Before reading, many spoilers are mentioned throughout this article, so read at your discretion. 

Star Wars fans left with tear-stained cheeks and heavy hearts at the end of an era. The sequel trilogy brought mixed reactions from old and new fans alike leading to complaints about the end of the trilogy. Yet, through all the critics and rotten tomatoes reviews, it’s excellence shines through. 

Some positive attributes came from the adorable and complex characters throughout the movies. In the “Rise of Skywalker” freshly introduced was Zorri Bliss, Babu Frik, D-O, and Jannah. Along with new characters, fan favorites returned to the screen through Rey hearing the voices of Jedi past. The most prominent being Luke Skywalker, Anakin Skywalker, Qui-Gon-Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Mace Windu, Yoda, Ashoka Tano, etc. Nostalgia is a main factor in most scenes which makes for exciting scenes for original fans. “Ben Solo is definitely my favorite because the whole background to his story is just interesting especially because of who his parents were,” Janira Hernandez stated. 

Additionally, the main component of any movie is the music supporting every scene which directed tremendous amounts of praise towards John Williams who composed the entire trilogy. The talent of the 87-year-old composer was not left unnoticed and warranted itself his 52nd Oscar nomination for Best Original Score for “Rise of Skywalker”. Comingsoon.net reviews Williams’s score as, “A sweeping arrangement that hearkens back to the composer’s emotional music from the early Smallville scenes in Superman.” He most definitely knows the fuel behind these movies and sprinkles parts of the “Imperial March” and “Yoda’s Theme” into his scores for that nostalgia factor. Therefore, showing how well composed the soundtrack was due to Williams’ genius work. 

Another memorable moment came for many fans, came towards the end where Rey and Ben Solo/Kylo Ren kissed. The brewing fandom called “Reylo” paired the two together as a couple since “The Force Awakens”. Edits and drawings resulted from this ‘ship, the concept of a fictional couple, led to a deep-rooted devotion to the pairing. This monumental moment sadly ended with Ben Solo dying and therefore ending any chances for the couple. “They finally gave us something we waited for since the beginning and even though it was a kiss it was still something, ” Leslie Salvador commented. 

Lastly, the scenes JJ Abrams crafted gave fans memorable and funny moments while others left everyone in the theater in tears. Starting with the late Carrie Fisher appearing in the first scene of the movie as Rey’s master while training her. Moving on the journey to Pasaana where the Aki-Aki held a festival, Lando surprises the three and helps them escape. Along with this meeting, we get to relive the triad of friends that revisits the group of three in the original trilogy. Meanwhile on Pasaana, Chewie presumed dead fills the viewers with disbelief and sadness, yet disproved as the movie progresses. Later on, the group travels to one of the moons of Endor, called Kef Bir, and the audience witnessed Kylo Ren’s transition to Ben Solo. As well as, Leia sending a message to Ben using all of her strength leaving her dead. This scene hits the watchers hardest as her being the last of the original three. Lastly, Rey flies solo to Exegol where the final battle happens, Rey meets Palpatine for the first time, Ben dies, and much more. 

Moreover, JJ Abrams tastefully ended the movie by tying the knot to most unanswered questions and left some questions open-ended for interpretation. The end of this installment gave closure for fans wanting to know how the Skywalker lineage was going to end or continue. Whether or not the movie ended rushed, sad, or open-ended, it kept fans entertained and fascinated with George Lucas’s complex world.

Now a paragraph from our supervisor:

Rise of Skywalker did a solid job of righting the wrongs of the previous installment in the sequel trilogy The Last Jedi. TROS resurrected the character of Luke Skywalker, provided clarity about the origins and powers of Rey and Snoke, made a plausible case for the resurgence of Emperor Palpatine, forgot about “Broom boy”, and expanded upon the power of the force. The film was fast-paced, action-packed, revealing, and most importantly answered questions! The Rise of Skywalker was everything The Last Jedi was not, it respected the Star Wars lore (to an extent), it maintained the continuity of narrative as a trilogy (Episodes VII, VIII, IX), and it ended with a mostly satisfying conclusion leaving very few questions in the audience’s mind.