Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalkeris undoubtedly among the most criticized projects of allStar Warsmovies and TV shows, so what exactly went wrong with the movie? To date,The Rise of Skywalkercontinues to be seen as one ofStar Wars’worst movies(and, for many, the single worst).
It’s true that the sequel trilogy in general faced backlash and controversy, and there were legitimately someissues with theStar Warssequel trilogy, yetThe Rise of Skywalkerremains far and away the most heavily scrutinized. While some may point to specific storylines, characters, or even (unfairly) actors,there were myriad waysThe Rise of Skywalkerwent wrong.
While It’s Not A First For Lucasfilm, It’s Clear There Was No Concrete Plan For The Sequels
There will always be a degree of flexibility in a trilogy, be itStar Warsor any other franchise, as changes are inevitably going to be made as the story unfolds. Even with theStar Warsprequel trilogy, which already had several major plot points pre-determined by the original trilogy, plans changed.
George Lucas even considered some serious deviations from what we ultimately saw on screen, such as Padmé surviving at the end ofStar Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. In fact, it’s clear thatGeorge Lucas had no issue whatsoever with making major changes based on the original trilogy alone.
After all, some of the franchise’s most defining moments, including the reveal that Darth Vader was Luke Skywalker’s father, were not the plan from the outset. It’s therefore long been the precedent forStar Warstrilogies to begin without a clearly defined arc.
Yet, the sequel trilogy very clearly suffered from a lack of long-term plans. This is perhaps most obvious in Rey’s storyline. As just one example, Rey’s parentage was a major mystery inStar Wars: The Force Awakens, but it’s evident thatthe sequel trilogy had no idea who Rey’s parents were untilThe Rise of Skywalker.
The sequel trilogy very clearly suffered from a lack of long-term plans.
That became particularly problematic because it was so much more than just an aspect of Rey’s character; it was integral to the larger sequel trilogy arc more generally. Without that lineage already being known, at the very least by the writers and most senior team members involved, that story felt entirely scattershot.
That issue was clear enough whenStar Wars: The Last Jediintroduced the concept that Rey’s parents were ‘nobodies’ (actually a very compelling concept) only forThe Rise of Skywalkerto rip it away with the mind-boggling reveal ofPalpatine’s resurrectionand Rey’s biological connection to this originalStar Warsvillain.
Ultimately, this problem came down to Lucasfilm’s use of J.J. Abrams' mystery-box-style storytelling, seen in some of his other projects, such asLost, asthat approach necessitates really sticking the landing. However, theRise of Skywalkerending failed to satisfyingly resolve many of these mysteries, creating significant issues for the whole trilogy.
Lucasfilm Lost Confidence After The Last Jedi’s Backlash
The Rise Of Skywalker Was Hardly The First Sequel Movie To Get A Negative Response
I’ll be the first to admit that I believeThe Last Jediis the best of the three sequel movies, controversial though that may be.Star Wars: The Force Awakenswas a fun return to form, and I enjoyed the introduction of several new characters, but it really did feel like a redo ofA New Hopein many ways.
The Last Jedi, by contrast, felt like it was giving audiences something new—in fact, it offered many new concepts and storylines, fromthe Force Dyad(although it wasn’t named at the time) to the notion that Rey actually wasn’t related to anyone important; she was just an ‘Everyman Hero’ with a tragic backstory.
Evidently, that was too much too soon for some viewers, as responses to many of these updates were not all that popular. Luke Skywalker’s death and the fact that he didn’t truly get one brilliant final lightsaber duel only made it all the worse for many.
Sadly, it seems likely thatthis response toThe Last Jedifrom some in the fanbase scared Lucasfilm off from pursuing these same themes, characters, and stories inThe Rise of Skywalker. This played out in a number of ways, notably with the unfortunate sidelining of characters like Rose Tico and Finn and even with the return of Luke.
What this led to was a sense of tug-of-war betweenThe Last JediandThe Rise of Skywalker, wherein the latter effectively undid all that was done in the former. That most obviously included the rewriting of Rey’s lineage to connect her to one ofthe most powerful Sithof all time—far from a ‘nobody.’
However,The Rise of Skywalkeralso pulled back from the moral ambiguity between the Resistance and the First Order introduced inThe Last Jedi, and it put nearly every character but Rey and Kylo Ren/Ben Solo in the backseat. It’s worth noting, though, some of these issues weren’t choices; in some ways,The Rise of Skywalkerhad unavoidable obstacles.
Lucasfilm’s Original Plans For Episode IX Depended On Carrie Fisher
Carrie Fisher’s Tragic Passing Directly Influenced The Rise Of Skywalker
One of the saddest aspects ofThe Rise of Skywalkeris the fact thaticonic Princess Leia actress Carrie Fisher died before filming beganon this third and final sequel movie. In addition to the heartbreak of her loss, this presented a significant and unavoidable obstacle for the movie.
Losing a major star ahead of a movie would always be challenging, but it was particularly thorny in this case becauseThe Rise of Skywalkerwas relying on Carrie Fisher for the story to work. For one, Han Solo’s death inThe Force Awakensand Luke’s death inThe Last Jedimeant Leia was the last original trilogy hero standing.
The Rise of Skywalkerwas relying on Carrie Fisher for the story to work.
Moreover,The Last Jedi’sending clearly passed the baton to Leia, particularly when it came to her mentor role to Rey (which had notably been Han’s role inThe Force Awakensand Luke’s inThe Last Jedi). Short of having Leia die off-screen before the movie, which would make no sense, there was littleThe Rise of Skywalkercould do.
It’s true that the movie could have recast Leia, although that would have been a massive and no doubt unpopular decision. However, I’m not convinced the decision they ultimately went with was that much better. In the end, they used old footage of Fisher to patch together Leia’s role in the movie.
Sadly, that just madeThe Rise of Skywalker, especially Leia’s scenes, feel morbid and uncomfortable. The uncanny valley effect of Leia’s appearances only worsened this. It seems clear, in retrospect, that they needed to take a pause and figure out the best path forward, but instead, Lucasfilm rushed ahead.
Disney Only Agreed To Push Back Rise Of Skywalker So Far After Colin Trevorrow’s Departure
In September 2017, it was announced that Colin Trevorrow, who was set to directThe Rise of Skywalker, was no longer going to be on the project. As could be expected, there wasn’t a lot revealed at that time about why this departure happened. Based on the statement by Lucasfilm, it was a mutual decision.
The reasoning behind this split aside,Disney didn’t giveThe Rise of Skywalkernearly the delay it needed following this departure. Initially,The Rise of Skywalkerwas meant to be released in May 2019. After Trevorrow’s exit, the movie was pushed to December 2019.
All things considered, it’s difficult to imagine that a little more than six months could provide enough time to give this movie the redirect that it needed. That, combined with the myriad other issues the movie faced (particularly pertaining to how Fisher’s passing affected the story), led to the movie being far too rushed.
It’s difficult to imagine that a little more than six months could provide enough time to give this movie the redirect that it needed.
J.J. Abrams Hit On The Wrong Idea With Palpatine’s Return
All Signs Point To This Being Abrams' Decision… And It Was The Wrong One
Although there’s some debate about whose idea it really was to have Palpatine return in the sequel trilogy, with J.J. Abrams indicating that the idea was considered duringThe Force Awakensbut Colin Trevorrow suggestingPalpatine’s return was Abrams' idea, most signs point toward this controversial resurrection being Abrams' brainchild.
In fairness to Abrams, the notion that Palpatine could come back to him didn’t originate with him (if he did indeed propose it), nor with anyone else behind the sequels. On the contrary,Palpatine’s return via clone was actually somethingStar WarsLegends had toyed with decades earlier.
Unfortunately, though, many agree thatwhereas Legends brought Palpatine back in a more thought-out, intentional way,The Rise of Skywalker’sPalpatine resurrection felt like a last-ditch effort to pull the sequel trilogy together, specifically after so much back-and-forth with the movies changing hands.
The Rise of Skywalkeralso did itself no favors with how it was discussed within the movie. Poe Dameron’s ill-fated line,“Somehow, Palpatine returned,“for instance, has become one of the most criticized and outright mocked lines in the franchise. There were some references to cloning, but that was loose at best.
While there may have been something to this story had it been the plan from the beginning, as it was, it felt like a sharp left turn inThe Rise of Skywalker, and many viewers agree it didn’t work. Arguably, having Kylo Ren or even Rey be the ultimate ‘big bad’ in the trilogy would have been preferable.
Production Of Rise Of Skywalker Was Ridiculously Rushed
In The End, Timing Really Was Everything (And It Didn’t Work)
All the above issues were absolutely factors in what went wrong withThe Rise of Skywalker, butfew issues were as significant as the rushed timeline. In fact, perIndieWire,Rise of Skywalkereditor Maryann Brandon revealed that, despite Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy indicating more time was needed"in the cutting room”:
“I knew that wasn’t going to happen. Not with the schedule that we were on. Not with what [J.J. Abrams] was dealing with on a daily basis…he was just exhausted at the end of the day.”
Shockingly, in that same interview, Brandon admitted,“Look, sure, it’s fan service,”ofThe Rise of Skywalker, although she also highlighted that, had they not done ‘fan service,’ there would have been complaints about the movie deviating too much fromStar Wars’history (which is likely true).
There is a sense in whichThe Rise of Skywalkerwas doomed either way, becauseStar Wars’fanbase is one that frequently has pushback no matter what direction movies and shows take. At the same time, though,there’s little denying that feeling rushed was a factor, and it’s one that will inevitably cause major problems.
This is a particularly ironic problem forThe Rise of Skywalkerto have, as Disney CEO Bob Iger’s own book,The Ride of a Lifetime,emphasizes the importance of prioritizing a good story over meeting a deadline. In the book, Iger says:
“One of the biggest mistakes that I’ve seen film studios make is getting locked into a release date and then letting that influence creative decisions, often rushing movies into production before they’re ready… It’s better to give up a release date and keep working to make a better movie.”
Despite these wise words, it seems this is precisely the pitfallThe Rise of Skywalkerfell into, and, ultimately, there’s only so much even the best directors can do when they are under such a serious time crunch.
Purchase The Ride of a Lifetime
It’s important to keep in mind that an amalgamation of things led toThe Rise of Skywalkerhaving such issues, and it really can’t be pinned on any one person, storyline, character, or singular decision. Rather, these various aspects ofStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalkerall contributed to what went wrong with the movie.
