But Rey calls out to the Jedi who preceded her, and we hear their voices, from Obi-Wan to Yoda to Qui-Gonn to Ahsoka and more. Which sounds like another new Force power? Did he always carry them with him? Is Darth Maul in him too? It sounds… not fun for the Sith. The (Jedi) Voices From the PastRey is seemingly down for the count as the Emperor brags about carrying all the Sith who came before within him. He also blasts Ben into a bottomless chasm, calling back to when Vader did the same to him. But Palpatine breaks out a new Force power, literally pulling out the life force from Rey and Ben, which in turn restores him to a semblance of health and less-creepy normalcy. Taking up his grandfather and uncle’s lightsaber while Rey wields Leia’s saber, the two face off against the Emperor and his guards.

And then Ben Solo arrives, having forsaken the Dark Side and his Kylo Ren identity earlier in the film after his mother Leia died and he had a vision of his father, Han Solo, where the dead hero told Ben it wasn’t too late to change his ways. Maybe they’re clones of Palpatine? Or could they be some kind of physical manifestation of the many Sith who came before the Emperor? Maybe they’re just there for the free show. Who those Sith worshippers are isn’t clear. The final confrontation between Rey and the Emperor takes place in front of a vast arena full of non-descript Sith worshippers, as Palpatine tempts Rey to strike him down, taunting her by disabling all the Resistance ships above with Force lightning.

And there’s even a babyface turn in both films, where a bad guy becomes good. Things also become very reminiscent of Return of the Jedi from here on out, with Palpatine trying to get a young Jedi to kill him and turn to the Dark Side while a space battle rages above them… a battle which he is also manipulating. He’s maybe not more machine now than man, but he’s still twisted and evil and hanging from some kind of weird device that presumably helps keep him semi-alive. Rey and Kylo Ren's DeathMeanwhile, down on the planet, Rey, who since learning of her true lineage has been struggling with the idea that she could turn to the Dark Side, confronts the Emperor. They end up switching between several different targets to accomplish this, but the main goal is to prevent the fleet’s ships from communicating with one another and stop them from being able to navigate out of the Unknown Regions while the Resistance, hopefully, can take them out. While Poe leads the battle in the air, Finn and Naomi Ackie's new character Jannah head up the ground team, which has to take out the communications array on the lead Star Destroyer… or something. The Rise of Skywalker Final BattleAnyway, all points lead to Exegol in the film as the Resistance faces the new fleet of the First Order, which is now calling itself the Final Order.

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