The Star Wars sequel trilogy has been divisive among fans, even those who considered themselves hardcore supporters of the saga. Disney was cruising at the box office for a while, with both The Force Awakens and Rogue One performing well and hitting big numbers. The Last Jedi and Solo: A Star Wars Story have, however, toiled in comparison.
Amid the struggles, we’re now going to wind back the clock to 2015. There were so many theories about what the sequel trilogy would be about so we now take a trip down memory lane and look at 10 rumours that, ultimately, proved to be just that.
Luke Skywalker Was Dark Side
Everybody was baffled when The Force Awakens released its theatrical poster and Luke Skywalker, the icon of the original trilogy and arguably the best character in Star Wars history was missing. Some, however, believed he was the person wearing the mask of the mysterious new character named Kylo Ren - despite the contrasting height differences.
Others thought that Luke would perhaps be the evil puppet master behind things, being saved for the movie. However, everybody was wrong. Mark Hamill’s character was absent because he was on the fringes of the movie, while Kylo Ren turned out to be Ben Solo instead.
Kylo Ren Was Palpatine
Luke Skywalker wasn’t the only character tipped to be wearing the mask of the mysterious Kylo Ren four years ago. There was also talk that the wearer was Emperor Palpatine, the big villain of both the original and prequel Star Wars trilogies. It was suggested that Palpatine had survived and been able to inherit the body of a younger force user in order to keep himself alive.
Except that was wrong, too. Kylo will instead meet Palpatine for the first time in The Rise of Skywalker and we can’t wait to see how the two villains react to each other. There could be sparks or lightning at least...
Darth Vader Would Be Resurrected
Sticking with the dark side, and the sight of Darth Vader’s mask in one of the first trailers for The Force Awakens had everybody going crazy on social media. Some, rather ambitious fans believed that sight of the mask was hinting that the Sith Lord would be resurrected and turned into the villain of the saga once again - particularly given Luke talks about his father during the footage.
That hasn’t been the case, however, with Palpatine instead the bad guy Disney bigwigs have chosen to bring back. That’s not the only theory regarding the character of Vader possibly being back in some way shape or form either...
Anakin Would Appear As A Force Ghost
While he’s recently returned to the spotlight, Hayden Christensen was undeniably scarred from playing the character of Anakin Skywalker during the Star Wars prequel trilogy. Many made him a scapegoat for their frustrations, with some going as far as to say he’d ruined the entire franchise. However, despite that, it was still rumored he’d appear in The Force Awakens as a force ghost.
That was the secondary line of thinking when Vader’s mask was shown - particularly as Anakin appears in that form at the end of Return of the Jedi. That hasn’t been the case, however, and it doesn’t look likely to happen in The Rise of Skywalker either - despite Christensen suddenly appearing at a lot more Star Wars events than in the past.
Obi-Wan Kenobi Would Return Too
Anakin Skywalker wasn’t the only force ghost who was rumored to be making a cameo appearance in The Force Awakens. Having gone down a storm with fans during the prequels, many expected Ewan McGregor to reprise his role of Obi-Wan Kenobi and help mentor Luke Skywalker or even one of the new characters like he did before.
Once again, fans have been left disappointed. The fact that McGregor will get his own spinoff TV series as Kenobi is a nice silver lining but we still wish he’d popped up during the sequel trilogy. If Yoda can, why can’t Obi-Wan and Anakin?
Finn Was A Jedi
Another talking point on social media building up to The Force Awakens was John Boyega’s Finn. Trailer footage showed that he’d go from being a First Order stormtrooper to a Jedi Knight, somebody capable of going toe to toe with Kylo Ren in lightsaber combat. At least, that’s what everybody thought
Disney was keeping a trick up their sleeve because, while Finn does ditch being a stormtrooper to join the Resistance and wield a lightsaber, he’s no Jedi. Instead, that’s Rey, who not only fights Kylo in the woods of Starkiller Base at the end of the blockbuster but also wins, cutting him down and managing to get off the planet before it’s destroyed.
Snoke Was Plagueis
Everybody knew that Andy Serkis would be playing a mysterious character named Supreme Leader Snoke prior to the release of the first trilogy movie. That didn’t stop people speculating about his true identity, however, and many were convinced we’d finally get to see Darth Plagueis on the big screen. And, after seeing The Force Awakens, everybody thought that theory was correct.
But it doesn’t look to be the case. Snoke was Snoke. He turned Ben Solo to the dark side, rose to power as Supreme Leader before being murdered by his apprentice in The Last Jedi. With Palpatine coming back, we can’t see Plagueis being in The Rise of Skywalker as well.
Han Solo and Leia Organa Were Together
Pretty much everybody expected Han Solo and Leia Organa to be together. The last time we’d seen them, back at the end of Return of the Jedi, they’d finally caved into their feelings and expressed their love for one another. That, coupled with the fact they were both put on the poster, had everybody thinking their relationship had lasted the course.
But we now know that’s not the case. The duo split after Ben Solo turned to the dark side yet, despite that, they clearly still loved each other. They just needed Rey to help bring them together. And speaking of Rey...
Rey Was Their Daughter
It was common knowledge that Rey would play a vital role in the saga and, consequently, many tipped her to be the daughter of Han Solo and Leia Organa. She had the same tenacity as her mother, the same amazing piloting and fighting skills of her father but it’s now safe to say those theories were wrong.
We still don’t know the truth about Rey’s parentage but the chance for her to be a Solo or Organa has passed by. They wouldn’t do that now, particularly with Han dead and Leia’s character being used via deleted footage from The Force Awakens. So it’s now likely Rey is somebody else entirely.
The Knights Of Ren Would Appear Sooner
Thankfully The Rise of Skywalker is poised to finally deliver The Knights of Ren, the mysterious group whose leader is Kylo Ren. However, it was rumored they’d appear long before their forthcoming debut. Firstly in The Force Awakens and then again in The Last Jedi.
Regarding TFA, they did appear - but only in a bizarre vision scene that, four years on, still doesn’t appear to make a lot of sense. It was claimed they’d be involved in a fight scene with Rey and Luke Skywalker on Ach' To in the sequel but that didn’t happen either. We’re just hoping Disney can do their cool-looking characters justice in the concluding chapter of the entire Star Wars saga.