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Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Writer Explains Why These Characters Didn’t Appear As Force Ghosts


Warning: This article contains spoilers for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

Star Wars fans might have been hoping to see more Force Ghosts in The Rise of Skywalker, but at the very end of the film when Rey (Daisy Ridley) visits Tattooine, the Jakku Orphan only sees two Force Ghosts – Luke's (Mark Hamill) and Leia's (the late Carrie Fisher). It's an epic moment for Rey who then decides to take on the name of the Skywalker family, forsaking her origin as the granddaughter of Emperor Palpatine. However, fans couldn't help but wonder why the other Skywalkers weren't present in the scene. Where was Anakin (Christian Haydensen)? Where was Ben Solo (Adam Driver)?

Speaking in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter,The Rise of Skywalker co-writer Chris Terrio explains he and J.J. Abrams decided against featuring these prominent characters as Force Ghosts in Episode IX.

"We absolutely discussed who would be there at the end," Terrio told the entertainment news outlet, "It's not as though those Force ghosts will never appear to Rey now that she really is the first of the new Jedi. I think she has all of those Jedi behind her."

Apparently Abrams had made it "pretty clear about the idea that he didn't want to take away from the moment of Leia finally appearing as a Force ghost and the twins finally being together."

According to Terrio, it was important to the team that Luke and Leia would appear in Tattoine. Leia never really had a chance to return home because Alderaan had been destroyed in A New Hope. It would mean so much to see Luke and Leia together over Tattoine right after the lightsabers had been laid to rest.

While we would have wanted to see Kylo Ren's Force Ghost in the scene, we understand what Terrio and Abrams was going for in The Rise of Skywalker.

How about you? What do you think? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is currently screening in cinemas.

Read: Obi-Wan Kenobi Series Reportedly Casting for Young Luke Skywalker

For more articles like this, take a look at our Star Wars: Episode IX page.