For months now the anticipation and excitement surrounding Disney’s new live action Star Wars series The Mandalorian has permeated social media; but was it all for nothing, or is it a new era in the Star Wars universe?

I first became aware of the project last year, and I began to follow the development of the show through inside sources, who leaked information and set photos from time to time.

I must admit that after reading all of the leaks and news reports surrounding the series that I was both excited and optimistic.

One thing that I saw from the first trailer was the fact that this show appeared to have the creativity and imagination that the Original Trilogy is known for, and that the sequel films sorely lack. These initial impressions were confirmed tonight as I watched the first episode on Disney Plus.

The show is set five years after the events of Return of the Jedi, and thirty years before the events of The Force Awakens.

The galaxy is splintered after the fall of the Empire, as the New Republic seeks to restore freedom and a peaceful, galactic government. The euros in the Outer Rim however, remain hostile, lawless, and unpredictable.

The opening sequence of The Mandalorian brings us face to face with a character who is both new, and yet familiar. Wearing Beskar armor similar to Boba Fett, we see our protagonist standing in the midst of an icy waste land, with a tracking device in hand.

His actions and demeanor don’t disappoint, as we follow the anti-hero on a quest that takes him to unsavory worlds where he meets with people that we don’t trust, and neither does he.

There are dark tones of desperation, and lighter moods of well balanced humor. All of it feels and looks like the Star Wars created by George Lucas.

Indeed, there is a wild west type atmosphere to what we see in The Mandalorian. There are dusty streets occupied by vendors, with the poor living in the shadows. It’s a desperate time for all, and many have chosen to profit from it any way they can. The Mandaloria. is the ultimate gunslinger, and his presence commands everyone’s attention.

I have to say that The Mandalorian has quickly become a personal favorite, simply because it is so authentic and real!

While watching the show I could picture myself living in that kind of environment, on a particular world. I didn’t get that with the sequels.

The only modern entry into the Star Wars franchise that is on level playing field is Rogue One.

The Mandalorian delivers a well thought out story, and features great acting and great cinematography. Most of all, it  takes us back to that era a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far, away where we were all captivated by Star Wars. Perhaps now, we can be captivated once more.

The weapons used in the Star Wars films are as iconic as the characters that weild them, and often leave us intrigued about their design and origin.

Today I am going to share some of the real world weapons that have served as the basis for many of the props used throughout the Star Wars saga.

The Original Trilogy

Beginning in 1976 with filming of A New Hope, the prop armorers at Pinewood had to develop realistic blasters that reflected an in universe feel to them.

George wanted weapons that appeared real in their form and function, while also being rugged and well worn. For this the armorers turned to surplus weapons stores.

Most of the weapons they selected were from World War One and World War Two, AB’s were British and German in origin.

One of the most prominent was the Stormtrooper blaster, which was designed around a British Sterling L2A3 Mark 4 submachine gun. This post- WW2 era weapon was used by the British Military from 1953 until 1994.

It featured a collapsible and folding stock, as well as a side mounted magazine well to accept a thirty round curved, box magazine.

To make the Imperial Blastech E-11D used by the Stormtroopers, the props department added linear shrouds over the barrel.

They left the stock as is, while adding greeblies to the side of the weapon, and they used WW2 tank scopes for the sights. The thirty round magazines were replaced with short, straight mags For screen use.

For the Rebel Fleet Troopers the armorers made their Blastech DH-17 blasters by utilizing the same Sterling machine gun.

They removed the barrel shroud and replaced it with a shop made prop barrel, and they also removed the folding stock and magazine well.

An extra rod was attracted to the top of the receiver, and a single point scope was added to most versions of the weapon.

Princess Leia’s Drearian Arms Defender sporting blaster was built around a Russian .22 target pistol with a modified barrel.

Han Solo’s iconic DL-44 Blaster was based on a WW2 C96 Mauser. It too, featured heavy modifications with a muzzle device, a heat sink in front of the mag well, and a side mounted targeting scope.

This particular prop had three different versions used by Solo in each of the three films. All had slightly different barrels and muzzle devices, and different scopes.

Ponda Baba’s blaster was an SE-14c ( Also used as a sidearm by the Death Troopers in Rogue One ) which was made from a Swiss Rexam Favor Mark 5 submachine gun.

The barrel and stock were removed, while an extension was added to the rear of the receiver, as was a scope.

The Stormtroopers patrolling Mos Eisley were all armed with modified MG34s, MG42s, and at least one trooper with a modified Lewis Machine gun.

In The Empire Strikes Back we see the Rebel ground forces carrying Blastech A295 carbines, which are modified versions of the German MP44 machine gun.

Later in Return of the Jedi, the Rebel soldiers are seen carrying the A280, which was made from a cast of the M-16 rifle.

Boba Fett is seen carrying a unique blaster, which actually began as a Webley & Scott No.1 Mark 1 37mm flare gun. The end of the barrel was plugged, and greeblies were added as well as a scope.

Rogue One

In Rogue One, the Rebels primary weapons are again based on the M-16. This includes Cassian Andor’s Blastech A280-CFE, as well as the larger A310 rifles and A300 carbines used by the Rebel Pathfinders.

Jyn Erso’s iconic Blastech A180 blaster is actually a modified Luger 9mm Airsoft pistol. A larger diameter ported barrel has been added, along with greeblies on the bottom and sides of the weapon. Interestingly, Jyn’s blaster is modular, however we never see it configured as a rifle on screen.

Functionality

During production of A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, most of the weapons fired blanks to assist with visual cues for the actors, as well as aiding the visual effects artists during post-production.

This was not continued during filming of Return of the Jedi. It is however, used again during Rogue One, in the form of airsoft guns.

The image below captured during filming shows Jyn Erso firing her A180 blaster pistol at a Stormtrooper.

You can clearly see the gases being vented around the charging handle as the action cycles during firing.

Conclusion

These are just a few examples of the real world firearms that have been used by the props department of both Lucasfilm and Pinewood Studios to create the weapons of the Star Wars films.

The armorers took inspiration from the tragedies of warfare, and designed an array of space age blasters that would go down in cinematic history.

In Star Wars The Last Jedi we are introduced to a young A-Wing pilot with the Resistance, Lieutenant Tallison “Tallie” Lintra.

Tallie is a squadron leader from Pippip three, where she learned to fly from her father, who used an old RZ-1 A-Wing as a crop duster.

Tallie is mature for her age, and a competent leader, but unfortunately she only gets twelve seconds of screen time before she’s seemingly killed.

Yep, that’s right: one of the newest and most fascinating characters of the entire film buys the farm when a concussion missile fired by Kylo Ren detonates inside the hanger bay of the Raddus.

The question is, did she and the other pilots really get killed? To answer that, we need to examine the factors involved with this incident.

First, we will look at the weapon being used, then at the Raddus itself. Finally we will examine Tallie’s A-Wing fighter to determine what if any chance she had to survive.

Concussion Missiles

Starfighters are generally equipped with weapons designed around ship to ship engagements, such as medium or heavy laser cannons.

These weapons are normally supplemented by kinetic energy weapons such as concussion missiles, mag pulse warheads, and proton torpedoes.

The assortment and type of weapons payload depends upon the size and type of fighter, and what role it is designed for.

In The Last Jedi, Kylo Ren is flying a TIE Silencer, which is an updated and more heavily armed variant of it’s predecessor, the TIE Interceptor.

The TIE Silencer was designed to both engage enemy fighters, as well as capital ships. The Silencer is equipped with four Concussion missiles, and Kylo Ren flies into the Raddus‘ amidships area, which protects the hanger bays, before firing two of these missiles.

We see on screen as both missiles penetrate the magnetic field and detonate inside the hanger bay. The Concussion missile is designed around a solid penetrator they can pierce a ship’s hull, before the warhead itself detonates.

The destruction is caused by the concussion wave from the blast, as it rapidly expands outward in all directions.

The Raddus

The Raddus was an MC85 Mon Calamari star cruiser, purpose built for the New Republic Defense fleet as a warship.

It was larger than the preceding MC80c class, better shielded, and heavily armed. After it was retired from service during the New Republic draw down, it found it’s way to the Resistance as a gift from the Mon Calamari government.

The Raddus was equipped with a newer, experimental shielding that could withstand heavy bombardment from enemy weapons.

It’s weakness was in the hanger bay. When it was attacked by Kylo Ren, both of his concussion missiles struck the interior bulkhead of the hanger bay before detonating.

The delayed detonation instantly ignited nearby fuel cells and munitions, which in turn destroyed most of the vulnerable fighters on the flight deck.

Had the missiles simply detonated inside the hanger, the resulting blast would not have caused the same amount of damage.

In either case, the blast would have destroyed the magnetic field, opening up the hanger to the vacuum of space, which would have instantaneously extinguished any fires In the bay.

At the same instant the ship’s systems would have detected the pressure and temperature change, instantly sealing the blast doors to the hanger bay.

Tallie’s A-Wing

Tallie Lintra was flying the RZ-2 A-Wing Interceptor, the latest evolution of the ship designed by Kuat Systems Engineering.

Among other features, the RZ-2 incorporated a reinforced canopy, and armored hull. The cockpit was also protected by it’s own individual deflector shield generator.

On the flight deck, it’s unlikely that Tallie would have powered up the deflector shields, however she did have her canopy sealed.

Another advantage was in the positioning of her fighter; it was parked beside Poe’s X-Wing, near the back of the hanger bay.

During the attack scene, we can actually see Tallie’s A-Wing as it is slid across the deck, slamming into the bulkhead before the blast doors automatically sealed.

So what happened to Tallie Lintra? What we aren’t shown on screen is that as soon as those blast doors closed, the hanger bay was exposed to the vacuum of space to extinguish the fire inside of it.

The instantaneous depressurization of the hanger bay would have blown everything inside of it out into open space, including Tallie’s A-Wing.

The most logical conclusion is that Tallie was not killed, merely renderd unconscious from a concussion.

She and her fighter would have drifted out into space along with the other debris. The First Order would not have considered inspecting the debris field, as their objective was to annihilate the Resistance fleet.

As for her fighter, the hull most likely was intact, but not flyable. Presuming that the cockpit remained pressurized, Tallie would have had enough oxygen onboard to survive for roughly thirty six hours before succumbing to oxygen deprivation.

So technically, Tallie could have survived. The question is, did she? If you want to find out, you’ll have to wait for the upcoming novel Rebel Strike to be released. Good luck, and May the Force be with you….

In 2015 Star Wars fans returned to a galaxy far, far, away to continue the journey of the Skywalker Saga with Episode VII The Force Awakens.

In this film we are introduced to a new protagonist in the character of Rey, a nineteen year old girl who survives as a scavenger on the desert world of Jakku.

We see in Rey many reflections of the legendary Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight and hero of the Republic.

We also glimpse familiarities with Han Solo. As her journey continues, we see the potential for Rey to be an heir of the Force; but is that really who she is meant to become?

Rey also shares some stark similarities with another heroine, not so different from Rey herself.In this week’s blog, I want to introduce readers to a fan favorite from the Expanded Universe, who may have served as the inspiration for Rey.

I also want to provide readers with a comparison of the two characters, while allowing them to determine for themselves who really is an heir of the Force.

Before there was Rey

Beginning in 1993 fans were introduced to the children of Han and Leia Solo in Timothy Zahn’s novel The Last Command.

The oldest of the two children were twins, Jacen and Jaina Solo. Both children were strong in the Force, and went on to train with their uncle, the Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker.

Both of the Solo children would become Jedi Knights, with Jaina especially becoming pivotal within the new Jedi Order formed by Luke Skywalker.

It would be Jaina which in later years was forced to confront her twin brother Jacen after he turned to the dark side and became Darth Cadeus.

She would find help from an unlikely ally in Boba Fett. Aging and retired, Boba Fett used his knowledge of lightsaber combat to help Jaina attain skills that she previously did not have.

She would go on to face her brother again, and defeat him being forced to take his life. Her actions would push Jaina dangerously close to the dark side herself.

A Parallel unrivaled

Both Jaina and Rey share nearly identical qualities in that they are both intelligent and head strong, Force sensitive, skilled mechanics and pilots.

They both are also skilled with a lightsaber. They both have played with the dark side of the Force, and walked away from it. This is where the similarities seem to end; or do they?

While Jaina’s character has a twin brother, Rey apparently is an only child, whose adversary is in Ben Solo.

While Jaina has a clearly defined path and upbringing from the beginning, Rey seems to be an abandoned girl left on a desert world, almost as a slave to Unkar Plutt.

Where Jaina is a natural leader, Rey is just a simple girl who is beginning to learn how to fight.

Both women are purpose driven characters which can not only carry the plot within the story, but they themselves become a plot of sorts on their own.

Both are nearly identical, and yet different, which leads us to consider what these characters mean in the greater narrative of the Skywalker legacy?

First, regardless of Disney and Lucasfilm choosing to rebrand the Expanded Universe material as non-canonical, we will continue to have these stories with us.

They are, with the exception of a few instances, within a solid structure and timeline which is more widely accepted and enjoyed by older fans.

It is another means by which fans can enjoy the Skywalker legacy, which continues far beyond the stories told in the original trilogy.

Jaina’s story is just as tangible as Rey’s, having recently been released by Hasbro as an action figure in it’s Black Series line.

Both the reception of fans to the figure, as well as it’s unforseen sales were a welcome surprise to Hasbro’s marketing team.

The figure ended up selling more units than they anticipated. That one factor speaks volumes from the fan base. I should know, I own two of them!

With Rey, we see many possibilities, and few if any facts. Disney and Lucasfilm have used her character to fuel the fire so to speak in order to attract a newer, younger generation of fans.

They specifically have marketed her to young girls. They have used her character to play upon the feminist agenda and movement, and to great effect. What they have failed to do with Rey is give us hope.

Hope in what you ask? Hope in a new generation of Skywalkers who would carry on the ways of the Force.

At every opportunity they have denied Rey’s lineage, and even denied that Rey is a Jedi Knight. If not a Jedi, then what is she?

Rey has remained a mysterious plot device, which could very well having a far more negative effect upon the franchise in the future.

In my opinion Disney and Lucasfilm should have accepted the Expanded Universe material as George Lucas had, and used these existing charcters to continue the Skywalker Legacy.

It would have made for an emotional tipping point in Star Wars history, and been a far better means to honor the writers who have devoted their lives to this franchise.

Rey’s story will continue with Episode XI, and perhaps then all of the loose and tangled threads of the sequel trilogy will come together to form a more satisfying conclusion.

As for Jaina, we may never know if she served as the inspiration for Rey’s character, but what is apparent is that though they share similarities, they are worlds apart.

Perhaps one day we’ll learn that it was Jaina that was meant to be in George Lucas’ sequel trilogy. If so, I can only imagine where she would have taken us.

I can say, that for the most part, The Force Awakens left us with a great many possibilities that could unfold.

As production progressed on The Last Jedi, we discovered many tidbits of information that were leaked from various cast and crew members, allowing for a much clearer picture of what was to come; or so we thought.

When The Last Jedi begins, it immediately continues where The Force Awakens left off. This is something that has never occurred in a Star Wars film prior to it.

In the first moments of the The Last Jedi, we are greeted once again by an elder Luke Skywalker, who accepts his old lightsaber from young Rey.

Rather than asking her who she is, (or where his severed hand might be found) or how she got it, he tosses it over his shoulder, without uttering a single word!

As the story progresses we meet a much different Luke than the one we knew from forty five years earlier. Once a brave headstrong warrior, humble and full of hope, we now meet an old man destroyed by hubris.

It is difficult to imagine Luke Skywalker ever losing his focus, or his hope. In the words of Mark Hamill himself, “Luke would never do that, he would find a way.”

So we see a glimpse of the conflict continue between Mark Hamill’s vision for his character, and the one written for him to portray. Rian Johnson stated in defense that he needed Luke to be like Obi-Wan forty five years ago.

An older, wise sage to a younger generation. Every scene involving Luke was painful to watch, because none of it felt right. The most controversial and least liked scene of the entire film was the force projection of Luke dueling with Ben Solo.

Even the timing of Luke’s untimely death was contested by Mark Hamill, to no avail. Though there are many more aspects of the film that created uncontrollable backlash from fans, I have chosen to focus on these aspects for a reason.

The Last Jedi, in my opinion was the worst film in the franchise to date. It failed to develop the story of Rey, choosing rather to make her character a nobody, rather than a part of the Skywalker lineage.

Where she should have found control and discipline, we see disorder. Where she should have gained insight into a powerful past, we learn that her parents were just “filthy junk traders who sold her for drinking money.”

For those believing that those words were an intentional misdirection, I urge you to research Rian Johnson’s statement on that issue. His intent was to make Rey a nobody, and so he dashed to pieces the hopes of millions of fans worldwide.

From day one everything that was hinted at in The Force Awakens told us that she was somebody important, with J.J. Abrams himself stating that he intended for her origin to be of significant importance.

So why the change? Why the abuse and detriment of Luke Skywalker? To answer those questions, we must look at several decisions made.

First, unlike with George Lucas, there was no complete outline written for these films in advance. Each film was written and directed by a different person, with different visions.

Though there was creative discussions between Abrams and Johnson, there was no set path for them to agree upon. There was no outlined story treatment as in years past.

This in and of itself created the failures that we have seen. As part of the proposal for Disney to acquire Lucasfilm, George Lucas was required to present a draft of his version of the sequel films.

Unknown to fans, Lucasfilm was in the early stages ofdevelopment for Episode VII, when it was sold to Disney. Bob Iger ( and subsequently Kathleen Kennedy) rejected Lucas’ version of the story, as well as rejecting him as an advisor during production.

(When Gareth Edwards was tapped to direct Rogue One A Star Wars story, he flew George Lucas to Pinewood in London to get his input on production.

“George really liked what he saw” is what Gareth was later quoted as saying. I believe that Disney disagreed with the young director’s bold move to involve Lucas, and brought in a second director to conduct re-shoots as a form of reprimand.

Unlike the rumors swirling that Rogue One was a production nightmare like Solo, they simply weren’t true.

Nothing occurred during production of Rogue One that would necessitate either Lucasfilm or Disney to either question or remove Gareth Edwards as the film’s director.

The only changes that were agreed upon and made revolved around the film’s ending, which Gareth was not only a part of, but directing.

(Later on the tone would change as Lucas continued to be used as an off screen consultant. The Last Jedi may have been a financial success, but it was an utter failure as an integral chapter in the Star Wars universe.)

In addition to there not being an established story treatment for all three films in the sequel trilogy, there seemed to be an almost violent resistance by director Rian Johnson to accept input from Mark Hamill.

Had Johnson stopped to consider the role that he had prepared for mark’s character from his perspective, then surely it would have necessitated rewriting the script to adapt to a new direction.

In hindsight, the overall film may have only changed subtlety, but it would have given us a far richer story that would have been less fragmented.

In addition to Luke’s role, the Mary Poppins flight of Princess Leia, and the death of Admiral Ackbar are also thorns in the flesh for Star Wars fans.

One kills off a very memorable character in a very disrespectful manner; while the other portrays Leia in a very unbelievable and silly scene written just for the sake of having her character.

These are just three very noticeable, and unjustifiable mistakes made during the production of The Last Jedi. In my opinion they are arguably some of the poorest examples of storytelling that I have yet to see in a film.

With the conclusion of The Last Jedi, perhaps you were like me and left the theater still liking the overall movie, but disagreeing with the story ( I think that fact should at least be apparent by now).

So where does that leave us? And what are we to take away from this experience? First, the backlash from this film did not go unnoticed at Disney or Lucasfilm.

In fact, Kathleen Kennedy has stated this year that The Rise of Skywalker will live up to the Hype. I apologize if I am skeptical at this point. After all, we just saw the worst STAR WARS film in history!

Not to mention that three prominent characters die, having had no real depth to their story. (One of them in fact, Lieutenant Tallie Lintra, only had twelve seconds of screen time, before being blown out the hanger bay of the Raddus.

I don’t think that a character could have been wasted as fodder anymore than she was.) Next, we should not get fixated on the failures of this film, but rather see the moments that it did give us.

In closing, the failures and success of The Last Jedi are influenced by our own point of view. For ultra passionate fans of Star Wars, we see it for what it failed to be.

It was and will always be a missed opportunity to deliver a truly great chapter at the end of a story. Many like myself have invested their entire life to Star Wars in some way or another, and this failure resonates deeply within.

Still others will see it as a great movie, and argue for it’s praises. Whatever side of the aisle you may be upon, The Last Jedi has in many ways, set the tone for The Rise of Skywalker.

The fate of the Star Wars universe is literally hanging in the balance, and in my third and final article on this subject, I will discuss what we know, and what we might expect from the final film in the Skywalker Saga.

For those who have been asking about Photo Real, it is a proprietary technology developed by Hasbro’s Asian Division, for use on their action figures.

Specifically, the technology was developed for use on both the Marvels Legends assortment, as well as the Star Wars Black Series six inch figures.

The first Black Series figure released with this new design was DJ (Canto Bight, no. 57) from The Last Jedi assortment.

The technology has now been expanded to include the Vintage Collection 3.75 action figures as well as the Black Series assortment.

Though the details of the process are corporate secrets, we do know the general processes used. First, a three dimensional head sculpt of the character is created using high resolution images of the actors in costume.

These images are taken from every angle, and often include actual screen still captures as well. Once the blank mold is created, it is then overlaid with multiple images that are layered onto the cast in a program.

These layers take larger segments of the actor’s facial features, and divide them into smaller sections in order to maximize details.

Once the overlay process is complete, it is hand painted. This completed cast is used to print another rubber cast, which is then broken down into sections. These sections are then used to mass produce the head sculpt at a later date.

The final printing process is the primary feature that Hasbro is silent about. For the most part, the figures look realistic, though I have seen several Black Series figures where the eye placement was off.

I will say that the Marvel Legends figures seem to be a better quality than the Black Series figures are. Case in point, look at the image of the Wasp from Ant Man. The head sculpt is identical to the actress, Evangeline Lilly.

The Star Wars figures do not have that same level of detail, and only Hasbro can answer why. The ability is certainly there, but the Marvel figures appear thus far to be the most life like in appearance to the actors they represent.

Before the Photo Real process was developed, the same character scans used by Hasbro were also used by every company creating figures, including Sideshow.

Known for their extreme articulation and lifelikeness, the Sideshow figures command a much higher price point, and the value is apparent right out of the box.

Hasbro’s newest series, HyperReal, is set to debut Quarter three of this year, and will also utilize the Photo Real technology.

I believe that this line will feature far greater detail than the Black Series figures, and this is due in part to the scale.

One sixth scale figures feature more surface area on their head sculpts, allowing for greater detail and lifelike features to be incorporated.

The goal of the Photo Real technology was to take that same level of detail, and scale it down for use on the one twelfth scale figures like the Black Series and Marvel Legends.

Action figures have undergone many changes over the past forty five years, and Star Wars is no exception.

Most of these changes have been for the better, however some have been made strictly to cut cost.

With the role of expanding technology and companies under pressure to save money, ideas like Photo Real will become increasingly vital to the survival of the collector’s market, and toy industry at large.

If you have seen any of the original trilogy Star Wars films, then you have certainly seen the Empire’s favorite PR guys, the Stormtroopers.

These Imperial soldiers are an elite contingent within the Imperial Army. The Stormtrooper Corps is a shock force used in support of ongoing Imperial conflicts, as well as serving as an occupational force on Imperial controlled worlds.

They are deployed on every Imperial vessel, and often serve as elite security teams for high ranking officers and officials.

Stormtroopers are divided into divisions, and include specialized compartmentalized units within their ranks as well.

Their presence is as much a psychological deterrent as a military force, and just their appearance is often enough to bring order to a chaos.

Stormtroopers utilize specialized body armor, that is derived from the original armor used in the clone wars. The armor consists of eighteen pieces, plus a fully enclosed helmet.

It is designed to both protect the wearer from light blaster fire, as well as varying atmospheric and climatic conditions. It is lightweight, durable, and strong.

When deadly force is required, Stormtroopers are equipped with the standard Blastech E-11 carbine, which uses a small macroscope to aide in target aquisition.

So if their weapons have scopes, then why don’t they use them? The short answer is, they can and they do. A Stormtrooper’s helmet contains a remote link to their weapon sights, which appear as a small Heads Up Display ( HUD) on their helmet’s eye lens.

This targeting reticle is super imposed over the threat, allowing the Stormtroopers to fire their weapon without actually acquiring a proper sight picture.

In Rogue One A Star Wars Story, we see a squad of Stormtroopers serving as a dismounted patrol around an Imperial Assault tank.

When the tank is ambushed by insurgents, the troopers are taken by surprise, but quickly begin to recover. They take up defensive positions around the tank, and aim their weapons using the actual sights.

This is a departure from what we have previously seen on screen, albeit it is a more realistic portrayal of military tactical shooting techniques.

All Stormtroopers would of necessity be required to become expert marksman, before being trained in the use of remote sight aquisition through electronic aides.

It’s a great example of soldiers instantly falling back to their training, and using crucial skills to eliminate the threat, and stay in the fight.

Stormtroopers are among the most highly trained soldiers in the galaxy, and the most well equipped. They have the ability and the armament to engage and eliminate any threat that they may face, making them a deadly adversary for the Rebel Army.

For weeks now we have heard that actor Matt Smith will portray a Sith acolyte in Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker.

The part of this rumor that is most fascinating, is that this acolyte will in fact be posessed by the spirit of Darth Sidious!

That’s right; Emperor Palpatine himself is said to return, only as a spirit from the netherworld of the Force.

During Revenge of the Sith, it was Palpatine who shared with a young Anakin Skywalker the Sith legend of Darth Plagieus the wise, and his ability to manipulate the midichlorians.

This dark side power enabled the Sith Lord to prevent others from dying; it did not however prevent himself from being killed by his young apprentice, Darth Sidious.

Since Darth Sidious/ Palpatine learned this evil ability, then it stands to reason that he had the ability to use it as well.

For this to be done in Episode IX, I want to look further back to a light side force user, a Jedi Knight, for answers on how it could play out.

In Star Wars Revenge of the Sith, Jedi master Yoda informs Obi-Wan Kenobi that his old master, Qui-Gon John, has returned from the netherworld of the Force.

It is implied that Qui-Gon has conversed with Yoda; something we see in Star Wars The Clone Wars.

If then a Jedi can maintain their eternal consciousness, then why not a Sith? In Legends material, it has been seen more than once, including with Emperor Palpatine.

This then is a highly probable plot twist for Episode IX. It seems likely that if this is indeed accurate, that Kylo Ren and Rey joining forces to defeat the Emperor is also plausible.

It would certainly make for an interesting plot, and would be a fitting way to bring a conclusion to the Skywalker Saga.

Fans the world over have waited for thirty six years to see a fitting end for their hero Luke Skywalker, and though The Last Jedi failed to offer that, then perhaps the story will come full circle, and bring closure in Episode IX, with both the hiers and legacy of the Force.