New thoughts on Star Wars

Today is the one month mark since the release of Star Wars The Force Awakens. During that time I have seen the movie seven times so far and plan on seeing it a couple more times before it leaves theaters. I have also begun to delve into the novelization of the movie, which only fuels my passion and ignites new theories about where the trilogy will go in Episode VIII.

I have just read in the book the part where Kylo Ren interrogates Poe Dameron to learn the location of the map leading to Luke Skywalker. During the exchange Kylo criticizes Poe for revealing himself by shooting at him as a way to get back at him for killing Lor San Tekka. Kylo says that revenge is childish, that it accomplishes nothing. It is a small thing to say, but it got me thinking. This is a very un-Sith like thing to say, and then I was reminded that Kylo is no Sith at all, not only that, but he seems to have been taught against the Sith ways (presumably by Snoke).

The main theories about the identity of Supreme Leader Snoke are that he is of Sith origins whether it be Darth Plagueis, Sidious, Vader, or an unknown Sith lord. This reading has got me thinking that Snoke is probably not a Sith at all, or at least not anymore. Snoke has taught Kylo (and probably the Knights of Ren) that revenge is useless. They are also hunting down the last of the Jedi, Kylo speaks to Vader's mask saying that he will "finish what you started," and I believe he is referring to wiping out the rest of the Jedi. I believe Snoke (and probably Kylo) are convinced that the fall of the Republic, and the Empire, are due to the Force groups' actions, both the Sith and the Jedi. They are attempting to wipe out the Jedi so that they can establish a "new order." Not a Force order that is of the Light Side, or even the Dark, but somewhere in the middle. The Knights of Ren and the First Order are not doing bad things to be bad like the Emperor, or doing the right thing to ease their conscious-es, it is about doing whatever is necessary to maintain order on the galaxy. Sometimes it is about killing jedi, sometimes it is about not letting sentiment cloud your judgement.

I cannot recall where but I can recall an interview that revealed that Kylo was not a Sith, but that he is a Darth Vader fanboy. He is not trying to be a Sith, he is trying to be his grandfather, which explains his mask and his lightsaber. In the original trilogy Vader was not like the Sith lords that we learned about in later years, he was simply an enforcer of order for the Empire. He is not remembered for his extraordinary Force powers or lightsaber dueling skills, he is remembered for his ruthfulness and cunning to defeat the Rebellion. Vader captured Leia, put a tracking device on the Falcon which leads the Death Star to the Rebel base. In Empire he knew that the Rebel base was on Hoth, he set up the trap to freeze Luke in carbonite. His lightsaber is not red because he is Dark Side, its red because Vader's was red. He has the mask and voice changer because that's what Vader had. Kylo is constantly being pulled towards the Light Side, that's not the problem, (his parents are Han and Leia for crying out loud) the problem is that deep inside he is not a bad guy, no matter how much he tries to be Vader. To convince Snoke (but mostly himself) that he can embrace the Dark Side, he kills his father, and the movie's novel illustrates how terrible and conflicted Kylo is after killing Han.

So how will this effect Episode VIII? I think that Episode VIII will show just how complicated this new war is, that everything is not simply black and white, but many shades of gray (that saying is just tainted forever isn't it? :p). I think this will reflect how the world is today, that there is no good and evil, moral and immoral. Gone are the days of right and wrong and a new form of good has arisen, which is acceptance of everyone. But enough about that.

So my predictions about Episode VIII? Kylo Ren will try to become more attuned with the Dark Side but will fail to do so. Rey will be persuaded to join Snoke. Luke will defend the jedi order and probably die doing so. Snoke's identity will be revealed as someone who is not a Sith (I am still leaning towards Plagueis, after he has seen how flawed the Sith ways are).

Star Wars The Force Awakens Questions and Answers

I recently read an article , "43 Questions We Desperately Want Answered After Star Wars The Force Awakens" and it made me think that I have theories on a lot of the questions they, and many others, have posed since Episode 7 came out last month. I'll try and answer them in the chronological order of the movie.

Who is Lor San Tekka?
Starwars.com states that Tekka is a galactic traveler who teamed up with Luke to restore the Jedi after Episode 6, tracking down Jedi lore. Eventually he "retired to Jakku." Now why would a man who is close to Luke and Leia happen to retire to an awful desert planet unless there was a good reason. When Kylo Ren speaks to Tekka it seems as though Ren has known him from an early age, probably during his time training with Skywalker. This fact makes me believe that he is there to look after Rey from afar, because Rey has a connection to the Skywalkers. I don't think it was him that dropped Rey off on Jakku but learned later that Rey was left there and went/sent there to look after her.

Who is Rey?
This is the big one, a question that J.J. and Disney didn't want answered at least until Episode VIII comes out. They have purposefully left the option for multiple parental possibilities including daughter of Han and Leia, Luke and an unknown, Luke and Obi Wan Kenobi's daughter, simply Kenobi's granddaughter (no Skywalker relation), or simply her parents are random people who abandoned her (possibly after she trained briefly with Luke). The more I think about it I really think that she is Luke's kid, with possibly some Kenobi blood in her. I think that Luke searched for potential new students, learned that Obi Wan had a daughter and sought her out in search of students. They hit it off and have Rey, though Luke leaves them in order to start his Jedi academy. The reason I think this is that the script implies more that Rey and Luke have a long and interesting history when they stare at each other at the end. Rey has a British accent, the only other good guy that had one in the other episodes was Obi Wan. Its quite possible that Rey never even met her father, hence why she seemed to not even know if Luke was real (it could have been an act her played to hide her true identity). When BB-8 tells Rey where he comes from is classified she says its the same for her. If the First Order knew that Luke had a kid they would kill/collect her immediately. How cool would it be if Rey was the granddaughter of both Anakin and Obi Wan Kenobi?!

Why did Ben Solo turn to the Dark Side?
What we learned is that the reason that Ben turned to Kylo Ren is that Snoke seduced him. When Kylo speaks to Han at Starkiller Base he says that he destroyed Ben because he was weak. My theory is that when Ben went to train with Luke he thought that he would become one of the most powerful beings in the galaxy, but in reality it didn't come to him so easily. When other jedi, possibly even Rey herself, showed more talent than her he sought other alternative means to obtain power. Snoke had probably been monitoring Ben's progress and came to him offering a way to become as powerful as his grandfather. Snoke, like Palpatine, ordered Ben to kill jedi younglings in order to prove himself to Snoke and to obtain power in the Dark Side.

Who is Supreme Leader Snoke?
The prevailing theory out there is that Snoke is a surviving/resurrected Darth Plagueis. The theory is that Plagueis created Anakin through the Force, was betrayed and killed by his apprentice Sidious, but survived through his Force abilities. Plagueis hid from Palpatine until the time was right when his creation, Anakin, got revenge by killing Sidious and then he revealed himself to take over what remained of the Empire he helped create. Another reason I think this theory might be correct is that it appears that Kylo Ren has been held back in his training(Snoke tells General Hux to bring Kylo to him to complete his training), like Snoke doesn't want him to get too powerful. This could be because the last time an apprentice of his became powerful, he betrayed him. I think this is the most likely theory, but it also is one that is really only understood by diehard fans, not casual moviegoers. The Force Awakens tried hard to create the same kind of feel as the original trilogy, the kind of movie that you don't need to research before attending to understand what's happening. I don't see Disney abandoning this model of movie making for Episode VIII so they might try to simplify it for viewers by just making him an ancient Sith who survived in the shadows, being no one that we've heard of before. I think Snoke could be more ancient than Plagueis, maybe Bane (the Sith who created the Rule of Two). The reason I think he is older is that Kylo Ren's lightsaber is of ancient design. Kylo probably learned how to construct his lightsaber by Snoke (Luke already knew how to construct a flawless lightsaber, so it probably wasn't him who taught Kylo), and Snoke only knew how ancient Sith constructed their lightsabers, which is flawed and with a cross hilt. Fans would love it if Snoke turned out to be Plagueis, myself included, and I think it is the best guess, for now.

Who are the Knights of Ren?
The only time that we hear about the Knights of Ren is when Snoke says that despite Kylo being the master of the Knights of Ren, killing Han will be the hardest test he's ever faced. The only time we see the Knights is during Rey's vision as they stand behind Kylo in the rain, surrounded by corpses. We have very little to go on. In the vision the Knights are holding weapons that are not lightsabers, so it could be that the Knights are not even Force users. It could have been that Snoke offered Ben a place at the head of an elite force of the First Order in exchange for his servitude. I'm sure that we are going to see a lot more of them in the next episode.

How did Maz Kanata obtain Luke's/Anakin's lightsaber?
A lot of people are complaining about how Maz just dismisses their question about how she got the lightsaber, but frankly I don't really care. They are in a hurry to get out before the First Order kills them and says that she will answer that later. As a student of the Force Maz knows a lot about what has happened in the past and by doing a little bit of research probably learned what happened in Cloud City and that Luke's saber fell into some vent or trash area. Luke survived the fall into the depths, so why shouldn't his lightsaber? As for what happened to Maz I'm sure she survived and we'll probably see her again in the next episode.

What was with the heartfelt hug between Rey and Leia at the end of the film?
Just before Rey leaves in the Falcon to meet Luke, Rey and Leia share a weird hug, as if they know each other. This might lend to the theory that Rey is Leia's daughter, not Luke's, but I think there would have been more to there conversation and hug if it was between long lost daughter and mother. I think that they knew each other from Rey's childhood before she was dropped off on Jakku. There is also the fact that after the Millennium came back from destroying the Starkiller Base, Leia goes straight to Rey, who for all we know before she has never met before, kind of weird. Some have said that it is simply a general reaching out in thanks to their savior and mourning over the loss of their mutual "friend" Han. But I think that those who think this misread the scene, as there is clearly a familiarity to them.

What's up with the Republic? What is there relation to the Resistance and the First Order?
The movie reveals very little about the Republic. How did they form? Where is their senate located? Where is their fleet? Why don't they fight the First Order directly? There are many questions that the movie doesn't answer, or doesn't explain clearly enough. The movie's script reveals some more about the Republic that we don't learn in the movie. In a deleted scene Leia spoke to a contact of hers in the Republic Senate about how the Senate must vote to go to war with the First Order instead of having the Resistance fight their battles for them as they are outmatched. It seems as though the Rebel Alliance restored the Republic to how it was before the Empire as we saw it in Episode I, though nothing is truly revealed to the interworkings of the new government.

How were Finn and Rey able to contend with, and ultimately defeat, Kylo Ren, who is well versed in the Force in their duels?
Some critics says that since Kylo has received a lot of jedi training he should have destroyed Rey and especially Finn. I think that it was quite realistic, especially after a few viewings. Before Kylo faces them he is shot by Chewbacca's bowcaster in the side, and though it was from a distance it surely weakened him considerably, especially after Han admiring the weapon's power multiple times previously. When Kylo faces Finn in a lightsaber duel he is almost toying with him, playing along, taking time to hit at his side wound in the middle of it. It isn't until Finn gets a lucky hit to his shoulder that he stops messing around and immediately disarms him and slashes him in the back. As for Rey, I think Kylo knows her from his family and so has no desire to kill her and even offers to take her as an apprentice during their duel. Rey was fully committed to killing this monster while Kylo had to take it down a notch to avoid killing his cousin (or sister). We also learn that Kylo has not yet completed his training, and probably didn't do much actual, real life lightsaber dueling beforehand. Combine all of these factors and it totally makes sense that he could be defeated, but I expect him to be much more powerful the next time they fight.

How did R2-D2 "come back to life" and how did he have the rest of the map to Luke?
I have no clue...

Rey's Origins

Leia and Han
This seems the most obvious of the theories out there, that Rey is the second child of Han and Leia. Here are the things that point to this rumor being true.
-Rey has a natural ability to pilot and fix star ships, especially the Millennium Falcon.
-Rey often says the same things as Han.
-The Millennium Falcon just happens to be owned by the guy that she was dropped off to by her family.
-When Rey tells Han her name Han offers to take her as his second mate on the Falcon.
-When Rey goes after Finn in Maz's Castle Maz asks Han, "who's the girl" and then cuts away, implying that Han knows who she is and that he has a connection to her.
-When Kylo Ren learns that a girl is responsible for BB-8's escape he freaks out even more than usual, implying that he knows who she is and has a connection to her already. He does the same thing when she escapes in the Starkiller Base.
-Kylo tries to persuade Rey to join him as his student in the Force, why would he offer to do that for a stranger?
-Rey and Leia seem to possibly know each other after destroying the Starkiller Base, they look at each other for a time and then embrace each other, despite this being the first time they've ever seen each other? Seems fishy.
-Rey is given the Millennium Falcon to go after Luke with Chewie, as if she has inherited the ship.
-Leia and Han have a boy and a girl in the EU books with the boy turning to the dark side and the girl being a jedi.

Things against:
-Han and Leia would be the worst parents in the world if they not only had Kylo become a psychopath but also abandon and completely forget about their second child on a remote planet and not recognize her when they see her again.
-Rey has a British accent, where did she get that? You would think that at least one of Rey's parents would have the accent as well, where else would it come from? Certainly not Jakku, it had to be acquired before she was abandoned.
-In a movie where both Han and Leia are featured a lot you think one of them would have said at least something to at least suggest they were her parents.
-Maz says that Rey must know that her parents aren't coming back to Jakku to get her. Maz also says that the lightsaber belonged to Anakin, then his son Luke, and now it is calling to her. This seems to imply that she is Luke's kid, not Leia's.
-In her vision there is no clues suggesting that Rey is Leia's kid.
-The lightsaber skips over Kylo and goes to Rey instead, as if she has a better claim to it than he (as Luke's nephew, not daughter) does.

Luke's child
This is the second main theory out there, that Luke had a child with some random woman, something happened and he abandoned her on Jakku. There are strong facts for and against this one.
Things for:
-Rey's adventure in TFA is nearly identical to ANH. They look similar. They both grow up on a desert planet that they are not originally from. They feel alone. They both search for a life with greater meaning. They meet an old war hero who becomes something of a mentor for the movie before they die. They are both introduced to the Force and given the exact same lightsaber.
-Luke has more motive of dropping off Rey on a deserted planet than Han and Leia because he abandoned "everything" when his apprentice turned to the dark side, that could very well include Rey, perhaps to protect her from Ren.
-Luke is shown in Rey's vision when she touches the lightsaber. They seem to have a bond through the lightsaber, just as Luke had with Vader.
-Rey tells BB-8 that her origins are classified. Luke is the number one wanted man in the galaxy, by both sides, and so having her true identity revealed to the galaxy would put her in extreme danger.
-Rey and Luke have an interesting stare off at the end of the film, some interpret it as it being daughter being reunited with father.
-Luke's theme song comes on when Rey reaches out with the Force during her lightsaber duel with Kylo Ren, in a movie that rarely used any scores from the original trilogy. This song could connect them.
-Leia's embrace with Rey almost seems like it could be aunt to niece after not seeing each other for a long time.

Against:
-Jedi are forbidden from having children. This one is a little weak as in the EU Luke has kids and the fact is that he can basically do whatever he wants because there is no one to enforce rules except for him. Despite this Luke could have taken steps to rebuild the Jedi Order to exactly how it was before the Empire with rules like this. Or Luke could have seen that it was because of this rule that Anakin fell to the dark side.
-Who is the mother? There are no indications that Luke ever settled down with anyone. There is no one in the original trilogy and no mentions of a girl in TFA. It seems like Luke was only motivated to rebuild the Order, not to settle down. And if he did marry, where is the mother now?
-Again where did Rey get her accent? It is possible that Luke's wife had an accent or raised her in a place where she developed it because of her surroundings, but it seems a little out there.
-Rey seems genuine when she says to Finn, "Luke Skywalker, I thought he was just a myth?" Why wouldn't she know that Luke is real if he was her father?
-Rey appears to know nothing of the Force when we meet her, if she was Luke's daughter you'd think she'd at least know a little about it.


Obi Wan Kenobi's granddaughter
I am leaning the most to this theory recently. The theory is that Obi Wan, after settling on Tattoine to be near Luke, had a child with some chick. He was there for like 20 years and you'd think old Ben would do something besides scare Sand People, maybe he settled down with a girl for a time. They had a child and then that child eventually had Rey.
Things for:
-This could explain Rey's accent as Obi Wan is one of the very few characters that are good to have a British accent.
-Obi Wan was actually in possession of Anakin's lightsaber for more time than Anakin and Luke combined while he kept it on Tattoine. Maybe the connection is not to Luke but to Obi Wan instead.
-In Rey's vision we hear the voices of the two Obi Wan's as they say: "Rey, these are your first steps."
In the vision we also here Luke yell "No" like in Empire and Yoda talk about the Force being all around us. Both Luke and Yoda's talking is general in nature and only repeats of what they said in previous movies, but Obi Wan is the only one that really directly speaks to her, telling her that she is following in his footsteps.
-Despite knowing next to nothing of the Force she busts out a jedi mind trick to trick a Stormtrooper, almost exactly how Obi Wan does it in Episode IV. Besides Obi Wan we only see Qui Gon Jin try to use the jedi mind trick, and he fails at it! Each jedi has a particular skill that they are known for or best at and it seems like Obi Wan will be remembered most for his mind tricks.
-Rey sneaks around the Starkiller Base just like Obi Wan does in Episode IV aboard the Death Star.
-It could be that Rey's parents knew little of the Force and were terrified when their daughter had great Force powers, and decided to drop her off on Jakku in fear of her.
-Daisy Ridley, the actress who plays Rey states that Rey's solitary nature is a big clue as to who she really is. Some interpret this meaning that she flies "Solo" but it can also be interpreted as being just like Obi Wan was for 20 years living in isolation on Tattoine.

The things going against this theory are many and would require a lot of backstory telling to explain it all.

My Predictions For Episode VIII

Star Wars Episode VII answered a lot of questions for fans. We learned what has happened to our heroes Leia, Han and Luke (for the most part). We also learned the identity of Kylo Ren and about the fate of the Rebellion and Empire. Despite all the questions the latest installment answered, even more were raised. Questions include: who exactly is Rey (is she the daughter of Luke, Leia, or no one in particular), who is Snoke, what has happened to the Republic and the First Order (after losing so much at Starkiller), the list goes on.

It will be a couple years before we learn the answers to these questions, but I am going to make some predictions on what will be revealed in Episode VIII.

1. It was Kylo Ren who put Rey on Jakku.
It seems weird that parents would abandon a little girl on Jakku with a stranger who treats her like crap, unless it wasn't her parents who did it. Rey says that she is waiting for her "family" not her parents, which could mean that Kylo is her older brother. My theory is that Rey was shipped off to receive Jedi training like her brother. Ben struggled in his training and when it came easy to his little sister he became enraged and willing to do anything for more power. Snoke reached out to him and promised more power, if he followed him. Snoke's first order was to kill all of the jedi in training, which included his sister. Just as it shows in Rey's vision, Kylo and the Knights of Ren killed the padawans with Rey looking on. My theory is that Kylo couldn't bring himself to kill his sister, but couldn't go back to Snoke leaving her alive, so he took her and dropped her off on a random planet instead. Kylo becomes enraged when he learns that a girl from Jakku is with BB-8, very much more than the news that they got away. Kylo becomes just as angry when he learns that Rey has escaped her constraints on Starkiller. He also seems to know a bit about her power, saying that she will get stronger and stronger as she feels out her power. Kylo wants to train her, not kill her in their battle, which is another suggestion that there is a connection between the two. So why doesn't Rey seem to know him? This is hard to answer but it could have been that she has blocked out those painful memories from her mind, and she was quite young when she was dropped on Jakku.

2. Finn will not be trained as a Jedi, but as a pilot under Poe Dameron.
We want to see Luke rebuild the Jedi Order, but I don't think that is happening anytime soon, at least not in many numbers. I think Rey will be taught one on one with Luke. It is still uncertain if Finn is force sensitive at all, and even capable of becoming a Jedi. All Finn seems to want is to make up for what the First Order has done and so I'm sure he will continue to fight with the Resistance and his budding friendship with Poe will help him climb the ranks and acquire skills.

3. Poe Dameron will be killed, and Finn will step into his shoes.
I think that Poe is too perfect to keep around for the full trilogy and will probably be the next big character to bite the dust.

4. Kylo Ren will be much more powerful and dangerous.
Kylo is heading back to his master, Snoke to complete his training. Now that Kylo has killed his father he has given himself almost fully to the Dark Side and able to acquire more power because of it, like when Vader killed the younglings.

5. Snoke's identity will be revealed.
I believe there will be two big reveals in the next episode, first of Rey's Skywalker lineage and then that Snoke is indeed Darth Plagueis. In Episode III we learn about Darth Plagueis. We learn that he learned how to create life and prevent death, and then it is very heavily implied that Sidious is his apprentice. It is also said that his apprentice killed him in his sleep. Later Sidious tries to persuade Anakin to join him in order to save Padme saying that there has only been one that has cheated death but that they can figure it out together. This implies that Sidious knows that Plagueis is still alive, though obviously not revealing himself. My theory is that Plagueis knew that Sidious would kill him and so he created a life form powerful in the Force that could avenge him, that was Anakin. Anakin's mother said that she doesn't know how she became pregnant that she couldn't explain it. Anakin eventually killed Sidious, thus allowing Plagueis to come forth from the shadows and reclaim what was left of the Empire he helped Sidious create. Obviously Plagueis would be weak from nearly being killed by Sidious and carry scars from the attack. Snoke carries a large scar on his head that looks like a lightsaber cut. Even if this theory is incorrect I believe that Snoke's true identity will be revealed.

6. There will be less battles than in Episode VIII
Now that The Force Awakens has appeased fans by replicating much of the content from the original Star Wars they has created enough hype to get away with more dialogue and less action. Fans will be dying for answers that this movie didn't answer and I think most of them will be answered. I think this movie will include a lot of jedi training on both sides of the Force, Snoke and Kylo and Luke with Rey. Much like in Empire Strikes Back I think the training will halt when a new threat arises, this time probably between the First Order and the Republic directly.

Star Wars The Force Awakens: What I Believe Will Happen

My Microsoft Word is being stupid so I am writing this on my blog! I have done extensive research on this movie and I think I have a pretty good idea about what is going to be shown when the movie opens December 18. This is just speculation though and I could be totally wrong.

The movie will start as all Star Wars movies do, with a spaceship traveling towards a planet. The ship is a First Order shuttle travelling towards the desert planet Jakku along with some carriers. The ships lands outside of a settlement and a battle commences when Resistance fighters show up. The First Order is there looking for something under the leadership of Kylo Ren and Captain Phasma. The First Order wins the battle, torching the settlement and taking Resistance leader Poe Dameron captive for questioning. Poe's astromech droid, takes Luke's lightsaber and escapes into the desert in search of the person the First Order is looking for. The First Order leave the planet to their Star Destroyer above the planet. (Another possibility is that Luke is there at this battle and the First Order is unable to defeat them, so they decide to find his hidden daughter to convince him to join them).

Now we go to a different part of Jakku where Rey, Luke's secret daughter, is scavenging an old fallen Star Destroyer for parts. After a hard days work she begins heading for home when she encounters another scavenger who has just captured BB8. Rey threatens him until he gives her BB8, who says that he has come for her. The scavenger is part of a gang and says that she is going to pay for this. Rey and BB8 talk on their way home.

Back to the bad guys on the Star Destroyer and Kylo Ren is interrogating Poe to discover the location of the hidden thing. He tortures him until he tells him the location. Finn, the Stormtrooper escorting Poe back to his quarters, decides that he has seen enough evil and decides to quit the First Order and plots to save Poe. During this time General Hux, Kylo and Phasma discuss their next actions. Finn and Poe hijack ships and they get away but Finn's TIE fighter is shot down on Jakku. Finn ejects from the fighter in time to survive and walks a ways to the settlement that Rey lives in.

Rey is at the settlement trading some parts, probably for water and supplies when gang members show up and want to beat her up for taking BB8. Finn has just arrived at the settlement and is watching. Rey fights them and Finn helps her and they get away from them. Finn tells her that he is there to help her get away from the First Order, who are looking for her. Then the First Order show up, first with TIE fighters that try to shoot them up and they try to get to a speeder but that is blown up. Rey says she knows where to find a ship and pilot and they run and get Han and Chewie to help and then in the confusion of Stormtroopers attacking the settlement they escape in the Falcon, which was taken by the gang. Once again the Falcon's hyperdrive is damaged so Chewie and Han work on it while Rey flies and Finn mans the guns. They fly through the battle ruins and shoot down the TIE fighters and go into lightspeed.

While travelling through space the good guys have a chance to talk about things. Han says that all the stories in the original trilogy are all true. This is significant because those events are now not much more than myth or legend.

The good guys arrive at the forest planet of Takodana, at the hidden pirate castle owned by pirate queen Maz Kanata, a small alien that is good friends with Han. They are going there for refuge as well as answers about the location of the Resistance and more importantly Luke. It is here that Rey learns that Luke is her father. She is shocked and upset about hearing this and goes off into the woods to be alone with her thoughts. During this time the First Order shows up and attacks them. Maz has a traitor in her midst who leaked their location to them. The First Order destroys the castle and takes the good guys captive. When all seems lost Poe shows up with a squadron of X-wings and a big battle ensues. Finn uses Luke's lightsaber in the battle. Kylo Ren learns that Rey has fled to the forest and he goes after her. Rey fires a blaster at him but it is no use and he captures her and they flee the planet.

Poe leads Han and Finn to the planet D'Qar where the Resistance base is hidden, here Han and Leia reunite. During the battle the heroes learned about the First Orders' superweapon, the Starkiller Base. The discuss battle plans to attack the base and rescue Rey.

Kylo takes Rey to the base and they talk about their pasts. Kylo tries to convince Rey to join him and the Knights of Ren. She is taken to Supreme Leader Snoke. She resists them for now, but is confused about which path to take.

The Resistance leaves D'Qar for Starkiller to attack. The First Order hold a Nazi style rally to prepare for battle. Han and Finn land on the planet and go on the ground to get to where Rey is being held.

A huge battle ensues. The Resistance blows up the superweapon as they are preparing to use it against them.

During this time the heroes meet with Kylo and maybe Snoke. They break in and retrieve Rey and they use speeders to get away but Kylo chases them down. Kylo shoots down Han and Chewie and corners Rey and Finn. Finn fights Kylo and just as he is about to be defeated Luke shows up and uses the Force like a wizard to send Kylo fleeing for his life and they escape.

Bam!

Nice huh. Yeah, next season should be pretty great. Nuf said.

A Good Summer

It is pretty clear that Liverpool are not going to be spending the kind of money that they did last summer. Even if they don't break the bank there are plenty of good business that can be done. Here is a look at what I hope the squad will look like at the beginning of next season after they bring in a few signings. The most expensive signing would be a top striker, but Liverpool might decide against such a big investment and go with someone like Ings instead, which still wouldn't be the end of the world.