Star Wars risks having another plot hole if it doesn’t address how Maz Kanata got one of canon's most special objects in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Star Wars began its adventures in a galaxy far, far away in 1977 with the film now known as Star Wars: A New Hope, marking the beginning of what has become the “Skywalker saga.” The film series consists of a prequel, original, and sequel trilogy, with the latter coming to an end with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Plot details are largely shrouded in mystery (and will most likely remain as such until its release), but Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is set a year after the events in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and will follow the battle of the remnants of the Resistance against the First Order, while the legendary Jedi/Sith conflict reaches its peak. But amidst the conflicts, there’s one character that owes viewers a story, and if the film doesn’t address it, it will be one more plot hole to the list.
In Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Rey was drawn to Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber at Maz Kanata’s cantina in Takodana. Kanata didn’t reveal how she got the lightsaber, saying it was a story for another time – but this wasn’t addressed in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. The middle film of the trilogy did explain why Luke exiled himself, but there was no word on how his lightsaber made it to another place. Kanata is known as a “pirate queen” and spent centuries traveling the galaxy, collecting antiques and other treasures that she kept in the vaults of her castle, just like the lightsaber. So how did she get it?
There are many theories on how Kanata got the lightsaber. Some believe it was in Darth Vader’s possession, and after the Battle of Jakku, it was salvaged and sold to Kanata. Others say Lando Calrissian had it, and he probably lost it to Kanata in a bet (or something else). This could also be a way to introduce him to the sequel trilogy, but again, it’s all speculation – although the Lando theory is supported by the Aftermath novels. Another theory suggests that Kanata got to it through her pirate contacts and her affinity with the Force prompted her to keep it.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is the saga’s last chance to address this detail, otherwise it would become a plot hole, and that’s the last thing the saga needs. There’s also the possibility that it could be explained in a novel, but it would be a wasted opportunity not to include it in the film, as it would also add to Maz Kanata’s character, who was left in the background in The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi.