Star Wars Author Confirms Another Original Trilogy Character Died in The Rise of Skywalker

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker brought with it a number of significant deaths, though one demise [...]

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker brought with it a number of significant deaths, though one demise was much more subtle, with Star Wars author Rae Carson confirming Nien Nunb died during the film's final conflict. Audiences first met the character back in 1983 with Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, as he was Lando Calrissian's co-pilot in the Millennium Falcon. The character returned for the sequel trilogy, earning minimal screen time, yet exciting fans with his return. Carson, who is writing the Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Expanded Edition novel, confirmed the detail on Twitter in response to a fan sharing a tribute to the character.

star wars the rise of skywalker nien nunb death

Fan Bryan Young took to Twitter to pay his respects for the iconic character, to which Carson replied, "RIP Nien."

In subsequent comments, Young expressed that he was concerned he might have been mistaken about the character's passing, though Carson confirmed, "I think it's pretty clear from the movie (upon careful watching), so I feel comfortable confirming. Props to you for noticing!"

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The devastating event likely took place during the climactic space battle in the final act, though it clearly wasn't an obvious reveal, with Carson noting that it would take "careful watching" to notice.

Earlier this week, the film's visual effects team noted that the final space battle featured a number of exciting Easter eggs, including ships from the animated Star Wars Rebels and Star Wars Resistance.

"J.J. was very keen on us getting some of that Star Wars history and nods to other series in there, because he loves that stuff so much," creature and special make-up effects creative supervisor Neal Scanlan shared with Yahoo Entertainment. "The Fireball from Resistance is in there, and there are some other ships from the other animated series. You throw them in the giant fleet, and they get a lost a little bit in the mix."

Despite the sequence's many complex components, the film's editor, Maryann Brandon, revealed that it was one of her favorite sequences to bring to life.

"I would say the end battle up top, including the end battle underneath that Rey and Ben were having with Palpatine, was the most difficult to cut because so much of it is CGI and you're trying to imagine shots as you're trying to put this together, and you start with cards that say, 'This happens, that happens,' and not all of it is in the frame and you're trying to figure out the timing of it," Brandon revealed to ComicBook.com. "I would say, conversely, it was the most fun because there's so many emotions flying back and forth, and the performances are so much fun, and there's just a treasure chest of great elements to figure out where they go. So I'd say the whole end battle would be both of those things."

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is in theaters now.

Did you notice this death? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!

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