The Top Ten Worst Star Wars Sequel Scenes
The title is self explanatory. Before we start, a healthy reminder: this is all OPINION, so don’t get your undies in a bunch if you don’t agree with me. Let’s begin:
10- “Not fighting what we hate; saving what we love.”
I almost didn’t want to include this scene because I’m personally torn about it. On one hand, I LOVE Finn and am glad he got to live to see another movie. On the other hand, this scene is tone deaf. Finn was on his way to sacrifice his life for the Resistance, taking down the cannon that would have destroyed his friends and comrades. But as he’s making his way to the cannon, Rose crashes her speeder onto his, stopping him from dying. Then she says that infamous line, snags a kiss from Finn, and falls unconscious.
OK, Rose, what do you think Finn was trying to do!? His suicide run WAS him trying to save what he loved! And before anyone gives me that bullshit that “she was saving him from ending his life!” not fifteen minutes ago, Amilyn Holdo ALSO sacrificed herself to save the Resistance, and she was applauded for it! And because of Rose’s actions, the First Order manages to blast the door away, and are MINUTES away from shooting fish in a barrel. Only Luke Skywalker’s timely intervention helps the Resistance escape from what would have been a massacre, something Rose had no way of knowing would happen.
This is one of the many, MANY scenes that gets altered in fan edits. My personal favorite has to be Ivan Ortega’s: Finn gets shot down by a TIE Fighter just as he’s making his way to the cannon. This edit not only adds to the tragedy that was the Battle of Crait, but it also makes the First Order seem more competent, more merciless, and most importantly, more menacing.
9- “But there are more of us, Poe.”
Avengers Endgame was the movie event of not just 2019, but the entire decade of the New Tens as well. When I saw it on opening weekend, the fully packed theater I was in for a 4:00 PM showing ERUPTED IN APPLAUSE at the scene where all the heroes arrived to help kick Thanos’ purple butt. It was an amazing scene, jaw dropping, and one we’ll remember for years to come.
So when Rise of Skywalker tried doing something similar, the comparisons were inevitable. The climax for Rise of Skywalker, with thousands upon THOUSANDS of ships, sounds great on paper. The execution, however, fell short. But to understand why, we need to go back to Avengers and find out why THAT climax worked.
When the heroes arrive, we get focus shots for each group. If you’ve been watching every Marvel movie until then, you’re happy to see these heroes back in action and ready to kick some butt. If, on the other hand, this is your first Marvel movie, you still understand the significance of this scene. It’s the CAVALRY! They’ve arrived, and now the heroes are gonna WIN! But more importantly, you understand WHY they arrived so late: they JUST came back to life! And as soon as they all could, they came to help defeat Thanos!
On the other hand, for Rise of Skywalker, you have no way of knowing what nine tenths of these ships are or where they came from. Yeah, it’s good that they’ve arrived, but why couldn’t they come sooner? Where have all these forces been until the climax? In the context of the Sequel Trilogy, where were all these people during the climax of The Last Jedi?
And as for fanservice, the problem is that these ships hardly get any focus! Allegedly the Ghost from Rebels and the Colossus from Resistance are in there, but we gotta be eagle eyed to see them! That’s just terrific.
8- Chewie’s dead! Oh, wait, no he’s not…
This is a scene that left me shocked and horrified when I first saw it. In an attempt to save Chewbacca from getting captured, Rey taps into the Dark Side of the Force, accidentally uses the dreaded Force Lightning, and seemingly kills her friend instead. It’s a heartbreaking scene, and Daisy’s anguished “Chewie!” is perfect. It’s a daring scene, an artistic risk that-
OH WAIT, SORRY, NEVERMIND! Chewie’s OK, somehow! Yeah, that shuttle Rey accidentally blew up was a totally different shuttle! Don’t you feel silly for being so shocked!? DON’T YOU FEEL SO FUCKING STUPID FOR THINKING THAT DISNEY WAS GONNA DARE TRY TO GIVE US A DARK, GRIPPING STORY!?
7- Rey uses the Jedi Mind Trick
I’m not gonna call Rey a Mary Sue, because that’d be an exercise in futility. But I WILL say that THIS is the scene where my suspension of disbelief was shattered. Rey’s a great fighter? I can accept that, sure. Rey’s a great pilot? OK, no problem. Rey can use the Force? Sure, sure, that’s expected. Rey can stop Kylo Ren from forcing his way into her mind and then turn it around and read Kylo’s mind instead? Uhhh… Rey can use the Jedi Mind Trick mere hours, days tops after learning the Force is real!? GTFO!!!
Star Wars Lore has always been clear that the Jedi Mind Trick is difficult to pull off for a rookie. We saw this in Star Wars Rebels, where Ezra Bridger (with weeks of training under his belt AT A MINIMUM) completely fails at using the Trick on a stormtrooper. So for Rey to pull it off after ONLY three tries? Get that shit outta my face!
6- Finn and Han drop Phasma down the garbage chute.
Phasma was one of the main marketing points for The Force Awakens back in 2015. Here was this badass looking Stormtrooper, with unique, blaster-proof armor. She leads the army of the First Order, AND she’s played by Briene of Tarth herself, Gwendoline Christie. The hype was REAL.
And then not only does Phasma BARELY appear in the movie at all, but she’s done away in the least dignified way possible: she’s held at gunpoint by Finn and forced to lower Starkiller Base’s shields, and then she’s thrown down the garbage chute. Just…wow.
Disney forgot what makes a minor character popular: presence. Disney and Lucasfilm clearly tried to replicate Boba Fett’s success with Phasma, but they failed in giving her true presence. In Empire Strikes Back, Boba Fett gets like three lines and four minutes of screen time, tops. But those 4 minutes were well spent; we know he’s a no-nonsense bounty hunter who’s got balls of steel. The guy got singled out by DARTH VADER of all people, reminding him specifically NOT to disintegrate Han Solo or the rebels!
Meanwhile, the only thing Phasma does in her minuet and a half of screen time is…stand around, give orders, and then get dropped like a bad habit. An unforgivable waste of such a talented actress!
5- Amilyn Holdo pulls Rank on Poe Dameron
I’ve talked about this scene before, but boy howdy do I need to talk about it some more. Poe Dameron had just pulled a suicidal stunt against the First Order that had cost Resistance lives and equipment. I ain’t here to defend Poe’s actions or Leia’s decision to demote him. But there’s nothing excusing Holdo’s behavior towards Poe.
I’ve read the arguments; Poe’s gung-ho behavior cost the Resistance many good soldiers, he doesn’t listen to orders, and he disrespects Holdo’s authority. Now let’s see what the movie SHOWS: the First Order was tracking the Resistance Fleet, which retroactively makes Poe’s decision to destroy the Dreadnought correct. In Poe’s words, Dreadnoughts are fleet killers, and had the FO still had their Dreadnought in this scene, the Resistance would have been destroyed then and there. So basically, while the movie EXPECTS us to side with Holdo, anyone capable of rubbing two brain cells together can see that Poe’s actions, rash as they were, were also CORRECT!
And yet Holdo’s first actions towards Poe was to emasculate him. “Wasn’t Leia’s final action to demote you?” This was beyond out of line, as Leia had already given Poe disciplinary action. To denigrate a subordinate in this manner is not just an abuse of authority, it contributes to hostility in the force.
Some might say “Holdo had no obligation to tell Poe the plan!” That ain’t how life works, buddy. Poe might have been demoted, but he’s still a highly respected soldier in the Resistance who wields influence among the soldiers. The very least Holdo could have said was “the plan is in motion, but the details are on a need-to-know basis among the higher-ups. For now, we ask that you keep to your station and be ready for further instructions.”
The feminist ‘subtext’ of the scene was so blatantly obvious it was almost insulting, but I’m personally amazed that the racial subtext doesn’t get picked up on more often. A white woman emasculates a Latino man. What’s wrong with this picture? Hmmm…
4- Rey assaults Luke
It’s been said that Luke’s actions on Crait was the most Jedi thing anyone has ever done in these nine movies: Use the Force in a non-violent way to help save the day. Accepting that as true forces me to call THIS moment right here the most Sith action. Rey assaults Luke with her staff, which forces him to use a metal rod to defend himself. He beats her, so what does she do? SHE PULLS OUT THIS FRICKING LIGHTSABER! Rey began a conflict, then she used the Force to further escalate it. That look of fury in her eyes shows us that Rey would certainly have tried to kill Luke if he had summoned his own lightsaber.
Also, Luke Skywalker won that fight. Don’t even try to argue with me, you won’t win.
And that’s not even getting into how Rey is quick to believe Kylo Ren, the man who brutally killed HIS OWN FATHER, when he said that Luke tried to kill him in his sleep. She angrily demands that Luke tell her “the truth” (when her angry tone clearly shows that she believes Kylo Ren) and when Luke refuses, she ASSAULTS HIM! OK, now, tell me again why Luke owed her an explanation? She refuses to respect Luke’s wishes, she trespasses on the island, she’s caused a lot of damage to the island itself, and she assaults the man from behind when he refuses to entertain her accusation against him? WOW! What a great role model for girls! (he says sarcastically)
3- “Rey Skywalker”
Alright, lemme put aside the snark for a bit. The reason why this scene doesn’t quite work is because it flies in the face of what little arc Rey’s had all trilogy long. One could make the argument that Rey’s main character arc was learning to define herself; who she is, and what her place in the Universe is. This arc doesn’t really advance all that well, truth be told, because it’s not given focus or direction. In Force Awakens, Rey learns to accept that her family is gone for good. In Last Jedi, she also learns they were nobodies who sold her for drinking money. But then in Rise of Skywalker, Rey learns she’s really a Palpatine, and that Sidious is her grandfather.
Skipping ahead, Rey learns the quintessential lesson that your lineage doesn’t define you. A good lesson to be sure, even if quite divorced from reality (the Sequels were entirely defined by their lineage, and the sole reason they did so well in the box office was due to the Star Wars brand.) But then Rey utters that one line: “Rey Skywalker.”
What does the name “Skywalker” even mean to Rey, personally? Why does she take that name for herself? Why not call herself Rey Solo, honoring her dyad as well as his family name?
Or better yet, just stay as Rey. One of the BEST edits I’ve seen of this scene has Rey say “I’m just Rey.” In the context of the movie, there’s so much WEIGHT to that statement; not only is Rey affirming her individual identity, it’s also a callback to a scene earlier in the movie where Rey says “just Rey” despondently, as if saying she doesn’t belong anywhere. The second time she says it, there’s unmistakable pride in the mononym.
2- “Somehow, Palpatine returned.”
OK, I get it. Villains in Star Wars have a problem staying dead. Maul didn’t stay dead. Phasma didn’t stay dead. I have little problem with Palpatine being alive again. I can accept it. I don’t have to LIKE it (and I don’t), but I can accept it.
But for the love of God, EXPLAIN HOW!!! And no, I don’t mean in a comic, or in a book, or in a tweet; I demand an IN MOVIE EXPLANATION!!! And don’t give me that “dark science, cloning, secrets only the Sith knew” bullshit; I mean a REAL explanation! One that makes fucking SENSE!!!
“Somehow, Palpatine returned.” Man get off my face with that bullshit. Even Tolkien took the time to explain how Gandalf came back!
1- Luke tossing away his father’s lightsaber
This scene is so awful, I’ve made the argument in the past that it effectively killed the Sequels. You can read more of my thoughts on this travesty here: https://medium.com/@tehtokufan/the-scene-that-killed-the-star-wars-sequel-trilogy-a1265e205850
