‘Star Wars’ Officially Changes ‘The Rise of Skywalker’s Ending Six Years Later

With some newly up to date media, Star Wars you’ve got redesigned the ending of one of its most divisive films ever: Episode IX–The Rise of Skywalker (2019).

Almost seven years after its launch, Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker stays one of probably the most debated movies within the franchise’s historical past. What started as a divisive theatrical expertise has since developed into one thing extra nuanced — a story being slowly, carefully reassembled through comics, novels, and supplemental media. And on the heart of all of it is King.

Directed by JJ Abrams, The Rise of Skywalker closed out the nine-film Skywalker Saga with enormous expectations and uneven results. The movie adopted Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega), and Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) because the Resistance mounted a ultimate stand in opposition to the resurrected Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), hidden on the Sith world of Exegol.

Audiences had been caught off guard by the density of all of it. Palpatine’s abrupt return, the underuse of the Knights of Ren, the introduction of Exegol with little runwayand the rushed emotional beats between Rey and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) left critics and followers sharply divided. Many additionally felt the movie spent an excessive amount of vitality strolling again decisions made in Rian Johnson’s Star Wars: Episode VIII–The Last Jedi (2017), sacrificing narrative cohesion within the course of.

Despite its spectacular set items and the emotional weight of closing a four-decade saga, the movie’s reception was removed from triumphant. Of all of the movie’s controversial choices, one stood above the remainder: Rey’s ultimate declaration on Tatooine.

After defeating Palpatine by channeling the spirits of previous Jedi, Rey traveled to Luke and Leia’s childhood residence, buried their lightsabers, and — when requested her identify — answered merely: Rey Skywalker. The intention was clear. Having discovered she was Palpatine’s granddaughter, Rey was rejecting her bloodline and selecting her circle of relatives. It was meant to prevail. For many, it wasn’t.

Critics of the second argued it instantly contradicted one of The Last Jedi‘s most resonant concepts: that Rey did not want a legendary identify to matter. Kylo Ren’s dismissal of his mother and father as nobodies had, in that movie, turn into a sort of liberation — proof that heroism wasn’t inherited. The Rise of Skywalker appeared to tug again from that concept totally, changing it with a borrowed legacy.

The debate has by no means totally quieted. But a brand new clarification has added significant context to a scene many had written off.

Rey’s Own Words Change the Conversation

The newly up to date Insight Editions’ “The Secrets of the Jedi: The Chronicles of Luke Skywalker” features a passage that reframes the Tatooine second in a means the movie by no means fairly managed.

In it, Rey displays instantly on her alternative, explaining that she took the Skywalker identify to not declare a legacy, however to honor the person who believed in her: “I needed to proceed the struggle and end what he began. I needed to cease Palpatine from rising once more and regaining energy. To redeem Ben Solo as soon as and for all.

And to proudly put on my Master’s identify whereas doing so, in honor of his life and his sacrifice. “Luke Skywalker may be gone from this plane, just like all the Jedi who came before him… but he will live forever.”

She then echoes the climactic second of the movie itself, connecting her id to one thing far bigger than a single surname: “Because, in the end, I am all the Jedi. And maybe we all are.” That ultimate line carries vital weight. It suggests the Skywalker legacy is not a bloodline or perhaps a identify — it is a dedication to the values ​​Luke embodied. Anyone who upholds these values, Rey implies, carries that legacy ahead.

This reframing transforms what felt like a seize for legitimacy into one thing extra quietly profound: a scholar honoring her trainer by refusing to let his dream die. It does not erase the movie’s pacing issues or its storytelling missteps, however it does give one of its most contested moments the emotional grounding it initially lacked.

Lucasfilm’s Larger Effort to Revisit the Film

Rey’s reflection is an element of a broader sample. Since 2019, Lucasfilm and its publishing companions have labored steadily to fill the gaps left by The Rise of Skywalker.

Marc Sumerak’s “The Secrets of the Sith” clarified how Snoke was created. Dave Filoni’s The Bad Batch explored Palpatine’s interest in Force-sensitive cloning. Tie-in novels and animated sequence have quietly expanded storylines that the movie launched however by no means totally developed.

The most direct reexamination got here in early 2025, when Marvel printed a five-issue comedian adaptation of the movie. Written by Jody Houser and illustrated by Will Sliney, the sequence retold the story with totally new scenes not included within the theatrical lower.

Its fifth and ultimate situation delivered one thing followers had needed since 2019: a visible depiction of the “All the Jedi” sequence, wherein the Force ghosts of Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano, Luke Skywalker, and others seem alongside Rey throughout her confrontation with Palpatine.

In the movie, these voices had been heard however by no means seen. The comic made them visible for the first time — a small change with an outsized emotional impact.

Where Star Wars Goes From Here

The rehabilitation of The Rise of Skywalker is occurring in opposition to a backdrop of real uncertainty concerning the franchise’s future.

Lucasfilm has not launched a Star Wars movie since 2019. That adjustments in May 2026 with The Mandalorian and Grogudirected by Jon Favreau, adopted by Shawn Levy’s Star Wars: Starfighter in 2027. Three further movies — James Mangold’s Dawn of the Jedi, Dave Filoni’s New Republic crossover, and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s New Jedi Order featuring Daisy Ridley — were announced in 2023 but have gone largely quiet since.

Further complicating issues, former Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy confirmed in 2024 that producer Simon Kinberg will oversee a brand-new Star Wars trilogy. Whether that sequence incorporates Rey — described by one supply as “the most valuable cinematic asset” the franchise has — or runs parallel to Obaid-Chinoy’s movie stays unclear.

What is evident is that Rey’s story is not completed. And due to a rising physique of supplemental work, neither is the dialog round how that story has already been advised.

How do you’re feeling about Star Wars persevering with to reframe components of the Disney sequel trilogy? Let Inside the Magic know within the feedback beneath!