It ends here. Forty-two years after Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope changed movies forever, the final chapter in the Skywalker Saga has been released. Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker effectively closes the book on the adventures of the Skywalker family as the Star Wars franchise focuses on other characters, races, planets, and eras. Though the most recent installment in the saga under the guidance of director Rian Johnson divided the fandom, bringing back JJ Abrams was supposed to reunite everyone. Did it do so?
Word has spread that an old evil has returned in the form of the long-dead Emperor Palpatine (In McDiarmid). Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), now the Supreme Leader of the First Order, travels to the distant planet Exegol to find the husk of the old emperor, who directs Ren to kill Rey (Daisy Ridley). Rey has been continuing her Jedi training under General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) while Finn (John Boyega), Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), and Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo) receive word from a First Order spy about Palpatine’s return. Searching Luke Skywalker’s (Mark Hamill) Jedi texts, Rey learns of a Sith Wayfinder that can lead the Resistance to Palpatine in the outer reaches of the galaxy.
On the planet Passana and joined by C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) and BB-8, they encounter retired general Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams) who previously accompanied Luke in searching for the Sith Wayfinder and points them to its last suspected location. Rey and the crew discover the ship left behind by a former assassin named Ochi, triggering memories from her own childhood and her separation from her parents. Finding a Sith dagger among the remains, Rey senses Kylo Ren’s presence and confronts him.
Knowing that the inscription on the Sith dagger is key to finding Palpatine, Poe and Finn risk wiping C-3PO’s memory on the planet Kijimi so that they can understand it. Rey continues to be haunted by Ren, who promises to unite with her as he plans his own coup against Palpatine. As the emperor builds his new armada of Star Destroyers for what he terms “the Final Order,” Rey’s role in this drama begins to unfold as she is caught once more between the Jedi and the Sith.
Since they first debuted over four decades ago, Star Wars films have basically become modern day mythology. They unite people across cultures, languages, and races, with lines from the films being quoted or characters being cosplayed globally. So much love has been given to the franchise that some have become overly possessive of it, to the point of being furious when what they want doesn’t come to fruition. The names of Ahmed Best, Jake Lloyd, and Kelly Marie Tran are examples of actors in the series that became objects of hatred and derision by so-called “fans” because their characters or their acting didn’t measure up to what these fanatics wanted.
Such was the scenario in the wake of Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi. Released in 2017, Rian Johnson’s lone contribution to Star Wars proved to be the most divisive of the films to date as the director placed a spotlight on peripheral characters and gave a less than popular finale to Luke Skywalker. Abrams tries to counter that backlash with The Rise of Skywalker, but ends up with a bit of a mish-mash in story instead. There are several plot holes present, some scenes feel rushed, and one can’t help but feel that too much fan service was given with the number of cameos in the film.
Yet, at the end of the day, this is still a Star Wars film, and a Star Wars film has to be fun while also providing those fan service moments. The Rise of Skywalker brings to an end four decades of Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, R2-D2, Chewbacca, C-3PO, Han Solo, Lando Calrissian, Darth Vader, and all those memories from the childhood of a generation that George Lucas first nurtured in 1977. It was not perfect. It had parts that left you scratching your head. But the moment John Williams’ soaring music first hits and the words “Star Wars” flash on the screen all the way to the melancholy view of Tatooine’s suns as Rey and BB-8 stare off into the horizon, you basically know what you’re going to get.
No matter what critics may say, whether they be pro or anti-Episode IX, the franchise’s most ardent fans will still pay good money to watch the film, probably several times over too. Even as fans furiously type on their keyboards why Kylo Ren shouldn’t have been redeemed or why Rey should never have been revealed as having that last name, the memories will remain. And as this chapter of Star Wars closes, those of us who grew up on it can still talk, debate (hopefully in a civil manner), and discuss among ourselves on what we liked and didn’t like about each of the nine films while still looking forward to what Disney and the new stewards of the franchise have to add to its legacy.
Editor’s Note: Star Wars Weekend, the early limited release of the latest episode in the franchise in the Philippines, has ended to make way for the Metro Manila Film Festival 2019. If you didn’t get to catch the film, its wide release takes place on January 8, 2020. Happy watching! May the Force be with you.
