Star Wars Theory Reveals Rise Of Skywalker Set Up Rey’s Next Movie

While Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is often considered one of the weakest sequel films, it may have given a big hint as to what Rey’s next Star Wars movie will be about. In many ways, The Rise of Skywalker changed several canon facts about the Force and the afterlife. Characters who die in Star Wars are meant to enter the Netherworld of the Force, where they are at peace from the physical world. Only a select few Jedi who have special training are able to return to the physical world as Force ghosts. However, The Rise of Skywalker completely ignored and changed these rules.

The ability to influence the physical world from the Netherworld was conceptualized all the way back in A New Hope, where Obi-Wan Kenobi calls out to Luke during his Death Star trench run. Qui-Gon Jinn was the first Force ghost, and he taught Obi-Wan and Yoda how he managed to do it. However, there are a handful of Force ghosts in Star Wars who had no connection to Qui-Gon’s training. Some wonder how Anakin Skywalker managed to return as a Force ghost in Return of the Jedi. While Anakin’s pretense can be explained away by him being the Chosen One, The Rise of Skywalker has more glaring Force ghost problems.

Related: Every Jedi Who Returned As A Force Ghost

Star Wars: The RIse Of Skywalker Seems To Change The “Rules” For The Force Netherworld

The Rise of Skywalker seems to change the rules on who can return and influence the physical world from the Netherworld. Though they don’t appear physically, dozens of Jedi call out and support Rey in her final duel with Palpatine at the end of the film. However, the vast majority of them did not know the secret Qui-Gon learned and therefore had no way to make themselves seen or heard. Nevertheless, the Jedi voices Rey heard managed to reach out to her despite it being impossible, which hints that the Force may have undergone a massive change before The Rise of the Skywalker occurred.

As if the dozens of Jedi calling to Rey wasn’t proof enough that something changed in The Rise of Skywalker, Han Solo also returns in a pseudo-vision to help comfort his son. While Han Solo isn’t a Force ghost, it breaks Star Wars’ rules for him to return to the Netherworld in any capacity. And while some have argued Kylo Ren merely imagined his father, Han’s realistic presence says otherwise. From a production standpoint, his return was purely to bring Harrison Ford back and excite fans. But from a canon perspective, his return from the Netherworld, combined with the voices Rey hears, suggests an irrevocable change in the Force itself.

Has Palpatine’s Resurrection Broken The Boundary to The Netherworld Of The Force?

One of the few big events that could have caused such a massive change in the Force is Palpatine’s resurrection. Palpatine cheating death and returning in his scarred and deformed body went against Star Wars’ natural law, and in doing so may have broken the separation between life and death itself. This would explain why the Jedi voices were able to break through the Netherworld and strengthen Rey, and would also help rationalize how Han Solo managed to appear in front of his son at the ruins of the second Death Star. In other words, Palpatine may have permanently changed how the Force works.

Because of the planet’s strong connection to the Force, Palpatine chose to resurrect his Force spirit on Exegol. However, since the veil between the Netherworld and the physical world was thin on Exegol, it may have torn or been damaged during Palpatine’s return. Judging by The Rise of Skywalker general disregard for Star Wars canon, it’s unlikely Disney or the writers planned for Palpatine to break the Netherworld. However, by running with this plot line, they can help fix some of the problems with The Rise of Skywalker while simultaneously creating a new threat for Rey to deal with in her new film.

Rey’s Next Star Wars Movie Could Deal With Rise Of Skywalker’s Consequences

As is the case with much of Disney’s new Star Wars media, Rey’s new Star Wars movie will likely fix many of The Rise of Skywalker’s plot holes. The Mandalorian has already begun to explain how Palpatine managed to cheat death in the first place, but Rey’s new movie will likely deal with the consequences of Palpatine’s actions. If the veil between the physical world of Star Wars and the Netherworld of the Force has been torn, then even stranger interactions could occur between the living and the dead. In fact, it could pave the way for Star Wars to bring back almost any character it chooses for Rey’s film.

This theory helps explain what the potential hook could be for Rey’s Star Wars film. The Force has likely become even more unstable in the 15 years since Palpatine broke the veil to the Netherworld. It may be that Rey has set herself on the quest of repairing the damage in the Force he caused, which would send her on a similar journey to the one Yoda took in Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 6. During the arc, Yoda was guided by Qui-Gon to find where life began in the galaxy, and encountered five Force Priestesses who test him and train him in the Force.

Could Kylo Ren Return In Rey’s Next Star Wars Movie?

If Rey is setting out to repair the tear between the Netherworld and the physical world, it’s entirely possible for her to reunite with Kylo Ren. Palpatine once described the Dyad between Kylo and Rey as a bond as strong as life itself. Even though Kylo’s physical form has perished, it might be possible that his connection with Rey transcends the Netherworld itself; especially if the veil was actually broken by Palpatine. While Rey searches for a way to repair the damage in the Force from the physical world, Kylo Ren may be attempting to do the same from the Netherworld side of things.

If the veil between the Netherworld and physical world has been torn, then it certainly means the Dyad can come back into play. It may even be Kylo calling to Rey from the Netherworld that sets her off on the mission to repair the Force in the first place. Or it may be possible for Kylo Ren to return to the physical world before the tear in the Force is sealed. In any case, the theory that Palpatine originally tore the barrier would help explain the inconsistent Force voices and pseudo-ghosts in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, while also providing a compelling start to Rey’s new Star Wars movie.