The Star Wars "Sequel Trilogy;" comprised of Episode 7: The Force Awakens, Episode 8: The Last Jedi, and Episode 9: The Rise of Skywalker; is divisive. Arguments have persisted in online communities for years about which movies "ruined" the series and its many characters. One takeaway even Episode 7 and 9 director J.J. Abrams admits is the Sequel Trilogy wasn't plotted out from the beginning, contributing to its messy progression under different creative minds. Still many think there's potential to be mined from how this trilogy carried the universe forward, and that's something Square Enix's Kingdom Hearts franchise could capitalize on.
Kingdom Hearts is a strange beast in its own right; primarily a series of action-RPGs that blend Disney's filmography with the anime-like characters and aesthetic of modern Final Fantasy games. Despite Kingdom Hearts boasting a convoluted timeline thanks to a number of "spin-off" games, what helps it succeed is its earnest examination of themes about identity, good versus evil, and more that often cleverly weaves in original Disney properties.
While the series has largely played with Disney and Pixar's animated movies, it has also dabbled in live-action with Sora and his friends visiting Pirates of the Caribbean. Thus, it would not be surprising to find future games include worlds based on universes under the Disney umbrella like Star Wars or Marvel. If Sora does visit the galaxy far, far away, it's likely Disney would prefer he find the universe established after it bought Lucasfilm in 2012, and there are ways he could help smooth out the Sequel Trilogy's rougher edges.
Grey Forces in Kingdom Hearts and Star Wars
Star Wars is perfect for Kingdom Hearts because each generation of movies released since 1977's Episode 4: A New Hope serve as meditations on darkness, light, and the grey areas in-between. Sora could partner with Luke Skywalker, Anakin Skywalker, or Rey and likely end up with similar conflicts against forces trying to turn those heroes to their dark impulses. Given the aforementioned interests of Disney, as well as Rey's more specific arc of finding an identity after being abandoned, it's likely she would have the most potential as an ally for Sora.
Sora's Disney companions in the past have featured similar struggles, such as Beast dealing with overcoming his darkness after finding love, or Mulan coming into her own strength after pretending to be someone else. A potential Star Wars world in something like Kingdom Hearts 4 may well follow this trend, partnering Sora with a protagonist like Rey to help them through their arc. However, the most interesting direction for Kingdom Hearts would be a deeper examination of antagonist Kylo Ren.
Kylo Ren is the Sith moniker bestowed upon Ben Solo, son of Original Trilogy characters Han Solo and Leia Organa, by the corrupting influence of the First Order's Supreme Leader Snoke. The Force Awakens examines his struggle between the light side of his family with Luke and Leia, as well as the dark side with Anakin - and he emulates Darth Vader as a means of portraying strength. The Last Jedi posits that Luke' failure to respond to these struggles in a healthy way led Kylo down his dark path, and he becomes so far-gone that The Rise of Skywalker has him briefly team up with Emperor Palpatine - the seeming root of all evil in Star Wars' filmography.
The Sequel Trilogy gives Kylo Ren a redemption at the end, but it's fairly rushed and drew controversy for a number of reasons, including the decision to make this come alongside a short-lived romance with Rey. If Kingdom Hearts were to dive into the movies, it would do better to stick with Episodes 7 or 8 so it could really play with the antagonist's struggles. Having dealt with the pull to darkness himself, Sora could act as another good angel alongside Rey, whereas some evil character could pull Kylo closer to darkness alongside Snoke. Kingdom Hearts 3 did something similar with Organization 13 member Larxene meddling in the plot of Frozen by trying to sway Elsa closer to her fears and potential darkness.
If nothing else, it would be fun to watch Sora and a video game facsimile of Adam Driver yell at one another about the merits of darkness and light. His aggressive broadsword fighting style with the tri-blade lightsaber would also stand out whether Kylo be an ally or boss. Ultimately, delving into this theme without the back-and-forth plotting that came with a trilogy helmed by different creative minds could help redeem the Disney Star Wars films in a sense, giving its characters the proper chance to shine.
Kingdom Hearts 3 is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.