Darcie 
Darcie explores five ways The Rise of Skywalker can pay homage to George Lucas’ stellar prequel trilogy
We are just under two months away till the release of The Rise of Skywalker which means it’s time to start getting excited! We’ve now had two trailers and a teaser and theories are swirling through my brain. Some of these theories revolve around ways in which the prequels could be referenced in the final instalment of the Skywalker Saga. I am a huge fan of the prequels and I would love to see The Rise of Skywalker honour them in the way it’s sure to honour the original trilogy. The trailers hint that there will be references to the previous instalments, in the first trailer we see events from all the movies including the prequel trilogy and in the second trailer a Trade Federation Battle Droid can be seen in the background. So, I thought I’d share some of the ways I think The Rise of Skywalker could honour the prequel trilogy! I hope you enjoy my ideas.
- C-3PO Regains his Memories
If you can remember C-3PO has his memories removed in Revenge of the Sith meaning he has no recollection of Anakin, Padme, Obi-Wan and co. Therefore, it would be great to see his memories restored. In the second trailer it looks like C-3PO is about to either die, sacrifice himself or become something else (The red eyes in the first trailer), so when this is happening maybe his memories are restored and for a brief moment we get to see the prequels through his eyes. I think this would be a great way to honour the prequels and a fitting end for C-3PO. Just imagine how emotional he would get remembering Anakin, his creator.
- Anakin Returns as Force Ghost
Anakin is the ultimate Skywalker, the chosen one that was destined to bring balance to the force. We saw him meet his end in Return of the Jedi after he sacrificed himself to save Luke and ‘Kill’ Palpatine. So, it would make sense that Anakin will play a part somehow, now because he is well and truly dead, I think we will see him as a force ghost. It would be great if he was to appear to Kylo Ren, Kylo could do with a talking-to from his idol. It would be great if Anakin could tell him to learn from the mistakes he made and to follow the light. I also think it would be very cool if Anakin could help take down Palpatine, he is still the chosen one and it looks like the force needs to be balanced again. Let’s get Anakin (and Hayden Christensen) redeemed. I know if Anakin makes an appearance I will be dancing in the cinema.
- Ships from the prequels in the final battle
The final trailer shows a collection of rebellion ships ready for battle. Fans have already started to identify some of the ships in the line-up such as Han Solo’s freight ship from The Force Awakens and The Ghost from Star Wars Rebels. So, what I would like to see is some ships from the prequels. This would be easy to do and would not affect the narrative, so I really hope some more familiar ships show up in the final battle.
- Tatooine
Tatooine is where it all started, it is the place Anakin was born, the place he embraced the darkness and the place Luke was raised. So, by showing Tatooine in The Rise of Skywalker would be honouring not just the prequels but the originals as well. It would be great to get a shot of one of the characters on the desert planet watching the sunset/rise.
- Final Celebration
Everyone likes a final celebration scene, with some fireworks, music, dancing and medals. If The Rise of Skywalker features a final celebration, which I hope it does, I would like to see the whole galaxy taking part like the scene at the end of Return of the Jedi. In this montage it would be very nice to see some prequel planets thrown in, I would love to see Naboo and Utapau again!
So that’s my top five ways The Rise of Skywalker could honour the prequel trilogy. I think all of these are possibilities, but I am not hopeful for many prequel references which is a shame. I have so many more theories revolving around this movie ranging from an Obi-Wan force ghost to a Padme reference but we will just have to wait until December to see what the final instalment of the Skywalker Saga has in store for us.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker unleashes the Force from December 19th
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Darcie Gray is a new addition to the Future of the Force roster. She is a passionate Star Wars fan and loves almost every genre of movies. Follow her on Twitter @Darcie_Letitia where she channels her passion frequently!
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Darcie Gray is the Fashion Editor of The Future of the Force. Aside from being a passionate Star Wars fan, she loves every genre of movies and she channels her passion for film into her personal blog Just Another Film Blog. Follow her on Twitter where she shares her love of film regularly.
