Beneath the lightsaber duels and grand battles between Rebels and Empire, Star Wars is driven by its relationships. At its core, Star Wars is a story about the making and breaking of bonds, whether it’s familial, romantic, or otherwise.
That being said, some relationships don’t make sense. This isn’t because of pedantic details like Midi-chlorians or things that were only explained in the now-defunct Star Wars: Expanded Universe, but because of what’s seen or implied by the movies.
Chewbacca & His Family
Some say that Holiday Special isn’t canon but for the purposes of this list, it counts. Every named Star Wars character who reprises their role here remains unchanged, but Chewbacca gets a weird revelation. Not only is Chewbacca married, but he has a family waiting for him in Kashyyyk.
Holiday Special introduces Chewbacca’s wife (Mallatobuck), son (Lumpawarrump), and father (Attichitcuk). Chewbacca’s (strangely suburban) family life is fine but what doesn’t make sense is its abrupt disappearance. Considering they’re his family, it’s highly suspect that Chewbacca never mentions them before and after Life Day. This implies that either Chewbacca is an irresponsible father who abandoned his family for space adventures, or they died offscreen.
Luke Skywalker & Princess Leia
The revelation that Luke and Leia were siblings is famous for being a last-minute addition that the franchise masterfully rolled with, which makes Luke’s initial relationship with the princess awkward and hilarious in hindsight.
In the original Star Wars, Luke has a very obvious crush on Princess Leia, and her mannerisms imply it’s mutual. This unspoken attraction drove their dynamic, with the tension arguably being ramped up for The Empire Strikes Back. But when their familial ties were finally revealed, suddenly all their flirting has an incestuous overtone that’s oblivious at best and inappropriate at worst.
Rey & Emperor Palpatine
In its (slight) defense, The Rise of Skywalker clearly explains Rey’s ties to Palpatine. Her father was Palpatine’s estranged son, and her parents buried this knowledge for her safety. The problem here isn’t the semantics, but the implications.
Rey being a Palpatine who adopts the Skywalker surname means that in death, Palpatine won and now owns the bloodline he always wanted. Worse, this renders Rey’s accomplishments as an individual pointless, since her victories were inevitable thanks to her powerful heritage. Any scene hyping her for beating the odds feels senseless now that she was fated to succeed from birth.
Lando Calrissian & L3-37/The Millennium Falcon
For the longest time, it was inferred that Lando lost his prized Millennium Falcon to Han Solo in a friendly bet. But then Solo: A Star War Story changes this for the worse by implying that the Falcon isn’t only sentient, but it’s Lando’s possible droid lover too.
In the side-story, Lando is introduced alongside the sassy navigation droid L3-37, who developed feelings for him. When L3-37 dies, her intelligence is ed into the Falcon’s computers, giving it one of the best navigation systems in the galaxy. That said, was the Falcon self-aware this whole time? If so, why did Lando willingly bet the Falcon (basically L3-37) in a barroom bet? Is this why he really wanted the Falcon back?
C-3P0 & Every Newcomer In The Sequel Trilogy
In The Rise of Skywalker, C-3P0 willingly lets his memory get wiped so he could translate the Sith Wayfinder's inscriptions. Before this, he takes one last look at his new friends: Rey, Finn, and Poe. This rang hollow because C-3P0’s prior interactions with them didn’t justify his sudden wave of sadness.
For the entire sequel trilogy, C-3P0 bumbled around while getting brushed off by his new “friends.” This is par for the course for him but in the original trilogy, C-3P0 was a comic relief and an actual member of the Rebellion. In the sequel trilogy, he’s just nostalgic window dressing that everyone insults for perfunctory comedy’s sake. Him suddenly feeling attached to someone like Rey (who he barely talked to) is weird, to say the least.
Anakin Skywalker & Pé Amidala
A lot of things don’t make sense about Anakin’s relationship with Pé, from it being forbidden despite its lack of any glaring issues to Anakin’s decision not to leave the Jedi Council if he’s serious about it. But the biggest issues are their ages and how they met.
A 14-year-old Pé first meets Anakin when he’s just 9 in The Phantom Menace, and apparently this was love at first sight. A decade later in Attack of the Clones, a 19-year-old Anakin and a now 24-year-old Pé confess their love for each other. This means that as a teenager, Pé fell in love with a literal child. The only reason why this age gap wasn’t obvious was that Natalie Portman and Hayden Christensen were literally born in the same year (i.e. 1981).
Rey & Luke Skywalker
An idealistic Rey being a jaded Luke’s apprentice was unsurprisingly difficult. In fact, Rey’s idolization of Luke was shattered when she saw that the legendary Jedi Master was now a bitter and disillusioned hermit. They reconcile in The Rise of Skywalker, but Rey’s revived worship of him (especially in the comics) isn’t justified.
Given everything that happened between them, Rey should’ve lost her deification of Luke and now see him in new equal and grounded light. After all, they’re only human. Instead, she’s back to hero worship. She even adopts his surname, even if it would’ve made more sense for her to continue Han Solo’s lineage since he was a better and more caring father figure.
Finn & Rose Tico
Individually, Finn and Rose are compelling and full of potential that was wasted by The Rise of Skywalker. But as a couple, they barely make sense. Rose and Finn first meet in The Last Jedi, where they teamed up (with BB-8) to find a code breaker on the opulent planet Canto Bight. There, they grow close and learn about each other’s past and motives.
This budding camaraderie worked, but Rose feeling a romantic attraction towards Finn – egregiously embodied in her kissing him as the First Order fired a giant laser at the last rebel stronghold – came out of nowhere. Like them or not, the fact that Finn/Rose was unceremoniously dropped in the succeeding movie only makes its existence more senseless than it already is.
Rey, Finn, & Poe
On their own, Rey, Finn, and Poe were perfect to lead Star Wars to a new future and audience. Problem is, they never acted as a tight-knit trio before the finale, making their union in The Rise of Skywalker feel more forced than fulfilling as intended. In truth, the three worked better in pairs or even solo.
Rey and Finn were romantically The Force Awakens, but this didn't go anywhere. Finn and Poe shared such perfect chemistry that everyone (actors included) wanted them to get romantic, but it never blossomed. Poe and Rey first meet in The Last Jedi’s closing seconds, and she was with Luke for most of that movie. This trio’s empty friendship remains one of the sequel trilogy’s biggest mistakes and missed opportunities.
Rey & Kylo Ren
After being hinted in The Force Awakens, whatever connection Rey and Kylo Ren could’ve had was severed in The Last Jedi. Here, Rey gives up on Kylo when he chooses The First Order. This should’ve been a bittersweet end to their teased ship but The Rise of Skywalker forces it back, sinking it in the process.
Kylo realizing the errors of his ways too late is perfectly in line with Star Wars, but him falling for Rey (and this being framed as positive, no less) was a reach. With close to no build up and after spending entire movies talking down to and trying to kill her, Kylo suddenly decides he likes Rey enough to kiss and even give his life for. At best, Rey and Kylo were rivals. Turning them into a couple is just wrong on so many levels.
