Should You Stick Around for an After-Credits Scene Once 'Rise of Skywalker' Is Finished?

WARNING: The following contains some spoilers for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

Post-credits scenes are all the rage these days, thanks mainly to Marvel. But as it turns out, superhero movies aren't the only films out there employing the use of post-credit teasers. Usually they hint at the prospect of a sequel or shed some further light on the events of the film. But does Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker have an after-credits scene?

While even TV shows are implementing post-credits scenes as part of their storytelling, there's never been a single Star Wars film, in history, to have ever employed the use of an after-credits scene. The Rise of Skywalker is no different. After the movie's final scene, the familiar Star Wars theme starts blaring over the loudspeakers and that's the end of the show, ladies and gentlemen. Sorry if that's a bit anticlimactic.

Critics and fans of the franchise seem to be divided by the movie. In fact, even the same publication can't seem to decide whether or not it loves or loathes the movie. Forbes published one article that called it "the worst Star Wars movie ever." Then, in another article, Forbes called it "the best of the new trilogy" in spite of Last Jedi fixes that were blasted as "awkward."

The crux of this division seems to lie in the fan reaction to the much-maligned or loved The Last Jedi. The Rian-Johnson-directed film subverted tons of expectations fans had for the series which angered longtime viewers. What's interesting about the second entry of the new trilogy is that even the love-hate groups of the movie have their own subdivisions.

There are some people who hate TLJ because they believe it to contain an aggressively pro-feminist message that takes beloved characters and emasculates male heroes for the sake of "girl power." Others disliked it simply because fan favorites, like Admiral Ackbar, weren't given a chance to shine in favor of newly introduced characters, like purple-haired Laura Dern. There are others who thought that, structurally, the movie just didn't work at all.

TLJ's "casino" plotline with Rose Tico and Finn, for example, was much maligned by many fans for either be too boring or not contributing to the plot. Others felt like Snoke's quick demise in the film was a move that was purely pulled to subvert fan expectations and nothing else. However, for the same reasons that everyone else hated the film, others loved it and enjoyed how the fresh plot turned a lot of Star Wars tropes on their head.

It seems like the echoes of the fan response to The Last Jedi have influenced a lot of Rise of Skywalker reviews. Some have called the "retconning" of a lot of TLJ plot developments as a cowardly sort of fan service, while others believe that the film is better served by returning to the franchise's "roots."

As with any Star Wars film, however, there are going to be large groups of viewers who are ultimately left unsatisfied.

One of the biggest questions fans had going into The Rise of Skywalker is the heritage of the new trilogy's hero: Rey. Well, as it turns out, we learn that Emperor Palpatine, the big bad Sith lord, is her grandfather. Ultimately, she chooses the "light" side of the force and declares her last name is Skywalker. The fact that she's rocking a yellow lightsaber at the end also signifies she's brought balance to the force.

Kylo Ren actually dies a hero, much like his idol, Darth Vader. He uses a force heal on the Jedi following her battle with the emperor, which drains him. He then dies, fading into the force.

There's a lot more to spoil, like Jedi Force Ghosts, but that's the gist right there. This Reddit thread pretty much has all of the major ones listed.