How This Character Cameo In ‘Rise of Skywalker’ Honors The Original Films

Spoilers for “The Rise of Skywalker” are ahead.

It was clear from the outset that Carrie Fisher’s Leia Organa and Mark Hamill's Luke Skywalker would appear in the new “Star Wars” outing in some way, but many were wondering, given his death in “The Force Awakens,” would Han Solo be in “The Rise of Skywalker”? In an article under Vanity Fair, Harrison Ford's Solo's reemergence as a memory serves not only as a catalyst for Kylo Ren’s (Adam Driver) turn to the light side, but also as a callback to the original “Star Wars” movies.

In “Rise of Skywalker,” in the aftermath of Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Kylo’s intense fight on the wreckage of the second Death Star, Kylo is once more confronted by his father, Han Solo, in the form of a memory. Mirroring their scene in “The Force Awakens,” the two share a sentimental moment, wherein Kylo recognizes the strength needed in overcoming the Dark Side through the love shown by his father. Their exchange, though almost exactly the same as in “The Force Awakens,” also marks as a subtle callback to “Empire Strikes Back.”

A similar sentimental moment is presented in “Return of the Jedi,” when Luke finally looks upon the true face of his father, not Darth Vader, but Anakin Skywalker, now long decrepit stripped of evil. It can likewise be seen as the inverse of what occurs in “Revenge of the Sith,” where Obi-Wan and Anakin’s own confrontation spells the end of their father-son relationship, drawing Anakin fully to the Dark Side of the Force.

Despite an overwhelming amount of negative reviews by critics, audiences have thus far considered "Episode IX" relatively good, maintaining an 86% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Much of the positive “The Rise of Skywalker” reviews are seemingly due to these many “Star Wars” callbacks, given it’s the culmination of over 40 years of story and nearly three generations worth of fans. Some of the many "Rise of Skywalker" cameos even callback to “Star Wars” animated series, such as both “Clone Wars” and “Rebels,” rounding out the entire galaxy far, far away.

Though Han Solo may well be remembered as a scoundrel, "The Rise of Skywalker" tries to amend that memory through Ben Solo's own redemption. By bringing Kylo back to his former self, Solo's death no longer seems like an extreme act of violence on the part of Kylo, but a sacrifice of Han's to save his son (and the galaxy), which likewise mirrors Darth Vader's attempt to kill the Emperor in the final moments of "Return of the Jedi."