Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker

Note: comprises main spoilers for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

JJ Abrams was answerable for ending greater than 40 years of storytelling with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. It was by no means going to please everybody, and thus far has been getting principally optimistic (if not overwhelmingly glowing) opinions.

Full of cameos and Easter eggs, The Rise of Skywalker managed to wrap up numerous unfastened threads in solely two hours and twenty-one minutes. Abrams even managed to shoe-horn in some new characters in that point (whereas completely ignoring others – FUMING).

In a universe as huge as Star Wars, it could be onerous to maintain observe of the varied guidelines set out by motion pictures made way back (bear in mind The Chosen one?) however followers are all the time fast to level out when a director misinterprets one thing from the big canon.

When it’s revealed that Emperor Palpatine is Rey’s grandfather, Rey heads to Exegol to kill him. When she confronts him, he confides in her that he needs her to kill him, for less than then will all of the lifeless Sith movement into her and she is going to turn out to be Empress Palpatine, ruler over his Final Order.

In the top, she does certainly kill him – and but she does not turn out to be Empress Palpatine. Cue the confusion.

But for those who pay a bit nearer consideration, it turns into clear that not solely is that this not a plot gap, however really fairly a intelligent transfer by JJ Abrams and Chris Terrio.

Needless to say, this revelation from Palpatine undoubtedly tousled Rey’s plan. A newly redeemed Ben Solo, nonetheless, is sizzling on her heels to assist. Unfortunately, all he does is make issues worse.

Palpatine recognises they’re a dyad within the Force. Nope, we might by no means heard of it both. Apparently, a Force Dyad are two very highly effective Force-sensitive beings who even have highly effective parentage and are the final identified Force-wielders. This makes their energy as robust as life itself.

He begins to empty them of this Force, utilizing it to rehabilitate himself. He throws a virtually lifeless Ben down a reactor shaft however leaves Rey collapsed on the bottom. She calls on all of the ghosts of Christmas Jedi previous to assist her, they usually do!

She rises, and Palpatine assaults her along with his Force lightning. She defends herself together with her lightsaber, deflecting the lightning again onto Palpatine. Which is what kills him.

We know – successfully, Rey kills Palpatine so that you would not be out of line pondering she ought to nonetheless turn out to be Empress Palpatine. But it is what kills him that is necessary.

First, Rey isn’t attacking him however defending herself – so not appearing out of malice. She is not motivated by concern or anger, however relatively a peaceable give up to what she is aware of must be carried out.

Second, the weapon she makes use of to kill him is his personal Force lightning. Palpatine’s endless greed and an unquenchable thirst for energy are his downfalls. He merely got here up in opposition to the improper individual.

In some methods, Rey all the time was a foil for Palpatine. Palpatine’s personal power-mongering meant he could not see what would occur if he tried to strike her down. He additionally anticipated her to bend to his will merely due to her lineage. Instead, Rey chooses to align herself with good, with the sunshine facet of the power.

Rey’s company and selection fly within the face of the generational legacy Star Wars is constructed on (very like Ben Solo’s pull to the darkish facet despite his parentage) whereas nonetheless paying homage to it.

So no, it is not likely a plot gap that Rey kills Palpatine and does not turn out to be a Sith Lord herself. It’s really a intelligent metaphor for what it means to simply accept your self and select to do the proper factor within the hardest conditions.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is out now.