Note: There are massive The Rise of Skywalker spoilers below, so consider yourself warned.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker director JJ Abrams has opened up about how one of the most poignant and memorable moments in the sequel came about.
A turning point in the final(ish) Skywalker Saga chapter comes when Kylo Ren is visited by the spectre of his late father, Han Solo, as Harrison Ford reprises the role after leaving the franchise in The Force Awakens.
The scene revisits the moment where Kylo originally killed Han, only this time it's Solo's loving embrace that inspires Kylo to toss away his lightsaber and re-embrace the light side as Ben Solo once again.
Discussing the scene with Vanity Fair, JJ Abrams revealed that Ford was surprisingly agreeable to returning for The Rise of Skywalker once he was convinced Han would be used significantly in the film.
"We had a meeting and talked about what it would be," Abrams explained. "Harrison, who is one of the great people ever, and incredibly thoughtful about everything that he does, all he ever wants is to understand the utility of the character. 'What is my role?'
"It was about sitting with him and explaining what our intention was. We talked about it for quite a while, I sent him the pages. He got it, and of course, as you can see, he was wonderful."
The filmmaker, who also returned for The Rise of Skywalker after The Force Awakens, added: "It was weird to be on the Star Wars set and to share with Harrison the feeling of 'I never thought I'd be back here doing this.'
"Of course, his experience was far greater than mine in every way, but it was beautiful having him there with Adam. The two of them always had a great sort of spark. They somehow gave each other permission, not literally before the scene but just their nature, to be open and be so vulnerable."
Abrams and his co-writer Chris Terrio also clarified that Han Solo appeared to Kylo Ren strictly as a memory, not as a Force Ghost like Luke Skywalker's (Mark Hamill) own extended cameo.
"At least for JJ and I, we thought that this finally was Ren, after the death of his mother, being able to really ask for forgiveness, to ask his father for forgiveness, and make some kind of peace," Terrio noted.
"He cannot go back and take back what he has done to his father, but as Han says, 'Your mother's gone but what she stood for and what she fought for, that's not gone,' so he still can make amends in the future."
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is out now
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