Spoiler alert! The following reveals key plot points and the ending of “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.” Stop reading now if you haven’t seen it and don’t want to know.
“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” pays tribute to the long-running franchise’s original stars one last time, though it’s the icon no longer with us who’s most important of them all.
Thanks to unused footage from 2015’s “The Force Awakens,” plus some visual effects help, director J.J. Abrams brings back the late Carrie Fisher to complete Leia Organa’s character arc, which started in 1977’s “Star Wars.” It’s an imperfectly perfect last appearance for a Hollywood icon who put so much of herself (including the tough stuff) out there for the world to see, one that continues to cement Leia’s legacy in the galaxy far, far away.
Fisher, 60, died on Dec. 27, 2016, after filming her scenes for 2017’s “The Last Jedi.” Her strong-willed Rebel princess from the original “Star Wars” trilogy fell for “scruffy nerf herder” Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and later learned that she was the sister of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and daughter of Darth Vader. The new trilogy, set 30 years later, ensconced her as a general in the scrappy Resistance fighting a new on-the-rise movement called the First Order.
“She’s the beating heart of this war. Luke’s out, Han’s out, she’s the last one left,” says John Boyega, who plays Resistance hero Finn. “Leia being Force-sensitive and having an understanding of that is very, very important for all of these guys who are now kind of understanding their roles in the universe.”
Seriously, this is your last chance to bail, because here come the spoilers.
General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) hugs Rey in a moving moment from "The Rise of Skywalker." Fisher died in 2016 and is included in the film through unused "Force Awakens" footage plus some visual effects wizardry. (Photo: LUCASFILM)
Review: ‘Rise of Skywalker’ concludes ‘Star Wars’ saga with splendor and disappointment
‘A Life on the Edge’: Carrie Fisher sent flowers to Marcia Clark, and other details from the new biography
“Rise of Skywalker” opens with the good guys dealing with the return of villainous Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) and Leia in a new role as teacher. With Luke no longer around to be her mentor (see: his sacrifice in “The Last Jedi”), heroine Rey (Daisy Ridley) now learns the ways of the Force from Leia – Rey even calls her “master.” The youngster trains in a forest near the Resistance base under Leia’s watch, though Rey will soon have her world utterly rocked when she learns she’s actually the Emperor’s granddaughter.
With the exception of son Ben Solo (aka First Order leader Kylo Ren), Leia is the last Skywalker, and flashbacks show her learning the ways of the Jedi from Luke with her own lightsaber in hand. This is a warrior woman who once grabbed a blaster instead of being the damsel-in-distress during a Death Star rescue, so why wouldn’t Leia ascend to a hallowed place on the light side of the Force?
Source: Read Full Article