Star Wars Speculation: 'Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker' Spoiler Thoughts

Now that nearly a week has passed, and I've seen Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker a total of five times, I felt it would be an appropriate occasion to discuss the film with no restrictions. If you haven't watched it yet, you can read my non-spoiler review and venture back here at a later date. Otherwise, I hope this clarifies my feelings about the film. 

**Spoiler Warning for all Star Wars films**

'Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker' Spoiler Thoughts

1) Rey Palpatine
To kick things off, the biggest surprise was the reveal that Rey's descended from the Emperor himself, Sheev Palpatine. I'll be honest and say that I rolled my eyes in the theater at this moment. One of my favorite things about The Last Jedi was Rian Johnson's decision that Rey's parents were nobodies. Anyone can be the hero of their story, regardless of their ancestry. Going into The Rise of Skywalker, I'd hoped that'd remain unchanged.

At first, I felt this twist was a betrayal of one of my favorite elements of The Last Jedi. However, I soon reconciled this as J.J. Abrams' intent unraveled. He and Chris Terrio were offering a complimentary message rather than detracting from Johnson's story. Your lineage doesn't determine your destiny. You have a choice and agency in deciding your future. In hindsight, I much prefer this to the other possibilities of Rey being a clone or biologically descended from a Skywalker or Kenobi. I don't view this as a stronger alternative to Johnson's proposal, but I think it holds weight as well.

It deepens her struggle between the light and dark side as she questions her own morality. This has been an underlying thread in the trilogy, but I love the notion that her noble and compassionate heart is stronger than blood. On the other hand, I still take issue with a few things. I loathe the line, "You have his power." I not fond of the idea that Rey's strength is attributed to someone else. She's strong on account of her own discipline. It's not because she's the Emperor's granddaughter. And that line seems made to dismiss the preposterous notion of her being a "Mary Sue."

2) Bendemption
By far, my favorite thing about The Rise of Skywalker is how Ben Solo's redemption was handled. I made an entire post about this topic and how I hoped it might play out. Above all, I love how his redemption relates to the poetry of the greater saga. First of all, it occurs on the remains of the second Death Star, which is also the site of Anakin’s redemption, where he made a choice to save Luke from the Emperor. There are deeper ties than that, though...

Anakin metaphorically died and was reborn as Vader in the lava of Mustafar. He faced a baptism by fire, which left him severely burned. With this fire came death, destruction, and pain. The evil Darth Vader was created. Towards the end of the duel between Rey and Kylo Ren on the oceanic moon of Kef Bir, she lands a fatal blow to Kylo Ren. However, rather than let him suffer, she heals him with the Force. In literature, water often represents life, rebirth, and purity. At this moment, Kylo Ren literally and figuratively died and is reborn as Ben Solo. It’s a baptism for Ben that cleanses him of his sins. This franchise is deeply rooted in spirituality and myth, so I love that Abrams and Terrio tapped into that.

One slight detail I've noticed in my successive viewings is that Ben's scar fades away as Rey heals him. Therefore, she heals all the physical wounds she ever caused him since she first gave him the scar in The Force Awakens. A beautiful gesture that underscores her kind heart in addition to further signifying his decision to be Ben Solo again. 

On top of that, there’s the beautiful parallel between The Force Awakens and The Rise Of Skywalker. When Ben Solo is left stranded on the planet, he's seen contemplating his next course of action. Ben's memory of Han Solo appears to console him. Ever since that fatal moment from The Force Awakens, Ben's been haunted by what he did to his father. It shook him to his core and left him more conflicted than ever. Han may not physically be there, but this time Ben can make things right. He can't undo anything, but he can choose to be better. To be a hero. Their conversation consists almost entirely of the same dialogue from their final encounter, but with a much different context. It provides a sense of closure between the two as Ben imagines how he desperately wishes that moment had happened.

I also love that the restoration of Ben Solo required both his parents reaching out to him. Only together, their final efforts bring their son back towards the light. It's tragic but poetic that Han and Leia each die in an attempt to redeem their fallen son. Han's death lingered with Ben, and, in tandem with the sensation that his mother is gone, Ben knows what he has to do. But he doesn't know if he has the strength to do it. Of course, Carrie Fisher's death made this hit home even more, but Harrison Ford and Adam Driver act the hell out of this scene, and it's stuck with me ever since. 

4) Ben Solo Comes To The Rescue
Perhaps, the biggest crowd-pleasing moment of the entire film is when Ben rushes in to help Rey. I'll touch on their bond momentarily, but it's such a triumphant moment when Rey passes his family's saber to him through the Force. In this sequence, he displays so much of his family's heroic bravado and even channels many of his father's iconic gif-able mannerisms. It's a phenomenal entrance and great payoff to his arc. Anyways, if there's one thing I'd tweak about the film, it would be for Ben Solo to live when all is said and done. I can accept his death and appreciate that it wasn't derivative of Vader's, but I still wish he'd survived. However, I really love that he was able to do what Anakin couldn't and save the one he loved from dying by transferring his life force to Rey. An upside regarding his tragic fate.

5) "Be With Me"

Another one of my favorite moments is when Rey hears the voices of the Jedi who came before. Heard in the scene are Anakin Skywalker, Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor and Alec Guinness), Yoda, Qui-Gon Jinn, Mace Windu, Ahsoka Tano, Luminara Unduli, Aayla Secura, and Adi Galla. While I'd hoped to see several Force Ghosts, I prefer this approach because Rey doesn't really know any of them aside from Luke, so their appearance would mean nothing to her. I think this is a nice compromise that doesn't detract from Rey in the scene. 

6) A Dyad In The Force

Something else I really liked about The Rise of Skywalker was the expansion of Force-lore. I liked how J.J. developed the Force bond between Rey and Kylo Ren prominently seen in The Last Jedi, as physical objects transcend their connection (something first teased by Rian when Kylo Ren wipes his brow and water droplets appear). 

Concerning their complex dynamic, I find the continued contrast between them very interesting. Rey is dressed in white and struggles with inner darkness while Kylo Ren is dressed in black and struggles with an inner light. Previously, there was the angle that Rey came from nothing while Kylo Ren is descended from a dynasty of powerful Force-users. Now, Rey is related to the ultimate evil in the galaxy, while Ben Solo's parents are the embodiment of hope and goodness (even his grandfather brought balance to the Force). While I don't think The Rise of Skywalker thematically-rich as The Last Jedi, it's become abundantly clear to me that The Rise of Skywalker is all about the power of choice. As I alluded to earlier, your destiny isn't predetermined by blood. Only you can make the decision to be good or evil. 

7) Ending Where It All Began

The ending of the film sees Rey travel to the Lars homestead on Tatooine to bury Luke and Leia's lightsabers. She's asked who she is, to which she eventually responds, "Rey... Rey Skywalker" after looking to see the Force ghosts of Luke and Leia on the horizon. Then she and BB-8 gaze at the twin sunset. There's, of course, the reoccurring motif of "twins" with the binary sunset, the twin sabers, and twin Skywalkers, which I kinda dig. Then, I also like that Rey's chosen to take up the Skywalker name. I've seen a wide array of opinions on this, but it doesn't really bother me. 

After my initial viewing, I felt very conflicted about many decisions made in The Rise of Skywalker. It's been a process for me to sort them all out, but I think I've come to terms with them all and found a greater appreciation for this ending now that all is said and done. I'm not expecting to change anyone's mind, but I hope that my thoughts have inspired others to find a greater appreciation for the things that disappointed them or the aspects they also adore! 

There's plenty more to discuss, but I thought this analysis would be an excellent place to start. I'll continue to post about The Rise of Skywalker and the Skywalker Saga in the coming months as ideas come to mind.

-May the Force be with you, always!

'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker' Review

Nominated For: Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Editing, and Best Original Score.

Synopsis: The surviving Resistance faces the First Order once more as Rey, Finn, and Poe Dameron's journey continues. With the power and knowledge of generations behind them, the final battle commences.

Runtime: 141 minutes

MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for sci-fi violence and action)

Who should see it? Star Wars fans eager to see the end of the Skywalker Saga.

At last, the time has come to talk about another new Star Wars movie... And not just any new Star Wars movie. Directed by J.J. Abrams, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker concludes the nine-episode space opera, which first began forty-two years ago. Entering the auditorium, I was overcome with feelings of joy, sadness, and anxiety since I knew this story I cherished so much was finally coming to an end. Now, it's worth noting that this ending provides closure to the Saga while also leaving room for future installments. So we'll have to wait and see whether Disney and Lucasfilm maintain their stance on this genuinely being the end or not... Though, for the time being, this is it for the core saga. 

Those who know me are well-aware of what this franchise means to me, so naturally, it may seem that my opinion's slightly biased in the film's favor. However, I was very nervous about a good number of things. Before I continue, I'd like to preface my thoughts with a brief disclaimer, though... I'm incredibly gracious to have the opportunity to see The Rise of Skywalker early, so I'm going to offer my readers the same courtesy I'd expect from any other reviewer. I will tread carefully in writing my review to avoid even the slightest spoiler or plot detail currently unknown by the general public. At times, my critiques may seem vague, but I'll be more than happy to elaborate in a clearly marked spoiler review after opening weekend. It's taken time for me to process what I watched, and there was a lot of information to absorb. 

I want to start by addressing the elephant in the room. The Last Jedi is my favorite movie period. I have not been shy about this, but I am also aware of its divisive reception. One of my concerns regarding The Rise of Skywalker was that J.J. Abrams and his co-writer Chris Terrio might choose to "course-correct" and reverse specific creative choice made by Rian Johnson for the sake of mass appeal. I'm glad to report I didn't feel that was the case. However, when I returned to social media yesterday, I discovered a storm of controversy due to certain "retcons." I'll address this in more detail in my spoiler review sometime next week, but the magnitude of these "retcons" is being grossly overblown.

These "retcons" being answers to questions that fans have obsessed over since before the release of The Force Awakens. The answers actually altered my perception of the sequel trilogy as a whole, so I'm interested in rewatching it with them in mind. Still, I felt they made logical sense and didn't contradict anything previously established by Rian Johnson, George Lucas, or any of the other Star Wars filmmakers. For those concerned, I went into the film with a particular mindset of what I hoped wouldn't happen and was surprised that Abrams and Terrio convinced me otherwise on specific points. The execution sold me on the ideas I wouldn't have expected to like. So keep an open mind and go along for the ride before casting judgment. I'm still in the process of reconciling certain creative choices myself. 

Otherwise, J.J. Abrams absolutely delivers on the spectacle expected for a grand finale. The central lightsaber duel showcased heavily in the promotional material is unreal, and the final confrontation offers starship combat on a scale previously unseen in the franchise. I was also delighted to see Abrams and Terrio up the ante in terms of Force abilities. Needless to say, I was very giddy throughout and can't wait to experience my favorite crowd-pleasing moments with a packed theater of Star Wars fans due to the huge surprises in store! The technicality of everything ranging from cinematography to sound design to visual effects to John Williams' musical score was impeccable.

In a mega-blockbuster such as this, large casts are typical, and it'd honestly be excessive for me to discuss every actor's performance in excruciating detail. Therefore, I'm going to stick to the leads and significant supporting players, but know all characters, new and old, are great in it. If I were to single anyone out as a standout, it would be Daisy Ridley's Rey. This is the role that skyrocketed her to stardom, and this time around, Ridley offers her best performance yet. In her third and possibly final outing, Ridley feels more confident, which translates wonderfully to Rey's screen presence. Ridley also gets an opportunity to demonstrate more of her emotional range and excels on all accounts.

Opposite Ridley, Adam Driver continues to make Kylo Ren a very compelling character. Driver has quickly become my favorite actor working today, and he lends so much dimension to Kylo Ren with his multifaceted portrayal. This outing is no different, and Driver gives it his all! I was especially glad to see the unique dynamic between him and Rey further explored in greater detail because that's one of my favorite aspects of the sequel trilogy. Star Wars fans keen to see his devout followers, the Knights of Ren onscreen will be happy that they have some cool moments in the limelight. With that said, they're more-or-less an afterthought in the grand scheme of things so temper your expectations there. 

I'm sure many of you are rightfully wondering about Leia's inclusion, and I'll just say I was amazed at how J.J. Abrams was able to integrate archival footage of Carrie Fisher so naturally. Her presence lingers over the movie in a powerful way, and I'm glad to see Leia's send-off handled with such reverence. Among all the discourse which will surround this movie, I highly doubt anyone will be displeased with how she was treated. As for the other lingering inclusion, I was surprisingly pleased with the return of Ian McDiarmid's Emperor Palpatine. I can't say much else for fear of spoilers, but I was thrilled to hear his maniacal laughter once more, and his malevolent presence is stronger than ever! 

Returning to a galaxy far, far away, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, and Kelly Marie Tran comfortably reprise their roles in the fight against the First Order as Finn, Poe, and Rose. The marketing for The Rise of Skywalker prominently featured the companionship between the trio of Rey, Finn, and Poe, and they certainly had a great rapport between the three of them. Regarding the beloved legacy characters of Chewbacca, C-3PO, and R2-D2, Joonas Suotamo, Anthony Daniels, and Jimmy Vee are as endearing as ever, and each has memorable moments! Rolling back onscreen, BB-8 continues to delight while D-O is a fun new droid companion. Then, of course, it was truly wonderful to see Billy Dee Williams playing Lando Calrissian again. He may be 82, but he's still got his trademark swagger! Meanwhile, the new characters Zorii Bliss, Jannah, and Allegiant General Pryde, portrayed by Keri Russell, Naomie Ackie, and Richard E. Grant respectively, were terrific additions to the sprawling ensemble. If I didn't mention someone, it's likely because they had a smaller part or have a surprise appearance, but the remaining cast members fulfilled their roles to the fullest!

At times, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is too overwhelming for its own good. The opening thrusts the audience right into the thick of it, and there's a lot of information to digest very quickly. Perhaps, the pacing will improve for me on repeat viewings, but that remains to be seen. It's not my favorite Star Wars movie, but it never needed to be. In the end, J.J. Abrams stuck the landing and delivered a finale that's epic, entertaining, emotional, and incredibly satisfying. 

Film Assessment: A-

Star Wars Speculation: Bendemption

Crazy to think we are only one month away from the release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Seeing as that's the case, I thought it would be an appropriate time to dive back into my series of Star Wars Speculation blog posts. I'm going to start by discussing one of the more contentiously debated subjects, Ben Solo's redemption. 

**Spoiler Warning for all Star Wars films**

Star Wars Speculation: Bendemption

For starters, what is redemption? According to Google, it's defined as follows:

Redemption- the action of saving or being saved from sin, error, or evil.

Regardless of your opinion, we should all agree that Ben Solo has sinned in his path towards the dark side. That much is necessary for him even to be considered for redemption. You can't be redeemed if you've done nothing wrong. It's an implicit requirement that I've noticed some fans seem to overlook in their assertion that he's faultless. That's not to say there were always malicious motives behind his actions. Still, the actions themselves can be deemed objectively "evil."

Everyone in the fanbase has their own stance, and there are four potential outcomes for next month's resolution:

1. He lives, redeemed.

2. He lives, unredeemed.

3. He dies, redeemed.

4. He dies, unredeemed.

I believe the first outcome is most likely and would be the most satisfying result based on the saga's narrative thus far. Though before I elaborate on my opinion, I'm going to explore the fan opposition and support for his redemption.

Arguments Against

1. He killed Han Solo.

This is undoubtedly the reasoning against his redemption that I hear most. Ben killed his father. However, it's an act he immediately regrets that shakes him at his very core. Snoke later taunts him for this at the beginning of The Last Jedi. Yet Anakin killed younglings among countless others after his fall to the Dark Side... And I don't ever hear anyone take issue with Vader's redemption. Though, of course, this is because Han Solo is a character beloved by fans for over 40 years. To some, that act is unforgivable. I'm curious to see if they change their tune once they see the big picture.

2. It would rehash the Original Trilogy.

A chief complaint of The Force Awakens was that it borrowed too heavily from A New Hope. I wrote about this two years ago in a post entitled The Poetry of the Star Wars Saga. Some fear Kylo Ren's redemption would mirror Vader's too closely. I, at one point, thought this as well. However, I've since come around on this notion. I believe Ben's redemption could differ substantially from Anakin's. Ultimately, it is crucial to the resolution of the Skywalker Saga.

3. Kylo Ren's rejected the light side multiple times.

Again, I once agreed with this point. I believed Ben was presented with several opportunities for his salvation, which he promptly rejected. It seemed like Ben sealed his fate as one of darkness. Though I later realized that this could strengthen his choice. By the end of The Last Jedi, Ben's made himself Supreme Leader of the First Order. The audience is left with a final glimpse of the Supreme Leader alone as he kneels, clutching his father's gold dice as they fade away, and the Resistance escapes. There's the crushing realization that this may not actually be what he wanted.

Arguments For

1. He's Han and Leia's son.

As their son, Ben represents Han and Leia's legacy. It would be a shame for that to end in darkness and for Han's final act of sacrifice to not have eventually brought Ben back towards the light. A tragic end would invalidate Han's sacrifice. 

2. He's one of the last two remaining Skywalkers.

If Kylo Ren were to not find redemption by The Rise of Skywalker's closing credits, that would contradict the core message of the Skywalker Saga in my mind. No one's ever too far gone. It's never too late to do good. It would also send a bleak message that one can never atone for their sins, which seems very dark for a family-friendly franchise. 

3. He and Rey must break the cycle.

The finale of the Skywalker Saga must put an end to the cycle of widespread catastrophe started in the Prequels. The family drama needs to be resolved once and for all. Otherwise, what was the point of this sequel trilogy?

To me, Star Wars reflects the essential values of Christianity. No sin can go unforgiven. Therefore, I think Ben Solo absolutely can be redeemed. There's never a point of no return. No matter how far you've gone, you can always absolve yourself. There must be a genuine willingness to change, but forgiveness is forever within reach. Regardless of your own stance, I hope you appreciated reading my thoughts on the matter. Thankfully, we don't have to wait much longer to discover the answer. December 20th (19th for Thursday night showings) is right around the corner! 

-May the force be with you, always!

Let's Talk About STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI Behind The Scenes

If you follow my social media, you may or may not have seen that I made a video essay abut Star Wars: The Last Jedi. If you haven't heard and are interested in watching it, I'll embed it right here for you:

Now that you've hopefully watched it, I'd like to share some fun factoids, sources of inspiration, and any other Behind The Scenes content that may interest you! For starters, I made this video because I love The Last Jedi and felt like I had a lot to say on it which couldn't be expressed through a blog post. Secondly, I'd been considering making the foray back into YouTube and decided this might be a good start. I made it my goal to find something about the film which I hadn't seen covered extensively online while sharing my own interpretation of the film, and I think I was successful.

I figured I'd start with a script because an unscripted ramble would probably be disastrous and go on for far too long. That took about a week, I shared it with some people via social media, took their feedback into account, and then made revisions from there. That went on for about two-three weeks before I began recording. I was honestly surprised how long I wound up recording some sections due to mispronunciations and me fumbling over my own words. 

Here's a funny example:

Hey everyone! Enjoy this out-of context minute long clip of me struggling to say “Earth’s myths.” pic.twitter.com/Ym72DdnJP5

— David Weiser (@weiser_david) October 29, 2018

On that note, an interesting tidbit is that I scrapped all my narration audio earlier this week and rerecorded the entire thing because I wasn't satisfied with the audio quality. It's honestly still not quite at the level I'd like, but I was pleased enough with it and wanted to meet the deadline of December 15th so I settled. I did this multiple times to be honest...

For those wondering, The Art of The Last Jedi was probably the best resource for me when writing the script aside from the film itself and requisite bonus features. I found a lot of information in there which helped the idea of the video take shape. If you loved The Last Jedi, I highly recommend the book as it's very insightful. It has plenty of gorgeous concept art and lots fascinating commentary from the filmmakers.

Other factoids:  

-I included many of the Star Wars trademarks such as an opening crawl and wipe transitions. The end credits are even in the style of a Star Wars film as well. In order to do that though, I knew I'd have to somehow use John Williams' main theme... Only if I used the actual audio, the video would surely get a copyright strike. I then decided to put together an a cappella arrangement as a work around by enlisting help from some vocalists at my local church. We recorded during the week of Thanksgiving break and it was the first part of the video which was finalized.

-Early on in the process I made the thumbnail and crawl. When writing the opening crawl, I looked to The Last Jedi's crawl as inspiration for the proper wording. As for the thumbnail, I made a more simplistic version, but it was recommended for me to work in a person's face because that would help the video get more views. I decided to impose Luke on top and then changed the lighting and coloring to better blend everything together. 

-If you watch Star Wars Rebels, you may have caught onto how the World Between Worlds aesthetic influenced this particular graphic. 

-The most time-consuming part of the process was probably searching for specific footage on the Internet. You would be amazed at how difficult it was to find certain clips without a watermark, and in some cases, I had to settle for standard definition because there was no HD version available. 

Otherwise, I don't have much else to share with you. I hope you enjoyed the video as well as this post, and I'll catch up on all my film reviews soon as I've seen about ten films since my last review.

Star Wars Speculation: #CloneWarsSaved

It's been awhile since I last wrote a Star Wars Speculation post because I decided to take some time off after the release of Solo: A Star Wars Story. I had been contemplating putting together a post centered around The Clone Wars for the ten year anniversary (and likely still will), but I certainly didn't anticipate this announcement...

Series Background and some Personal Anecdotes

For those unaware, Star Wars: The Clone Wars was an animated television series set in the time period between Attack Of The Clones and Revenge Of The Sith which aired from 2008-2013. It all kicked off with a theatrically released film that compiled four episodes intended to be part of the first season. The film itself was met with a lackluster reception by critics and fans alike, but the series later won many over in the coming years. I can recall myself that it came at a time where there really wasn't much other Star Wars content being produced. There were toys, books, and video games I suppose, but no onscreen adventures in a galaxy far, far away. The time after the release of Revenge of the Sith was a bleak one for Star Wars fans to say the least... Till 2008 that is...

On August 15, 2008, I was seated with my family ready to see another Star Wars film. It may have been animated, but that didn't mean jack-squat to me. I could hardly believe it. There was ANOTHER Star Wars film in theaters. I distinctly remember being convinced that the franchise was done forever once the Prequel Trilogy wrapped. The idea of never seeing any new Star Wars content in a cinema was an unfortunate one that took hold in my mind far too quickly. If only eleven year old me had known what great wonders would come his way seven years later and beyond...

Anyways, as I'm sure you all can tell, Star Wars has always been something quite special to me. I loved it ever since being introduced as a child, and that passion burns in me to this very day. Not to get all sappy or melodramatic, but The Clone Wars came at the perfect time for me. It was a weird time in my life. I was entering middle school and my parents were getting divorced. I've certainly come to grips with that and moved on in the time since, but I didn't fully grasp the situation at eleven years old. However, when times were tough, I always looked forward to sitting down and watching The Clone Wars every Friday evening on Cartoon Network (it later changed time slots, but you get the jist).

I watched the show religiously, and loved just about every second of it. It deepened the mythology, further developed pre-existing characters, and introduced plenty of exciting new concepts, characters, and planets. It fleshed out the prequels in a way that no book or comic could ever hope to do, and made me appreciate those films more than I ever had before. With that being said, it was bitter-sweet to learn Disney purchased Lucasfilm. On one hand, they were going to make new live action films, including the Episode VII I had always dreamed of. However, the series was retracted from Cartoon Network and cancelled once Disney acquired Lucasfilm. All was not lost though...

Since work had already started on additional episodes for future seasons, an agreement was made so that thirteen episodes could be completed and released on Netflix as "The Lost Missions." About a year after the final episode of the fifth season, "The Lost Missions" debuted on Netflix and I quickly binged the thirteen episodes. Upon completion, I figured that was the last I would ever see of any new, completed Clone Wars content (rough animatics for Seasons 7 & 8 wound up online). Star Wars Rebels debuted later that year, and I discovered that certain characters would be returning as I latched onto that show. Even though Clone Wars hadn't properly concluded, there was going to be some semblance of finality through Rebels. I was happy Filoni got to carry on with his story, but I certainly still wanted to see a proper send-off in the form of a final season. Little did I know that I'd get my wish once more...

#CloneWarsSaved Breakdown

For those who don't know, San Diego Comic Con is currently going on this week and a panel was held yesterday in honor of the tenth anniversary of The Clone Wars. When it was announced, I figured it might primarily be a look back at the series, a look at some things that could have been, and a sneak peek at Filoni's next animated series Star Wars Resistance. Well, I was kind of right. Filoni was joined by some members of the cast and crew, and together they reminisced on various episodes of the series as well as discussing some of the behind-the-scenes development on the series. They also showcased some concept art and discussed ideas Filoni had for the seventh and eighth seasons, but that wasn't all... At the end of the panel, every Clone Wars fan's wildest dreams finally came true.

Filoni mentioned that hardly a week went by where he wasn't tagged on Twitter by a fan asking him save The Clone Wars. He then acknowledged that the fans deserved something for being so great, loving, and supportive for ten years. That something turned out to be a trailer announcing the return of The Clone Wars.

What followed was footage of Clone Trooper helmets with blaster-fire and explosions overhead featuring voiceover from various episodes. Text appeared saying "A war left unfinished..." referring to the series of course. Then "till now" to imply it would be continued in some capacity. Additional footage followed that showcased various vehicles, ships, Captain Rex, Anakin Skywalker, and other clones as they looked out of the hanger and into the horizon. Title card.

Anakin and Obi Wan enter a conference room as Anakin asks "Alright Rex. What's so important that you brought all the way back here?" We then see Bo-Katan and Ahsoka via hologram with Rex standing at attention near the holo-table. Ahsoka acknowledges Anakin by saying "Hello master. It's been awhile." Then "#CloneWarsSaved" appears...

What does this mean? 

So Clone Wars is being saved, but what does that mean exactly? Well, Disney is looking to debut their own direct-to-customer streaming service next year to compete with Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon among many others. The Clone Wars will return for an additional twelve episode season that will be available to watch through said streaming service. Whether it will be exclusive to the service in the long run or not remains to be seen, but I imagine the eventual release of a Blu-Ray box set including every season is a likely possibility. Also, it hasn't been explicitly said whether these will be the final episodes of the series or not. What this means is that an eighth season is not outside the realm of possibility. However, I think these twelve episodes will likely wrap things up for good and that they will be available as soon as the service launches. There's no official word on if that will be the case, but it's what I'm currently predicting.

Disney is clearly going all in on this streaming service between the revival of Clone Wars and Favreau's live action Star Wars series, so I imagine more information will surface eventually. We just need to be patient... I predict we'll get plenty of news at next year's Star Wars Celebration, but things will likely stay quiet till then.

Some Speculation 

As for the series itself, I imagine there will be an arc detailing the Siege of Mandalore which will probably play a significant part in the series finale. Seeing Bo-Katan with Ahsoka certainly implies that will be the case. When you couple that with Ahsoka's account of Order 66 from the Ahsoka novel and the early animatics for future seasons, it seems as though many of these episodes will be finalized versions of the planned episodes. I also think we will get more information as to the fate of Maul between Clone Wars and Solo based on this emphasis on Mandalore.

I also presume that these episodes will be MUCH closer to the beginning of Revenge of the Sith based on Anakin's longer hair. I actually wouldn't be surprised to see some direct tie-ins to Revenge of the Sith such as the reveal that Palpatine has been kidnapped, causing Obi Wan and Anakin to go back to Coruscant, and/or Order 66 from the perspective of the clones and other Jedi we didn't see in Revenge of the Sith. 

Conclusion

To wrap things up, I'm obviously ecstatic about the return of The Clone Wars. If you haven't seen the series and this post perked your interest, all six seasons and the theatrical film are currently available to watch on Netflix. You can certainly watch them in release order, but if you'd like to watch them chronologically, here's a hyperlink that will take you to the official Star Wars website with a chronological episode order. I never would have imagined this announcement would have happened, but it did on account of a passionate fanbase, and it's amazing how it's already helped tremendously in unifying the fanbase again. Hopefully, fans will stick together through 2019 because next year is going to be a big year for Star Wars! I absolutely can't wait for all the content coming our way!!

-As always, thanks for reading and May the Force be with you!!