It’s 42 years in the making and Star Wars’ Skywalker saga finally has its end in The Rise of Skywalker. The Force Awakens returning director JJ Abrams had his work cut out for him to not only finish the sequel trilogy, but the last episode in a nine-movie story.
And for Abrams, the answer to that was to bring back Palpatine, who until now, has been seemingly absent from the sequel trilogy.
His story set up in The Force Awakens introduced Supreme Leader Snoke as the new big baddie, only for The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson to decide to kill him off.
Well, as The Rise of Skywalker opens we learn that Snoke was a puppet clone of Palpatine all along and now he’s planning a big comeback to rule with his Final Order.
Oddly, how Darth Sidious is back isn’t explained, baring something about “unnatural” methods of cheating death.
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Regardless, The Rise of Skywalker’s main focal point sees Rey on a quest to locate Palpatine and face him herself.
But over the course of the film some big reveals are made, ones that really seem to undo Johnson’s narrative decisions in The Last Jedi.
Most notably, this is the big reveal that Rey’s parents only chose to be nobodies and really she’s Palpatine’s granddaughter.
Lacking a planned three-act structure for the sequel trilogy meant for a messy shoe-horning in of reveals like this – including Sidious’ sudden presence – as Abrams takes the story baton back from Johnson.
Perhaps The Rise of Skywalker’s greatest strength has to be the dynamic between Daisy Ridley’s Rey and Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren, living as opposites of their bloodlines.
The decisions they make towards the end of the film leaves for a satisfying conclusion, but not without consequence for past sins – as Ben Solo rightly dies despite his redemption.
Now, The Rise of Skywalker does meander a little bit in the middle, but this is made up for by its speculator third act.
Stunning action set pieces are complemented by the thrill of both sides (Palpatine and the Resistance) getting the upper hand of each other a few times, keeping tensions high.
Yet Rey’s “I am Iron Man” moment gives a fitting final blow, as she’s strengthened by encouragements of Jedi Force ghosts to melt Palpatine into oblivion Indiana Jones-style.
The Skywalker saga is ultimately Anakin and Palpatine’s story as all the Jedi and Sith are embodied in both Rey and Sidious, before the Light finally does away with Dark for good.
Critics of the film may have disdain for the black and white morality of The Rise of Skywalker compared to The Last Jedi, but it’s ultimately these simple stories of good v evil that audiences can’t help coming back to again and again.
Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker is out now.