Hello, Star Wars fans! We’re still reeling from the excitement of Celebration. The biggest event for me was the Episode IX panel. There has been quite a lot of discussion online about the meaning of the title for the new film. However, if past films are any indication, the name probably has multiple meanings that could be revealed throughout the film. Let’s discuss three intriguing possibilities.
Just like The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, the meaning of the name The Rise of Skywalker is open for many interpretations. This statement is true of many other titles of the Star Wars saga. I don’t think that the true meaning of the titles of the first two films of the sequel trilogy has been nailed down completely. Same is true for many of the other films. For example, did “Return of the Jedi” refer to the return of the Jedi order, or the return of the specific Jedi, Anakin Skywalker? Similarly, was Luke the last Jedi, or is Rey (or Ben Solo)? It’s arguable that the meaning of many of the Star Wars titles isn’t completely clear until retrospect.
This brings us to The Rise of Skywalker. A lot of people have jumped to the conclusion that this refers to Rey’s parentage. I think this is actually the least-likely scenario. I think the odds of Rey being a Skywalker, in the sense of being the daughter of Luke or Leia, is very low, but I’ve been wrong in the past. The three scenarios I’d like to discuss are in fact stuff we’ve discussed in the past, before we even saw the trailer for TROS!
The Redemption of Ben Solo
In a recent interview with Josh Horowitz of MTV news, Daisy Ridley acknowledges that Ben Solo is sort of the last Skywalker, and that the title just might refer to him. Many people have believed that the movies have set up the inevitable redemption of the character. Sure, he killed his father Han Solo, which is terrible. But Anakin Skywalker had a huge redemption arc fulfilled in ROTJ, and he killed younglings and pretty much all the Jedi of that era. So Ben Solo could have some sort of meaningful redemption as well. Many have speculated that Ben Solo has an inverse trajectory of Anakin, and he starts off bad in the films and ultimately turns good in the third act, the opposite of Anakin in the prequels. If Ben Solo were to reaffirm his connection to the light-side of the Force, and connect to the positive aspects of his family heritage, then his redemption could be interpreted as a the “rise of Skywalker”.
The Resurrection of Luke Skywalker
This one we’ve discussed a fair bit in this previous article. If a Jedi can vanish into thin air and become a Force-ghost, can a Force-ghost materialize out of thin air and take physical form? We’ve seen new Force-powers each move, and Force-resurrection could be the one we see in IX. Could Luke return, and “rise” to face the big evil of Episode IX? To me it seems totally possible. Why is vanishing so much more plausible than resurrection? They seem like reversals of the same supernatural process.
TLJ introduced the concept that the Force-ghosts could have a significant influence on the physical world. Yoda’s Force-ghost was able to conjure up a bolt of lightning and tap Luke on the head with his cane. This type of “rise” that would involve Luke’s Force-ghost interacting with the physical world to turn the tide of a battle with a new Force-ghost-maneuver. I have no doubt that Luke will return as a Force-ghost, the question is what role this plays in the title of “The Rise of the Skywalker”?
If Luke was to physically materialize for only a moment, and do some amazing Jedi moves, then I’m sure a lot of fans would be blown away. Luke’s Force-resurrection would be a bit of a surprise, and be a pretty cool way to close the saga.
Rey’s New Order of Force-Users
The last possibility is also one that we have contemplated in previous articles, but we never connected it to the possible new name of “Skywalker”. In this past article, we contemplated the role of “Balance” in Rey’s new order. While “Gray Jedi” have been ejected from the canon, if a new order of Force-users would take a new name and new set of beliefs, then it could work. At the time I speculated that they would be called “Bendu”, but it seems that if the theory is true, this new order could be called “Skywalkers”. This was actually recently speculated about by Kevin Smith, and I’m sure many others. Defining a new era of Force-users and calling them Skywalkers would honor Luke and set the stage for a new era of films that while don’t necessarily include anyone related to Luke, could still have “Skywalkers”.
Along these same lines, the novel Thrawn Alliances establishes a Force-power that enables Force-sensitive individuals to server as navigators of deep space travel. These individuals can sense large gravity masses, and help guide ships throughout the depths of the Unknown Regions. The Chiss have a name for people with this power, and it is…you guessed it…”Skywalkers”. This raises the possibility that Shmi Skywalker had this name for a particular reason, maybe an ancestor of her had this power. It also adds another layer of meaning to the new title.
Which interpretation do you think is most probable? Leave your comments below. Until then, stay tuned to SpoiledBlueMilk for the best of Star Wars, and follow me on twitter: @davestrrr.