Star Wars: 10 Sequel Trilogy Spoilers We Wouldn’t Have Believed Five Years Ago

The Star Wars sequel trilogy completed a year and a half ago now, which would have been a surprise to know a decade ago. For many years, fans didn’t think there would ever be a sequel trilogy. But then Disney bought Lucasfilm and announced Episode VII. Three successful movies later, another surprise is the twists and turns the series took after The Force Awakens.

Fan theories were rampant after the seventh installment in the Saga, some being far more outlandish than others. But not everything could be predicted, as The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker proved. Fans can now look back and see what plot points were most surprising in the latter two installments.

10 Luke Cut Himself Off From The Force

When Rey finds Luke on Ahch-To, he not only refuses to train her at first, it turns out he’s cut himself off from the Force. The betrayal of Kylo Ren leads to the death of most of Luke’s students, and it left a terrible impact. It made Luke feel he had no business being a Jedi Master anymore.

It was a bit surprising to see Luke being so resistant to the Force or to training Rey, but then, Star Wars has often shown Jedi Masters who have been alone for too long. Yoda may have still been connected to the Force on Dagobah, but he also finds the time to play with Luke’s flashlight and laugh at it. He’s not quite the Yoda seen at the end of the Clone Wars, but is still himself at his core, much like Luke on Ahch-To.

9 Exegol

Exegol is a planet in the Unknown Regions where Palpatine has been working for decades, creating Snoke and the First Order in secrecy. Always having contingency plans, Palpatine even prepared for the defeat of the Empire, carrying out that plan thirty years later.

The existence of Exegol is first hinted at in canon with the third Aftermath book, Empire’s End. After the battle of Jakku (the wreckage of which is seen in The Force Awakens), some remaining members follow a chart to the Emperor’s last Super Star Destroyer in the Unknown Regions, where it was reported that the Emperor detected a dark presence. Those traveling to that location would start the First Order. The presence was implied to be Snoke, but now viewers know that Palpatine was behind that as well.

8 Leia’s Sacrifice

The tragic passing of Carrie Fisher in 2016 meant that The Last Jedi was the last film she shot. The filmmakers chose not to change Leia’s story in that film, meaning she was still alive at the end of it. For Leia’s last appearance in The Rise of Skywalker, footage from deleted scenes shot for The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi was used, with new dialogue being written around those moments.

Impressively, Leia not only has a meaningful part in Rise with just the use of previously shot footage, but she has a fitting ending. She reaches out with the Force and uses her remaining energy to connect with Kylo Ren, which is partially responsible for him returning to the Light Side.

7 Luke’s Sacrifice

As previously mentioned, Luke had cut himself off from the Force when viewers see him in The Last Jedi. But of course, he didn’t stay that way. Not only did Luke open back up to the Force, but he saves the Resistance with one of the most powerful displays of the Force ever seen.

Luke projects his appearance across the galaxy, making Leia, Kylo Ren, and everyone else see him and hear him on Crait. The effort does kill him, but it also saves what’s left of the Resistance.

6 Finn Being Force-Sensitive

In the marketing for The Force Awakens, Finn looked like he was the new Jedi of the Saga. While Rey turned out to be the new Jedi, Finn was slightly sidelined for the sequels. While it was never explicitly stated in Rise of Skywalker, Finn clearly shows signs of being Force Sensitive.

While an actual Jedi Finn would have been awesome to see (and awesome for John Boyega), at least Finn had begun that path in the series. Hopefully, a future movie or show will portray Finn as a Force user.

5 A Dyad In The Force

In The Last Jedi, Rey and Kylo Ren start to see each other in their own surroundings from across the galaxy. They can see and hear each other, but they can also make contact physically. When their hands touch, they each see a piece of each other’s futures.

While some fans complaining that The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker weren’t connected, many plot points prove that criticism wrong. Not only does the connection between Rey and Kylo Ren continue in Rise, but the connection also grows stronger. Palpatine explains it as a dyad in the Force, where the powers of the two actually connect them.

4 Palpatine’s Return

So Snoke wasn’t the big bad after all, Palpatine was still behind it all. Palpatine’s secret base meant that upon his death, his spirit was able to go to Exegol and enter a clone body. This body is broken and weak, but Palpatine still manages to create Snoke and have him lead the First Order.

Upon taking some life from Rey and Kylo Ren, Palpatine’s body is restored. Of course, as usual, he underestimates a Jedi. Rey is able to defeat him with past Jedi encouraging her.

3 The Voices Of Jedi Past

Speaking of Rey defeating Palpatine, one of the true highlights of the trilogy is when Jedi of the past reach out and encourage Rey to rise and keeping fighting. As Qui-Gon tells her, “Every Jedi who ever lived, lives in you.”

The Jedi Rey hears are Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon Jinn, Ahsoka Tano, Kanan Jarrus, Luminara Unduli, Adi Gallia, Aayla Secura, Mace Windu, Anakin Skywalker, Yoda, and Luke Skywalker. The actors from the films and voice actors from the animated shows reprise their roles for the scene.

2 Kylo Ren Killing Snoke

Seen only in holograms in The Force Awakens, Andy Serkis’ Supreme Leader Snoke is the leader of the First Order and Kylo Ren’s master. It could easily have been assumed that come Episode IX, fans would see a battle between Luke and Snoke. Kylo Ren had other plans.

Tired of Snoke’s control over him, and resisting the order to kill Rey, Kylo Ren turns on Snoke and kills him instead. Not only is this moment shocking, but it’s a highlight of the trilogy. After activating Rey’s lightsaber with the Force to kill Snoke, John Williams’ score swells and the lightsaber flies to Rey’s hand. The resulting fight with Rey and Kylo vs. the Praetorian Guards is intense and thrilling.

1 Rey Is A Palpatine

The biggest question following The Force Awakens was, who is Rey? Was she a Skywalker? Maybe she was a Kenobi? Was she Luke’s daughter, or was she somehow Leia’s daughter without anyone remembering her?

Kylo Ren sees Rey’s parents in a vision in The Last Jedi, leading him to believe they were nobodies. After finding Palpatine, Kylo Ren discovers that Rey’s parents were nobodies on purpose so that Palpatine wouldn’t find them. This is because Rey is a Palpatine, being the daughter of Palpatine’s son. As mentioned before, Palpatine underestimates Rey, and he’s defeated by his own grandchild with some assistance from Anakin Skywalker’s grandson.

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