If Rian Johnson had returned to direct Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the film would have been a more memorable finale to the sequel trilogy. Episode IX’s failure to bring a suitable conclusion to the sequel trilogy can be blamed on Lucasfilm’s decision to replace original director Colin Trevorrow with J.J. Abrams. Such a drastic shift so late in the process resulted in an uninspired third installment. The right choice would’ve been to bring back Rian Johnson, writer-director of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, to helm the final entry.
To many, the Star Wars sequel trilogy faltered due to its overall lack of vision. While Star Wars: The Force Awakens served as a proper re-introduction to the galaxy far, far away, Abrams set up quite a few storylines, ending the film in a literal cliffhanger. The task of taking these storylines to the next logical step fell squarely in Rian Johnson’s hands. While Johnson's decisions in The Last Jedi were divisive, he was able to tell a complete story. Much like Abrams, who left Johnson with a handful of loose ends with which to work, Johnson closed out The Last Jedi as a semi-blank slate for Colin Trevorrow’s third installment.
Star Wars 9: Colin Trevorrow’s Original Story Was A Proper Last Jedi Sequel
When The Last Jedi came to an end, all that remained of the Resistance fit within the Millennium Falcon. Rey had stowed away the ancient Jedi texts and met Poe for the first time while Finn looked over Rose as she recovered from the siege on Crait. Kylo Ren was now the leader of the First Order, and the future was uncertain. Sadly, almost none of what The Last Jedi set up was followed up on in Episode IX. If Johnson had been in charge of The Rise of Skywalker, he could’ve shifted the focus onto characters such as Rey, Finn, and Poe, bringing their storylines to a satisfactory conclusion. This isn’t just conjecture; it all boils down to Johnson's filmmaking philosophies exemplified in The Last Jedi. Take Kylo Ren. In The Last Jedi commentary, Johnson mentions how he made sure Kylo was “front and center.” While this focus brought about some of the best scenes in The Last Jedi, other characters and storylines were not as robust.
Johnson could’ve learned from this and worked to produce a more fulfilling conclusion to the storylines of the characters audiences have come to know and love. Throughout the sequel trilogy, Finn’s storyline suffered the most. The Stormtrooper-turned-Resistance fighter began to blend into the background and became just another member of the Resistance. Johnson could’ve fleshed out Finn’s story, perhaps even making him the main focus of The Rise of Skywalker, properly concluding the arc set up in The Force Awakens. Other characters—such as Rose or General Hux—could’ve been further expanded upon, as well. Even the Knights of Ren could’ve received a storyline worthy of their memorable design and story potential.
While he had the chance to bring a satisfactory conclusion to what he set up in the first entry of the sequel trilogy, Abrams failed to resolve his Star Wars story in a fulfilling way. The irony of it all rests in the fact that what Abrams set up had nearly limitless potential, yet he treated many characters and storylines with little regard in his second installment. Johnson, in stark contrast, proved his ability to take what was set up and elevate the source material to the next level. Had he returned to helm The Rise of Skywalker, Johnson would’ve properly wrapped up what the two previous films had already set up.
Other than George Lucas, Rian Johnson is the only person to have sole writing and directing credit for a Star Wars film. This is the main reason why The Last Jedi was so divisive. It was the film Johnson wanted to make and the story he wanted to tell. Had he returned to helm Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, he would’ve had the chance to wrap everything up as concisely as possible. Then, the sequel trilogy would’ve received a more memorable finale than what Abrams and company produced.
