Honestly, if they'd just forgotten about a sequel trilogy, and jumped a couple thousand years ahead, with a whole new set of characters, maybe even in a new galaxy, they'd have been far better off.
If they couldn't get the OT trio together again for a single scene, if Luke was such a burden for the writers that they couldn't weave him together with the new characters, then I don't know what the point of it all was.
On a popular Star Wars podcast helmed by two OT generation fans, which I was listening to the other day, they lamented that by bringing back Ewan and Hayden, the Obi-Wan series has already done as much for reuniting prequel alumni as the sequels did for the stars of the originals.
IMHO we didn't need a ST ROTJ was a Perfect ending to the Story and the adventures of Han Luke and Leia continued in Books Comics and Video Games I know not everyone is interested in stuff outside the movies and later Post-ROTJ stories were divisive (TNJO LOTF FOTJ ) But at least they didn't turn the OT Heroes into failures like the ST did
Yeah, it juts screws up everything we love about ROTJ. I'll never forgive them for that. To leave on such a low note like TROS has never been seen before, Star Wars had always been so good at finishing strong.
The time for Leia and Luke failing was in the second instalment, after we saw them in action, doing well at the start of TFA. Unfortunately we never got that. TFA focuses on a totally different set of characters, and awkwardly tries to squeeze in Leia and Han, with Luke not even getting a line of dialogue.
Archduke's Episode VII
If I had been writing Episode VII, and I'm tempted to jot down my own version (edit: I kinda am now), I would have had Luke and Leia in conversation in the first act. Luke would be coming out of the Jedi Temple to meet Leia at the outskirts of the Senate (all on Coruscant of course), and there would be a real reminiscence about their past adventures, and the lives of their parents. Leia's son might interrupt the scene towards the end, and his turn to the Dark Side would be seen in the later part of the film. Han would meet Luke and Leia in the second act. I've never been as troubled about the Leia-Han relationship breaking up, I've always found there to be a promiscuous vibe to his character. I could easily see him hooking up with other women, whilst their son is being raised.
I would have made the mother-son relationship an integral part of the story. Luke having a child wouldn't have bummed me out, I could definitely see the Order changing a few rules, with Luke in charge. I don't see why he wouldn't want to change the celibacy rule once he learns of how his father had to hide his secret marriage. I would have the two cousins squabbling over the legacy of the Skywalker family. Luke would be like the Qui-Gon we have in the prequels, and Leia would be a veteran politician like Bail Organa from the prequels. The new characters would be supporting like Padmé and Anakin in Episode I.
I might have Luke die at the end of Episode IX, but in a blaze of glory, after really putting up a heroic fight. I would have a non-Sith villian, much as the ST was trying to do until TROS came along. The final shot would be of the two grandchildren, looking on at a larger group of Force Ghosts.
I'd definitely have a scene of Luke and Leia discussing the legacy of their father. Their differing views would create some fascinating tension for the first sequel film. The siblings would be close, but this would be a touchy subject.
The macro political situation would be a galaxy divided between democracy and dictatorship. The parts under empire would be more up front about it, so they would be different to the sly separatists of the PT. The first trilogy was all about the rise of democracy, the second the rise of dictatorship, this one would be a mash-up of the two. Events in VII would primarily take place in a crucial core world, much like Naboo for Episode I. There would be no rebels, resistance or whatever you want to call it, but the proper standing armies of two heavily armed galactic forces. It's this equal footing in the militaries that make the trilogy distinct.
Another source of conflict for our protagonists would indeed be the fact that the Second Galactic Republic has its military. A lot of citizens, recalling the lessons of Palpatine's takeover, would be hell bent against this, much like antimilitarism or anti-nuclear activists are in today's Japan. It would have gone ahead, but the staunch opposition would mean be not all it could be, and a tad awkward, living in the shadows of history, like the modern German military.
One of the cousins would end up turning to the dark side partly because of being fired from his key role within the Republic's military. Leia, as an important senator, would be involved in the dismissal and he would turn on her for that, seeking revenge. The other cousin might be a Jedi overseer of the military, much like the Jedi Generals of TCW.
I might have Leia saving the life for her son at one, maybe in the second film.
I would have one the cousins in a relationship with the ex of the other cousin. This would spark resentment. The inability of a guy to accept that the girl doesn't want him, and that she can be with whomever she wants, would be an important theme. She might be the protégé of Leia in the Galactic Senate. I guess Leia would introduce them. or something like that. It would come as a twist that the junior senator had previously been with the other cousin.
The cousins, let's called them Ben and Anakin (Anakin II) would be in their early 20s. Given the differing views on their father, you won't find it surprising to learn that the former is Leia's son, the latter being Luke's.
Who is Luke's wife? That's a tough one. I wouldn't want to make this all about two institutions, so I'd introduce the one we've only heard of: the Supreme Court or the Galactic Palace of Justice. Luke's wife would be a chief justice. If I were to have her on the new Jedi Council, it would just make the thing looked way too nepotist. Then again, would it be appropriate for a head Jedi to be married to a top judge?
Before Ben would turn on Anakin, the two, along with Leia's protégé - let's call her Isabella - would form the trilogy's trio. Whilst I realise the social currents of the day might demand one of the cousins to be female, the whole Reylo thing drives me the wrong way, and I could never deal with an audience wanting the two enemies to get it on, simply because of their differing sex - enemies do not fall in love, full stop. To makeup for this, I would have Leia play a much more crucial role than she did in the Disney's trilogy. Or I might have Luke having twins of his own, and thus we'd have 3 cousins. Would 3 cousins not make this trilogy overly Skywalker-centric? That's very true. Two may be enough.
Would we get off Coruscant? Yes we would! Why would we get off? Not fully sure. I'm sooo tempted to make the storyline mirror Episode I, but I have to be careful not to make it a JJ style rip-off. It would obviously be different in that no Chosen One would be discovered along the way, and there'd also be no Gungans, nor pod-racing. Did the OT count as having a love triangle? If so, I'd be adding that into the mix. It would become much more dramatic, however, as Ben would channel some of Anakin fury and bitterness of the prequels, which we never had from Luke.
I would definitely flirt with the idea of stalemate when it comes to the depiction of war. This would make our heroes weary, perhaps questioning why the whole thing should keep going in Episode VIII. Do we keep going and risk more lives or do we call a halt now and save them? Leia would be all for continuing, whist Luke would be for ending. The sibling relationship would definitely become strained during the trilogy, though at the same time it wouldn't be the bust-up between the cousins.
I've always disliked the idea of planets being blown up, I think its overpowered even for a super weapon, and I wouldn't have any of that. Instead I would have all this sophisticated artillery and spacecraft canons that would pulverise cities. I would love to play with the concept of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD - a Cold War term), it would feed into the stalemate picture.
So if the two sides are neck and neck, how do we get an adventure story? Good question. In VII there would have to be some kind of minor victory for the good side. Perhaps VIII would be the one where the war grinds on and on without any sight of an end.
Am I writing more of a war movie than a story about the Force and the Jedi? It seems so. One significant source of conflict I would have between the cousins is their interpretation of the Skywalker legacy. For Ben, it would mean founding a dynasty, with the family name would become a title of power and legitimacy, like the name Caesar did in Ancient Rome. Anakin II would have a different interpretation, believing the family to be selfless servants of the Republic, among many others. This would come to light in Episode VIII.
Ben would repeatedly prod Anakin about the high stature of their family since the downfall of the Empire. He would list all the key posts they've held, and insinuate that this is no accident, no coincidence, this is in fact the will of the Force. This would conflict Anakin who, on the one hand opposes nepotism and all things corrupt in the Republic, but on the other hand is proud of his family's achievements.
VII: cousins falling out
VIII: cousins at logger heads (Ben on the bad side here)
IX: cousins reconciling
VII: Republic and Empire
VIII: Empire ascendant
IX: Republic triumphant
