50 Fun Facts About Star Wars: the Rise of Skywalker

In which year was The Rise of Skywalker released?

It premiered in Hollywood on December 16 and opened in the US on December 20.

Who co-wrote the screenplay with J. J. Abrams?

Terrio had sworn off big-budget films and did not know Abrams socially before agreeing to write it.

Which director was originally hired to make Episode IX before leaving in 2017?

His working relationship with Kathleen Kennedy reportedly became unmanageable after several drafts.

What was the title of Trevorrow and Connolly's abandoned script?

Ideas from it survived, including Lando leading a galaxy-wide fleet and a superlaser Star Destroyer.

What working title was adopted in 2018 so the numeral IX would appear in it?

The earlier working title had been Black Diamond; the real title was revealed at Star Wars Celebration in Chicago.

On which hidden planet does Palpatine reveal himself to Kylo Ren?

The Sith wayfinder that leads there is one of only two in existence.

On which planet does the group find the dagger inscribed with Sith text?

They arrive during a festival and get help from an old friend living there.

Which tiny droidsmith extracts the wayfinder coordinates from C-3PO's memory?

The procedure wipes C-3PO's memory, which R2-D2 later restores from a backup.

Zorii Bliss is an old acquaintance of Poe's from which planet?

Palpatine later destroys her world with a Sith Star Destroyer to draw Rey out.

Which actress plays the helmeted smuggler Zorii Bliss?

She was first reported in talks for a part with some action-heavy fight scenes.

Who turns out to be the spy inside the First Order?

He admits he did not care if the Resistance won, he only wanted Kylo Ren to lose.

Who kills Hux after his betrayal is discovered?

Pryde is a veteran of the old Galactic Empire and later commands the Sith armada.

Which actor plays Pryde, the officer who ends up commanding the Final Order fleet?

Grant's character is the First Order's second-in-command and a former Imperial.

Who plays Jannah, the former stormtrooper living on Kef Bir?

Jannah leads a band of fellow deserters who ride orbaks into battle.

What was Jannah's stormtrooper designation?

Finn's own number, FN-2187, echoes the cell block from A New Hope.

In the wreckage of what does Rey locate the Sith wayfinder?

The ruins lie on a moon in the Endor system, where Rey duels Ren on the crashing waves.

Whose Force spirit hands Rey Leia's lightsaber on Ahch-To?

He also raises his sunken X-wing from the sea so she can fly to Exegol.

What surname does Rey claim when asked her name at the Lars homestead?

She sees the Force spirits of Luke and Leia looking on as she answers.

A memory of which character persuades Ren to throw away his lightsaber?

Harrison Ford returned for the unbilled scene, mirroring their exchange on Starkiller Base.

What term does Palpatine use for Rey and Ben's shared Force connection?

He drains their combined power to rejuvenate his withered body.

What does Rey bury in the sand at the Lars homestead?

She then ignites her own yellow-bladed saber for the first time.

Which Killing Eve star briefly appears as Rey's mother?

Billy Howle plays Rey's father, whom the novelization reveals as a failed clone of Palpatine.

What is the name of the Sith assassin who killed Rey's parents?

His ship becomes the group's transport after they believe Chewbacca is dead.

On which planet did Rey's parents hide her from Palpatine?

Ochi killed them after they refused to give her up.

Who voices the droidsmith who tinkers with C-3PO's memory?

The character became an instant fan favourite despite only a few minutes of screen time.

Director J. J. Abrams provides the voice of which droid?

The cone-headed droid is found aboard Ochi's ship and adopted by BB-8.

Which composer cameos as the bartender Oma Tres?

The name is an anagram of Maestro, a nod to his final Star Wars score.

Which Pixar and Marvel composer cameos as a Sith Trooper?

He is a frequent Abrams collaborator and scored Rogue One.

Which actor returned for the first time since Return of the Jedi in 1983?

The 36-year gap is one of the longest between portrayals of a character by the same actor in American film.

Denis Lawson briefly reprises which Rebel veteran?

Lawson is Ewan McGregor's uncle, which makes him kin to Obi-Wan off screen.

Which Hamilton creator cameos as a Resistance trooper?

He had previously written the cantina song for The Force Awakens with Abrams.

Carrie Fisher appears through unused footage from which earlier film?

Lucasfilm had ruled out digitally recreating her as it had for Rogue One.

At which English studio did principal photography begin in August 2018?

Filming wrapped there on February 15, 2019, with two rounds of reshoots that summer and autumn.

Which Jordanian desert served as a filming location?

The same desert has doubled for Mars and Arrakis in other films.

Whose copy of the script ended up listed on eBay after being left in a hotel room?

A Disney employee spotted the listing, priced around £65, and bought it back.

Where did Adam Driver record his last-minute ADR lines?

Post-production finished on November 25, 2019, less than a month before release.

The film swapped its original May 2019 release date with which Disney movie?

It moved from May 24 to December 20 when Abrams replaced Trevorrow.

Roughly how much did the film gross worldwide?

It was the seventh-highest-grossing film of 2019 and the lowest of the sequel trilogy.

With a net budget near $490 million, where does it rank among the most expensive films ever?

Deadline still calculated a net profit of about $300 million.

Which war film knocked it from the top of the US box office in its fourth weekend?

The Sam Mendes film opened wide in January 2020.

What CinemaScore grade did audiences give the film?

It was the lowest CinemaScore of any live-action Star Wars film.

What approval rating does the film hold on Rotten Tomatoes?

That makes it the lowest-rated of the nine saga films on both Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic.

Who wrote the official novelization?

Her book explains that Palpatine survived Endor by moving his consciousness into a clone body.

How many Saturn Awards did the film win, including Best Science Fiction Film?

It also picked up three Oscar nominations, for score, visual effects and sound editing.

Which Marvel graphic novel told Ben Solo's fall to the dark side ahead of the film?

Charles Soule wrote it and Will Sliney drew it across four issues.

Which director was announced in 2023 to make a new film following Rey?

The film is set to follow Rey rebuilding the Jedi Order, with Daisy Ridley returning.

Which director held talks about replacing Trevorrow but declined?

Rian Johnson was rumoured as the top choice but said directing IX was never the plan.

Which British playwright was hired in 2017 to rewrite the script?

His revisions satisfied neither Trevorrow nor Kennedy, and Trevorrow left weeks later.

Who plays Resistance pilot Poe Dameron?

Poe inherits the rank of General from Leia after her death.

Who plays the former space pirate Maz Kanata?

Maz presents Chewbacca with a medal at the end of the film.