The way Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker brought the Skywalker saga to a close has left fans divided and dissatisfied, and it’s an even worse ending than Game of Thrones. Both represent major franchises that ended in 2019, and each came with rabid fan bases, huge levels of hype and expectation, and were followed by a level of disappointment and backlash to go with.
Game of Thrones season 8, and series finale “The Iron Throne” in particular, left so many viewers underwhelmed in how it wrapped up the story that there was a big controversy online, with petitions to remake it and a lot of scorn and anger directed at showrunners David Benioff & D.B. Weiss. The Rise of Skywalker was met was negative reviews, and since then has become just as divisive as Game of Thrones season 8, with fans even clamouring for a rumoured J.J. Abrams cut to be released.
There are similarities between both, with neither property managing to stick the landing successfully. Game of Thrones season 8 and The Rise of Skywalker both felt rushed, and had big problems with the script. Nonetheless, the former is better for two key reasons. Firstly, unlike Star Wars 9, Game of Thrones’ ending actually feels like a real conclusion. Elements might have happened too quickly, but the way it ties off the stories of Jon, Sansa, Arya, Daenerys, Tyrion, Bran and others is not only definitive, but largely makes narrative and thematic sense (the bigger problems came with the journey more than the destination). The Rise of Skywalker ends 40+ years of movies, but it doesn’t feel like it; it’s very easy to imagine Star Wars 10 with further adventures for Rey, Finn, Poe, and BB-8, and even the Force ghost of Ben Solo too.
This feeds into the other major reason why Game of Thrones’ ending is ultimately more satisfying than The Rise of Skywalker’s: the latter is devoid of emotion. Since it’s looping back to 1977 and so many beloved character arcs, it should have been easy for Star Wars 9 to nail big, emotional beats. Leia’s death especially should have hit hard, not just because of what the character means but coming after Carrie Fisher’s own death. Sadly, its convoluted presentation in the story and way it ties into Ben’s death means the moment just doesn’t land. It’s a problem suffered by Ben himself too, because the movie for all intents and purposes kills him off three times, but only the last one actually sticks. By that point, it’s old hat. The Jedi coming back to Rey could’ve been touching, had Force ghosts been included; the Jedi voice cameos didn’t have the same impact.
That’s a contrast to Game of Thrones, where, again while not perfect, the pathos of the ending could be felt. Sansa becoming Queen in the North was a moving moment; the Starks all bidding farewell to one another encapsulated the journey they’d all been on; Jon’s final reunion with Ghost was hugely emotional. It wasn’t as good as it could’ve been, but it gave emotionally satisfying and thematically fitting closure to most of its biggest characters and story arcs, which is more than can be said for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.