History TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot / StarWars

* Jango Fett is killed by Mace Windu just before the clones arrive. Seeing what might have happened had Jango been forced to fight his own clones could have been interesting.

* Anakin's massacre of the Sand People, the first step he takes into the Dark Side. How will the other Jedi react to this atrocity? How will Obi-Wan? Could he be cast out, shunned, pushed further down the path to Vader? Well, no, because nobody ever finds out about it even in the following film, and there aren't any direct consequences for it. The audience seeing very little of the massacre lessens the emotional impact of the following scene where he confesses his actions to Padmé. It would have been more impactful to show Anakin's wrath, making his turn to the Dark Side more believable in the next film.

** J.J Abrams has stated that one of the main reasons he wrote Rey as being Palpatine's grandchild is because he thought the "VillainousLineage" trope was more compelling than the "RandomlyGifted" BackStory introduced by Rian Johnson. The problem is, as mentioned above, the movie spends no time dwelling on it. It's especially problematic when you consider that Abrams did this by trading a genuine PlotTwist for a GenerationXerox: Johnson wanted to contrast the Original Trilogy by having the protagonist's heritage be of an absolute insignificance, as opposed to Luke, son of one of the most storied and memorable villains in (both in- and out-of-universe) history.
** And finally, while the film's {{Aesop}} -- "NurtureOverNature, your choices matter more than your bloodline" -- is perfectly served by having Rey reject her VillainousLineage, it's ''also'' served just as well by Rey remain the RandomlyGifted child of nobodies. As a result, this plot point has the rare quality of being both "They Wasted A Perfectly Good" ''and'' a BigLippedAlligatorMoment.

* The ''Visual Guide'' mentions that Lando had a daughter who was kidnapped by the First Order when she was two years old; it's insinuated that Jannah, an ex-stormtrooper, could be his daughter. None of this is brought up at any point in the final film, save for a brief interaction between Lando and Jannah (which some people thought was meant to be indicative of ''[[RelationshipWritingFumble romantic attraction]]'').

** J.J Abrams has stated that one of the main reasons he wrote Rey as being Palpatine's grandchild is because he thought the "VillainousLineage" trope was more compelling than the "RandomlyGifted" BackStory introduced by Rian Johnson. The problem is, as mentioned above, the movie spends no time dwelling on it. It's especially problematic when you consider the plotline Johnson was trying to create: he wanted to contrast the Original Trilogy by having the twist of the protagonist's heritage be that they were the child of an absolute insignificance, as opposed to Luke, son of one of the most storied and memorable villains in (both in- and out-of-universe) history.

* Despite being the film's big twist, Rey being Palpatine's granddaughter has no lasting impact on her or the story beyond offering an explanation as to why she's so powerful (and potentially to appeal to fans who didn't like the 'Rey Nobody' explanation); Palpatine could've easily attempted to corrupt or possess Rey even if they weren't related, as he did just that to Anakin, Luke and numerous other people. We never get much complex insight into how Rey feels about her family now she knows the truth; she immediately rejects her grandfather (so there was never any real risk of her joining him) and seems to quickly get over her lifelong abandonment issues. She never attempts to actively find out more about her family; she finds most of the (scarce) information about her parents by accident/coincidence, or from what Kylo tells her (which she quickly accepts in spite of the source). It doesn't much affect Rey's relationships with other characters; Kylo treats her the same, Leia still trained Rey despite knowing the truth (and it's never explained how and when Leia found this out), Finn [[AmbiguousSituation possibly]] knows [[note]] he tells Poe that he doesn't know what Rey is going through, but he and Leia do [[/note]] but doesn't care about it or mention this to Rey, and Poe never finds out onscreen. Palpatine's feelings towards his family is also never explored in much depth and adds nothing to his characterization (not that this is too surprising as Palpatine was never a very complex character). The closest we get is Palpatine trying to persuade Rey to embrace her 'birthright' as his heir, but it only lasts a few scenes and seems to be merely a manipulation tactic. They could even have explored Palpatine trying to manipulate Rey by appealing to her compassion and their familial relationship, playing up the 'weak old man/doting father figure' act which he's done in the past to great effect, but instead he is [[ObviouslyEvil very blatant]] about his evil plans to her. J.J Abrams has stated that one of the main reasons he wrote Rey as being Palpatine's grandchild is because he thought it was even worse than hearing her parents were lowlife nobodies, but beyond adding more angst to Rey's backstory, not a lot else is done with it. It’s especially so when taking into account Rian Johnson’s reasons for making Rey be a “nobody” in The Last Jedi - to contrast the Original Trilogy by having the twist of the protagonist‘s heritage be that they were the child of an absolute insignificance vs. Luke, son of the most high and important villain at that point.
* This film reveals (via a flashback) that Luke did in fact train Leia as a Jedi; she even had her own lightsaber and serves as Rey's Jedi Master. While in this film they couldn't have done much more with it due to Carrie Fisher's death, this does raise the question of why they didn't just have Leia as a Jedi right from the start of the Sequel Trilogy, especially as ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'' established that Leia had the potential to be just as powerful as Luke and he was tasked with passing on what he'd learned, perfectly setting up Leia to become a Jedi too. The film briefly explains that Leia stopped her training because she had foreseen it would somehow result in Ben's death, but this isn't explored in any depth either and it only really seems to have been added to handwave why Leia having Jedi training wasn't mentioned before. This underused plotline was particularly annoying for some fans, as in the ''Legends'' continuity Leia did in fact become a fully-fledged Jedi.

* Many fans believe that the Tatooine sequence would be stronger if Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon's roles were swapped, with Obi-Wan befriending Anakin and Qui-Gon remaining on the ship. This would maintain tighter continuity with the original trilogy and some of Qui-Gon's more questionable decisions would make more sense if it was an inexperienced apprentice making them rather than an accomplished Jedi Master.

* There aren't any scenes of the original PowerTrio (Luke, Leia, and Han) all together in the film-- nor will there be for the entire trilogy, due to Creator/CarrieFisher's real life death and Han Solo's in-universe death.

** Starkiller Base was a pale imitation of the Death Star from a storytelling standpoint. The Death Star was the main narrative focal plot of ''A New Hope'' (to say nothing of ''Film/RogueOne'' later), with it being the reason Leia was chased by Vader and what the MacGuffin of the film was entirely about. In ''The Force Awakens'', the Death Star plans were substituted for the map to Luke. However, Starkiller Base is brought in in the third act without any foreshadowing, is completely unrelated to the map, and its appearance wound up hijacking the original plot to find Luke. Because the final battle ended up being all about Starkiller Base, the initial plot thread of Luke's appearance is resolved by R2 acting as a DeusExMachina. It might have been more interesting if the final battle was about raiding a First Order base to steal the plans, with the tension instead about whether the First Order would get the location before the Resistance was able to.

* The creative decision to make The Force Awakens a Soft Reboot of a "Film/ANewHope" has been seen as one of the main causes for the Chris Carter Effect and Happy Ending Override that plagued the Sequels as a whole. Since the Sequels were now severally limited with what they could accomplish creatively. As the films, no matter what form they took, could not escape another rebels vs. Empire/Light Side vs. Dark Side storyline. This prevented the Sequel trilogy from telling a wholly original storyline.

* The identity of Rey's parents. They were the source of massive speculation after ''Film/TheForceAwakens'' came out since people wanted to know who they were, why they left Rey on Jakku, and if they were the reason she was naturally powerful in the Force. They instead turned out to be some anonymous Jakku people who sold their daughter for drink money and instead Rey was just born with a powerful affinity for the Force. While this can easily be a case of Administrivia/TropesAreNotBad, as this serves to highlight Rey's TheUnchosenOne nature, it still comes across as a wasted plot to some.

* Rose and Finn’s arc and relationship could have been more interesting if Rose had started out distrusting and resenting Finn for being an ex Stormtrooper and perhaps even projecting blame for her sister’s death onto him, rather than immediately hero-worshipping him. The subplot would then potentially involve Finn and Rose realizing they’re no different and eventually coming to trust and care for each other, as well as acting as a {{Foil}} to Kylo Ren and Rey’s relationship. The reveal that originally, Finn would have been reintroduced in the film as one of Paige Tico's co-gunners, holding her in his arms while she died, has only exacerbated this. Rian Johnson noted that if this story decision had made it into the film, it would have required Finn and Rose (as Paige's sister) to eventually have a "big scene" built around that connection, but he "couldn't make it pay off".
* Holdo keeping her plan secret exists to challenge Poe's existing character flaws and develop him as a character, but a number of fans felt that the plotline would have worked better if Holdo's reasons were explained better or she had more clearly defined ones. One example often brought up is having Holdo argue that a spy is on board, which would have made her secrecy far more understandable. It also could have allowed Poe the chance to investigate Holdo to see if she truly is loyal, which in turn might let the audience understand Holdo more.

* Rei's first dive into true Force meditation has her veering directly toward a local nexus of Dark Side energy while Luke frantically tries to break her out of the trance. Kylo spends most of the previous film experiencing self-doubt and anguish over the fact that he has never been able to commit himself fully to the Dark Side. Between these two perspectives and the characters coming to know and sympathize with each other over the course of the film, it was entirely possible that the third act of the film could have gone one of two different ways: either Rey and Kylo determine that the battle between Light and Dark is fundamentally wrong and decide to merge the two opposing factions to embrace a more neutral and internally balanced philosophy, or they could end up actually swapping roles in the overall story arc in such a way that Rey takes over the role of the BigBad and Kylo becomes TheAtoner and fulfills the role of the hero. Both of these could have made for a far more interesting and unpredictable narrative. Unfortunately both threads are dropped to preserve the already established status quo, and, with the exception of some teasing from the next film, are never visited again.

* Creator/JJAbrams has said that ''Finn has the Force''. If this is canon (WordOfGod isn’t always reliable in the Star Wars canon- only published material is considered 100% legit), it means the original male lead, played by a charismatic actor, has the same special power as the main protagonist, down to being able to intuitively pinpoint where his ground assault team needs to go, and we need new Jedi, ''and'' she’s taking on the most powerful Sith Lord of all time... and it’s a barely revealed subplot of a subplot.

* The fact that all the First Order stormtroopers are ChildSoldiers who were kidnapped and {{Brainwashed}} is brought up as a plot point (and foreshadowed by the much larger collection of voices -- and death screams -- from troopers as Poe and Finn [[RedShirt blow them away]]), and then ''never mentioned again''... not even as a justification for taking down the bad guys. Having Finn and Jannah liberate other stormtroopers and/or persuade them to turn on the First Order could've made a cool subplot and would've been a great way to round off Finn's story arc, but this opportunity is never explored.
* Although it's acknowledged it was extremely unlikely to happen because of how heavily Rey had been pushed as the new heroic face of the franchise, some viewers still thought it would've been interesting and unexpected if Rey actually had fallen to the Dark Side (either permanently or temporarily), with years of [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds trauma, abuse and loss]] [[TragicVillain finally taking a toll on her]]; the film also hints at Rey inadvertently turning to the Dark Side during her quest to defeat Palpatine in a SheWhoFightsMonsters manner, resulting in her friends having to either fight or try to save her. Another possibility that is set up but never explored is Rey taking Kylo up on his offer to bring down the Dark Lord together, though more as an EnemyMine situation than her truly wanting to join him; this could've then been used to give the pair more scenes together where they're not just being hostile until the climax.

* The story of a character from a villainous family choosing to be good is certainly compelling fiction; but there's also something to be said for the tale set up in ''The Last Jedi'' where bloodlines don't matter. Besides, ''Rise of Skywalker'''s own {{aesop}} -- you know, the one where choices matter more than family, and therefore heroes are made rather than born -- is supported just as well by Rey being be a RandomlyGifted nobody from Jakku as it is by having her defy VillainousLineage.
** There's also a simple problem of time: Rey spends 5 hours angsting over being Nobody from Nowhere, but only 1 about being a Palpatine. (And that's if you put it generously; some critics have pointed out that, due to Abrams' SignatureStyle, she actually spends ''no'' time worrying about her heritage, further undermining not only the twist itself but the emotional impetus for it.)
* Rey's MeaningfulRename definitely hits the RuleOfSymbolism well, but some felt other choices would have been stronger.
** Similar to the above concern, some people think that it would've been more emotionally resonating (and would've made more sense in-universe) if instead of calling herself "Rey Skywalker", Rey instead says she's "Just Rey"; a CallBack to the same response she had on Pasaana, but now stated with pride and confidence rather than uncertainty.
** Others have pointed out it would have been more meaningful and powerful if Rey decided to go by "Rey Palpatine" in order to redeem the family name and destroy the original Palpatine's legacy.
** And finally, at least two critics have asked why Rey didn't take on the surname of the trilogy's BigGood, Leia ''Organa''.

* If they were going to bring Palpatine BackFromTheDead, one wonders why they didn't just have the main plot revolve around the First Order and/or Sith cultists trying to [[ResurrectTheVillain resurrect Palpatine]] and the Resistance trying to stop it, as opposed to Palpatine randomly being back with minimal explanation. They could even have incorporated Palpatine needing Rey and Kylo to fully restore himself, as he does in the film, such as a blood relative of Palpatine and/or a blood relative of the person who killed Palpatine being required to resurrect him (''a la'' Voldemort's resurrection in ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire''). Within the film itself, Palpatine's return is completely glossed over and not even addressed after the first five-ten minutes, nor is it really explained how Palpatine can use Rey and Ben's Force dyad to restore his power.

* Some First Order higher-ups clearly have reservations about Palpatine and the Force in general (and this animosity has been present in the previous films too). This seems like a perfect opportunity for an EnemyCivilWar or even some First Order members [[EnemyMine siding with the Resistance against Palpatine]]. Unfortunately, nothing of the sort happens.

* Palpatine reveals his big {{evil plan}} is to have Rey strike him down, at which point he will pull a GrandTheftMe and take her body for himself to continue the Sith. This creates a SadisticChoice for both Rey and Ben during the finale; if they kill Palpatine, he'll simply possess Rey (or even perhaps Ben), at which point TheBadGuyWins, but they know they ''have'' to stop him somehow. This plot point makes the entire finale have a layer of complexity because there is no good answer for solving it: if one of them gets possessed, the other will have to kill them to stop him, or else Palpatine will win. This actually ties well into the idea of Rey needing the assistance of the previous Jedi, leading to perhaps a [[FightingFromTheInside mental fight against Palpatine]] with aid from the past Jedi while a possessed Rey tries to kill Ben. Despite this, and the film making it very clear if Rey strikes him down this will occur, Rey somehow kills Palpatine completely and isn't possessed, simply by redirecting his Force Lightning back at him, and the plot point is never addressed.

* Nien Nunb and Lando Calrissian were in the same space battle and didn't pilot the Falcon together for old times sake?
* Considering that the trilogy ends with Rey [[FamilyOfChoice calling herself a Skywalker]] after three movies of searching for her family, some have wondered if it might've been better or more interesting if she was established to be a Skywalker right from the start, such as being [[SpinOffspring Luke's daughter]]. It could've cut out many of the story issues people have with Rey's parentage in the films, avoid rehashing the Original Trilogy so much, and reduced the HappyEndingOverride the sequel trilogy was heavily accused of having. There's plot potential here for Rey to struggle with her identity while trying to live up to her famous family's legacy and having the shadow of Darth Vader looming over her, while simultaneously having to step up as the galaxy's savior and deal with her wayward cousin Kylo Ren (who she likely would've grown up and trained with, providing an opportunity for a CainAndAbel dynamic in a similar vein to [[Franchise/StarWarsLegends Jaina and Jacen]]). Luke's concern for Rey falling to the Dark Side like Anakin and Kylo would be heightened in this scenario due to her being [[AdultFear his daughter]]. The trilogy does try to do something similar with Kylo and his relationship with his family, but for some viewers it feels underdeveloped due to them barely sharing any screentime and Kylo mostly being antagonistic towards them.

* Considering that the trilogy ends with Rey [[FamilyOfChoice calling herself a Skywalker]] after three movies of searching for her family, some have wondered if it might've been better or more interesting if she was established to be a Skywalker right from the start, such as being [[SpinOffspring Luke's daughter]]. It could've cut out many of the story issues people have with Rey's parentage in the films and avoid rehashing the Original Trilogy so much. There's plot potential here for Rey to struggle with her identity while trying to live up to her famous family's legacy and having the shadow of Darth Vader looming over her, while simultaneously having to step up as the galaxy's savior and deal with her wayward cousin Kylo Ren (who she likely would've grown up and trained with, providing an opportunity for a CainAndAbel dynamic in a similar vein to [[Franchise/StarWarsLegends Jaina and Jacen]]). Luke's concern for Rey falling to the Dark Side like Anakin and Kylo would be heightened in this scenario due to her being [[AdultFear his daughter]]. The trilogy does try to do something similar with Kylo and his relationship with his family, but for some viewers it feels underdeveloped due to them barely sharing any screentime and Kylo mostly being antagonistic towards them.

* A huge opportunity was missed by not simply having ''Alderaan'' as the planet under siege, rather than Naboo. It wouldn't have confused people just now coming into the mythos since the original trilogy gave viewers next to nothing about Alderaan, and for older fans it would have added extra poignancy, both developing Leia's home world and baiting the audience with the knowledge that this gorgeous planet and its brave people are going to be destroyed anyway, decades down the line.

* Obi-Wan captures Zam Wessel! Now the Jedi have a lead for tracking down that mysterious assassin, someone who knows his identity and motivations, but someone they obviously can't fully trust. Intrigue ensues!... or would, if Wessel didn't die immediately upon capture. Instead, Obi-Wan gets a lead rather clumsily from a one-scene pal at the diner, and we never really get to hear about Jango Fett's motivations.

* Even if Padmé had to die in this story, could she not have been given a more impressive death? She was a ruler, a senator and a fighter, but she spends most of the film sitting in the background looking worried or sad and dies because she "loses the will to live". Even if they wanted to play up the maternal angle, she could have confronted Anakin at the Jedi Temple, and died fighting him in defense of the Jedi younglings. To make matters worse, concept art shows that at one point there was a version of their final meeting where she would have tried to ''kill'' him before he could commit any more atrocities, but would have been unable to do the deed because of her love for him.
* There are deleted scenes that show her, Mon Mothma, Bail Organa and other politicians forming the beginnings of what would become the Rebel Alliance in the original trilogy. Although they were probably just cut for time, it would have given her more of a role in the film, since she only has a scene or two where it's shown that she was one of the few senators who opposed the Emperor.
* Related to the above: Padmé's decoys are used for a non-reveal in ''Film/ThePhantomMenace'', for a LikeYouWouldReallyDoIt moment in ''Film/AttackOfTheClones'', and then completely forgotten. Rather than have Padmé suicidally confront Anakin ''while pregnant'', why not use the decoys to let her escape after she and Obi-Wan realize he really can't be saved? If one of them actually died in such a way Vader and the Emperor think she's dead, that would resolve the gaping PlotHole created in ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'' by Leia's memory of her mother by having Padmé hide ''as her own decoy'' on Alderaan? At least do something other than create the decoys and then never use them in situations where it would actually make sense.

* Another change that could have been to make the Poe/Holdo dynamic more interesting is if Holdo was revealed to be either a traitor that was defecting to the stronger side, in this case the First Order, or if she never had a plan at all and was just trying to pretend that there was one. This would validate Poe's mutiny plot much more and would allow him to rise to the occasion as the leader of the Resistance, especially considering that Leia was planning on making him the leader anyway by the time ''Film/TheRiseOfSkywalker'' comes out. This isn't helped by Poe being UnintentionallySympathetic in that if he didn't sacrifice the crews of the bombers, the dreadnaught they destroyed likely would have chased them through hyperspace and killed them all anyway. Poe could even feel some shame for his actions over the course of the film, recognizing that while he is keeping the Resistance alive he is still unable to stop people from dying, giving him an arc where he wrestles with being a good leader and a practical one. Instead, the movie is firmly on Holdo's side and Poe is treated as an antagonist for not following her leadership blindly.
** That said, this would serve to undermine the yhemse of the movie and the franchise as a whole.

* None of the other heroes find out about Rey's connection to Kylo and she never discusses it with Leia either (though the latter is likely an unfortunate case of plots involving Leia having to be heavily trimmed due to AuthorExistenceFailure). It could've been interesting to explore how Poe and Finn feel about Rey's complicated relationship with an AntiVillain who they both have a personal history with, as well as how Kylo feels about them now, but none of this ever comes up.

* [[WhatCouldHaveBeen The rough draft of the film]] is considered by many to be superior to the final product: Obi-Wan is the main character rather than Qui-Gon (whose role is much smaller), Anakin has a less irritating and more mystical personality, Padmé and her plight are more interesting, Darth Maul has more dialogue, and ''Jar Jar Binks is actually tolerable'', as he and the other Gungans speak in plain English and actually receives CharacterDevelopment (becoming a wiser person through his experiences and even being a BadassNormal hero in the end battle rather than bumbling his way into victory).

* Overlapping with WhatCouldHaveBeen, many people wish we could've seen more of Colin Trevorrow's original Episode IX script, ''Duel of the Fates'', incorporated into ''The Rise of Skywalker''. Some people go even further and think that the plotlines of ''Duel of the Fates'' sound better overall than the entirety of ''Rise'' and that they should've stuck more closely to that script. You can read plot details [[WhatCouldHaveBeen/StarWars here]].

* Rose and Finn’s arc and relationship could have been more interesting if Rose had started out distrusting and resenting Finn for being an ex Stormtrooper and perhaps even projecting blame for her sister’s death onto him, rather than immediately hero-worshipping him. The subplot would then potentially involve Finn and Rose realizing they’re NotSoDifferent and eventually coming to trust and care for each other, as well as acting as a {{Foil}} to Kylo Ren and Rey’s relationship. The reveal that originally, Finn would have been reintroduced in the film as one of Paige Tico's co-gunners, holding her in his arms while she died, has only exacerbated this. Rian Johnson noted that if this story decision had made it into the film, it would have required Finn and Rose (as Paige's sister) to eventually have a "big scene" built around that connection, but he "couldn't make it pay off".

* Another change that could have been made to make the Poe/Holdo dynamic more interesting is if Holdo was revealed to be either a traitor that was defecting to the stronger side, in this case the First Order, or if she never had a plan at all and was just trying to pretend that there was one. This would validate Poe's mutiny plot much more and would allow him to rise to the occasion as the leader of the Resistance, especially considering that Leia was planning on making him the leader anyway by the time ''Film/TheRiseOfSkywalker'' comes out. This isn't helped by Poe being UnintentionallySympathetic in that if he didn't sacrifice the crews of the bombers, the dreadnaught they destroyed likely would have chased them through hyperspace and killed them all anyway. Poe could even feel some shame for his actions over the course of the film, recognizing that while he is keeping the Resistance alive he is still unable to stop people from dying, giving him an arc where he wrestles with being a good leader and a practical one. Instead, the movie is firmly on Holdo's side and Poe is treated as an antagonist for not following her leadership blindly.

* The story of a character from a villainous family choosing to be good is certainly compelling fiction; but there's also something to be said for the tale set up in ''The Last Jedi'' where bloodlines don't matter. Besides, ''Rise of Skywalker'''s own {{aesop}} -- you know, the one where choices matter more than family, and therefore heroes are made rather than born -- is supported just as well by Rey being be a RandomlyGifted nobody from Jakku as it is by having her defy InTheBlood.

* A huge opportunity was missed by not simply having ''Alderaan'' as the planet under siege, rather than Naboo. It wouldn't have confused people just now coming into the mythos since the original trilogy gave us next to nothing about Alderaan, and for older fans it would have added extra poignancy, both developing Leia's home world and baiting the audience with the knowledge that this gorgeous planet and its brave people are going to be destroyed anyway, decades down the line.

* More than one fan/viewer has pointed out that the film missed a huge opportunity by not simply having ''Alderaan'' as the planet under siege, rather than Naboo. It wouldn't have confused people just now coming into the mythos since the original trilogy gave us next to nothing about Alderaan, and for older fans it would have added extra poignancy, both developing Leia's home world and baiting the audience with the knowledge that this gorgeous planet and its brave people are going to be destroyed anyway, decades down the line.

** Related to that: Leia's ParentalSubstitute relationship with Poe gets some development as she tries to mold him into a better leader. However, the fact that he was captured, tortured and mind-probed by Leia's ''actual'' son at the beginning of ''The Force Awakens'' is never referenced, even though it might have provided the perfect psychological backdrop for Poe's defiance of Leia's leadership.

* Anakin's massacre of the Sand People, the first step he takes into the Dark Side. How will the other Jedi react to this atrocity? How will Obi-Wan? Could he be cast out, shunned, pushed further down the path to Vader? Well, no, because nobody ever finds out about it even in the following film, and there aren't any direct consequences for it.
** Adding to this, the fact that we see very little of the massacre lessens the emotional impact of the following scene where he confesses his actions to Padme. It would have been more impactful to show Anakin's wrath, making his turn to the dark side more believable in the next film.

* The movie setups the idea that Finn and Kylo are {{Foils}} to each other, and it isn't hard to find layers to why; both are people associated with the First Order who are running away from something (Finn's being the First Order, Kylo's being his family and the Light side), but attempt to confront it by the end (Finn by fighting Kylo and helping the Resistance, Kylo by killing Han Solo). There is much more that can be done with this idea, but the film ends the idea in favor of Rey becoming Kylo's main opposition. This is made worse by Kylo's reaction when he runs into Finn in the finale, where he is far more angry and aggressive, even calling Finn a traitor, where as with Rey he is more subdued, again setting up the idea that Finn and Kylo could have easily been foils to each other. Alas it never goes anywhere.