New to this site, and I realize this is an old topic, but since we just passed the 1 year mark for TROS I wanted to post some thoughts on the movie.
We all know the Disney Trilogy was generally a mistake. And I know, that’s putting it nicely. But in the marketing leading up to TROS they kept on saying that this was the final chapter in the Skywalker Saga. I argue that it isn’t that at all.
Now that we know who Rey really is, Palpatine’s granddaughter (terrible idea), I think this separates the Disney trilogy from the rest of the saga. This trilogy is now the Palpatine trilogy. A new and separate story from the rest of the saga. It’s basically another spin-off project. I realize that was not the intent. Disney deliberately made these episodes 7 – 9 in an effort to attach these directly to the saga films. But if you look at the story of all three films as a whole, the Skywalker’s have very little to do with it. We know that Luke was in hiding, only kind of emerging on Crait to help the Resistance escape. Then he died. Leia of course is running the Resistance (Rebellion) as she always has. Her role was one of leader and mentor to both Rey and Poe. Then she died. You could look at Kylo (Ben) as a Skywalker, but he’s not really. He’s a Solo with Skywalker lineage. Aaannd ….. he died.
The Skywalker saga ended in Return of the Jedi. Luke was stronger than the dark side and embraced the light as a Jedi Knight. As such, Darth Vader ceased to exist and Anakin returned subsequently destroying Palpatine and bringing balance to The Force. Anakin was the chosen one of the prophecy. What the prophecy did not foresee is that an imbalance would happen again some years later. Or maybe it did and the Jedi of old didn’t know about it, or misread it as Yoda once said. Who knows what’s written in the ancient texts that Rey stole from Luke.
Episodes VII, VIII and IV is the the story of Rey. Palpatine’s abandoned granddaughter who emerges from the Jakku desert to realize that she is more than a scavenger. That she can harness this great power. She then pursues to find out what this is, and where she comes from. Horrified by her true lineage, and with the power of all the Jedi, she destroys her grandfather, the last Sith, and brings balance to the Force …. again.
This point is enforced in The Rise of Skywalker when Rey hears Anakin’s voice saying “bring balance to the Force Rey, as I did”. I think this was their way of telling the audience that Rey’s story with Palpatine does not diminish Anakin and Luke’s.
These are two separate instances of restoring balance.
Not really the end of the Skywalker saga.
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