Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker Novel Explains How Rey Flew Luke’s Destroyed X-Wing

Due to the fact that J.J. Abrams replaced Colin Trevorrow as the director of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the plot had to be rewritten from the scratch and what we ultimately got as the last movie in the saga was a convoluted mess. Now, the novel adaptation is trying to at least cover some of the things the theatrical cut didn’t care to explain.

Episode IX could’ve easily been two movies. But the Mouse House ultimately decided to stick to George Lucas’ vision of a nine-film saga, against the writers’ better judgment. As if that weren’t enough to jeopardize the success of the pic, Lucasfilm apparently removed many scenes from Abrams’ original cut, leading a lot of people to wonder if there’s a version that could explain all the enigmas and plot holes that plague the last movie in the Sequel Trilogy.

While we wouldn’t hold our breaths for an extended cut, especially since the home release doesn’t include any deleted scenes nor commentary from the crew, the new novelization of The Rise of Skywalker manages to give us some of the answers. For instance, fans now know how Palpatine survived his apparent death from Return of the Jedi, and how he came to sire a son, though many aren’t exactly happy with these revelations.

Now, the novel has seemingly fixed yet another plot hole from the movie. If you recall, The Last Jedi showcased Luke’s original X-Wing from the OT, but the fighter was all but destroyed and sunk deep in the waters of Ahch-To. In The Rise of Skywalker, though, Rey flies the ship to Exegol after Luke’s Force Ghost pulls it out of the water.

Some hardcore fans have wondered, as they often do, how Rey was able to effortlessly fly the damaged X-Wing to the other corner of the galaxy and through Exegol’s atmospheric disturbances. Well, here’s an excerpt from the novelization which might explain the situation:

“It was old tech and it had taken some fast thinking and even faster fingers to get it flight worthy – the wing patched with the door to Luke’s hut, shield panels scavenged from the TIE wreckage, and a hefty amount of rewiring.”

So, there’s your answer. Even though it happened off-screen, like many of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker‘s most important plot elements, Rey spent some time repairing the fighter before taking off to confront her grandfather. But does that explanation make sense to you? Let us know your opinions in the comments section down below.