It’s Taken 9 Years, But Star Wars Has Finally Fixed Its Villains Problem

After nearly 9 years, I finally have faith that Star Wars has resolved its villain problem. The sequels received considerable backlash when they were released, and, sadly, they are still largely considered some of Star Wars’ worst movies. In part, the sequels were criticized for their treatment of the heroes from the original trilogy. However, many viewers were much more critical of the recycled plot points, characters, and story arcs from other Star Wars movies and TV shows.

While this included issues like Star Wars: The Force Awakens following many of the same beats that A New Hope did, it also indicated much larger issues, such as the shocking and thinly explained return of Palpatine in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Among other issues, Palpatine’s return seemed to signal that Star Wars was unsure of a path forward and instead relied on a character that was already established and well-liked by audiences. This is just one issue of many with recent Star Wars villains; however, I am finally seeing a change, and I’m hopeful it will stick.

Star Wars Had A Real Villain Problem

Despite the backlash against the sequel trilogy being fairly loud, audiences generally liked Kylo Ren, particularly in The Force Awakens. Although there was some negativity around him showing his emotions, and while Kylo Ren killing Han Solo certainly received some outcry (and continues to haunt Adam Driver), Kylo Ren was largely seen as compelling. However, this dissipated over the course of the trilogy, and it fell apart considerably in The Rise of Skywalker.

At first, Kylo Ren did seem a bit like a copy of Darth Vader. He was his grandson, for one, but he also had a helmet that mirrored Vader’s, and his general aesthetic, goals, and mannerisms were highly reminiscent of Vader’s as well. Even the First Order and Kylo’s role in it were nearly identical to the Empire and Vader’s Imperial role. Nevertheless, Kylo’s unique arc with Rey, his outbursts of anger, and the sense that he was going to grow more and more committed to the dark side made him seem promising.

Unfortunately, as Driver himself has explained in interviews, Kylo Ren’s arc was meant to do precisely that—go from less evil to most evil—and be the complete inverse of Vader. In the end, though, The Rise of Skywalker effectively repeated Vader’s arc in more ways than one. Rather than embracing the dark side, Kylo Ren was redeemed, even fighting beside Rey as Ben Solo. Much worse, though, was that the major villain ended up being not Kylo Ren but Palpatine, returned confusingly from the dead.

This problem extends far beyond Kylo Ren’s story arc or The Rise of Skywalker, though. Rather, the issues with the villains in the sequel trilogy reflect a much larger problem in the Star Wars franchise; in all three trilogies, the villain remains the same: Palpatine. In fact, not only is Palpatine the ‘big bad’ throughout all 9 Skywalker Saga movies, but also, Vader is the villain in the original trilogy, becomes the villain in the prequel trilogy, and is the inspiration for the villain in the sequel trilogy.

The Sequels Suffered From A Lack Of Original Villains

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Ultimately, Star Wars hasn’t really moved on from Vader and Palpatine. This issue has even bled into many of Star Wars’ TV shows, given that any of the shows set around the prequel or original trilogies, such as Star Wars Rebels and Star Wars: The Bad Batch, will also necessarily include Vader and Palpatine as villains. For quite some time, the franchise has desperately needed new villains, and the sequels were the perfect opportunity to introduce them.

Many were disappointed that the sequel trilogy didn’t pull more from Legends, particularly with concepts like the Yuuzhan Vong. Arguably, though, even different Sith would have landed better than Palpatine’s return. When George Lucas had planned what a sequel trilogy might look like, he considered bringing Darth Maul back as the Sith master and introducing Darth Talon as his apprentice. Even in this case, where the Sith master would have been a returning character, this would have felt innovative and exciting.

In fact, audiences have long hoped to see Darth Talon appear on the Star Wars screen or any number of other Sith throughout Legends and canon. With Legends in particular, Star Wars has proven that there are so many more villains and stories available in the universe than those of Vader and Palpatine. Luckily, it seems Star Wars movies and shows may finally be taking these possibilities into account.

Star Wars Is Finally Trending In The Right Direction

Although the sequel trilogy villains may not have quite landed, more recent Star Wars shows have revealed that the franchise is finally exploring brand-new stories and characters. In fact, this has even included the introduction of fan-favorite Legends characters into the canon. One of the most notable has been Grand Admiral Thrawn, who appeared in both Rebels and Ahsoka. As he was also unleashed upon the galaxy in the Ahsoka finale, he will also likely appear in Ahsoka season 2 or, perhaps, even The Mandalorian & Grogu.

The Acolyte also brought Darth Plagueis to the Star Wars screen for the first time, and although he was already a canon character, his larger story has only been told in Legends. Moreover, though, The Acolyte focused on Qimir and Osha, who were brand-new villains in the franchise. Although Osha’s story as a villain only just began at the show’s conclusion, this was nevertheless a wonderful sign of Star Wars’ willingness to bring more creative characters, including villains, on board.

Hopefully, the franchise will keep up this momentum. There are a number of upcoming projects that could introduce truly inventive villains. One such project is Rey’s upcoming Star Wars movie, rumored to be titled New Jedi Order, which takes place 15 years after The Rise of Skywalker. Given its place in the Star Wars timeline, this movie could make several thrilling choices for villains, be it the Yuuzhan Vong or something new. Either way, though, it seems Star Wars may finally be fixing its villain problem, nearly 10 years after the sequel trilogy began.