Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is one of the most anticipated finales in the history of cinema. But there are plenty of self-described die-hard fans who couldn’t care less; though they are mostly convinced they could care less, and that may be true also. They certainly make a point of telling as many people as often as possible how much they don’t care. The last two Star Wars movies is what did it to them. Never mind Solo: A Star Wars Story. Tons of fans were already overboard by then. I’m talking about the Skywalker Saga, “From the Further Adventures of Luke Skywalker,” the trilogy of trilogies, George Lucas’ baby who ran away from home and was adopted by the Mouse.
The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi hit some fans so hard with two strikes they are calling the out already. These are fans who are livid with Episodes 7 & 8. Can The Rise of Skywalker redeem the series for so many who think their childhood was ruined up to almost forty years after their childhood actually happened? Can Star Wars be vindicated in their eyes? If not, it’s probably not worth going to see unless one has a penchant for wallowing in what they hate. I remember my father used to watch Yankees games so he could root for them to lose. He got angry when they won, which was often. He was a Mets fan. Needless to say that kind of compulsion was not worth the effort for the rare reward of enjoying a Yankees loss. It did nothing for the Mets. The Yankees win a lot. So does Star Wars. Star Wars is in the playoffs, and whether or not they win the series is irrelevant. Star Wars is a champ to general audiences. For the excitement of it all it’s the series that counts, not the last inning. Even if The Rise of Skywalker wraps with a pop fly to left field there will still be a lot of people cheering the team, but what does the title mean?
Enough sports ball. Let’s talk about why we’re here. On December 20 there will be at least a dozen fans left, lining up to watch this little known franchise’s final chapter. And those few people will probably be discussing what the title means up to the last minute. I’d originally intended to write a list of what we expect or what we hope for from The Rise of Skywalker, but as I started to sketch out what those things were the list got way too long. General audiences won’t care or notice if Hera Syndulla has a cameo or if Ahsoka Tano makes an appearance. If she shows up at all it better not be as a Force Ghost or I’m going to write J.J. Abrams a scathing letter about ruining my forties. Some fans want Luke back. Some still think Han Solo may have survived. See? That list would have been a Hoojib hole nobody wants to go down. The only certainty is that Finn yelling “Rey!” is is going to be the new Rick yelling “Carl!” meme.
While we still have the chance to speculate on it here are ten possible reasons for the title, The Rise of Skywalker. Nothing here is a spoiler, though some speculation has potential for being correct, so read ahead at your own risk.
1Skywalker is a new title for Force Users
This theory is extremely popular among fans, but it’s also met with the most cynicism amongst them. Some fans think the title The Rise of Skywalker is really saying The rise of THE Skywalker. With Luke’s perspective on Jedi hubris and the galaxy’s propagandized view of the Jedi being twisted it’s possible we are introduced to a more accessible version of Force-wielding people. Being the last Jedi, Rey could rename the order after the one who “trained” her. Arguments of the validity of Gray Jedi aside, Rey might loosen the rules of the Jedi as the new headmaster of the order. Suddenly thousands of years of tradition will be turned over at the whim of the Fandom Menace’s Mary Sue. The collective conniption would break the internet. A new Jedi order would be better named the Ahsoka Association or the Qui-Gon Fellowship.
2Rey is a Skywalker
This explanation is popular but there are so many ways it could happen it seems like none of them will. It’s the one that has those who think this is the reason for the title believing speculation otherwise is pointless. Rey is somehow related to the Skywalkers. Some still hold that she’s Luke’s daughter. Maybe a non-canon Mara Jade ran off, pregnant, and Luke had no idea. Maybe she’s a clone of Anakin or a reincarnated Anakin. She’s the replacement for the failures of the “Chosen One.” These are reasonable, but the story hasn’t set any of those ideas up in a concrete way, so not likely. Given the original treatment Abrams made with Luke’s disembodied hand it’s possible, however unlikely that Rey is a clone made from Luke’s hand. No, there would be too many hand baby jokes. Some think that Han was off gallivanting with Qi’ra having space shenanigans, so Leia baked a wookiee cookie of her own with some other scoundrel and Rey was sent off to be fostered by Unkar Plutt. Probably not.
3Ben Solo takes on the name Skywalker
Bendemption has been a popular theme since The Force Awakens, but, man, he skewered his daddo. I know we all accepted Vader’s return to the light side, but that was before we knew he slaughtered younglings. Once you commit patricide on the most beloved Star Wars character of all you are pretty much evil forever. So many fans want to see Kylo Ren go back to being Ben Solo and then honor his mother by adopting her birth sirname, but how convoluted is that? From here on you will call me the non-Sith formerly known as Kylo Ren, ex-Master of the Knights of Ren, now Ben Solo Organa Skywalker, the first of his name. Nah. That doesn’t happen.
4The Skywalker name is vindicated
We learned in Claudia Gray’s novel, Bloodline that Leia’s political career was ruined when it was revealed she was the daughter of Darth Vader. The Skywalker name took a beating. Since the third episode in this trilogy was originally slated to be Leia’s story, maybe Leia manages to rise politically again, and she becomes the new leader of the galaxy. She wouldn’t be an empress, but maybe she takes on the role Mon Mothma took in the Expanded Universe as leader of the New Republic. The NEW New Republic. Meh.
5Leia becomes a powerful Jedi
Going with the idea that this is Leia’s story perhaps we get to see our favorite princess turned general wield a lightsaber of her own. How cool would that be? She’s already mastered the Mary Poppins space glide. She’s well on her way to picking X-wings out of swamps and piling rocks without getting her hands dirty. Sadly, J.J. Abrams plans had to be adjusted. Lack of salvageable footage from the last two films restrict her story-line. It’s unlikely movie magic can pull that off. Besides, she goes by Organa these days.
6Anakin returns
The rise refers to Anakin rising from his ethereal ashes to slap Kylo Ren upside his emo head. This is the Skywalker saga. The only Skywalker who’s been somehow connected to every episode is Anakin. He might be a melted helmet at this point, but his ghost was last seen partying with Ob-Wan and Yoda after the Battle of Endor. There was plenty of concept art before The Force Awakens that included a return of that particular Chosen One. Some of the art even inspired the glimpses we saw of the Dark Lord of the Sith in Rogue One. Anakin could return as a Force Ghost with his best frenemy and his son to finally bring balance. The party on the Endor moon has to be over by now. What else do they have to do?
7Luke returns
So many people hate hate hate Rian Johnson for doing Luke like that. And they hate hate hate him for doing J.J. like that. All that set up in Episode 7 just cut down in a cheap twist, killing Snoke. And the pathetic death by exhaustion for Luke, etc. Luke didn’t even have a real lightsaber duel. Some fans would love to see Luke pop out and say, “Surprise! I’m not dead. I’m feeling better!” Well, maybe he returns as a ghost to continue Rey’s training. I don’t think he’ll be alive. And if he is alive Eric Idle and John Cleese better conspire to club him and throw him in the dead cart.
8A new Skywalker is revealed
Since we’re out here in left field picking dandelions while pushing up daisies let’s entertain this whacked-out idea. J.J. Abrams is going to wrap this all up nice and tidy with influences and references from the prior eight episodes, but as we’ve seen of late in a certain Mandalorian series Star Wars has a way with making character additions that come from nowhere. This film is for general audiences, not the die-hard fan. We’ll get a bone or two thrown our way, but how many people who just watch the movies and go on with their normal lives will understand that Ahsoka Tano was briefly Anakin’s Padawan? Probably the same number who are wondering why an angsty teen Yoda is not this trilogy’s Mary Sue? Not many. So with all the Skywalkers we already have to work with it would be foolish to introduce a new Skywalker at this point… unless… unless an existing character is revealed to be a Skywalker. Could it be Poe Dameron? His mother, Shara Bey sure did spend awith Luke in the Marvel comics. Maybe that’s why Luke gave her the force sensitive Great Tree to care for. It’s like space alimony.
9Palpatine reveals himself to be a Skywalker
In the new Marvel comics the mystery of Shmi Skywalker’s pregnancy is explained. Sheev Palpatine (not to be confused with his bother Steve) manipulated the Force to make Force whoopee in Shmi’s belly. Out comes baby Anakin. Christ figure comparisons are averted twenty years later, though technically that’s still a virgin birth. Shmi was otherwise chaste, right? If Palpy was responsible for Shmi’s pregnancy he’s kind of Anakin’s father. Yes, Skywalker is her name, but do we know she didn’t take the name as a hypnotic suggestion? There would be lots of desert dwelling slaves around the galaxy given the number of desert planets there are, so pinning a name like Skywalker on the kid would help old Palps keep tabs. Paplatine’s juicy Expanded Universe origins are now Legends. Maybe Palpatine is just his stage name, and his laugh in the trailer is right after he reveals he was a Skywalker all along.
10Shmi is the Skywalker who rises
Speaking of Shmi, this is my favorite theory because no one else thinks it’s true. The Rise of Skywalker refers to the rise of Shmi. All that Force diddling that Sheev did left a Midichlorian count in her blood that kept her alive even after Anakin thought she had died. The Sand People weren’t torturing the settler for no reason. They were keeping her in quarantine because she was a freaking zombie! How fitting that we will return to Tatooine in the final episode to see Shmi rise from her own pauper’s grave in a chilling crawl following the opening crawl we’re all dying to see?
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker premieres in theaters on Dec. 20.
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