Star Wars Speculation: 'Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker' Spoiler Thoughts

Now that nearly a week has passed, and I've seen Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker a total of five times, I felt it would be an appropriate occasion to discuss the film with no restrictions. If you haven't watched it yet, you can read my non-spoiler review and venture back here at a later date. Otherwise, I hope this clarifies my feelings about the film. 

**Spoiler Warning for all Star Wars films**

'Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker' Spoiler Thoughts

1) Rey Palpatine
To kick things off, the biggest surprise was the reveal that Rey's descended from the Emperor himself, Sheev Palpatine. I'll be honest and say that I rolled my eyes in the theater at this moment. One of my favorite things about The Last Jedi was Rian Johnson's decision that Rey's parents were nobodies. Anyone can be the hero of their story, regardless of their ancestry. Going into The Rise of Skywalker, I'd hoped that'd remain unchanged.

At first, I felt this twist was a betrayal of one of my favorite elements of The Last Jedi. However, I soon reconciled this as J.J. Abrams' intent unraveled. He and Chris Terrio were offering a complimentary message rather than detracting from Johnson's story. Your lineage doesn't determine your destiny. You have a choice and agency in deciding your future. In hindsight, I much prefer this to the other possibilities of Rey being a clone or biologically descended from a Skywalker or Kenobi. I don't view this as a stronger alternative to Johnson's proposal, but I think it holds weight as well.

It deepens her struggle between the light and dark side as she questions her own morality. This has been an underlying thread in the trilogy, but I love the notion that her noble and compassionate heart is stronger than blood. On the other hand, I still take issue with a few things. I loathe the line, "You have his power." I not fond of the idea that Rey's strength is attributed to someone else. She's strong on account of her own discipline. It's not because she's the Emperor's granddaughter. And that line seems made to dismiss the preposterous notion of her being a "Mary Sue."

2) Bendemption
By far, my favorite thing about The Rise of Skywalker is how Ben Solo's redemption was handled. I made an entire post about this topic and how I hoped it might play out. Above all, I love how his redemption relates to the poetry of the greater saga. First of all, it occurs on the remains of the second Death Star, which is also the site of Anakin’s redemption, where he made a choice to save Luke from the Emperor. There are deeper ties than that, though...

Anakin metaphorically died and was reborn as Vader in the lava of Mustafar. He faced a baptism by fire, which left him severely burned. With this fire came death, destruction, and pain. The evil Darth Vader was created. Towards the end of the duel between Rey and Kylo Ren on the oceanic moon of Kef Bir, she lands a fatal blow to Kylo Ren. However, rather than let him suffer, she heals him with the Force. In literature, water often represents life, rebirth, and purity. At this moment, Kylo Ren literally and figuratively died and is reborn as Ben Solo. It’s a baptism for Ben that cleanses him of his sins. This franchise is deeply rooted in spirituality and myth, so I love that Abrams and Terrio tapped into that.

One slight detail I've noticed in my successive viewings is that Ben's scar fades away as Rey heals him. Therefore, she heals all the physical wounds she ever caused him since she first gave him the scar in The Force Awakens. A beautiful gesture that underscores her kind heart in addition to further signifying his decision to be Ben Solo again. 

On top of that, there’s the beautiful parallel between The Force Awakens and The Rise Of Skywalker. When Ben Solo is left stranded on the planet, he's seen contemplating his next course of action. Ben's memory of Han Solo appears to console him. Ever since that fatal moment from The Force Awakens, Ben's been haunted by what he did to his father. It shook him to his core and left him more conflicted than ever. Han may not physically be there, but this time Ben can make things right. He can't undo anything, but he can choose to be better. To be a hero. Their conversation consists almost entirely of the same dialogue from their final encounter, but with a much different context. It provides a sense of closure between the two as Ben imagines how he desperately wishes that moment had happened.

I also love that the restoration of Ben Solo required both his parents reaching out to him. Only together, their final efforts bring their son back towards the light. It's tragic but poetic that Han and Leia each die in an attempt to redeem their fallen son. Han's death lingered with Ben, and, in tandem with the sensation that his mother is gone, Ben knows what he has to do. But he doesn't know if he has the strength to do it. Of course, Carrie Fisher's death made this hit home even more, but Harrison Ford and Adam Driver act the hell out of this scene, and it's stuck with me ever since. 

4) Ben Solo Comes To The Rescue
Perhaps, the biggest crowd-pleasing moment of the entire film is when Ben rushes in to help Rey. I'll touch on their bond momentarily, but it's such a triumphant moment when Rey passes his family's saber to him through the Force. In this sequence, he displays so much of his family's heroic bravado and even channels many of his father's iconic gif-able mannerisms. It's a phenomenal entrance and great payoff to his arc. Anyways, if there's one thing I'd tweak about the film, it would be for Ben Solo to live when all is said and done. I can accept his death and appreciate that it wasn't derivative of Vader's, but I still wish he'd survived. However, I really love that he was able to do what Anakin couldn't and save the one he loved from dying by transferring his life force to Rey. An upside regarding his tragic fate.

5) "Be With Me"

Another one of my favorite moments is when Rey hears the voices of the Jedi who came before. Heard in the scene are Anakin Skywalker, Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor and Alec Guinness), Yoda, Qui-Gon Jinn, Mace Windu, Ahsoka Tano, Luminara Unduli, Aayla Secura, and Adi Galla. While I'd hoped to see several Force Ghosts, I prefer this approach because Rey doesn't really know any of them aside from Luke, so their appearance would mean nothing to her. I think this is a nice compromise that doesn't detract from Rey in the scene. 

6) A Dyad In The Force

Something else I really liked about The Rise of Skywalker was the expansion of Force-lore. I liked how J.J. developed the Force bond between Rey and Kylo Ren prominently seen in The Last Jedi, as physical objects transcend their connection (something first teased by Rian when Kylo Ren wipes his brow and water droplets appear). 

Concerning their complex dynamic, I find the continued contrast between them very interesting. Rey is dressed in white and struggles with inner darkness while Kylo Ren is dressed in black and struggles with an inner light. Previously, there was the angle that Rey came from nothing while Kylo Ren is descended from a dynasty of powerful Force-users. Now, Rey is related to the ultimate evil in the galaxy, while Ben Solo's parents are the embodiment of hope and goodness (even his grandfather brought balance to the Force). While I don't think The Rise of Skywalker thematically-rich as The Last Jedi, it's become abundantly clear to me that The Rise of Skywalker is all about the power of choice. As I alluded to earlier, your destiny isn't predetermined by blood. Only you can make the decision to be good or evil. 

7) Ending Where It All Began

The ending of the film sees Rey travel to the Lars homestead on Tatooine to bury Luke and Leia's lightsabers. She's asked who she is, to which she eventually responds, "Rey... Rey Skywalker" after looking to see the Force ghosts of Luke and Leia on the horizon. Then she and BB-8 gaze at the twin sunset. There's, of course, the reoccurring motif of "twins" with the binary sunset, the twin sabers, and twin Skywalkers, which I kinda dig. Then, I also like that Rey's chosen to take up the Skywalker name. I've seen a wide array of opinions on this, but it doesn't really bother me. 

After my initial viewing, I felt very conflicted about many decisions made in The Rise of Skywalker. It's been a process for me to sort them all out, but I think I've come to terms with them all and found a greater appreciation for this ending now that all is said and done. I'm not expecting to change anyone's mind, but I hope that my thoughts have inspired others to find a greater appreciation for the things that disappointed them or the aspects they also adore! 

There's plenty more to discuss, but I thought this analysis would be an excellent place to start. I'll continue to post about The Rise of Skywalker and the Skywalker Saga in the coming months as ideas come to mind.

-May the Force be with you, always!