Who died in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker?

Which major characters met their maker in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker?

*Major spoilers lie ahead

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is finally here, marking the end of the Skywalker Saga that began over 40 years ago. More immediately, the film seemingly completed the journeys of the Sequel Trilogy’s characters. As you can imagine, some will live on in the galaxy far far away, while others met untimely demises.

General Hux

General Hux was the first to go, with his death being attributed to an interesting plot twist. Early in the film, it’s established that there’s a mole in the First Order, but not much else is said, until Rey and co. find themselves on Kylo Ren’s Star Destroyer. It’s here that Finn and Poe learn that Hux is the mole after he saves them from execution.

His motivation, however, is hardly heroic, as he cares nothing for the Resistance and only hopes to see Kylo Ren lose. After reporting their “escape”, Allegiant General Pryde, having surmised that Hux is the mole, fatally shoots him.

General Leia Organa

The second casualty of The Rise of Skywalker is one that is sure to tug at the heartstrings for some fans. With the passing of Carrie Fisher, Leia could only appear via footage from past films, limiting her appearances to Resistance headquarters.

While she mostly just gives orders or advice to other characters, her biggest moment comes when she reaches out to her son, Ben (Kylo Ren), one last time. In doing so, she uses her remaining life force before lying down and peacefully passing on.

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Allegiant General Pryde

A newcomer to the franchise, Richard E. Grant’s Pryde leaves a mark as a relatively solid antagonist. His murdering General Hux along with his thirst for Resistance blood help to solidify this. Unfortunately, his rise would be short-lived, as he perished with the Final Order fleet when the Resistance and their allies overwhelmed them.

Emperor Palpatine

Yes, Palpatine is back, and there’s no trickery involved. The ancient villain, who was thought to be deceased, has lived on with the help of the Dark Side of the Force. Hoping to use Kylo Ren to eliminate his grandaughter, Rey, Palpatine once again aims to destroy the Jedi forever and rule the galaxy. His plans are foiled, however, after Ben turns to the Light Side and joins Rey to battle him.

The Emperor appeared to be victorious, especially after he drained both Rey and Ben’s life forces, but it was only a matter of time before he met his demise. This came at the hands of Rey, who used both Luke and Leia’s lightsabers to end him for good.

Ben Solo/Kylo Ren

The final death in the film is arguably the largest it has to offer. Kylo Ren’s story has reached its end. After rampaging through the galaxy looking for the revived Emperor and joining forces with him to kill Rey, Kylo turns to the Light Side, becoming Ben Solo once more. As mentioned, this leads him to turn against Palpatine and team up with Rey.

In the end, Ben is given the exit of a hero when he uses the last bit of his life force to resurrect Rey, who died after killing Palpatine. Before becoming one with the Force, he and Rey also share a kiss.

The Rise of Skywalker managed to kill off some key players, and in interesting ways. And while these characters may be deceased, they all leave marks on Star Wars canon and are sure to live on in other corners of the franchise.