While the sequel trilogy proved very controversial, Star Wars fans have gathered to discuss one of its major moments.
In The Rise of Skywalker, Rey, while engaged in a Force battle with Kylo Ren to grab a transport taking Chewbacca away, accidentally shoots lightning from her fingers and destroys the craft.
This makes Rey think Chewie is dead – though, fortunately, he was actually on a different ship – and also foreshadows her true heritage as a Palpatine.
“There were a lot of ideas in the sequel trilogy that – if adequately explored – would have made for a good story,” argues the fan who started the discussion on Reddit.
“Very few pieces of SW media have explored unintended consequences or collateral damage caused by untrained Force sensitives. Rey’s shock at trying to save Chewie but thinking she killed him was a great moment,” they continue. “And the idea of her accidentally causing harm to others should have been part of her journey (and part of Kylo’s reason for embracing destructive power). It would make sense to explore these themes since both Kylo and Rey are operating in a time after the PT Jedi Order and the destruction of Luke’s new order. Missed opportunity.”
“When this happened I was genuinely surprised because I thought they were going to flip Rey’s role in the movie and turn her into a villain, with Kylo having to redeem her after he was redeemed himself. I still think that would have been a much more interesting movie,” says another fan.
“They should have left Chewie dead. If you’re going to go the dumb force lightning route, he needed to stay dead. I like the idea that in that moment of anger she tapped into the dark side of the Force even if unintentionally,” says someone else.
“This was the only scene in the movie that was actually moving. Rey’s power and darkness overcoming her to accidentally kill her friend? I remember thinking, “Oh whoa, shit!” And then the movie immediately backtracks on it. Such is the Sequel Trilogy. Every interesting plot line or idea is instantly discarded,” is another person’s thoughts.
“I personally never believed it. If they were going to kill Chewie, we’d see it on screen. They’d give him a moment,” points out someone else.
Next up for Star Wars is Maul – Shadow Lord, which arrives on Disney Plus this April 6. In the meantime, check out our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and shows, including The Mandalorian and Grogu.