3 reasons this famous prequel planet could return in 'Rise of Skywalker'

For a thousand generations, the Republic and the Jedi Knights kept the peace in the galaxy, governing from the planet Coruscant. Since 1991, Star Wars fans have thought of Coruscant as a pivotal planet, a place filled with tons of history — and also a great cityscape for a good chase sequence. The prequel trilogy’s most pivotal scenes happened on Coruscant, and now, as the Skywalker saga is set to end in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, there’s a strong argument that this film needs to check in on the famous planet. In fact, there are three compelling reasons why Rise of Skywalker will be incomplete with Coruscant. Here’s why this planet still matters so much and why coming back to it in Episode IX could work.

Speculative spoilers for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker ahead.

First of all, it’s relevant to catch up on a little bit of Coruscant history. Here’s a brief list of stuff you need to know.

• Star Wars canon suggests the planet might be the origin of all human life, but that’s never been confirmed.
• The Old Republic ruled from this centrally located planet until the Empire took over.
• The Empire also ruled from this planet until the Rebels established the New Republic after Return of the Jedi.
• The New Republic DID NOT establish Coruscant as the galactic capital. (In old canon, it did.) Instead, there have been two different planets used as the New Republic’s power base: Chandrila, and more recently, Hosnian Prime.
• So, when the First Order destroyed the Republic in The Force Awakens, that wasn’t Coruscant.

Everybody caught up now? Good. Here are three ways Rise of Skywalker could bring this planet back and why, when you think about it, it would make almost no sense if the planet didn’t appear in the next film.

3. Kylo Ren clearly has a stash of old Imperial stuff somewhere

In The Force Awakens, Kylo Ren mentions “the archives of the Empire” when he’s trying to get Rey to reveal what she knows about the map to Luke Skywalker. Where are “the archives of the Empire?” It’s a good bet that a ton of crazy Imperial and Sith artifacts exist on Coruscant, and if the Republic had no presence there prior to The Force Awakens, it seems possible the First Order did.

Even if the First Order didn’t formally try to take over Coruscant, then it’s very reasonable that the Knights of Ren could have raided the planet to get what they wanted.

2. The Emperor spent more time on Coruscant than any other planet

"Palpatine is like a cranky Manhattan-dwelling New Yorker who hates to leave the city.

Here’s a fun fact, if you don’t count The Clone Wars and Rebels and only focus on the films, the character of Palpatine only leaves the planet Coruscant four times in the first six episodic Star Wars films. In The Phantom Menace he’s on Coruscant for the entire movie until the very end, when he visits Naboo (which, weirdly, is where he’s from.) In Attack of the Clones, he doesn’t leave Coruscant at all, and in Revenge of the Sith, even though we see him on Mustafar with Anakin and then in space with Vader, Palpatine spends the vast majority of that movie on Coruscant, too.

After that (just focusing on the films), the only other time we know Palps leaves the planet is obviously in Return of the Jedi. Relevantly, at the beginning of that movie, Moff Jerjerrod is freaked out that the Emperor is personally coming to the second Death Star. “The Emperor is coming HERE!??” he says incredulously.

Here’s the takeaway: Palpatine is like a cranky Manhattan-dwelling New Yorker who hates to leave the city, and once he does, he wants to get back to the city as quickly as possible. Everything about his confidence is connected to the city-planet of Coruscant. And, because Palps is somehow coming back for The Rise of Skywalker, it’s reasonable to suspect we might get a glimpse of his home base once again.

1. Anakin’s story is deeply connected to Coruscant, meaning, it might end there, too

Because The Rise of Skywalker is being billed as the end of the Skywalker saga, it’s important to remember that most of the stuff that happened to Anakin Skywalker that would shape the galaxy for the next several films happened on Coruscant. In Episode I the Jedi council makes him feel like shit by saying he’s too old to be trained. In Attack of the Clones, he’s reunited with the love of his life, Padme Amidala, on the same planet. And obviously, in Revenge of the Sith, Anakin turns to the Dark side on this planet and carries out mass murder against his former Jedi buddies. The Force seemingly surrounds this planet in a huge way, which means if Rey and whoever else are going to try and bring balance to the Force, returning to Coruscant is kind of a no-brainer. The old Jedi temple is there — that has to count for something, right?

If J.J. Abrams and company are keeping Coruscant a secret that would be the best possible move. We haven’t seen the planet in any trailers, and it would be pretty dope to keep it that way. Because, if the planet does appear on screen in The Rise of Skywalker, it should be a shock.

Or, as Palpatine himself said in The Phantom Menace: “A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one.”

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker — Where’s My Damn Prequel Planets is out everywhere on December 20, 2019.