J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker sees Rey at the peak of her powers, but why is her Force Lightning so different from Palpatine's? First released domestically on December 20th, 2019, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is packed with nostalgic nods harking back to George Lucas' original Star Wars trilogy. Much of this nostalgia converges on the character of Rey (Daisy Ridley), whose epicenter-style heritage as Palpatine's (Ian McDiarmid) granddaughter and the chosen Skywalker heir sets her up for an epic final clash against the resurrected Sith lord on Exegol as he attempts to destroy the rebel fleet with Force Lightning.
The iconic power of Force Lightning is typically associated with dark side users of the Force, as evidenced by the majority of the canon Star Wars movies to date. Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) blasts Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) with it on Geonosis in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, while Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidious uses Force Lightning with varying effects in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi, and the aforementioned The Rise of Skywalker. Yet despite usually being an indicator of evil-aligned Force users, Rey is also able to channel her own Force Lightning in The Rise of Skywalker to blow up a First Order transport ship.
Rey's use of Force Lightning on Pasaana comes as a shock in The Rise of Skywalker, with Rey being the first good-aligned character to manifest this power in the official Star Wars movies. Rey's Force Lightning appears massively over-tuned in comparison with the Sith that use this power, with Rey's one bolt of lightning being enough to destroy a ship instantly. Here's why Rey's Force Lightning is different from Palpatine's in The Rise of Skywalker and why her Force Lightning appears inconsistent compared to the other Sith lords in Star Wars.
Why Rise Of Skywalker's Force Lightning Appears Inconsistent
One of the biggest gripes to appear after The Rise of Skywalker's release is how J.J. Abrams' movie handles Force Lightning. When Rey taps into the dark side of the force on Pasaana and uses Force Lightning, she feels frustrated after apparently losing Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo) to the First Order and being bested by Ben Solo/Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) in a Force tug of war. This results in a petulant burst of lightning that obliterates a First Order transport ship, with Rey seemingly unable to control the power level of this dark-aligned ability.
In contrast, The Rise of Skywalker shows Palpatine unleashing swathes of potent Force Lightning from his fingertips after being powered by absorbing the Knights of Ren's life force and Ben and Rey's Force Dyad. Palpatine is able to select his targets effortlessly (only attacking the rebel ships), and his connection with the dark side of the Force is so powerful he disables the rebel fleet while simultaneously dealing with Rey and Ben in the Exegol amphitheater. Yet even with this unbridled power and an unrivaled control over the Force Lightning ability, Palpatine's lightning does not make the rebel ships explode on contact like Rey's. Instead, his lightning scrambles communications on the rebel ships and begins to fry their circuitry, but does not seem to carry the same raw power of Rey's Force Lighting - which at first glance appears a massive inconsistency with how The Rise of Skywalker handles this ability.
Rey & Ben Solo's Force Dyad Explained
A rare type of Force-bond that pairs two Force-sensitive beings and makes them one with the Force, a Force Dyad are revered as being "as strong as life itself" within the Star Wars canon. The individuals who form a Dyad share a connection that spans space and time, with members of a Dyad attuned to each other's senses completely. Dyad pairs are said to possess rare Force powers, such as the ability to physically interact across many light-years in the galaxy, as well as having mastery over Force Healing to such a degree that, should either member of the dyad die, the other can to transfer enough of their own Force energy to resurrect them at the cost of their own life.
Prophecized for generations by the time of the New Republic Era, the legend of a Force Dyad is finally realized within Ben Solo and Rey in The Rise of Skywalker. While the pair are shown to resist this bond throughout the majority of The Skywalker Saga, their Dyad connection undeniably boosts both of their powers exponentially. The strength of their Dyad is such that their bond is able to invigorate Darth Sidious on Exegol prior to his defeat before Ben Force Heals Rey, just as the Dyad prophecy predicted.
Why Rey's Force Lightning Is Different From Palpatine's In The Rise Of Skywalker
As a result, there are several reasons why Rey's Force Lightning is different from Palpatine's in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. The first is that due to the strength of Rey and Ben's Force Dyad, Rey's Force Lightning is amplified exponentially, with even a short burst such as the one seen on Pasaana enough to destroy a small-sized ship at the slightest touch. Given Rey's lineage as Palpatine's granddaughter, it is also reasonable to assume she is already better attuned to using Force Lightning than the average Force user, with Ben telling Rey that she has all of Palpatine's power within her at the beginning of The Rise of Skywalker.
However, while the potency of a Force Dyad is undeniable, there are other more logistical factors that also explain why Rey's Force Lightning is different from Palpatine's. It should not be discounted that the transport ship that Rey destroys is a small, ground-sized carrier with no defenses, with even Rey being shocked by the ship exploding upon contact. In contrast, Palpatine attempts to destroy an entire fleet of rebel ships, some of which are battle cruiser size, spread across the vast sky expanse above the Sith planet Exegol. The distance between Palpatine's throne and the rebel fleet is vast, which again massively contrasts the small distance between Rey and her target earlier in The Rise of Skywalker, highlighting that Force Lightning weakens the further it expands. Palpatine is also fully consumed by hubris by the time he attacks the rebel fleet above Exegol, and with the power of the Dyad coursing through him, he ultimately takes on too big of a Force exertion before being defeated by Rey. In this way, Rey's Force Lightning differs from Palpatine's not because Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker's plot dictates it, but because she was attempting a far smaller feat while being unknowingly bolstered by the Dyad she shares with Ben Solo/Kylo Ren.