[ARCHIVE] SW Sequel Trilogy Spoilers/Rumors

JediPaxis

I’ve been working on this post for a while now and was actually going to submit it this morning, but time got away from me. Now, in the wake of Jason Ward’s most recent article , now seems like the perfect time to put this out into the world. Everything from this point forward remains unchanged from my last proof read yesterday.

After a pretty lengthy dry spell for leaks and news related to The Rise of Skywalker, we've finally gotten some new stuff to dig into! In addition to the official news and footage, I have a boatload of unofficial news. I obviously can't share details about who my sources are or how/where this information was obtained, but what I can tell you is that they've given me incredibly compelling reasons to pay attention to what they have to say. Now in the wake of D23, some of the things they've told me are being corroborated with official news and footage which bolsters my confidence in the accuracy of this report. That being said, with 4 months remaining until the release of the film, details may still be in flux and (due to the nature of what we do here), unless it's photographic evidence, I can't guarantee that everything you'll read here will be 100% accurate. Some of this you've seen or read before, some of it will be new and some may challenge things widely thought to be true about the film.

SPOILERS!
While this is a spoiler friendly subreddit, I'm going to flag this as a spoiler post and warn anyone that doesn't want to know what happens in the film to turn back now. If you are spoiler averse and decide to continue reading, it's your own fault from here on out. If you are pro-spoilers, please do not share details of this post with anyone that does not want to be spoiled themselves. Without any further preamble...

As stated in a previous leak, it's been reiterated to me that we will indeed be getting young Luke and Leia flashbacks in TROS. One in particular appears to be the opening of the movie no less. We begin the action by seeing one of, if not the final training lesson between Luke and Leia. Leia is giving up her Jedi training due to the fact that she's pregnant with a son. My source on this mentioned a fight, so I believe that we may be getting Leia and Luke in a lightsaber duel toward the beginning of the film.

Picking up in the current point in the timeline. Leia appears to have taken up the mantel of Jedi mentor to Rey in the wake of Luke's passing.

Note: This will likely coincide with the scene from the D23 First Look where Rey throws here lightsaber at a training remote and cuts down a tree.

Early on in the film, we catch up with Kylo's story where he is "slaughtering" people with the purpose of tracking down one of the film's McGuffins, a device known as the "wayfinder".

I'm told that the clip of Kylo body slamming someone into the floor of a forest bathed in red light seen in the teaser. I'm also told that this planet is called "Exogol" (don't quote me on the spelling).

Kylo obtains the wayfinder from "The Oracle" and finds it to contain coordinates to a point in the Unknown Regions. The wayfinder that Kylo is given once belonged to his grandfater.

Using the coordinates found within the wayfinder device, Kylo arrives in the Unknown Regions. Here, Kylo encounters Emperor Palpatine. How Palpatine is still alive and how he ended up in the Unknown Regions is still a mystery to me that I hope to learn more about in the next few months (Note: Daisy Ridley recently said in an interview that it's explained in the film), but my source on this tells me that this is indeed Palpatine in the flesh. Kylo and Palpatine's conversation apparently centers around ordering Kylo to find Rey and bring her to the Emperor with the goal of turning her to the dark side.

Note: It's not lost on me that this part of the story feels very Return of the Jedi inspired, but we'll just crack on and see how this all pans out.

My source specifically mentioned that Palpatine is very old and decrepit at this point, possibly on the verge of death. A little bit of Googling reveals that Palpatine is thought to have been born around 84 BBY making him in the neighborhood of 113 years old by the events of The Rise of Skywalker. His goal in luring Kylo to him and converting Rey to darkness is more or less to have Rey and Kylo inherit his "new Empire" and for them to rule it together.

In order to facilitate bringing about this "new Empire", Palpatine has spent his 30 years of PTO creating a fleet of "Death Star Destroyers" (Note: I don't know if this is their actual name or not. Personally, I hope not, it's bit on the nose) which appear to be exactly what they sound like. Star Destroyers with Death Star tech mounted on them, giving them the capability to destroy a planet. (Note: Apparently once this particular technology was unleashed 30 some odd years ago, that Pandora's box can't be shut again). According to my source, these star destroyers make up the "Sith Fleet" that house the new red Sith Troopers that were showcased at SDCC in July.

Note: I wrote this prior to the First Look being shown and the fleet has since been confirmed. It's comprised of Imperial star destroyers hiding in the Unknown Regions and we see what appears to be their planet destroying capabilities during the reel.

Enough about Rey and Kylo, let's get back to the rest of the Resistance. Apparently we catch up with Finn and Poe returning to the jungle planet depicted in some of the behind the scenes images shown at Celebration. The duo has been in contact with an informant from within the First Order. The mole has told Finn and Poe about Kylo coming into possession of the "wayfinder".

Note: It's unclear to me if anyone in the Resistance understands what the "wayfinder" is or where it leads. They just want to find it.

Poe and Finn tell Leia about this and she sends Rey, Chewbacca, C-3PO and the other droids to accompany them on the mission. In order to get them going on their quest, Leia puts them in contact with someone on Pasaana (The desert planet, filmed in Jordan)

It's at this point in the story where the Resistance team makes their way to the desert planet seen in the teaser and behind the scenes footage. It's revealed that Leia's contact is Lando Calrissian. Lando points them toward another one of our McGuffins, a "Sith artifact" that apparently turns out to be a dagger. This dagger has some sort of writing on it that 3PO can’t decipher.

Note: My source understands this to be a "Sith language". That description is pretty vague for me, but the key point is sound. Heroes find dagger, dagger has writing on it that 3PO can't read.

It’s during our heroes time on Passana that Kylo initiates a Force mind link between himself and Rey. Through their connection Kylo discovers where Rey and the Resistance crew are and leaves to pursue them. Eventually Kylo and the Knights of Ren arrive and begin to attack our heroes. One thing leads to another and the Resistance crew gets outnumbered and they are forced to make their escape on an old ship leaving the Millennium Falcon behind. Kylo recovers the Falcon and takes it back to his Star Destroyer.

As previously mentioned, 3PO is confronted with a challenge he is not equipped to handle. The artifact found on Passana contains a language that 3PO can’t translate without modifications. In order to modify 3POs programming, Poe brings the team to the wintery planet seen in the teaser (Kijimi per the Vanity Fair article). There C-3PO is modified to allow translation of the artifact. I'm told that the modification is done by a small alien (possibly the one pictured in Image A of my post from 6 months ago. I'm not 100% sure on that, but confident enough in who told this to me that I'm willing to put it out there) Once translatable the dagger supposedly reveals information regarding a second wayfinder, this one having belonged to Emperor Palpatine himself, leading the team to journey to the forest moon of Endor.

Note: My sources tell me that the scene from the First Look reel showing 3PO with red eyes connects to this event. The Red eyes are part of the "hack" that allows him to translate the "Sith language".

During the events leading to the modification of 3PO on the wintery planet, Kylo initiates another Force connection between he and Rey. Kylo supposedly uses this as an opportunity to begin forcing Rey down the path of darkness. He does this by antagonizing Rey. Kylo tells her that he knows about the dagger and what it was once used for. Kylo apparently tells her that this dagger was used to murder Rey’s parents. Kylo maintains that her parents are nobodies in the grand story. This angers Rey and she lashes out at Kylo and a lightsaber duel ensues. Rey is on Kijimi and Kylo is on his Star Destroyer. According to my source no flashes of any additional locations are seen during this fight (possibly in the film at all, but we'll see). Ren keeps the link alive long enough to learn Rey’s location and eventually peruses her in his Star Destroyer like before.

Zori Bliss is introduced sometime during their time on this planet.

Note: My sources told me that she has history with Poe prior to Keri Russell saying the same thing in an interview days ago. What this history may be is still a mystery to me right now.

Once Kylo arrives, our gang of heroes decide to sneak aboard and attempt to recover the Falcon prior to leaving. The rescue plan goes awry and the whole group gets captured by the First Order. It’s at this point that two major things happen:

It’s revealed that Hux is the First Order mole that has been feeding the Resistance information and he allows the heroes to escape while Kylo is distracted by dueling with Rey in person.

During this duel, Kylo adds another wrinkle to Rey’s backstory. He maintains that while her parents are nobodies, her grandparents (more specifically her grandfather) wasn’t. Kylo tells Rey that she is the granddaughter of Papatine. This explains his interest in bringing the random nobody from Jakku into the fold. The crew recovers the Falcon, Rey reconnects with them and they all flee.

Following her battle aboard the Star Destroyer and escape on the Falcon. Rey uses the newly gleaned information resulting from 3POs modifications and the translation of the dagger to travel to Endor. At this time, it’s a little unclear to me how Kylo gets from point A to point B, but supposedly he is waiting for Rey in Palpatine’s throne room aboard the wreckage of the second Death Star.

(Note: I assume he knows the location of the second wayfinder due to his newfound connection to Palpatine, but that's just speculation on my part. I think it's important to note that Kylo may have been there before considering that he had the charred helmet of Vader in TFA.)

Naturally, they fight. The specifics of this duel are unknown to me, but what I have been told about it is that it’s at this point when Rey begins to tap into some hatred to gain the upper hand and eventually defeats Kylo (Note: possibly destroying his lightsaber in the process, but that's more rumor than leak at the moment), leaving him for dead on the wreckage of the Death Star. Rey takes possession of Palpatine's wayfinder and leaves.

My sources tell me that the "Dark Rey" moment seen in the D23 footage is in fact a vision (described to me as thematically similar to Luke seeing himself as Vader in the cave on Dagobah). This apparently is a short sequence that happens right after Rey picks up Palpatine's wayfinder.

While lying in the wreckage of the Death Star weakened state Kylo Ren reportedly sees a vision of his father. (Note: It’s unclear to me if Han appears as a bona fide ghost or just through the magic of injury induced hallucinations, but this interaction supposedly acts as Kylo’s “come to Jesus” moment.) Han tells Kylo that it’s never too late to change and when he leaves Endor, he leaves not as Kylo Ren, but as Ben Solo.

This duel is a critical tipping point for Rey as well. I’m told that in the wake of her confrontation with Kylo, she takes the wayfinder and flees to Ahch-to to collect her thoughts. Her mindset is reportedly mirror Luke’s while he was there prior to and during the events of The Last Jedi. The vision of a possible dark future for herself in conjunction fact that she nearly killed Kylo scared Rey in the same way that considering killing Ben in his sleep scared Luke many years prior. She feared the path she was headed down and decides to swear off the Jedi, exiling herself on Ahch-to. Rey scuttles the ship she used to get there just like Luke once did and she caps it all off by casting Anakin's reconstructed lightsaber toward her ship. Just when it looks like the Jedi Order is going to end (again), the specter of Luke Skywalker appears to Rey, holding her discarded lightsaber and does what all good Force ghosts do; gives our hero the resolve to do what needs to be done. Finish the work Luke began over 30 years earlier and put an end to the Emperor for good. According to my source, Luke passes on Leia’s lightsaber to Rey. (Note: I don't know where it came from, where it's been all this time, or how Luke is able to give it to Rey, but what I can tell you (with only about 50% confidence at this point) is that Leia's blade is supposedly blue.) Bolstered by her conversation with Luke, Rey takes Leia's lightsaber, transmits the location of the Sith fleet to the Resistance before heading out herself.

On the subject of Force ghosts, Luke makes another appearance around the time of Rey and Kylo’s crises of faith. Back at the main Resistance base, Leia is on her deathbed. My source describes it to me like Yoda’s death in Return if the Jedi, nothing bad happened, it was just her time to go. Luke has come to says goodbye, but before it all ends for Leia, he has one final lesson for her...

From what I've been able to put together, the final act of the film is structured like this:

Rey leaves Ahch-to and travels to the Sith fleet in the Unknown Regions. Eventually the Resistance fleet arrives and battle ensues. Somehow, Rey finds her way to The Emperor who has been waiting for her. Palpatine confirms that what Kylo told her was true. Apparently after his defeat at DSII, Palpatine was shaken by the fact that he wasn't able to maintain his hold on Vader or seduce Luke to the darkness due to their familial bond. During the course of their conversation Palpatine makes reference to this bond between Vader and Luke and likens it to his bond with Rey hoping that whatever familial connection they have will be enough to win her over and become as strong as that of the Skywalkers. Note: What my source described next feels very reminiscent of RotJ. Rey is trapped in The Emperor’s throne room, watching two opposing fleets battle while she is helplessly gazes onward. It’s at this point that Kylo/Ben reappears. How we get to this next part is still a bit fuzzy to me, but apparently Ben and Rey join forces and begin attacking Palpatine. Leia's lightsaber comes back into play when Rey and Kylo share the Skywalker lightsabers throughout their fight. At some point the Emperor overpowers them both and supposedly kills Ben. (Note: there have been reports from other reputable leakers that Kylo kind of/sort of dies, but my source on this seemed pretty unambiguous. Personally, I think we'll just have to wait and see what we learn over the next few months.) When it looks like all Hope is lost, the ghosts of Luke and Leia show up to aid Rey. Together they overpower the Emperor and end his darkness once and for all.

As for what the other members of the Resistance are doing at this point, they are engaged in a space battle against Palpatine's fleet lead by General Pryde. The Resistance's goal is supposedly to take out the flagship, severing communications and making navigation out of the Unknown Regions impossible. The flagship is destroyed around the same time that the Emperor dies.

The last thing I was told is regarding the final sequence of the film. I don’t why, but our heroes travel to Tatooine. During these scenes, it is supposedly revealed that Rey has cannibalized Anakin/Luke's lightsaber and Leia's to make one of her own that supposedly has a yellow/gold blade. She buries the leftover pieces on the grounds of the former Lars homestead. The final shots of the Skywalker saga allegedly echo how the adventure began in ‘77, our heroes gazing at the horizon dreaming of the future as twin suns set in the distance.

Bespin Bulletin

https://www.instagram.com/p/B16i64Rgfz2/?igshid=1oqz2q4jyykew

Following the incredible reports from both MakingStarWars and JediPaxis, I've decided to share some information I heard that seemingly lines up with their recent reports. Now, I've only heard this information from one source and was in the process of getting confirmation ahead of the JediPaxis and MakingStarWars reveals. So with all leaks, take this information with a grain of salt especially as I only had this info from one source but as it shares similarities to recent leaks it gives me more confidence in sharing it with you guys. Here goes...
• General Hux is an informant for the Resistance. At some point Finn, Poe and Chewbacca are captured by a First Order firing squad only for General Hux to blast these troopers and save our heroes.
• On the forest/jungle world we see Rey crossed legged, meditating and levitating much like Luke in 'The Last Jedi'
• The Death Star wreckage planet is Endor. Ewoks are seen there. The Ewoks do nothing of note but are seen in shots watching the Resistance.
• Rey and Kyo Ren fight through the force with one in a ship and the other on a planet. The sets were built next to one another and Mando tech was used - big LED screens.
• Rey fights Emperor Palpatine whilst Kylo Ren fights off the Knights of Ren seemingly concurrently. Palpatine uses a lightsaber in the fight.
• Dark Rey is a vision. Daisy Ridley shot in that outfit for only a day making the sequence very short. Ian McDiarmid also was on set for this.
• Rey and Kylo Ren share Anakin's lightsaber during a fight where they've learned how to use their force bond at a new level.
• Kylo and Rey confront Palpatine. Ian was on set. Palpatine was next to a bunch of mechanical stuff including what looks like some kind of big mechanical arm. He might've actually been attached to this mechanical stuff. Rey and Ren are seemingly civil with one another.
• Rey and Kylo Ren at ease with each other in a cave with a red, pyramid shaped device only a tad bigger than hand size. No audio or effects at the time on the device.

Older 4chan that lines up with these leaks but is also likely repackaged MSW leaks with some guesswork:

https://www.reddit.com/r/StarWarsLeaks/comments/cyltix/this_4chan_leak_is_looking_more_credible_now_that/

ey and Kylo have a big fight on the desert planet of Pasaana. From what I know they search the wayfinder device which unlocks Vader's legacy. The scene is like in the trailer, Rey is in the desert and Kylo is in his TIE Fighter, he flies to her and she jumps and cuts his TIE Fighters wings in half, the ship crashes and Kylo gets out of it. He ignites his lightsaber and attacks Rey. Then something happens, its called force flash fight, The background changes as they fight like the bond they had in TLJ. They end up in different place from all the saga films including:Naboo, Corusscant, Mustafar, Yavin IV, Hoth and Tatooine(they fight in Lars's home). They end up back on Pasaana and then stop because the Sith Fleet arrived. That's all I saw from this fight. There is another one to the end. This fight was around 8-9 minute long, the background changed like it changed in Rey's vision from TFA.

The last fight is on the ruins of the second death star,there they fight the Knights of Ren and The Dark Acolyte played by Matt Smith, Matt Smith's character is not a Knight of Ren.

He opens a chest that frees Palpatine's spirit which posseses him. He puts his cloak and we get Ian Mcdiarmed voice. He sends the KoR to Take care of Rey and Kylo as he rebuilds the second Death Star.

The Sith Fleet also fights outside with star destroyers and all against the rebels. First Order aparently joins the fight too. We get a chase in the death star and it start rising from water all by Palpatine's command.

Btw, he explain that all Rey, Snoke, etc. were orchestrated by him from the force realm to ressurect himself.

In the end Rey and Kylo kill all the KoR and they fight Palpatine. Kylo kills the host but Palpatine posseses him and they get outside as Death Star 2 rises from water, posseses Kylo fights Rey but he has moment where he gets control back and begs Rey to kill him. Kylo dies and Palpatine too. Ben is dying but Luke force ghost appears and he saves his life.

jason podcast

RANDOM Every source who Jason has spoken with thinks The Last Jedi will be better received after TROS, because TROS pays off what TLJ has set up; also says that TLJ is being spoken of as actually more action oriented than TROS. This does NOT mean TROS doesn’t have action. Just that it is being spoken of as more cerebral and talky than one might expect, and more so than ROTJ.

LEIA Rey’s story opens with her training in the woods with General Leia. - Heard about Billie Lourd playing young Leia, so every reason to think there’s a scene with young Luke and young Leia training, which then gets interrupted. - Thought it was because of Kylo’s issues but maybe not? (likely referring to JP leak which suggests it is due to pregnancy). - Jason emphasizes that he’s got “stacked upon” sources on this, and feels very confident. - Voice actor who has been a voice match for Carrie before (even in the films) did some work on this movie for over the shoulder shots and such, so some lines will not be from Carrie. Also talks about how Leia is not supposed to be CG, but also questions that they won’t edit her mouth movements on existing footage to give her new lines—given that they have clearly digitally recomposited her in so many ways.
SITH BLADE AND KIJIMI Jason believes that they are looking for a contact who can point them to Palpatine’s planet/location in the Unknown Regions. Contact is dead when they arrive however; knifed in the back with a sith blade. This takes them to Kijimi, in order for 3PO to be rebooted with R2’s help. - Jason believes that R2 is smoking/damaged at some point in this movie. He’s not sure if this relates to this or not however. - Jason corrects the speculation from earlier suggesting Zorii has history with Rey. Apparently, she doesn’t at all (used to smuggle with Poe), and the ship that seems like Rey’s parent’s flashback ship is still MIA. Jason stands by though that whenever Rey does see it, she thinks it looks familiar. - Jason believes the MacGuffin is the Sith Fleet, and that the knives and wayfinders are just the pieces leading to the MacGuffin.

FORCE FLASH FIGHTING AND FORCE BOND New sources seem to be indicating that they do not flash between previous film locations or different planets; just to each other’s spaces. (So for example, like in TLJ, where it seems like both Rey and Kylo are in the hut together when they touch hands.) - Points out in the trailer it just looks like Kylo and Rey fighting in the same place on the DS, but given how the rumors were before, wonders whether we’re still going to see flashes between the two spaces (so, like, showing Kylo occasionally slashing his own room apart) - Also points out that it looks like Kylo just walks through the mist and sand on Pasaana straight up into the Death Star. Jason thinks there are 2.5-3 duels for Rey and Kylo in the movie, and that the Death Star duel is for sure The Last Duel.
BULLETINBESPIN - Jason thinks all of it is either on or close to on. - The Hux stuff is a little strange, because Jason heard two dramatically different things about him in this film, to the point that he was honest starting to wonder if they actually WROTE two different things for Hux in this film - has heard the DS planet is indeed Endor for a while now - Jason’s a little in the air about Kylo fighting the KOR, as he feels like he once got that shot down—but he also emphasizes he’s not disputing it. Seems to indicate that who knows/things could have changed or that source could been confused. - Sources don’t seem to indicate that the wayfinders are holocrons JEDIPAXIS: - Connects the Billie Lourd stuff previously mentioned with the potential Young Luke and Young Leia scene - States that as far as one source knew, Mark Hamill had not filmed anything yet when they did this scene - THEORIZES (and only theorizes) that maybe Palpatine wants Rey and Kylo to reproduce to form an heir that he can then possess. Also talks about previous theory that Kylo joined the sith intentionally, and generally tries to piece together the motivations here for Palpatine. - Thinks the jungle planet could be Yavin, but that seems mostly just based on how during TFA might have been Yavin before it was D’quar.
- Jason does have a source in his note history mentioning a mole in the FO. Randy points out that if there is a mole, doesn’t it have to be Hux? (presumably because we don’t have any other known FO characters) - Jason had the Falcon being on fire at the Black Park location, and has a few sources saying that. Theorizes that it’s possible the “Kylo takes the falcon” part may relate to the Falcon being damaged in some way (personal note: though it seems to me also possible it doesn’t happen on Pasaana but elsewhere) - Jason thinks Kylo communicates the news about her parents being killed by showing her the vision he saw, as he tries to emphasize to her that he was telling the truth about her parents, after having been trying to find her. But he doesn’t know if maybe JP’s interpretation has some truth to it, or if the scene itself will be open to interpretation in the movie. - Jason does believe Ahch-To is in the movie, and believes Rey flies Luke’s X-Wing. So it is possible that this connects with JP’s Ahch-To scene -
Jason has heard rumors of Ben’s resurrection. He also has heard that Ben is buried on the Lars homestead. Points out that in this leak it mentions nothing about that and instead Rey and co buries the lightsaber pieces. But also, hard to say if that means that Ben lives, or if the leak is wrong about what gets buried. Jason does find it odd they go there, just as JP does, but beyond that who knows. - Jason not really sure about the differences between the sith fleet and the wayfinders, between the two leaks. Points out there is a shirt supporting the idea the sith fleet at one point obeys/seems to obey Kylo and the KOR, which possibly supports the idea the sith fleet leaves the UR during the events of the movie as unlocked by Kylo. Obviously that’s not part of the leak. - Jason theorizes that Matt Smith is the man who killed Rey’s parents, and then gets connected to Palpatine. States that the one of the sources who gave him the Matt Smith and Palpatine rumor, including the possession and kill, has given him “so much accurate s*** over the years.” Which when Jason thinks of it in that context, plus the level of secrecy, it seems like it must be true. But then maybe it was wrong, or maybe one was the original and the other the reshoot. - Did hear that the Han scene with Kylo was during the helmet scene, but not sure what the deal is

https://makingstarwars.net/2019/09/rumors-on-reys-new-powers-surname-and-reshoots-for-star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker/

Further “secret” reshoots have been happening for a few weeks. George Lucas has always been a consultant on the film so the rumors it has to do with the production being in trouble doesn’t ring accurate.

Source says: “Rey and crew do get attacked by a sandworm alien, which reveals an inexplicable new super power Rey possess: the power to heal or even rejuvenate life. The heroes battle the creature and almost kill the worm and then she uses her powers to repair, or heal, or even bring it back to life.”

Jedi Paxis says: “The only other part where my info differs is that I was told that instead of our heroes almost killing the worm, the worm basically has our heroes backed into a metaphorical corner and the healing is what allows them to survive and escape. The main story beat is the same, but some of the details panning out one way vs the other has slightly different implications on Rey’s character. Yours makes it sound like it was an act done from a place of power and out of pity while mine implies compassion in the face of danger.”

Rey and Kylo have a struggle over a ship and during that struggle Rey uses lightning form her fingertips for the first time on accident and it destroys the ship.

The end of the film has Rey at the Lars homestead where Luke Skywalker grew up. A local sees Rey and comments they haven’t seen anyone near this place in a long time and the local woman asks Rey’s name to which she answers “Rey, Rey Skywalker.”

Podcast tidbits:

•Jason knows more about the reshoots but is sworn to secrecy. Says he heard about reshoots a long time ago for Black Park and Bespin Bulletin covered it as well as they could but those reshoots were for things we already knew so he lost interest and there wasn’t a lot to say on it. These reshoots he believes are a skeleton crew and supposed to be secret. Later says he doesn’t know what they’re reshooting, knows a little but doesn’t know if they’re just adding to it.

• Suspected for a while that Poe Dameron would die in act 3 as his X-Wing was under tarp for quite some time. They didn’t think it had much use at the end of the film.

• Says Rey’s healing or resurrection powers will come into play later in the film according to sources.

• Jason’s sources are currently hearing the same as JediPaxis’ leak. Says not one-for-one. Finds it weird if he and Paxis were being told fake information. Says Jason’s latest stuff comes from the Sith fleet sources.

• Says the scene where Rey and Kylo play tug of war over a ship is on Pasaana. The Knights of Ren are out there too. One of our heroes is on the ship. It doesn’t look good for the character on the ship after Rey accidentally force lightning’s the ship but it is a fake out.

• Says the sources who gave him the Sith fleet info are saying Rey calls herself Rey Skywalker on Tatooine.

• Some sources are saying they don’t know anything about Matt Smith being in the film. One source suggested they didn’t know who was going to be in the Rey’s parents moment and Jason speculates perhaps Matt Smith is the father or is the killer. Says sources before Celebration were insistent Matt Smith was in the movie and trades said he was in the movie. Calls the situation very weird.

• Says the Wayfinders have no special powers.

• Reminds people of something that was mentioned on a previous podcast, how the wayfinder opens up sands. He says that he now believes that to be the worm. Says the ground opens up and sucks our heroes down. Says Pinewood sources hinted at stuff happening underground that Kylo Ren is involved in.

• The underground place is Ochi’s tomb. Ochi is the character they believe gets stabbed by the Sith dagger and was a Resistance contact who knew something of Palpatine or Unknown Regions which is where they find the Sith Dagger. The worm incident happens and our heroes are able to escape but they’re cut off from the Millennium Falcon, presumably as it was found by the First Order and Rey has a premonition that Kylo Ren is out there, so leaves to confront him leaving Finn and Poe to fix Ochi’s ship so they can escape. Rey confronts Kylo in his TIE, this is where the jump from the teaser happens then Rey cuts it and the TIE crashes about 100 meters away then Rey and Ren fight.

• Says he heard Jannah was a Stormtrooper and got out, says her and Finn have that bond.

• Heard Maz Kanata is in the start of the film on the jungle planet and is in the final battle but it sounds like she doesn’t have much to do.

• Jason heard the same description as Bespin Bulletin on the wayfinders that they’re red pyramids and says Bespin Bulletin has more coming out on them.

• Says a long time ago they heard of a secret Ahch-To set at Pinewood by the Paddocks which had Luke’s X-Wing there and Rey was wearing the helmet. A proven source told Jason that Rey flies the X-Wing. Say’s Rey steals Kylo Ren’s ship after their duel on Endor and flies it to Ahch-To and after landing she immediately blows it up and throws the Skywalker lightsaber into the wreckage. Luke appears then Jason and Randy paraphrase some lines from the scene.

Luke: “What are you doing?”

Rey: “You were right, you saw the darkness in me”.

Luke: “The Force brought us together. You need to face Sidious as I faced Vader”.

Rey: “I wanted to feel as if I was as strong as Master Leia but I’m not”

Luke: “You don’t know how strong you are until you know how strong to have to be. Sidious will fill you with fear, with anger and he’ll use your weaknesses against you”

Rey: “What are his?”

Luke: “Sidious looked into Vader’s eyes when my father saved me, he couldn’t understand my father’s feelings for me. He thought love was a weakness to be used”

• Jason says that later on Palpatine thinks he understands it, the family bond but that familial bond doesn’t actually work. Sources told Jason within the first 20 minutes of the movie that Kylo meets Palpatine and he wants Rey and Kylo to be Empress and Emperor of his new Empire. Sources say Palpatine refers to Rey and Kylo as the dyad which are basically the positive and negative of the Force. With Rey and Kylo together, Palpatine will use the Force to rejuvenate himself which was Palpatine’s plan all along. When this rejuvenation thing happens some crazy over the top Force lightning thing happens and it shoots up into the atmosphere brining a Resistance ship down

https://makingstarwars.net/2019/09/rumors-on-how-star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-begins/



After the Crawl!
After the opening crawl we pan from space. The camera moves towards the planet covered in trees. We see a blue and green lightsaber dueling one another. Both of the lightsabers are held in hand by two Jedi with helmets with visors covering their faces so we cannot immediately recognize if this Rey with someone new. The two Jedi break from their duel and remove their helmets to reveal Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa looking exactly the age they did in Return of the Jedi on the Endor’s moon.

I should also note that we believe Rey is a Palpatine who at the end of the film and renames herself a Skywalker and that story just capstones the Jedi Paxis information. I think we should also note that crew members believe this to be the first sequence in the film but we could always be a little off with how edits change and so on. That said, if it isn’t currently, this was the first scene in the film and features a Young Luke and Leia doing Jedi business together. So now when you see Leia do that amazing Mary Poppins moment in The Last Jedi, it is cluing us into Leia’s past and her future after Return of the Jedi.

CGI Leia Organa in The Rise of Skywalker!
Sources have continued to state that Leia is in The Rise of Skywalker a lot. Even though we were told otherwise, the story needed what it needed and the production has done whatever is needed to make that happen in this film. It seems a good guess they haven’t corrected their earlier statements to keep the importance and size of her role under wraps. While some Star Wars: The Force Awakens elements were reused, I have further heard that Billie Lourd was filmed on set and handled the performance side of things when Carrie Fisher could not be with us.

Planetary Confusion
We are assuming that the Luke and Leia sequence then takes us to Leia and Rey training in the moments we saw in the D23 Special Look. You’ll notice in the shot of Leia and Rey we can see some of the same types of vines and stuff we saw at Black Park as we watched the filming being conducted there.

We still don’t know for certain if the planet we see Young Luke and Leia on is Endor. We may not even know what planet they’re on until we read the novel to be honest. We don’t know for certain that Leia and Rey are on a different world from that training flashback opening either. But considering what we hear about Rey heading to Endor later in the film, I’m guessing Leia and Rey are somewhere else with the Resistance.

Jean-Klaud Van Damme
Two side notes about other characters like Klaud and Maz. Officially we just know that Klaud is brought into the Resistance by Chewie. What they didn’t tell you was he’s an action movie star. Okay, not really. I’m told Klaud is aboard the Falcon at the start of the movie and he exits the ship and that was his life as a crew member aboard the Falcon in the film.

While looking into what Maz Kanata’s role is in the film, sources think it is small in this film as well. Crew members believed she is with the Resistance at the start of the film and we catch up with her before Rey and the heroes go on their adventure. We then see Maz again later in the film when the Resistance prepares to attack the unknown regions, where she joins them.

Orange is the New Black!
And finally, you may remember we had an excellent shot of an orange X-wing from Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker last year. The recent Hasbro vintage collection leaks show Poe Dameron with the orange X-wing just behind him. So I’ll consider that confirmed!

The Circle is Now Complete!
The MakingStarWars.net teams thinks if the rumor pans out and the film opens with Luke and Leia training, it might cool if the film ends with a resurrected Ben Solo training with Rey or something to that beat. Since the movie is about the rise of Skywalker, which can mean a lot of things especially with the current rumors circulating about Ben’s return and Rey’s new last name.

From the description:

A source reached out after the last update and filled in exactly what the catalyst is that breaks up the opening scene described to me from Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. In case you didn't see yesterday's update yet, here is the meat of it (check the full article for a few random tidbits):

After the opening crawl, we pan from space. The camera moves towards a planet covered in trees. We see a blue lightsaber dueling a green lightsabers in the distance. Both of the lightsabers are held in hand by two Jedi with white helmets with visors covering their faces so we cannot immediately recognize if this is Rey with someone new. The two Jedi break from their duel and remove their helmets to reveal Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa looking exactly the age they did in Return of the Jedi on Endor's moon. The movie begins with a flashback. What to expect when you're expecting.

I'm told the reason the training is halted in the opening scene because Return of the Jedi era Luke Skywalker realizes something has changed with his sister, Leia Organa. He questions Leia and she confides in Luke that's she's going to be a mother. This is the moment Luke Skywalker realizes Ben Solo is coming and the galaxy will never be the same again.

We then hear a voice-over shouting "Master Leia!" causing Rey to end Leia's flashback and we are thrust into the post-Luke Skywalker era, far from General Leia Organa's training with her brother all those years ago. Now, we are with Leia and Rey amongst the trees. Rey trains to become the Jedi that will face-off against the evil supreme leader that was once the child Leia carried during her training with Luke Skywalker.

A caveat worth noting.

About a month ago, there was filming being conducted in Black Park near Pinewood Studios. The location where Rey trains was used again and it makes sense that the additional content pertains to these sequences. For all we know, there's been stuff added. However, it could just be a lot of minor performance changes or shot coverage for a better way to present the sequence. I do seem to remember first hearing of the flashback sequence and it being a secret location within Pinewood Studios itself.

What might it mean?

I like how the sequence expands on Leia's character while also showing us one of the moments we always wanted to see after 1983 when we hoped "they" would make more Star Wars movies that continued the Skywalker story. If this rumor is accurate in the way I've heard it described, it sets the tone of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hard and fast. This movie is about saving Ben Solo and bringing Rey into the fold.

https://makingstarwars.net/2019/09/more-details-on-the-rumored-opening-sequence-of-star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker/

Here’s the TROS stuff I remember after watching the video once:

He thinks Jannah is Finn’s sister who broke out of the Stormtrooper academy.

Finn and Jannah go on a suicide mission to take down Pryde’s SSD and therefore the entire First Order?

They’re saved in the nick of time by the Falcon.

Reiterates that Finn keeps trying to talk to Rey but can’t get any alone time with her. Not sure what’s going on with Rose.

Snoke’s backstory is explored more and it’s what leads Kylo to Snoke.

He guesses that Kylo tries to figure out just how much Snoke knew and that’s what leads him to Palpatine.

Palpatine does something with his Force lighting that does something weird to ships in the sky??

Rambo C-3PO isn’t even a thing. A source said they quickly give Threepio all their weapons at some point but it’s more of a gag and Threepio doesn’t do anything with it. He said several sources didn’t even know what he was talking about.

The Basic Plot of The Rise of Skywalker, Updated and Expanded: Act I
Leak!spoiler
Disclaimers:

Due to the fact that The Rise of Skywalker is currently going through a round of additional photography and the basic nature of leaked information in general, I cannot guarantee that everything you read here will make it to the final cut of the film just as I describe, but I feel highly confident in the accuracy of my information at this point in time based on the current state of the film.

I will also tell you that due to increased activity of other leakers such as Making Star Wars or Bespin Bulletin, not all of what you will read here will be new information, but I will tell you that my plot summaries are assembled exclusively from my own sources, so any similar/identical information to other reports can (and in my opinion, should) be used as corroboration of the validity of both sources.

I am going to be making 3 'updated and expanded' plot summary posts split up into 3 acts releasing over the coming days/weeks. These are not official act breaks, this is just how I would break the film up into 3 parts.

SPOILER WARNING!
If you do not want to know what happens in IX, read no farther.

ACT I
[The Past- Unknown Location].

Luke is training Leia as a Jedi. Lightsabers are involved. Leia reveals to Luke that she is pregnant and Leia makes the decision to end her Jedi training due to the impending birth of her son.

[The Present- The Resistance’s Jungle Base]

Years later, Leia has picked up where her brother left off and has been helping Rey learn the ways of the Jedi. Rey is first seen doing some meditative/ “mental” Force training, but is struggling with it. In frustration, she asks Leia if she can do a physical training course instead. This is what we see Rey doing in the jungle forrest in the D23 First Look.(1, 2) It appears that Rey has more physical fortitude than she has mental strength.

[Forrest planet bathed in red light]

Supreme Leader Kylo Ren has been aware of a dark power behind his predecessor and former master, Snoke. Kylo has been spending his time as leader of the First Order with the purpose of locating this power. Generals Hux and Pryde have been following Kylo around on his quest and are beginning to get very frustrated with what they see as a fool’s errand. They see this as a waste of First Order time and resources. When we catch up with the villains of our story, Kylo is leading an assault on this planet with the purpose of finding Darth Vader’s wayfinder device. The device reveals coordinates within the Unknown Regions and Kylo is confident that this will reveal the source of Snoke’s power. Kylo Ren slaughters his way through the natives and is eventually led to "the oracle" who gives him the wayfinder.

[Asteroid Base]

We pick up with Finn and Poe on the Millennium Falcon, accompanied by a hand full of unfamiliar alien characters traveling to an icy asteroid base to meet with a First Order informant. This informant, an alien, is acting as a middle man between a First Order mole and our heroes. The First Order arrives and begins attacking the base. The assault causes forces our heroes to make a hasty exit by what was described to me as “light springing” away. Light springing involves making the jump to light speed without plotting a course or a predetermined destination. As we all remember, making the jump to light speed without precise calculations could have dire consequences such as ‘flying right through a star or bouncing too close to a supernova’. The Falcon makes a hand full of these springs to throw the First Order off their trail, but as a result they are forced to deal with the consequences of such a risky maneuver. After surviving the dangers of light springing, our heroes plot a course to the secret Resistance jungle base.

[The Unknown Regions- Exogol]

After obtaining Vader’s device Kylo travels to the place specified by the wayfinder. It takes him to the Unknown Regions and a dead planet of flat, black rock. I previously reported that the planet where Kylo finds Vader's wayfinder was called Exogol. Since then my understanding has evolved and I've been told that this planet actually bears that name. Kylo lands outside a giant cube, floating just above the ground and begins walking toward it. Kylo walks between the cube and the ground and once he reaches the center he discovers an elevator leading down below the planet's surface. He follows teh lift down and finds an old man, near death and lying in bed and being tended to by cloaked aids. My source believes these aids to be referred to as Sith Loyalists. The old man identifies himself as Darth Sideous. Kylo initially dismisses the old man, knowing that the Emperor had died over 30 years prior over the forest moon of Endor. Feeling that this must be a trick, Kylo claims that there must be some other explanation, such as this man being a clone. My sources specifically tell me that the Palpatine refutes the idea of him being a clone and affirms that he survived his fall. After his defeat at Endor, he left the known galaxy and traveled to the Unknown Regions to rebuild his Empire. Despite his skepticism, Palpatine begins to reel Kylo in and subsequently tells him of something known as a “Force Dyad”. The Force produces two incredibly strong users and when they unite together, both become stronger than either one could be on their own. Palpatine believes Kylo Ren and Rey to be the two halves of this dyad and shares this knowledge with Rey. (Note: I previously wrote that Palpatine wanted them to become “master and apprentice” since then this has been clarified to me as Palpatine seeking the two members of the Dyad) Palpatine claims that he seeks the Dyad because he is weak and dying and he wants the Dyad to rule together once he’s gone. Palpatine orders Kylo to bring Rey to him and turn her so that the Dyad will be a strong, unified force of darkness. Palpatine also reveals that he has been amassing an armada of Star Destroyers equipped with Death Star tech, each one capable of destroying a planet on its own. Generals Hux and Pryde are tasked with rounding up children in large numbers to train and staff his armada.

[The Resistance’s Jungle Base]

Finn and Poe return to the Resistance base bearing the knowledge obtained from their encounter with the First Order informant. The duo brings this knowledge to General Leia and tell her what they know about Kylo’s mission to the Unknown Regions, but without any leads to where he went or how he got there, the Resistance is at a dead end. Leia mentions that she has a contact who was seeking a link to the Unknown Regions long ago and may be willing to help. Leia dispatches the two of them along with Rey, Chewbacca, BB-8 and C-3PO to Passana to meet with her contact and see what help he may be able to provide.

[Passana]

When our heroes arrive on the planet, they discover that a giant festival is going on. What they thought would be an easy mission has now turned into a much more complicated affair. They attempt to lay low and to blend in. Unsurprisingly, Chewbacca struggles with blending in because it’s very difficult to hide a 7 foot tall wookiee from prying eyes. Rey encounters an alien in the crowds who takes a liking to her, presenting her with a handmade necklace as a gift. She is asked her name and she responds “Rey”. When asked her family name, she replies that she does not have one. At this time, Kylo establishes a connection with Rey through their bond. Their conversation ends with Kylo grabbing the necklace from around Rey’s neck. This necklace proves to be the key to the First Order discovering their location. After the connection ends, Rey warns her comrades that the First Order is on their way and that they must hurry to find Leia’s contact. It is at this point that instead of finding their contact, their contact reveals himself to them after having spotted an old wookiee friend of his out of the crowd. It’s Lando Calrissian.

Greetings and introductions are exchanged Lando tells them of a dagger that may help them find what they seek. Many years prior, Lando and Luke went in search of this dagger that was owned by a Sith loyalist named Ochie (spelling not confirmed). They tracked Ochie to Passana when the trail went cold. When met with the question of why he never left the planet after the search for Ochie and his dagger ended, Lando tells the team that he had a young child at the time of his and Luke’s quest. While they were out searching for the dagger, the First Order stole his child. After having failed to protect his child from the First Order, Lando and Luke parted ways and he stayed on Passana ever since. This story strikes a chord with Finn having been stolen from his own family at an incredibly young age as well. Lando points them in the direction of the last known coordinates of Ochie’s ship, where the trail went cold all those years ago, wishes them luck in succeeding where he failed all those years ago but decides to sit this one out.

Our heroes follow the trail that Lando pointed out to them and eventually they happen upon Ochie’s ship. When Rey sees the ship, it triggers some memories. It’s the same ship that we see leaving Jakku in Rey’s vision from TFA. Before the implications of this can sink in, the ground beneath them gives out and the crew gets sucked below the surface of the sand. They find themselves in a series of underground tunnels where they discover the remains of Ochie and the dagger that Lando and Luke sought after. Rey feels a very strong connection to this weapon, but can’t quite articulate it. The dagger has writing on it in a language that nobody can identify. It’s then handed over to 3PO who identifies the writing as a Sith language, but he reveals that he is unable to translate the writing due to restrictions in his programing. At this time, a plan is made to hack into C-3PO’s programming to bypass the restrictions. Poe mentions that he has an old contact that might be able to help them out. Chewbacca takes possession of the dagger and the group’s attention shifts to finding a way out of the caves. During their escape attempt, the team runs into a giant, very aggressive, sand worm (who presumably created the tunnels). A battle with the sand worm ensues and our heroes end up backed into a corner, preparing to meet their fate when Rey notices a detail. The worm is injured. In a display of previously unknown power, Rey is able to heal the worm’s injuries, satiating the worm and providing the heroes the chance they needed to escape.

Once they crew exits the cave system, they see a First Order Star Destroyer in the sky and know that Kylo Ren has found them. Once they realize this they (correctly) reason that the First Order would have already found the Falcon, making that plan of escape impossible. The Falcon is boarded and subsequently taken back to the Star Destroyer. In an act of desperation, the crew boards Ochie’s ship and attempt to get it working. It's on this ship that the crew discovers the new droid D-O. Rey senses that Kylo is coming for her, so she takes off on her own to confront him and buy her friends some time. (This is where the TIE interceptor flip sequence from the first teaser takes place). While Kylo and Rey are engaged, the Knights of Ren and the First Order head for Ochie’s ship and our other heroes. Chewbacca splits off from the crew and attempts to delay the Knights, but it captured. The dagger is taken from him and he boards a First Order prisoner transport. Rey and Kylo both notice Chewbacca being taken captive and being brought to a transport ship during their confrontation. As the ship takes off, Rey shifts her attention from Kylo to her captured friend and begins to use the Force to stop the transport and pull it back to the ground. Kylo attempts to counteract this by pushing the ship away. Control over the ship becomes a battle between Kylo and Rey, much like their battle for Anakin’s lightsaber in TLJ. Kylo begins to gain the upper hand which angers Rey. In her frustration, lightning shoots from her hand, destroying the the transport ship and killing all its passengers. Devastated by what she just did, Rey collapses. While all this is transpiring, Poe, Finn, 3PO and BB-8 get Ochie’s ship in the air just in time to fly over to pick up a distraught Rey. With no Lando, no Falcon, no dagger and no Chewbacca, our heroes limp away from the desert planet.

https://www.reddit.com/r/StarWarsLeaks/comments/d5i0ye/the_basic_plot_of_the_rise_of_skywalker_updated/

He pretty much confirms everything JP said about the first act of the film. Says Kylo meets super old Palps in the first 20 minutes of the film, and wants Rey and Kylo together so he can siphon life from them so he can revert back to Episode III Palpatine. Says his robes are black with like a red lining. And shoots down part of the rebel fleet with lightening after becoming younger.

https://www.reddit.com/r/StarWarsLeaks/comments/d7bshe/the_basic_plot_of_the_rise_of_skywalker_updated/

SPOILER WARNING!
If you do not want to know what happens in IX, read no farther.

For anyone who missed it, here is Act I

ACT II

[Kijimi]

The heroes of the Resistance make their way to the snow dusted planet of Kijimi to execute their plan to discover what secrets the dagger held. Despite not being in possession of the dagger anymore, 3PO tells the crew that he has the message committed to memory, so all hope is not lost. Poe tracks down an old contact of his, Zorri Bliss, who brings them to a small creature named Babbu Frik (again, spelling not confirmed) to hack 3PO’s programming to read the Sith language on the dagger. Frik tells everyone that he can unlock the message to be read, but in doing so C-3PO’s memory will be wiped. Still reeling from the loss of Chewbacca, the heroes argue about finding another way to get the job done, but in an act of self sacrifice C-3PO voluntarily consent to the modifications, knowing that (for all intents and purposes) the droid we’ve all known for years will essentially die. According to my sources, this scene is reportedly one of the most emotional in the film. Frik completes the hack and 3PO is now able to read the message inscribed on the dagger. (This action creates the red eyed C-3PO seen in the D23 footage) The translated text points them to the location of the Emperor’s own wayfinder. Having served his purpose, 3PO’s memory wipe begins and he shuts down. Once the memory wipe is complete, 3PO reboots with a completely empty memory.

While on Kijimi, Kylo initiates another mind bond with Rey to try and divine her location a second time. Kylo spends much of this time antagonizing Rey, some of this conversation revolves around her parents and the truth behind the dagger. It was once used to murder her parents. Many years ago, Ochee was sent to murder Rey’s parents who were trying to hide Rey from the galaxy. Ochee succeeded, leaving her parents as nobodies to be forgotten by that galaxy. Where Ochee failed was with Rey. He could not find her so he left her behind on Jakku. This is what Rey remembers, the ship leaving in the wake of her parent’s murder, not her parents abandoning her. Rey lashes out at Kylo during this bond and their lightsabers clash. Having gotten everything he needed from Rey during this session, he cuts off the bond. The Star Destroyers arrive on Kijimi after having followed our heroes there. As Kylo makes his way down to the planet, Zorri helps the Resistance escape by employing the use of something described to me as a “First Order passage device”, something that transmits a signal recognized as friendly to the First Order allowing the ship to pass uninterrupted. As our heroes make their escape, we see that Palpatine’s orders to Hux and Pryde are being carried out as children are being rounded up by soldiers of the First Order.

[First Order Star Destroyer Above Kijimi]

As the heroes escape on Ochee’s ship, the group makes the decision to use the passage device to board the Star Destroyer and recapture the Falcon. The device works as advertised and their ship lands without question. On board the Star Destroyer, the droids log on to the ship’s computer network to locate the Falcon, but in the process they discover that Chewbacca is still alive! He was on a different prisoner transport ship the entire time. The team hatches a plan for a rescue mission but Rey splits off, feeling as if something is calling to her. Meanwhile, the others find Chewie, but their rescue attempt fails and they are all taken captive. The calling Rey feels is caused by the dagger which draws her to it in Kylo’s living quarters.

[Kijimi]

Back on the surface of the planet and having grown tired of a fruitless search for Rey, Kylo initiates another Force bond with her. He discovers that she is on his Star Destroyer and a lightsaber duel breaks out between the two of them across two different locations. Kylo on the surface of Kijimi and Rey aboard the Star Destroyer. During this encounter, Kylo reveals that there is more to the story behind Rey and her parents. Rey is the granddaughter of Emperor Palpatine. He tells her that they are meant to join together on the dark side and that it’s all part of the Emperor’s plan. It’s clear that by this point in the story, Kylo is fully committed to what the Emperor’s mission for him. Once Rey and Kylo’s Force bond duel ends, Kylo makes his way back to his ship and Rey grabs the dagger and Chewbacca’s bandolier and bolts. Rey bumps into a fresh minded C-3PO along the way, hands him Chewbacca’s effects and the dagger and tells him to make a run for it while she stalls Kylo. When it appears that all is lost for our heroes that have been captured by the First Order, General Hux arrives and surprisingly not only allows them to escape, but points them in the direction of the Falcon. Hux was the mole within the First Order that Finn and Poe had received information from. Rey and the other heroes make a break for the Falcon and escape. After they leave, Kylo kills Hux for treason against the First Order. From this point forward, General Pryde is the sole commander of the First Order military. The Emperor contacts Pryde and demands that he use one of the specially equipped Star Destroyers to destroy Kijimi as an act of loyalty and Pryde complies.

[Endor]

The information gleaned from C-3PO’s translation of the dagger’s writing leads the location of a second wayfinder device which turns out to be aboard the wreckage of the second Death Star on the forest moon of Endor. Along their way to the wreckage, the crew comes in contact with a person named Jannah. It is revealed that she was press ganged into First Order service as a child, but eventually escaped and found her way to Endor where she has been living for some time. At this time it is revealed that she is the child that Lando lost to the First Order all those years ago. Jannah provides Rey with transportation to get to the Death Star wreckage

Rey makes her way to the Death Star wreckage and begins climbing her way through it’s twisted remains. One of my sources told me that this scene feels very reminiscent of the activities we see Rey doing when we are first introduced to her in TFA. She eventually reaches the Emperor’s throne room and discovers a chamber connecting to that room that contains the second wayfinder. Rey approaches the object and picks it up which induces visions of a possible future for herself. In this vision we see a version of Rey that has been enveloped by the dark side as seen in the D23 footage. My sources have also told me that the voice of Palpatine may be heard during this scene. The vision shocks Rey and she stumbles back into the throne room where Kylo Ren is waiting for her. Kylo takes possession of the Emperor’s wayfinder, destroys it and indicates to Rey that the only way to get another wayfinder is to go through him and take Vader’s. A lightsaber battle ensues, beginning in the throne room and eventually transitioning to exterior wreckage among the crashing waves.

[The Resistance’s Jungle Base]

Off in another part of the galaxy while Kylo and Rey clash sabers, a bright light in the universe begins to fade. Leia is dying. Before her death, we hear the voice of a familiar hero come to bid her farewell and pass on one last bit of knowledge…[Endor]

As their battle rages on, both Kylo and Rey sense the death or their respective mother and mentor. They both react, but Rey recovers from the shock sooner and leverages the moment to take Kylo’s weapon from him and stab him through the chest with it. In the aftermath of their concluded duel, Rey declares to Kylo that she will never be like him and fall to the dark side. She exercises her newfound healing ability to save Kylo from death, steals his ship along with Vader’s wayfinder device aboard it and takes off, leaving her enemy behind.

After Rey leaves the forest moon, the remainder of the Resistance crew boards the Falcon, along with their newfound ally Jannah, having spent the duration of Rey and Kylo’s fight repairing the ship, and return to the hidden base on the jungle planet.

Broken and defeated, Kylo Ren remains on the wreckage of the second Death Star when he is visited by a vision of his father. Han speaks to his son, telling him that it’s never too late to return to return to the light and make the right choice. This conversation has a profound effect on Kylo and in a symbolic gesture, he discards his lightsaber and walks away from darkness and the identity of Kylo Ren.

https://www.reddit.com/r/StarWarsLeaks/comments/dafpm8/the_basic_plot_of_the_rise_of_skywalker_updated/

SPOILER WARNING!
If you do not want to know what happens in IX, read no farther.

For anyone who missed it, here are Act I and Act II as well as my initial story outline for comparison purposes.

ACT III

[Ahch-To]

Following her experience on the Death Star, Rey returns to the island on Ahch-to. Throughout the course of the film she has given in to her aggression, nearly killed her friend by unleashing a stream of lightning on a ship, learned that she is the descendant of the Sith Lord who reduced the Jedi to numbers that they have yet to recover from even half a century later, saw a vision of herself as a servant of darkness and stabbed her enemy through the chest in anger. Her most recent encounter with Kylo was the last straw and Rey has now made the decision to follow the example set by Luke and exile herself on the island where the Jedi began. Rey scuttles the ship she stole from Kylo and throws the repaired lightsaber originally constructed by Anakin Skywalker in after it. A ghostly hand snatches the lightsaber out of thin air as it's being thrown. It's Luke Skywalker. Luke’s conversation with Rey is said to be encouraging yet realistically grim in tone. Luke knows first hand what it’s like to face Palpatine and that it’s not an easy task. Rey must confront Palpatine in the same way that Luke once had to confront Vader. Luke encourages Rey by telling her of the faith Leia had in her. She saw the potential within her and hoped that Rey would be able to restore balance to the Force once more just as Anakin once did. Rey supposedly asks to speak to Leia at one point, but Luke responds by telling her that Leia has not yet completed her training and he can not yet feel her distinctive consciousness within the Force. By the end of their conversation, Rey is reenergized for the seemingly insurmountable task that lies ahead of her and agrees to leave the island. Having destroyed the ship she used to come to Ahch-to, Luke raises his own X-wing (previously seen submerged in the coves of the island) to allow Rey to face Palpatine. In addition to the starfighter, Luke gifts Rey with a lightsaber that once belonged to Leia. He tells her how Leia left her saber with Luke when she stopped training and Luke kept it on him. He then points Rey to where he kept it safe in his hut. Rey boards the X-wing, armed with the coordinates for Palpatine’s location obtained from Vader’s wayfinder and leaves the planet.

[The Resistance’s Jungle Base]

After returning to the jungle base, several things happen. After seeing the sacrifice made by 3PO, R2 reveals that he has a backup of C-3PO’s memories in his archives and is able to restore the droid to a mostly whole state. My sources believe this backup memory to have been created sometime around the time of The Force Awakens. It’s an older C-3PO, but it’s better than no 3PO at all. Lando reenters the story, having changed his mind, coming to the Jungle Base and wanting to help however he can. It is at this time that Rey begins transmitting coordinates into the Unknown Regions obtained from the wayfinder to the Resistance. The Resistance mobilizes, readying themselves for the impending conflict.

[The Unknown Regions- Exogol]

Rey follows the coordinates found in the wayfinder to the same spot Kylo did earlier in the film. Rey lands outside the giant cube floating above the ground and makes her way through the same underground passages. The cube, composed of black rock, floats several meters above the ground and is so massive that one corner can not be seen in frame when the camera is at another. As Rey travels down into the depths of the planet, giant Sith statues can be seen. Where Rey and Kylo’s experiences begin to differ come in with where Rey discovers Palpatine. Palpatine is not in the same chamber that Kylo discovered him in, but in a huge arena, surrounded by Sith loyalists in dark cloaks in the grandstands. Palpatine is being supported by some kind of mechanical arm, possibly connecting him to life support machinery. Rey begins to confront Palpatine. During this conversation Sideous reportedly confirms Rey’s lineage and goads her on to take up a lightsaber and strike him down (very much like how he encouraged Luke to do the same thing 30 years prior), telling her that only in killing him will she gain the power needed to save her friends. Palpatine also apparently makes statements alluding to the belief that Vader could not betray Luke due to their familial bond and that same kind of bond would ultimately cause Rey to do what the Emperor wishes. During his taunts, the sickly Sith opens the roof of the stadium chamber revealing that the sky above is filled with Star Destroyers soon to be embroiled in conflict with the approaching Resistance. As the battle between the First Order/Empire and the Resistance begins to rage in the skies above them, Rey gives into the Emperor’s commands and decides to strike him down.

Through means that are still a bit foggy to me, Ben Solo was able to leave the wreckage of the Death Star and his former persona behind and travel to Exogol with the purpose of joining Rey to help her face down Sidious. Before leaving the Death Star wreckage, Ben abandoned Kylo’s lightsaber so now he’s walking into a warzone with no weapon. When he arrives on the planet, he encounters the Knights of Ren who are guarding the entrance to the arena where Rey and Sidious are. Ben reportedly dispatches each of them using only the Force. After doing this he enters the arena as Rey is about strike the Emperor using Leia’s blade. Ben grabs Anakin’s lightsaber and warns Rey to reconsider what she is about to do, to not kill the Emperor in anger. Seeing Ben arrive pleases Sideous. He then uses his power to bond them together and begins to syphon power from that bond and direct it into himself. As the power flows into him, the once silky and decrepit Palpatine stands tall and strong once again, restoring himself to a much younger, healthier state.

[The Skies over Exogol]

While all this action is happening on the ground, much more explosive events are happening in the sky. The Resistance and the First Order are locked in battle. The details I have on what happens during this branch of the plot are a bit sparse at the moment, but here’s what I have been told. The Resistance arrives and they are confronted with hundreds of Palpatine’s Sith Star Destroyers. Their goal is to take out the flagship of the destroyers, where General Pryde is located. Taking out the flagship will supposedly sever communications with the rest of the fleet and prevent them from being able to navigate the perils of the Unknown Regions. At one point during the battle Finn and Jannah (joined by others, but exactly who is not clear to me right now) land on Pryde’s flagship to destroy it. They recognize this as essentially a suicide mission but Finn and Jannah in particular see the price they may have to pay as wort it to prevent more children from being abducted like they once were. One of my sources described it to me like a D-Day type mission for the Resistence where they attempt to land on to a moving Star Destroyer amidst the battle scene.

Having returned to full strength, Palpatine then shoots lightning into Ben, forcing him to fall into a bottomless abyss, never to be seen again. Sideous then shoots lightning into the sky at Resistance ships. He reportedly continues to make statements about how Rey will join him. In defiance of this, Rey grabs both Anakin’s and Leia’s lightsabers and Palpatine turns his wrath on her. It’s lightsaber vs. lightning at this point and when it seems like all hope is lost for Rey, the spectors of Luke and Leia come to her aid. They jointly work toward overpowering the Emperor, deflecting his lightning back toward himself, killing him and unleashing an explosion powerful enough to make the arena start to crumble around them. Darth Sideous, the last of the Sith Lords, is finally dead. At this same time Finn and Jannah complete their mission and succeed in destroying Pryde’s flagship. The two are prepared to go down with the ship, but are rescued at the last second by the Falcon. Rey escapes the crumbling arena.

[The Resistance’s Jungle Base]

Having won the day, the survivors of the battle regroup at the jungle base and celebrate. What follows is apparently celebration across the galaxy, once again mirroring what is seen at the end of Return of the Jedi.

[Tatooine]

For the end of the film, the heroes then travel to where everything began. The desolate, sandswept planet of Tatooine. Between defeating Sidious and this moment, Rey has disassembled Anakin and Leia’s lightsabers and used their components to construct one of her own that I’m told contains a golden/yellow blade. Rey buries the leftover pieces beneath the Tatooine sands at the site of the Lars homestead. As Rey turns to join Finn, Poe, Jannah, Chewie, R2, 3PO, BB-8 and D-0, a stranger calls out to her. The stranger apparently speaks of how nobody has been seen around this land for a very long time and asks Rey for her name. This is the second time in the film that this question has been posed to her, but unlike her response on Pasaana, Rey has decided who she is. She gives the name Rey Skywalker to the stranger, adopting the name of her masters and revealing the primary meaning of the title of the film. As Rey begins to rejoin her friends, she catches a glimpse of some familiar glowing figures, watching over her. The assembly of heroes look off into the distance at the horizon of the desert planet and watch twin suns set on a universe filled with hope.

The End.

So there you have it. As a reminder, be on the lookout for a reshoot changes and corrections post in the not too distant future.

Jason

https://makingstarwars.net/2019/09/huge-spoilers-the-money-shot-of-star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-and-more/

Empire Empirical – I’ve seen some Sith
I am ready talk a bit more about what I know about the final confrontation in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and what my sources have described as “the money shot” of the film. Having seen the shot, I can’t say I disagree with them. Some of this has been discussed in a previous piece about Palpatine’s clothes. Obviously, a depiction is never as rad as the real thing, so make sure that is taken into account before becoming too judgmental about the moment described. I do not believe this moment will be seen before the film is released in trailers or anywhere else pre-release.
This shot requires a lot of exposition and spoilers from The Rise of Skywalker.



A McQuarrie La-Z-Boy Game of Thrones
The climax of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker culminates with Rey confronting the Emperor on his stone thorny throne. The high backed chair of the throne is essentially the throne Ralph McQuarrie designed for Return of the Jedi. However, the throne is surrounded by four giant stone thorns on each side of throne with two smaller “thorns” near the Emperor’s arm rests. The seat is four or five steps high. It appears to have tiny red lights on a few of the throne’s “thorns.”

Darth Sidious dresses for the job he wants, not the job he has.
Darth Sidious, former Emperor of the Galactic Empire sits upon this throne after Ben Solo has died. But before Ben’s death, Darth Sidious has channeled the Force through Rey and Ben and rejuvenated himself to his former Revenge of the Sith youth, looking as he did when he declared himself Emperor after eradicating the Jedi Order several decades before in Revenge of the Sith.
The rejuvenated Darth Sidious appears in The Rise of Skywalker wearing a red/burgundy robe with a black hooded tunic over the robes. His waist is tied with a black belt with a silver buckle on it with a red light, offset to the righthand side. It is my personal opinion that this may be Palpatine’s best costume in The Skywalker Saga. The black tunic is like Darth Vader’s or Luke Skywalker’s Return of the Jedi costume but the “skirt” flows down to his feet.

Ben Solo’s fate?
The final confrontation of the Skywalker Saga takes place on the dead world of Exogol. Darth Sidious has thrown Ben Solo into the abyss. I have heard Ben falls into the mist, much like Han Solo’s death in The Force Awakens and it visually rhymes. I believe this happens after Rey and Ben are drained by Darth Sidious. In the end, Rey weakened and seemingly alone for the final confrontation.

If Ben is resurrected, sources are not aware of it. That said, how many characters have fallen to their deaths in Star Wars and stayed gone? Hell, even Harrison Ford returns in this movie after his death in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Darth Maul survived with little on screen explanation. Luke Skywalker fell on Bespin, it wasn’t pleasant but he was okay. Palpatine got tossed into a pit by Darth Vader and he apparently turns up in this film as an old shriveled up version of Sidious in a bed.

I theorize that when Rey is rejuvenated to face Palpatine, Ben Solo may be the power from the “other side” that helps Rey in the end. But as of now that is conjecture on my part.

The Money Shot’s Setup

The rejuvenated Sith Lord, Darth Sidious, projects Sith lightning into the heavens above from his fingertips believing Rey to be incapacitated. Rey, however, is revitalized by the Jedi who lived before her for the final confrontation with Palpatine. She slowly begins to rise as Palpatine zaps the Resistance fleet with his torrent of lightning.
Above the dead planet, the Resistance fleet and the First Order’s Sith fleet are about to clash. The blasts of lightning from Darth Sidious’ fingertips into the sky above acts as supernatural EMP that causes the Resistance fleet to essentially short out and float dead in the “waters” of space, making it vulnerable to the Sith fleet. It appears in that moment that all is lost.
Darth Sidious is ready to retake his place as Galactic Emperor when Rey interrupts the Sith’s victory and stands before her grandfather.
The restored Rey catches Darth Sidious’ attention and he is forced to stop his stream of Sith lightning. The Resistance fleet recovers, powers back on, and the fight against Sith fleet above Exogol ensues. Rey buys the fleet just enough time for the Millennium Falcon to show up with reinforcements for the final epic space battle.
Just as Darth Sidious lowers his hands and stops attacking the fleet above. The Sith Lord looks to Rey and angrily blasts his lightning towards his granddaughter. Rey ignites Leia and Anakin Skywalker’s lightsabers and deflects her grandfather’s attack.

The Money Shot – Please do not share on social media.
Here is our artistic depiction, from my personal notes of a shot from the film showing the McQuarrie throne, Darth Sidious’ new robes, and Rey defending herself from the attack with the Skywalker’s sabers:



The picture above is accurate to what I have seen from The Rise of Skywalker and Rey’s final encounter with evil in her trilogy.

Doctor “Sidious” Who?
After doing an extensive deep dive with sources on this film, I have to conclude that Palpatine does not use a lightsaber in the film, and if he ever did, he does not wield it in this film anymore. So I do not expect Palpatine to use his lightsaber against Rey and Ben.

I also have to conclude that Matt Smith is not apart of the film, as we once thought. Matt Smith’s involvement is based in reality not just rumor, however, something must have changed. I theorize that Palpatine was going to be rejuvenated into his younger self with Matt Smith playing the part of a mid-thirties Palpatine. But I also theorize that it was decided to just bring in Ian McDiarmid and let him do the whole thing because he is Palaptine/Darth Sidious after all.

A little on Exogol and Sith Stormtroopers
I noticed that the shot of Kylo scraping his saber on the ground in the trailer is on Exogol as it looked exactly the same to me. The world is set against storms and all kinds of turbulence. So we have already had a small look at this planet in the D23 Special look, I think.

Sith Stormtroopers and Darth Sidious
Sources have said that the Sith Stormtroopers seem like they were abducted children placed into the First Order who became elite Stormtroopers. There’s apparently a lot of ambiguity in the film about how they come about and the subplot with Finn and Jannah’s quest to stop the First Order’s militarization of children makes it seem as if this is the case.

There could be something missing here, but it is looking more and more like the current version of the film just brings these new Stormtroopers out from The First Oder’s ranks without much explanation. This is much like how Darth Sidious surviving the Death Star II is presented in the film without much explanation, according to sources. If our sources have a complete understanding of the movie and there are no sequences being hidden until the last moment to persevere the secrecy of the film itself, we may be over thinking how much explanation we will get on screen for these things. We may have to wait until the novel is released for those answers.

Only in the end do you understand…
So there you have it. That’s what I’m told is the “money” shot of The Rise of Skywalker according to my sources. Palpatine raising his hands into the air shooting lighting and then turning that power against Rey. It needed a lot of context and a lot of work to pull it all together. I hope I did it justice for the spoiler junkies out there that need a healthy fix of Star Wars. I can’t explain to you how f****ing cool it looks and how satisfied I was with what I saw. I will also never comment on what or how I saw what I did. Please, I beg of you, do not share this information openly on social media.

TLDR Recap
The former Emperor has a red and black cloak.
The McQuarrie throne is finally used on screen but with stone thorns around it.
Old Palpatine siphons life into his body through Rey and Ben Solo.
Palpatine becomes Palpatine unleashed and has more power than ever before.
Ben Solo appears to die by being thrown into a pit by Palpatine.
Palpatine the shocks the Resistance fleet, making it power down.
Rey is empowered by generations of the Jedi that came before her and she rises up to face Palpatine.
Palpatine’s attention turns towards Rey.
The money shot is Palpatine shoots lightning in the sky and then at Rey which she deflects with Leia and Anakin’s lightsabers.
The Resistance fleet recovers and the Falcon brings reinforcements to the battle.
We likely have seen Exogol in the D23 First Look.
Sith Stormtroopers appear to be elite First Order troops who were abducted as children.
Matt Smith does not seem to be in the film as Palpatine.
Darth Sidious does not appear to ever use a lightsaber in this film.

4 Episodes of "Now, This is Podcasting!" Bulleted - Comparing JediPaxis' and MSW's TROS Story Leaks
Jason from MSW talked pretty extensively about the Paxis leaks over his 4 previous podcasts, adding his own additional info and comparing it to what he's gotten from his sources.

To get a good idea of where the leaks align, I took notes from Jason's last few podcasts and ordered them chronologically. Some of it is new info and some is just there to compare to the Paxis leaks.

--

INTRO

The initial training scene is supposedly formatted so you think it’s Rey sparring with an unknown trainee.

Jason has a large amount of sources saying Leia does train Rey in the film.

A number of Jason’s sources said multiple times that Leia is very close to CGI. She may not be Rogue One levels of CGI, but she’s a heavily modified version of her scenes in TFA.

Jason heard from Pinewood and Black Park that they’re reshooting some of the Leia/Rey training scenes, suggesting there’ll be a change to the sequence.

The “informant” that Finn and Poe get info from is another Resistance member who got the info from an FO mole.

Jason had a source use the exact wording of “mole” when describing the FO situation

When Poe and Finn escape the First Order after the mole scene, Paxis said they escape using a term called “lightspeed skipping”, Jason heard it was called “light-springing” from his own sources.

As Finn and Poe arrive on the Jungle planet, Klaud gets off the Falcon and there may be a scene involving him. That looks to be the total of Klaud’s screentime.

Kylo’s mask restoration scene is “very brief.”

Jason’s sources heard that the cube on Exogol hovers a bit higher than what Paxis said. (about 30 feet)

--

PASAANA

Jason heard very early on that Lando takes on a very Maz Kanata-ish role in this movie, which was later backed up by Paxis.

Jason heard the dagger was used to kill Rey’s parents, Paxis said it was used to kill Ochi

Before Paxis leaks, Jason heard that Adam Driver was on the Millennium Falcon set on Pasaana. This backs up Paxis’ claim that he boards the Falcon on the planet.

Jason is confident in the sandworm and Pasaana necklace info being correct.

Jason’s sources believe that Kylo is able to step right through the force bond and physically transport himself to Rey’s location. They aren’t sure if he stays there, or if he returns back to where he was once the force bond concludes. Kylo may be on Exogol when he "steps through" the force bond to grab Rey's necklace and recognize her location on Pasaana.

He heard the sandworm being called a “sandsnake” by some sources.

Jason got info about the healing power that contradicted Paxis’. He heard that Rey heals the worm after the team battles and hurts/kills it. Paxis says the worm is already injured and she heals it out of compassion.

Two different sources of Jason’s are confident in the worm/healing scene.

The gang is in the “catacombs” of Pasaana, the tunnels of which were supposedly formed by the worm itself.

Once the worm is healed, it changes directions upwards, allowing the heroes a way out of the catacombs.

It is shortly after this sequence that Kylo and Rey have their face-off.

When Jason first heard of the worm scenes, Kylo was in them. This leads Jason to believe that Kylo may be in the catacombs also looking for whatever Rey & crew are looking for.

Jason heard during Jordan filming that there was a set where the sand was sucked into the ground. This lines up with Paxis saying the crew get sucked underground on Pasaana.

--

KIJIMI

Zorii is initially going to try turning the crew in to the FO on Kijimi until she recognizes Poe.

Poe is the one doing the heavy leadership stuff in the film. During the Kijimi events, we learn more about Poe’s backstory as a smuggler with Zorii. Other than that, there’s not much to Poe’s arc in this movie.

3PO’s memory getting wiped and R2 having a backup is one of the earliest things he heard about the film. His sources say the memory wipe is one of the most emotional parts of the film.

He heard earlier rumors of 3PO smoking/on fire.

The sources who said 3PO’s memory wipe is emotional, also said that the impact is diminished shortly after, when his memory is restored.

--

ENDOR

When Rey touches Palpatine’s Wayfinder, she sees herself entering his chamber.

His sources say Daisy Ridley only shot in her “dark side” outfit for 1 day, backing up that it’s just a short vision.

He initially heard that as Rey and Kylo are on the Death Star, Kylo initiates a flashback which shows her parents getting killed by the dagger. Paxis says this moment instead occurs during the Kijimi force bond.

Jason heard stuff about Ben’s resurrection, but it seems that takes place after the lightsaber fight in the second act instead of the third like Jason initially thought.

Jason’s sources said that Han appears to Ben not on the death star as Paxis said, but during the Vader helmet scene where Luke appears and induces a vision.

Jason heard that there are 2.5 Kylo/Rey duels, with the Death Star being the final one.

--

AHCH-TO

Jason did hear about Rey returning to AHCH-TO. After leaving Ben on the Death Star, Rey takes Ben’s ship to AHCH-TO where she destroys it. A very good source said that she has Luke’s X-Wing and helmet in the scene. Jason didn’t hear about the Leia dialogue, however.

Jason knows that they’re reshooting scenes in Ireland and saw pictures of the set, which “looks very Star Wars-y”

THIRD ACT

--

Jason’s heard versions of Leia’s death scene with Luke and without Luke.

Leia doesn’t seem to leave the Jungle planet in the movie.

Maz is in the Jungle planet scenes at the beginning, as well as the briefing to attack the Sith Fleet towards the end of the movie. She is also present during the attack itself.

The footage from the trailer where Finn and Jannah are in a ship with another Resistance pilot is from the “suicide mission” to destroy Pryde’s flagship. They end up inside the destroyer and throw bombs into the core of the ship, blowing it up. This may be where the zero-gravity rumored scenes take place. As things look dire for Finn and Jannah, they are saved by the Millennium Falcon piloted by Lando.

Jason heard two very opposing Hux things. One of them being Paxis’ leak (Hux is a mole and saves the day for the Resistance), and apparently the other is the “complete opposite”. They’re different enough that Jason thinks they may have filmed two different endings for Hux.

Jason was told that the white and red troopers are in alliance and don’t fight each other.

Poe’s X-Wing was under tarp on-set for much of the third act filming, suggesting Poe may die in the third act.

Palpatine doesn’t appear to use a lightsaber.

Palpatine becoming Matt Smith, and then Matt Smith dying, came from a very reputable source that has told Jason legitimate stuff throughout the years. Jason thinks Matt Smith used to play rejuvenated Palpatine, but now he is just played by Ian McDiarmid.

“Rejuvinated Palpatine” looks like how he did post-Mace Windu fight.

Jason heard independently that Luke and Leia aren’t part of the Palpatine fight, it may just be their voices

Jason initially heard Rey’s parents are ghosts in the film.

Apparently Rey makes her own saber from Luke and Leia’s saber and it’s yellow.

"There used to be some stuff with Rey's parents on Tattooine, but they changed that to Luke and Leia"

--

MISCELLANEOUS

Jason was told that JJ would instantly start rewriting as soon as filming would break, and that there are heavy adlibs because some of the dialogue wasn’t all there.

Some of Jason’s sources are saying the Paxis stuff is a little out of order. Jason said the leaks for this film are very weird and he thinks that some people may have seen different versions of the film.

Sources told Jason that TROS has less action than the other two movies, and is more dialogue based.

Based on “things he can’t talk about right now,” Jason believes Palpatine’s son wasn’t evil and was on the run from Palpatine.

Two different sources told Jason that the dyad concept is confusing in the film.

Jason’s sources are very confident they flash between places during the force flash fight, contradicting Paxis’ leak.

Many sources that both liked and didn’t like TLJ said this movie makes TLJ a better movie.

MakingStarWars’ ‘Now, This is Podcasting!’ Episode 284 tidbits
Rumor
• Jason asked sources if the Star Wars roadmap at D23 was complete, was told it wasn’t.

• Jason heard that Kathleen Kennedy will step down as LucasFilm president after Indiana Jones 5 but will still produce movies. Kevin Feige will run LucasFilm but will have separate divisions run by other people.

• MSW doesn’t know if Wedge Antilles is in TROS. Jason heard last year that Dennis Lawson had visited the set in Pinewood multiple times. Thinks maybe he is in TRoS because of the Resistance Reborn book cover and the set visits but sources haven’t confirmed anything for him.

• Jason backs up JediPaxis saying that Kylo Ren faces off against the Knights of Ren (Bespin Bulletin was the first to break Kylo v KoR). Says originally he heard that Ben gets beat up by the KoR before defeating them with the force. He’s now hearing that somehow Rey gives Ben Anakin’s lightsaber to take out the KoR.

Says the gist of the Palpatine line at the end of the upcoming trailer is him saying, ‘Good’.

• Jason was told he was right about the opening of the film with the camera panning down to a forest planet showing Leia and Luke training then cuts to Rey and Leia training (I think JediPaxis reported this first). The source told Jason that it’s not the case anymore.

• Jason feels bad and a bit like a fraud because he’s saying things are changing due to reshoots.

• Says the chase sequence on Pasaana shown in the teaser happens after they’re discovered at the festival. Poe hacks the speeders and they go in search of Ochi’s ship.

• Jason said he doesn’t know when it was changed but that Luke and Leia no longer show up to help Rey defeat Palpatine but instead a group of Jedi from the past do. The sources told Jason that they don’t know who’s in that line-up at this moment.

• Thinks the Ochi stuff has been really cut down and the Rey’s parents stuff has - Rey’s parents will be shown getting murdered on Jakku.

JediPaxis

https://imgur.com/a/ox6wG0O

I can corroborate the lightsaber bit in Rey and Kylo’s final battle. This was apparently one of the many changes made in reshoots/editing.

I’ve also been told that the opening scene I reported is no longer there. It’s been reduced to a story told to Rey by Luke later in the movie and replaced with establishing shots of Exogol and the Sith fleet rising from below the surface of the planet.

The removal of ghost Leia and Luke to help defeat Palpatine also lined up with updates I’ve been getting. I’m told that Obi-Wan and Ashoka are among the voices heard, but I would treat that as rumor for now as voice over is very easy to add or remove throughout the editing process.

https://www.reddit.com/r/StarWarsLeaks/comments/df9w00/star_wars_the_rise_of_skywalker_anthony_daniels/

Anthony Daniels just gave a Parisian press conference to promote his book, and talk about TROS. Now unfortunately most of his interview he gave was in French. Lucky for us, I speak and understand French, so here are a couple of snippets he gave regarding TROS:

-Was there during the filming of the official poster scene, says it took them 6 days to film that scene. It was brutal because it was in November and it was non-stop wave after wave. Gave huge props to Daisy and Adam for going through that. Called Daisy a true character hero in the trilogy and in no way, because she's a feminine character, was it politically driven.

-Is aware of the fan division, reads and hears that some fans are saying they will never watch TROS, says he doesn't believe it because this film is the final one, and he believes they'll be first in line.

- Says he was but decor for the last two films of the ST, but that he definitely, for once, is involved a lot as he's part of the hero's adventure.

-Says everyone will be satisfied with the ending, called JJ a brilliant mind as well as Chris Terrio, as they really gathered all the scattered storyline pieces and concluded them. Says there is something for everyone in this movie from darkside lovers to light side.

-Confirms that R2 will be in a desert scene, where he explained that because he can't really see, he has to pretend to see R2, and at one point in TROS, he has to put his hand on R2 as he usually does but that they took R2's helmet off this time, so he almost fell over. Had a laugh. Says R2 is played by an actor called Hassan, at least for that scene.

Oh (Edit to add): Says the film has a lot of secrets. What he means by that is anyone's guess.

Had gone through them. Nothing really popped out.

-He hated the sand in Jordan because, well, got in everywhere while wearing the suit.

-Said Adam is extremely physical in this film, but we sort of knew this.

-Lots of new characters, like always.

- Said that since it's the last one, he believes all generations from families will enjoy it. From grandparents to kids. Everyone will have something to share with each other after the film.

Pretty much sums it up!

MakingStarWars’ ‘Now, This is Podcasting!’ Episode 285 tidbits
Rumor
Please listen to the podcast for full context. The latest episode of NTIP is only available on Pateon at the time of writing this.

• Calls this week laughable, frustrating, ridiculous and exhausting. Refers to his ‘Holy trinity’ tweet. Refers to himself JediPaxis and Bespin Bulletin as the holy trinity. He thinks people took it too literally like when John Lennon said he was bigger than Jesus. He says Jedi Paxis is unfairly getting too much hate.

• Says the Reylo’s on Reddit were the most vocally cruel. He thinks the movie will go in some way for the Reylos but not all the way and therefore not enough for some. He explains what he means by this saying Ben throws away his lightsaber and faces the Knights of Ren without a weapon just to stop Rey turning to the darkside and calls this peak Reylo - this is what he meant when saying some Reylo’s will be happy and not that Jedi Paxis was wrong.

Says there is a kiss in the movie but it’s not between Rey and Kylo or characters your really care about.

• Says the people who generally post notes from the podcast do a good job but the people responding take it too far. For example he says responders twisted what he said about Kathleen Kennedy and Kevin Feige. In his personal opinion he thinks nobody at Disney or LucasFilm truly knows what will happen with Kathleen Kennedy but there’s people in the company saying to him and others how they think it is going to go and he thinks (hasn’t heard anything) that TROS’ performance will determine the outcome.

• Wonders what’s happened with the Cassian Andor show, ponders if it’s been delayed or stalled. Finds it weird he’s getting info on The Mandalorian season two, Obi Wan and others he can’t talk about but nothing on Cassian.

• In his personal opinion he thinks the future movie schedule of Star Wars (Feige, Rian Johnson etc.) hinges on TROS.

• Says he and Randy have seen footage. Jason says that by the time you see Ben going up against Palpatine he has had his a** kicked, “he looks f**** up” after his battle with the Knights of Ren. Ben is all sweaty, bloody, bruised up and veins are popping out.

• Doesn’t think all of Jedi Paxis’ amendments are reshoot changes but just updated information. For example he says that Bespin Bulletin was telling Jason for a long time that Kylo fights the Knights of Ren and gets his a** beat but that’s only now appearing in the Jedi Paxis report.

• Talks about people making a big deal of Jason saying he felt like a fraud and says what he meant by it is it feels s*** because things change throughout production, editing, reshoots etc. because it’s natural and he expects it as it’s his fifth time covering a Star Wars movie. Despite being confident you feel vulnerable until you see evidence and possibly dubbed a liar which people are doing just because information has changed. Clarifies things he had wrong about The Last Jedi as people keeping bringing it up.

• Talks about the TROS trailer. Says that Black Series Rebels aren’t leakers or scoopers but respected what they did and ever since he’s only heard October 21st from sources. Says that originally he was hearing that the trailer was supposed to come out at D23 but it wasn’t up to JJ Abrams’ standards and that one had the Kylo on Exogol stuff. From what it sounds like October 21st is the earliest date as some sources were saying the trailer wasn’t fully finished for example one source said there was a shot of the Falcon that looked like PS3 graphics.

Den of Nerds asks about the FOOSLS leaks from way back in April (not mentioned by name, just referred to as the leak about a Star Forge, and about Rey and Ben having a child through the Force). Note: This is a thing I only mention because I still see people wondering about it in the comments off and on. Jason says not only has he heard nothing like that but that he would not bet on it.

There's a scene before Finn and Poe meet with Boolio (asteroid planet) where they play holochess with Chewie.

Kylo's scene where he gets the mask is still in the movie as far as anyone knows.

Leia's last words to Rey before she departs may be "Tell me when you get back."

There is an alley on Kijimi, and Babu Frik brings them through this back alley and little bar in order to get to the droid ship.

Jason seems to misspeak here, given the persons involved, but he says that during the Kijimi force bond where Kylo realizes Rey is on his ship, the Vader helmet is transferred from whoever is near it to the person who is on planet through the force bond. This happens due to the fight they are having, when the lightsaber strikes the helmet. (Personal note: This marks two times in the film where physical objects have been teleported through the bond. Den of Nerds also seems to note this, and suggests this may be how the lightsaber travels from Rey to Ben during the KOR fight later on.)

Jason does not believe Jason is a force ghost, but that he is a vision. He thinks it may be unclear, and does point out that while originally Rey's parents were ghosts at the end of the film, they seem to have been pulled. (Personal note: I would argue that the removal of Rey's parents may partly be to make this unclear, particularly given that China has certain rules about the presence of ghosts in films.)

The kiss that Jason knows about in this film is between two unnamed female Resistance fighters. "It's not a big deal. It happens, and it's just there." He also indicates that if people are hoping for a big reylo kiss, he doesn't know, which suggests that it's less that Jason's been told this is 100% the only kiss of the film. More that the only one sources indicate right now is this one. (Personal note: That said, it may well be the case that it is the only one.)

Jason refers to a recent finnrey rumor he heard, where Finn kept trying to say something to Rey and plot kept getting in his way. Jason's wording seems to imply it was the source's opinion that Finn was trying to express personal feelings to Rey, per the rumor as we last heard it. Jason now says that the source says what has changed in the reshoots is that Finnrose is indeed a thing, and that she does lots of small gestures in the film in order to suggest they're a couple (eg. packing his bag for him before he leaves). (Personal note: I had heard during filming that finnrose were basically an established fact. Jason doesn't bring it up here, but previous MSW reports indicate he heard the same. I believe it's much more likely that the source Jason is referring to simply is assigning a change to reshoots when the fact is they were always misinterpreting based on limited info, and now they have more.)

Jason also thinks Rose has bigger stuff back at the base that we just haven't heard yet.

Luke and Leia seem to be back as force ghosts on Tatooine.

Jason contrary to rumors reiterates that he does not thing "and never seen again" is going to be an accurate reflection of Ben's death. Den of Nerds suggests that because of their bond Kylo may be a ghost somewhere between living and dead. Jason says it seems plausible to him, and refers to the original ROTJ ending where Anakin is essentially brought back to life by Obi Wan right before he enters the nether realm. He also later just points out the obvious: No one who has just fallen into a hole in SW has ever been dead.

Den of Nerds refers to the way the Paxis leaks have been reported, which seem to paint a very villainous Kylo up until his turn, and none of the romantic subtext of TLJ. He asks if Jason thinks this is accurate. Jason says not very. He discusses how Kylo clearly continues to be very attached to Rey--"he has no one else." He is a "prodigy" and Rey is the only person he's met like him. Jason repeats that for a SW film, which is very non-sexual, he finds it to be very intensely reylo/romantic that Kylo enters a situation with no hope of living, no plan, no weapon, simply to save someone he cares about deeply. He mentions the Irvin Kirshner quote that a kiss in SW is basically a sex scene, and suggests that a gesture on this level may be basically a kiss. (Though he also says that of course love does not have to be only romantic.)

(Personal note: Jason talks, as he has talked throughout the past several podcasts, that he feels like he is on the reylo side. He and Den of Nerds talk a lot about how the reylo community is pretty overall good, and that they have been treated very unfairly.)

Jason states a few things worth hearing here...

He hears from his sources that Kylo falls in the pit, but he personally hopes he does return in some capacity. He hasn't heard of it so far, but the lack of knowledge does not mean it can't happen.

Adding to that, Jason also mentions that the Jedi in the final montage against Palpatine are not information he concretely has. He can only speculate.

Kylo returns to Ben, throws away his weapon, and casts off his old ways purely for Rey's sake. He seems to believe that the emotional weight of the last act will clearly confirm that he puts everything on the line because he wants to save her, whether because he personally has feelings for her, or because he believes it is the right thing to do. Also perhaps to make amends for his mistakes.

When Kylo faces Palpatine, he's in pretty bad shape, bruised, beaten, wounded, and weakened from facing the Knights, implying that he's been through the ringer to get to this point and adding some weight to his idea of sacrificing everything for Rey.

Among the major points he speculates, are that Kylo's death serves as a catalyst to defeating Palpatine. Because Ben dies, he is one of the key players in helping Rey reconnect with the other dead Jedi. Or, in short, he speculates that not only could Ben act as a conduit bring other force ghosts like Anakin/Luke/Leia/Kenobi/(Ashoka?) ect to Rey, but that Kylo's death is specifically what leads to Palpatine's downfall. To me, if this is true, it would be good because it means that the entire Skywalker line acts as a sort of unified "chosen one" in finally defeating the Sith. I could accept this.

None of the Jedi info is confirmed. We just don't know exactly what happens or who shows up in this scene, but it is probably a major point, dare we say, a secret in flux for good reason. The short of it is that he does not believe Ben dies for nothing or in vain at all (though has no source to confirm this), and that what we've been told may not only be missing crucial info, but also lacks all the emotional weight of the final confrontation.

https://makingstarwars.net/2019/10/now-this-is-podcasting-episodes-284-285-plus-rise-of-skywalker-artistic-depictions/

TROS trailer screen caps:

https://imgur.com/a/pnLDO5A

EDIT: D23 caps

https://www.starwarsnewsnet.com/2019/08/new-footage-of-star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-shown-at-d23-video.html?sfns=mo

https://makingstarwars.net/2019/10/now-this-is-podcasting-season-7-episode-287-spoilers-the-star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-trailer-shots-explained/

The Ice base is in space(no liquid water), where we first see the Falcon meet the resistance fighter who has information about the Kylo Ren and the Sith Fleet.
The last shot of Rey is taken from when she realizes Ben has arrived to help her face Palpatine
Leia’s line is from one of the lines she says when Rey leaves in the beginning
Luke’s line is from achc-to
Leia training is now unseen in the beginning, replaced by the opening sequence where SD’s rise from the ground, seen in the trailer.
Palpatine has made his offer to Rey.
Rey rejects the offer when she senses Ben.
Rey destroys the red guards/Ben kills the KoR.
Rey and Ben stand united before the Emperor.
He says this line before force draining them.
It is NOT a reference to the dyad. Also, while some dyad dialogue does remain, this line still isn’t part of that former dialogue.
That is Rey’s helmet on the ground in the jungle.
Kylo’s quarters on his Star Destroyer is where you see Kylo and Rey Destroy the Vader helmet while she’s actually on Kijimi during the “flash fight.”
The shot where Rey actually hears Jedi from the past (once she’s has just been force drained and is on the features more that just Luke and Leia ).

MSW - Rey parents description and Ochii

https://makingstarwars.net/2019/11/examining-ochi-from-star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-the-skeleton-key-to-episode-ix-spoilers/

For Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, one open question for me has been the character of Ochi. We don’t know a lot about Darth Sidious’s errand boy– hell, even the spelling of his name is a guess at this point. But we do know a few of the dastardly deeds Sidious has him do, which might explain why sources have told me he’s a “top secret” character in this film, one that ties together a lot of HUGE moments in the story.


Warning: If you haven’t read any spoilers from Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, reading about Ochi will kind of unravel a lot of the film’s secrets for you.
The funny part about Ochi–though maybe an important thing to remember before we really dive into this– is I’m told if you blink twice, you’ll miss seeing him in the film. Both of his actual onscreen moments are apparently very short. We see him alive, and we see him dead, but both times we get nothing but a beat of Ochi before he’s gone. However, that does not mean he isn’t important to the plot of the film. In some ways, he acts like a MacGuffin–he drives the plot of the film, even though he’s not really a part of it..

Everything revolves around Ochi in terms of the film’s connective tissue–and all of it is horrible for the heroes.

A Face Only a Mother Could Love
What Ochi looks like has not really been discussed in much detail. I just assumed he was human for a long time. But according to recent information from sources, Ochi is a new type of alien to Star Wars lore (or such a deep cut my sources are not aware of his breed having been in a Star Wars sequence before). I believe he’s a regular sized, yellow skinned, reptilian humanoid with tiny black eyes. Before “Baby Yoda” becamean overnight sensation, sources also compared Ochi’s eyes to tiny versions of those black eyes. His skin is yellow with a texture that looks close to the neck texture of the Kaiju from Pacific Rim:

Ochi has a bumpy reptilian texture mixed with a sponge according to another source.

Ochi and the Calrissians
In The Rise of Skywalker, we learn that Lando Calrissian and Luke Skywalker went searching for Ochi prior to the movie’s events. The duo never found him though. While on that mission, The First Order abducted Lando’s daughter. There’s some ambiguity when it comes to this point, but it seems Lando believes his daughter knew he was on Pasaana, which is why Lando remains on that world, hoping his daughter finds him there. Finn is really shook up by this reveal because it is essentially his story too.

At this point it appears as if Jannah is a Calrissian and that daughter that was stolen. Only Jannah escaped The First Order’s indoctrination, never reuniting with her father after getting mixed up with some freedom fighters. Searching for Ochi cost the Calrissian family dearly, and while Jannah’s background connects with Finn’s, it is almost Rey’s story in reverse too. The father waits for the child to return, and he can’t leave in case she does.

Depending on the source, it seems as if either Lando and Luke went looking for Ochi himself, or they went looking specifically for Ochi’s dagger, in order to translate the text on the blade for Luke’s Jedi studies. Abrams and Kasdan did base The First Order on Nazis that fled to Argentina after World War II, so I would buy this idea of wrangling in war criminal Ochi as having at least been the story at some point, even if it isn’t the final choice made for the film. Either way though, the dagger does have important Sith writing on it with information about the outer reaches (the planet Exogol where Darth Sidious retreats to). And really, that’s what matters for this film because this dagger belonged to Ochi, and Ochi did a terrible thing with it.

Ochi The Killer
After our heroes meet Lando at the festival on Passana, Lando sends them in the direction of Ochi’s ship. Rey recognizes the ship as looking really familiar to her (because it is the ship that dropped her off on Jakku during the “Force Back” in The Force Awakens). However, the ground is unstable, and the heroes are soon sucked into the sand, ending up in the lair of a sand snake where Ochi’s remains are also entombed.

See-Threepio cannot read the forbidden Sith text on the dagger. (Threepio will later attempt to sacrifice himself so the message on Ochi’s dagger can be read on Kijimi.) Later, when Rey takes the dagger her “Force Back” powers are triggered and she sees her parents’ last moments alive. When Rey sees the dagger as it murders her mother and father, this is apparently when we realize Ochi is the killer.

Conjecture about Darth Sidious’ plan Ochi played a part in
There’s some pretty big implications here. The ship that dropped Rey off on Jakku was owned by the same being who possessed the weapon that killed her parents. Did Sidious have Ochi hunt down his son and daughter-in-law, and leave his granddaughter in the graveyard of the Empire on Jakku as some sort of symbolic gesture?

I think it’s possible Darth Sidious may have believed a horrible place would lead Rey to become horrible herself. He might have thought a child, left alone to rot in a junkyard, would be easier to control and eventually useful when he was ready to rejuvenate himself (i.e. when the dyad consisting of Rey and Ben matured so he could siphon their power to bring himself back to his former glory and take his heir as his apprentice). Maybe he thought Rey could rise from the ashes of the Empire, restore it, and defeat the last Jedi. Maybe from there Sidious sent Snoke out to corrupt Ben Solo–slowing the rise of the Jedi, and increasing his powers so when the time came, Sidious could use that conduit for pure dark side energy. After all in the film we do know Darth Sidious would prefer both Rey and Ben, the dyad, are dark side connected, so he can take even more power from the Force to revitalize himself.

But then, what happened to Ochi? Did the sandsnake get him? Did Sidious have Ochi killed after Ochi murdered Rey’s parents, hoping she might one day track him down so it would bring her to grandpa Sidious? Did Ochi die willingly as a devotee to the Sith and their grand plan? Or did he pull a Mando and regret his decision, just a little bit too late? Also, was the information about the dagger leaked to Luke Skywalker and Lando so The First Order could steal Jannah? Was Jannah’s abduction attempt part of a revenge plot by Sidious for Lando’s part in the destruction of the Empire which isn’t too dissimilar to his plot to steal the Skywalker heir from Solo, Organa, and Skywalker?

Unfortunately, we don’t know. But damn it, Ochi! What have you done?

Ochi and Friends
Ochi is also, if a little tangentially, our way into a few other characters in this movie. Poe as we saw in the first full film clip from the movie has hacked some speeders. But with the Falcon back at the festival and The First Order having crashed the party, they decide fixing Ochi’s ship is their best plan for escaping the world. It therefore sounds like in the final cut of the film, D-O is revealed to have been Ochi’s droid left on that ship and BB-8 repairs him and he becomes a part of the team. (And of course, while Poe fixes Ochi’s ship, Rey has a feeling and that’s when she encounters Kylo Ren in the TIE Whisperer from the Celebration Chicago teaser.)

More importantly though …

The Palpatines and Ochi
Rey’s father, I am told, is the son of Darth Sidious. I have seen the actor who plays him, and he reminded me of Gendry from Game of Thrones, with maybe a dash of director Gareth Edwards’ looks. If the two of them shared a brother, it would be like the actor who plays Rey’s father. Unfortunately we were not able to connect the actor to any other films or TV shows though.That doesn’t mean he isn’t in anything else, we just couldn’t crack it ourselves.

The mother is a brunette, and no one we’ve seen before. There’s about all I’ve got. And before you ask, no it isn’t Zorii Bliss.

In the vision Rey sees of her parents’ death, Rey’s father and mother are in a tent of some kind, probably on Jakku from the look of it all. (Side note: Kylo did say they were buried in a pauper’s grave on Jakku.) Ochi then murders Rey’s parents with the Sith dagger–yes, the same dagger we saw Rey holding in Kylo’s quarters in the final trailer during the Force bond fight.

See you soon, Ochi!
So: Ochi is tied to Rey’s family being destroyed. Ochi is tied to Jannah and Lando’s family being destroyed. Ochi is tied to bringing Rey and Ben to Darth Sidious on Exogol via the dagger’s message. Everyone connected to Ochi suffers because Ochi is Sidious’ agent in the field after Return of the Jedi, and he appears to do a lot of leg work for the Sith Lord.

We don’t know how to spell his name. He only has a few moments of screen time but he’s linked to so much of the film’s backstory and events he is hard to overlook at this stage. With the limited view we have at the moment, Ochi reminds me of Sifo-Dyas from the prequel trilogy. He is an important part of the mystery of the film and will likely intrigue fans but seem rather unimportant to casual moviegoers. The mysteries Ochi brings to the final film of Skywalker Saga is going to make the novelization of the film a must read when it finally hits after the release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Make sure you don’t blink during his two beats of screen time next month!

https://makingstarwars.net/2019/11/is-anakin-skywalker-in-star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-any-other-jedi/

If you just want the Anakin question answered, do not read beyond this first section of this article.
The most common question I am asked every time I mention Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker has to do with Anakin Skywalker. Will Anakin show up in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker?

A few sources have now seen the film and while they were tight lipped in general about what they saw, they did finally give me some confirming nods about Anakin and his involvement in the film.

Other very trusted sources have heard the sound mix of The Rise of Skywalker which back up what those who saw the film believe they have heard.

If you have been following spoilers for the Episode IX, this will be somewhat obvious to you. But a pretty general confirmation might make some fans able to relax a little, so I’m sharing that for those spoiler fans (like myself). Anakin’s voice is heard at the end of the film and sources say it sounds like Hayden Christensen (rather than The Clone Wars’ voice actor Matt Lanter).

While sound mix tweaks are possible, none of my sources believe the Skywalker voices will be omitted from the climax of the film. Just for the purpose of full disclosure, these viewings are VERY recent but what day the film was “locked” is still in question but we have no reason to believe this has or will change. So there’s a slight chance the list of names below could shift in a minor way but we don’t think that is likely.

To be extra clear these are not force ghosts but disembodied voices heard during the climax of The Rise of Skywalker. I’m sure it will make some fans annoyed because it might not be enough for them and they would prefer it to visually happen. Without having seen the film, I can only guess about the efficacy of this inclusion being entirely aural. To the best of my knowledge, you do not see these characters and because some might be living and some might be dead, it makes sense to keep it contained to audio and to show that Rey is doing the important action at the end that matters the most, using defense as her offense as a Jedi should.

One last thing: Please don’t shoot the messenger. I’m only relaying what I have been told.

The Context of the Climax of The Rise of Skywalker
A fully rejuvenated Darth Sidious sits upon his stone throne on Exogol while the space battle happens above the dead world. Rey and Ben Solo lay incapacitated, used as a conduit for the Sith Lord (in a way some would consider to be unnatural). Sidious apparently weighs his options and chooses his granddaughter to be his apprentice. Seeking revenge against the Skywalker family for his defeat at Endor, Ben Solo is force pushed into the abyss of Exogol.

An all powerful Sidious sends his Sith lightning into the sky above Exogol and the Resistance fleet is immobilized in space during the end battle. All seems lost when the voices of the Skywalker family speak to Rey, waking her up and revitalizing her for the last stand against the Sith Lord.

The Force Awakens….Rey
Anakin and Luke command Rey to awaken. Anakin and his children start the process. I’m told Yoda and Obi-Wan then follow down the line and are joined by the voices of other powerful Force users that helped get the Jedi lineage to this point, including Ezra Bridger and Ahsoka Tano. All of these voices are layered upon one another and the final voice is Leia’s and Rey awakens.

Rey then rises and with the sabers of Anakin and Leia in both hands she approaches her grandfather, Darth Sidious. The Sith Lord stops his stream of power from electrifying the battle above. Realizing Rey means to stop him, Sidious blast the lightning from his fingertips at Rey. However, the young Jedi deflects the Sith Lord’s lightning back at the villain, his own power destroys him, and the Skywalkers have vanquished the Sith once and for all.

The Voices in Rey’s Head
“We’ve passed on all we know. A thousand generations live in you now. But this is your fight.”

For The Rise of Skywalker I have confirmed the following voices were recorded for the “awakening” of Rey:

Anakin Skywalker
Luke Skywalker
Leia Organa
Yoda
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Ahsoka Tano
Ezra Bridger
Maz Kanata
Are the voices the voices of the dead?
Does this mean Ezra Bridger and Maz Kanata are dead? Maz was recorded but we don’t actually think she is in the sequence. Statistically, most Jedi are dead in this saga so when it comes to Ezra it is up in the air.

Disembodied voices are often dead but sometimes telepathy happens between living characters like Luke, Leia, and Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back or even between Rey and Ben in The Last Jedi. So if Maz made the sequence, it doesn’t have to mean she’s dead.

Ezra is as old as Luke Skywalker so it is possible he is dead by this point. Maz is in the end battle from the film and she survives as far as I know.

However, I think the point of the moment is that everything built up to this final stand and all of these players in the story we’ve consumed up to this point have contributed to bringing Rey to this place in time to fight this fight. So if Maz is in the sequence, it makes sense. But she’s also not really a Jedi but she did aid Rey and the Jedi and has their abilities.

Sources did not identify hearing probable voices such as Qui-Gon Jinn, Mace Windu or Kanan Jarrus when I asked about them. My sources all have conceded that there was a lot going on in the moment and maybe they missed it. My sources that have heard the sound mix to the film do not believe those characters show up either.

What about Ben?

We still do not know if Ben Solo has an appearance in the film after he falls it the abyss of Exogol. I believe in terms of plot, his death is what triggers the Jedi voices to save Rey and let her fulfill her destiny. I was hoping to have it confirmed that Ben is the first voice that comes to Rey and his death was Darth Sidious’ own undoing. However, there’s nothing I can source that suggest this is the case.

Leia and Luke’s ghosts appear to Rey on Tatooine at the end of the film. There is no suggestion or confirmation that Ben is with them. I personally hope that Ben is added to the ghost moment in a last minute secret change. I do feel like his voice not being included is a good sign there’s further resolution for Ben because I do not believe he falls and that is it. But I also think there is a lot going on that we know about that could suggest otherwise as well.

I do think it is going to be powerful when Kylo is defeated but spared by Rey. Han Solo appears to the unconscious Ben and helps him accept it is not too late for him to do the right thing and save Rey. Ben and his father atone in those moments. Ben throws his lightsaber down like Luke Skywalker did, making him worthy of his uncle’s teachings. Ben fights the Knights of Ren for Rey and destroys the last of his evil legacy. Then Ben marches into battle against a Sith Lord with no weapon, no allies, and just his compassion for Rey. When Rey hands Ben his mother’s lightsaber and he stands with the Jedi, Ben is finishing his mother’s work. But most of all, Ben atones for abandoning Rey in The Last Jed when he refuses to help her aid the Resistance and end the war in the previous episode.

Ben’s choice allows for everything to cosmically align for Rey and the Jedi. But is that enough for his character? I don’t know. I’m hoping Ben appears as a ghost when his mother and uncle appear at the end of the film to Rey. I can see arguments for and against it, considering all of the atoning he’s done in the last part of The Rise of Skywalker.

The end of The Rise of Skywalker proves that Ben Solo wasn’t like Darth Vader, he was like Anakin Skywalker and Rey is like Luke Skywalker and she’s not a nobody. Luke Skywalker proclaimed he would “not be the last Jedi. Now, thanks to the sacrifices made by the Skywalker family, Rey will not be the last Jedi either. When she combines Anakin and Leia’s sabers to make her own yellow bladed saber at the end of the film, she has more than just that weapon. Rey has the voices of the past Jedi with her and the galaxy will see the defenders of peace and justice return for another thousand generations.

Or until Episode X goes into production.

https://makingstarwars.net/2019/12/a-new-detail-has-emerged-from-the-final-duel-in-star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker/

A New Hope
A new detail has emerged for the ending of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker that I find rather interesting. I believe the slight shift changes the meaning of Ben Solo’s character arc and how the last events of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker resolve Ben’s story.


Throughout the film, Rey uses the power to heal. This power is rooted in empathy, compassion, and love. It is exclusively a lightside ability. Rey discovers she has this ability when she encounters a wounded sandsnake creature. Later she uses this power to heal Ben Solo after their duel.

Redemption is a Solo affair
After being defeated by Rey, Ben Solo has a vision of Han Solo. The setup for the scene has changed a lot since I first reported on it last April but the contents are the same. The father he murdered appears to him. His father, Han Solo forgives Ben for his actions and encourages him to be the man he really is.

Ben: Dad, I love y….

(Ben is cut off)

Han: I know.

(the vision ends)

When Ben Solo’s vision of his father ends, Kylo Ren is dead and Ben Solo has returned. The good inside him is something he can no longer ignore. He loves his father. He’s a good person and he doesn’t want anything bad to happen to Rey. Early on in the film, Darth Sidious tells Kylo to kill Rey, he knows he can’t do it and he even tells her so in the film.

A heal to die on
In the final moments of Ben Solo’s life, Darth Sidious siphons the force through Rey and Ben to rejuvenate himself and empower himself to new evil heights. Rey and Ben fall to the ground after being drained. I’m told in the final version of the film, Ben Solo realizes Rey has taught him the power of compassion. Ben then uses the power Rey used on him to heal the woman who healed who did the same for him earlier. Ben does so knowing that Darth Sidious will destroy him for it. But that action will allow her to rise. Ben heals Rey and the Sidious pushes him into the abyss of Exegol for it.

While the Emperor zaps his Sith lightning into the sky above Exegol, Ben heals Rey. Anakin, Luke, Yoda, Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, Ezra, and Leia tell her to “rise” and she does. Rey pulls out the concealed Leia saber and makes an “X” with the blades to deflect Darth Sidious’ lightning blast and the power is volleyed back to the Sith Lord destroying him.

Ben Solo’s selfless sacrifice
Ben’s last act is a compassionate one to save Rey and the universe. He consciously makes a smart move knowing he will be lost in the exchange but the good side will win the game. He acts completely selflessly. Han Solo gave his life for his son, knowing his son was inherently good and it would be the right thing for the universe. Ben’s compassion and love for Rey is expressed not with a kiss but a sacrifice proving Han Solo right.

Ben is redeemed and the galaxy is saved. Rey destroys Darth Sidious thanks to Ben Solo’s final act of compassion, like his grandfather did for his uncle the generation before.

https://www.reddit.com/r/StarWarsLeaks/comments/e8tl0v/the_rise_of_skywalker_last_minute_details/

Here’s some context on where this came from:

This is all from a new source that recently contacted me.

They claim to have seen the film. It’s plausible that they could have. I vetted what they told me with other sources with confirmed validity and this new person had enough accurate details that are accurate that haven’t been mentioned elsewhere to make me feel comfortable sharing this.

*This person has seen the previous films, but isn’t an obsessive fan like you and I. They also only saw the film once so this likely won’t be a perfect retelling of what they saw.

That being said, the movie's premiere is just a week away and it'll be in theaters worldwide just a few days later so I figure I'll just roll the dice on this one and we'll see what happens...

This person's description of the film mostly mirrors my "reshoots and edits" summary, so I'm only making notes where additional detail was added or thing slightly differ from what I previously wrote.

Says that the film begin with Kylo's slaughter of natives in the red lit woods to get to Vader's wayfinder.

Wayfinder is a pyrimid shaped object. Hooks up to Kylo's TIE to allow him to get where he needs to Exogol.

Kylo flies through a red nebula like section of space to get to Exogol (seen in recent TV spots with resistance ships later in the movie).

Once on Exogol, Kylo apparently wanders into "what looks like a science lab and Palpatine's voice can be heard claiming he made Snoke and he's been orchestrating everything from the shadows."

With regards to Palpatine's initial appearance "flashes of lightning reveal Palpatine's face, but with white eyes attached by his back to some vertical metal arm leading to something we don't see."

Palpatine apparently discusses creating a large armada at this point in the film and "orders Kylo to locate Rey, (Kylo takes it as 'kill her') and Palpatine warns him 'she is not what you think she is.'"

The film then cuts to the ice asteroid base sequence. When we first snap to Poe, Finn, and Chewie on the Falcon they’re all playing the holochess 2 on 1. They insinuate Chewie chests and he gets a bit pissed but Poe makes a comment about how it's obvious that he's better than then because he's so much older. When Chewie goes to check something they lie to him that they won’t turn off the game because they’re losing (which they do).

The informant scene has The Falcon hovering while the contact tosses them a satchel with all the background information. Poe and Finn pry the contact to get the moles name but he won’t budge.

During Rey's training on the jungle base, this person does not recall any training to communicate with past Jedi, just that Rey get's very frustrated and a bit too careless with her lightsaber causing trees to fall and one to damage BB-8.

Rey, Finn and Poe reconnect when the Falcon lands at the jungle base. We see members of the resistance running to put out a fire and we see that it's coming from the Falcon. Its damage incurred as a result of lightspeed skipping. This makes Rey very upset with Poe.

The combined forces of Palpatine and the First Order are apparently called out as the "Final Order"

Luke was apparently searching for Exogol, but was unable to obtain a wayfinder to get there.

This source says that Rose is little more than a background character. She has some lines throughout but nothing significant, largely motivational “let’s get em!” style lines.

Following the meeting where Kylo discusses the First Order spy to a room of officers, "he immediately says Hux's name, but seemingly changes the subject."

This person also believes that this meeting is the first time we see Pryde. During the movie he mentions serving Palpatine during the days of the Empire.

During Kylo and Rey's Force bond on Passana, as soon as she snaps out of it, Rey draws the attention of some stormtroopers who immediately recognize them but are swiftly handled by locals while the hero team is whisked away by who would eventually be revealed as Lando.

During the Passana speeder chase, when the last trooper is dispatched, he hits the speeder the heroes are on flinging everyone into quicksand. During this, Finn shouts to Rey (thinking they're going to die) that he has something to tell her, but they all get sucked down too quickly.

When the team is sucked beneath the sand Poe asks Finn and Rey if they’re ok to which 3PO apparently comments “I didn’t hear you mention my name, sir, but I’m also fine.”

Down in the tunnels Poe asks what Finn was going to say to Rey in front of everyone but Finn brushes it off saying they can talk about it later. Poe apparently accuses Finn saying something like “what like when I'm not around? Just you and Rey?” But my source says that they don't recall them ever picking that thread back up.

While looking for an exit they encounter the sand worm that's been previously mentioned. This source says that it looks more like a viper. They go on to say that there is "no battle, it's just Rey sneaking up to it, noticing a wound, and she uses her life force to heal it. It slithers away revealing a way out like some weird video game encounter."

D-O is found on Ochie's ship and is evidently extremely timid. Apparently he belonged to Ochie and was "abused pretty bad". He only speaks when spoken to and tends to shy away from people. BB-8 finds and reboots him.

They say that Chewbacca's capture happens a little differently than previously described, "he just wanders off to get Rey and two troopers happen upon him - they may have been knights of Ren. After a little while, Finn goes to locate Chewie and sees him in cuffs boarding a transport and runs to report this to Poe."

Rey slices Kylo's wing off during the flip and he crashes.

Apparently we find out later in the film that Kylo pushes the transport that Rey thinks Chewie is on away to "push Rey's limits".

Zorri's entrance is apparently extremely hostile as she threatens Poe repeatedly, mentioning the price the FO has on his head would recoup the losses he incurred on her.

During the hack sequence, 3PO apparently takes shots at R2 when they mention his memory wipe could be restored by him. 3PO has zero confidence in R2's memory banks.

After 3PO's memory is wipes he blurts out in a deep voice the translation of the Sith dagger then reboots. He does his standard greeting and asks who everyone is to which Babu Frik is the only one who responds. Later when Babu reappears 3PO claims “I know Babu Frik! He’s one of my oldest friends!” Because his old memory was not yet restored.

Zorri and Poe reminisce and she tells him about the medallion, but she tries to get him to leave with her leaving everything behind. She gives it to him later once the area is being assaulted by FO troops.

When Rey grabs the dagger in Kylo's quarters on his Star Destroyer, she sees Ochee attacking her parents. They apparently left her on Jakku, ran and are later killed in what appears to be a city setting, not on Jakku according to this person. They're apparently killed because they won't reveal where Rey is.

It's not revealed until near the end of the film that Ochee was not sent to kill, but to retrieve Rey.

After Hux rescues the heroes on the Star Destroyer, he tells Poe to shoot him in the arm, but Poe shoots him in the leg instead. When asked why he's helping them, Hux replies that he doesn't care if the First Order wins, he just wants Kylo to lose. He's killed by Pryde when he reports the incident as it's too obvious what actually happened.

With regards to the location of the Death Star wreckage, "It is called out as Endor, not the Forrest moon though it still seemed a bit debatable. We see Ewoks looking skyward during the planetary celebration, but not during the Endor sequence."

On Endor, Jannah her cohorts explain that they were First Order troopers who mutinied during a battle, refusing to fire on civilians and managed to escape on the ship they were in.

Rey isn't provided the water skiff she uses to reach the Death Star wreckage, she just takes it and they find her attempting to sail it to the wreck. They were told to wait until dark when the tides die down but Rey won't wait.

This source claims that Rey actually interacts with the dark vision of herself on the Death Star after touching the wayfinder. Dark Rey uses her folding lightsaber to trap real Rey's own blade, easily gaining the upper hand and driving home the point of how much more powerful she could be if she submitted to the darkness. After this she snaps back to reality.

This person is under the impression that it may be Leia who snaps Rey out of her dark vision. They claim that right after that moment we "skip to her weakened being led out of the command room back at the base and someone comments that it will take everything she has left to reach her son."

During Kylo and Rey's duel on the Death Star wreckage, Rey is angrily fighting Kylo. We see her even force push Finn and Jannah out of the zone.

This person says that Leia's final word is "Ben" which catches Kylo's attention and is what distracts him long enough for Rey to stab him through the abdomen and subsequently heal him.

After Kylo is stabbed, Han shows up out of nowhere. "Not a force ghost, it’s as if he’s standing there alive again." He gives Kylo some words of encouragement and then their conversation very closely mirrors Han's death scene in TFA, including the "I know what I have to do but don't know if I have the strength to do it..." line. He even holds the lightsaber in the same spot but he turns and throws it into the watery wreckage of the Death Star.

When Luke catches the lightsaber that Rey throws into the wrecked TIE she used to get to Ahch-to, Luke apparently says something about how something like this shouldn't just be discarded.

Some of the young Luke/Leia scenes I previously described are still in tact during the Ahch-to scenes. "Style wise it almost looks like a droid-projection, the content is that it’s Leia's last training session and she’s sparring with Luke but he mentions she stops and quits being a Jedi because she had a vision of her sons fall to the dark side and death."

Confirms that both Luke and Leia know Rey is a Palpatine yet choose to train her anyway.

When Rey leaves Ahch-to she actually does transmit the path to Exogol to the Resistance. There's initial confusion as they're receiving a transmission from "Red 5" because she leaves in Luke's old x-wing. The Resistance doesn't have sufficient data to actually get there. Apparently Finn discovers that D-O knows the way. Lando leaves on the falcon to get more forces, the rest of the resistance mobilizes with their newfound data and heads after Rey.

Porgs are seen on Ahch-to.

Right after his memory restoration 3PO exclaims excitedly that he’s about to go on a mission but R2 tells him it already happened to 3PO's confusion.

When Rey gets to Exogol she wanders in, meeting zero resistance, and happens upon the Sith throne. Palpatine emerges on the mechanical arm from the side of it revealing "everything to her including that the assassin was meant to retrieve her, never to kill her." They get surrounded by hundreds if not thousands of Palpatine's acolytes.

While Palpatine goading Rey into killing him he points out the fleet claiming she could become “Empress Palpatine”

Kylo, now Ben, enters Exogol and "gets his a** handed to him by the Knights of Ren" until, about to strike at Palpatine, Rey initiates a bond and gives him Leia's lightsaber.

Palpatine apparently speaks about the bond they share and how extremely powerful and rare it is for it to occur. He then sucks their life to restore his and we see his white eyes turn the yellow/orange Sith style.

In the skies, Pryde does have the tower turned off but there's no mention of it being bounced around impossible to stop, the resistance just heads to land on the flagship instead.

This person was very disappointed by the Sith Troopers, stating that they were "no better than the average Stormtrooper from the original trilogy." That being said, there's many more of them so the landing party is getting slowly overrun while the battle in the sky occurs.

The members of the Resistance that are in ships are also having a difficult time due to being outnumbered by the Sith fleet. Poe apparently begins to apologize for something when Lando answers him, basically announcing his arrival. We see an absolutely massive amount of ships directly above the fleet approaching quickly. Filled with new resolve, Finn and Jannah make a suicide attempt at opening a hatch to toss grenades into, destroying the signal transmitter. They succeed.

Palpatine sees the arrival of reinforcements and begins to laugh he then "lightning storms a good chunk of [the fleet] out of the sky. Even Poe's X-wing is shut off for a good bit."

(Note: Here's what I think people are going to end up discussing most about this post.)

Apparently Palpatine does in fact Ben into the ravine, claiming he is the last in the Skywalker line.

Rey hears voices such as "Yoda, Luke, Leia, Mace Windu, and others" who give her the strength to stand up. Palpatine tries to lightning her but she blocks it with one of the sabers but it seemingly stalemates them. She then finds the strength to pull the other saber to her making an X formation and this allows her to deflect the lightning back toward him.

Palpatine apparently disintegrates and explodes, causing the arena to crumble (This is where new information comes into the picture) but also killing Rey. Ben apparently climbs out of the pit finding a dead Rey and decides to give his life for her. He uses the healing trick to save Rey but draining his life force in the process. Then "there’s a weird fanfic moment where they kiss, and he dies."

Lando goes back for Jannah and Finn who are on a star destroyer which is falling out of the air.

Babu Frik is also seen in Zorri's ship. Poe's skill in piloting is being matched by Zorri throughout the fight.

During the post victory celebration "everyone is catching up with each other, kissing and celebrating. This leads you to see Chewie who hears Maz call to him. You think she's going to ask for a kiss but she says "you deserve this" and hands him a large medal."

After seeing everyone kissing Poe apparently gives Zorri a side nod, "insinuating they should head elsewhere for a bit", to which she shakes her helmet "no."

The ending described is also slightly different than I had previously been told

"Rey didn't disassemble Luke & Leia's lightsabers, she came to the moisture farm to bury them. She now has a black/grey handled lightsaber which she ignites to show a yellow blade. She and BB are the only ones present until a woman appears asking her name to which she says Rey. Rey who? Then, seeing Luke and Leia's ghosts in the distance replies Rey Skywalker as she clearly sees them as the parents she never was able to have. Rey and BB look off at the setting twin suns and the movie ends. I can't recall, but I believe D-O was there too."

Concerning some of the frequently asked questions:

Is Anakin in the movie?

"He was not at all that I noticed."

Is there an explanation of how Palpatine survived ROTJ?

"It is pretty ambiguous. He's not really alive. It's pretty horrific in that he's basically a corpse-puppet on some sort of rigging, but he's able to speak through the body via his spirit. He's also "all the souls of the past Sith" in the body. Eventually, he manages to restore life to the body though. I can't recall if they directly mention how the body was still intact, but it was a sort of, horror-mad-scientist lab, so it might not be his original."

Do we see any Force ghosts in the movie?

[In response to my previous comments that we see Luke and Leia and hear the voices of several others]

"You're spot on with the voices. They reach out to Rey in her time of need. You also get Mace Windu, Yoda, and Luke from the more prominent voices I can recall. Correct on the ghost appearances too, although there's a weird ghost-vision scene in which Luke explains he was training Leia and she felt a disturbance. They aren't the ghosts of Luke/Leia, but they are ghostly."

Does Kylo/Ben really die in the movie?

"The pit doesn't kill him, but that does happen. [Goes on to explain what I wrote above, pretty much verbatim]

What about Matt Smith?

"I googled Matt Smith, I don’t remember seeing him."

So there you have it. Believe it, don't believe it. Treat it as fact, fiction, rumor or otherwise, it doesn't really matter at this point (if it ever really did). We'll all know the truth soon enough, so this will probably be the last story related post I make about TROS before release.

I hope you've enjoyed the ride as much as I have. May the Force be with You.

-JediPaxis

TROS BTS tea (maybe real maybe not, CT part doesn't add up)

having a convo with my friend who works in the film industry who I haven’t spoken to since like last November and boy does he have tea on TROS
Points of note:
-he knows a stuntwoman doubling for Daisy who was still shooting NOVEMBER 7
-most of the issues were with the studio demanding reshoots, not JJ or Terrio
-Matt Smith was cast as the original villain. This villain was not a clone of Palpatine but an OC, and was
cut when Bob Iger demanded to bring Palpatine back because “the audience won’t understand who this guy is”
-every actor hated how the movie turned out
-Trevorrow was not told what the plot of TLJ even was when they told him six months before the film came out to start working on his script, so he had to rewrite that
- Disney was, as we all suspected, paying attention to the negative reactions to tlj and thoug tros would fix it
He’s also 100% sure that the promised merchandise is all stuff that was licensed and made relating to the first version of the film that originally was signed off on, which is why p much all we have are Knights of Ren, stormtroopers, and Sith Troopers
The knights of Ren were supposed to have more backstory and Jj specifically went to the trouble of casting all the OG stunt guys from the first film, only to have the studio cut their backstories
Pertaining to Ben, he says that the last fight scene was being reworked constantly and he doesn’t think anyone knows for sure WHAT was supposed to happen to him. He says if anyone is going to drop facts about it it’ll be terrio
Other stuff: both Daisy and Adam did almost all their own stunts bar the impact-into-things shots, all the stunt people were very proud of how dedicated they were
He says Adam is extremely dedicated to his craft and likely won’t talk about TROS to any media but Oscar and John are very glad to be out of the studio imposed limitations and constant tug of war
also, what they shot for the first version of the film was about 40% scrapped and reshot, so no "original version" exists, and we won't get it a la Snyder Cut because disney, unlike warner bros, will never admit they made a mistake with this billion dollar franchise
and PLEASE don't take my comment about adam oscar and john to mean that they aren't as dedicated. they all are! but they were all told they'd be on one specific kind of project and ended up being dragged through the wringer for months and i think they're fully within their rights
to express their dissatisfaction w disney outright as they please now that their contracts are up
and y'all dont have to believe me if you don't wanna, i have known this man for years and can confirm he has worked on multiple films in the industry firsthand. just wanted ta share his comments! that's all

https://twitter.com/neon_heartbeat/status/1279378702372007936

Thanks! It seams plausible.
Just one thing - when they say 'the studio' (demanding reshoots etc.), do we have any idea who that was? Iger? Kennedy? Someone else?

More than six months after, it's so weird JJ's being missing, never talking in any substantial way about his own movie. He's the director.

Rian was promoting for months, was always available, prepared tons of materials for other media releases, and still is very proud to communicate with the audience about his work. The case of JJ Abrams and TROS, in comparison, is... just so sad.