Too many plots points are being revealed after TROS release

Several key plot points have been revealed in the days following Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’s release. Here’s why that’s a problem.

Warning: There are SPOILERS ahead for Star Wars:The Rise of Skywalker. 

It’s inevitable that any Star Wars film will be followed by an endless stream of questions from fans and new information will revealed by the filmmakers. The Rise of Skywalker is no exception, only this time the new information is too significant to have been left unclear or omitted from the film.

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A key example of this is that film’s Visual Dictionary shared that the first planet seen in the movie is Mustafar. Now, it is a HUGE deal that Kylo Ren traveled to the same planet that helped shape his grandfather Anakin Skywalker into becoming Darth Vader and where Vader built a fortress for himself. It should’ve been an immensely satisfying and thrilling moment for fans to realize that the final chapter of the Skywalker saga was opening with Anakin’s grandson searching for the Wayfinder on Mustafar, confirming a theory long held by many fans.

Yet, no one seemed to realize that it was Mustafar until the information was shared in the Visual Dictionary. There’s an explanation in there about the Alazmec–a group of essentially Darth Vader cultists–who planted trees and are now trying to block Kylo’s path to the ruins of Vader’s fortress. Instead of Mustafar’s inclusion being an exciting and meaningful moment that kicks off the film, though, the fact that it’s Mustafar just feels like afterthought, the explanation of which seems pretty thin. Without a doubt, such an iconic planet should’ve been more recognizable.

The Wayfinder being on Mustafar–with almost no one realizing what planet it was until the release of the Visual Dictionary–is only one case of arguably key plot points coming out after the movie’s release. There’s also the fact that Lando has basically been confirmed to be Jannah’s father, with the information coming out that he tried to start a family, but his infant daughter vanished at the hands of the First Order.

This information should’ve been part of the movie as it would’ve re-contextualized much of Lando’s investment in the fight against First Order. It’s not just him stepping in to help fill the shoes of Han, Luke, and Leia. It’s also him taking a stand against the people who kidnapped his daughter and tore his family apart. Lando and Jannah’s relationship is definitely insinuated in their final scene together, but without this information, the moment shared between them comes off as contrived and even a bit creepy.

As if this isn’t enough, there’s also the matter of what Finn was going to say to Rey before they plunged into the depths below Pasaana. The intriguing question of what he was going to say is never answered in the movie. Now it’s circulating that Finn was reportedly going to tell Rey he was Force-sensitive.

This would’ve been a fascinating moment that could’ve redefined Rey and Finn’s relationship, not to mention the infinite story possibilities it opens up. It’s arguably too big of a moment to include in a story that already felt overly busy, but then why tease it in the first place?

It’s one thing to flesh out smaller details of a film after its release. When it comes to details like the Knights of Ren’s costumes, that’s absolutely fine. For larger elements like the movie starting on Mustafar, Lando’s past with the First Order and his relationship to Jannah, or what Finn was going to tell Rey on Pasaana, those moments deserve to have been in the movie and not casually mentioned in various sources after the film’s release.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is playing in theaters now.