Obi-Wan Kenobi’siconic line in the originalStar Warstrilogy offers the perfect explanation for the shocking Palpatine twist inStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. There were admittedly a number ofissues with theStar Warssequel trilogy, although arguably the biggest was the minimally-explained return of Emperor Palpatine and his connection to Rey. In fact, although the sequels had several continuity issues,The Rise of Skywalker’ssudden left turn with Palpatine was one of the most glaring in allStar Warsmovies and TV shows.
TheStar Warstimelinehas since worked to explain this return, most notably inStar Wars: The Bad Batch, which revealedProject Necromancer and Palpatine’s resurrection plans. Yet, even with a bit more context,Palpatine’s return remains confusing because it directly contradicts what had been established about Rey’s history. InStar Wars: The Last Jedi, Kylo Ren stated that Rey’s parents were ‘nobody’—a far cry from her dad being a Palpatine clone. However,Star Warshad the perfect explanation all along, given by none other than Obi-Wan Kenobi inReturn of the Jedi.
Rey’s New Star Wars Movie Will Confront Palpatine’s Last Legacy
Emperor Palpatine has had a huge effect on Star Wars and Rey Skywalker, and even though he died, he’ll still cause problems in New Jedi Order.
Obi-Wan’s Half-Truth About Darth Vader Is Well-Known in Star Wars
The twist that Darth Vader was really Luke Skywalker’s father inThe Empire Strikes Backwas one of the most shocking turns not only inStar Warsbut also in cinema history. However, while this moment may now be iconic, at the time, it posed some serious narrative issues. Namely,inA New Hope, Obi-Wan told Luke that Darth Vader had killed his father, making this a massive retcon. In truth, this happened because the twist hadn’t been George Lucas' original plan; however, it required an in-universe explanation.
That explanation came in the form of a rather cheeky line from Obi-Wan Kenobi’s Force ghost inReturn of the Jedi. Famously, Obi-Wan told Luke,“What I told you was true… from a certain point of view.“Understandably, Luke responded to this statement with incredulity, clearly bewildered (and probably a bit miffed) that Obi-Wan would describe his half-truth in this way. However, this easy out from Obi-Wan is the perfect remedy to Kylo Ren’s similar lie inThe Last Jedi.
This easy out from Obi-Wan is the perfect remedy to Kylo Ren’s similar lie inThe Last Jedi.
Kylo Ren’s Last Jedi Half-Truth Is Also True… From A Certain Point Of View
The sequel trilogy backed itself into an almost identical corner with its shocking Palpatine reveal. InThe Last Jedi, Kylo Ren confirmed Rey’s fears that her parents were ‘nobody,’ adding that they had been nothing more than"filthy junk traders"who sold her for drinking money. However,The Rise of Skywalkercompletely rewrote that backstory, instead revealing that Rey’s father had been a Palpatine clone, and they had left her on Jakku to protect her.
The justification for this half-truth (if it can be called that) inThe Last Jediwas simply that Rey’s parents were technically nobody because"they chose to be.“While this could almost explain the notion that Rey’s parents weren’t ‘significant’ in theStar Warsuniverse the way the Skywalkers were, it did little to address the fact that Kylo Ren had called them junk traders and said they sold Rey into slavery. Clearly, Kylo had applied Obi-Wan’s very same logic!
Of course, in reality,Obi-Wan’s cheeky response doesn’t really work in this case. Although a bit opaque, Obi-Wan’s assertion technically was true. After all, Darth Vader repeatedly said he ‘killed’ Anakin Skywalker. The same cannot be said for Kylo Ren’s assertions inThe Last Jedi, which were more objectively wrong. Nevertheless, it seems theStar Warssequel trilogy borrowed fromObi-Wan Kenobi’slogic inReturn of the Jediwhen it came to Palpatine’s surprising resurrection inStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker
Cast
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker concludes the Skywalker saga with Rey, Finn, and Poe Dameron leading the Resistance against the First Order. As the final battle unfolds, they draw upon the wisdom and strength of previous generations to confront their adversaries. Released in 2019, the film concludes the sequel trilogy.
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi
Return of the Jedi concludes George Lucas’s original Star Wars trilogy with Luke Skywalker and his allies seeking to rescue Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt and facing a renewed threat as the Emperor attempts to obliterate the Rebellion through a second Death Star, broadening the epic battle between good and evil.
