Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker did its best to bring closure to every plot thread left by the Star Wars sequels, while also adding a lot of fan-service moments. Sadly, the film didn’t succeed at solving most plot threads and holes, and it missed one of its biggest fan-service moments (and one that would have elevated the story): Hayden Christensen’s appearance. A proper one. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is not only the final entry in Disney’s Star Wars sequels, but it also marks the end of the Skywalker saga.

The film follows the Resistance’s final stand against the First Order, which is revealed to have been aided by none other than Sheev Palpatine (who was somehow brought back). Meanwhile, Kylo Ren’s inner battle between the dark and light side continues, as does Rey’s Jedi training. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker answered some of the biggest questions left by the previous sequels, mainly about Rey’s parentage, but many others were either barely answered or not addressed at all.

Related: What Happened To Hayden Christensen After The Star Wars Prequels

But among all the loose plot threads, plot holes, awkward moments and more, there were a lot of fan-service moments, such as Chewbacca finally receiving a Medal of Bravery. However, it missed its best (and final) opportunity to bring Hayden Christensen back, and with that actually make Anakin Skywalker part of the whole saga, among other things.

Star Wars 9 Wasted The Best Chance To Bring Hayden Christensen Back

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Hayden Christensen, along with Ewan McGregor, James Earl Jones, and many more, did have a place in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, though not as it should have. Christensen had a vocal cameo as part of the many voices of Jedi past manifesting to give Rey strength to defeat Palpatine. Although it was a nice touch, and one that definitely didn’t go unnoticed by Star Wars fans, there were so much better and interesting ways to bring Christensen back.

Whether fans like them or not, the Star Wars prequels are part of the Skywalker saga, and Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader was the core of them (and, in a way, of the original trilogy as well). One of the sequels’ mistakes was ignoring Anakin’s story, with the only link to him being the charred mask Kylo Ren kept so close. Hayden Christensen could have had a place in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker as part of Kylo Ren/Ben Solo’s redemption – after all, he went through the same. Anakin could have also been of help when defeating Palpatine, and could have even appeared as a Force ghost, if necessary.

Aside from George Lucas (and young Anakin Skywalker, Jake Lloyd), Hayden Christensen got the most criticism for his performance in the Star Wars prequels, but time heals most wounds, and fans have somewhat “forgiven” the prequels, and are starting to accept them. Bringing Christensen back in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker would have not only brought the whole saga together, but it would have also shown there are no hard feelings between the Star Wars franchise and the prequels.

Next: Disney's Star Wars Sequels Disrespected Darth Vader Most Of All