Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker doesn’t just bring the decades-spanning Skywalker Saga to a close, but also incorporates elements from the various other branches that the Lucasfilm franchise has spawned over the years, including the numerous animated TV shows. Nowhere is this more apparent than at a pivotal moment in the film’s climax, and as we delve into this fan-pleasing passage, be warned that some major spoilers lie ahead.
Those of you who’ve seen the movie already will likely recall the scene where Rey is at her lowest moment, seemingly defeated by Emperor Palpatine, only for the many voices of past Jedi to empower the heroine to get up and fight back. And while several of these voice cameos will be recognizable to even the most casual Star Wars fan, others may be a little harder to pin down.
The first voice you hear is that of Anakin Skywalker, played once more by Hayden Christensen, who speaks Rey’s name and later tells her to “bring back the balance” just as he did. Speaking of the prequels, Liam Neeson also gets a few words in as Qui-Gon Jinn, as does Samuel L. Jackson’s Mace Windu.
One voice you probably had no trouble distinguishing was that of Yoda actor Frank Oz. And much like we got in The Force Awakens, the scene features some archival audio from Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan Kenobi, as well as a voice cameo from Ewan McGregor in the same role.
Moving on to some of the lesser known characters, we also hear some words of encouragement from Ashley Eckstein’s Ahsoka Tano, Freddie Prinze Jr.’s Kanan Jarrus, Olivia D’Abo’s Luminara Unduli, Jennifer Hale’s Aayla Secura and Angelique Perrin’s Adi Gallia. And last but not least, the final lines of the sequence go to Mark Hamill’s Luke Skywalker, who tells his young protégé, “Rey, the Force will be with you. Always.”
Whew, that’s a lot of fan service to pack into just a few seconds of audio, but then again, that’s just the kind of film that Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is, for better or for worse.