Breaking down Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: EW's full coverage

After 42 years, nine movies, and three generations of underdog heroes saving the galaxy from dastardly villains, the Skywalker Saga is drawing to a close with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Directed by J.J. Abrams and featuring a star-studded cast that includes Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver, Mark Hamill, Kelly Marie Tran, Billy Dee Williams, Keri Russell, Naomi Ackie, and the late Carrie Fisher, this concluding Episode is full of action, intrigue, history, and heartbreak — both on the screen and behind the scenes.

With The Rise of Skywalker in theaters now, EW is breaking down how we got here, what it all means, and what comes next. Below is our list of stories (which will be updating regularly in the days ahead) offering insight for those who have seen the film and want to know more.

***SPOILERS BELOW***

1. Inside Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: ‘The stakes are all or nothing’

2. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is the Force ghost version of a movie: Review

3. Did you catch these cameos in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker?

4. Opening night Rise of Skywalker audience score shows a big split with critics

5. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker box office opens strong, but below The Last Jedi

6. Rian Johnson defends The Last Jedi as The Rise of Skywalker opens

7. Adam Driver explains Kylo Ren’s new helmet in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

8. Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote a secret song for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

9. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker has the franchise’s first gay kiss

10. Star Wars podcast: Does The Rise of Skywalker fall?

11. All the ways Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker revises The Last Jedi

12. A guide to the Star Wars callbacks and parallels in The Rise of Skywalker

13. How Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker addresses Rey’s parentage

14. Who are the Knights of Ren? Unmasking Kylo’s troupe in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

15. Rise of Skywalker’s Rey reveal undoes one of Star Wars’ boldest choices: Opinion

16. The Rise of Skywalker companion book adds big twist to Lando’s final scene

17. The Rise of Skywalker mystery planet is a Star Wars location we’ve been to before

18. Unanswered questions after Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

19. A Rise of Skywalker scene is even more heartbreaking after you realize this

20. J.J. Abrams responds to The Rise of Skywalker critics

21. The Rise of Skywalker writer explains why Kelly Marie Tran had a reduced role

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