Star Wars: Episode VIII - 8 Things That Definitely Shouldn't Happen

4. Any Traditional Flashbacks

Considering that many Star Wars fans felt like The Force Awakens skimped out on the the exposition side of things, failing to provide essential information regarding the 30 year gap separating the events of Episode VI and Episode VII, there seems to be a longing for "flashbacks" in Episode VIII. You know, to fill in the story beats surrounding The First Order, the relationship between Kylo Ren and Luke Skywalker, and Rey's origins. Star Wars doesn't do flashbacks, though. Not in the traditional sense. Sure, you get the occasional vision or dream sequence, but flashbacks aren't part of the structure; you can't just cut back to the past in a Star Wars movie. That's not how it works. And despite the fan desire for flashbacks in Episode VIII, starting to do so seven episodes in... well, that'd just be weird, wouldn't it? It messes with the continuity. Traditional flashbacks have never been a staple of the franchise, and just because Episode VII decided to skip over so many rather important story beats, Episode VIII shouldn't suffer. If Rian Johnson decides to implement fully-fledged flashbacks outside of a dream sequence or vision context, it's going to change things forever: the movie can do without them if he's clever enough with the writing and avoids having to look backwards to go forwards.