Originally published January 1, 2020. Updated February 22, 2020.
Chris Terrio, the writer of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, has discussed how Rey brings balance to the force, following in the footsteps of Anakin Skywalker.
During the climactic moments of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Rey utilises the power of past Jedi to help her defeat Emperor Palpatine and the Sith Eternal. Many voices of past Jedi reach out to Rey, including the chosen one himself, Anakin Skywalker. Anakin tells Rey to bring balance to the force as he once did many years ago.
How exactly does Rey bring balance to the force by her actions against the Sith? Well, writer Chris Terrio has dived into the topic in a recent interview with IndieWire:
“The balance of the Force always, as George [Lucas] has said, means that the dark and the light exist. There are corners everywhere in the galaxy where the dark still exists, except that with the rise of Palpatine and the original trilogy, I think the way George would describe it is that the dark had become too powerful to the point where the light had almost disappeared. So in winning this victory against the First Order and the remnants of the Empire and the Sith loyalists, I think that the balance is restored, because the dark had been growing much, much more powerful than the light. By Rey striking this blow, it doesn’t mean that everything is happily ever after forever, but it means that at least for this moment in time, the dark has been held off as the light has pushed back.”
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So, according to The Rise of Skywalker, Rey bringing balance to the force is more of a temporary measure, as was Anakin’s actions in Return of the Jedi, leveling the playing field for the time being by defeating the Sith.
Who knows, perhaps in another couple of decades we will get to see a future struggle between the light and dark side of the force and how balance is achieved once again. Perhaps next time it will be the dark side that needs to level things against a dominant light side.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker sees J.J. Abrams (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) directing a cast that includes Star Wars veterans Daisy Ridley (Rey), Adam Driver (Kylo Ren), John Boyega (Finn), Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron), Lupita Nyong’o (Maz Kanata), Domhnall Gleeson (General Hux), Kelly Marie Tran (Rose Tico), Joonas Suotamo (Chewbacca), Billie Lourd (Lieutenant Connix), Greg Grunberg (Snap Wexley), Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian), Ian McDiarmid (Emperor Palpatine) and Carrie Fisher (Leia Organa) as well as new additions Naomi Ackie (Lady Macbeth), Richard E. Grant (Logan), Dominic Monaghan (Lost), and Keri Russell (The Americans).
