Predictions for Star Wars Episode 9

[Metahuman1]

Horrible reactions? Negative criticism? The group I went to the theatre with absolutely loved The Last Jedi. Everyone in my social circle loved it. Most reviews I've seen are very positive. From what I can tell the loudness of the negativity comes from a particular kind of fan entitlement at TLJ's messing with the SW formula, and the direction they decided to take Luke.

The movie had how much money spent marketing it for how long a span of time?

Critics were being given early screenings and coming out giving it 98-100% ratings on Rotten Tomato's and glowing reviews for what, a month, six weeks, longer, before the actual damn movie was open to the public? (Critics whom can pretty much be summed up as a: having a fincancial incentive to do so, B: Having a political one, C: being of the extreme elitist snobbery that deride the original trilogy for years as being junk because it wasn't Citizen Cain and all movies should be shamed for that for not being that, or D: Some combo there of.)

And yet, the movies toy sales are in the tank, because no one wants to have merch related to this movie.

And yet, the actual reviews from fan on Rotten Tomato's and other such sites and from the overall online reviewer scene have trashing the movie since it was made available to the public at large.

And yet, like Batman Vs. Superman's original theatrical cut, it was the movie everyone wanted to see, and based on the sheer lack of sales putting the movie 200 Million, give or take a touch, below the projected number it needed to hit, it was also the movie that once they'd seen it once, no one wanted to see again.




If messing with the formula was a problem, Rogue One would be eaten alive, and it wasn't. It's still held up as a good movie. And a good Star Wars movie.

TLJ is hated because it is entirely awful for reasons easy to diagnose if you look into the people who were in charge and pay attention to what comes out of there mouths vs. what goes on screen when there at the helm of the project. It is hated because it went out of it's way to earn that hate. And it's more then just money saying it, it's the majority of people who saw the damn thing and stated so afterword's saying it.







Friv :


According to your logic Every Single Michal Bay Transformers or Ninja Turtles movie is objectively better then Citizen Cain.

You'll forgive me if I don't take your logic to hold much in the way of water that being the case.




(Aside: It was on track to make MORE then Force Awakens money, this was the much hyped teased for 2+ Years return of Luke Freaking Skywalker, riding a very positive wave form the fans and audience's at large after the last 2 movies and a few seasons of a successful animated series. If the movie had just been competent it would have made FA money, if it had been genuinely good it would have made FA money and probably more, especially long term. It wasn't, and it isn't going to do that ever now because it wasn't good and wasn't even decent, it was lousy. )

[Mechalich]

And yet, the movies toy sales are in the tank, because no one wants to have merch related to this movie.

I'd also offer that the toy sales are suffering because TLJ and the ST generally has failed to produce cool new designs and they have a limited supply of characters to use for action figures. Say what you like about the PT, but Lucas churned out new designs and new characters like nothing else to supply toys. Hey, let's show the whole Jedi Council in a wide shot. Bam! A dozen action figures. The arena scene in AotC is stupid, but someone sold a whole bunch of Acklays, Nexus, and Reeks off of that. There were new starships in every film, a horde of ground vehicles and other stuff.

The ST has mostly recycled old stuff. Still using the Millennium Falcon. Still using TIEs and X-Wings. Very few new characters with minor roles, especially on the First Order side - I think there are less than ten First Order characters who speak at all in TLJ. The Dreadnaught captain who gets blow up in the opening sequence is the fifth most notable First Order character in two movies.

I mean, honestly, the big merchandising tie-in for TLJ was the Porgs - a creature they created because they chose to film at a UNESCO site that serves as a massive puffin colony and they couldn't digitally edit all the puffins out of shots on Skellig Michael (having been there, I totally understand, they're everywhere). The problem is, actual puffins are cuter than Porgs.

You can say what you want about the merits of Rian Johnson's approach with TLJ, but whatever it's critical merits it absolutely was not conductive to providing the sort of flash-frame moments that make 8-12 year olds go 'that was so cool!' so that you can sell action figures and LEGOs.

[Anonymouswizard]

I'm trying to think of what new toys appeared in Empire and Jedi now. There was Boba Fett, Lando, Yoda, Lobot, snow troopers, and probably some more Cloud City characters, as well as Slave One and the Snowspeeders, in Empire. Jedi had the Ewoks, most of the rebel fleet, the speeder bikes, Admiral Akbar and several other rebel characters, plus the Emperor himself. While not as overly stuffed as the PT (I still remember having a 'appeared in one Jedi Council shot' action figure) there were still plenty of new merchandising opportunities in the films.

In TLJ we have sought differences on the costumes the main characters wear (but if I have one Finn figure already why do I want another unless it's a major change), the Rebel Cruiser (which looks boring), the Porgs, these new snowspeeders, and the red guard people. So some new action figures, but not really enough for kids to always be wanting more.

[tomandtish]

Having grown up as a die-hard Star Wars fan, my predictions for Episode 9 are a resounding "Meh". because with the exception of Rogue One (which I actually enjoyed somewhat), nothing has really grabbed me about the new films. They aren't doing a good job of making me want to CARE about anybody, even the old returning guard....

...
- If Solo tanks and gets eaten by a combination of Deadpool 2 (premiering a week prior) and the various blockbusters premiering in June the non-Disney studios will throw up a wall of counterprogramming against Episode IX. It is likely that one of these films will star The Rock.

In 2025 all films star The Rock.....

[Mightymosy]

Having grown up as a die-hard Star Wars fan, my predictions for Episode 9 are a resounding "Meh". because with the exception of Rogue One (which I actually enjoyed somewhat), nothing has really grabbed me about the new films. They aren't doing a good job of making me want to CARE about anybody, even the old returning guard....




In 2025 all films star The Rock.....

I see what you're saying.
Similar here.

The old guard is just portrayed as a*holes or failures at this point time: Han and Leia supposedly have spoiled Kylo and their relationship failed. And what does Leia actually accomplish? "Lead" another air strike to yet another death star. Yawn. Next movie, she does almost nothing. Double yawn.
And Luke. Well, appearantly killing nephews is now what Jedis do to save the galaxy.

Rey startet out as an interesting character and quickly became the Mary Sue everyone loved or hated to discuss about, and we also are not clear what her agenda really is: in TFA she wanted to see her parents again, in TLJ she appearantly doesn't even know who they were, and well, it's not really important after all, right?

But to be honest I personally really liked Finn in TFA, and also somewhat in TLJ (although that movie slaughtered a lot of the potential). Of all the characters in the Sequels, I care about Finn the most.
Because he is relatable.

He is trying to do the good thing, but he has to suffer for it.
Watch the original movies to see why suffering is important to get likable characters in a drama.

Or watch Rogue One. The two main protagonists have what writers call a character arc. One fights with himself for the evil he has done in the name of good, and tries to redeem himself in the end, the other has lost her dad and still tries to do what's right in the galaxy. In the end both give their lives so that others may have a chance at freedom.
Similar as the original movies, if you ask me.
Heroes.

[Jayngfet]

Heroes.

There's your problem. Heroes get things done, and if things are done and completed you can't have endless war and without endless war how will you have the endless spinoffs that justify two more anthology movies and two separate trilogies?

One of Rian Johnson's explicit goals with TLJ was to put the dynamic where it needed to be for SW to be where Disney wanted it to be. This means that all of the Original Trilogy's actual accomplishments have to be undone, so they can keep selling you X-Wings vs TIE fighters and Red and Blue lightsabers until you get sick of them.

You can have spinoff characters be heroes provided they don't actually change the status quo and sell some action figures along the way.

[Metahuman1]

Which is 1: I suspect an excuse from Mr. Johnson to again try to brush off criticism that is perfectly on point and he knows it, but doesn't want to hear/acknowledge/deal with it. And 2: Incredibly stupid.

There is a much easier way to do this. You move around the timeline. Or you move to smaller areas for spinoff's. Find a neat planet and do a movie or two mostly confined to that. We've seen this work in The Clone Wars and on Rebels, it would work for the spin off and stand alone movies. As for sequels, literally just don't be afraid to move the timeline up. Heck, get more into the theme that Evil must always be opposed or it will win, and even when it looses, given time, someone/something else will take up it's mantle, and the that must be opposed. But that just cause you keep having to oppose it doesn't mean letting it win is acceptable, or indeed, that goods victory's don't actually MEAN anything!


This is not that hard, there are kids in highschool or college who can and do do this.

[Jayngfet]

Which is 1: I suspect an excuse from Mr. Johnson to again try to brush off criticism that is perfectly on point and he knows it, but doesn't want to hear/acknowledge/deal with it. And 2: Incredibly stupid.

There is a much easier way to do this. You move around the timeline. Or you move to smaller areas for spinoff's. Find a neat planet and do a movie or two mostly confined to that. We've seen this work in The Clone Wars and on Rebels, it would work for the spin off and stand alone movies. As for sequels, literally just don't be afraid to move the timeline up. Heck, get more into the theme that Evil must always be opposed or it will win, and even when it looses, given time, someone/something else will take up it's mantle, and the that must be opposed. But that just cause you keep having to oppose it doesn't mean letting it win is acceptable, or indeed, that goods victory's don't actually MEAN anything!


This is not that hard, there are kids in highschool or college who can and do do this.

I don't think you get it.

They don't just want to sell you Star Wars as a concept. They want you to always buy super Iconic X-Wings and TIE Fighters and Red and Blue Lightsabers. Hence why despite all the snark the only spinoffs we've seen are just more prequels and the only games and TV series are OT focused. Even stuff set before then has the empire roll out TIE fighters and Stormtroopers like a month after the prequel trilogy ended.

Marvel vary's things up by having a bunch of new heroes and settings, but this isn't that. Even as we move into unconfirmed territory it's all going to just be locked into concurrent trilogies. As rebels ends the only things we know suggest that Filoni's next show will probably just be the Resistance with more X-Wings and TIE-Fighters and red and blue lightsabers.

Yes. KOTOR had ships with S-Foils and Jedi, but those weren't literally X-and-A-Wings and the Jedi looked and acted differently enough to be recognizably dissimilar. It has to be exactly as it was.

[Metahuman1]

I don't think you get it.

They don't just want to sell you Star Wars as a concept. They want you to always buy super Iconic X-Wings and TIE Fighters and Red and Blue Lightsabers. Hence why despite all the snark the only spinoffs we've seen are just more prequels and the only games and TV series are OT focused. Even stuff set before then has the empire roll out TIE fighters and Stormtroopers like a month after the prequel trilogy ended.

Marvel vary's things up by having a bunch of new heroes and settings, but this isn't that. Even as we move into unconfirmed territory it's all going to just be locked into concurrent trilogies. As rebels ends the only things we know suggest that Filoni's next show will probably just be the Resistance with more X-Wings and TIE-Fighters and red and blue lightsabers.

Yes. KOTOR had ships with S-Foils and Jedi, but those weren't literally X-and-A-Wings and the Jedi looked and acted differently enough to be recognizably dissimilar. It has to be exactly as it was.

I get it, I just think it's idiotic.



Marvel has proven that the need to experiment and do somewhat different stuff with different movies and there flavoring is important. Rebels and Clone Wars proved in a vacuum this can be done with Star Wars successfully.

We could have a deal were certain core things remain the same, say, bad guys use red light sabers, but you can also have different stuff. A political thriller on Coresant or dealing with The Banking Clan, a movie about a Mandalorian mercenary, so on.

The galaxy is a big enough place and the potential for the timeline is large enough that you can get away with doing different stuff in different places at different times so that things don't get stale. And you can still do OT do overs in the Episode Movies as long as you give a damn and remember time can pass and new things can come up, and that Shockley, just cause someone pulled something off fifty or seventy five or one hundred years ago, doesn't mean someone else won't later have to step up and do it again, or do more, against similar but not the same foes.

They could have had what they wanted with out pissing off hugh amounts of general movie goers and fans alike. But now they've pissed that chance away, for the sake of aiming for that chance, they claim.





Assuming that's really what they were aiming for, there incompetent beyond forgiveness. (Note: I am not convinced that's really the case, but for sake of the point and of discussion let's say for just a moment they are.)

[Anonymouswizard]

I'll admit that I've not watched Rebels due to just net being interested in it. I wanted something that wasn't roughly OT in time period, because I'm a bit bored with heroic rebels.

A series set shortly after E6 where we still have OT technology, but following a group of Imperials trying to stop the Empire from falling apart? That's interesting to me. Unfortunately we now know that such a series would have to end with the Empire falling apart so it can become the First Order, not with Thrawn appearing to lead the Empire to glory. Despite it sometimes being silly Legends canon did at least have things change in more but name (the Empire is weakened but moves towards being a more benevolent state, the New Republic is created and is not destroyed by a new superweapon, then the galaxy gets invaded and the dynamic changes again), I'd much prefer a series in the Legends continuity to another series treading ground which is relatively safe.

[Mechalich]

I'll admit that I've not watched Rebels due to just net being interested in it. I wanted something that wasn't roughly OT in time period, because I'm a bit bored with heroic rebels.

A series set shortly after E6 where we still have OT technology, but following a group of Imperials trying to stop the Empire from falling apart? That's interesting to me. Unfortunately we now know that such a series would have to end with the Empire falling apart so it can become the First Order, not with Thrawn appearing to lead the Empire to glory. Despite it sometimes being silly Legends canon did at least have things change in more but name (the Empire is weakened but moves towards being a more benevolent state, the New Republic is created and is not destroyed by a new superweapon, then the galaxy gets invaded and the dynamic changes again), I'd much prefer a series in the Legends continuity to another series treading ground which is relatively safe.

Well, Legends is all but dead with the exception of SWTOR which is slowly being converted into a shambling zombie due to a lack of financial support (for Star Wars fans who haven't played through at least the F2P parts, now would be a good time to do that). Disney won't be bringing it back. They're committed to this new continuity which is not good. The whole Empire converts to First Order thing while the Republic does nothing is a poor story and killing Snoke the way they did in TLJ massively undercuts any attempt to do a 'rise of Snoke' series.

Disney could try to do its own Old Republic plotline but this is probably a bad idea since it would almost certainly be worse than the existing KOTOR-SWTOR continuity (which is some of the very best Legends material). What is ripe for expansion is the revised plotline of the Old Republic's 'founding' around 1000 BBY. While Darth Bane remains canon, having appeared in TCW, the Darth Bane novels are no longer canon and the history of the New Sith Wars has been erased. That story could be completely retold in an exciting way with all new Jedi heroes and Sith villains.

[MarkVIIIMarc]

There's your problem. Heroes get things done, and if things are done and completed you can't have endless war and without endless war how will you have the endless spinoffs that justify two more anthology movies and two separate trilogies?

One of Rian Johnson's explicit goals with TLJ was to put the dynamic where it needed to be for SW to be where Disney wanted it to be. This means that all of the Original Trilogy's actual accomplishments have to be undone, so they can keep selling you X-Wings vs TIE fighters and Red and Blue lightsabers until you get sick of them.

You can have spinoff characters be heroes provided they don't actually change the status quo and sell some action figures along the way.

I know history talk is taboo here but:

-the war would have ended the exact same way if our most decorated soldier was ever born or not

-there were French, Polish, Greek and even Italian heroes also. Sometimes the guy who helps hold the pass so a few more civilians can escape is a hero

-It is usually the political figures who really change the course of history. Churchill or Lindbergh starting a war with Stalin, the world would have been different. Would it have made them more or less heroic? I dunno.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audie_Murphy

[Scowling Dragon]

I know history talk is taboo here but:
-the war would have ended the exact same way if our most decorated soldier was ever born or not

And the average soldier doesn't hit a single target in a ground battle. Id say there are actual real-world heroes that saved the world (But that mainly has to do with Nuclear Equipment).

But that doesn't make for good literature.

[Hopeless]

So why not plan accordingly?
Episode 7 was the search for Luke it ends with him found but the First Order blows up the capital using Loyalist Senators (to Snoke) to seize power meaning Snoke has won without a costly war!

Episode 8 (what should have happened) Holdo is a surviving NR Admiral sent to contact Leia to locate Luke since Rey has gone and the attack on the Raddus leaves Holdo in charge she sends Finn on an effectively suicide mission knowing he'll be caught to divert the FO's attention.
Snoke uses Finn to draw Rey out of hiding ala ESB but we learn from Luke she was trained by a Jedi Survivor on Jakku and that Kylo was taught by Leia not Luke with Snoke deliberately hamstringing Kylo's training so he doesn't turn on him.
Finn however unexpectedly succeeds mostly due to Phasma revealed as Rey's Aunt and DJ playing both sides to sneak Rose & BB-8 aboard.
Holdo redeems herself with her sacrifice revealing the whole time the FO was chasing her remote controlling all the ships alone meaning the FO didn't notice the Resistance leaving those ships whilst heading through various planetary obstacles on their route why only drop off at one world when there are multiple possible hiding places?!

Kylo kills Snoke we learn Snoke was just the host body for the entity in charge finally the Emperor has a body suitable for his return!

Episode 9: Luke returns to face the reborn Emperor!

What we're likely to get?

Haven't the foggiest it really doesn't look good!

[Sapphire Guard]

So, can someone (probably Hamish) confirm something for me? Wookie(e)pedia tells me that the Holdo ram, in addition to to the Supremacy, also destroyed 18 Resurgent class SDs. Can anyone confirm that? Because if so... that's a big chunk of fleet.

[Devonix]

Snoke served his purpose in the story. That purpose was to get Ben into position to be the big bad of the story. Snoke faking his death, or just being a puppet ruins that.

[Mightymosy]

So why not plan accordingly?
[...]

I think the most obvious flaw of the Sequel Trilogy is that they didn't plan a sh*t.

They gave three movies to three different directors and called it a day.
And these directors did their best do impose their own glorious vision onto their movie with utter disregard to everyone else who came before or after them).

You know that would really surprise me? If someone found a document with a detailed plan for episode 7-9 which dated before episode 7.
Would certainly be interesting.

Whatever flaws the Prequels had, at least you could see there was an overarching idea behind it.

[Wookieetank]

Whatever flaws the Prequels had, at least you could see there was an overarching idea behind it.

Indeed, and even though we knew what the end result was gonna be (Darth Vader), seeing the how of it was what kept it (somewhat) interesting. The prequels also made proper use of time skips, where right now in the ST we have what, a week of time that has gone by? Makes the scope seem much smaller with how quickly everything is happening.

[Devonix]

Indeed, and even though we knew what the end result was gonna be (Darth Vader), seeing the how of it was what kept it (somewhat) interesting. The prequels also made proper use of time skips, where right now in the ST we have what, a week of time that has gone by? Makes the scope seem much smaller with how quickly everything is happening.

My biggest problem with the Prequels is that they actually didn't plan stuff. They famously shot without scripts, and the production staff constantly complained to Lucas about him not telling anyone if there was a plan funnily enough .

The problem with him knowing where he wanted to get to but having no idea how to get there, and his constant course correcting to fix stuff after the fact.

[Scowling Dragon]

My biggest problem with the Prequels is that they actually didn't plan stuff. They famously shot without scripts, and the production staff constantly complained to Lucas about him not telling anyone if there was a plan funnily enough .

The problem with him knowing where he wanted to get to but having no idea how to get there, and his constant course correcting to fix stuff after the fact.

Not sure how thats a problem in the Prequels and isn't an even bigger problem in the Sequels. =P

[Devonix]

Not sure how thats a problem in the Prequels and isn't an even bigger problem in the Sequels. =P

It's a problem in the Original trilogy, the Prequel Trilogy and the New Trilogy.

But I enjoy the OT and NT so it doesn't interfere with my enjoyment as much.

[Scowling Dragon]

But I enjoy the OT and NT so it doesn't interfere with my enjoyment as much.

Then clearly being unplanned isn't the primary core for your Dislike of the PT. For me its the terrible acting, staging, directing, moment to moment dialogue and conveyance.
But its world-building, creativity, fundamental plot, concepts, and relation to the OT on a conceptual level are superb.

I guess the PTs are almost exact opposites of the ST (Or NT as you call it).

[Devonix]

Then clearly being unplanned isn't the primary core for your Dislike of the PT. For me its the terrible acting, staging, directing, moment to moment dialogue and conveyance.
But its world-building, creativity, fundamental plot, concepts, and relation to the OT on a conceptual level are superb.

I guess the PTs are almost exact opposites of the ST (Or NT as you call it).

It's more that being unplanned leads to a whole host of problems. You can overcome it but if there's no plan set out. That means you need a good group of people able to hammer through those problems.

the PT was one person's vision. so if that one person doesn't have a plan well...

[Mightymosy]

So George Lucas may not be the best planner (or writer) ever. I've read that a couple of times.

Yet I find all of his work in the originals and prequels vastly superior than what we have now in the sequels.

I'd rather have one director with a consistent vision and mediocre planning (GL) than two writers with different visions (one having average planning and one being chaotic evil ).

[Scowling Dragon]

The PT was one person's vision. so if that one person doesn't have a plan well...

Which meant it fundamentally had more focus then a boardroom split apart by years and committees and advisement boards all more interested in short-term profit then even brand growth or advancement.

But the ST was ALSO not planned very well so somehow its capable of being both immensely committee designed and at the same time incredibly insubstantial.

[Devonix]

So George Lucas may not be the best planner (or writer) ever. I've read that a couple of times.

Yet I find all of his work in the originals and prequels vastly superior than what we have now in the sequels.

I'd rather have one director with a consistent vision and mediocre planning (GL) than two writers with different visions (one having average planning and one being chaotic evil ).

But that's not how the original trillogy was done. The Original Trillogy was the creation of a bunch of people. Lucas was involved but he was neither the writer or director for most of it. He supported and was involved in the creation. But the Original trilogy was good precisly because it wasn't done by one director and being just his vision.


I highly recommend watching SF debris documentary on the creation of the Original and Prequel trilogy.

[Mightymosy]

Well then that group for the OT and the prequels was way better having a consistent vision that the group for the sequels.

As far as I understood, though, George Lucas has always been the "boss" for the original and the prequel movies, in the sense that he was the main person saying where the story would go.

[Anonymouswizard]

Well, Legends is all but dead with the exception of SWTOR which is slowly being converted into a shambling zombie due to a lack of financial support (for Star Wars fans who haven't played through at least the F2P parts, now would be a good time to do that). Disney won't be bringing it back. They're committed to this new continuity which is not good. The whole Empire converts to First Order thing while the Republic does nothing is a poor story and killing Snoke the way they did in TLJ massively undercuts any attempt to do a 'rise of Snoke' series.

Disney could try to do its own Old Republic plotline but this is probably a bad idea since it would almost certainly be worse than the existing KOTOR-SWTOR continuity (which is some of the very best Legends material). What is ripe for expansion is the revised plotline of the Old Republic's 'founding' around 1000 BBY. While Darth Bane remains canon, having appeared in TCW, the Darth Bane novels are no longer canon and the history of the New Sith Wars has been erased. That story could be completely retold in an exciting way with all new Jedi heroes and Sith villains.

Oh, I know we're not getting more Legends. It's a shame, as I really can't being myself to care for the new continuity, especially after The Last Jedi, while the new continuity is what got me into Legends.

I'd love it if the new continuity did meaningfully go back and five us stories that are recognisably different. But I expect that won't happen, won't sell enough Rey figures or X-wings.

I'd rather have one director with a consistent vision and mediocre planning (GL) than two writers with different visions (one having average planning and one being chaotic evil ).

I think Star Wars shows why the best of both worlds is needed.

The Original Trilogy was, if I'm not mistaken, generated by Lucas and then refined by many other people, including the actors and even script writers and directors for Empire and Jedi. It is a trilogy of three very good finds that connect together but aren't entirely dependent on each other.

The Prequel Trilogy gave Lucas too much control in areas he's not as skilled in, including apparently scriptwriting and direction. The worlds are even better and there's nothing wrong with the core stories, but some of the plot elements are silly and the dialogue is awful (interestingly my ex told me that the prequels aren't hated as much in France, maybe dubbing the dialogue with more emotional performances saying words that were put together better makes the films much more enjoyable).

The Sequel Trilogy has films that were all the responsibility of different People with no overarching vision, which causes massive changes in details from one film to the next and some elements just don't make sense as they were created by people not used to the universe (TLJ and it's chase sequence).

FWIW my favourite film is still Revenge of the Sith, even though I know it has many problems.

[Mechalich]

I'd love it if the new continuity did meaningfully go back and five us stories that are recognisably different. But I expect that won't happen, won't sell enough Rey figures or X-wings.

I don't understand Disney's aversion to producing new designs all of a sudden. The market has shown that Star Wars fans like to buy new cool designs and that you can make lots of money that way. SWTOR's Cartel Market is still making a pile of cash churning out all sorts of new variable armor designs and trawling the legends continuity to produce armor sets for every conceivable character they possibly can for you to buy.

The central Star Wars aesthetic is fairly flexible and people will buy pretty much anything cool that gets churned out. And the toy market is full of collectors, meaning successful adults with disposable income who will buy one of every X-thing to put on a shelf in their house. Making money off those people means churning out more product, not rehashing existing things.

[Zevox]

Snoke served his purpose in the story. That purpose was to get Ben into position to be the big bad of the story. Snoke faking his death, or just being a puppet ruins that.

That's a purpose that deserves to be ruined, if you ask me. Granted, I don't really want Snoke back either, but he'd still be better than giving Kylo full-blown main antagonist status. At least Snoke only looked like an idiot in how he died, in contrast to Kylo, who is just an incompetent failure pretty well constantly.