Exegol could've been Incredible... What went wrong?

I liked EXEGOL in Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker... but it could've been better. I'll examine that and more during today's Star Wars Lore video!
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Music: ALISON - Warm / Endless Reflexions / Space Echo
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[@EckhartsLadder]

Follow me on Twitter: twitter.com/eckhartsladder I'll be playing some Empire at War in a bit: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aZW2n4BvgZufbqc

[@blanknope4358]

How do you think maul dies in legends? Great video tho

[@Thehomelessathlete]

The song is so gas at beging I gotta say tiin taan tuun exar kun Quinlan Vos

[@seananthony7494]

Life is good, but it can be better

[@Thelordmagedon]

One thing I think they could have done to really make the ending twist was to actually have General Hux approach Sidious to try to gain power to destroy Kylo Ren. And in the end he ends up being the new host for Palpatine before the final battle, and since he also knows about Kylo and Rey’s history together it would make sense that he knows how to exploit their force connection to amplify his power. The Final Showdown becomes Dark Emperor Hux vs Reylo.

[@ilo2224]

Idk if this is an idea people have spoken about already, but Finn should’ve been a foreshadowing of a wider Stormtrooper rebellion in Ep9. Would’ve been perfection. ‘An empire that is defeated by its enemies will rise again. But an empire that crumbles from within is gone forever’

[@Steel-101]

They should’ve made this planet like Korriban but far more terrifying. The creatures , the sith cultists and the ancient Sith statues etc. etc.

[@jnwestray78]

Or...it could have just been Korriban, lol.

[@LoganProductions54]

@@jnwestray78 Couldn't use Korriban since in both timelines (EU and Disney) Korriban is known to the galaxy even if not EVERYONE knows where it is. If it was Korriban someone like Poe would've gone "Oh let's just look at the rec-OH THERE'S KORRIBAN let's go!"

[@galadato7425]

But you know how this is, disny makes movies "for all family"

[@samuelmyth8392]

Begs the question why they didn't use Korriban in the first place considering it is in canon known as Moraband

[@traskulgo]

@@EternalEmperorofZakuul The reason they changed it's because Korriban sounds like Coruscant. It doesn't make sense to me, as Dantooine sounds like Tatooine. Other explanation is that Moraband is a "modern" name for Korriban. So, both names are canon, they are just used in different eras. Same with Lehon and Rakata Prime. Same planet, different era.

[@ottovonbismarck5067]

EckhartsLadder : "I know less about art than the average person." Also EckhartsLadder: "Let me explain to you in detail why basing the visuals in this movie off of something akin to the illustrations of this Polish surreal artist would've created a deep symbolism which would paint the whole ending of this massive saga in a different light."

[@lonewolfatari475]

I was thinking the same thing.

[@XraynPR]

The Astartes fan movies borrow that look too, it's intense

[@UGNAvalon]

Well, saying “I understand this looks hellish, and I understand that this surrealism is giving me a visceral reaction” is a lot simpler than talking about color theory or complex symbolism - which, I should point out, Eck never actually discussed in detail throughout the video. :P

[@DerVolman]

What about the art of uniting Germany under 1 state, Mr Bismarck?

[@lucasrencker-usui430]

I don’t know shit about art but I love zdislaw and I don’t even know how to spell his name

[@coltenjordan6311]

Me: can we have korriban Mom: we have korriban at home Korriban at home: exegol

[@revantobias8567]

@Evan Phillips Exegol has nothing. it is literally just a downgraded, bastardized version of Korriban, but blue.

[@sportsgamer8524]

@@revantobias8567 it looks cooler tho

[@robertcbarry]

What we needed was Dromund Kaas

[@revantobias8567]

@@sportsgamer8524 HOW? There is nothing unique about it except maybe the stadium.

[@highfatherizaya7059]

@@robertcbarry yes, would've loved Dromund Kaas

[@TheWhiteDragon3]

All good points, and it especially makes me appreciate how Rebels portrayed Malachor: a dark forboding land littered with charred ancient corpses dominated by a grand black pyramid pulsing with a wicked red energy, a place where even the sun dares not to shine.

[@Hortifox_the_gardener]

Basically the land of the Crimson King from the Dark Tower.

[@NIRDIAN1]

Ooh yeah that Dark Glass covered crater with the massive hidden graveyard underneath was really awesome design!

[@WhatIsThatThingDoing]

That was cool. Had a feeling of horror to it.

[@Tester-sh1mn]

Ugh rebels

[@UGNAvalon]

@Tester 316278 - Hey, if it works, it works. :P

[@rascoehunter3608]

Rise of Skywalker is great example of bigger is not better. The Exegol fleet was so gigantic that they had to stupidly nerf them by saying that their shields don't work in atmosphere and don't know which way is up.

[@ReySkywalker2]

Actually that makes sense though. The Xyston’s were using a skeleton crew and so their piloting systems had to be computerised and automated, by using the Nav tower.

[@ebi_tempura]

@@ReySkywalker2 yes but surely it is possible for an on-board computer to be able to tell which way was up

[@ReySkywalker2]

@@ebi_tempura That’s not the point though. What Poe says is just a figure of speech. The Sith Fleet is essentially a fleet of drones that are guided by a central computer (we see this computer on the FO command ship). It is more efficient to have one central computer to control all the ships piloting systems than it is to have ever ship have its own automatic piloting system or full piloting crew. Considering how long it took for the Sith fleet to be constructed (over 30 years at the very least but possibly ≈ 60), cutting corners would be likely, especially with Palpatine, who used a half build DSII in open combat.

[@TheTruMan196]

@@ReySkywalker2 so the largest fleet ever created in the history of the galaxy is also the most conveniently vulnerable... makes sense. TROS is just plot hole after plot hole in the guise of being interesting. It has even more plot holes than TLJ does.

[@rascoehunter3608]

@@TheTruMan196 The conflict scale is all out of wack in TROS. The first wave of resistance fighters would have been obliterated in a instance without their plot armor. If it was 10 dreadnought class ships than it would have been more believable.

[@Wednesday131O]

Exegol is suck a creepy place, and I love it, it seemed like the entire planet was controlled through palpatine, literally, like the lightning is almost like wires flowing information into and out of palpatine (or at least I like to imagine) . And then you have some of the ancient sith that were turned into monsters, all very creepy stuff that's just interesting enough to lure you in. It's just a shame that it isn't shown in the movie, and just that evil super secret sith planet with nothing else.

[@AJSai3007]

I would’ve liked to see more about Exergol and have some more stuff in order to connect it to the Sith.

[@Wednesday131O]

@@AJSai3007 it definitely deserved more buildup than a trailer, even maybe take a page out of marvel's book and at the end of tlj have a shot of exegol, and then explore legends surrounding the planet, untill it gets name dropped in episode 9. I know this wouldn't be possible, but in a perfect world it would be a very nice connection.

[@AJSai3007]

@@Wednesday131O they definitely should’ve waited until the Mandalorian, season 7 of the Clone Wars, and other Star Wars content came out before releasing episode 9, which is what they did for the MCU. That way, they could establish the history and lore of the universe and connect it all together in episode 9.

[@chrissonofpear1384]

@@AJSai3007 We know it's probably been known to the Sith at least 5000 years anyway (given a statue of Naga Sadow was there - and assuming he lived that far back in new canon)

[@JumboGaming001]

Beans

[@whyp9552]

Because it was basically discount Dromund Kaas. From the atmosphere, to the architecture. Go figure.

[@Janoha17]

Dromund Kaas had jungles full of deadly creatures.

[@jadenvroor4308]

I was thinking the same thing. They should have used dromund kass, some old rep love.

[@Slovensko89]

If dromund kaas was a penny, exogal is a Planck length

[@thecelestial4021]

Dromund kaas would be cool or korriban

[@aidanbove231]

Hi Sokka

[@ecco5007]

Damn, I'm Polish and literally never thought about those art similarities. Now I literally can't get rid of the thought that Exegol was insipired by Beksiński's paintings. Btw you almost got that pronunciation right xd

[@choreomaniac]

Yeah. It was pretty respectable.

[@AkatsukiBoss13]

Yeah I agree with you a lot on Exegol. I would have made the planet originally a Rakatan Dark Side-powered forge world. Even if the Rakata and their Empire was never named in the film. Like even just saying it's lingering lost relic of an ancient evil that predates the Sith and the Jedi. It'd play into Maz's comment in TFA about how Evil takes different forms over the generations, that Sith were not first nor the last Evil to appear in the galaxy. Though while I do agree with you on the blue color of the world, I think the blue could work if it was just in that first scene on the planet, when Kylo Ren first came there. The blue could have worked for this cold, dead, seemingly lifeless world that the half-dead Sidious was but then when he offers Ren the Final Order Fleets, the ships rise, the planet comes to life and the sky turns red. Especially if they used the Exegol as some massive forge world, the Dark Side Engine of the planet coming back to life.

[@darthtempest84]

I really like your idea that this should have been something more primal. They've chased Palpatine back to his sanctuary. The reds used in the pallet swaps you showed were such a stark contrast and added pulsing, raw emotion to the scene; very symbolic of the Dark Side and (for me) more reminiscent of Korriban. More unsettling images could have better visually brought home the idea "The Dark Side is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural." Thanks for the ideas.

[@VideoSage]

I miss George Lucas' Star Wars so much. From the art direction, Cinematography, and ideas. Story Execution... not as much- but I would rather have that, & still get the first three pluses, than what Disney gave us.

[@jerakona7658]

Lucass execution is 1000000% times better than Disneys tho

[@msalinastb5093]

I think Disney has learned from their mistakes and from here on we'll be getting nothing but greatness (hopefully)...

[@andreiefectivuatafac1966]

@@jerakona7658 😂 you serious?

[@jerakona7658]

@@andreiefectivuatafac1966 Have you seen how randomly everything switches is TLJ to Rise of Palpatine. Also the sequel trilogy is a shotty clone of the OT.

[@andreiefectivuatafac1966]

@@jerakona7658 i dont think the sequels are that great, but saying that Jar Jar Menace and Attack of The Sand are 10000 times better then TFA (and even the other two sequels) it's bullsh*t

[@eaglefangkaratedojo7473]

Should’ve put ancient sith shades tormenting Rey like they did with Yoda on Korriban in the clone wars. Would’ve been a dope way to reintroduce sith into canon or maybe even establish new sith

[@Janoha17]

If you want to get technical, several ancient Sith were canonized by the names of the Sith Eternal's legions, including Revan.

[@eaglefangkaratedojo7473]

@@Janoha17 True. We also do know that “Mandalore the Great” fought a great battle with the Jedi thousands of years before thanks to the mandalorian. Maybe there’s hope.

[@Janoha17]

@@eaglefangkaratedojo7473 Hell, Star Wars The Old Republic implied that the Darksaber was stolen from the Jedi Temple during the Sacking of Coruscant, since Shae Vizsla took part in the attack.

[@eaglefangkaratedojo7473]

@@Janoha17 Yeah I remember when Pre Vizsla dropped that line in the clone wars. I’d seen the trailer for the first time a little earlier and had the same thought. Good eye

[@chrissonofpear1384]

@@Janoha17 Depends when Tarre Vizsla lived, I guess (the creator of the Darksaber)

[@windshadetarn1679]

As a Pole, I would say you nailed it. With strong english accent but you nailed reading one of hardest to pronounce names pretty well and totally nailed his surname :)

[@trainmaster36productions]

I do like the idea of after Palpatine's death and the destruction of the fleet Exegol turned from a stormy hell-scape into a "normal" planet, but it could've had an even better impact the color grading they went with was red and orange. Another thing to Exegol, in the new Vader comic Exegol seems to not be so stormy when Vader first goes to the planet so maybe the storm was symbolizing that evil has returned and has been festering there for 30 years.

[@willbrennom129]

I know you're not trying to be negative, but the way the potential of the sequels was squandered will NEVER cease to irk me

[@mortadelofilemon2086]

I'm just sad because I actually liked the characters since force awakens and the themes in the last jedi, which I hoped the last film would explore. But no, "fanservice go brrr, we are to afraid to be yelled at by reddit". Like, the rise of skywalker is the opposite of the prequels. Instead of good ideas and a bad execution they made a mediocre action movie that kills itself thematically to take the last jedi with it.

[@jackrutledgegoembel5896]

@@mortadelofilemon2086 you're not the only one. I'm in the exact same boat. I was optimistic but episode 9 is what made me abandon the sequel trilogy

[@overlord_kualsi9758]

I'm starting to wonder if it wasn't based, even slightly, off of Dante's Hell, where the ninth circle containing the devil was actually frozen over

[@Crusader-tg1wx]

You know, that’s actually a really interesting thought. What would have been really cool if we were to keep that theme is if they had expanded on the idea in “Sith space” and made one planet for each circle of Hell.

[@jacobberg373]

I heard that the name Exegol came from the name of the star called Algol also known as the Devil's Star. Just some neat trivia

[@pakkenpk5598]

Maybe, but that’s WAY too good of symbolism and far too interesting for them to have meant to do lol. Episode nine, the ninth circle, very clever, and it would just disappoint me even more at a missed opportunity for some awesome eldritch designs in a half decent film

[@forevermarked5826]

@@pakkenpk5598 its Hollywood, they for sure used symbolism. It's what they think about the most. They are deep in the occult

[@pakkenpk5598]

@@forevermarked5826 As artists, they should consider subtext, but I highly doubt they`d take the thoughts the OP said into consideration. They probably saw a cool aesthetic and used it because they felt it fit the desired atmosphere. They wouldn`t take the risk of it being too off putting. My opinion, but might be wrong

[@GhostLink92]

This guy's art looks like it's straight from the SCP universe. I love it.

[@LAV-III]

It actually does fit SCP

[@eulogyenclave2037]

Or SCP is based upon his work. His 'Golden Age ' of paintings were created in the 70's and 80's

[@silentgrind34]

It looks dope

[@MultiSpeedMetal]

SCP just steals people's art anyways.

[@wyatttyson7737]

Even just the recolor of the red looks so much better than the blue. Color philosophy is a thing, and blue makes Exogl look calm and rational, like a clear sky. Red is aggressive and passionate, and it makes Exogl look angry and powerful.

[@PerovNigma]

I feel like red is too obvious a choice, especially since we already have Dathomir and Korriban/Moribund in Canon. The blue makes me think of death, cold, and the deep sea.

[@Janoha17]

@@PerovNigma Red has long been the color of the Dark Side: Vader wielded a red lightsaber in contrast to Obi-Wan's blue lightsaber. Red is evocative of blood and war. Korriban is a blood-soaked hellhole of a planet where the Sith first came to be.

[@Tester-sh1mn]

@@Janoha17 not necessarily, did you forget that big masters general grievous? Or the lasers from the Death Star and tie fighters? Both of those are threatening as hell. even the throne room is blue which is what I assume Exogal was based off

[@grimms1916]

@@Tester-sh1mn True, but neither blue or green carry an intrinsic, psychological response. Red does. This is more about color theory and psychology than whether a color was used by a villan/evil thing in star wars. Blues and greens are calming tones because we associate it nature. A clear sky and green foliage. Red on the other hand is an agressive, dangerous color, an association left over in our minds during evolution. Its the color of blood and the sky during a fire.

[@Tester-sh1mn]

@@grimms1916 As I made aware in another comment the upside down in Stranger Things is cold, dead and BLUE! (for the most part) and I see no one complaining they should’ve made that red

[@DarthZin12]

I would like to propose an edit to the title of this video. "Exegol *could still be* incredible". The reason I mention this is because the planet is still very young in Canon and has alot of room to grow and expand in the lore and put it on par with legends like Korriban and Dromund Kaas, the latter also not very accepted by the fandom when it initially debuted because people would say "Korriban exists". If you were part of the community and following of the development cycle of The Old Republic MMO, you would remember this. Now unlike Exegol, what saved Dromund Kaas was being able to actually PLAY in it, walk in it, breathe in it, being part of a game made the transition to accept Dromund Kaas much smoother than Exegol's which only had the appearance in a single movie to make it simmer into the acceptance of fans. Yet the same thing is still open to Exegol and other planets in canon like Malachor (Yes I am very aware the planet also exists in legends just in case) which already has a very interesting backstory to explore with the petrified battleground outside the sith temple that looks just like Exegol's. If you want to look at some of the potential this planet has in the future of current canon, then allow me to quote someone who shared that knowledge in reddit for me coming from the visual dictionary for TROS: *start quote* "It’s brand new to canon so we don’t really know much yet. What we do know is that it’s an ancient world for the Sith. One of the sacred texts that Luke had and Rey has now is called the Rammahgon written by an ancient Jedi, Kli the Elder. In the book it states that Exegol was an important world within the old Sith Empires. The main thing was it had a dark side emergence thought be to hidden somehwhere beneath the surface. This led to a lot excavation over the millennia. This how they fit those Star destroyers underground and we see the giant temple thing on the surface going way under too. At some point, there was a Sith seeking immortality named Darth Noctyss. She found a Sith already there who discovered the technique, Darth Sanguis, but it transformed him into a ugly and disfigured creature that walked on all fours. Noctyss learned from him the ritual and sacrificed him, only to realize too lats she was being transformed into a similar creature as well. The secret of Exegol was passed down in the rule of two Banite line. Palpatine decided Exegol would be the capital of the Sith Eternal and sent his cult there to work on getting him a good body to inhabit and build up his forces and fleet. The actually citadel on the planet featured large statues of ancient Sith Lords, possible making it some sort of museum or shrine of their past glory. Exegol is still really young in the franchise so we can’t expect too much yet. But as time goes on Exegol will begin to appear more and more in new content and we will learn more about it. Honestly there’s a good chance we will see it in the new Acolyte show." *end quote* The sky is the limit to be frank here, these massive sith temples already carry a massive baggage of lore waiting to be unraveled that can be unique to each world they were built in. I wouldn't be surprised if they had one for Korriban as well and then one might wonder it's purpose? Would that one have been a gigantic tomb as a call back to the Valley of the Dark Lords? Or something else? I understand the resistance to change, I also understand the sentiment of "if X exists why not use it instead of creating Y?", but once again I point to Dromund Kaas as a sign that change can be accepted as long as it's given the chance to breathe. Exegol can be a great world that contributes a lot to star wars lore and sith lore specifically, let's see what shows like The Acolyte or even the High Republic series have in store for it in the near future. Obligatory "thank you for coming to my ted talk" meme sentence.

[@Janoha17]

The thing with Malachor is that there are multiple Malachors that show up in Legends: Malachor V was the one ruined by the Mass Shadow Generator, Malachor III was the location of the Tomb of Terrok Morrhage. It's entirely possible the Malachor seen in Rebels was only one of the Malachors, possibly Malachor III, since Malachor V was completely gone and faded from memory.

[@larniieplayz6285]

That’s long

[@CPTNeka]

My opinion on the each of the Sequel movies is: They would be good if they were standalone movies. Their main problems is that they go against everything we've seen already.

[@karekarenohay4432]

And ones against others.

[@jellysauce3938]

Exactly. I’m still confused as to if Anakin or Luke are the chosen one (ROTS vs a scene in Rebels) but irrespective, in episode VI palpatinine is ‘killed’ and peace is restored. The Chosen One’s job is literally to restore balance, which is exactly what Anakin/Luke did. I’d understand if this trilogy came decades or centuries afterward, but it had been barely 30 years. The Chosen one was still alive. It’s like the writers said “y’know all the lore build up by decades of movies and comics? Yea we are just gonna throw that in the trash.” And don’t even get me started on how Rey is a HORRIBLE example of a ‘strong female lead’. She had no flaws whatsoever, has mediocre acting, and her entire character arc is carried by Kylo.

[@CPTNeka]

@@jellysauce3938 technically if you think about it, Anakin going rogue brought "balance" because he wiped almost all the jedi making the jedi to sith ratio more balanced

[@CPTNeka]

the phrase "balance to the force" is very vague

[@jellysauce3938]

@@CPTNeka that is true. Either way though, it should nullify the sequel trilogy

[@ilo2224]

It was more than a bit silly making the planet blue. Kinda goes against (and not in a good way) everything our culture has taught us about blue, red, light, dark etc.

[@larniieplayz6285]

It’s not silly

[@karekarenohay4432]

I wouldn't call it silly, but cinematically unfit.

[@rebelappliance771]

Personally I think it would have been a cool nod to legends if they used the world devastators instead of the xyston class SD.

[@pepperedash4424]

Agreed. I also would have settled for the Xyston if it was a unique design, without a "shoot here to destroy" weak point".

[@chrissonofpear1384]

@@pepperedash4424 Or even use the Allegiance class, yes. Anything other than warmed over, 'scaled up' ISD 1s, basically.

[@pepperedash4424]

@@chrissonofpear1384 Didn't Lucasfilm/Disney approve of someone using (Fractal Sponges'?) the silhouette of the Allegiance in place of the design they went with?

[@sneedmando186]

Says Polish name: huh? Shows Polish art: *OH THAT PERSON*

[@texaszubes3650]

9:59 minutes we were on the verge of greatness, we were this close.

[@giuseppecastiglione1709]

I don’t get it

[@viewingstorm8930]

@@giuseppecastiglione1709 the music just cut off but it was almost done

[@texaszubes3650]

@@giuseppecastiglione1709 a video is allowed to have 2 ads once its 10 minutes long

[@totallygoodgamer1055]

To providing peace and security to the galaxy.

[@Topher7527]

More contrast would have improved the visuals, I think. Everything is kinda just the same shade of blue all over. I think it was Filmento who did a video about heavy use of a single color shade and brought up the recent Macbeth film as a good example of how contrast can be used to elevate a scene's setting beyond the overall shade of color used.

[@ontasbulent5709]

Exogol is interesting and it makes you think about messed up things that happened there but the movie never really explored it and just teased it. Exogol should have more stuff in the background like the planets in the prequels. Maybe some experiments on a clone or more Sith statues just more visuals in general

[@mattheweppley]

Forget Exegol - I much would have preferred Korriban! Korriban means something to me. Exegol, what?

[@catdragon-6631]

Yeah, it makes me sad that the Skywalker saga ended on two planets, one that nobody cares about and the other that the entire Skywalker family hates. It’s sort of symbolic that the lightsabers are buried under the sand by someone, a Palpatine no less, who took their lightsabers, (indirectly) their lives and now their legacy

[@khangsingchopel6443]

@@catdragon-6631 damn saying it like that is kinda fucked lol Disney wild

[@TsukoBlade]

Well, honestly glad we didn’t get Korriban, because then Disney would not have got it right for sure with how the sequels went. They screwed Luke over, and retconned the solo twins. So, I’m glad there is still potential for Koriban

[@sulphurous2656]

@@TsukoBlade Yeah, I honestly prefer it these days when the big studios of today don't use the good stuff because they'll just bastardize it anyway. It leaves its memes untainted and free for independent or solo artists to take advantage of purely out of passion.

[@Ashguy733]

They french fried when they shoulda pizza'd.

[@SpaceGoneTV]

"you are gonna have a bad time"

[@larniieplayz6285]

What

[@SpaceGoneTV]

@@larniieplayz6285 south park man

[@vadernation1233]

The rise of skywalker is not my favorite film but Exegol is certainly one of the aspects I left the theater loving. I do agree with your points about the hue but to me I like the blue it makes the world look less warm and more frigid. I also liked the lightning strikes revealing the Sith carvings and statues that were previously hidden it’s really cool. Definitely would love to see Exegol again in some other material it’s just fantastic honestly.

[@Kodaemon]

I saw a Beksiński painting in the thumb and had to click, you do a decent enough job of pronouncing his name. Kudos!

[@tnntaronewsnetwork4514]

What went wrong? The entire movie

[@bobross4886]

I think the official Star Wars committee is creatively bankrupt.

[@pakkenpk5598]

Having a committee itself leads to that. One creative, passionate person who is held back slightly by a crew is best. Look at the originals,Tolkien and his friends/family, etc.

[@charlessalvia7176]

As everyone knows, many of the plot details and ideas in Rise of Skywalker were "borrowed" from the Dark Empire series... I think the Dark Empire series, more than anything, felt extremely surreal and post-apocalyptic in tone - like the imagery of Coruscant covered with vast heaps of debris and scavengers from all over the Universe scattered over this sparsely populated landscape.

[@ignitetheinferno1858]

It’s actually what I wanted the setting of the universe to be in the Sequels when they first came out. It was a galaxy that had fought several major wars and had been cruelly oppressed for decades. So I thought it’d be cool if the galaxy felt a bit apocalyptic. It’s the one thing I liked about Jakku and Crait, they still bear the scars of those decades.

[@larniieplayz6285]

I doubt JJ even knows what dark empire is

[@Aqueox]

@@ignitetheinferno1858 So basically KOTOR II?

[@doublea761]

I think that TROS should have been delayed back by at least a year. It's obvious that they struggle to craft and refine the story in the limited timeline. It probably wouldn't have fix everything with the movie but it could have positively impacted the final product.

[@user-Jay178]

Like so many things in the sequel the concept is good and had so much potential. Great video

[@BCRogers619]

I would be happy if they redid and retconned the entire sequel trilogy. It is passable, enjoyable movies, but it isn't good art. It will not stand the test of time. If it didn't have the hype train that Star Wars can garner no one would care about that part of the canon. It could have been, and should be, so much better.

[@Mophony]

Eck would make an amazing movie director. If I were an actor, I could confindantly say that if Eck were unhappy with the way a scence played out, he could easily describe to me how to make it better in the best possible way! He accentuates every little detail into a physical and tangable idea and concept, and that'a what makes this video so great! You did an amazing job breaking down Exegol!

[@bobafett5764]

Palpatine just chillin in exegul With his new final order Sith fleet. Final order: Peace is a lie.

[@realBatman-89]

There is only passion

[@revantobias8567]

@@realBatman-89 through passion I gain strength

[@puggoman902]

@@revantobias8567 through strength I gain power

[@ontasbulent5709]

@@puggoman902 through power victory

[@revantobias8567]

@@ontasbulent5709 through victory my chains are broken

[@duncanmcgee13]

Disney when they bought Marvel: yes Stan Lee, anything you say Disney when they bought Lucasfilm: Oh George about that thing, no. Dont get me wrong, i love both. But i think its total bs that Disney cant treat Lucas the same way.

[@Ghost_-_]

This is so true lol.

[@basedhimejosi]

it's also infuriating that even after stan lee passed away, disney still followed his comics and add the characters or certain concepts into the mcu based on it (even if they were not fully similar) but when it comes to star wars it's like disney literally doesn't ackowledge the legend comics at all for some reason...(my guess is that bc those characters & stories don't fit into the writer's self inserts but what do i know.)

[@HeyGuy393]

To be honest i thought it would of been cool if the sequels had lead up revealing that abeloth was the main enemy and then lead into a whole trilogy to stop her edited: like they get there, think they've stopped the main bad guy then reveal it's actually abeloth or something

[@prophetofbeans6781]

Red, bleak sith lightning would have been SICK. Blue lightning is too familiar. Though nothing short of a reset could fix that trilogy.

[@Charlie94781]

A massive strike from the gaggle of resistance ships and Lando’s Commandos would have barely scratched the hulls of the mega Star Destroyers, and emperor Palpatine’s force-storm immobilizing electronics made them clay pigeons for the Imperial gunnery crews

[@somebuddyX]

There's always something comforting about that intro music.

[@SchwererGustavThe800mm]

Is anyone else's favorite part of Eckhart's videos, when you get to the end and see him messing with the Corgi?

[@TheWingland]

Fleet battle between Grand admiral Thrawn vs. Ender Wiggin Each one has an equal sized fleet with equally capable subordinates, and since Ender is from a different universe each has equal understanding of the technology they’re using. They are in command of Star Wars vessels. Pick a famous fleet of your choosing I’d suggest death squadron.

[@karstenalbers2255]

Ender has the "Doctor Device" which literally destroys molecules and the bigger the target the more effective it is. He would win in a heartbeat

[@TheWingland]

@@karstenalbers2255 which is why they will be using identical STAR WARS fleets. The little doctor is one of the most comically over powered weapons in fiction and will not be in this battle.

[@karstenalbers2255]

@@TheWingland oh ok

[@xanider5098]

at least you weren't crying about how starwars isn't what you want it to be. Good video :)

[@peaksaren4717]

I still think the fallen Jedi voices that Rey heard should have been changed to a light vs dark side force ghost battle.

[@CT7056]

I don't think there are dark side force ghosts

[@CT7056]

@AirBarbecue233 MC No

[@CT7056]

@AirBarbecue233 MC Yeah but they can't become Force ghosts That's not how the force works

[@spinelessmoderate8715]

This place is supposed to be THE Sith redoubt world. They should have had something like Momin's masterpiece being recreated and successfully used on exogol; the native inhabitants were frozen for eternity in all their fear before all those cultists/acolytes, or whatever they're being called, moved in and built that temple for the Sith. And have some other fairly horrific, or just "evil" so kiddos can watch, tributes to the dark side from various Sith lords. Which is why it's such an insanely powerful dark side nexus and final refuge of the Sith. Another thing, albeit minor, that would have been cool is if the saturation of the red light was on a gradient. Outside was just kind of reddish. But inside the temple it was more pronounced. And it increased the deeper into the temple they went. Reaching full red saturation in Palp's chamber. Almost as if his decrepit and deteriorating body was leaking his near limitless dark side energy. Rey and Ben should have also had to go through a series of "tests" to get into Palpatine's chamber too. Designed to only allow "worthy" people through by using the force. But also intended to prove your devotion to the dark side. They get split up, as you have to do the "tests" alone. You know, for power's sake. Ben gets through by using all the training he received from Luke and remaining in the light. While the less experienced Rey just brute forces her way through as actually intended and starts slipping to the dark side. Once in Palpy's chamber, she turns due to his immense and suffocating influence with his energy permeating everything in the chamber. Reypatine and Ben have an epic showdown culminating in some crazy move that seemingly knocks Reypatine and Ben out. Ben struggles to get up and Reypatine springs up like nothing happened. Then she starts cackling like Palpatine while charging up some massive lightning, when force ghost Anakin appears. He throws some witty snark at Reypatine and says something like "we all believe in you, grandson" (or some of cheesy, touching heart-felt line) to Ben and then sacrifices himself to cleanse Palpatine from existence. Thus bringing Rey back to the light and finally purging the last Sith from the galaxy. And once again, bringing balance to the force.

[@johnhodgson4216]

I liked TROS movie. I just never understood how the path to Exegol required a sith navigation aid...then later in the movie, the good guys just jumped into the area directly from hyperspace.

[@AndresRuiz007]

I think it’s cause they were traking rey’s (luke’s) x wing. Still doesn’t explain how they got there through lightspeed when it’s so hard to actually get there.

[@aralornwolf3140]

@@AndresRuiz007 , How did the first order ship get there? The movie contradicts itself... which created the need for the way finders in order to draw out the movie... er... to give it something called "plot"...

[@onnihalme2047]

beksinski is my favorite painter because his style reminds me of the really dark "grimdark" type surreal hellscape that made me like warhammer 40k so much when i was just a little kid.

[@jeffkim9816]

My main problem with the sequels has to do with a lack of creativity, and how bland things tended to be. I feel as if they wasted a lot of opportunities with starship design, planets, and exegol is an extension of that. While I don't like the writing, I feel like more creativity could have made the sequels enjoyable to me.

[@davidordaz5251]

Yeah I agree

[@jeffkim9816]

@@davidordaz5251 honestly the lack of creativity and world building bothers me more than the writing

[@kittenburger_prime]

The original Justice League vs the Snyder Cur has given me a new appreciation for the importance of fleshing out and working on the feel, pacing, and connections that you put in a movie. Small problems become less annoying and it makes the whole thing so much better. PS: Exegal should have been Tatooine on fire.

[@Lord-Emperor-Vader]

Do you think that Exegol is Dromund Kaas like how Moraband is Korriban.

[@whyp9552]

Morraband IS Korriban, it's just how it's called in the prequel era

[@Lord-Emperor-Vader]

@@whyp9552 I know I was saying that since Moraband is Korriban that it is possible that Exegol is Dromund Kaas and history forgot the planets true name

[@calebemotta8107]

Dromund Kaas wasn’t in the unknown regions. They could change that of course, but still.

[@Lord-Emperor-Vader]

@@calebemotta8107 I thought it was even if it is not the location was hidden and it still took Revan and Malak forever to find the planet because the system was so far away from the Republic, so a retcon won't be a crazy change.

[@OceanicSix2342]

How crazy is it that the painting at 6:10 looks exactly like the Death Star and yet it’s from 1975.

[@CarlGoldenface]

Can we all just appreciate that this video is exactly 10 minutes long

[@DontPanicVU]

A thought popped in my head when you talked about the star destroyers being basic shapes. It would be neat if the Xystons were shaped like the sith dagger (blade of Ochi lf Bestoon, I had to look it up)

[@TheDecree93]

so I thought that painter was noted as using his paintings as just his way of coping with the trauma that happened to Poland from Germany in ww2, but I could be wrong. good vid regardless

[@TheDecree93]

@@theblade1251 your probably right, but i know those painting look like maybe another polish painter who used them in like some sort of escapism but idk

[@pepperedash4424]

Would some of that trauma also happened because of the Soviet Union?

[@Jane_8319]

Oh I love the comparison to Zidzisław Beksiński! He’s a favorite surrealist artist of mine, I absolutely wish Exegol had been more akin to his work.

[@captainrex2348]

If you think about it if palpatine made anikan threw the force he would be like his dad so palpatine had a granddaughter Rey so if you think about it Rey and Kylo ren are related and they kissed so that is just something to think about

[@blanknope4358]

A- would have cost you nothing to say that B- rey is the rightful ruler of mandalore

[@captainrex2348]

@@blanknope4358 A. I had to B. I agree

[@Asdf-wf6en]

stop making so many comments

[@captainrex2348]

@@Asdf-wf6en go away

[@basedhimejosi]

it has been estabilized that it was darth plaguis who created anakin, not palpatine

[@rhythmsection3054]

Nice utilization of the Bekzinski art!

[@stretchmtsa5106]

I had to laugh at the the first idea that popped into my head when looking at the side by side pictures, Disney moved on from stealing from fan-artists and onto professional artists. Sorry Eck but raising the stakes in Ep9 would have done nothing since the movie is such a mess overall that it would just make it more unbelievable.

[@litjellyfish]

Star Wars has always been stealing design ideas.... from start.

[@DirectOcean23]

crazy how i was literally looking at this guys art earlier today and later see’s that eck made a video on him

[@tommyfaust85]

Could rename the video to: "The Sequel Trilogy could've been incredible... what went wrong?"

[@aralornwolf3140]

Everything*

[@justinschultheisz4673]

It would’ve been a cool move for them to give Palpatine red force lightning. It would be a cool contrast from the blue Exegol atmosphere, and it would really show how much more powerful Palpatine had become.

[@jacobberg373]

Attacking an entire fleet, not the color red

[@AncestorEmpire1]

It could have been like Ziost, but Bob deleted the source material oh well.....

[@christianbryan6961]

Who is Bob?

[@AncestorEmpire1]

@@christianbryan6961 Disney CEO/Executive Bob Iger.

[@christianbryan6961]

Ah that Bob. What was the information about Zoist?

[@AncestorEmpire1]

@@christianbryan6961 yep, that boy. After being a player of Swtor for 10 years, I think Ziost would have made choice for rise of Skywalker as the location for the final battle. But Disney only uses EU material when they don’t have to respect the original author or creator of the idea. If “It’s a wonderful life” was remade today, Mr Potter would have been running Disney inc.

[@chrissonofpear1384]

@@AncestorEmpire1 Unless it's Zhan, though? Or the old Marvel comics...

[@Tenn0rockit]

When Ben first finds Palpatine, would have been unreal to see the emperor project a dark side Luke. Or even have cloned him from his hand cut off on cloud city.

[@andrewbryant4259]

It wasn't korriban is what went wrong

[@mattheweppley]

Amen brother! Korriban would have been much better and more appropriate.

[@tylerjones7592]

@@mattheweppley it should have been Korriban or Byss

[@pepperedash4424]

@@tylerjones7592 Plot wise, it was Byss.

[@n8n8n8n]

Imagine playing Star Wars Battlefront 2 on Exegol. Could be interesting experience.

[@G59forlife.]

If SWBFII didnt have support cut off we could have had so much stuff. Mandalore, Exegol, Coruscant, order 66, mygeeto, galactic marines, and Utapau are the greatest missed opportunities imo.

[@n8n8n8n]

@@G59forlife. Agree.

[@SpaceMonkeyBoi]

What went wrong? WHERE DO I EVEN START!??????!!

[@musicbyalexYT]

The thumbnail just makes me think of the Maxwell Lord meme. lol

[@thatguywiththeface5232]

Why they didn't use korriban when they pick and choose to steal other stuff from legends is beyond me

[@toastedjawa3620]

Because in Clone Wars they retconn it into some lesser version of Korriban. Morriband or something like that

[@Janoha17]

Or Byss, which was in the Deep Core, which was dangerous to navigate.

[@catdragon-6631]

@@toastedjawa3620 its still referenced as Korriban, I think the name retcon was less a retcon and more “the Jedi changed the planet name because they don’t want anyone talking about it” I still don’t like it though

[@toastedjawa3620]

@@catdragon-6631 I wasn't aware, thanks!

[@catdragon-6631]

@@toastedjawa3620 yeah on Wookieepedia under canon it says *”Moraband, known in antiquity as Korriban”*, and under legends it says *”Korriban, known as Pesegam during the reign of Xim, and also known as Moraband by the time of the Clone Wars”*. The name swap’s been around since TCW season 6 came out everyone just ignores it

[@ResurrectTheFlesh]

Those early concept art looks so great.

[@jarber3159]

Fun fact: If it wasn't owned by Disney then a lot of the movies could've or would've been better. P.S. Love Star Wars and your vids.

[@turkeydinnerchewie2499]

Exegol was badass. I want more content from it.

[@Enigma75614]

Answer: JJ Abrams directed the movie.

[@toastedjawa3620]

To be fair, I think the entire trilogy would've been better if he did all three because at least then it would've had one creative vision instead of becoming the clusterfuck we got

[@Janoha17]

@@toastedjawa3620 When has having different directors directing parts of a trilogy ever gone remotely well?

[@toastedjawa3620]

@@Janoha17 literally the exact opposite of what I actually said. Try again. Read it again, I was saying it would have been better had it all been Abrams.

[@Janoha17]

@@toastedjawa3620 And I was asking if ever in the history of cinema has having installments of a trilogy split between directors ever gone well.

[@toastedjawa3620]

@@Janoha17 why bother asking me? I'm not saying it has, I'm not defending that position. We agree on that.

[@CaptainGinyu]

those statues are my favorite painting of beksinski's

[@puggo1179]

Rian Johnson went wrong

[@user-ln7jw2qn6h]

A+ on the introduction of Beksinski

[@KryyssTV]

Exegol was just another deliberate attempt by Darth Kathie to split Star Wars away from its source material and make it her own. Clearly they could have easily used Korriban or Dromund Kass as these were well established and visually interesting worlds. But, as is evident, recent years have been continually marred by one woman's desire to forge her own legacy but due to a lack of talent and courage she chooses to stand on the shoulders of George Lucas while making every effort to deny him any credit for the franchise she intends to use to advance her career.

[@lgbthc231]

I love how every concept in the sequel trilogy is infinitely better than what we got.

[@bobafett5764]

Fun Fact The people who said first Havent seen the entire video.

[@puggoman902]

*Obviously*

[@lukeklo]

nope i skipped to the end. also, first.

[@silasd7348]

Honestly I never thought about it, but I agree with you, ROS does feel kind of like a dream. The movie just starts so abruptly, the plot is written with so many "wtf" moments, and Exegol felt so muddy and the whole area just blended together. Episode 7 was Ep 4 reboot, Episode 8 felt like fanfiction, Episode 9 felt like someone had a dream about star wars and made a movie out of it.

[@Deeeejj]

Unpopular opinion: Sequels weren’t that bad even though I’m not a total fan of the movies

[@coryc8819]

They're not that bad tbh. I wish they could make a Rated R Star Wars though

[@prabeshgurung1067]

What you said about how the sequels should have differentiated itself is a great point. The Mando has proved this in snippits, from dubstep to more grounded conflict. Star Wars is a soap opera, but that isn't the extent of what it is. It can be a comedy or a surreal film with philosophical meanings in every scene. The peak of star wars hasn't happened yet, and may never happen if Disney isn't willing to break out of the box and use a franchise they bought themselves to its fullest

[@stealthboy5767]

Can we just forget about the sequal trilogy?

[@gramsci747]

You make a good point about red as hell. The blue for me conveyed cold ("cold as hell", perhaps) and a place where the Sith could lay in stasis until their revenge. However, the Star Wars films were not about Good and Evil but Light and Dark. I think you are right about needing a more surreal tone and perhaps that is how the sequel trilogy could have played out. Out of Light and Dark - Good & Evil being born.

[@Raptor302]

-Exegol- The ENTIRE trilogy could have been better.

[@ruixingsong9039]

The Last Jedi takes the mythos to another level in the sense that you're talking about!

[@clashman7564]

The whole Disney Trilogy is unsalvagable after Force Awakens destroyed everything for bland, overly nostalgia-spiced pieces of pulp.

[@cjab__]

I think Force Awakens had some redeeming qualities that were absent from the other two, but yeah. They definitely leaned too hard into the nostalgia.

[@tim.a.k.mertens]

You were SO close with the Polish name. Ok so in case you are interested: Z-gee-swav Bek-sheen-skee The ł makes the English W sound You just about nailed the dzi making the hard gee or djee sound, and most of the rest of the vowels. So well done my dude Idk how to explain the ń, I still haven't figured it out. But like good job dude.

[@ajgunter8932]

It was corporatized, like everything else in our lives

[@hibanasan_ow]

In terms of Rise of Skywalker, I think the major missteps were in the inclusion of Palpatine and the Sith, or at leas the way in which JJ Abrams executed his vision. The interpersonal moments in the film are fantastic and I would gladly pay to see a movie just about the core friendship the three protags built, but the blunt manner in which Palpatine returns is so . . . strange? Like, he's just there? Surrealism in the art direction would have helped, surely, but I would have tried to couple that with Kylo Ren being drawn to the planet, as he was, and not finding Palpatine in the flesh, but in spirit, guiding Kylo to do what he and Vader could not, and then introducing the Sith in force there. Kylo returns to the First Order with his new armada a la Revan, and wages a civil war within the First Order leadership, thusly spurring the turncoat actions of Hux, and reimbuing the zealous machinations of generals like Pryde (or however he spelt his name). That would have been interesting. If one wanted to delve further into the surreal, the spirit of Palpatine could guide Kylo to Coruscant with the First Order fleet (a fleet now led by these Sith occultists who bring their own dark magic into the martial navy, and whose composition, aside from dreadnaughts and Star Destroyers, is marked by strange, surreal looking Sith vessels ancient in their core design, but nonetheless deadly against the Republic Remnant). On Coruscant, the ancient Sith Temple beneath the Jedi Temple is activated, and there lies a conduit to Exegol. Under his sway and fully indoctrinated, Kylo begins to experience surreal hallucinations of Order 66, and begins to go mad, reflecting his intimations in Episode 7 and 8, and he begins to experience paranoia as his mind fragments. Now, this is then revealed to be a ploy by Palpatine to bring Kylo closer to him and exclude him even from the senior leadership of the First Order. Hux now goes turncoat and leaks that Kylo is on Coruscant, and the gang rallies the Republic fleet and civilian flotillas to attack. But this takes time. During that time, Palpatine elucidates to Kylo that only on Exegol can he find the answers that will fix his mind, and that there is a portal to the place between places a la Rebels. But this is a trick, and this is how Palpatine could be reborn in the flesh, as if stepping through time into the future. Jank, I know. The rational would be that, yes, Kylo was able to find a Sith holocron that took him to Exegol to begin with, but there's a magical mcguffin, like the Triforce from Zelda that Palpatine needs to return. Linking the place between places would give Palpatine three realms; the galactic seat of power where he first ascended, Exegol the heart of the Sith, and the ethereal realm that connects the Force to living beings. That sounds rather compelling, and gives the protags a real reason to fight, and you can throw in the timeline from 9, if you really want to. Then you marry some of the Colin Trevorrow stuff, there's an uprising, the First Order splinters out of disillusionment as the Sith take over their military, Finn unites the lower classes of Coruscant to fight, etc., etc., oh, and Hux kills himself (bit of the original concept art I found intriguing, seeing his plans laid to dust, there's nothing left in a world without the First Order, yada yada). Rey travels to the temple and finds the masters chambers awash with Sith and led by Kylo, she must fight them, and defeat them, but she spares and revives Kylo, and this action is what reunifies his fragmented mind. They both travel to the ethereal realm of the Force, and bc plot Kylo is incapacitated, and when Rey fights Palpatine, she doesn't hear the voices of Jedi, but via some surreal film effects, you see their essences in the Force actually pour into her body as they recite whatever the hell they want to say, and she channels this to end Palpatine's essence in the Force itself, killing him once and for all. However, as the Force acts to balance itself, and since this is truth, but only from a certain point of view, the effort kills her, and despite her earlier reviving Kylo after she defeats him, Kylo, now Ben is unable to save her. The final moments of the movie close on Ben Solo standing over the Skywalker hovel, BB8 at his side. He buries the lightsabers like Rey did, but he sees no ghosts, as the Jedi that inhabited Rey's soul are now gone alongside her. Ben Solo is the last of the practitioners, and though he doubts he can even harness the Force again, the final shot is him igniting his ancient lightsaber, the crystal having been redeemed, and the color changed to something like purple, or even Rey's yellow. Ben is the Skywalker who rose, but while the movie was about Rey, the trilogy was about his family, their downfall, and their return to form, and the lesson that behind the heroes we hold high, are countless, unnamed individuals who sacrificed time and life out of respect and love. And then you pull a Marvel post-credits scene where Finn and Po, having stepped up to positions of leadership within the Republic, are aboard a Republic warship over Coruscant, surveying what's left. The door to the bridge opens, and Ben Solo, redeemed, looks to them, eyes emotional, fully understanding the pain he caused, and the work he must do to atone for it. Idk. It's a spitball. But the surrealist conversation threw me down the rabbit hole. Great vid, as always. My favorite scenes from the new trilogy are of Rey's on Luke's planet because of their surrealism, just as my favorite from the OT was Luke in the cave. It's not what you see, but what you take in the abstract that has always attracted me to this series.

[@henrymarks2237]

Kathleen Kennedy?

[@blanknope4358]

He gets a lot of hate. Too bad she deserves it. Although Lucas left her in charge

[@incognitoclone19]

Your intro is sick btw

[@nicktechnubyte1184]

Everything in disney star wars could have been better! But it's not! The only way it will ever get better is by severing ties between disney and star wars forever!

[@Janoha17]

Or at least giving the handling of the franchise over to Dave Filoni.

[@ShapeshiftingForestFae]

Hi, Eckharts! Somehow you've put into words my artistic thought flow as I was watching TROS (I have many complaints about the movie as a whole, but nevermind them for now.) Exegol was just too blue; the color is equated with peace, or sadness, and neither of those are emotions that Sidious really cultivated. Reds, rusty orange, and black would have done an excellent job to convey the true wrath of Sidious. Also, there was a lot of fog. The fog wouldn't have been so bad, but if they had changed the color scheme to red/orange/black, and kept the fog, I think it would amplify the feeling of terror of the unknown; especially if they occasionally showed glimpses of nightmare fuel in the background (Sith artwork, sculptures, weapons, torture devices etc.) before focusing on the characters again. I understand the movie was going to be watched by children, but really, Exegol and perhaps the whole movie could have been so much better if they used better colors.

[@symbiotexspidey9493]

The same thing that always goes wrong cough emperor Kathleen Kennedy

[@jjnewbold]

Palpatine hooked up to the machines was super reminiscent of stuff from the Warhammer 40k universe

[@zelithfang2365]

Here's a better video idea: The sequel trilogy could have been incredible...what went wrong? So much raw, untapped potential. And it was wasted

[@benjybriggs8434]

that blue planet above a red planet painting looks like the Death Star