Photo: Scott Garfield / Paramount Pictures
Alright everyone, it’s time for Star Wars. I’m writing this before I’ve seen the new movie, so instead I’m going to write about The Last Jedi, which I think did some very smart things to set up this film, even if it may have also made life a little trickier for J.J. in other ways, too.
The smartest thing The Last Jedi did for the trilogy was kill off Snoke — an empty plot device — and set up Kylo Ren as the ultimate villain. The absolutely palpable tension between Rey and Kylo (and more broadly, their shared battle between light and dark) gives the story a core worth caring about. The trilogy is all about these two people, even if, you know, the entire galaxy is at stake too. (Trailers suggest The Rise of Skywalker brings in a new…