Movie Pitch for Act 1 Star Wars Episode X: The Last Bastion

The Skywalker legacy faces its greatest trial as the remnants of the New Republic fight for survival against a brutal First Order invasion led by the enigmatic Darth Ridian. When a mysterious message from the missing Bailey Skywalker surfaces, the fractured heroes—Han Solo, Ben Solo, Finn, Poe Dameron, and their allies—embark on a desperate journey to uncover the truth, only to confront a shocking revelation: the galaxy’s greatest enemy is a manipulated pawn hiding a dark, stolen past. With allies falling one by one, the final stand against the Sith tests the strength of hope and family.

Due to the disjointed efforts of JJ Abrams, Rian Johnson, and the writers behind the Star Wars sequel trilogy, Disney is in a tough bind. They have a trilogy of movies that failed to retain the majority of Star Wars fans, failed to retain the interest of the general public, and is a failure overall. That includes the trilogy’s main character Rey, who was supposed to kick off a new era of Star Wars movies, yet failed to do so. So what better challenge than to try and come up with a movie pitch for Star Wars X?

When discussing whether or not Rey Skywalker Palpatine was a cinematic asset for Disney in a previous editorial, I brought up a number of issues for any new installment that follows after the main line of Star Wars movies. It needs to be able to bring back the core audience, retain the new audience, and appeal to the general audience. Which is an almost impossible task given how the fanbase feels about the sequel trilogy and how the newer fans will not accept a movie that ignores the sequels.

Whatever the issues, there is no doubt that the next installment has to have Rey Palpatine in it. 

There is no working around it if the goal is to retain the newer Star Wars fans and have some continuity between the sequel trilogy and movies that take place afterwards. But Rey can’t be the main character. There also needs to be a new cast of characters, which is what will allegedly occur with the new Star Wars trilogy.  

A few years ago, an idea popped into my head that utilizes an old trope that would allow the sequel trilogy to remain as an official part of the Skywalker saga but still be non-canonical. It would provide a way to bring over many of the sequel characters and give the opportunity for the old guard to get a better send off instead of the horrible way characters such as Princess Leia, Han Solo, and Luke Skywalker died. A real passing of the torch from the old guard to the new.

The trope is one that is controversial and hated by many for its convenience in allowing events or stories to play out that would never really happen or as a lazy “gotcha” moment. I am, of course, talking about the “it was just a dream” trope. 

Hey!

Come back here and hear me out!

It’s a modified version of the trope that doesn’t reset the timeline or anything for the Star Wars franchise and doesn’t completely de-canonize the sequel trilogy. Episode X would take place a few years past Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker. The characters who died in the sequel trilogy would die in this movie. So think of the sequel trilogy as simply being Rey’s memories of a warped timeline that starts from the moment she is separated from her parents. From there, it is all the fevered machinations of a mind trying to hold onto her identity and sanity. 

Why would this happen?

That stems from the sequel trilogy’s plot that Emperor Palpatine wanted to possess her. It succeeded, but when she was much younger.

The goal of this pitch is to provide a story that provides a better sendoff for the original characters, recreate the Sequel trilogy cast, introduce characters that are homages to the Expanded Universe, and brand new characters overall. To make Rey more relatable, justified in her skills, and a sympathetic character. Finally, to create a new trilogy and also possible spinoff movies as well.

With that said, here is my pitch for Act 1 of Star Wars Episode X – The Last Bastion for which I created a Star Wars opening scrawl for your amusement and outrage.

Act 1

The movie opens with a shot of a Star Destroyer going from the front to the back and then panning around to show a small, damaged craft off in the distance. Both ships are on the outskirts of the solar system.  The shot changes to the bridge of the Star Destroyer and Darth Ridian watching the small ship on the screen and ordering a group of Tie Fighters to destroy it because they know there are two Jedi aboard the ship. On the damaged craft are Ben Solo (Jedi), Finn (Luke’s last Apprentice), BB-8, and Poe Dameron as they attempt to reach Han Solo who is orbiting Tatooine in the Millennium Falcon. Ben and Finn are both injured and Poe is flying the small craft. They realize that the Star Destroyer is following them but can’t contact Han because their communications are being jammed. The craft has no weapons so Ben and Finn enter into a healing trance, recalling their fight with Darth Ridian in a flashback sequence, while Poe continues to fly towards Tatooine.

Han is in his quarters talking to a holoprojection of Lando Calrissian as they discuss how worried both are about Leia and Bailey. Lando tells Han that the secondary New Republic fleet is slowly forming under Leia’s protege, the Admiral, who isn’t happy to have been left out of the fight at Mopylae. Han informs Lando that he has half-a-dozen ships with him and is waiting for Lando to meet him at Tatooine.

During the discussion, Mara Jade Skywalker enters Han’s room and tells him that R2-D2 is going nuts and claiming that it has received a message from Bailey. Han quickly ends the call and follows Mara Jade to where R2 is wobbling back and forth in the ship’s lounge, beeping and chirping excitedly, while surrounded by Chewbacca, C-3PO, and Little Han (Chewbacca’s adult son Hanbacca). 

R2-D2 confirms that the message is from Bailey but that it is encrypted and will take a little bit of time to decrypt. 

Suddenly an alarm goes off and Han runs to the cockpit, followed by Mara Jade, Chewie, and Little Han. They discover that there is a Star Destroyer in the system and it is chasing an unarmed New Republic transport craft.

Han orders the small fleet to prepare for a fight as he takes the Millennium Falcon to meet the small ship and rescue those aboard. The Falcon and small ship meet up before the Tie Fighters are within weapons range and Han discovers that it is his son, Finn, Poe, and BB-8 aboard (the ship is left to drift away). Han notices the look on Ben’s face and they hug briefly as Han is informed about the defeat of the New Republic, Leia’s death, and that Darth Ridian is on the Star Destroyer pursuing them. Han, taking the news in stride, tells BB-8 to go help R2 decrypt Bailey’s message. The boys are shocked at hearing about Bailey but before any more questions can be answered the ship comes under attack by a group of Tie Fighters. Han and Poe head to the cockpit while Finn and Ben head to the guns. 

As a small fight ensues between the Falcon and Tie Fighters, the other ships join to help, but not before the Falcon takes some hits. As the last of the Tie Fighters are wiped out, Han orders the fleet to escape and meet with the Admiral’s fleet. As the ships jump into hyperspace, Han attempts to do the same only for it to fail due to the hyperdrive system taking some damage.

Han tells Poe to take over and head for a nearby asteroid belt for cover, telling him to not scratch his ship and glares at Poe before the pilot can remind Han the ship is already scratched. Han rushes to where R2 and BB-8 are connected by a cable. Han asks R2 if he has shared the information with BB-8, R2 chirps “yes”, and then tells the droid to go outside and fix the hyperdrive since BB-8 is a useless soccer droid (BB-8 pulls out its torch in Han’s direction as a response).

R2 heads out and Han heads to another section of the ship to bypass some damaged lines, otherwise R2’s repair won’t mean anything. R2 takes a lift to the outer hull and makes its way over to the damaged section. As the droid starts repairs, the Star Destroyer is now in range with another squadron of tie fighters engaging (this should be similar to when R2 was first introduced in the prequels). 

A commander informs Darth Ridian that they will now be able to pursue the Millennium Falcon through the asteroid field. Ridian acknowledges this and tells the commander to blow up the larger asteroids in the Falcon’s flight path. The commander warns them that such a tactic will put their own fighters in jeopardy. Ridian says they are aware of this and that the rewards outweigh the risks. Better to lose a few Tie Fighters and pilots for killing the potential leaders of a new Rebellion. There will never be a second Rebellion to stop the rise of the New Empire.

As R2 and Han race to fix the hyperdrive, Poe is flying the Falcon through the asteroid field while Ben and Finn continue firing at the fighters. The Star Destroyer starts blasting larger asteroids in the Falcon’s flight path. 

R2 finishes the repairs and starts to make its way back to the hatch to go back inside as Han continues to bypass the wires with Little Han’s help. As R2 reaches the hatch, the Star Destroyer blows up an asteroid close by with sizable chunks headed directly towards the Falcon. Poe barely dodges the first chunk which hits R2 as he gives a sad, drawn out chirp, noticing the object heading towards it, just as the hatch starts to descend. Poe continues to dodge the other chunks as Han finishes up with his work and tells the pilot to get clear and go into hyperdrive with their destination being Coruscant where Lando and the remaining fleet is gathering.

Han heads to the lounge where BB-8 is still working on decrypting Bailey’s message. BB-8 starts to wildly chirp and C-3PO translates saying that the little droid has decrypted the message. Before anyone can react to the news, Mara Jade enters the lounge and in her arms are R2’s feet which were magnetized to the lift as the rest of the droid was shorn off by the asteroid chunk. C-3PO makes a comment as BB-8 gives a sad chirp.

Ben and Finn both enter and see what is left of R2. Poe informs everyone that he is almost clear of the asteroid field and will be entering hyperspace soon with their destination being Coruscant. BB-8 starts rolling around and chirping loudly before rushing over to a port and accessing it. Poe asks the droid what it is doing as it changes the destination and the Falcon enters hyperspace. 

On a screen above the port it shows a planet with the word Bastion above it.

Poe, having put the ship on autopilot, enters the lounge asking BB-8 what that was all about. BB-8 says that Bailey’s message said to go to the planet and Han tells the little droid to play the message. BB-8 projects a holoimage of Bailey wearing her Jedi robes with the message addressed to Mara Jade and Han. Bailey tells them that she felt a great disturbance in the force when her father died and what she has been doing. 

When she was on Coruscant, with Uncle Han, she had briefly felt the presence of a force user who was able to hide themselves from being detected. She followed the mysterious person and confronted them. Unwilling to tell her anything, the stranger, who introduced himself as Mott Shin, told her to come with him if she wanted to find out who he was. 

Motte took Bailey to a hidden planet called Bastion where there was an old Jedi temple. There she discovered that there was a large group of Jedi Temple Guards who escaped, with some of the young Jedi that could be saved, before Senator Palpatine and Anakin Skywalker could wipe them all out. The Temple Guards, having the ability to hide their presence and the Force, used this ability and amplified it with some old technology on the planet to hide its presence from both scans and force users. Bailey also mentions that, ever since she was a young child, she has felt a sinister presence within the force that has grown stronger and stronger. But it was a feeling she couldn’t describe while Luke didn’t feel it himself.

On Bastion, with the help of the these Jedi, she discovered that what she felt was a new Sith Lord coming to power. But more than just a Sith lord and their apprentice. It was much more and it has the inhabitants worried. There is a presence in the force that has not been felt since the days of the Old Republic and that everyone needs to come to Bastion, for they may be the universe’s only hope.

The message ends and the group decides to continue on course to the planet Bastion. 

The Millennium Falcon drops out of hyperspace on the outskirts of the solar system and makes its way to Bastion. Shortly after, the Falcon detects the pursuing Star Destroyer dropping out of hyperspace and Han sends a short, encrypted message to The Admiral about their mission and destination since Bastion is no longer a hidden secret. However, everyone on the Falcon wonders how Darth Ridian was able to track them.

The Falcon makes for the coordinates that Bailey had sent within the message as Tie Fighters speed towards the ship to try and stop them from reaching the planet. As the Falcon gets close to Bastion, Tie Fighters catch up and open fire as Ben and Finn main the guns and fire back. 

Han continues to fly towards the planet until one of the last Tie Fighters explodes in front of the Falcon and a piece of the craft slams through an upper window panel of the cockpit and impales Han in his side, gravely injuring him. The engines also take damage as Poe calls for Mara Jade while helping Han out of the seat. Chewie presses a button that lowers a metal shield to cover the side of windows with the broken pane. 

As Mara Jade helps Han walk away from the cockpit he warns Poe not to crash his ship, glaring at the younger pilot once again. Poe points out that the engines took damage and Han just keeps glaring as he is led away, a trail of blood following him. Poe informs everyone that they are entering the atmosphere and need to buckle up because their engines are failing. 

She calls for Little Han who carries the old smuggler to a seat in the lounge while Mara Jade quickly straps down Han and attempts to heal him with the force but the damage is severe. 

As the Falcon enters the planet’s atmosphere, the engines give out and Poe warns everyone that they are going to crash. Ben quickly leaves his gun turret to strap in while Finn continues to shoot at the remaining Tie Fighter, blowing it up in time to quickly leave his gun and strap in just before the Falcon crash lands several miles away from where they were supposed to land.

Aboard the Star Destroyer, Darth Ridian orders Captain Phasma to prepare a large landing party to make sure there are no survivors.

So that’s generally a rough and, kind of, brief idea of Act 1 for Episode X based on the few notes I jotted down when I first got the idea years ago. Eventually, I would love to flesh it out more and write some dialogue. If this was in movie format, there could be flashback scenes for Han remembering when Bailey left while Ben and Finn remember their encounter with Darth Ridian as they failed to defeat the Sith Lord and save Leia.

But let me know what you think of Act 1. Whether you like it or not and if you would be interested in reading Acts 2 and 3. 

More importantly, do you think Rey (Darth Ridian) will be the Master or the Apprentice?

Also, should the title be changed? Still trying to think of something better. Perhaps The Phantom Awakens?

Let me know in the comments below or on social media

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