Darth Maul Actor Says Return Of The Jedi Was A Much Better Star Wars Ending Than Rise Of Skywalker

Sam Witwer’s become a fixture of the Star Wars universe, thanks to his turn as Starkiller in The Force Unleashed video game and, most notably, voicing Darth Maul in The Clone Wars, Rebels and Solo. He’s also a diehard fan of the franchise, too, and has recently shared his thoughts about the sequel movies. And other SW lovers may find themselves agreeing with his generally negative opinions. Particularly when it comes to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. 

While speaking on a Twitch livestream (as transcribed by CBR), Witwer tried to be diplomatic about his thoughts on J.J. Abrams’ recent closer to the Skywalker saga, but admitted he just doesn’t see it as being part of the same story started by George Lucas.

“It’s um… look, if you like it, awesome,” the actor said. “It’s not as meaningful to me because I can’t really reconcile that mythology with George’s. But that’s just my opinion, you know? My personal take is I think a Star Wars where the moral of the story is ‘throw down your weapon, don’t hurt your family, love or fear.'”

Witwer did say that there were “some really great moments” to be found in Episode IX, but elaborated on a major gripe he has with the final fight between Rey, Kylo Ren and the resurrected Emperor Palpatine. To him, it doesn’t come close to the impact of the climax to Return of the Jedi. 

“I think that’s superior than a Star Wars where you win by melting the bad guy’s face off. That’s just my thing… I don’t know that you can do a better ending than Return of the Jedi.”

It’s not a controversial view to say that Return is better than Rise – even Abrams would no doubt agree on that – but Witwer’s dismissal of the film’s ending as just being about melting the bad guy’s face off is pretty harsh. To be fair, that ending worked great for Raiders of the Lost Ark. But obviously Witwer is referencing the lack of emotional depth and coherence in the movie, which is a legitimate criticism.

What do you think about Sam Witwer’s opinions on Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, though? Agree or disagree? Let us know in the comments.