Star Wars: The Last Jedi is the only sequel movie in the trilogy to fit into the overall scope of the Skywalker saga. While The Last Jedi had an incredibly divisive reaction upon its release in 2017 and is still dividing the fanbase to this day, the film is the only sequel with strong connections across all nine Skywalker saga films. This is evident throughout the film in various ways and makes one thing about its predecessor and successor come to the fore.
While the argument could be made that Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the best movie in the sequel trilogy or that Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker has the most pure fun elements, Star Wars: The Last Jedi stands clear in one aspect. Rian Johnson’s script for the film is meticulously crafted, to say the least, and has plot elements impacting it that stretch back to the prequel trilogy. No matter their merits, the other two films rely heavily on nostalgia from the original trilogy, proving that Star Wars: The Last Jedi is the only sequel to feel undoubtedly part of the entire Skywalker saga.
The Last Jedi’s Prequel Nods Connect It To The Entire Skywalker Saga
The main reason why Star Wars: The Last Jedi is the most connected to the Skywalker saga is thanks to the film’s prequel trilogy references. While the other two films have some elements that emulate the prequels, The Last Jedi has the most overt connections. The central plot of Luke Skywalker’s story in the film stems from his wanting the Jedi Order to be forgotten. The reason for this is, as Luke himself puts it: “At the height of their powers they allowed Darth Sidious to rise, create the Empire, and wipe them out.”
Combined with Luke stating that the legacy of the Jedi is failure, hypocrisy, and hubris, The Last Jedi uses core themes of the prequel trilogy as one of the film’s major throughlines. Even the fact alone that Luke refers to Palpatine as Darth Sidious – a name only used in the prequel trilogy – gives The Last Jedi stronger prequel connections than either Episodes VII or IX. This, alongside visual references between Kylo Ren and Anakin Skywalker, gives The Last Jedi a connection to all parts of the Skywalker saga, rather than just the original trilogy.
The Force Awakens And Rise Of Skywalker Rely On Original Trilogy Nostalgia
On the other hand, Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker rely very heavily on original trilogy elements. With the former, the crux of the film revolves around finding a map to Luke Skywalker, the hero of the Rebellion. From Luke’s lightsaber and Darth Vader’s helmet acting as central MacGuffins to the plot emulating that of A New Hope almost beat-for-beat, The Force Awakens is largely versed in the original trilogy, with little to no overt ties to the prequels.
Similarly, The Rise of Skywalker also relies on original trilogy nostalgia. While the last film in the Skywalker saga had the potential to tie itself to the prequels through Palpatine’s return, the film chose to focus on that character’s original trilogy connections. Sidious’ return is linked to Endor and the second Death Star, and is frustratingly underdeveloped rather than delving into the ideas established in the prequel trilogy of him cheating death. From this to things such as Lando’s needless return, The Rise of Skywalker’s reliance on OT elements are clear, proving that Star Wars: The Last Jedi is truly the only sequel well-connected to the entire Skywalker saga.