In the six years since Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker premiered and concluded the Skywalker Saga, it’s become clear there wasn’t much to love about the film, but there is one redeeming quality to it. The Star Wars sequel trilogy is far from perfect, in large part because it lacks a cohesive narrative. Still, a lot of the criticism is blown out of all proportion.

The cast of the Star Wars sequel trilogy is undeniably excellent; Daisy Ridley alone has gone from strength to strength (and is now considered Star Wars‘ most crucial ᴀsset), while Oscar Isaac and John Boyega are flourishing. Still, something was missing from the first two movies – something that Rise of Skywalker rightly corrected.

The Star Wars Sequel Trilogy Never Really Put The Main Cast Together

And It Caused Issues in the Storytelling

While it may seem like a small issue, most of the main cast hardly met in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Star Wars: The Last Jedi. In fact, Ridley’s Rey didn’t even cross paths with Isaac’s Poe Dameron until the end of The Last Jedi. Worse still, the big three actors returning from the original trilogy — Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford — were never all together onscreen. The number of scenes between any combination of them can also be counted on one hand.

This had a huge effect on the sequels, because these movies never really took the time to show the dynamic between the heroes. Contrast this with the original trilogy, where the main three spent countless scenes together; they were often split up on side-quests (especially Luke), but you always knew they’d be reuniting in the end. The friendships were legendary. But that was completely lacking in The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi.

Rise Of Skywalker Made The Right Call In Uniting The Heroes

It Took Too Long To See Them Together

In The Rise of Skywalker, the main characters of Finn, Poe, and Rey work and travel together to the planet Pasaana to find a Sith Wayfinder. Though the Wayfinder is a bit of a McGuffin, it does allow audiences to finally see the dynamics between all of the main characters. Additionally, it’s shown how the three have become more of a team in the year since the events of The Last Jedi.

The interesting question, of course, is whether upcoming Star Wars movies will follow the pattern of the first two movies – or learn a crucial lesson from Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. If the latter is the case, then Ridley will be joined by Isaac and Boyega once again. That would be a great choice for Star Wars, and a bold step forward.