The Empire Strikes Back closed with a somber cliffhanger. The credits rolled with Luke Skywalker sans a hand, Han Solo on ice and the Rebellion on the run. However, this is still a very happy ending compared to Star Wars: The Last Jedi’s climax.
Rian Johnson’s film sees a reborn Rebellion that’s been decimated by a similarly reduced First Order. By the time the credits roll, both sides have lost significantly powerful figures in their ranks (Luke Skywalker and Snoke, respectively). And their new figureheads in Rey and Kylo Ren? They’re undoubtedly powerful, but they’re both still in transitional stages. Rey’s learning the ways of the Force and Ren is going through some pretty sizable personal issues – mostly stemming from his patricide in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
How is the Rebellion going to rebuild in the wake of such devastation? Will its old allies finally help out? And is Rey going to rebuild Anakin’s lightsaber, or fashion a laser staff from its Kyber crystal? These questions naturally arise after watching The Last Jedi, but another more pressing one presents itself: has the latest chapter in the saga created too many problems for Episode IX?