Top 10 Unanswered Questions in The Rise of Skywalker

Played by Naomi Ackie, Jannah is one of several new characters we meet in “The Rise of Skywalker.” Like Finn, Jannah and her fellow freedom fighters abandoned the First Order. Seeking refuge on the ocean moon of Kef Bir, Jannah’s tribe joins forces with the Resistance. Although we’re given a strong idea of who Jannah is now, her life before the First Order remains ambiguous. Having a heart to heart with Lando Calrissian towards the end of the film, Jannah says she isn’t sure where she came from or who her people are, and Lando suggests they find out together. Could this scene be hinting at a biological connection between Jannah and Lando? If so, we guess it’s a small galaxy after all.

Ever since “The Force Awakens,” there’s been some debate about Rey and Kylo Ren - or Reylo as the internet has dubbed them. Some predicted they might be related, while others expected a romance to spark - especially after that shirtless Force call. “The Rise of Skywalker” reveals there’s no blood shared between the two, but their relationship status remains in a grey area. It takes all of Ren’s strength to save Rey, who thanks him with a passionate kiss on the lips before his body vanishes. The shippers may argue that this means Rey and Ren were in love. If these movies taught us anything, though, it’s that sometimes people just get caught up in the moment. Just look at Finn and Rose… or Luke and Leia.

We still don’t know the story behind how Maz Kanata got Luke’s lightsaber. In any case, Rey ultimately returns both Luke and Leia’s lightsabers to the Lars family farm. Rey now carries her own new lightsaber, which has the distinction of being yellow rather than the more typical blue or green. This is the first time we’ve seen a main character wield a yellow lightsaber in the movies, but this weapon isn’t new to the canon: while “The Rise of Skywalker” doesn’t elaborate, yellow lightsabers were common in the Jedi Sentinel, particularly among Jedi Temple Guards. Whereas their lightsabers were double-bladed, though, Rey’s is single-bladed. Could her lightsaber be teasing a return not only of the Jedi, but of the Jedi Sentinel as well? Well, either that or yellow is just Rey’s favorite color.

While it was great catching up with Lando Calrissian, we’re given little insight into what happened to him between “Return of the Jedi” and now. The most we learn is that he put his flying days behind him, although it isn’t long until he’s back in the Millennium Falcon’s cockpit. We never really learn why Lando gave up piloting in the first place, however, or why it’s taken him this long to join up with the Resistance. The film also doesn’t delve into how Lando responded to Han’s demise or Ben Solo’s turn to the Dark Side. On top of all that, how did Lando know where exactly to find our heroes on Pasaana? You know, we could use a Disney+ series to fill in the gaps…

At first, it looks like Allegiant General Pryde - played by Richard E. Grant - might be the spy leaking information to the Resistance. Well, turns out that not only is Pryde a loyal First Order officer; he’s also been communicating directly with Palpatine - aka Darth Sidious. Pryde apparently used to serve the Emperor back in the day, although the film doesn’t expand on this information. Was Pryde just part of the Galactic Empire or was he aiding Palpatine even before the Galactic Republic fell? When did Palpatine reconnect with Pryde? Have they been chit-chatting via hologram since the events of “The Force Awakens?” If so, why hasn’t Pryde played a bigger role in the Sequel Trilogy until now? OR, as some have theorized, is Pryde somehow related to Grand Moff Tarkin? Whatever the case, we find this character’s lack of backstory disturbing.

We may not see him levitating off the ground surrounded by rotating rocks anytime soon, but the Force could be stronger with Finn than we initially thought. A couple of times throughout “The Rise of Skywalker,” Finn senses certain things, like Rey’s presence, for example. While Finn’s instincts are left someone vague, it’s heavily implied that he’s Force-sensitive, but to what degree? This isn’t necessarily the first time Finn has demonstrated Force powers either, as some have argued that he sensed the Hosnian system’s destruction. Could this mean that Finn will learn the ways of the Force and help Rey form a new Jedi Order? Okay, maybe we’re getting ahead of ourselves, but Finn just might be taking his first steps. Plus, he already knows a thing or two about lightsabers.

So we finally found out who Rey’s parents are (ish), but this revelation also invites a few more questions. If Palpatine is Rey’s grandfather, who’s her grandmother? Did the Emperor have a phantom girlfriend or something? The film doesn’t go into Palpatine’s love life, which we suppose is for the best, but maybe the Dark Lord didn’t continue his lineage in the conventional fashion. In “Revenge of the Sith,” Palpatine tells Anakin the story of Darth Plagueis, who supposedly used midi-chlorians to create life. While fans have interpreted this scene in varying ways, what if Palpatine used this power to spawn his offspring? This actually ties into a popular theory that Plagueis was Anakin’s father, hence his mysterious birth. Alas, this all remains pure speculation.

As our heroes sink into the “Star Wars” equivalent of quicksand, Finn starts to tell Rey something that he’s been wanting to get off his chest. After surviving that brush with death, Rey immediately asks Finn what he was going to say. Finn claims he’ll tell her later when Poe isn’t around, but that moment never comes. What was on Finn’s mind? Was he going to declare his love for her? Was he going to thank her for saving his life back on Starkiller Base? Was he going to tell Rey that she’s a Palpatine? Okay, that last one is beyond unlikely, but they set up a plot point that goes nowhere. For that matter, we still don’t know what Rey wanted Chiewie to tell Finn for her in “The Last Jedi.”

A few new Force powers have been introduced to the canon in recent years and we can now add healing to the list. Rey uses this power once to heal a wounded creature on Pasaana and again to save Kylo Ren. Up to now, force healing has played a prominent role in Star Wars Legends, but in the official canon, we’ve only seen such power a couple of times. Aside from “The Rise of Skywalker,” there was when Obi-Wan met Luke in “A New Hope” and the Child from “The Mandalorian” has also displayed this ability. What remains unclear is how long Force Healing has been a thing and where did Rey pick it up? Did she learn it herself, did Leia teach her, or did Rey meet grown-up baby Yoda at some point?

Before we get to our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:
Are Finn & Rose a Thing?
Was Force Ghost Luke’s Pep Talk to Rey the Third Lesson?
Stormtroopers Can Fly Now?

Palpatine’s demise in “Return of the Jedi” seemed pretty conclusive. Like, how do you bounce back from this? “The Rise of Skywalker” wastes no time bringing Palpatine back, however: the opening crawl’s first line literally reads, “The dead speak!” This indicates upfront that Palpatine did indeed die at the hands of Vader, but has since been resurrected. Considering the Dark Side works in mysterious ways, Force Healing is canon now and we’ve already talked about the potential power of midi-chlorians, we guess Palpatine’s resurrection isn’t without some logic. But how long has Palpatine been back? Why did he choose now to make his presence known? How did Snoke go about becoming his puppet? For all the exposition we’re given, Palpatine’s comeback requires the viewer to fill in a lot of blanks.