WARNING: Major SPOILERS ahead for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Lucasfilm's Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is out now, wrapping up the Skywalker saga - here are the biggest spoilers, twists and surprises in the movie. The Rise of Skywalker is the concluding chapter in the sequel trilogy that kicked off in 2015 with J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: The Force Awakens and continued in 2017 with Rian Johnson's Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker sees the return of the sequel trilogy's trio, Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega) and Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) as they face off against Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and the returned Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid). Thankfully, they have help in the form of General Leia (Carrie Fisher), Rose Tico (Kelly Marie Tran) and the rest of their Resistance allies. But though Leia has trained Rey as a Jedi, Palpatine will prove to be the greatest challenge she's ever faced.
Now that Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is hitting theaters around the world, we're breaking down the 15 biggest spoilers, plot twists and gasp-worthy surprises in the latest Star Wars movie. So one last time: There are SPOILERS ahead for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Snoke Was Created By Emperor Palpatine
At the start of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Kylo Ren is searching out Palpatine - who had made his return known to the galaxy - in order to eliminate the threat to his power as Supreme Leader of the First Order. Kylo finds Palpatine on the Sith homeworld of Exegol, along with machines and lab equipment. Suspended in some kind of liquid are two half-formed versions of Snoke, insinuating the former Supreme Leader is either a clone of some kind or, at least, a creature created by Palpatine and his minions. This confirms the Palpatine and Snoke connection teased in a Rise of Skywalker trailer released before the movie, as well as the fact that Palpatine had a hand in Kylo's corruption from the start.
Rey Is Palpatine’s Granddaughter
In The Last Jedi, Kylo Ren told Rey her parents were nobody, just two people dead in a pauper's grave on Jakku. However in The Rise of Skywalker, Palpatine reveals to Kylo, who then tells Rey, that she's not nobody. Instead, Rey is Palpatine's granddaughter, the daughter of the Emperor's son. Rey's parents left her to live on Jakku as a way to hide young Rey from her grandfather and ensure Palpatine didn't go through with what he had planned for the child.
Rey’s Parents Were Murdered By A Jedi Hunter Working For Palpatine
In addition to telling Rey about her parentage, Kylo tells Rey that Palpatine wanted her dead and her parents protected her from his dark influence, sacrificing themselves in the process. Palpatine had ordered a Jedi hunter to find Rey, and when Rey's parents wouldn't tell him where she was, he killed them. Though Palpatine tells Kylo that he wanted Rey dead, viewers later find out Palpatine had much more sinister plans for his granddaughter.
Hux Spies On First Order For The Resistance - And Dies
Early in The Rise of Skywalker, Finn and Poe receive a message from a spy within the First Order, but it's not until they go to rescue Chewbacca from a First Order ship that they learn who the spy is. It turns out to be General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson), who tells them he doesn't necessarily side with the Resistance, he just hates Kylo Ren and wants to see him fail. Hux helps Finn, Poe and Chewie escape and though he tells Finn to shoot him to make it look like he's still loyal to the First Order, General Pryde (Richard E. Grant) deduces Hux's betrayal and kills him.
C-3PO’s Memory Is Wiped, Then Restored By R2-D2
Much of Rey, Finn and Poe's mission in The Rise of Skywalker sees them trying to track down Exegol, and to do so they must find a Sith wayfinder. They follow the trail left behind by Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), who was tracking a Jedi hunter with a clue to the wayfinder. The clue turns out to be a dagger with a transcription written in Sith. Although C-3PO is able to read and transcribe the Sith language, his programming forbids him from repeating it, so the trio take him to a droid specialist that wipes C-3PO's memory in order for them to obtain the message. As a result, C-3PO doesn't remember any of them. But when reunited at the end of the second act, when he's reunited with R2-D2, the latter restores a backup of C-3pO's memory - though it's a little out of date; C-3PO says he's getting ready to go with Rey on her first mission.
Leia Dies But Redeems Kylo Ren With Her Dying Breath
After Rey finds the Sith wayfinder in the destroyed Death Star on Kef Bir, she's attacked by Kylo Ren, who destroys the relic, making him - and the second wayfinder he found in the beginning of the movie - Rey's only way of finding Exegol. They battle on the Death Star wreckage, and when it seems as though Kylo is about to win, Leia makes some kind of Force connection between the two of them. It distracts him long enough for Rey to land a killing blow, but she heals him. Back at the Resistance camp, Leia dies, seemingly from the effort of making that connection with her son, though her body doesn't become one with the force (yet).
Han Solo Returns To Help Turn Kylo Ren
Rey leaves Kylo on Kef Bir, stealing his TIE fighter with the Sith wayfinder. His near-death experience and the Force connection with Leia has created conflict within Kylo, and at that moment, his father Han Solo (Harrison Ford) appears to him - not as a Force ghost, but as a memory. They recreate the moment just before Kylo killed Han in The Force Awakens, with much of the same dialogue, but instead of killing his father, Kylo turns and throws his lightsaber into the ocean. He turns back around to see Han has disappeared, but Kylo gives up the dark side persona he took on, becoming Ben Solo once again as he returns to the light side.
Luke Returns As A Force Ghost On Ahch-To - And Raises His X-Wing
Scared of the darkness in her that allowed her to almost kill Kylo Ren, Rey flees to Ahch-To and destroys the TIE fighter so she can live in self-imposed exile just as Luke had. When she goes to throw her lightsaber into the fire, though, Luke's Force ghost appears, grabbing it at the last moment. He tells her she must confront her fear and her heritage, she must confront Palpatine. Though the TIE fighter is destroyed, she salvages the Sith wayfinder and Luke raises his X-Wing out of the water. He also gives Rey a second lightsaber that was Leia's, allowing Rey to leave Ahch-To in Luke's old ship with two Skywalker lightsabers.
Palpatine’s Plan Is To Have Rey Kill Him
Though Palpatine spends much of the movie telling Kylo Ren to kill Rey, it turns out his plan all along was to have her come to him so he could pass on the Sith to her. As he explains to Rey when she goes to Exegol to confront him, all previous Sith lords live in him, and if she kills him, then they will live on in her. He had her parents killed in order to motivate her with revenge, wanting her to give into that compulsion and join the dark side by killing him - except killing Palpatine gives him exactly what he wants, so Rey refuses. When she won't kill him, Palpatine decides to kill her.
All Former Jedi Get Voice Cameos (Including Ahsoka Tano)
When it seems like Rey has been defeated, she tries connecting with all former Jedi. Though she tried early on in the movie and failed, she's now able to reach out to them. In this moment, The Rise of Skywalker includes voice cameos from a number of Jedi who've appeared in the movies and TV shows, including Luke, Obi-Wan Kenobi (both Ewan McGregor and Alec Guinness), Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen), Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson), Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jackson), Yoda (Frank Oz), Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein), Kanan Jarrus (Freddie Prinze Jr.), Aayla Secura (Jennifer Hale), Adi Galia (Angelique Perrin) and Luminara Unduli (Olivia D'Abo).
Rey Destroys Palpatine & All The Sith
Knowing what to do, Rey rises from where she fell, and faces Palpatine once again. Though they seem to be evenly matched - him with his Sith powers and strength restored by sucking the Force connection out of Rey and Ben Solo, her with Luke's lightsaber - she brings out the second lightsaber and it gives her the edge to defeat him. But not only does Rey defeat Palpatine, she destroys him entirely, along with the entire Sith line.
Rey Dies, But Ben Solo Sacrifices Himself To Save Her (& They Kiss)
The effort Rey used to defeat Palpatine and destroy the Sith kills her. Ben, who had been thrown into a pit by Palpatine, climbs out and takes Rey into his arms. He uses Force healing to bring Rey back and the two embrace, then kiss. Just afterward, Ben dies, indicating he used all his own strength to revive Rey. Having returned to the light side, though, Ben becomes one with the Force. Back at the Resistance camp, Leia's body also becomes one with the Force at the same time as Ben's.
Rey Buries Luke & Leia’s Lightsabers On Tatooine
With Palpatine and the Sith destroyed, the Resistance easily wins the battle of Exegol. They return to the Resistance camp and celebrate. Following the celebrations, Rey goes to Tatooine, visiting the Lars family farm. There, Rey wraps Luke and Leia's lightsabers up in some leather and Force-buries them in the sand. It's unclear how deep she buries the lightsabers, but it marks the end of their chapter.
Rey Makes Her Own Lightsaber Out of Her Staff
Though Rey is without a lightsaber, having buried the two she previously used, it's quickly revealed she made a lightsaber of her own out of the staff she's had with her since the beginning of her journey on Jakku. Instead of being blue, green, red or even purple like previous lightsabers seen in the Star Wars universe, it's a yellowish color, seemingly indicating a balance of the Force.
Rey Becomes A Skywalker
At the very end of the scene on Tatooine, Rey is approached by someone who asks her name. The moment reflects one earlier in the movie when Rey is asked for her "family name" and she says she doesn't have one since that's before she learns she's a Palpatine. Now, though, instead of telling the person on Tatooine she's Rey Palpatine, she sees Force ghosts of Luke and Leia and takes the family name of Skywalker. So she officially becomes Rey Skywalker.
