Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Disney decided to release the digital edition of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker early, and fans are now diving in to get a closer look at the pic and find all the Easter Eggs that J.J. Abrams has cheekily packed into the last movie in the saga.
This time, though, the reference is a little too in between the lines, but one sharp-eared fan has managed to unearth something which seems to call back to Padme and Anakin’s relationship in Attack of the Clones. As you know, the climactic sequence of The Rise of Skywalker had Rey and Ben Solo team up against Palpatine. Although the pair, who formed a Force Dyad, were easily outmatched against Darth Sidious and his power. When the resurrected Emperor realized that the coming together of these two Force prodigies had fulfilled an ancient prophecy, he proceeded to suck the life out of them and rejuvenate himself.
It’s during this scene that John Williams utilized a leitmotif which was prominently used in the middle act of the Prequel Trilogy to show the bond between Anakin and Padme. Check out the comparison below and hear it for yourself:
I found out why this music sounds familiar: reverse anidala. pic.twitter.com/FOiCEqcGYe
— Braddington (@bradwhipple) March 18, 2020
Of course, it’s really hard to tell what Williams intended to achieve by doing this, but we’re sure that it wasn’t incidental. Perhaps this is a way to somehow affiliate Anakin and Padme’s romantic bond to what Rey and Ben shared, with the exception that the latter have opposed each other through most of the Sequel Trilogy storyline.
In the end, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker did actually mirror the Chosen One and Senator Amidala’s tragic fate in an interesting way; when Rey defeated Palpatine with the help of the Jedi past, the feat was too terrible to bear and the young Jakkuvian scavenger fell. Ben, in turn, gave his life to preserve Rey’s. So, whereas Anakin directly had a hand in Padme losing her life, the redeemed Solo saved Rey by sacrificing himself.
Were you satisfied with this resolution, though? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
