Episode IX May Be Star Wars' Blackest Night

We have no way of knowing what Star Wars: Episode IX will be about, but that hasn't stopped us from clinging to rumors and speculating. Right now the prevailing theory is that some outside threat from "The Beyond" will invade the galaxy far away, and it will come down to Rey and Kylo Ren uniting their... ahem... forces to ultimately defeat the big threat.

Following up on everything about leaving the past behind in Rian Johnson's The Last Jedi, this rumor would be a perfect way to finish the sequel trilogy. It would also be hard to find a better way to close out George Lucas' Skywalker saga than seeing Rey and Kylo truly learn from the mistakes of Anakin and Luke to forge a new path.

We have seen many promising trilogies ultimately falter right at the end, but this Star Wars story has the potential to go out on top by ripping everything open, cutting us off from what we thought we knew, and creating something new. Essentially, what we need is for Star Wars to take a page out of Green Lantern comics and go full Blackest Night.

It's Time to Bring Balance to the Force

The conflict between the Jedi and the Sith has gone on long enough, and there doesn't seem to be any end in sight to this point. It's time for both sides to make a change, come together, and finally put everything to rest. In that way, Blackest Night by Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis that can serve as a roadmap for how these two sworn enemies can finally make peace in order to save the galaxy.

Published between 2009 and 2010, this Green Lantern story served as the conclusion for Johns' comic book trilogy. What began as a budding conflict in Green Lantern: Rebirth, to all out war in "Sinestro Corps War" finally reached its logical conclusion with Blackest Night. After years of conflict between the different factions of the emotional spectrum, enemies had to work together in order to save the universe when the dead rose.

That's where we could be when Episode IX picks up. The Jedi and the Sith have fought their war, but nothing is different. The galaxy is still in chaos, and it's clear that something needs to change. After the failures of Anakin, Yoda, Obi-Wan, and Luke before them, the only logical way to conclude the sequel trilogy is for Rey and Kylo Ren to settle their differences and work together. This has always been the only way to actually bring balance to the Force.

What we have seen in Green Lantern and Star Wars stories is that this is not just a conflict between different factions. Instead, they are all part of the same whole. The Lantern Corps — Green, Red, Yellow, Blue — all make up the emotional spectrum, which, together, draw upon the power of Life itself. In this same way, the Jedi and the Sith are different facets of the same Force, which is also the fibrous power that unites all Life.

Just as the Lanterns united their power to tap into the power of the White Lantern to turn the tide of battle, the Force users must create something new out of the two factions. By using both sides of the Force, Rey and Kylo can finally bring balance and peace. The only problem is finding the right villain to unite against.

Star Wars Needs A Nekron

For Episode IX to arrive at the conclusion that makes the most sense, it will need a villain so dangerous that it will leave the Light and Dark sides of the Force no other choice. In the Green Lantern comics, the villain known as Nekron was introduced to create such a need. The avatar of death posed such a threat, that the factions of lanterns had no choice but to work together.

We already saw what Rey and Kylo Ren are capable of doing when they are united against a common foe. The Last Jedi nearly had the two come together in their fight against Snoke, so it's clear that camaraderie is possible. For the two sides to become one, though, it would take something so menacing that it would cause both Jedi and Sith to finally drop their guard.

It's hard to say what kind of threat could possibly be enough to bring this all about. However, by following the themes of Blackest Night, it's hard to find a better motivator than an undead army. Imagine if a third threat emerged from "The Beyond" -- we have already called it the "Anti-Force" previously, and what better descriptor is there for death in a Galaxy Far, Far Away? For a set of warriors with the power over life itself, facing the dead would be one hell of a way to bring them face to face with their antithesis — both literally and figuratively.

Star Wars does not actually have to raise the dead in order to mirror a story as important as Blackest Night, of course. All we really need is one very big and powerful enemy that neither side can deal with on their own. Whether that's another Force user, the ghost of Palpatine, or even just someone like General Hux and the First Order, it's all just one big excuse to do what makes the most sense: have the Light and Dark side try something new against a force bigger than both of them.

Directed and co-written by J.J. Abrams, Star Wars: Episode IX stars Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Kelly Marie Tran, Joonas Suotamo, Billie Lourd, Keri Russell, Matt Smith, Naomi Ackie, Richard E. Grant, Anthony Daniels, Mark Hamill, Billy Dee Williams and Carrie Fisher. The film is set to hit theaters Dec. 20.