One prophesy.

The next scene opens with a battle taking place above the new Republic capital and Outer-Rim world of Taris. Admiral Jayceon Brusk is told his ship has taken extensive damage in the battle and he responds saying, “It’s time to get a new one.” He along with a squad that includes Poe Dameron, Finn, Rose, Chewbacca and BB-8 infiltrate an NGO ship to hijack it. Once aboard, the team fights their way to the bridge. Jayceon even pulls out a purple lightsaber and uses force powers in the fight. Finn and Poe question Jayceon’s abilities, but he dismisses them to carry on with the mission at hand. Once they take the bridge, they position the now hijacked ship into the rest of the NGO’s battle fleet. They punch in hyperspace coordinates and escape the ship as it jumps to lightspeed. The ship crashes into the rest of the NGO’s fleet causing mass devastation and triggering an electro magnetic pulse effectively crippling them. The Republic forces are lead to a victory but at a great cost.

It’s soon learned that the General Leia Organa was killed in the initial attack. The Republic wants to fight back and fight back hard. Jayceon who has taken a commanding lead in the war against the NGO reveals plans for the Crucible weapon being constructed on Malachor and assembles a team and a plan to take out this dangerous new threat and destroy the NGO once and for all.

Rey arrives on the planet Jakku and returns to her home. There, she has a vision revealing that her parents didn’t abandon her, but hid her for her own safety because Snoke was looking for her. She discovers that after her parents were killed, a Jedi helped look after her for a time being and watched over her. Satisfied with the answers she’s learned, Rey decides to return to the Republic to help defeat Kylo and his forces. Before she can leave, Rey is ambushed by an NGO special forces unit that captures her and plans to bring her to Kylo. Rey is isolated in a holding cell on an NGO ship en-route to Malachor, but is rescued by a Republic special forces unit led by Lando Calrisian. The team escapes on the Millennium Falcon and returns to Taris. Kylo learns of Rey’s escape and kills Admiral Hux not just for his failure in capturing her, but also because he gave the order to kill his mother. Kylo or rather, Snoke then interacts with the Sith holocron again where he reveals that he wants to use the Crucible’s power to destroy the entire galaxy and start a new one with him as its god.

Rey arrives on the planet Taris and is greeted by old friends and meets Jayceon who is also relieved to see her. She is caught up to speed on the Republic’s plan to destroy the Crucible and joins Jayceon’s team along with Finn, Rose, Chewie and Lando. Finn is reunited with his mother & father Arika & Luther Windu. Luther is revealed to be the son of former Jedi Master Mace Windu. The reunion is all thanks to Jayceon who recognized who Finn was prompting more questions about his background he refuses to answer. Luther also joins Jayceon’s team. Before they leave, a funeral service is held for Leia.

Jayceon’s team sneaks onto Malachor’s surface where they must find their way to a transport lift that will take them up into the Crucible. Once there, they can start the attack by sabotaging the station’s defence systems before a Republic fleet can arrive to finish the job. They encounter Stormtroopers on the planet with little to no resistance on their way. Jayceon believes the team is falling into a trap, but they all decide to keep going despite the potential danger. They make camp by nightfall and plan on heading to the transport lift in the morning. Rey has a vision of Anakin and Luke who keep telling her that things won’t go the way she thinks. Luke says that he initially believed Kylo to be the chosen one, but he was wrong. Anakin tells her that she’s different from the other Chosen Ones. That she is immune to both the light side and dark side of the force making her a representation of true balance. She can use powers and abilities from both sides of the force, but cannot embrace or be consumed by either. When Rey tries to press the Skywalkers for more details, they once again become evasive. Rey then wakes up and sees Jayceon meditating and putting a lightsaber together with the force. Mace Windu’s old lightsaber.

Rey speaks with Jayceon who reveals many things to her. He reveals that he was trained as a Jedi by Mace Windu which is how he knew who Finn was and his family. He also served with Anakin during the Clone Wars and went into an exile during the rise of the Empire where learned about the secrets of the Chosen Ones which is how he knows who and what Rey is. He reveals that he was the Jedi that protected her after her parents were killed by Snoke. He believes Rey will bring peace to the galaxy by defeating Snoke who is an ancient Sith Lord named Vitiate who has refused to die for thousands of years. He says that he taught Luke a few force abilities during Galactic Civil War, but didn’t want to join his new Jedi Order nor start a new order because through everything he’s seen, he believes the Jedi code does not give all the answers and solutions for the galaxy and that they in fact contribute to the problem which is why the Jedi should end. Rey thanks him for looking out for her and Jayceon offers to stand by her to help finish what was started many millennia ago.

In the morning, the team manages infiltrate the transport lift after an extensive firefight. In the firefight, Luther dies saving his son and several others. Finn is distraught, but agrees to keep moving as it’s what his father would’ve wanted. Once aboard the Crucible, they manage to lower the shields, disable the turret defence systems and send out a signal for the Republic fleet to arrive. Once the fleet arrives, a massive space battle erupts in the Malachor system. Poe leads fleet of starfighters into the internal workings of the station to destroy it.

As the team plans to leave, they are ambushed by Kylo. Rey and Jayceon go to hold him off as the rest of the team escapes. Jayceon, Kylo and Rey ignite their lightsabers and the three engage in an extensive battle where sabers clash, the force is used to an extreme and things are destroyed all around them. Eventually they all fight their way to Kylo’s chambers. The battle reaches a climatic point when Kylo uses a lifeforce device to give himself a massive power surge. He uses this power surge to force crush Rey seemingly killing her. Out of shock and anger, Jayceon squares off with Kylo using some dark side abilities he learned from Mace Windu. In Rey’s mind however, she encounters the Shaman of the Whills, god like beings who say that it is not her time and that she will bring balance to the force and galaxy and keep it all in balance. Rey wakes up and sees Jayceon and Kylo clashing with their sabers locked and comes to the realization that she isn’t the last Jedi, but Jayceon is. She heads towards Kylo’s lifeforce device to absorb a ton of force energy and blasts it at both Jayceon and Kylo to kill them. Rey then falls to the ground and yells out in horror and sadness over what she’s done. She has final moments with both Jayceon and Kylo before they die. Jayceon tells her that this is the way it has to be and that she did the right thing. He tells her not to be what they (Jedi or Sith) want her to be and that she and only she decides her own destiny. He ends by saying, “You did good kid, you did good.” She speaks with Snoke through Kylo’s body who wishes she could’ve see what he saw. A chance to wipe the slate clean and start anew his way. He fades into darkness after telling Rey she was a worthy opponent. Finally, she talks with Kylo who goes back to using the name Ben. Ben says he wished he could’ve done what Rey did, but it’s clear it was not his destiny to be the Chosen One as Luke hoped he’d be. He also expresses regret in letting Snoke consume him for many years. Rey tells him that he helped her find her place in the galaxy and thanks her for that. Ben dies a redeemed man, marking the end to the Skywalkers. Ben and Jayceon become one with the force.

Rey is rescued by the Millennium Falcon where she along with the rest of the team escape the Crucible before its destruction. Poe and the rest of his fleet hit the Crucible’s main orbital stabilizers causing it to fall into Malachor’s orbit destroying it and the NGO once and for all. As Rey reflects on everything that’s happened, she comes to another realization. Her destiny was not just to bring balance to the force and galaxy, but to keep it in balance as well. She decides to start a new order of her own that is neither Jedi nor Sith to enforce the way of balance in the galaxy. She also gives Finn Jayceon’s lightsaber which she says belongs to him. The two reflect on how Jayceon helped them both and Finn offers to help Rey start the new order.

The film ends with celebrations on Taris. Friends reunite, celebrations are out in full force and the film ends with Rey smiling, seeing the force ghosts of Luke, Anakin, Jayceon, Ben and even Leia.

Cast

 * Daisy Ridley as Rey
 * Adam Driver as Kylo Ren/Snoke
 * Andy Serkis as Snoke (Voice)
 * Donald Sutherland as Jayceon Brusk
 * Mark Hamil as Luke Skywalker
 * Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader
 * James Eral Jones as Darth Vader (voice)
 * John Boyega as Finn
 * Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron
 * Kelly Marie Tran as Rose Tico
 * Joonas Suotamo as Chewbacca
 * Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian
 * Laurence Fishburne as Luther Windu
 * Domhnall Gleeson as Admiral Hux
 * Antoney Daniels as C-3PO
 * Jimmy Vee as R2-D2
 * Lupita Nyong'o as Maz Kanata

Cameos

 * Carrie Fisher as Leia Organa (archive footage)
 * Kit Harington as Revan
 * Ian McDiarmid as Darth Sidous
 * Christopher Lee as Count Dooku (archive footage)
 * Corey Burton as Count Dooku (voice)
 * Ray Park as Darth Maul and Darth Nihilus
 * Tim Roth as Darth Plagueis
 * Tom Hardy as Darth Bane
 * Idris Elba as Naga Sadow
 * Chadwick Boseman as The First Chosen One