13 Early Predictions For Star Wars Episode IX
13. It Begins With Leia's Funeral (And A Time Jump)
With Carrie Fisher passing away shortly after production on The Last Jedi wrapped, it's not exactly a bold prediction to declare she'll probably be killed off before Episode IX begins. How exactly it'll be dealt with, though, is a whole other matter.
As The Last Jedi picked up immediately after The Force Awakens, it's probable that Episode IX will have some sort of time jump. Leaping forward a few more years would also make Leia's death feel a little more organic, presuming it happens from natural causes at least.
The title crawl may very well open with, "General Leia is dead", and it'd be a majorly missed opportunity if a figure of Leia's stature and repute wasn't given an epic funeral.
Expect this to open the movie, as it's a convenient way to bring all the key heroic players together, and could even serve as the setting for the First Order's latest attack, tastefulness be-damned.