A recent Making Star Wars report provided a key bit of information that revives speculation I’ve previously done and results in an important addition to what I believe the future holds. This involves a potential leak for Episode IX.

Written by robotical712. Speaking for myself only.

Possible Spoilers Follow

For some time I’ve been laying out how how I think the Sequel Trilogy will actually end with Rey and Kylo Ren as the champions of the light and dark sides respectively. In addition, Episode IX will not be the end of the First Order/Resistance conflict, but the start of a much larger civil war. Further, this story will be told in parallel with that of Luke, Leia and Han following Endor. MSW’s article brings a new wrinkle and brings speculation I did before TFA to the fore.

According to MSW:

Sometime ago, I spoke to a source about Star Wars: Episode IX who told me that things would get interesting for Kylo Ren when a threat from The Beyond reveals itself, making Kylo Ren vulnerable. This threat would serve as a motivating factor for Kylo and Rey’s interactions as the story progressed but the source wasn’t sure which act it happened in or how it unfolded.

And

Very recently, another source with a great track record said it was really important that The Knights of Ren have returned from The Beyond.

The article goes on to speculate that the Knights of Ren are the threat Kylo must deal with. In my view, it’s far more likely the Knights are simply reporting this threat to their Master, Kylo. Further, I would suggest the Sequel Trilogy and Episode IX will setup a similar scenario used in Game of Thrones: the galaxy fights as a much greater threat rises. In light of this, the hiring of GoT writers Benioff and Weiss makes considerably more sense.

One Canon to Rule them All

Multiple Canon sources have hinted at there being something significant in the Unknown Regions and this report lines up with those hints. First there’s the name, The Beyond, which happens to have shown up before – in the name of the Acolytes of the Beyond depicted in the Aftermath Trilogy. Second, multiple references have been made to a dark secret in the Unknown Regions dating to one of the very first Canon novels – Tarkin:

During his meditations he had tried without success to trace a snaking current of the dark side to its source. What had it been trying to communicate to him?

Miller, John Jackson. The Rise of the Empire: Star Wars (p. 163). Random House Publishing Group.

The Aftermath trilogy is even more suggestive. In Aftermath Yupe Tashu, Palpatine’s Sith expert, states the Empire should retreat:

“We must seek the source of the dark side like a man looking for a wellspring of water.” Wendig, Chuck. Aftermath (Star Wars)

And:

“For decades, these computers have been plotting a journey. Outside the known galaxy is an unexplored infinity, Palpatine explained, one closed off by a labyrinth of solar storms, rogue magnetospheres, black holes, gravity wells, and things far stranger.” Wendig, Chuck. Empire’s End: Aftermath (Star Wars) (Star Wars: The Aftermath Trilogy) (Kindle Locations 6649-6652). Random House Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

It appears seeds long planted coming to fruition in the trilogy’s final movie and all stories really do matter in the Star Wars franchise.

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