We sat down and watched Star Wars Episode IX's home release special features so you wouldn't have to.
Regardless of how you feel about Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker--and if you're like us, you've made your feelings abundantly clear to all your friends, Twitter follows, and anyone else who will listen over the last few months--it's still a Star Wars movie. And that means the home release comes packed with special features that reveal a lot more about the film itself, the culture around it, and even about past Star Wars films, if we're lucky.
Indeed, Rise of Skywalker is no exception. The movie was released on digital four days earlier than scheduled thanks to the current "social distancing" situation everyone is going through, which means we've been digging into the included featurettes to glean everything we can (before hopefully never thinking about this movie again).
The special features include a two-hour-long documentary that covers a wide range of topics concerning the movie's creation. Called The Skywalker Legacy, the feature intersperses footage from Rise of Skywalker's set with archive footage from the original films. It's an effective tool that puts a lot of things in context and adds perspective, regardless of how you feel about Rise itself.
In our review last December, we remarked that "it should never be so clear to audiences that something in the filmmaking process has gone so terribly wrong--that the people who made the first film in a trilogy apparently didn't bother to sketch out a plan for the second and third, and that the movies' directors had visions for the series' future that were so fundamentally at odds. Star Wars deserved better."
1. They actually built those speeder bikes
While they couldn't actually hover as they do in the movies, the speeder bikes Rey and her crew--along with the stormtroopers--use were actually built. And they actually look pretty cool when they're not being blown up.
2. Poe and Finn's chemistry was there before the movie was even cast
According to John Boyega (Finn), the chemistry he shared with Oscar Isaac (Poe) was there during the audition process. Regarding Isaac's audition, Boyega recalled, "He read the scene and I looked at JJ [Abrams] like, 'What are we doing, man? It's him! We're wasting time, man!'"
3. The key to making JJ Abrams laugh is a good Chewie voice
Joonas Suotamo, who plays Chewbacca in The Rise of Skywalker, admitted that one of his favorite things to do on set was cracking up director JJ Abrams. "Making JJ laugh is my number two priority," he said. "Get the shot, nail the acting, make JJ laugh." How did he do it? Responding to Abrams' questions in his Chewie voice, even when out of costume.
4. Yes, they built a full-sized Millennium Falcon in a forest
While it would have been easy to use lots of CGI to create the resistance forest camp, much of it was actually built, including the Millennium Falcon.
5. There's a Maz Kanata puppet
While Maz Kanata may look like a completely CGI character, the Skywalker Legacy featurette shows a puppet version of the character, complete with lifelike movement.
6. The resistance base calls back to A New Hope
Found in the forest the resistance is hiding in is the blockade runner from the first Star Wars movie, A New Hope. It's actually the first thing seen in the original film, on the run from an Imperial star destroyer. It also happens to be a ship Leia was on. "It's the first time we see Princess Leia so it's trying to link this film all the way back with the first film," production designer Kevin Jenkins explains.
7. Carrie Fisher wanted Rise of Skywalker to be Leia's story
When we were doing VII, she knew that was very much Han's story. And then VIII was very much Luke's," Abrams explains. "The thing she had said was that IX should be Leia's and that's really something we tried to do."
8. Filming Leia's first scene was a celebration
Before filming the first new footage that unused Leia scenes would be worked into, Abrams told his cast and crew that the last thing Carrie Fisher would have wanted was a moment of silence for the late actress. Instead, he asked for every Leia moment to be one of celebration, leading to a round of applause.
9. Billie Lourde plays young Leia in the movie
In the scene where a young Luke and Leia are training with their lightsabers, it's actually Fisher's daughter Billie Lourde portraying her mother. Footage of Fisher from a previous movie was then placed over Lourde's face.
10. That training remote looks familiar
If the training remote Rey is using for her lightsaber training looks familiar, that's because you've seen it before. According to props team member Sonny Merchant, it's made from the same mold as the one seen in A New Hope.
11. Adam Driver did all his own stunts
Stunt coordinator Eunice Huthart wanted to employ a stunt double for Kylo Ren, but Driver insisted on doing his own stunts. Huthart was initially exasperated by this, and told him he could try, but if it didn't look good, she'd replace him with the double. Driver wound up doing it all. "The physicality of Kylo, I'm very protective over," the actor says.
12. JJ envisioned Kylo Ren as the opposite of Darth Vader
Abrams described Kylo Ren to Driver as "someone who almost starts the most vulnerable, and kind of gradually becomes closer to his convictions, more assured about his choices, has metaphorically and physically killed his father."
13. It took 30 seconds to decide Palpatine wasn’t dead
Did you think the choice to bring Palpatine back, or make him a clone, or whatever, was a decision that was thought about over weeks, or even months? Nope, it turns out it didn’t even take a single minute. "Within about 30 seconds of discussing that idea, we just knew that it was the right idea,” writer Chris Terrio explains in The Skywalker Legacy. “Because we knew that this has always been a story of Skywalkers and Palpatines.”
14. JJ Abrams' favorite scene from the prequels
The scene in Episode III where Palpatine recounts the tragedy of Darth Plagueis to Anakin is JJ Abrams' favorite scene from the prequels. It explains why Abrams thought it would be a good idea to have Palpatine return.
15. They explain how Palpatine is alive still (kind of)
"So it could be this unholy combination fo trying to prolong life both through medical means and through dark magic," says an unidentified voice who we believe to be writer Chris Terrio. While it's not exactly definitive, it does fit with what's in the movie.
16. JJ Abrams insisted on Ren having his helmet again despite having broken it in TLJ
"JJ wanted Kylo Ren to have the helmet, yet we had to address the fact that he had destroyed it in Episode VIII," says an unidentified voice in the featurette. When deciding exactly how to rebuild the helmet, they were inspired by a Japanese technique of using gold to rebuild broken pottery.
17. Sir Alec Guinness's granddaughter is in the movie
Sally Guinness, the granddaughter of Alec Guinness, appears in the movie as a First Order officer. The elder Guinness, of course, played Obi-Wan Kenobi in A New Hope. "It's just very exciting to be here," she says in a behind-the-scenes interview. "I've gone to the dark side, apparently."
18. These little critters have really cute faces that you don't see in the movie
These two little creatures, visible as the Falcon flies into Pasaana, have really cute faces with tiny, expressive eyes that you don't really see in the movie itself, thanks to them being shot from behind. In the featurette, it's revealed that their names are Evangeline and Levi, and ironically, second unit director Victoria Mahoney was very concerned their adorable faces wouldn't be visible in the movie. Oh well.
19. Anthony Daniels changed a line in the original Star Wars
Writer Chris Terrio tells a story about Anthony Daniels involving the line in the original trilogy about the odds of them successfully navigating the asteroid field. Apparently the odds were originally 3,725 to one, but Daniels changed the number to 3,720 because "the rhythm was better."
20. Anthony Daniels was excited about having more to do
While C-3P0 is a mainstay of the Star Wars franchise, the best droid sidekick R2-D2 could ask for typically isn’t heavily involved in the plots of the films. In Rise of Skywalker, though, he got to go on the team’s mission--something C-3PO actor Anthony Daniels was excited about. “Suddenly, 3PO was part of the team again," he said. "Not since, really, the first film had 3P0 lived such a full life."
21. They cast hundreds of people to play aliens during the Festival of Ancestors
To create the massive Festival of Ancestors scene in the movie, 450 people were cast to play Aki-Akis, the alien species that holds the event, which was filmed in Jordan. They were all outfitted with Aki-Aki costumes and dressed in fabric gathered from around the world. Interestingly, though, they weren’t trained actors. Instead, local Jordanians and Jordanian soldiers were cast in the roles. Regarding the shoot, Abrams said it was "truly insane. I’ve never seen anything like this before. And the amazing thing is, that's literally the line in the movie that Rey says."
22. The baby Aki-Akis were all controlled by underground puppeteers
While the adult Aki-Akis were costumed characters, the babies at the Festival of Ancestors were hand-controlled puppets. To make that possible, a subterranean bunker was built. The puppeteers reached up from underground to control the babies that looked as if they were sitting in the sand. Each puppet was controlled by three people, meaning dozens of people were jammed into these bunkers.
23. The stormtrooper Lando shoots has Star Wars history
Nigel Godrich, who played stormtrooper FN-2802 in Rise of Skywalker--and was shot and killed Lando Calrissian--also appeared in The Force Awakens. He’s the first stormtrooper Chewbacca kills on Starkiller Base.
24. The sinking sand wasn’t made of sand at all
When Rey, Poe, Finn. Chewbacca, BB-8, and C-3P0 were sinking in sand on Pasaana, the substance they were submerged in was actually made up of mostly black beans.
25. The caves under Pasaana are made out of styrofoam
When Rey and the gang come our on the other side of the sinking field, they’re in caves under Pasaana. Those aren’t real caves, though. Instead, The Skywalker Legacy shows the caves were carved out of styrofoam.
26. A puppet of the giant snake monster was created, then replaced with CGI
While Rey and the gang venture through the caverns under Pasaana, they encounter a massive snake-like creature. According to a member of the movie's crew, a gigantic puppet version of the monster was created for the cast to act against. You won't see much of it in the finished film, though. "There's some shots where you can still use the puppet, but for the most part, we basically replaced it with a CG version of it," he explained.
27. Kijimi's design was inspired by Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress
The snowy planet in the film was actually designed to resemble the setting of the 1958 Kurosawa film The Hidden Fortress. "We wanted to reference Kurosawa's Hidden Fortress," an unnamed crew member said. "The original two guys in Hidden Fortress were basically the initial versions of 3P0 and R2, two people in a bigger adventure."
28. The Bad Robot robot was hidden in Babu Frik's workshop
Among the detritus and parts scattered about Babu Frik's workshop you can see the robot logo of JJ Abrams' production company, Bad Robot.
29. "Greebles" is apparently a word
This may be known to Star Wars trivia nerds, but the documentary discusses the term "greeble," which is the name for set dressing involving smaller details meant to add complexity and scale to large objects, such as the various doodads on the outside of the Millennium Falcon. The term was apparently invented on the set of the original Star Wars.
30. John Williams didn't want to do a cameo
That is, until his wife convinced him to.
31. Williams' cameo is full of Easter eggs
Once Williams agreed to appear in the film, Abrams and his crew went out of their way to make it a special one. Surrounding him are props that reference each of the 51 films for which he's received an Oscar nomination. Above, these orange canisters are a nod to Jaws.
32. Mark Hamill poured some of the foam into the original Yoda mold
According to Mark Hamill, when he wasn't filming scenes during the original trilogy, he could be found hanging out in the creature workshop. In fact, when they were creating the original Yoda puppet, he says designer Stuart Freeborn allowed him to pour some of the foam into the mold.
33. Moaning Myrtle from Harry Potter played Babu Frik
Actress Shirley Henderson didn't only provide the voice--she also did the puppeteering, which Mark Hamill and the rest of the crew found quite unusual. But clearly, she did a great job, as Frik is one of the best parts of the movie.
34. C-3PO loses his memory for a specific narrative reason
"3PO is in some ways the observer of all things, like the memory of the saga," explains writer Chris Terrio. That's why he thought it would be a good idea for the character to lose his memory. Why he almost immediately gets it back is a separate mystery.
35. There was a lot of debate over the dagger
JJ and the props team debated many different options when discussing exactly how the dagger might lead Rey to the Sith Wayfinder's location. We're not sure they landed on the option that makes the most sense, but at least we know it was a tough choice for them.
36. The noise of the crashed Death Star chunk came from a strange place
The sound team in charge of making the crashed Death Star chunk sound like a haunted house recorded ambient sound on a windy day inside a structure built from metal shipping containers.
37. Adam Driver's birthday fell on one of the days they were shooting the Death Star duel
"It was actually my birthday one of those days. I don't know if that means anything--it's not like I wanted to kill her more because it was my birthday. But it was really exciting," Driver says.
38. JJ wanted to explain why Rey is so powerful
"The idea that she's so crazy powerful with the force so quickly, for us, we always felt that there was a connection between her and something that would help explain some of these things," Abrams says.
39. The "Force Dyad" was inspired by the Joseph Campbell hero's journey mythical framework
"Right from Episode VII, from the scene in which Rey is interrogated by Kylo Ren, it was clear that they have a connection, that they can understand each other, that they can literally read each other's minds. They're made uncomfortable by it and yet they're both drawn to each other," writer Chris Terrio says. "What we wanted to do was complicate that and say actually their connection is deeper than that. we began talking about them as a mythic concept, which is in Joseph Campbell, which is the mythic dyad--that they're two parts of the same whole."
40. Harrison Ford's thoughts on Han Solo's death
"It's not that I wanted Han Solo to die," Ford says in the doc. "I wanted Han Solo to be able to lend some significant emotional weight to the story. His destiny is resolved in a powerful and effective way."
41. The scene where Poe says goodbye to Leia was Oscar Isaac's idea
Given that Leia had been grooming Poe for leadership, Isaac thought it was important that he has a moment to say goodbye to Leia. Out of that came the scene between Poe and Lando.
42. Denis Lawson wanted a promotion
Actor Denis Lawson, who played the Rebellion pilot Wedge in the original movies and made a cameo in Rise of Skywalker, would have rather his character had a promotion in the many interim years. "I was looking for a kind of sailor's outfit, like an admiral," the actor says, laughing. "It's down to the orange jumpsuit again."
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