Star Wars: The Last Jedi - 9 Episode VII Problems It Must Avoid

Yeah, Episode VII didn't just borrow plot points from A New Hope, it copy and pasted a few characters as well. Rey and Luke are the Force-sensitive desert dweller (right down to the same Lightsaber), BB-8 and R2-D2 are the plucky MacGuffin-carrying droid, and Han and Obi-Wan are the wise mentor who gets killed by a Dark Force user from their past.

But to give Episode VII its due, it does have its share of original characters, with Finn's defection and resistance of being a hero being pretty well done, and, Lightsaber tantrums aside, Kylo Ren's inner conflict being an interesting new direction that hopefully will grow in Episodes VIII and IX. The problem is them being in a minority when compared to next generation versions of fan-favourite characters, which makes it harder for them not to be overshadowed.

There isn't really an infinite number of character archetypes to work with, especially when you're dealing with a universe where even the extras get names and backstories, but subtle variations in character or even motivation can yield big results. It's why Kylo Ren isn't just Anakin Skywalker 2.0, and why Snoke will hopefully be more interesting than the Emperor was in Return Of The Jedi. Because with a name like Snoke and the fashion sense of Goldmember, he needs to be.

What The Last Jedi Should Do: Make the characters more distinct and individual instead of homages to the Original Trilogy.