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It's almost hard to believe it, but the Star Wars franchise as we know it has officially come to an end. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hit theaters back in December, and wrapped up the nine-film Skywalker Saga that George Lucas began with A New Hope. J.J. Abrams was tasked with crafting an appropriate ending, and had to cover a ton of narrative ground throughout the movie's runtime. The movie also gave Rey her very own lightsaber, and now we can see the inside of the Jedi weapon.
There were a ton of lightsabers used throughout The Rise of Skywalker's runtime including Anakin Skywalker's original, Leia's saber, and Dark Rey's double-sided weapon. The film's final sequence featured Rey on Tatooine, briefly firing up her yellow bladed weapon before declaring herself a Skywalker. It was recently revealed that a cut scene would have shown Rey creating her own saber, and some new concept art material shows the inner workings of the weapon. Check it out below.
Yeah, this is awesome. Inside we can see exactly how lightsabers work, with Rey's The Rise of Skywalker weapon powered by a yellow kyber crystal. Rey crafted this mysterious saber herself, made from the base of the staff weapon she was introduced with in A New Hope. This concept art by Matthew Savage shows the inner workings on the weapon itself.
Rey's fancy yellow lightsaber was one of the final surprises in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker's runtime. Since the scene featuring her working on the weapon was left on the cutting room floor, it's appearance was a shock, especially the yellow blade. But the above concept art shows the inside of the handle, featuring Rey's handy work. Luckily, she's been shown to be handy and skilled with tech throughout the last three movies.
The deleted scene featuring Rey's lightsaber would have featured her using the ancient Jedi texts to put the weapon together. It's unclear where she might have procured a new kyber crystal, but it makes sense that the books she was studying would hold the key to crafting her own lightsaber. And once she did, she was able to put Luke and Leia to rest on Tatooine as seen in The Rise of Skywalker's final moments.
Star Wars fans can re-watch The Rise of Skywalker on Disney+. You can use this link for a free 7-day trial to the streaming service.
After the First Order and Palpatine were destroyed for good, Rey travels to Tatooine to memorialize Luke and Leia. She use her force powers to bury their lightsabers deep in the planet's sand, giving both beloved heroes the sendoff they deserve. Shortly after she declares herself a Skywalker, as the nine-film narrative comes to a close.
As a reminder, you can check out the sequence below.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker's contents might have been the subject of some debate since the movie hit theaters back in December, but you've got to admit that the final sequence is a powerful and simple one. Rey was the true protagonist of the sequel trilogy, and it's powerful to finally see the character own her identity. Additionally, Leia's appearance as a Force Ghost is especially powerful given Carrie Fisher's tragic real-life death.
It should be interesting to see where the Star Wars franchise goes next, now that the movies are no longer connected to the Skywalker Saga. Taika Waiiti was recently announced to be directing and writing his own installment in the galaxy far, far away, and The Last Jedi's Rian Johnson is also expected to develop his own original Star Wars flick.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is currently available on DVD, Blu-ray and Disney+. Check out our 2020 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
