Code names were used by J.J. Abrams and Chris Terrio while writing The Rise of Skywalker. The code names were mainly used to conceal the identity of Emperor Palpatine and Han Solo. While this seems a little funny, it does make sense when working on something as big as a Star Wars movie. While they did the best they could, there were some very accurate leaks that hit the internet well before the movie debuted in theaters, which included those Palpatine and Solo secrets.
In a new interview, Chris Terrio revealed the code names that they used for Emperor Palpatine and Han Solo. Everybody knew Emperor Palpatine was coming back, thanks to the first trailer, but Han Solo was (mostly) a pretty big surprise. While functional, the code names are also pretty funny at the same time. You can check out what Terrio had to say about the code names below.
“The code for The Emperor was Trooper 13. Or if we were talking about Harrison [Ford] we would call him The Janitor. We felt that was a huge unresolved part of Kylo. The family sin. So closure was necessary for Ren to make peace with the memory with his father, so we called Harrison The Janitor because he allowed Ren to clean up, at least spiritually, some of the mess he’d made.”
Harrison Ford as the Janitor sounds pretty unreal, but it conjures up a pretty great mental image at the very least. While some Star Wars fans weren’t into the Ben Solo and Han Solo memory scene, many more were happy that they didn’t make him out to be a Force Ghost. However, there are some questions as to why Ben Solo did not turn into a Force Ghost by the end of The Rise of Skywalker.
In addition to using code names for The Rise of Skywalker secret characters, J.J. Abrams would also only refer to some of the better-known characters by only their first initial. This is also quite clever and allows Chris Terrio and Abrams to have a discussion out in the open about the top-secret project they were working on. But, using such a minor name for the mighty Emperor Palpatine may have been the best idea they had.
The Rise of Skywalker is nearing the $1 billion mark at the box office. As of this writing, the final installment in the Skywalker Saga is sitting at just over $952 million globally, so it could make it to the next level by next weekend, if everything remains relatively the same. Regardless, Star Wars fans are already looking forward to what comes next. Season 2 of The Mandalorian is on the way, along with the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, which may or may not feature a bearded Jar Jar Binks. Plus, the big screen side of things could be taking things all the way back to the High Republic. While we wait for those stories, you can check out the interview with Chris Terrio over at GQ.
