‘The Rise of Skywalker’ Would Have Been Worse Off With More Force Ghosts
Force ghosts are nearly as controversial in Star Wars as relative death is in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Both franchises denote death as non-permanent or just stepping up to something greater.
If that might seem satisfying enough (and arguably connecting to real-life spiritual beliefs), not all fans are on board with Force ghosts. While every fan accepts the ghostly guises of Obi-Wan, Yoda, and Anakin appearing to Luke at the end of The Return of the Jedi, nobody wanted to see them meddle too much.
Despite seeing Luke and Leia as Force ghosts at the end of The Rise of Skywalker, a few fans wish more ghosts would have shown up to help Rey battle Palpatine.
Someone made a video edit of Force ghosts helping Rey
The final battle between Rey and Palpatine has already ruffled the feathers of fans who think it was too pat of an ending as mere fan service. On Reddit, this sentiment is still being expressed with the usual fervor.
To amend this, one fan created a video edit incorporating the Force ghosts of Obi-Wan, Yoda, Anakin, and Luke watching (then helping) Rey conquer Palpatine on Exogol. Watching that edit through, one can easily get caught up in the emotion of the moment. Whoever did the edit also did a good job of making it look like it came from a final cut.
Many fans on Reddit reacted accordingly in the comment section. However, others said that while the video is emotional to watch, they were glad it was not in the original Rise of Skywalker print.
An equal divide seems to exist there, but those opposed do have a point. Having the Force ghosts show up to help Rey takes away any sense of her taking on Palpatine on her own terms.
The Force ghosts clearly wanted Rey to battle Palpatine by herself
As one Reddit fan noted above: “I like the original scene because it’s a lot more subtle about her connection with the rest of the Jedi. They are more omniscient and are just guiding her rather than being in the fight. That’s why Luke says ‘but this is your fight.'”
No matter how one feels about the sequel trilogy, they at least avoided the Force ghosts showing up too much. Yes, Yoda did show up to chat with Luke – a pivotal scene in giving a new view of the Jedi.
All the rest were only heard in voice, namely through Rey’s head. This gives proof the production team wanted the past Jedi to have a more omnipresent way about them and let Rey have free will. Overall, this takes Star Wars closer to real-life spiritual views on free will guiding our destinies.
Fans may be glad the Force ghosts never showed up, yet many still scratch their heads over how Palpatine was back in the first place, not including dying so easily, according to Polygon.
Removing the stigma of male Jedis saving the day
One could easily declare Rey’s elimination of Palpatine as a watershed moment in the Star Wars saga. After years of male figures taking the dominant spots in the Jedi, it was refreshing to see Rey become an important figure in the franchise lore.
Her story is maybe not done either, even if we’re likely not to see her again for a long while. Seeing fan video edits of the past Jedi masters basically guiding Rey with strength to overcome Palpatine forces the outdated idea that men have to dominate and help the woman gain her strength.
At least most of the fan base agrees the video is a nice fantasy without being canon. More so, a few are likely unhappy the image of the Anakin Skywalker Force ghost was the Hayden Christensen version over the original one they remember from Return of the Jedi.
