It’s been nearly two years since Star Wars: The Last Jedi debuted in theaters to rave reviews, eventually becoming the ninth-highest-grossing film of all time. Yet, to certain fans, the movie is a bit of a black sheep, pointedly breaking away from many of the familiar aspects of the series and taking the saga in a bold new direction.
Now, actress Daisy Ridley says that Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will continue that tradition of moving onward, while also tying into the deeper Star Wars legend. On her recent appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, she explained that Chris Terrio, who penned the upcoming entry’s script, is a huge fan of the franchise and definitely did his homework before he even wrote a single word:
“I think it’s really great, I really do. Chris Terrio had Star Wars bibles. He was doing his work. Everything is so linked and it works in the universe. He did proper nerd homework. It felt really good doing it. Everything we did felt really, really good… I think they’ve done a great job with all the relationships. With the fun friendships and with the strange thing with Rey and Kylo. We finished Episode 8 and you know where Rey is. It was interesting going in and figuring out where it is going. I think people are going to like it.”
As a fan of The Last Jedi, it’s nice to hear that Terrio isn’t ignoring Rey’s character arc from the previous movie, instead using it as a jumping off point to propel her relationships with both her friends and enemies. Of the many divisive elements from Episode VIII, Rey’s Jedi training under the watchful eye of a jaded Luke Skywalker was one of the most interesting bits, especially when it came to developing new Force powers of her own. The added beat that Rey’s parents were just a bunch of nobodies is the cherry on top – though it sounds likely that the next movie may retcon that revelation.
We also know The Last Jedi was the first pic of the Sequel Trilogy to delve deeper into the Jedi history featured in the prequels, introducing the sacred texts which will presumably play a larger role in the next movie. Were these the Star Wars bibles Daisy said Terrio read, or does Lucasfilm have a library of larger franchise lore that the writer was able to draw from? Whatever the case may be, it sounds likely that The Rise of Skywalker will examine the series’ mythology on a much broader scale while also tying it into the characters’ relationships.
That being said, J.J. Abrams, who co-wrote and directed the final entry in the mainline saga, recently revealed he no longer feels beholden to the franchise, and is interested in continuing its bold new course ahead. That’s certainly exciting to hear, and we only have a few more months to wait and see just how it all culminates as Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker debuts in theaters on December 20th.