Episode 40: Star Wars Episode 9 Review + Future of Franchise

Topic: Star Wars Episode 9 Review + Future of Franchise

It’s finally here, we spent the entire month of December getting to this moment, so we welcome the new year with the long awaited review of episode 9, The Rise of Skywalker.  First thing outside of the theater, we were trying to figure out what happens next?  Does the Story continue?  Does it pause for a while?  Where does Rey and crew go from here on out?  Mom’s got opinions, come find out.

Spoilers for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

Ep9

The Rise of Skywalker

1. Emperor Palpatine is alive?  Kylo Ren finds him and learns that the Emperor had been building a huge fleet of star destroyers.  Kylo Ren Agrees to kill Rey as the Emperor requests, leaning that he created & manipulated Snoke.
2. Rey is training with Leia, when they learn that Palpatine intends on launching his fleet in the next 16 hours.  Rey, Poe, Finn, and Chewy go to find a Sith beacon that will lead to Palpatine.
3. Crew a clue in a dagger that has Sith language, but learn that C-3PO can’t translate due to programming.  They attempt to escape on a ship that Rey remembers seeing before, but First Order capture Chewy.  In trying to save him, Rey and Kylo Ren are fighting for the transport, but Rey accidentally shoots out Lightning from her fingers and destroys the transport. 
4. Crew leave to planet Kajimi Poe knows to crack C-3PO and learn the clue on the dagger.  Rey learns that Chewy is alive and on Kylo Ren’s ship that has followed them.  Crew discover that they need to go to Endor to the remains of the Death Star to find the Sith beacon.
5. Crew head to Kylo Ren’s ship, Poe and Finn rescue Chewy, but are captured themselves.  They are saved by General Hux, who reveals is a spy against Kylo Ren.  Rey finds the dagger and has a vision from Kylo Ren, who informs her that she is Palpatine’s Granddaughter. They all escape to Endor.
6. On Endor, Rey travels to the remains of the Death Star to find the Sith Beacon.  She finds it, but is confronted by a force vision of an evil version of herself.  Kylo Ren catches up to her and destroys the beacon.  The two fight, with Kylo Ren about to kill Rey.  Leia stops Kylo Ren by using the force to distract him, causing Rey to stab Kylo Ren. This causes Leia to die.
7. Rey heals Kylo Ren and escapes to the planet where Luke was at, destroying the ship so she can’t leave.  Luke confronts Rey that he was wrong and offers her Leia’s lightsaber to help her.  Rey leaves to fight Palpatine.  Kylo Ren speaks with his father, a force ghost(?) and he throws away his red lightsaber, no longer following the darkside of the force.
8. Finn and Poe return to base, learning that Rey is sending them markers on how to get to Palpatine.  They send Lando in Millennium Falcon to rally support.  Poe leads attack on Star Destroyers while Finn launches a ground assault to disable the satellites, stopping the Star Destroyers.  Eventually Lando arrives with hundreds of people and their own ships, to fight the Star Destroyers.
9. Rey confront Palpatine, who tells her that she will kill him, then he will flow in to her and she will become Empress of the Empire.  Rey agrees and prepares to strike him down, but Ben Solo is nearly caught up to her.  Through the force, she passes on Luke’s lightsaber to Ben, while she takes up Leia’s lightsaber.  The two stand side by side to confront Palpatine.
10. Palpatine knocks both Rey and Ben down, draining some of their Force, and realizing they are a Dyad in the Force, regenerating Palpatine.  Palpatine sucks the Force out of them, returning to his former power and attacking the resistance fleet with Lightning.  He knocks Ben away to die.
11. Rey hears the voices of the Jedi speak to her, and she takes up both Luke’s and Leia’s lightsabers to fight Palpatine.  She is successful in destroying Palpatine, but dies in the process.  Ben returns to Rey and give his force to her, reviving her.  Ben dies and joins the Force.
12. Rey reunites with Finn and Poe, and gives them a big hug.  Rey travels to Luke’s home on Tatooine, and buries Leia’s and Luke’s saber under the sand.  A passerbuy wonders who Rey is, Rey remarks, after seeing Luke and Leia as Force Ghosts, that she is Rey Skywalker.

Trivia:

• Leia is created using unused footage from past two movies. 
• When George Lucas laid out plans for 12 movies, C-3PO and R2D2 were only characters to exist in all movies.  Anthony Daniels (C-3PO) is only actor to be in all 9 movies, and makes cameo in movie outside of the C-3PO Costume.
• With a gap of thirty-six years, the return of the characters Lando Calrissian and Wedge Antilles marks the longest time for any original actors to reprise his role.
• During scene where Rey hears voices, multiple Jedi are heard, including:

Ewan McGregor and Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan Kenobi

Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker

Ashley Eckstein as Ahsoka Tano(Star Wars Rebels)

Freddie Prinze Jr. as Kanan Jarrus(Star Wars Rebels)

Olivia d'Abo as Luminara Unduli(Prequel Movies)

Frank Oz as Yoda

Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn

Jennifer Hale as Aayla Secura(Prequel Movies & Star Wars Clone Wars)

Samuel L. Jackson as Mace Windu

Angelique Perrin as Adi Gallia(Prequel Movies & Star Wars Clone Wars)

Where to Next?