10 Simple Fixes That Would Have Saved Star Wars: Rise Of Skywalker

1. Keep Rey... Just Rey

There's an awful lot that's wrong with The Rise of Skywalker, but undoubtedly its most depressing element pertains to Rey's lineage.

Fans had speculated relentlessly after The Force Awakens regarding Rey's parents - who they might be and why they left her on Jakku - with the Kenobis, Skywalkers, Solos and yes, even Palpatines being optioned as potential families. It seemed as though that's where the series was going to go, but then The Last Jedi came along and swept the rug from right underneath everyone's feet, revealing that Rey was just... Rey.

Her parents were scrappers who sold her for money. There was no happy family. No grand lineage to unearth. She was a nobody, and in a franchise ruled and governed by family ties, that was truly refreshing.

It didn't matter where Rey came from. She was a hero same as any Skywalker or Kenobi, and she was her own person.

The Rise of Skywalker, tragically, opted for something completely different. Seemingly kowtowing to those sexist internet bores who called Rey a 'Mary Sue', the film discloses that she has Palpatine's power. It's not her own, it's the Emperor's. And yes, it's frankly appalling.

Sure, there's a nice enough message to extrapolate here about how you're able to choose your own family, but it ends on such a dull note. Rey declares herself a Skywalker, and it doesn't feel triumphant so much as it does painful.

Rey's legacy should be that she was Rey. Just... Rey. She doesn't need to take the Skywalker name to show that she's found a new family - we know that already. Just let her be Rey. Surnames need not apply.