The end of the Skywalker Saga... and a new beginning for Star Wars
Warning: this discussion contains spoilers for the Rise of Skywalker. Proceed at your own risk. These thoughts are my own personal opinions—the opinions of others are just as equally valid.
Ben Solo/Kylo Ren, from the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy.
Since it released on December 19, 2019, I’ve seen Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker twice in theaters. I saw it opening night at 7pm—then two days later in the middle of the afternoon with my wife.
I’m filled with complex emotions. I’ve loved Star Wars my whole life—I remember watching VHS tapes of the Original trilogy when I was three or four, just before the Phantom Menace hit theaters. I remember adoring the Phantom Menace at the age of five in 1999, and loving the ride through Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith in 2002 and 2005. At some point along the way—I think when I was seven or eight—I began reading the expanded universe of Star Wars novels, including the Jedi Academy trilogy, the Thrawn Trilogy, and the New Jedi Order.
Star Wars has literally been a part of my life through all my memories. I grew up with it, enjoying the films, books, video games, and TV shows. Its themes shaped my worldview in much the way many people my age say Harry Potter shaped their worldview. Above all else, Star Wars proves the necessity of fighting against evil—ever-present evil—and that heroes can come from anywhere. That’s always been what Star Wars is about. The triumph of good over evil—the love for your friends, and hope in a better world.
For me, Star Wars is so much more than the Skywalker Saga—even if the Original Trilogy spawned Star Wars, and the Prequel Trilogy made it relevant again—Star Wars, for me, goes beyond the story of Luke and Anakin.
And so as I consider the message, narrative, and themes of the Sequel Trilogy, produced over the past five years, I see its story through that lens. Star Wars is more than the sum of its parts to me. Each writer, director, artist, and fan who touches Star Wars leaves their own imprint, sculpting and interpreting the world into something new. That’s the beauty of the Star Wars sandbox: it is owned by no one (well, technically it’s owned by Disney, but that’s neither here nor there).
With that context in mind, here are my thoughts on THE END OF THE SKYWALKER SAGA.
When I stepped out of the theater Thursday night, I was content. From a “filmmaking” perspective, there’s a lot of things wrong with The Rise of Skywalker. Its first act is too fast-paced; it relies on too many fetch quests; it opens too many new doors for lore in the final movie of a nine act story; it relies on superweapon tropes (seriously, it’s all straight out of DARK EMPIRE) and “gotcha” moments not properly set-up in the previous eight films of the series.
However, beneath those objective critiques of The Rise of Skywalker, there’s a sense of finality to the story that just . . . works. I couldn’t put my finger on it fully after watching the film the first time. When I returned to theaters two days later, though, everything clicked.
Every movie in the Skywalker Saga has its flaws. None of the movies are masterpieces in their own right. And in some ways, that fact is beautiful in its own right. Over nine films, the Skywalker Saga has seen multiple writers, directors, and producers—different special effects artists, costume teams, and set builders. Hundreds—if not thousands—of creatives have poured their hearts into these movies. And upon their shoulders, they have the weight of an entire fandom that permeates the entire world resting on their shoulders.
Rey facing her origins in The Last Jedi
It’s a monumental task. No one can make a perfect Star Wars film. Every creator will inevitably disappoint someone. So with The Rise of Skywalker, we received JJ Abrams’s vision for the end, juxtaposed against his narrative begun in The Force Awakens and complicated by Rian Johnson’s in The Last Jedi. Many people claim Rise of Skywalker “retcons” the Last Jedi, and I disagree to an extent, but that’s a story for another time. Like it or not, the Rise of Skywalker ends the Skywalker Saga, and its narrative forces a reinterpretation of every movie that came before through its lens.
What does that give us?
A powerful truth. Anyone can be a hero, regardless of bloodline, species, origin, homeworld, class, or gender. Chosen Ones, as much as they might exist, are not the solution to our problems. The Force moves beyond any single individual, and when it comes down to it, your choice to fight for your chosen family and what you believe in matters more than ANYTHING else.
Many people argue Rey’s defeat of Palpatine at the end of Rise of Skywalker cheapens the Skywalker Saga by erasing Anakin’s role as the “Chosen One” of the prophecy first emphasized in the Prequel Trilogy. They argue it cheapens Luke’s turning of Vader in Return of the Jedi and Vader’s destruction of Palpatine aboard the Death Star. They argue that Rey usurps Ben’s role as a member of the Skywalker family and casts him to the side, potentially even making her the “Chosen One.”
In fact, I’d argue that if you thought Star Wars was ever about there only being one hero, one “Chosen One,” you’ve been watching every Star Wars film wrong since Star Wars first released in theaters in 1977.
In A New Hope: Luke destroys the first Death Star with the help of Han and Chewie, saving him from Vader at the last second.
In Empire Strikes Back: Luke rashly tries to save his friends before he’s ready, and he ends up being saved by Lando and Leia after Vader defeats him on Bespin.
In Return of the Jedi: Luke confronts Vader aboard the Second Death Star, and together they defeat the Emperor, but at the same time, Han and Leia lead a successful raid on the shield generator while Wedge Antilles and Lando destroy the Death Star II from within.
Darth Maul, facing down Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon in the Phantom Menace.
In the Phantom Menace: Four battlefields occur at once—Jar Jar and the Gungans against the droid armies; Padme taking control of the Throne Room; Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan take on Maul; and Anakin flies with other pilots against the Droid Control Ship.
In Attack of the Clones: Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Padme are rescued by a Clone Army and the Jedi Order’s greatest warriors in the Arena. Obi-Wan and Anakin are unable to defeat Dooku, only to be rescued by Master Yoda.
In Revenge of the Sith: Anakin is alone, believing he can’t tell people about his marriage to Padme. His fear and separation drive him toward Palpatine. Yoda and Obi-Wan are forced to face the Sith, and both fail, because the galaxy has turned against the Jedi and they are only two against many. As Anakin falls, Yoda literally says they may have misinterpreted the prophecy about “the Chosen One.”
Rey, as featured in The Rise of Skywalker
In the Force Awakens: The Resistance can only defeat Starkiller Base by working together: Finn, Han, and Chewie take down the shields, while Black Squadron moves in for the kill. Rey and Finn stand together against Kylo.
In the Last Jedi: All of Finn’s, Poe’s, Rey’s, and Luke’s lessons come from not standing together or for the mission and trusting in those around them. Rey believes she can turn Kylo on her own, and she’s dead wrong. She needs help.
And so we return to the Rise of Skywalker. The Story of the Skywalker Saga is obviously connected by the four Skywalkers: Anakin, Luke, Leia, and Ben. The four individuals supposedly created by the Force. As what? Some might say Anakin is the Chosen One, but in some sense, it’s more like they’re the “Chosen Family.” All four together play a role in the constant fight against Palpatine, the final pinnacle of the Sith and the Dark Side. Throughout the series, each Skywalker acts as a beacon of hope around which people gather and fight against evil—Palpatine’s evil.
Whether it’s by direct action (Luke and Anakin defeating Palpatine together), through inspiration (Leia leading the Rebellion and then the Resistance), or through final sacrifice (Ben healing Rey in the end after she defeats Palpatine), the Skywalkers are a manifestation of the Force inspiring the Galaxy to fight against the Dark Side and the Sith. And at the same time, that powerful evil attempts to use that symbol—the Sykwalkers—to its own purpose. Palpatine tries to steal every Skywalker from the light at some point.
The big question I think Star Wars fans must ask: why must a Skywalker be the individual who drives the final dagger into the heart of evil? Rey’s journey in the Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and The Rise of Skywalker is all inspired by her attempt to find a true place for herself in the Galaxy. In The Force Awakens, she seeks purpose. In the Last Jedi, she’s forced to confront the truth that she’s no one—and she stands against Ben’s offering of evil. But through their bond, she sees the good in him, and continues to fight against his evil to bring him back to the light. And when she learns she’s a Palpatine? She faces that even if she comes from evil, she can still stand against evil.
And who helps her in the fight? A Skywalker. Ben Solo stands by her side at the end. He sacrifices his life to save her own. And she takes the name Skywalker not to “steal” the legacy of the Skywalkers, but to honor them. To remember their legacy, and the hope and love they showed her through her most tribulating days.
Han Solo speaking to Rey and Finn in the Force Awakens
Star Wars was never about a Chosen One defeating the big bad evil. Star Wars is about everyone uniting against evil and defeating it together. Even as Rey and Ben stand against Palpatine, Poe, Finn, and the others fight against the First Order. Then, Lando and the rest of the Galaxy arrive to take on the Final Order and the fleet of Sith Star Destroyers. While I may have gripes with how JJ Abrams chose to portray this particular conflict, the themes are sound. No one can be a hero alone—to win, we must stand together.
These themes should resonate with everyone as we live in a world facing great evil. Fascism continues to rear its ugly head. Our planet is facing its greatest challenge: Climate Change. These problems don’t require individual solutions. No single person can defeat a dictator or a totalitarian regime; no single person can stop climate change. It requires everyone standing together to change society for the better.
That’s what the Skywalker Saga is truly about. Single individuals can play a part in the final battle, but we will only win when we all work together to take down the enemy. Anyone who thinks Star Wars is about something else hasn’t been paying attention.
So where do we go from here? The Skywalker Saga is over. These nine films, despite their flaws, will go down as a classic series telling a story of hope, love, redemption, revolution, truth-against-power, and peace. Good versus evil. It’s the definitive “Science Fantasy” series by which all others will be defined.
And now that the Skywalker Saga is over, Star Wars can open the floodgates. Just as the story is about everyone fighting against evil, now the sandbox of Star Wars can be home to a million stories, written and created by a million minds. Not all of them will fit in the “canon,” perhaps—of course Lucasfilm will regulate it tightly—but fans can create their own Star Wars stories through fan-fiction, RPGs, and pure speculation. The possibilities are limitless.
Authors like Timothy Zahn are already exploring countless Star Wars stories, some connected to the Skywalker Saga, some not. If you’ve never read a Star Wars novel before, I’d recommend giving them a try. They’re good fiction (especially Thrawn).
As we move into the future of Star Wars, Star Wars will no longer be defined by the Skywalker Saga—the Skywalker Saga will simply be the story that sparked it all. It inspired a world of narratives telling stories of hope and love, the fight of your chosen family defeating evil that always tries to rear its ahead against good.
For those who say they’re done with Star Wars because the Sequel Trilogy ruined Star Wars for them? I say, “We’re sorry to see you go. But Star Wars is for everyone, so if you ever want to return, the family will be waiting with open arms.”
May the Force be with you. I’m excited for the next few decades in a Galaxy Far Far Away.
Interested in hearing more from C.D. Tavenor on Star Wars? He was recently featured on an episode of “The Tipsy Nerds Book Club” podcast talking about Star Wars before the release of the Rise of Skywalker.