Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hit theaters back in December, but the conversation surrounding the blockbuster hasn't slowed down yet. Director J.J. Abrams had a ton of stories and characters to service throughout Episode IX's 143-minute runtime. And given the franchise's penchant for plot twists, The Rise of Skywalker left moviegoers with a variety of questions after leaving the theater. Many of these longstanding query are being answered in the movie's upcoming novel adaptation, including exactly how Rey and Kylo Ren managed to swap lightsabers in the film's third act.
After three movies, Kylo Ren was finally redeemed, as Ben Solo returned to the Light Side to battle Palpatine alongside Rey. During their final conflict with Palpatine, Rey managed to use The Force to teleport Luke Skywalker's lightsaber into the hands of Ben, as she wielded Leia's. This isn't an ability that has been commonly used in the franchise thus far, and The Rise of Skywalker's novel went into greater detail about just how Rey managed to pull it off. The section reads:
The vision shifted. It was Luke sitting crosslegged on the island of Ach-To, trembling with effort as he projected himself onto the battlefield of Crait. And yet another flash, this time of Leia in her jungle quarters, giving everything she had to send a final thought to Ben. They were all manifestations of the same power. And now Rey could use it in her own way.
Well, that certainly does clear things up. Force Projection became a major macguffin in The Last Jedi and Rise of Skywalker. And it seems that same power is exactly what Rey tapped into in order to pull the lightsaber switcheroo on Palpatine and the Knights of Ren.
This excerpt is from the upcoming Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker novelization. While it hasn't hit shelves, some advanced copies were distributed. And as such, the most interesting sequences in the book have made their way onto social media platforms like Twitter. Both the comics and book have been able to expand the story of Episode IX, and answer the myriad questions that the fandom was left with.
The last two Star Wars movies introduced a ton of abilities to the powers of the Jedi, including Force Projection, Rey and Kylos' Force Connection, and Force Healing. But since these are new concepts into the franchise, the movie's narrative wasn't crystal clear. But the accompanying printed media is helping to bring it all together.
You can see the scene in question below, featuring Rey's lightsaber teleportation trick.
This isn't the only bit of information that has come out since early copies of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker's novel arrived. Perhaps the biggest revelation came regarding Palpatine's mysterious resurrection in Episode IX. While the movie itself never provided an explanation for his existence post Return of the Jedi, the book revealed he was actually a clone. In fact, that scene was filmed for The Rise of Skywalker, but ended up on the cutting room floor.
It should be interesting to see what comes next for the Star Wars franchise. The generations of fans will have to be patient for new content, as there are no plans for property's return to theaters. New content is being produced in Disney+, but the Obi-Wan series has been delayed. As such, we'll have to wait for Baby Yoda to break our hearts again when The Mandalorian returns for Season 2.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will arrive on Digital March 17 and DVD/Blu-ray on March 31. In the meantime, check out our 2020 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
