# Star Wars VII, VIII, IX possibly to be retconned away {Warning Spoilers for other Star Wars movies} **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [June 30, 2020, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-vii-viii-ix-possibly-to-be-retconned-away-warning-spoilers-for-other-star-wars-movies/913809 "2020-06-30T16:38:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2020, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-vii-viii-ix-possibly-to-be-retconned-away-warning-spoilers-for-other-star-wars-movies/913809/201 "2020-08-27T05:55:27Z")
100% agree with all of this. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2020, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-vii-viii-ix-possibly-to-be-retconned-away-warning-spoilers-for-other-star-wars-movies/913809/202 "2020-08-27T12:13:52Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Luke wasn’t the guy who re-established the Jedi order, like we thought he’d be. yes, and this is the gatekeeping I bristle at. Fans don’t get to dictate how the story goes (there’s a reason “fanservice” is a derogatory term.) The sequel trilogy fits in neatly with the story Lucas told with the prequels. The Jedi Order _didn’t need to be re-established_ because the Jedi Order _played a big role in fucking everything up._ Take a step back and look at it- the Jedi were a bunch of aloof supremacists who anointed themselves gatekeepers of the Force, and built a system which separated children from their families and every so often would produce a literal Hitler. Luke seeing Ben Solo follow that path was what finally made him realize that the Force doesn’t “belong” to anyone and the Jedi Order needed to end. I mean, in many ways the Jedi were the ultimate incels. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2020, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-vii-viii-ix-possibly-to-be-retconned-away-warning-spoilers-for-other-star-wars-movies/913809/203 "2020-08-27T17:46:41Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > yes, and this is the gatekeeping I bristle at That wasn’t “gatekeeping.” “Gatekeeping” would be me saying, “You like the sequel trilogy? You’re not a **real** Star Wars fan!” I don’t have any problem with other people liking the sequel trilogy. I didn’t, and what I just wrote is a big part of why. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2020, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-vii-viii-ix-possibly-to-be-retconned-away-warning-spoilers-for-other-star-wars-movies/913809/204 "2020-08-29T06:00:23Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > Take a step back and look at it- the Jedi were a bunch of aloof supremacists who anointed themselves gatekeepers of the Force, and built a system which separated children from their families and every so often would produce a literal Hitler. Luke seeing Ben Solo follow that path was what finally made him realize that the Force doesn’t “belong” to anyone and the Jedi Order needed to end. If only they had actually tried to explore that, consistently, following an arc through the three films culminating in that lesson that the force doesn’t “belong” to anyone, or that true balance does indeed demand a willingness to accept and embrace the full range of human emotion, then the new trilogy might have been good. But they didn’t. They threw a couple pieces in there with a bunch of random crap about child slavery not being as bad as animal cruelty and capitalism in Episode VIII, but beyond that they left it to the viewer to build their own head canon based off fragments. Disjointed fragments that it turns out aren’t even pieces to the same puzzle. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2020, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-vii-viii-ix-possibly-to-be-retconned-away-warning-spoilers-for-other-star-wars-movies/913809/205 "2020-10-24T03:01:11Z")
You need to read the EU. Seriously. (Unless I’m being whooshed). ---
**Author:** ![Galactus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galactus/32/3581_2.png) [@Galactus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Galactus)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2020, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-vii-viii-ix-possibly-to-be-retconned-away-warning-spoilers-for-other-star-wars-movies/913809/206 "2020-10-24T04:07:50Z")
I have read some of the EU(and enjoyed it), but the only thing that really counts is the movies. Everything else is fanfic. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2020, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-vii-viii-ix-possibly-to-be-retconned-away-warning-spoilers-for-other-star-wars-movies/913809/207 "2020-10-25T00:08:38Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > You need to read the EU. Maybe the EU is fun, but if you NEED to read it to make sense of the movies, the movies suck. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2021, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-vii-viii-ix-possibly-to-be-retconned-away-warning-spoilers-for-other-star-wars-movies/913809/208 "2021-07-02T07:56:13Z")
More rumors: > **[Disney's Star Wars Sequels Reportedly Being Erased by Jon Favreau and Dave...](https://epicstream.com/article/disneys-star-wars-sequels-reportedly-being-erased-by-jon-favreau-and-dave-filoni)** > > I think I speak for a lot of Star Wars fans when I say that Disney's divisive sequel trilogy left a bad taste in their mouths and if they had their way with things, they'd have no problems with all three films — The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and... ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2021, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-vii-viii-ix-possibly-to-be-retconned-away-warning-spoilers-for-other-star-wars-movies/913809/209 "2021-07-02T11:56:50Z")
What nonsense. Not only would that never happen just for practical reasons, there have been multiple subtle references to the sequels, and the progression towards it, in _The Mandalorian_, mostly about clones, implying a connection to Snoke and Palpatine’s plan to return. I can believe they will not have many stories told set during the later era (the _Rogue Squadron_ movie may be set post-sequels), instead sticking mostly to the earlier gappy areas, but the sequels will never be retconned. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2021, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-vii-viii-ix-possibly-to-be-retconned-away-warning-spoilers-for-other-star-wars-movies/913809/210 "2021-07-02T12:51:26Z")
I’m only one season into The Mandalorian, but from what I’ve seen so far, the story works equally well if 7-8-9 are or are not canon, and it’s not even clear precisely when they take place (probably before, because there are still fairly young veterans of the Rebel Alliance running around, and the ex-Imperials are never referred to as “First Order”, but it hardly matters). That’s probably mostly the approach they’re going to take: Not retconning the movies away completely, but just setting stories in times and places where they can ignore the movies. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2021, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-vii-viii-ix-possibly-to-be-retconned-away-warning-spoilers-for-other-star-wars-movies/913809/211 "2021-07-02T13:05:21Z")
Based on the stuff that happens in Season 2, my impression is that _The Mandalorian_ takes place somewhere around 5 to 10 years after RotJ. At most, Ben Solo is an infant, and it’s more likely that he hasn’t been born yet. At least that’s my guess. Ignoring 7, 8, and 9 going forward could very well be the best way to handle things. Limiting future stories to the time periods before Kylo Ren or 50+ years after _Rise of Skywalker._ seems like a good idea to me. No more of the sequel characters, and no more Palpatine post being thrown down the reactor shaft. Is that too much to ask for? ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2021, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-vii-viii-ix-possibly-to-be-retconned-away-warning-spoilers-for-other-star-wars-movies/913809/212 "2021-07-02T13:17:16Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Hot mess? You know what’s a mess? 1,2 and 3. All copies of those should be destroyed and MiB flashy thingies should be used to remove any memory from everyone in the world. And then they should be made correctly, in a way that sets the stage for 4, 5. and 6, and work as part of a unified whole. > > 7, 8 and 9 weren’t that bad, except in the minds of Abrams fanboys. I concur with your first statement. As for your second, I think 8 and 9 did pretty good considering the steaming pile that 7 left them with like Snoke, MaryJane that can do everything with the force without training, Kylo Douche, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2021, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-vii-viii-ix-possibly-to-be-retconned-away-warning-spoilers-for-other-star-wars-movies/913809/213 "2021-07-02T13:26:18Z")
I’m not sure you can say that 8 and 9 both did pretty good, when 9 completely threw out 8. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2021, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-vii-viii-ix-possibly-to-be-retconned-away-warning-spoilers-for-other-star-wars-movies/913809/214 "2021-07-02T13:46:48Z")
Indeed. I wasn’t a fan of 8, but once it was done, 9 should have leaned into it rather than pretending most of it didn’t exist. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2021, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-vii-viii-ix-possibly-to-be-retconned-away-warning-spoilers-for-other-star-wars-movies/913809/215 "2021-07-02T13:53:43Z")
I’m willing to give IX a pass because Leia was to be the major focus and they had to work around Carrie Fisher’s death. And VIII did give us [the most badass scene in all of Star Wars](https://youtu.be/s2hM1tyEL0U?t=89). ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2021, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-vii-viii-ix-possibly-to-be-retconned-away-warning-spoilers-for-other-star-wars-movies/913809/216 "2021-07-02T14:11:46Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > And VIII did give us [the most badass scene in all of Star Wars](https://youtu.be/s2hM1tyEL0U?t=89). Though by that standard, Ep I gave us the most badass lightsaber duel in all of Star Wars 🙂 . ---
**Author:** ![icon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c6cbf5/32.png) [@icon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/icon)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2021, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-vii-viii-ix-possibly-to-be-retconned-away-warning-spoilers-for-other-star-wars-movies/913809/217 "2021-07-02T14:24:49Z")
Why yes, yes it did. It should have been a short 😀 `//i\\` ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2021, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-vii-viii-ix-possibly-to-be-retconned-away-warning-spoilers-for-other-star-wars-movies/913809/218 "2021-07-02T14:40:43Z")
Frankly, so should that Ep 8 scene 😉 ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2021, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-vii-viii-ix-possibly-to-be-retconned-away-warning-spoilers-for-other-star-wars-movies/913809/219 "2021-07-02T14:43:23Z")
IMHO the biggest problem with 8 and 9 were that they didn’t feel like Star Wars. The prequels, as bad as they were compared to the original trilogy, still felt like Star Wars. 7 did as well, but if Disney won’t get rid of 7, 8, and 9 as a unit, it’s evens less likely that they’ll keep 7 while getting rid of 8 and 9. Luckily we then got The Mandalorian, which has the feel of Star Wars as well as being good. And the most badass scene in Star Wars is the end of the last episode of season 2 of The Mandalorian. I don’t care that they used CGI. That was the scene I’d been waiting for ever since I first finished watching RotJ as a kid. ---
**Author:** ![ZosterSandstorm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e0b2c6/32.png) [@ZosterSandstorm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZosterSandstorm)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2021, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-vii-viii-ix-possibly-to-be-retconned-away-warning-spoilers-for-other-star-wars-movies/913809/220 "2021-07-02T15:04:04Z")
What a great example of why “movies aren’t news.” The existence of a movie isn’t news, someone not liking a movie isn’t news, and someone like Doomcock who is literally a single Internet troll making up nonsense that has _never_ panned out as true sharing his opinion about a movie _really_ isn’t news. The fact that the current algorithms allow this sort of “story” to get wide prominence is an indictment of them. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-vii-viii-ix-possibly-to-be-retconned-away-warning-spoilers-for-other-star-wars-movies/913809.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-vii-viii-ix-possibly-to-be-retconned-away-warning-spoilers-for-other-star-wars-movies/913809.md?page=12)