Star Wars Episode IX: Rise of Skywalker (Spoilers)

[motherofpearl1]

Rey started out alone on a barren planet. She ended up alone on a barren planet.

Han, Leia and Luke died without ever leaving an heir. Who was killed off.

The Skywalkers are all dead. A Palpatine is the only one left.

I'm genuinely baffled that LF and Disney think this s a hopefull, happy ending.
Merry Christmas.

[Celgress]

Rey started out alone on a barren planet. She ended up alone on a barren planet.

Han, Leia and Luke died without ever leaving an heir. Who was killed off.

The Skywalkers are all dead. A Palpatine is the only one left.

I'm genuinely baffled that LF and Disney think this s a hopefull, happy ending.
Merry Christmas.

It is a very nihilistic ending, I'll give you that much. Perhaps a product of our time, sadly.

[motherofpearl1]

Not much fun if, like me, you suffer from depression.
Ironically my love of Star Wars helped me through some bad times as a kid.
They're dead to me now.

[Buried Alien]

Rey started out alone on a barren planet. She ended up alone on a barren planet.

Han, Leia and Luke died without ever leaving an heir. Who was killed off.

The Skywalkers are all dead. A Palpatine is the only one left.

I'm genuinely baffled that LF and Disney think this s a hopefull, happy ending.
Merry Christmas.

It is a very nihilistic ending, I'll give you that much. Perhaps a product of our time, sadly.

"Never be afraid of who you are." - Leia's final words to Rey.

"There are things more powerful than blood." - Luke's words to Rey.

"This is the ending that feels most intended from the beginning of the sequel trilogy: deserted scavenger Rey claiming the Skywalker name not through blood but by actions, an active rebuke of lineage as the cause of greatness and emboldening of any individual's character." - Alex Leadbeater, ScreenRant.com, whose interpretation coincides with mine.

At the end of the film, Rey has taken the Skywalker name, their lightsabers (though she chose to bury them and leave them at peace), the Millennium Falcon, presumably R2D2 and C3PO, Luke's X-Wing Fighter, one of Han's blasters, and most importantly of all, their values, which she freely chose, while rejecting everything that was Palpatine's. She could not purge herself of Palpatine's blood, but ultimately, it didn't matter. The legacy of the Skywalkers was willingly passed down to her by the Skywalkers themselves, and she embraced it. That was the driving theme of the movie: nothing is predestined, but the result of the choices and actions that an individual takes on the path of life. Self-actualization rather than fate.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Buried Alien]

She went to a planet that every single Skywalker that was there absolutely hated it

Probably more for the viewers' benefit than the Skywalkers'. Tatooine was where it all began and the most frequently revisited world in all of STAR WARS.

Though it might have been even better (at least from the Skywalker perspective) to bury both sabers on Naboo.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Shunt]

"Never be afraid of who you are." - Leia's final words to Rey.

"There are things more powerful than blood." - Luke's words to Rey.

"This is the ending that feels most intended from the beginning of the sequel trilogy: deserted scavenger Rey claiming the Skywalker name not through blood but by actions, an active rebuke of lineage as the cause of greatness and emboldening of any individual's character." - Alex Leadbeater, ScreenRant.com, whose interpretation coincides with mine.

At the end of the film, Rey has taken the Skywalker name, their lightsabers (though she chose to bury them and leave them at peace), the Millennium Falcon, presumably R2D2 and C3PO, Luke's X-Wing Fighter, one of Han's blasters, and most importantly of all, their values, which she freely chose, while rejecting everything that was Palpatine's. She could not purge herself of Palpatine's blood, but ultimately, it didn't matter. The legacy of the Skywalkers was willingly passed down to her by the Skywalkers themselves, and she embraced it. That was the driving theme of the movie: nothing is predestined, but the result of the choices and actions that an individual takes on the path of life. Self-actualization rather than fate.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

I actually think it would have left a more powerful message if she had answered her name was Rey Palpatine. After all, it's not like Luke hadn't carried proudly the name Skywalker after his genocidal (albeit redeemed, unlike the Emperor) father, and it resonantes better with the "never be afraid of who you are" advice.

[Buried Alien]

I actually think it would have left a more powerful message if she had answered her name was Rey Palpatine. After all, it's not like Luke hadn't carried proudly the name Skywalker after his genocidal (albeit redeemed, unlike the Emperor) father, and it resonantes better with the "never be afraid of who you are" advice.

Who *wants* the Palpatine legacy, though?

Moreover, Anakin Skywalker was originally good, but corrupted to evil. He had that spark of good left in him, which made him redeemable. I don't think Sheev Palpatine ever had any good in him that could be redeemed.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Shunt]

Who *wants* the Palpatine legacy, though?

Moreover, Anakin Skywalker was originally good, but corrupted to evil. He had that spark of good left in him, which made him redeemable. I don't think Sheev Palpatine ever had any good in him that could be redeemed.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

And that's exactly why I think the message would have been more powerful if she had kept the Palpatine name: "look, this is who I am, this is literally where I come from, and I'm not afraid of it, as Leia told me".

[Revolutionary_Jack]

Rey started out alone on a barren planet. She ended up alone on a barren planet.

Han, Leia and Luke died without ever leaving an heir. Who was killed off.

The Skywalkers are all dead. A Palpatine is the only one left.

That's a bizarre interpretation of the story...

Palpatine didn't give a damn about family, having children, or a legacy. He cared only about the Sith and the eradication of the Jedi. For him his own granddaughter outright undoing his entire legacy is a lasting humiliation.

I don't see how Rey Palpatine calling herself Rey Skywalker is so bad. I mean Leia Skywalker was raised as Leia Organa and still identified as Organa even after Luke told her the truth.

Is Leia calling herself Leia Organa and raising her son as Ben Solo an insult to the Skywalker name too?

Basically there were just three people with the Skywalker Name. Shmi Skywalker, Anakin Skywalker, Luke Skywalker. That's it. Luke didn't have children.

I'm genuinely baffled that LF and Disney think this s a hopefull, happy ending.

It's intended to be a bittersweet ending.

Like so many things in the ST, it resembles discussed and discarded ideas in the OT. Originally ROTJ was supposed to end with Han dying, Leia going to politics, and Luke walking off into the sunset to be some wandering Jedi because Lawrence Kasdan thought it should be a bittersweet ending. But Lucas felt that went against the tone of the OT and the spirit of the friendship of Han, Leia, and Luke.

TROS is a bittersweet ending. Rey defeats the dark side but she loses the man she loves. Despite everything, her adventures have created a sense of distance between her, Finn, and Poe. And in the finale, she walks off into the sunset to be some wandering Jedi.

[Celgress]

My final two cents -

I prefer ROTJ over ROS because it was a hopeful ending. I'll always like it better because of that. It is also my favorite movie of all time. Here is why - Alien 3 was my perfect ending for the Xenomorph saga (too bad it went on lol) as that series was always about nihilism, unlike Star Wars which always had an undercurrent of hope. ROS betrayed the essence of Star Wars, IMO. Others may disagree but this is how I feel.

[SpiderClops]

*takes a deep breath*

Kylo Ren's redemption arc was way better than Darth Vader's.

*runs for life*

[ZeroBG82]

I actually think it would have left a more powerful message if she had answered her name was Rey Palpatine. After all, it's not like Luke hadn't carried proudly the name Skywalker after his genocidal (albeit redeemed, unlike the Emperor) father, and it resonantes better with the "never be afraid of who you are" advice.

Luke called himself Luke Skywalker even as a child, though. It's his identity. He didn't abandon it after Vader because he never questioned who he was. He honored the man, Anakin Skywalker, who was his father and whose name he had carried as long he had lived. It was never a question of calling himself anything else.

Rey was just Rey. Hell, even earlier in TROS she specifically notes that she has no family name. She's just Rey. The entire trilogy the focus of her character has been on having a family to belong to.

And she finally gets it. Her parents are, in every meaningful and lasting way, Luke and Leia. Assuming the Palpatine name because of her blood lineage doesn't make any real sense. The moment at the conclusion is her acknowledgement that she has finally found the family she's been searching for for so long. That Luke and Leia knew her blood history and chose to accept her anyway. To have that faith in her. She's not "reclaiming" anything, and she's not being afraid of who she is by not using Palpatine. Because she isn't Rey Palpatine and never has been, which is the entire message of the film.

She was effectively raised by Skywalkers. So much of who she has become is the product of that family. Luke, Leia, even Ben have made her who she is.

[Kintor]

*takes a deep breath*

Kylo Ren's redemption arc was way better than Darth Vader's.

*runs for life*

An inquisitor has been notified of your heresy. Please remain where you are and await collection for interrogation. In the event of your untimely death your possessions will be sold at auction to compensate the Empire for resources expended.

[Celgress]

*takes a deep breath*

Kylo Ren's redemption arc was way better than Darth Vader's.

*runs for life*

If you insist.

Yeah, I don't care anymore one way or the other. I'm apathetic towards all things Star Wars now (other than the Mandalorian). I'm sure the Emperor will come back again if they need him for another movie.

[Username taken]

That's a bizarre interpretation of the story...

Palpatine didn't give a damn about family, having children, or a legacy. He cared only about the Sith and the eradication of the Jedi. For him his own granddaughter outright undoing his entire legacy is a lasting humiliation.

I don't see how Rey Palpatine calling herself Rey Skywalker is so bad. I mean Leia Skywalker was raised as Leia Organa and still identified as Organa even after Luke told her the truth.

Is Leia calling herself Leia Organa and raising her son as Ben Solo an insult to the Skywalker name too?

Basically there were just three people with the Skywalker Name. Shmi Skywalker, Anakin Skywalker, Luke Skywalker. That's it. Luke didn't have children.



It's intended to be a bittersweet ending.

Like so many things in the ST, it resembles discussed and discarded ideas in the OT. Originally ROTJ was supposed to end with Han dying, Leia going to politics, and Luke walking off into the sunset to be some wandering Jedi because Lawrence Kasdan thought it should be a bittersweet ending. But Lucas felt that went against the tone of the OT and the spirit of the friendship of Han, Leia, and Luke.

TROS is a bittersweet ending. Rey defeats the dark side but she loses the man she loves. Despite everything, her adventures have created a sense of distance between her, Finn, and Poe. And in the finale, she walks off into the sunset to be some wandering Jedi.

Exactly.

It wasn’t in anyway shape or form meant to be a happy ending. It was intended to be a bittersweet and somewhat somber ending.

And it actually opens up more storytelling potential for the characters.