Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Plot Holes Explained By The Novel

The official Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker novelization provides explanations for the film’s plot holes and muddled story beats.

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The Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker novelization attempts to clear up some plot holes in the film. Going in, just about everyone (including director J.J. Abrams) knew The Rise of Skywalker wasn’t going to please everyone. Especially after The Last Jedi proved to be one of the most divisive blockbusters in recent memory, the final chapter in the Skywalker saga was bound to be somewhat controversial. What people may not have expected was for The Rise of Skywalker to rank as the worst-reviewed live-action Star Wars film in the franchise, with the general consensus being it was an underwhelming conclusion to an epic story.

To be fair, The Rise of Skywalker has its fair share of supporters, but several critics and viewers took issue with the film’s structure, perceived retcons of The Last Jedi, and other glaring story problems that hindered the movie from reaching its full potential. As The Rise of Skywalker is set to debut on home media later this month, the official novelization made the rounds. Similar to The Force Awakens and Last Jedi novelizations, this was billed as an “expanded edition” that included additional material not seen in the theatrical cut. But in the minds of some readers, this new content went above and beyond being standard deleted scenes.

It’s difficult to say for sure, but it feels like one of the novelization’s goals was to smooth over some of the primary complaints viewers had after seeing the movie. The Star Wars canon books have always been ripe for providing fresh context to the films, helping fans gain a new appreciation for certain aspects. But a case can be made The Rise of Skywalker would have benefitted if some of this information was included in the film last December.

Rise of Skywalker’s Palpatine is A Clone

When the first Rise of Skywalker teaser trailer premiered at last year’s Star Wars Celebration in Chicago, fans were surprised to discover Emperor Palpatine was returning to the fold. The overarching villain of the saga’s first six installments seemingly died at the end of Return of the Jedi, calling to question how Darth Sidious survived (more on this in a bit). In the film, Palpatine is in a physically deformed state, requiring the use of an Ommin harness to live. Some wondered if this body was the same one Darth Vader threw down the Death Star shaft or if dark side magic meant it was something else.

An argument can be made this is inferred in the movie, but the Rise of Skywalker novelization confirms Palpatine is a clone in the movie. While the vessel houses the Emperor’s spirit, it is not his original body. What’s baffling is this reveal was initially included in the Rise of Skywalker script (Ian McDiarmid stated this himself), so it’s curious why it wasn’t in the finished film. A possible justification is Abrams and company didn’t want the movie to get bogged down in exposition (it did have a lot on its plate to take care of), but Palpatine being a clone is a vital plot point that would have cleared some things up.

Palpatine’s Disciples Built the Sith Fleet

As part of his offer to Kylo Ren, Palpatine unveils the mighty Final Order, consisting of a fleet of thousands of Star Destroyers. The sight of this navy made for an awe-inspiring visual, but its existence raised questions. Fans wanted to know where the ships came from and who was behind its creation. Of course, the basic answer to that query is Palpatine, but the novelization digs a little deeper into the specifics.

The Emperor says his disciples worked “for a generation” on the Sith fleet, implying construction on the Star Destroyers began shortly after the Battle of Endor and continued all the way up until the events of the sequel trilogy, Furthermore, it’s confirmed Allegiant General Pryde made the fleet his “life’s work.” While Pryde doesn’t have the biggest role in the film, it’s apparent he was close with Palpatine and worked alongside the Emperor on the Contingency Plan. It sounds like Pryde spearheaded the operation, knowing there’d come a day when the Emperor’s might would be unleashed.

Why Kylo Ren Had His Mask Rebuilt

In The Last Jedi, Kylo Ren destroyed his trademark mask in what was seen as a key moment in his development. That’s why fans found it a bit odd when the character’s headpiece was reformed for The Rise of Skywalker; the broken pieces held back together by red bonding material. Some interpreted it as a clue The Rise of Skywalker was going to backtrack The Last Jedi. The movie hardly acknowledges Kylo’s motivation for having the mask reconstructed, meaning it was up to the novelization to reveal more information.

During the scene in the book when Kylo brings the shards of his helmet to an alchemist named Albrekh, author Rae Carson writes the mask is “the symbol of his leadership” over the Knights of Ren. With the Knights reassembled for The Rise of Skywalker to hunt down Rey, it does make sense for Kylo to don the helmet once more. And in a way, he always seemed fond of the headgear. Remember, he smashed it after being berated by Supreme Leader Snoke (“Take that ridiculous thing off”), so perhaps he did that in a knee-jerk reaction to appease his old master. With Snoke out of the picture, Kylo went back to wearing the mask. Previously, it was hinted he had it to hide his identity from the First Order, but it’s interesting to know how it connects to the Knights.

The Rebuilding Resistance

In The Last Jedi, Luke Skywalker came to the Resistance’s aid at the last minute, Force projecting himself across the galaxy in a self-sacrificial gesture to save the small band of rebels so they could fight another day. Word of Luke’s exploits spread around quickly, inspiring others to join the fight against the First Order. That was the point of the infamous Broom Boy epilogue. So, it was curious when at the start of The Rise of Skywalker, the Resistance was still a scrappy little gang doing their best to battle against the well-resourced First Order. In the year between the films’ events, it seemed like nobody joined the cause.

The novelization tries to fix this. There’s a passage that reveals Leia and Resistance leadership spent time after Crait “establishing contact with old allies, calling in favors, recruiting everyone sympathetic to their cause.” This part even mentions Maz Kanata was of great help here thanks to the various “connections” she has. Later on in the novelization, as the Resistance is gearing up to bring the fight to Exegol, it’s revealed Poe “had been laying the groundwork for months” as the heroes rebuilt their forces. This is all good to know, and it would have been useful in the movie. As presented, The Rise of Skywalker seemingly ignores the larger point behind Luke’s sacrifice and makes it appear as if Lando rallied a makeshift fleet out of thin air. It might have been difficult to find a place for this in the film, but the Resistance’s behind-the-scenes work is a vital, missing component.

More Explanation for Sidelining Rose

After playing a main role in The Last Jedi, Rose Tico was controversially sidelined for The Rise of Skywalker. As Rey, Finn, and Poe went on the mission to Pasaana, Rose stayed behind to study the Final Order’s Star Destroyers in preparation for the final fight. It was a throwaway bit of dialogue that did little to soothe fans incensed Rose had been so marginalized. An added layer to all this is the fact Kelly Marie Tran was harassed off social media following The Last Jedi’s premiere, and some interpreted her 76 seconds of screen time as validating the toxic fans who took their criticisms of the character too far.

In the novelization, there’s another reason given for why Rose doesn’t accompany the main group. Since she’s an engineer, she’s needed at the Resistance base to help prep their fighters for any combat. It’s nice Carson attempted to add additional context here, but it’s unlikely this extra tidbit will do much to placate Rose fans – especially since she had a significantly larger part in Colin Trevorrow’s cancelled Duel of the Fates, going on a mission with Finn to Coruscant.

Lando’s Daughter Confirmed (But Is It Jannah?)

The Rise of Skywalker saw Billy Dee Williams return to the Star Wars universe one last time to play Lando, much to the delight of fans. As much fun as it was to see him fly the Millennium Falcon again, it was disappointing he didn’t have a lot to do in the film. Because his role was limited, there was some confusion over certain elements, such as him taking an interest in Jannah and offering to help her find where she came from. Shortly after The Rise of Skywalker came out, it was confirmed the novelization would include a deleted Lando subplot that fleshed out his life a bit more.

The book confirms that Lando did indeed father a daughter after Return of the Jedi, and that child was taken in by the First Order at a very young age. Many assumed Jannah was that daughter, but it remains unclear in the novelization. There’s no definitive statement Lando and Jannah are related. It’s possible Lando just found a kindred spirit in Jannah. The way Carson writes their brief interaction at the end of the film makes it sound like they are not father/daughter. Lando has made the decision to go around the galaxy and reunite lost children with their families. Part of him is optimistic he’ll find his own daughter, but he knows the odds of that aren’t great.

X-wing Plot Hole Resolution

Early in The Last Jedi, there’s a shot of Luke Skywalker’s submerged X-wing in the Ahch-To water. The ship was destroyed, confirmed in the film’s art book, rendering it useless. While the movie doesn’t explicitly state the X-wing is wrecked, that’s the implication. The only time viewers see it is when it’s underwater, letting them know Luke intentionally ruined his only way off-planet. So, it was a little alarming when Luke raised the X-wing in The Rise of Skywalker and Rey subsequently flew it to Exegol so she could fight Palpatine.

This was a plot hole that bugged viewers for months, but the novelization does its best to provide an in-universe explanation. Rey called upon her scavenger background to do some quick repairs on the ship, rewiring it so it could fly. The X-wing is by no means combat-ready, but Rey did enough to get it from point A to point B. This is something that would have been good to see in the actual film, since as presented The Rise of Skywalker makes it seem like the X-wing was always ready for flight and Luke arguably could have taken it to Crait. Now, fans can infer he simply didn’t have the time to do the necessary fixes.

Why It Took Ben Solo A Long Time to Get To Exegol

After his redemption, Ben Solo disappears from the film for a sizable chunk, returning in the third act to help Rey on Exegol. The movie shows he flew an old TIE fighter to the planet, providing a basic explanation for how he got there. But for some, it felt rushed, particularly after they sat and thought about it for a while longer. Those left confused by Ben’s journey will take interest in a passage from the novelization that digs into this deeper.

Following his talk with Han Solo’s memory, Ben went on a little quest through the Death Star wreckage to find a ship and “coax it into flying for him.” This took a while, seeing that the TIE fighter is decades old and has been in a destroyed Death Star on Kef Bir. To make matters worse, the TIE’s navigation systems were “barely functioning,” meaning Ben went off-course during his flight to Exegol. Fortunately, being an ace pilot runs in the family, and Ben was able to find his way.

How Palpatine Survived Return of the Jedi

Not only was Palpatine thrown down a Death Star shaft, the space station exploded. The dark side of the Force might be a pathway to unnatural abilities, but that seemed tough for even a Sith master to come back from. Sadly, The Rise of Skywalker doesn’t do much to explain Palpatine’s return other than repeat a famous line from the prequels. This was a frustrating turn of events for viewers, who tried to draw their own conclusions in regard to the Emperor’s survival. The book goes into greater detail and sets the scene for how exactly Palpatine lived.

Literally as he was falling down the shaft to his doom, Palpatine used the dark side to transfer his consciousness to the clone body on Exegol. So, when the Death Star was destroyed, the Emperor had cheated death. Sensing the “flickering light” in Vader, Palpatine made plans well ahead of time to be prepared for anything. Unlike Plagueis – who was caught off-guard by Palpatine’s betrayal, the Emperor was ready for Vader’s turn and set things in motion. How this impacts Return of the Jedi’s ending is up to the individual viewer, but this revelation at least answers the most pressing question people had about Palpatine.

Rey Has No Grandmother

One of the more unsettling implications about Palpatine being Rey’s grandfather was the belief the villain had to have been intimate with a woman, who gave birth to a son. Theories spread about who Rey’s grandmother could be, and some were curious if this would be covered in canon materials at some point. Lucasfilm used the novelization to get into more detail about Rey’s family history, and the twist probably wasn’t what people were expecting.

When Palpatine transferred his consciousness to the clone, it was clear the clone wasn’t strong enough to hold all of his power. That’s why it was in such a ragged state in The Rise of Skywalker. Members of the Sith Eternal tried long and hard to engineer a new body for Palpatine, but had no success. One of the attempts was deemed a “useless, powerless failure” that Palpatine couldn’t stomach to even look at. While this individual couldn’t house Palpatine’s spirit, he was able to live and fathered Rey. So, Rey is the daughter of a failed Palpatine clone and has no grandmother. Some people were relieved they could get the mental image of Palpatine’s love life out of their heads, but others found this to be an eye-rolling explanation for The Rise of Skywalker’s most controversial plot point.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/star-wars-rise-skywalker-plot-holes-novel-fixed-explained/