One year after the last battle, Rey trains with Leia while the small Resistance tries to regroup. Finn, Poe, and Rey learn that Emperor Palpatine has returned and plans to rule the galaxy. They follow clues across several worlds as Kylo Ren tries to capture Rey and draw her to his side. The story is a fast, serious space adventure about family, loyalty, and choosing who to become. Rey is the central fighter and Jedi, and she faces Palpatine in the final battle that decides the war. Finn and Poe also lead fighters, make key choices, and help turn the Resistance into a larger force. At the victory party, two female Resistance fighters share a brief kiss, and Rey kisses Ben before he dies. Rey learns she is Palpatine's granddaughter, rejects his power, and takes the Skywalker name for herself.
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Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Woke representation / casting
Rey is a woman Jedi in the central heroic role. Finn and Poe, played by black and Latino actors, lead major parts of the Resistance mission with her. A brief same-sex kiss between Larma D’Acy and a female pilot appears in the final celebration. J.J. Abrams said he wanted more diverse casting and roles for women and people of color. Daisy Ridley described the film as feminist and inclusive and said female characters are representation.
53%
Woke political dialogue
Not present. The dialogue stays on the Force, family, and the fight against Palpatine.
0%
Identity-driven story themes
Rey takes the central fighter and galaxy-saver role as a woman Jedi. She trains with Leia, joins the Resistance mission, and faces the Sith as the story’s main hero. She defeats Palpatine in the final fight, with the Jedi voices giving her strength.
39%
Western institutional / cultural critique
Not present. The Resistance fights Palpatine’s plan to rule the galaxy.
0%
Woke character or canon changes
Not present in this title.
0%
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Small X accounts called the brief kiss forced, agenda-driven, or tokenism. Some posts tied Rey’s “girlboss” role to woke writing, while most “Mary Sue” posts were writing gripes. A conservative media article and Christian reviews described the kiss as an LGBT agenda or political addition. Separate right-leaning commentary criticized Rey’s powerful heroine role as feminist or leftist messaging.
38%
Creator track record context
J.J. Abrams has a stored score of 53 and has supported more representative casts and crews. Kathleen Kennedy has a stored score of 66 and has made inclusion a franchise priority. George Lucas has a stored score of 57 and a liberal history. Other listed creators have a mix of lower scores, diversity-focused work, and little recorded activism.
48%
Production
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