SwayBlog

The Big Picture

• The Rise of Skywalker' s mixed reception was due to baffling creative choices and breakneck pacing.
• A deleted scene of Chewbacca being tortured by Kylo Ren adds emotional weight and character development.
• The film's missed opportunities and lack of risk-taking contributed to its status as a poor ending to the sequel trilogy.

Five years have passed since Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker closed out the Star Wars sequel trilogy, and saying it's a mixed bag is a bit of an understatement. On the one hand, the dynamic between Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega) and Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) is a joy to watch. On the other hand, J.J. Abrams made some baffling creative choices that don't line up with Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi or Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens. The most egregious case is the resurrection of Emperor Palpatine, followed by the revelation that Rey is Palpatine's granddaughter. But Abrams also directs The Rise of Skywalker at a breakneck speed, with many scenes being left on the cutting room floor.

One of those scenes involves Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo). The First Order captures the Wookiee warrior, which leads Rey to unleash a blast of Force lightning that obliterates his transport. But when Finn and Poe are later captives of the First Order, they learn that Chewie's still alive! Suotamo expanded upon this scene in his book Roar! My Life as a Wookiee (translated from Finnish). In it, Suotamo talked about a cut scene where Chewbacca would have been at the mercy of Kylo Ren (Adam Driver).

Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker

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Chewbacca Was Tortured by Kylo Ren in a Deleted Scene

According to Suotamo, the cut scene saw Kylo resorting to mentally invading Chewbacca's mind to find out where Rey, Finn, and Poe were going. It's a skill the First Order's leader used to terrifying effect on Rey and Poe during The Force Awakens. But he is overwhelmed by Chewie's memories of his childhood past, and eventually leaves the Wookiee alone. Suotamo said the scene made him uncomfortable for many reasons; being restrained in a full Wookiee getup took a physical toll, and apparently, Driver was in full method mode during the filming of The Rise of Skywalker. He "psyched himself to be a real monster through it all," Suotamo wrote.

The scene between Chewbacca and Kylo Ren also took place in the official Rise of Skywalker novelization by Rae Carson, which expanded upon the film's events. It also played a major role in convincing Kylo to turn his back on the dark side, though Suotamo felt the scene was cut due to it being too dark, and that it might have impacted the weight of Kylo's redemption. "Perhaps the transformation of Kylo Ren into Ben Solo would also have suffered with such an inhuman act that some viewers would see it as unforgivable even though he ended up saving the entire galaxy." Whether or not one agrees with Suotamo's take, cutting this scene reveals one major problem with The Rise of Skywalker.

Cutting the Chewbacca/Kylo Ren Scene Strips ‘The Rise of Skywalker’ of Emotional Weight

By leaving the Kylo Ren and Chewbacca scene on the cutting room floor, Abrams misses out on a moment ripe with emotional weight, and it's a recurring theme throughout the film. Kylo does eventually turn to the light side after witnessing a hallucination of his father, Han Solo (Harrison Ford), but it would have hit even harder if he was reeling from witnessing his childhood after invading Chewbacca's mind. Another scene that's robbed of its dramatic potential is the fate of C-3P0. While Rey, Finn and Poe are searching for a Sith Wayfinder, C-3P0 reveals that the information is in his memory banks — but to access it would override his programming. It's a real bombshell of a moment; C-3P0 has been a major part of the Star Wars universe from the beginning, so losing him would be a huge deal. I say "would be" because one scene later, R2-D2 reactivates C-3P0 and brings back his memories, robbing the memory wipe of its potential dramatic weight.

Ultimately, the major problem with The Rise of Skywalker is that Abrams was trying too hard to win over every single Star Wars fan. In doing so, he wound up pleasing very few fans. The Rise of Skywalker also had a major effect on the Star Wars franchise's theatrical future; to this day, the franchise has mostly been limited to the collection of television series on Disney+. Efforts are being made to bring back the series to its theatrical roots, starting with The Mandalorian & Grogu, but whether it has the same reception as previous Star Wars films remains to be seen.

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Chewbacca Did Have an Emotional Moment With Kylo Ren in ‘The Force Awakens’

The Rise of Skywalker skipping out on emotional moments also makes it the complete opposite of The Force Awakens, where Abrams took the time to introduce the audience to new characters and worlds. A major example involves the third act, which takes place on the planet-destroying Starkiller Base. After witnessing Kylo kill Han, Chewbacca roars in anger and fires upon the young dark side user, wounding him. However, it's important to recognize that Chewbacca aims for Kylo's stomach instead of somewhere that would be a fatal blow. It shows that somewhere, somehow, Chewie recognizes the young Ben Solo.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, ultimately, is a film full of missed opportunities. Instead of closing out the sequel trilogy on a strong note, it's now considered a major example of what not to do when crafting the closing chapter in a major film franchise. It all stems to cutting scenes like Chewbacca's from the final product; rather than take a risk, Abrams opted for the safe path.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is available to stream on Disney+ in the U.S.

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