Star Wars: Lucasfilm President Notes The Last Jedi Moment That Helps Define the Franchise

When Star Wars: The Last Jedi landed in theaters, it became a lightning rod of discussion among Star Wars fans for the ways in which it attempted to push the franchise forward, though, despite its many challenging components, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy admits the film's final moments and its "Broom Boy" looking to the future was a moment that represented the entire franchise. While much of the Skywalker Saga was spent focusing on the Skywalkers and their rise and fall, the boy who worked in the stables and demonstrated powers with the Force, even without having a connection to the famous family, helped represent the themes of the entire series.

"What the Force means lying ahead, I think is Star Wars," Kennedy shared with Gizmodo. "It certainly is a part of what Episode IX is. But the Force is a huge part of the conversation about where we're going and what is the future of Star Wars. And once we move on from Episode IX and we start telling new stories, the Force is the foundation of Star Wars."

The upcoming film is set to conclude the Skywalker Saga, which kicked off in 1977 with Star Wars: A New Hope. The focus on Anakin, Luke, and Leia took prominence in the original and prequel trilogies, though the sequel trilogy has seen less of an embrace of that lineage, as Rey is seemingly disconnected from that heritage and Kylo Ren has been attempting to disconnect himself from his grandfather, Darth Vader, and his legacy.

The Rise of Skywalker will surely offer a conclusion to the long-running narrative, but in a previous interview with io9, Kennedy pointed out that the future of the franchise is unknown and, other than deviating from characters who aren't connected to that family, almost any storytelling opportunity is on the table.

"It's only creatively constrictive with regard to the Skywalkers, because 'the saga' really references the Skywalker family," the executive confirmed. "And that's what we're bringing to a conclusion. There is an inevitability with that because of the actors and the characters they're playing. So that's really what we're looking at more than anything. At least in my lifetime, there's never going to be an end to Star Wars. So this isn't the end of Star Wars, it's the end of that family saga."

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker lands in theaters on December 20th.

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