Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker wraps up 42 years of Star Wars storytelling in a single 142-minute film. That's a lot of ends to tie up all at once, since the film not only ends the current "Age of Resistance" trilogy of movies, it also ends the entire "Skywalker Saga" trilogy of trilogies. It's no surprise the film is filled with callbacks and Easter eggs galore. The Easter eggs in Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker are so plentiful, it may take until the DVD version is released for fans to find them all.
Warning: Spoilers for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker follow.
The biggest "Easter egg," if one can call it that, is Leia. Carrie Fisher passed away at the end of 2016 — before filming for this final movie could begin. And yet, she appears in several scenes, digitally transferred in from unused footage from 2015's Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Every single line she utters, every movement she makes, and every scene she appears in is reference to the cut plotline from the original Episode VII. It's a reminder of all the scenes that never made it to theaters that director J.J. Abrams shot.
But that's just the beginning.
There are so many cameos in this film.
- John Williams, the composer for all nine films, is the bartender where Zori takes the gang.
- Lin Manuel Miranda, who composed the song playing in the desert celebration scene, is spotted as a rebel in the closing scenes.
- Jodie Comer is Rey's mom.
- D-0's voice is director J.J. Abrams.
- Harrison Ford reprises Han Solo one last time as a Force Ghost.
- Mark Hamill is Luke the Force Ghost.
- Denis Lawson is back yet again as fighter pilot Wedge Antilles.
- That's Dominic Monaghan as mechanic Beaumont Kin.
- Stormtrooper cameos include Ed Sheeran and Harry Styles.
- Warwick Davis is the main Ewok in that moon of Endor shot.
- PORGS!
There are two voiceover scenes, one Sith and one Jedi, that happen at the beginning and end of the film.
The Sith voices are:
- Ian Diarmid as Palpatine
- James Earl Jones as Darth Vader
- Andy Serkis as Snoke
The Jedi list is super impressive:
- Frank Oz as Yoda
- Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan
- Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan
- Samuel L. Jackson as Mace Windu
- Hayden Christensen as Anakin
- Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn
- Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker
- Carrie Fisher as Leia
- Freddie Prinze Jr. as Kanan Jarrus
- Ashley Eckstein as Ahsoka Tano
- Olivia d’Abo as Luminara Unduli
- Jennifer Hale as Aayla Secura
In the end montage of ships collapsing, the backgrounds include Cloud City, Endor, and Jakku. The final scene is on Tatooine, in Uncle Owen's homestead, where Luke was raised.
When asked what the Force does in The Last Jedi, Rey says, "Make rocks float?" The first time we see her training under Leia, she's making rocks float.
Also, the rest of her training is taken straight from the Millenium Falcon and Obi-Wan's work with Luke, including the helmet that blocks vision and the little shooter droid.
Also, in the flashback, both Luke and Leia are seen wearing these helmets.
Palpatine tells Kylo the Dark Side gives him "unnatural abilities," a reference to Revenge of the Sith, where Palpatine tells Anakin, "The Dark Side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural."
There's a science experiment with Snoke bits in Palatine's quarters. Guess he was just a puppet, after all.
When Lando first turns up, he is still wearing the same style headgear covering his face he did in Return of the Jedi.
This line is uttered in every single Star Wars film ever made. This time, it's Lando who gets to say it.
Han Solo's cameo is fantastic. But it's made even more significant when Kylo tries to tell dad he's sorry, and Han says, "I know."
In both Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, Luke struggles to lift an X-wing out of the water. Finally, in Rise of Skywalker, he does it with no problem.
Also, note Rey wears Luke's gear from Return of the Jedi when she pilots old Red-5.
In the original Star Wars: A New Hope, Luke and Han get medals of honor, but Chewie doesn't. Rise of Skywalker rights that wrong by passing Han's medal to Chewie via Leia's will.
