Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is finally out in theatres across the world, with fans flocking to see what JJ Abrams has in store for the final installment of the Skywalker saga. It is a movie full of twists and turns, one that constantly leaves audiences shocked. Some moments, however, were rather predictable.
So we're now going to take a look at some of the big moments from the blockbuster, judging the moments we thought took people off guard - and others we saw coming.
Updated May 5th, 2020 by George Chrysostomou: With May 4th quickly approaching, alongside the release of The Rise of Skywalker on Disney Plus, we're taking a look at more shocking and predictable moments from the film!
Saw Coming: Dark Rey
In the trailers dark Rey had been teased, although some fans had suggested that this was a genuine shift in Rey's persona that saw her move closer to the dark side. However, most rumors suggested this was simply a cave sequence.
There have been other cave sequences in these films before, most notably when Luke Skywalker took on a version of himself in Darth Vader's costume. It was always likely that this would be another one of those instances.
Surprising: Leia As A Jedi
No one quite understood Leia's story in this movie. While some elements of her story are discussed later in this article, there's one huge moment in the film that shocked many. Leia was actually training to be a Jedi!
The new trilogy had confirmed that she is force sensitive and there had been rumors that she'd trained a little in the ways of the ancient order, but fans never predicted the fact that they would see the Princess with a lightsaber in her hand.
Saw Coming: Palpatine Clone
With the reveal that Palpatine would be returning to the series there were plenty of theories as to how he can make his comeback. Droids was a big point of contention, as was the fact that he had never died in the first place.
Based on the history of the series though, one theory stood out more than most. The idea that Palpatine had cloned himself was a strong one that turned out to be completely correct and one that eventually lead to another twist.
Surprising: Chewie's Medal
An ongoing complaint from many fans of the series was that Chewbacca never got a medal like the rest of the crew after he had helped save the universe. The last film of the Skywalker saga surprisingly sought to change this.
In a moving moment, Chewie was actually gifted a medal for all his good work. The surprising part of this was that the writers of the final film actually took this little complaint seriously and created a plot point around it!
Saw Coming: Finn's Force Powers
Finn has been displaying some force sensitivity throughout this series thus far. Although when this all started fans thought that he would be the wielder of the lightsaber, it was, of course, Rey who eventually become the Jedi of the group.
The final film of the trilogy fully embraced his force powers though and actually showcased a few abilities. Rather than it being a nuanced feature, they leaned into it in a really unsurprising turn of events.
Surprising: Rey Is a Palpatine
We'd been told at the end of The Last Jedi that Rey was a nobody. That had been the message and it caused much conflict between the fans in the two years since, with many still furious at Rian Johnson for seemingly giving the biggest mystery of the sequel trilogy a really dull answer.
However, while we expected that to be retconned, we didn't think Rey would be a Palpatine. Partly because we can't imagine the Sith Lord ever having time to become romantically involved with anybody - and also because, well, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. It doesn't but hey ho, it was a good twist and has gone down well.
Saw Coming: Palpatine Is Snoke
The reveal that Palpatine was behind Snoke was one we saw coming - but only because of what Disney did a few days before The Rise of Skywalker's release.
We are, of course, referring to THAT third trailer. The fact it morphs from Palpatine, to Snoke, to Darth Vader basically suggested that the Sith Lord had been behind the events of the sequel trilogy the entire time. Snoke's backstory has always been a mystery but we're not entirely sure we're happy with how the Supreme Leader, who had such potential, was basically a stooge.
Surprising: Han Solo Returning
Usually, if you die in Star Wars, the only way you're coming back is if you're powerful enough to become one with the force and return with a nice shiny blue hue around your person. That's happened with Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Yoda over the years - as well as both Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa in The Rise of Skywalker.
So that meant the return of Han Solo took us completely aback. Not least because Harrison Ford was rather relieved to have given up playing the character after 2015's The Force Awakens. It's sweet seeing him and Kylo Ren interact and one of the blockbuster's finest moments.
Saw Coming: Luke Skywalker's Force Ghost Cameo
While we really didn't expect Han Solo to pop up, it was always inevitable that Luke Skywalker would emerge from death to give Rey some much-needed advice.
And that's exactly what happens, with the Jedi talking to Rey after she heads to Ach' To in order to exile herself and stop her from putting any of her friends' lives in danger. His cameo was small but significant, with Luke reminding her of his own mistakes and giving her both the courage and confidence in order to face Palpatine to end the war once and for all.
Surprising: How Bad General Hux Is
General Hux in The Force Awakens was basically the sequel trilogy's version of Grand Moff Tarkin. In The Last Jedi, though, his character regressed with both Supreme Leader Snoke and Kylo Ren giving him a reminder of who really holds the power within the First Order.
But we weren't expecting him to be SO bad within The Rise of Skywalker. He literally does nothing and the reveal that he's the mole within the camp left NOBODY surprised. Throw in the fact his death is underwhelming - being murdered by iral Pryde rather than Ren - and we can't help but feel Hux is a character who never fulfilled his true potential.
