Let's be real for a second. When Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hit theaters in 2019, the atmosphere wasn't just electric—it was tense. You could feel the weight of forty years of storytelling pressing down on J.J. Abrams’ shoulders. It wasn't just a movie. It was supposed to be the "Grand Finale" of the Skywalker Saga, a nine-film odyssey that started in a desert and somehow ended in a literal lightning storm of Sith ghosts.
Honestly? It’s a lot to take in.
People are still arguing about it at bars and on Reddit every single day. Some fans love the breakneck pace and the sheer "Star Wars-ness" of the visuals. Others feel like it tried to fix things that weren't broken in The Last Jedi, leading to a bit of a creative tug-of-war that you can see right there on the screen. It’s messy. It’s loud. It’s incredibly ambitious. But most importantly, it’s the final word on characters we've lived with for decades.
The Palpatine Problem and the Return of the Sith
The biggest "wait, what?" moment happened before the opening crawl even finished. "The dead speak!" Those three words changed everything. Bringing back Emperor Palpatine was a massive gamble. Ian McDiarmid is always a delight—nobody chews scenery like him—but his return shifted the stakes from a personal battle between Rey and Kylo Ren to an ancient cosmic grudge match.
It’s actually a bit funny when you think about it. We spent two movies wondering if Snoke was the big bad, only for him to get sliced in half, leaving a power vacuum that only a guy who "died" in 1983 could fill.
The movie explains this through "dark science, cloning, secrets only the Sith knew." It’s a bit hand-wavy, sure. But in the context of the Expanded Universe (now Legends), Palpatine coming back in clone bodies was actually a huge plot point in the Dark Empire comics from the 90s. So, while it felt out of left field for movie-only fans, it had some deep-rooted DNA in the broader lore. The problem was the execution. Everything felt rushed. We went from "he's back" to "he has ten thousand Star Destroyers with Death Star lasers" in about fifteen minutes.
Rey Skywalker: The Lineage Debate
The reveal that Rey is a Palpatine is arguably the most controversial choice in the Disney era.
In The Last Jedi, Rian Johnson told us she was "nobody." Her parents were junk traders who sold her for drinking money. It was a powerful message: greatness can come from anywhere. You don't need a famous last name to save the world. Then, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker pulled a massive U-turn.
Suddenly, she’s the granddaughter of the most evil man in the galaxy.
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Why do this? The logic from the filmmakers—specifically J.J. Abrams and co-writer Chris Terrio—was that it’s more challenging for Rey to be related to the ultimate evil than to be a "nobody." If she’s a nobody, it’s easy to be good. If she’s a Palpatine, she has to choose her destiny. It’s the "Nature vs. Nurture" argument taken to a galactic scale.
The ending on Tatooine, where she buries the lightsabers and calls herself "Rey Skywalker," was meant to be the ultimate rejection of her bloodline. She chose her family. She chose the Skywalkers.
Ben Solo and the Tragedy of the Dyad
If there’s one thing almost every fan agrees on, it’s that Adam Driver carried this trilogy on his back. His performance as Kylo Ren—and eventually Ben Solo—is nothing short of spectacular.
The concept of the "Force Dyad" is one of the cooler additions to the lore. It explained why Rey and Kylo could see each other across space. They weren't just connected; they were two halves of a whole. This wasn't just a gimmick for cool fight scenes (though the "lightsaber pass" through the Force was genuinely awesome). It was the emotional core of the film.
Watching Ben Solo's redemption felt earned, mostly because of the silent acting Driver did. When he sees the memory of his father, Han Solo, on the wreckage of the Death Star, he doesn't need a long monologue. "Dad..." "I know." It’s a callback to The Empire Strikes Back, and it hits hard.
But then he dies.
He gives his life to save Rey. It’s the ultimate sacrifice, echoing his grandfather Anakin, but it left a sour taste for many. People wanted to see Ben Solo live and try to make amends for the things he did. Instead, he faded into the Force, leaving Rey alone. It was a bittersweet ending that felt more "bitter" than "sweet" for a large chunk of the audience.
Behind the Scenes: A Production Scramble
To understand why Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker feels the way it does, you have to look at how it was made. It wasn't a smooth ride.
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Originally, Colin Trevorrow (of Jurassic World fame) was supposed to direct. His version, titled Duel of the Fates, was wildly different. It took place largely on Coruscant, featured a much more villainous Kylo Ren, and didn't include Palpatine at all. But creative differences led to Trevorrow leaving the project.
Lucasfilm brought Abrams back, but they were on a collision course with a release date that wouldn't move. They were writing the script while filming. They were editing while shooting. You can see the seams. The film jumps from Pasaana to Kijimi to Kef Bir with such frantic energy that the characters barely have time to breathe. It’s a "fetch quest" movie. Get the dagger. Get the wayfinder. Get to Exegol.
Then there’s the Leia situation.
Carrie Fisher’s passing in 2016 was a tragedy that fundamentally broke the plan for the trilogy. The first movie was Han’s, the second was Luke’s, and the third was supposed to be Leia’s. Using deleted footage from The Force Awakens was a noble effort to give her a send-off, but it’s undeniably clunky. The actors have to talk around her. She can’t move much. It’s heartbreaking, both because we miss Carrie and because we can see the story struggling to work around her absence.
The Visuals and the Sound of the End
If you put the script issues aside, the movie is a technical masterpiece.
The lightsaber duel on the remains of the second Death Star, with the crashing waves of the moon Kef Bir, is one of the most visually stunning sequences in the entire franchise. The scale of Exegol—the dark, craggy planet of the Sith—is genuinely creepy. And of course, John Williams. This was his final Star Wars score. Even if you hate the plot, the way he weaves in "The Force Theme" and "Princess Leia's Theme" one last time is enough to make any fan get a little misty-eyed.
Breaking Down the Final Battle
The "People’s Fleet" arriving at Exegol is a classic Star Wars moment. Lando Calrissian showing up with thousands of ships—not a formal military, but just regular people who’ve had enough—is the thematic payoff for the whole series. It’s about collective action vs. individual tyranny.
- The Sith Eternal: These weren't just soldiers; they were cultists. They represented the legacy of the Dark Side that had been festering in the Unknown Regions for decades.
- The Jedi Spirits: When Rey hears the voices of Obi-Wan, Anakin, Ahsoka Tano, and Kanan Jarrus, it’s a massive "fan service" moment, but it also serves a purpose. It shows she’s not alone. She is "all the Jedi."
- The Final Stand: Palpatine’s "unlimited power" finally meets its match not through more power, but through reflection. Rey uses two lightsabers to deflect his own lightning back at him. It’s poetic, if a bit literal.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Ending
There’s a common complaint that the movie "retconned" everything. While it certainly changed direction, it didn't necessarily erase what came before.
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A lot of people think Rey taking the Skywalker name is "identity theft." But Star Wars has always been about found family. Luke was raised by an aunt and uncle who weren't his "parents" in the biological sense. Han Solo got his name from a random Imperial officer. Rey choosing a name based on the people who actually cared for her—Luke and Leia—is the most Star Wars thing possible.
The movie also gets flak for the "Sith Dagger." Yeah, it’s a bit of a convenience that the dagger’s jagged edge matches the silhouette of the Death Star ruins from a specific spot on the beach. It’s goofy. It’s "Goonies" in space. But Star Wars has always had that DNA of 1930s adventure serials. It’s supposed to be a little campy.
The Legacy of Episode 9
So, where does that leave us?
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker isn't a perfect movie. It's crowded, it's frantic, and it tries to please everyone at once—which usually means you please nobody completely. But it’s also a movie with a massive heart. It’s about forgiveness, the burden of heritage, and the idea that your past doesn't define your future.
It also set the stage for everything we’re seeing now on Disney+. The "Mandalorian-verse" and the upcoming Rey-focused movie directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy are all dealing with the fallout of the New Republic’s failure and the rise of the First Order.
If you want to truly appreciate what happened in this movie, you sort of have to look at it as a bridge. It closed the door on the 1977 era while leaving just enough of a crack open for something new to crawl through.
How to Re-watch (and Actually Enjoy) It
If you’re planning a re-watch, don't look at it as a direct sequel to The Last Jedi. Look at it as a frantic attempt to finish a marathon while carrying five suitcases.
- Focus on the actors: Oscar Isaac, John Boyega, and Daisy Ridley have incredible chemistry. Their "trio" energy is the best part of the film.
- Watch the background: The planet Kijimi is full of incredible alien designs and Easter eggs for long-time fans (including a cameo by composer John Williams as a bartender).
- Listen to the sound design: The way the Sith voices echo on Exegol is genuinely haunting.
Ultimately, the film is a testament to the fact that Star Wars is too big to have a "perfect" ending. Everyone wants something different. Some want a gritty war movie. Others want a fairy tale. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker tried to be both. It failed in some ways, succeeded in others, but it never stopped being Star Wars.
If you're looking to dive deeper into the lore that the movie glossed over, your best bet is to pick up the novelization by Rae Carson. It actually explains the Palpatine cloning process and the backstory of Rey’s father in much more detail than the movie ever could. It makes the whole thing feel a lot more cohesive. You should also check out the Shadow of the Sith novel by Adam Christopher, which serves as a direct prequel and fills in the gaps of why Luke was looking for Exegol in the first place. These additions turn a somewhat confusing movie into a much more satisfying chapter of a larger story.