I don’t think it’s much of a shock to say that “Rise of Skywalker” did not land well with audiences. It’s a bit of a mess. From a muddled plot, mixed messages, and an all-around ridiculous ending, “Rise of Skywalker” joined the ever-growing group of endings that somewhat ruined the rest of its series (a la “Game of Thrones” or “How I Met Your Mother”).
After some moments of reflection, however, I realized that “Rise of Skywalker” did actually do something positive: it made me accept the Prequel Trilogy.
Now, don’t get me wrong. The Prequel Trilogy is still an absolute mess. Between really forced dialogue, crummy CGI even for then, and some of the worst characters ever to grace the big screen, it is still a bit of a trainwreck. But you know what? It was a consistent trainwreck.
In writing, consistency is key. Characters are supposed to act the way we expect them to (or, if they don’t, there had better be a damn good reason for it), the tone should remain pretty solid throughout, and the message(s), if any, should be clear. As audiences, these are the kinds of things we have come to expect from our storytelling, even as far back as stories like Gilgamesh or The Odyssey. It doesn’t mean that there can’t be surprises, of course, but it does mean that, as an audience, we should be able to understand how that surprise fits within our known story-verse.
Take, for example, the Original Trilogy. Luke is our hero, and he acts like a hero throughout the story. He doesn’t suddenly become evil or anything; he remains consistent to who he is as a character. The big twist in the story is that Darth Vader is his father, and yet…that isn’t even all that surprising. We’ve heard about how powerful Vader is, how powerful Luke’s father was, and while a bit overdramatic Ben’s words that “Darth Vader killed [Luke’s] father” make sense upon reflection. We’ve seen how powerful Luke is in the Force, and it matches up.
Think thematically, too. The Original Trilogy is your archetypal hero’s journey, and it never really deviates from that expectation. The message is that good can triumph over evil, and that remains consistent throughout. Even the ending of “Empire Strikes Back,” while dark, was still hopeful for the future of the good guys. It worked!
Now, let’s look at the Prequel Trilogy. Archetypally, it is the hero’s fall: Anakin’s descent into the dark side. That, too, remains consistent; even while Anakin doesn’t really start his descent until Episode II, we understand that he is powerful in the first episode and can reasonably see why he would turn evil. Thematically, the Prequel Trilogy is about how hubris breeds complacency: the Jedi Order was so full of themselves, they failed to see the corruption around them until it was too late. That, too, is consistent throughout each episode in the trilogy. We, the audience, know that Anakin will turn to the Dark Side and that the Jedi Order will fall; the fun of it is seeing how that happens.
Now, let’s look at the Sequel Trilogy. Episode VII starts us off by focusing on Rey, a young woman who has Force powers. Where did these powers come from? Who knows! The first episode leaves a lot of speculation as to whether she is a Skywalker, a Kenobi, etc…basically raising the question of whether she is related to a powerful Force user we already know of. Since the Original trilogy was all about family legacy, and Episode VII is verrrrry similar to Episode IV, it works.
Episode VIII then turns that whole idea on its head by proclaiming: REY’S PARENTS WERE NOBODIES. SHE ISN’T PART OF SOME BIG LEGACY.
And you know what? That’s awesome.
That message is punctuated at the end of Episode VIII when we see a random child Force-pull a broom into his hands. And suddenly, the theme of the Sequel Trilogy seems to be taking shape: you don’t need to be born into a powerful family to be important. It’s a positive message, it fits for a new generation, and sets up a conflict of inherited power vs. acquired power (Kylo Ren vs. Rey).
Then…”Rise of Skywalker” throws all of that in the trash.
Rey turns out to be the granddaughter of Emperor Palpatine, a revelation that makes zero sense and has basically zero foreshadowing. She fights against the Sith legacy set up for her. It vaguely seems like the message of the story is that you don’t have to be what people want you to…but in the context of the rest of the trilogy, that theme makes no sense.
The issue with “Rise of Skywalker” is that it left the entire Sequel Trilogy with nothing. No definitive ground to stand upon for its existence. There is no overarching narrative. No consistent themes. Just a story with little direction. I loved the new characters it brought us – Finn, Rey, Poe, BB8 – but the Prequel trilogy had awesome characters, too. The special effects were spectacular, but effects only get you so far. The story was fun, but effectively a rehash of the Original Trilogy. The Prequel Trilogy, for all its faults, felt fresh and original.
In the end, “Rise of Skywalker” isn’t just a disappointing movie. It’s a franchise-killer. Star Wars is lucky it still has things like “The Clone Wars” or “The Mandalorian” to keep it afloat.
And, on that note, it’s time to re-watch the Baby Yoda show. Later!
Jacob Ryckman 