The Star Wars Sequel Trilogy: How It Recontextualized The Saga

The Star Wars Sequel Trilogy has changed the Star Wars Saga FOREVER. However, that change is not bad. The Sequel Trilogy Recontextualized the Saga.

In this video, I will discuss:

Firstly, how the Sequel Trilogy differs from both the Original Trilogy and the Prequel Trilogy.

Secondly, how the Sequels doesn't fit the old narrative of the Star Wars Saga.

Thirdly, how the Sequels simply just decontextualized the saga.

Fourthly, why this is not a bad thing.

And those are the main points I will discuss when talking about how the ST (The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, & The Rise of Skywalker) Recontextualized the Star Wars Saga

Thank you Everyone for Watching! I really appreciate it!

#UniteTheKlaudSquad

[QAYL]

I love how each film, not just each trilogy, re-contextualized the saga.
It went from being
the story of a guy & his friends (IV), to
the story of a family (V), to
the story of a former hero's rebirth (VI), to
the story of a threatened republic (I), to
the story of star-crossed lovers (II), to
the story of heroes' internal battle (III), to
the story of the struggle for belonging (VII), to
the story of failed heroes retaining hope (VIII), to
the story of personal & family reconciliation (IX).
Every movie added to what Star Wars is at its core.
I'm of two minds on how to categorize the trilogies in terms of their respective roles in the saga. I see it as the rise of Vader (PT), the rise of Anakin (OT), & the legacy of Anakin (ST). "I will finish what you started" is a short but insanely significant line in TFA that in essence makes the whole trilogy into Vader vs. Anakin. But then I think it could be the rise of Luke (as in, the world he inherited from his father & subsequently helped reform) (PT/OT), the fall of Luke (to Owen Lars-level recluse & cynic) (between VI & VII), & the rebirth of Luke as a true Jedi legend (VIII/IX). Some days it just makes sense to me that Luke is at the center of everything, because he's been with us since 1977.
I love that it's not just about the Skywalkers though. The Palpatines were not only defeated by Skywalkers, they were saved by Skywalkers, cleansing both families of their dark legacy. A Palpatine becoming a Skywalker by choice in the end is one of the most thorough transformations in cinematic history, and a remarkable way to conclude the saga.

[absoul]

Legacy. What is a legacy? It's planting seed in a garden you never get to see. I wrote some notes at the beginning of a song somebody will sing for me- sorry my inner Hamilton fan came out.

[athenajaxon]

A positive video on the Sequel trilogy? Subscribed!

[sean]

Very interesting take! i agree for the most part, however i always thought that part of the significance behind rey taking on the name was due to her relationship with both luke and leia, and that she was essentially "adopted into the family". The novelization kinda gives me that vibe even more so, with luke and leia smiling at her and telling her "its yours" in reference to the name.

[LukiKruki]

[Anakin] I fell in love with Padmé to the point I joined the darkside to save her but instead I killed her with my hate.
[Ben] I fell in hate with Rey to the point I joined the lightside to kill her but instead I saved her with my love.
Here you go, the rise of Skywalker.

[michaels]

I very much agree. I personally love The Rise of Skywalker it was the perfect end to me. Top 3 Star Wars. I feel like this trilogy is “the legacy of Skywalker.” Or something around that. I like every film here for different reasons. Yes the trilogy feels kinda disjointed but honestly the story of this trilogy is still good to me. I do love Disney Star Wars so far and I can’t wait to see what comes next. ( Hopefully a Thrawn, Asoka, and Esra Tv show and the old republic.)

[ms.muffin]

Thank you for shinning a positive light on these films. I’m legit afraid to say that I like them on big Star Wars channels, because it always causes a damn argument. I love these 3 movies, and thank you for this video.

[SheriffDuncanFlynn]

Love this thought process that each movie trilogy is on a different generation of Skywalkers. The prequel trilogy is Anakin's story, the original trilogy is Luke's and also concludes Anakin's, and the sequel trilogy is Ben's and also concludes Luke's.

I very much feel that Ben is certainly worthy of being the Skywalker of this trilogy. I feel it's really his story (and Rey's too, of course), but the reason he's not the full main focus is that would you really want to route for the guy who killed Han Solo? The amazing thing about that is that they made him a redeemable character and it feels earned!

Not only that, but how it connects to Palpatine and the Sith, who always has a backup plan to get what he wants so fasinating! It creates an amazing dynamic, and it makes the climax of The Rise Of Skywalker all the more satisfying!

To me, The Skywalker Saga is about an evil ruler of an old order and the family he tries to manipulate, only to eventually be stopped by them. It's fitting Rey claims herself a Skywalker, considering she was the one to ultimately finish Sidious off.

[luminaorchis]

Though the prequel trilogy focuses upon and the third act of ROTJ contains elements of Anakin’s character journey— Star Wars is not about Anakin but instead about the Skywalker lineage. The original trilogy is clearly centered around Luke and Leia with very sparce sprinkles of Anakin.

The sequel trilogy is centered around not only Ben [Skywalker] Solo aka Kylo Ren but also around Finn and Poe Dameron— akin to how the previous trilogies had additional focus upon Obi-Wan Kenobi, Han Solo, Chewbacca, Lando Calrissian, etc.

[MEBoisv]

As an OT fan since I was a child, I never saw the OT as the story of Anakin Skywalker. To me it was always the story of Luke Skywalker. So having the third trilogy be about a third character always felt natural to me. As you point out, to me it was already recontextualized from the story of Luke Skywalker to the story of Anakin Skywalker. 

And as for being part of the Skywalker story, I think the ST is the story of Ben Solo just as much as it is the story of Rey, to a degree we never saw with Luke and Vader. Ben wasn't the kind of monolithic, faceless villain that Darth Vader was, nor was he anything like the revolving door of more two-dimensional villains we got in the PT. He had a lot of emotional growth and the same sort of flirtation with the opposite side of the force that we saw with Luke.

[kikecolunge]

Each trilogy is a story itself, generations: Anakin Skywalker, Luke Skywalker and Rey Skywalker. Combined, the Sequel Trilogy completed what Anakin was trying to do: Save the one you love from death. Palpatine was trying to do that and it felt like a plot hole. Also Leia was "the other" with no other importance. Now Leia is the mother of Ben Solo and master of his dyad, his other half: Rey Palpatine, who died and was resurrected with all Ben's living force. That's why Ben is not with the ghosts. The dyad is one self: Rey Skywalker.

[spaceshipvampire]

Technically, it will always be debatable exactly where a story begins and ends. Also, Rey is not a legitimate continuation of the Skywalker legacy. Every last one of her "achievements" are generated entirely from her baffling luck. At the same time, though, KK and her story group tried desperately to make it look as though it was the "will of the force" that she would prove to be like a hybrid between Han, Luke, Leia, and Anakin, but also better at everything than they were. She destroyed Palpatine when Anakin couldn't, she saved Ben when no one else could, and she somehow now owns the Millennium Falcon.

To make matters worse, she buries Luke and Leia's lightsabers, but also pilfers their crystals and makes a new saber in their place. If she really was interested in continuing their legacy, she would have just kept the sabers, crystals and all, and continued wielding them to fight evil in the name of the Skywalker family. She also doesn't have to steal the Skywalker name. After all, the argument can be made that to be a Skywalker is to acknowledge the evils of your family and/or your past, but to still be willing to own up to them. When Luke tells people he's Luke Skywalker, it doubles as an admission that he's related to Anakin Skywalker, but also that he's vowed to not make his same mistakes. By the end of the day, it's your actions that determine your legacy; not your family name or your bloodline.

With this in mind, if Rey really had learned anything from the heroes of the OT, her answer to the one old woman's question would not have been "Rey Skywalker"; it would have been "Rey Palpatine". Therefore, the sequel trilogy is not a "recontextualization" of the six SW movies that came before; it's just the Rey Palpatine saga.

[ender]

Star Wars was never the story of Anakin Skywalker. Only the Prequels are actually about him. He serves a relatively minor role in the OT as the villain who gets redeemed at the last minute.

Personally, I've always seen the Saga as being more the story of Palpatine. This is why I was happy to see him return in RoS.

[UniverseofDominion]

A very valiant effort to tie the randomness of the sequels into a greater arc. You’ve got a strong voice, you should definitely keep these up!

[Red]

Good vid!!! You really be putting some thought into these. Slot of substance .

[jackdehoog]

I will always love the Sequels. They will soon get he love they deserve

[rogueguardian]

The more I think about the rise of skywalker the more it grows on me. Good video man😊

[lariotmoneus]

What legacy lol. She buried their legacy in sands. And skywalker hates sands. Rey is not a fucking skywalker

[AndrewChapman]

Damn! Wish I came across this video before Star Wars Day as I binge watched my way through the whole Skywalker saga. While I like the sequels (though I like TLJ least), I did feel they should've been their own standalone trilogy cuz of how I-VI deals with Anakin/Vader. But after watching this video, I do sort of realise now it's more about 3 different generations of heroes. Thank you for this. Might rewatch through the Skywalker saga again sometime, but not try watching all 9 within 23 hours again as that was a bit too much.

[rogueguardian]

My view on the name of skywalker honestly had nothing to do with the biological aspect of luke and and anakin. It's a good twist in empire because "the man who killed my father and obiwan is my father" but that's never why I loved Luke or anakin. I love them because they are compelling characters. They make me feel like I could be them. Blood relation has nothing to do with it. The name was always more Symbolic than it was literal if you ask me. A symbol of hope, of redemption. And it was made even more symbolic by the sequel trilogy. However which way you want to look at it, the name is more than just a young farm boy and his father, and that's really cool imo.