New Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker behind-the-scenes image sees Dark Rey take the throne

(Image credit: LucasFilm)

A new Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker behind-the-scenes image has been revealed, showing Dark Rey – the Sith mirror to the Jedi played by Daisy Ridley glimpsed only in one action scene – sitting proud and triumphant on Granddaddy Palpatine’s throne.

While the shot, which you can see below, didn't make its way into the finished cut, it hints at Rey's vision of being evil perhaps being initially longer than what was shown. Daisy Ridley, for her part, looks like she’s having the time of her life on the Exegol interior set.

Instead of Empress Palpatine, we got Rey going toe-to-toe (and lightsaber to double-bladed lightsaber) with her dark doppelganger in the worn-out husk of the Emperor’s old Death Star throne room. There, Rey is thrown back by Dark Rey and later confronted by Kylo Ren.

This follows on from a handful of revelations about Rise of Skywalker deleted scenes that have emerged since the movie’s release.

One scene involving the Eye of Webbish Bog, a Lovecraftian spider guiding Kylo Ren to the Sith wayfinder, was actually filmed and the creature built but was never used. 

The novelisation, out this week, also adds further depth to Rey, with a touching addition to Kylo Ren’s farewell scene, while the question of Palpatine’s big return was also answered in the same book by Rae Carson. The reason? Clones, naturally.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is out now, having been released digitally four days earlier than originally planned.

Relive the entire Skywalker saga with our guide on how to watch the Star Wars movies in order

Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.

Latest in Star Wars Movies
John Boyega in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
John Boyega was tired of "doing a lot of falling" in the Star Wars sequels, so asked director J.J. Abrams for a "level of growth" between The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker
Darth Vader in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars fans have ignited an age-old debate, and there are some seriously hot takes
The Mandalorian and Grogu
The Mandalorian and Grogu has the lowest budget of any theatrical Star Wars movie since Disney bought Lucasfilm
The Mandalorian
Bo-Katan's actor may have accidentally answered whether she is appearing in The Mandalorian and Grogu movie with this cryptic response
John Boyega as Finn in Star Wars: The Last Jedi
John Boyega reveals Tom Cruise actually helped him get cast in Star Wars
Watto in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace
Star Wars confirms Watto isn’t dead after all in new comic, and fans are celebrating his miraculous survival
Latest in News
Everybody's Golf Hot Shots
The surprise theme of today's Nintendo Direct was classic PlayStation franchises getting a comeback without Sony's involvement
Hogwarts Legacy how many spells
Unannounced Hogwarts Legacy DLC reportedly canceled, partly because the studio wasn't sure it'd be worth players' money
Ultimate X-Men #14
Ultimate X-Men #14 pays homage to a classic Wolverine moment as the Shadow King returns
Assassin's Creed Shadows screenshot showing Yasuke kneeling and praying while wearing a traditional purple robe
Ubisoft reaches deal with Tencent to create $4.3 billion mini-Ubisoft subsidiary to "spearhead development" on new Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six games
Kaitlyn Dever as Abby in The Last Of Us season 2
The Last of Us showrunner says he isn't worried about fan reaction to season 2: "The best way we could respect our fans and honor them is to not worry about them"
Black Myth: Wukong
English is no longer the biggest language on Steam as Chinese gamers embrace PC gaming even harder after Black Myth: Wukong