J.J. Abrams is seemingly harboring an inkling of regret now that Star Wars: The Force Awakens has called time on his brief stint in the director’s chair, meaning he’ll now switch gears to executive produce Episode VIII and Episode IX – to be directed by Rian Johnson and Colin Trevorrow, respectively.
Nevertheless, by all accounts, Abrams has teed up many character arcs for both Johnson and Trevorrow to continue, particularly given how The Force Awakens largely skits around revealing the origins stories behind its three nominal heroes: Rey, Finn and Poe Dameron, the best X-Wing pilot in the galaxy.
However, coming out of Abrams’ blockbuster, many fans felt frustrated that the director omitted the origins of each character. And though one could argue that ruining the mystique of Rey, Finn and Poe too early would negatively undermine their stellar first impressions, rest assured, screenwriter and Star Wars guru Lawrence Kasdan confirmed that, yes, Episode VIII and Episode IX will begin to peel back the layers of those stories. From Rey’s true parents to how Poe Dameron landed the cutest droid in the Inner Rim.
Everyone who has seen these movies thinks about ‘I am your father …’ and ‘There is another …’ But neither of those things were in [1977’s original] Star Wars. Star Wars didn’t say Luke was the son of Vader. Star Wars didn’t say Leia was the sister of Luke. You didn’t understand what these references were: the Empire, dark times, Clone Wars. There were these things that were discussed that don’t get explained. George [Lucas] dropped you into a story and respected you to infer everything necessary to understand what you need to know… Can this movie actually also hold, ‘And Rey is this … And Finn is that … And this is where Poe is from …’ This is the first of a series. There is a story to be told. And it will be.
When you consider that Gareth Edwards’ Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is the next chapter in Disney’s burgeoning universe, which itself is primed to circle back to a time before the original trilogy, it’ll be some time yet before those character backgrounds are unveiled in earnest.
Until then, let’s revel in the excitement of Star Wars: The Force Awakens and its barnstorming – and seemingly unstoppable – box office streak.
