By George & Josh Bate
Nearly five years after it was originally slated to release, the first issue comic book adaptation of Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker is finally out.
Written by Jody Houser and illustrated by Will Sliney, the new Marvel Comics retells the story of the final chapter of the Skywalker Saga in a new format, while also including scenes and material that were absent from the final cut of the movie.
Here is every piece of added material to The Rise of Skywalker comic that was not present in the story.
Right off the bat, the comic begins with material not featured in the final cut of Episode IX. Palpatine’s mysterious broadcast, described only in the opening crawl of the film, was originally only heard in Fortnite x Star Wars, a collaborative event within the video game Fortnite. Now though, Palpatine’s broadcast features in this comic book adaptation, thus canonizing Palpatine’s exact words in the broadcast. As detailed in the comic, Palpatine’s broadcast is as follows: “At last, the work of generations is complete. The great error is corrected. The day of victory at hand. The day of revenge. The day of the Sith.”
The next addition to The Rise of Skywalker comes with a brief shot of several members of the secretive Sith Eternal cult tending to a clone body of Palpatine. This makes it more explicit than the final film that the Palpatine we see in the movie is indeed a clone body (as Beaumont Kin later speculates). Perhaps The Rise of Skywalker would have benefitted from such a shot included in the final cut as it would clue the audience in that he is a clone (although the sight of a shirtless Sheev may have been a bit too terrifying for the big screen).
Another addition to the story occurs after the Resistance becomes aware that Palpatine has returned. Rey tells Leia that she recognizes the name ‘Exegol’ from Luke’s ancient Jedi texts and states her intention to go to Exegol and find Palpatine. Leia succinctly responds to Rey, “No.” Rey responds by saying, “I don’t want to go without your blessing. But I will. I will. It’s what you would do.” At this point in the comic, an image of Leia from A New Hope is presented, further drawing parallels between Rey and Leia. Rey continues by saying, “You didn’t wait until you were ready to fight the Empire. You couldn’t. There was far too much at stake. I know you still have more to teach me about the Force. I will come back. I promise.” In a solemn note, Leia responds to Rey, “I only hope I’m here for you when you do…” This line implies that Leia is sensing already that her time is nearing its end, and that this may be the last she ever sees of Rey.
As Poe, Finn, BB-8, C-3PO, and Chewie join Rey’s mission to find Exegol, Rey has a brief flashback to The Force Awakens. Specifically, she remembers the moment that Finn hugs her after finding her aboard Starkiller Base. Rey’s narration in the comic then reads, “Maybe… this is what family really is. The people who don’t let you go. The people run toward danger with you.”
The next added moment comes as an exchange between Rose and Leia. As they watch the Millennium Falcon fly away, Leia thanks Rose for staying on Ajan Kloss with her. Rose responds, “I knew what I was taking on when you put me in charge of the engineering corp.” Leia then gives a small speech about how it’s not easy to do the work on the ground that others don’t see. Much was made of Rose’s relatively small role in The Rise of Skywalker compared to The Last Jedi. And, while this brief exchange doesn’t add substantively to Rose’s character, it does provide her with a little more depth and explains why she does not accompany the main team on their mission.
Flash forward and the next addition comes in the form of a flashback again. As Lando recounts how he and Luke were on the hunt for Ochi of Bestoon, a small flashback shows Luke and Lando on the desert of Pasaana. Fans of Adam Christopher’s novel Shadow of the Sith will likely find joy at seeing art of events depicted in the novel.
While attempting to heal the snake on Pasaana, the comic depicts Rey healing Luke’s kyber crystal. This provides visuals to what we already know – that Rey must’ve healed Luke’s crystal after it was destroyed aboard Snoke’s ship in The Last Jedi. This moment in the comic also explains that Rey has practiced healing things before and that she was able to heal the snake, and in turn Ben Solo later on, by applying her healing of kyber crystals to the healing of creatures and people.
Of note, the comic also includes all sorts of internal monologue from Rey and Kylo, which we don’t cover in this article.
The second issue of the comic book adaptation of The Rise of Skywalker hits comic stores on March 26, 2025.