Episode VIII.- The Last Jedi (Zombie edition)
Chaos surrounds the Republic after the destruction of Coruscant. Chancellor Leia Organa is still leading a military mission against members of the First Order, while the leadership of the Republic and its political stability are under great tension. Meanwhile, the Sith Council is progressing with the New Trade Alliance Agenda. However, great doubts are cast on whether former Emperor Palpatine is in line with the Sith Council.
ACT I. A Change of Leader
"Home, sweet home," Palpatine says while entering Snoke's hideout.
YOU ARE NOT WELCOME HERE, LORD SIDIOUS…
"Your victory against the Republic is mine," Palpatine says. "But you… just tried to betray me, and kill me with a simple guard. Poor boy... he was so spooked."
Snoke Guard Oowon screams are being played all over the hall. All other guards start aiming at Palpatine, but they also back away a bit from him.
"Are you mad at me?" Snoke asks. "Betrayal is in the heart of the Dark Side."
"Loyalty can also exist in the Dark Side," Palpatine says. "Empires can fall when you forget that."
Snoke moves his finger to attract Lord Sidious, but instead, a random rifle falls in his hand. So he uses it to shoot Sidious, and the blast goes through him.
"It's true then…" Lord Snoke says. "You ARE dead… Vader did a good job on you. That phantom look is beautiful…"
With a simple snap of Palpatine's ghostly fingers, Oowon's corpse falls in front of Snoke's throne.
"I will teach you what true Loyalty means," Palpatine says, as all Snoke guards start shooting him. Snoke easily manages to stop all blasts before they hit him, but one thing is stopping regular blasts and another is surviving a ghost's electric shock. If Lord Snoke oozed a putrid stench, well he now smells roasted. Snoke extends his hand, asking for mercy, as his big-headed body falls from his throne and Palpatine occupies it.
"Tell me, Kylo Ren," Palpatine asks. "Who do you pledge loyalty to?"
A red lightsaber is pulled out. No attempt of killing Snoke is made. Instead he simply places an inscription in Snoke's head. Kylo's gentle smile has always nugged his master.
I MADE YOU! TRAITOR!
Palpatine lifts Snoke's body with the Force to read what Kylo has written. Ah, yes…
EMPIRE!
Another blast of lightning leaves Snoke even weaker. As breathing becomes ever harder to him, his now traitor apprentice Kylo Ren comes near him and talks softly to him: "I made myself..." Kylo Ren lifts Snoke once more, but this time, he splits his body in half by merely using the Force. A comforting sound of mechanical breathing fills the hall, and Kylo Ren starts smiling with profound joy.
ACT II. Rupture
The sands of Jakku are circling abnormally, yet beautifully around Rey. She is using the Force, yet she is not supposed to. Not until she achieves balance. For Chewie, it's a beautiful sight. And it's just not for him.
"I can sense you," Kylo Ren says. "I can sense your loneliness. Your parents, you want them so badly. Yet they abandoned you."
Rey invites Kylo Ren deeper into the fantasy. Of a beautiful Rey, one that's happy, one that's home. One who laughs, who has a family. Who has a life.
"And all of this may become true, if you join the Dark Side of the Force," Kylo Ren says. "Join me…"
Instead, a heavy mechanically-assisted breath is heard. This is the sound of another illusion, one which doesn't belong to Rey.
"Would you like me to train you?" Rey asks. "I can show you how far you can arrive. I can show you govern it all. But which route shall it be?"
And thus, Kylo Ren walks into this illusion: ALL HAIL EMPEROR REN! And then, powerlessness. Stripped off your pitiful empire. But then, commendations for Chancellor Ren of the Republic. He who walks her mother's path… Or is there even someone before Leia? Or, perhaps, you can experience what it feels like to be your idol, Lord Vader.
"This isn't me…" Rey says. "The illusions are going out of control. Break them please!"
Rey tries to extend her hand to Kylo, but he is no longer there. The connection has been severed. Breathing is so hard when your body and soul are on flames.
I HATE YOU!
GIVE ME MY PARENTS BACK!
GIVE ME MY EMPIRE BACK!
Kylo Ren and Rey start breathing heavily in different points of the Galaxy. The illusion is way too strong, especially when it is taken away. He's even confused on his whereabouts. Is he in Jakku? Is he with the Emperor? Or has he gone somewhere else?
"What troubles you, Kylo Ren?" Palpatine asks.
Ren is still crouching, trying to collect himself, as Palpatine's voice gives him grounding.
"Someone stole it from me," Kylo Ren answers. "My Empire! I want it back! I'll have it back!" Palpatine shocks him with lightning, and looks at him scornfully. There is no time for crying like a child that's lost his toys.
"What Empire?!" Palpatine asks. "You haven't even built one! But we can start today. After we destroy all your predecessor's hopes."
Rey feels agitated. She'd never thought she'd see it, Anakin's illusion. A hyperdrive transition to the Dark Side of the Force. Fear, confusion, and ambition, all mixed in a dangerous cocktail.
DON'T USE THE FORCE. YOU CAN'T EVEN WITHSTAND AN INCH OF MY SUFFERING. YOU ARE NOT READY YET. THERE IS A LONG ROAD TOWARDS BALANCE OF THE FORCE.
Rey hits the ground. She's replaying Anakin's teachings in her head over and over again. She hates him for exposing her flaws, for ever increasing her wish to have a happy family, for having never ever been abandoned to her fortune at Jakku.
Chewie slaps Rey, and she comes back to herself. Away from self talks, away from having her train thought be meddled with again. Anakin is certainly not in Jakku. He's somewhere else, but his training is making Rey's cracks ever more apparent.
Lord Maul has received news from a spy: Palpatine and the First Order wish to restore the Old Empire. Never kill the messenger, but Maul is truly angered now. Not enough to snap a neck, but enough for a bit of Force choking.
"Still attached to the past…" Lord Maul says. "This cannot be. Tell the others. They are no longer part of our Council."
Certainly, the New Trade Alliance sponsored by the Sith Council is about to start. Each Sith Lord will secure a territory, and squash their opposition. Non-Sith leaders in the Trade Alliance shall be no more. Unity against rupture. Unity of the Dark Side of the Force.
"Why are we heading to these neutral planetary systems full of poverty?" Kylo Ren asks while travelling with Palpatine. "They are leftovers of the former Trade Alliance and the Republic. No one wants them."
Palpatine points to a seemingly random spot in outer space. But then, a Star Destroyer is seen, drifting for a long, long time. Its power, off. An old-age Destroyer from the Empire. Current technology might easily destroy them. But not if these evolve into a fleet. And so they multiply. Ghost ships making a ghost fleet. Surrounded by an eerie mist.
"We need to evolve our fleet with the Dark Side of the Force," Palpatine answers. "And when that is done, it won't matter how much technological advance they achieved. Their weapons will be as useless as an elevator in Coruscant."
"Chancellor Organa," Poe says. "We've located the Millenium Falcon in Jakku, but no one is answering. What should we do?"
Leia sits down, almost in a defeated fashion. No Coruscant means no Republic at her eyes. There is no Han to talk to. Luke's missing in action. No one to resort to for guidance.
"Call Holdo and Mon Mothma," Leia answers. "We're regrouping at Jakku. I need to find Han."
Finn looks at Anakin. He's surprised at Leia's call. It doesn't resemble what he has seen her do in the past. Gathering the Rebellion seems like surrendering before time.
"That is certainly not OK," Finn says, and Anakin nods him.
"Can you use the Force to contact someone at Jakku?" Anakin asks. "She's closed the door to me, but if you ask for Han Solo, she might answer."
Then, Anakin goes to the bridge. Poe is a bit upset, especially as Anakin seems to get everyone in tough spots. Leia being the commander, Anakin's call. Destroying the Starbreaker, Finn's call. He hasn't felt like commanding his ship for a while.
"Are you OK with it?" Anakin asks. "You haven't even called the Queen of Naboo. The Republic isn't a person. It won't die because someone severed its head."
"How would you know?" Poe asks. "She's freed us from the Empire. She rebuilt the Republic. If she says we need the Rebellion she might be OK."
This time, Anakin won't try to explain. He'll show. Show and hope that Poe understands. But making a non-Force user feel Anakin's experience. That might be too much for him. Or perhaps… he just already knew. Perhaps people in Naboo haven't been hiding the truth about what happened then, but for minor details, like Luke and Leia's whereabouts.
"So you are that kid who stopped an invasion in Naboo at the age of nine?" Poe asks. "You are my personal hero. And my personal disappointment as well… You were unnecessarily harsh at Queen Amidala."
"I know," Anakin says. "Even the Emperor warned me about it. And now, I fear my daughter may fall into desperation as I have."
"I'll get you news from Naboo then," Poe says. "I've never had a child. So, I just wouldn't know how to handle your situation. But whatever you do, don't go on her like you did with Queen Amidala. We need her alive and centered."
Anakin gets the news from Finn, and they are bad. Han is dead, manslaughtered by his own son. So, Anakin does the sensible thing. He uses his Force Ghost nature to teleport away from the ship. He's never been more than Leia's biological father. Any attempt from him to make her daughter come to senses will likely fail. But there's hope yet; therefore, Anakin teleports himself to where hope is in retreat.
The sound of relaxing waves in a nice yet abandoned island is quite relaxing for Anakin. Mechanical steps of a golden droid approach towards him.
"Excuse me, sir," C-3PO asks. "What brings you here?"
Anakin stands up and smiles at C-3PO. But as soon as they get close to each other, C-3PO slaps Anakin.
"I'm sorry," C-3PO says. "I don't know who you are, and I am not supposed to be hostile towards people, but I felt you truly deserved that slap. I just don't know why."
"Maybe, you just don't remember the details," Anakin says. "Master Kenobi told me he had your memory erased. But I wasn't expecting you. It's a pleasant surprise."
"I feel honored," C-3PO asks. "But I don't know you, sir."
"I just happen to be your creator," Anakin says. "You are one of your kind."
"I sincerely don't know what you are talking about," C-3PO says.
Of course, if he feels the need to slap Anakin, there might be more than parts in that droid. Perhaps the Force made him develop another kind of A.I. So, a golden touch might restore that memory. But first, C-3PO is turned off.
"Stop playing with the droid," Luke says. "He's a good friend."
"Master Anakin!" C-3PO says. "Now I remember why I want to slap you, sir. I'm still highly infuriated. You owe Master Padmé a huge apology. I hope you give it to her in the afterlife!"
"Now, what did you do with the droid?" Luke asks. "It's broken now."
"No, Luke, it's repaired," Anakin says.
"How is it that you are still alive?" C-3PO asks. "You are supposed to be dead."
"And I am," Anakin says. "But some prankster turned me into a zombie."
"What do you want?" Luke asks.
"Leia," Anakin says. "I think you'll have to save her like you did with me."
"It's hard for you to be a present father, huh?" Luke asks.
"At least I'm not playing rebellion in a peaceful territory," Anakin says.
"The Trade Alliance is run by the Sith!" Luke says. "The ones who destroyed Coruscant!"
Anakin uses the Force and lifts Luke's X-wing. Then he disappears with C-3PO.
Elsewhere in the Galaxy… Luke Skywalker's Jedi Order was established at the heart of the Trade Alliance. Luke sought to bring balance to the Force by training Jedi padawans in Sith territory. A heavy ordeal they face, as they either fall enslaved or dead. The most fortunate ones are those who manage to drift into the Dark Side and further stability in the Trade Alliance.
"Not all Sith Lords wish for bad things," Anakin once warned Master Yoda. "But they are never kept in check with regards to their methods. That's how I wound up killing Padmé instead of saving her life, which was my original intention. Fear of the Dark Side of the Force is as dangerous as giving in to fear itself. That's why Palpatine won the Clone Wars in the first place." With these final words, Anakin became a Master of the Force himself, and parted ways from the Jedi and the Sith. Now, his premonitions are becoming ever more apparent in the unification of the Trade Alliance, as Luke's Jedi Order falls by the number.
Orbiting Jakku, the old guns of the Rebellion have reunited to support Leia. She's hopeful again, as her army stands once more against the Sith. Luke is watching carefully at his father's warnings. He might be right for the first time in a very long, long time. Then, a spooky laugh is heard across all communications from rebel vessels. It's him. It's the Emperor. Is he back? Doubt starts destroying Leia's momentum, as out of nowhere a fleet of Destroyers appears. Old age destroyers, to which the new Rebel ships should be fully equipped to face, only that these Destroyers multiply themselves beyond human comprehension. The dimension of that fleet cannot be grasped, and the strike commences. It hits Leia so hard that the entire Fleet becomes debris in outer space.
ACT III. Escape from the desert
Anakin's move wasn't in vain. He's managed to get Luke's help to save as many lives as possible. It's Luke's mastery of the Force that allowed a handful of people in that operation to survive, but the rest… all gone. Leia hugs Luke. "Thank you," she says. Anakin looks into the sky and senses it. They are coming. The First Order will sweep this planet to leave no trace of survivors. And he isn't the only one. Rey and Chewie arrive with speeders.
"Time to go," Rey says. "I don't think we can survive to a full sweep now."
JUMP IN BLACK TROOPER!
Poe goes with Rey, and Finn goes with Chewie. The plan is to make it to the Millenium Falcon. Leia and Luke will escape together in his X-wing. And Anakin… he has a plan, and Luke agrees to it.
"Try to cut my arm," Anakin says. Luke does it, and Anakin's force ghost arm emerges. But then, the physical arm regrows again. "It looks bad," Anakin says. "It looks like it was crafted by a Master of the Dark Side of the Force. So, we will fish him today."
And the sweep begins. All life in Jakku that doesn't belong to the First Order is killed without question. Luke's being chased by TIE-Fighters, who can't manage to get a hit on him. The same goes for the speeders going to the Millenium Falcon. Finn and Rey drive, while Chewie and Poe shoot. A perfect combo. You can't hit a driver who uses the Force, and the shooters get good spots. For the rest of Jakku, life's not that fair.
Kylo Ren lands on Jakku floor, backed by Imperial tanks, and pulls his lightsaber out. In front of him, a point of interest, a projection of one Luke Skywalker is waiting for him. "Master Skywalker," Kylo Ren says. "It will be an honor to defeat you." Luke pulls his lightsaber out. "Whatever, boy," Luke says. "To my eyes you're just Ben Solo." So, a fierce strike by Kylo Ren begins, and Luke responds with a heavy defense.
Phase two of the escape has begun. The four-man gang has arrived at the Millenium Falcon, where Anakin's waiting for them. C-3PO is the copilot, and already has the engines on. Anakin is piloting. "Seatbelts on, passengers," Anakin says. "We are about to enter into race mode. If anyone wants to kill some TIE-fighters, feel free to pick the turrets." Poe and Finn take the turrets and start shooting TIE-fighters. "Man!" Finn says. "Give us a clean shot!". His maneuvering is as unorthodox as Han's, so TIE-fighters can't get a clean shot either.
I'M HAVING FUN!
"I can't call this fun, Chewie," C-3PO says. And as the Millenium Falcon reaches outer space, and puts itself into jump position, Anakin nods. This nod is responded by an X-wing far away. So, the desert duel must come to an end. It is no longer viable to keep fighting, so Luke surrenders and falls by Kylo Ren's lightsaber. A few feet away, Anakin's watching it. And he approaches Luke's corpse, and kneels and caresses it.
"You'll be next," Kylo Ren says. "But I won't start with your hands. I'll go for the legs."
NO!
The sands of Jakku start trembling. Earthquakes abound, and Kylo Ren can barely keep standing. There he feels it… that raw power. The anger of a man's broken heart, and how he channels into the Dark Side of the Force. Vader is back again. So the Emperor notices this, and appears behind Anakin. He laughs and cheers.
YES, VADER! FALL BACK INTO THE DARK SIDE OF THE FORCE AGAIN!
And suddenly, all comes to a quiet calm. No earthquakes, no sandstorms. Everything is still, but no Luke corpse. Only Anakin's projection. And Kylo's admiration gaze at his grandfather's Force tactics.
"I found you," Anakin says, as he fades away.
The Emperor has never looked this bewildered. Our heroes have successfully escaped, and the mastermind has been tricked for the very first time in his life.