Over the winter holidays, the final trilogy of Star Wars movies, was released: The Rise of Skywalker. The movie is a fast paced race to the end of the series with many nods to the past eight movies. In the final movie, the characters discover the evil Emperor Palpatine, last seen in Return of the Jedi, was in fact not killed by Darth Vader. He returns in need of a powerful Jedi to strike him so he can have the power of the Jedi and the Sith (the beings of the dark side who have the force). Palpatine’s return is unknown to the rest of the galaxy, as he hides and rebuilds his power on the uncharted planet Exegol. Kylo Ren acquires a Sith wayfinder, leading him to Palpatine, who orders him to turn or kill Rey. Princess Leia trains Rey to improve her Jedi skills and to seek guidance from all the past Jedi. Fin and Po lead the remnants of the rebels, and they discover that the emperor is still alive on Exegol. Following in Luke Skywalker’s search for the remaining Sith they also use a Sith wayfinder. These rebels continue their journey and fight to return the balance within the universe.
Personally, I think this film was a success; the plot was captivating and well-thought out. It acknowledges the old movies and themes, but this story stands on its own, especially with Ray’s internal as well as external battles and the connection between her and Kylo Ren. While this movie was overall very good, I was, and many fans were, disappointed that Po’s and Fin’s relationship is not further explored and that some relationships were over-romanticized for no particular reason. Age old questions of whether the force is in everyone and whether the galaxy’s war is a war of the rich elite come up again. Even if the questions are not answered, any fan should go see this movie at the theater to say goodbye to a franchise that touched so many generations.