The Ending: Beautiful, but problematic

Especially after JJ mentioning countless times that binary sunset is his most favourite scene.

First of we already had the binary sunset as ending in the prior movie (RotS and TLJ). Luke's journey began and then ended with the sun(s) in TLJ, so we already got a beautiful conclusion. So, it's kinda redundant to do it again in TROS. Especially for Rey who never watched the two suns rise and set.

Secondly, the binary sunset isn't really known as an ending, but a beginning. Like the suns are a symbol of hope for a brighter future. Luke watched the suns set and hoped to get off this planet one day. In ROTS- Owen, Beru and even Obi-Wan watched the suns set and hoped that the war will be over one day. So, using this theme to end the Skywalker saga is kinda ...weird.

That I would have liked too!

 

The ending of TRoS is a bit like a mirror of an idea that I had, which involved Ben. I though it would be cool if it ended with him going to Ahch-To and looking into the sunset on the rock where Luke died. It would be open to interpretation whether he went there to live as a hermit and wasn't seen anywhere in the galaxy ever since, or stayed there temporarily as a form of penance.

 

The idea of Ben going to Ahch-To was an idea going in my mind before TROS was released. I was even thinking of Ben impregnating Rey (be it 'fysically', be it 'Force Impregnation'). 'The Rise of Skywalker' could then be referring to their offspring. But as usual: 1000s of different ideas, only one is chosen. The reason I voted 'yes': The makers take the decision, regardless of expectations. I think it's out of place to call a video "The ending we all deserved." Why do fans 'deserve' something. Because we spend money on Star Wars stuff? We spend more money on food and housing (I hope). The people of Lucasfilm spend time and money on making all these stuff (even though I know there's a lot to gain for them too). They can't make decisions that satisfy everyone.
Indeed the choice for the Lars Homestead is symbolic. But to understand the narrative: Rey did feel a connection with the Skywalker family. Despite all of their flaws (Luke becoming bitter, Anakin becoming Vader, Ben becoming Ren, Leia quitting her training after the vision only to pick up with the Force decades later), Rey found a new home with the heroes, not with her evil grandfather who she hadn't even met before as far as we know, so why call yourself a Palpatine with proud?
I'm glad they didn't do the Naboo ending, it would be too cheesy for me (I could accept it in time I guess). With Ben's sacrifice his redemption was sealed. It was obvious no selfish feelings were present. Giving your life to save someone else is the biggest act of love one can do.
And besides: No one's ever really gone.

P.S.: IF i would change one thing: I would place Ben as well as Anakin as force ghosts next to Luke and Leia.

 

I like to think Rey and BB8 (whose head is slightly tilted to the side) are looking past the Twin Suns. To the future and where that might lead.

I love Head Canon! I love the ending too!

 

I loved this ending on Tatooine with the binary suns.
But I agree with @srg Ach to could've be a great idea too.

 

I think a lot of analysis has missed that Rey basically got an essence transfusion from the last Skywalker, and that is why she is alive. Skywalker flows through her now.

 

Well that is an interesting thought. Of course that would make Rey and Ben relatives in a sense so... not sure if that's work all the way through.

But then again Luke kissed Leia so...

 

I have enjoyed every Star Wars movie ever made, of course some more than others. The previews for Rise of Skywalker had me very excited to see the conclusion. However, the preview showing Chewbacca and Lando in the Millennium Falcon, which doesn't happen till the end of the movie, should have been left out considering viewers were to believe Chewie dies halfway through the movie. A movie of this magnitude you would think someone would have caught that. But, on the ending it atleast explained why the movie was called the Rise of Skywalker, and I know a lot of people don't agree with me, but leaving the theater after Force Awakens, I was more entertained than leaving after TLJ and TROS

 

My perfect ending for the saga is the Broom Boy epilogue.

I'm content to pretend TROS doesn't exist.

 

Welcome to the Cantina

I agree you with you the ending was expressly showing us/summing up the title of the movie. The whole movie is The Rise of Skywalker, but the last scene sums that up.

On your point about Chewie, I had watched the trailers but genuinely didn’t even think about them spoiling the shock moments of thinking Chewie was gone... for one thing I was too engrossed to be thinking about the trailers, but if I had I might have questioned it more, but it still wouldn’t have necessarily ‘proved’ anything - remember Jyn and the TIE in the Rogue One trailer!? And actually, the trailers make it look like Chewie is in Babu Frik’s place, which doesn’t happen.

But more than that, the shock is a short, one-time deal that IMHO doesn’t really matter for the story - what matters is that Rey believes she has killed Chewie, that she is struggling to understand herself and that plays into her self-doubt and a pull towards / fight against the darkness that is important throughout the movie. And that is part of why I think it's so great she chooses Rey Skywalker as a name, rather than ending up as Empress Palpatine... her chosen name is, itself, a symbol of the light side triumphing. The film starts with a drop/tilt down from distant stars into darkness before we see a healing Mustafar, the place the newly-fallen Darth Vader (formerly A. Skywalker) was so damaged and broken, and the film ends with us looking into bright suns with the newly-named Rey Skywalker.

Personally, I love it.

 

Could well be my favorite scene in the saga. I'm waiting a little longer before committing to that. So good.

I don't see any issues.

Well, we only see a very brief slice of Luke's life on Tatooine (like fifteen minutes out of around twenty years) so to say "it holds only bitter memories" isn't a conclusion with much support at all. But the real point isn't about Luke's memories of Tatooine, it's about the roots of a home in relation to Rey. She's basically claiming her heritage in the scene, which is a very apt conclusion to a trilogy about finding and claiming heritage.

While her claim does honor her mentors, and it does erase Palpatine's legacy - that's not really why she's doiong it. She claims the family name Skywalker because spirit is stronger than blood, as Luke stated. Though she is a Palpatine by blood, she is a Skywalker in spirit - and claims the spiritual heritage as that which belongs to her identity.

I'd propose that's the opposite of true. From a narrative perspective it makes perfect sense. The idea that blood isn't as strong as spirit is part of the narrative motion leading to that final scene.

Wait, so Luke risking his life to rescue Leia, protecting his friends and the Rebellion, blowing up the Death Star built to instill galactic fear, fighting the guy who "ran the Empire" and deciding to try to save him, rescuing Han from Jabba, thwarting the Emporer by refusing to join him? Where do these thing fit into your statement of "only brought pain"? How are you pointing at one moment in a person's life and declaring that person's entire life as bringing "only pain"? If you were facing down judgment day, and got "You hurt a person that one time, therefore you have only brought pain to the world" would you have any problems with that judgment against you?

You mention Rey being good and pure - are you realizing that Rey is the embodiment of what the Skywalkers have done for the galaxy. She is the Skywalker legacy. And since by your own admission she's pure and good, then...

Because she was adopted into the Organa family and if they would've been calling her by her real name "Leia Skywalker" then she may have suspected something was amiss.

Except that it makes no sense for Rey to claim the identity of the Organa family. Leia only had the name because she was adopted in order to hide her.

Except that would actually be the opposite of the theme of spirit being stronger than blood in matters of identity, and would be the heritage claim that didn't make sense relative to the narrative.

Except the point of the heritage claim isn't to "strike final blows" it's to resolve the question of her identity. Which is why she makes the claim of heritage when asked the question, "Who are you?"

No, it's Skywalker because the narrative theme is that spirit is more important to identity than blood. She is precisely accepting who she is. She's Rey Skywalker. Her spiritual family is the family from which her true identity is derived. You sure you're understanding the narrative? I find that most criticism comes from not understanding narratives and the movement of the story toward a resolution.

No, because Ben's Skywalker identity is based on blood. It would make no narrative sense to have Ben claiming his heritage as a Skywalker when spiritual lineage is the point of the narrative.

Awesome, but less awesome? Significantly less. The narrative needs Ben to transcend along with the Skywalker bloodline before him because of the transcendent nature of the Skywalker legacy. The name Skywalker is transcending the material into the spiritual, just as the Skywalkers themselves - family and name - transcended the material into the spiritual. Ben is the final movement of the motion of the Skywalkers in attaining that transcendence.

If Ben is still in the material world at the end of the story, then the idea has no catharsis. The Skywalker name is not fully transcended. The narrative motion misses the mark and for what? A scene for people who miss the point of the story to think is awesome for some personal reason unrelated to the narrative goal?

Whenever you see someone saying, "I wish it was this instead" it's really "I wish the story had no narrative cohesion and went off into unrelated narrative left field. That's what I would've done." Without realizing that what they would've done is wrecked the narrative into a brick wall.

Oh yeah, that's true! I hadn't even connected that. Great insight.

 

I don't agree that Rey identifying as Skywalker and not Palpatine goes against any theme in the ST.

 

Rey Skywalker works fine, chosen family is a huge part of Star Wars. We didn't need the Palpatine silliness to get there either, which IMO, lessens the impact of her choosing a different "legacy" Star Wars name.

Tattooine makes no sense from a story perspective. None. Not even thematically. It has no significance to Rey. Luke and Anakin hated the place. Leia's only time there was as a sex slave.

Ach-To makes more sense. It's where Luke returned. Should have been where the confrontation between Rey and Ren happened. Then it can emotionally tie into the story.

Tattooine was chosen simply because of what it means to us the fans. Which is fine, I guess. It just leaves me with the "aw Tattooine" feeling right after then nothing. There's no weight to it besides what I brought into it.

 

I think JJ tried to prolong and complete the total victory of the Jedi over the Sith with that scene. Sheevs granddaughter who should have taken the Sith throne not only finds a way to overcome all his manipulations and just survived by the help of Ben Solo. She also visits the roots of the Skywalkers (Shmi's place) and connects herself completely to the Skywalker legacy. You could see that as a bonus feature to the whole Redemption of the Skywalker name.
BUT.. oth I would have preferred Ben Solo visiting Ach-Too together with Rey and seeing him making his peace with Luke at the very end (remember: Luke said "see you around kid" in VIII).
Maybe they didn't know what to do with an on living Ben..

 

Luke only wanted to get off Tatooine because of Biggs and the Rebellion.

If Biggs doesn't leave specifically to defect and join the war, Luke has no reason or motivation to "look to the horizon".I

The thing that is "problematic" with the scene is that the Lars Homestead should've been a burnt-out shell based on what happened in ANH.

 

How many people do you know running around with the last name Hitler? Palpatine is dead (ok...maybe...I think hes dead...he should be dead) and wouldn't know what last name she is using now.

 

*sigh*

Can we please call a spade a spade?

ROS was cringe worthy bad. 90-95% of it was terrible. But to focus just on the ending-

She may as well have said "Rey Star Wars" because it makes as much sense and is as much fan service. Or "Rey Lucas" or "Carrie Fisher" or something else that would have made easily pleased Star Wars fans hearts flutter.

BB8 has no attachment to Tattoine. Neither does Rey.

It would have made a lot more sense for Ben to survive and hide out on Tattoine in exile, but then again a lot of things would have made more sense had Disney even pretended to care about an actual story.


I'd like to rewind though and ask how in the world does it make sense that the "end of the Skywalker saga" featured a duel between...checks notes...two Palpatines??


Guys- its okay to be honest about this movie. No only did it not "fit" with the saga, it didn't even fit within its own trilogy. It seems to me JJ and Rian do not like each other, because neither even attempted to make a sequel to the others movie.

This film was terrible. Someone in my theater literally laughed when Rey came back to life and kissed Ben.

The ending made as much sense as the entire film. It was fitting in that it was poorly thought out garbage.