Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker may represent the end of one era, but it also helps build towards a new one on Disney+. The latest cinematic Star Wars offering wraps up the story of the Skywalker family, essentially putting to rest 40 years of storytelling when Rey buries Luke and Leia’s lightsabers in the sands of Tatooine. So many long-term arcs are brought to a close - Emperor Palpatine is defeated, the Force is finally balanced, the Skywalker line ends (but its name lives on) and a seemingly permanent peace is cast over the galaxy.
Of course, this is far from the end of the Star Wars franchise under Disney’s leadership. Mickey Mouse forked out a lot of cash to obtain the property from Lucasfilm and more movies are in the pipeline, including a project led by Marvel’s Kevin Feige and a trilogy from Rian Johnson which is currently still on the cards. Another project from Game of Thrones’ showrunner duo has, however, been scrapped. Disney is also busy developing Star Wars away from the big screen, bringing the iconic science-fiction world to their in-house streaming service, Disney+.
The Mandalorian premiered in the weeks before The Rise of Skywalker to a rapturous response. Also planned is an Obi-Wan Kenobi series and a Cassian Andor offering. While The Rise of Skywalker has plenty of work to do wrapping up its own material, it does make time to lay the foundations for what is still to come on Disney+.
The Mandalorian
In many ways, The Mandalorian helped set up The Rise of Skywalker, beating it to the Force healing game by mere days. Episode 7 of The Mandalorian finally showed Baby Yoda using the Force to cure the wounds of others; something that was teased earlier in the series. Although Force healing had been a regular feature of Star Wars’ old expanded universe, its appearance in The Mandalorian enshrined this handy technique into Disney’s new canon, as Baby Yoda cured a fatal, poisonous animal wound sustained by Greef Karga.
The Force healing trope played a massive part in The Rise of Skywalker, when Rey is seen using the same power, fixing Kylo Ren after defeating him in battle and putting a hole in his torso. This moment neatly sets up the finale where a redeemed Ben Solo returns the favor, bringing back Rey from certain death at the expense of his own life. Although this significant plot point was first introduced by The Mandalorian, it’s The Rise of Skywalker that provides more details and context.
Currently unable to vocalize his emotions, Baby Yoda hasn’t explained how his Force powers work but, with Rey slightly more adept in communicating, The Rise of Skywalker reveals that Force healing involves putting the user’s life energy into another living being. As proven by the fate of Ben Solo, practicing this technique under the wrong circumstances can be fatal, setting a limit for Baby Yoda in The Mandalorian. Viewers have already seen the bond between Din Djarin and his adopted child - how far would Baby Yoda go to ensure the bounty hunter’s survival?
Although still unconfirmed at present, The Rise of Skywalker might also offer an explanation for why the Empire are searching for Baby Yoda in the first place. With Palpatine still alive and neck deep in genetic experiments involving the Force, it’s not unreasonable to suggest Baby Yoda’s existence might be a prelude to something viewers have already witnessed in The Rise of Skywalker.
Cassian Andor
First introduced in 2016’s Rogue One, Diego Luna’s heroic Rebel intelligence office is getting his own spinoff series that’ll begin filming next year. Since Andor (and pretty much everyone else) die at the end of the Gareth Edwards movie, the Disney+ series will sit squarely in the gap between the prequel trilogy and Rogue One, filling out the early days of the Rebel Alliance’s struggle against the newly-installed Empire. The Rise of Skywalker did include some themes that will undoubtedly carry over into the Cassian Andor series. In the opening act, Poe and the Millennium Falcon crew rendezvous with a Rebel intel source that has a spy installed within the First Order’s ranks, later revealed to be General Hux.
These scenes give Star Wars fans a flavor of the espionage action that can be expected from Cassian Andor’s adventures, with spies, sources and clandestine meetings sure to be key fixtures of the forthcoming series. Although only touched upon in The Rise of Skywalker, Disney+ has the opportunity to dig far deeper into the Rebels’ murkier dealings, just as Rogue One did before it.
In terms of the Empire, the presence of Richard E. Grant’s General Pryde provides a link between baddies old and new and, depending on when the Cassian Andor series is set, Pryde would be in his late teens to mid-20s, born in 27 BBY compared to Rogue One taking place in 0 BBY. As such, it’s entirely possible that Andor could come up against Pryde as a fresh-faced new recruit keen to serve the Empire loyally.
Obi-Wan Kenobi
First Obi-Wan had the high ground, now he has a long-awaited solo adventure on Disney+, with Ewan McGregor reprising his role from the Star Wars prequels. The Rise of Skywalker actually includes appearances by both McGregor’s iteration of Obi-Wan and the original Alec Guinness character, when their distinctive tones feature among the litany of Jedi spirits communicating with Rey during the climactic battle against Palpatine. While certainly not a direct set-up for the return of Obi-Wan Kenobi on Disney+, the scene does keep Kenobi’s presence alive in the Star Wars franchise, especially for younger fans who may not be as familiar with either portrayal of the famous Jedi.
Arguably of more interest is Rey’s return to Tatooine, burying the Skywalker lightsabers next to the hut where Luke grew up. Despite the obvious connections, this feels like somewhat of a morbid resting place, given Luke’s history with the planet. His grandmother was murdered by Tusken Raiders, his aunt and uncle killed by Stormtroopers and the young wannabe Rebel viewed his existence on Tatooine as a burden. Rey might’ve at least buried the sabers next to the power converter stand at Tosche Station, rather than in the exact same spot Luke found Beru and Owen’s bodies.
The Obi-Wan Kenobi series on Disney+ takes place when the Jedi was guarding over Luke Skywalker from afar and a young Luke actor is reportedly in the process of being cast. Seeing Luke’s childhood on Tatooine might help to round out why Rey chose this spot to lay the lightsabers to rest, adding some happier memories to Luke’s time on Tatooine.
Finally, The Rise of Skywalker creates a fascinating parallel between old Ben Kenobi and old Luke Skywalker that didn’t previously exist. In 1977’s original Star Wars movie, Obi-Wan opts not to tell Luke that his father is one of the most feared figures in the galaxy (although this wasn’t yet part of the story). The Kenobi series will almost certainly explore how the Jedi wrestles with this moral dilemma. The Rise of Skywalker, however, proves that Luke Skywalker must’ve accepted his master’s decision as the right one because he does exactly the same thing to Rey. Despite knowing Rey is desperate to explore her heritage, Luke doesn’t reveal that she’s a Palpatine, therefore indirectly justifying Obi-Wan’s lie ahead of his solo series.
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