Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker
Emperor Palpatine ’s resurrection inStar Wars : The ascension of Skywalkerhurt the sequel trilogy andStar Warsoverall more than anything in the prequels ever did . TheStar Warssequel trilogy has test dissentious for a myriad of reason ; some audiences believed there was n’t enough stress on the original heroes , particularly Luke Skywalker , Leia Organa , and Han Solo , while others feel that Modern character reference like Finn , Poe Dameron , and Rose Tico were unfairly sideline . Many also concord thatStar war : The Force Awakens , though it had promising potential , was a rehash of the originalStar Warsfilm .
But despite these criticisms and innumerable others , one critical narration decision harmed public percept of theStar Warssequel trilogy more than anything else ever did , recontextualizing most the entire franchise in the unconscious process . Palpatine ’s resurrection inThe climb of Skywalkerchanged everything . Now , newerStar Warsprojects likeThe Mandalorian , Star Wars : The Bad Batch , and Charles Soule’sThe Rise of Kylo Rencomic miniseries are being used to explain the sequel trilogy ’s big and most surprising plot line , but to a certain extent , these clarifications have come too late . The damage was already done by the time these explanations arrived .
Palpatine’s Return Killed The Rise Of Skywalker (& The Sequel Trilogy)
“ Somehow Palpatine returned , ” said it all , really . The exasperation with which Poe spoke those words reflected how much of theStar Warsaudience felt about this monumental narrative pick . Perhaps most egregiously of all , Palpatine ’s Resurrection of Christ inThe advance of Skywalkerhighlighted the lack of a cohesive plan where theStar Warssequel trilogy was concerned . This was already quite evident give the stark difference betweenThe Force AwakensandStar Wars : The Last Jedi , but whenThe ascent of Skywalkerpremiered , Palpatine ’s Resurrection of Christ truly came out of nowhere . This was a storytelling move entirely reliant on nostalgia , one which would alter the past tense and determine the immediate future tense of theStar Warsfranchise as a whole .
Related : In defense force Of " Somehow Palpatine Returned "
It also push Rey and Kylo Ren ’s fiber electric arc in a sure direction . BeforeThe advance of Skywalker , they were each head down an interesting route . Kylo reject all attempts to redeem him throughoutThe Last Jedi , give him the chance to break costless from his grandfather ’s bequest . Rey was demonstrate to be someone wholly separate from the Skywalker family , proving that those with connection to the Force could still fare from anywhere , be anyone . But Palpatine ’s issue meant that both of them need to be involve in his architectural plan , or his Christ’s Resurrection would have been even more confounding . As a result , Rey ended up being a Palpatine , and Kylo Ren was fall in a swift and reasonably unearned buyback arc .
The Prequels Never Had A Single Choice As Bad As Palpatine’s Return
When theStar Warsprequel trilogy was originally released , it garnered just as much criticism as the sequel trilogy did . There were plenty of stumble , some of which are still litigious point of discussion today . Jar Jar Binks was included too prominently , much of the dialogue feel off and wooden , and some audiences plain about Hayden Christensen ’s execution as Anakin Skywalker . Most of all , people deridedStar warfare : Episode I – The Phantom Menace ; some take to this day that it ’s an unneeded part of the saga , and the so - called “ Machete”Star Warswatch order eliminates it totally . And yet , none of these issues truly altered the overarching floor of the prequel trilogy to the same extent as Palpatine ’s resurrection did for the sequel .
The affaire d’honneur between Darth Maul , Qui - Gon Jinn and Obi - Wan Kenobi inThe Phantom Menacehighlights the exact moment the galaxy transfer forever and Anakin ’s fortune was likely varnish . Jar Jar Binks may have been an irritating presence , but his character was fleshed out and give a more relatable office inStar warfare : The Clone Wars . And , while some of the prequels ’ duologue may have been fluky – the notorious sand conversation comes to brain – none of that lead away from the strength of Anakin ’s crepuscle to the moody side , the harm of Order 66 , and the disaster of Padmé Amidala ’s death .
Related:8 Things In The Star Wars Prequel Trilogy That Were ALWAYS ripe
TROS' Palpatine Mistake Shows 1 Big Way The Prequels Beat The Sequels
Every major event that happen in the prequel trilogy would eventually lead up to those set moment . Nothing inThe Force AwakensandThe Last Jediwas ever work up to Palpatine ’s return . The prequels , no matter how one personally feels about them , were made with a unique aim : explain how the galax came to be as it was inA New Hopeand beyond . That includes Darth Vader ’s pedigree , how Palpatine became Emperor , how the Jedi were ( almost ) wiped out , and why Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa did n’t develop up together . All of those things were accomplish with the prequel trilogy because there was a unified narration visual modality .
One could ascribe that to the fact that these were prequel movies , tale being told with the denotative purpose of providing context for their harbinger , but the sequel trilogy could have just as easily planned its endgame long before the individual installment ever went into production . Instead , the filmmakers write their own narrative and followed their own creative impulses , loosely working with what came before , but with their own next narration visions in mind . This is why Finn never truly became a Jedi , and whyRey survive from being a nobody to being a Palpatine . Palpatine ’s return showed , more than anything else , that there was no unified sight for the sequel trilogy .
This remains a ignominy because sure ingredient of theStar Warssequel trilogy surpass or amend on the prequels and the original trilogy . The wayThe Last Jediexplains the Force , for instance , or Force - ghost Yoda ’s conversation with an old Luke Skywalker . The Rise of Skywalker ’s musical theme of a Force twain between Rey and Kylo Renremains unbelievably intriguing , and seeing Leia train to be a Jedi with Luke was fantastical . There are many more fantastic moments and thought sprinkled throughout theStar Warssequel trilogy , but they are spoil by Palpatine ’s return . After that happened , Star Warsofficially became too attached to the past , when it should have been look toward the future .
Though otherStar Warsprojects have been used in late times to provide a right explanation for Palpatine ’s recurrence , this trend finally seems to be coming to an conclusion . With Grand Admiral Thrawn ’s live - action debut and the exciting expectation of the so - call Mandoverse ’s imposing crossing over on the way , along with the succeeder of the High Republic Era and the upcomingThe Acolyteshow , the future looks lustrous forStar war . None of these stories should be inherentlyreliant on Palpatine returningyet again . Even so , Palpatine ’s trace still brood over the franchise – especially whereThe Mandalorianand the New Republic era are concerned . Star Wars : The Rise of Skywalkerhas forever tied the Skywalker saga ’s timeline to Palpatine ’s dark legacy .
