Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker might have not been the big cinematic event many were expecting, but it does have some strengths, among those that it avoided George Lucas’ biggest ending problem. After over 40 years of Star Wars history, the Skywalker saga came to an end with J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, which tried to solve as many plot holes as it could while also giving closure to the arcs of its main characters, which earned it a bunch of negative reviews.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker focused on the Resistance’s final stand against the First Order, Palpatine’s surprise return, Kylo Ren’s inner battle and road to redemption, and Rey’s actual backstory, as well as her Jedi training with Leia as her master. In addition to that, the film made sure to add a lot of fan service moments that ultimately didn’t really appeal to fans (and critics), who felt the film was already dealing with too many things at once. Still, underneath all the unsolved plot holes and questionable moments, there are some details that can be saved – such as the ending, especially when compared to the original trilogy.
The prequels, love them or hate them, were crafted in a way that led to the original trilogy, setting up Anakin Skywalker’s conversion to the dark side, Luke and Leia being separated to keep them safe, and the rise of the Empire. The original trilogy, on the other hand, has an ending problem that, luckily, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker avoided.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Gave The Resistance A Real Win
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi ended with the Rebel Alliance destroying the second Death Star, Palpatine’s supposed death after being thrown down a reactor shaft, and Darth Vader’s death and redemption. Though the Rebels (and the Ewoks) celebrated the fall of the Empire and Luke saw the Force ghosts of Yoda, Obi-Wan, and Anakin watching over him, the Empire wasn’t completely destroyed, and its remnants are what made the First Order possible, leading to the sequel trilogy. Return of the Jedi was, for many years, the definitive ending to the Star Wars saga, which makes the Empire’s open ending a big problem.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, on the other hand, made sure not to leave any more Empire/First Order remnants. Palpatine’s plan to destroy the Resistance and regain control of the galaxy included a massive fleet of upgraded Star Destroyers, which obviously outnumbered the Resistance’s fleet – until Lando Calrissian arrived with a lot of reinforcements (among those Zorii Bliss). The Resistance and its allies managed to destroy Palpatine’s armada entirely, finally bringing peace across the galaxy and actually winning this time. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker has many weaknesses and a lot of situations and characters could have been addressed better, but at least it tied everything up and gave the Resistance a real victory.