Disney’s Star Wars sequels turned out to be such a mess that most fans have coped by pretending they’re fan fiction, but soon, they may not have to. According to YouTube’s Doomcock (via Cosmic Book News), who’s made a bit of a name for himself with Star Wars rumors, Lucasfilm and the house of mouse are considering wiping out The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and The Rise of Skywalker from the official canon.
That’s great news for J.J. Abrams and Rian Johnson haters, but how could this be done without invalidating and wasting the mountains of sequel-trilogy material (e.g., novels, games, merchandise) that’s been built up over the past few years? Well, the answer evidently lies with the “Veil of the Force” – a concept introduced in the Star Wars Rebels animated series that effectively allows for a Star Wars multiverse.
“In the Season 4 episode 13 installment titled ‘A World Between Worlds,’ the concept of the Veil of The Force was introduced, a mystical dimension of The Force that connects all time and space,” Doomcock explained. “I have received confirmation from two additional sources claiming that this is spot on — that indeed LucasFilm realizes they have a massive problem on their hands, that the Star Wars franchise is all but dead, and despite Kathleen Kennedy’s hatred of this idea, Lucasfilm is preparing to render the Sequel Trilogy null and void.”
Star Wars’s massive reset will reportedly involve a room of magical mirrors created by Palpatine, which not only allowed the evil emperor to manipulate the Force, but transport around the galaxy. This, apparently, is how he survived the fall on the second Death Star in Return of the Jedi.
Emperor Palpatine had a room on the second Death Star called The Room of Mirrors. The mirrors were created by The Emperor prior to the Death Star through the Dark Side using ancient Sith rituals. These mirrors linked to the Veil of The Force served many purposes. Using them, Palpatine could manipulate The Force in many ways to further his aims. For example, the use of the mirrors allowed Palpatine to cloud the Jedi Council to conceal himself and his dark apprentices from the Jedi and from Force-sensitives that followed their fall.
Using the mirrors allowed Palpatine to access the awesome powers of the Veil of The Force. They were indispensable tools that allowed him to rise to the pinnacle of ultimate power. It is this conceit that explains how Palpatine survived Darth Vader throwing him down the shaft in the throne room of the Death Star. In desperation as he fell, Palpatine opened a portal to the Veil of The Force and entered it. This explains why Palpatine is in such a damaged state in the Rise of Skywalker, as transporting himself into the Veil without the aid of the mirrors drained him and damaged him severely.
The prevailing theory is that one of the protagonists from the future will enter the Veil of Mirrors and prevent Palpatine from escaping his initial demise above Endor, rendering the sequel timeline obsolete. Maybe they’ll even do Luke Skywalker right this time!