In one of the most emotionally poignant moments in the frequently confusing “Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker” — at least on first viewing — it appears Chewbacca is killed. Rey (Daisy Ridley) tries to prevent him from falling into First Order custody, grabbing the transport he’s been captured on with the Force. Unfortunately, her Palpatine side slips out, resulting in her shooting a bolt of lightning from her fingers and destroying the ship. She and her allies mourn Chewie’s demise, only for it to be revealed that he was actually on a different transport and that he’s perfectly fine. They rescue him, and all is well.
Some feel “The Rise of Skywalker” should’ve gone through with Chewie’s death. “But in an otherwise boring movie, when Rey shot lightning at the ship and thought Chewbacca had died I actually thought they’d take some stakes in what they were promoting to be the “finale” to these characters,” wrote Redditor u/8CDragon3000 in a thread on the topic. A good amount of the commenters disagreed with that assessment, but not all. Some, like a now-deleted Redditor, felt the fake-out and the subsequent one involving C-3PO’s (Anthony Daniels) memory loss hurt the movie, and u/Shire_Hobbit believed that Chewbacca’s death could’ve been more impactful than Han’s.
Regardless of where you stand on “The Rise of Skywalker” and Chewbacca’s death fake-out, the fact is that the iconic Wookiee isn’t likely to go anywhere. He’s universally loved, one of the final original trilogy characters around, and a merchandise mover. He may disappear from the spotlight, but it’s doubtful he’ll ever be killed off — by a moon, lightning, or any other method.
