The Star Wars sequel trilogy probably didn't pan out as Lucasfilm intended. While The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and The Rise of Skywalker raked in billions at the box office, the studio's lack of a cohesive plan — and apparent caving to online hate toward the direction of the franchise — left a sour taste in fans' mouths. In the end, Disney did both legacy and newer characters dirty.

That doesn't mean there’s been no love for the sequels at all. One need only look at the reaction to the news that Disney killed a Kylo Ren movie to get a sense of the demand for good storytelling set in the era of the sequels. Fans just need a new hope.

While there’s still plenty of Kylo’s story to explore, I confess that the idea of the Knight of Ren returning doesn’t interest me. But there is another! Say it with me: Rey.

I still remember the exact elation I felt when I watched the trailer for The Force Awakens on Oct. 20, 2015: For the first time ever, we’d have a female protagonist who, unlike Princess Leia and Padmé Amidala, would be considered the lead in the same way that Luke and Anakin Skywalker were during their respective........

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