Jedi voices in The Rise of Skywalker's final battle, explained
Rey had a little backup from some familiar Star Wars characters. Let's take a look at who they are. Spoilers ahead.
Rey gets help from the past in The Rise of Skywalker.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hit theaters worldwide on Friday, bringing the Skywalker Saga to an end. The film is positively riddled with cameos and new characters, but one moment toward the movie's climax reunites us with plenty of old friends, long gone.
It's a pretty overwhelming moment for Rey (Daisy Ridley) and the audience, so a journey through the Force is in order. Be warned, major spoilers lie ahead for both The Rise of Skywalker and CGI-animated series Rebels.
During Rey's final battle with her grandfather Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), he sneers about having the dark power of all the Sith within him. He apparently doesn't realize Rey's firm allegiance to the light means she carries all the Jedi with her.
"Be with me," she says, in a callback to her first line in the movie, during her training. Her Jedi predecessors weren't with her then, but they certainly are now -- their voices encourage her to pick herself up, one last time.
Obi-Wan Kenobi, shortly before sacrificing himself. He never met Rey but has spoken to her before.
Obi-Wan Kenobi
The first voice we hear is the first Jedi we ever met in A New Hope. Obi-Wan was played by Alec Guinness in the Original Trilogy, where he taught Luke Skywalker, and depicted by Ewan McGregor in the prequels, where he taught Anakin Skywalker.
These vocal cameos call back a similar motion in The Force Awakens, where the sound team used stock audio to make the late Guinness say "Rey" and McGregor whispered "These are your first steps." In The Rise of Skywalker, the same Guinness line is used and McGregor says "These are your final steps" -- foreshadowing Rey's sacrifice.
Obi-Wan met his end in A New Hope, when he allowed himself to be struck down by Darth Vader so Luke Skywalker and his friends could escape the first Death Star.
Anakin Skywalker brought balance to the Force in Return of the Jedi.
Anakin Skywalker
Played by Hayden Christensen, this fallen Jedi was the Chosen One who brought balance to the Force in the Original Trilogy -- his love for his son Luke made him renounce his Sith identity as Darth Vader and sacrifice himself to destroy Emperor Palpatine. That didn't quite take, but he supports Rey as she finishes the job.
Anakin died in Luke's arms in Return of the Jedi, after his life support suit was fried by Palpatine's Force lightning.
Luke Skywalker gave his life to save the Resistance in The Last Jedi, but plays a major role in The Rise of Skywalker.
Luke Skywalker
Played by Mark Hamill, Luke died in The Last Jedi after using the Force to project himself across the galaxy to Crait. His act allowed the few remaining members of the Resistance to escape the First Order's forces, but his physical body gave up as a result of the strain.
He showed up as a Force ghost earlier in The Rise of Skywalker, where he gave Rey some encouragement and offered some expositional dialogue.
Yoda previously helped Luke guide Rey.
Yoda
Once the grand master of the Jedi Order, the little green fella (Frank Oz) trained Luke on Dagobah in The Empire Strikes Back, before peacefully becoming one with the Force in Return of the Jedi.
He also appeared as a Force ghost in The Last Jedi, to offer Luke a little mirthful advice in a moment of despair.
Qui-Gon Jinn
Obi-Wan's master and the Jedi who discovered Anakin on Tatooine, Qui-Gon (Liam Neeson) was killed by Darth Maul -- Palpatine's Sith apprentice -- in The Phantom Menace.
Qui-Gon Jinn -- the original Force ghost.
Despite this, he continued to have a huge impact on the series as the first Jedi chronologically to retain his identity after death and return as a Force ghost. He appeared several times during The Clone Wars, before teaching Yoda the secrets of eternal consciousness.
Mace Windu came pretty darn close to ending Palpatine before he could seize power.
Mace Windu
This Jedi Master, played by Samuel L. Jackson, came close to killing Palpatine before he declared himself emperor in Revenge of the Sith. Unfortunately for Mace, Anakin intervened and chopped off his hand, giving Palpatine a chance to blast the Jedi out a window with Force lightning and send him toppling to Coruscant's streets far below.
Ahsoka Tano has apparently died since she appeared in Rebels.
Ahsoka Tano
Voiced by Ashley Eckstein, Ahsoka was Anakin's apprentice during The Clone Wars. She left the Jedi Order and survived the rise of the Empire, showing up again during events of Rebels.
We last saw Ahsoka in a Rebels epilogue that took place after the events of Return of the Jedi, when she joined Mandalorian Sabine Wren in quest to find missing Jedi Padawan Ezra Bridger. This vocal cameo implies that Ahsoka has become one with the Force since then, but she's the only character on this list whose fate is unknown.
Kanan Jarrus died in battle with the Empire decades before the events of The Rise of Skywalker.
Kanan Jarrus
A Jedi Knight (Freddie Prinze Jr.) who survived the events of Revenge of the Sith, Kanan was one of the stars of Rebels, where he helped form the Rebel Alliance and trained Ezra. He sacrificed himself during the CGI animated show's final season, allowing his friends to escape an Imperial attack.
Luminara Unduli is first seen in Attack of the Clones.
Luminara Unduli
A member of the Jedi Council, Luminara (Olivia D'Abo) was believed to have been killed by her Clone Trooper unit after Palpatine issued Order 66 in Revenge of the Sith. Her fate was actually a bit darker than that -- she was imprisoned by the Empire and ultimately executed.
The Empire then spread rumors that she survived to lure remaining Jedi into a trap. This ruse held until Kanan and Ezra discovered her long-dead body in her cell during the first season of Rebels.
Aayla Secura
This Twi'lek Jedi Master appeared several times in The Clone Wars, where she was voiced by Jennifer Hale. After Order 66, Aayla was gunned down by her troops on Felucia -- a moment seen in Revenge of the Sith.
Adi Gallia
Adi was a Tholothian member of the Jedi Council and played by Angelique Perrin. She was slain by Savage Opress (Clancy Brown), Darth Maul's brother, in the fifth season of The Clone Wars.
