Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Sound Editor Confirms Jedi Voices Were New Recordings

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker closed the book on the Skywalker Saga by delivering connections to all corners of the 40-year cinematic journey, which included a scene in which Daisy Ridley‘s Rey heard voices from all of the Jedi that came before her, with sound editor Matthew Wood confirming that all of those voices came from all-new recordings from the film’s cast. Sir Alec Guinness passed away in 2000 so his voice as Obi-Wan Kenobi came from the archives, but Samuel L. Jackson, Ewan McGregor, Liam Neeson, and more all contributed new recordings for the pivotal moment of the finale.

“We got Ewan McGregor and Liam Neeson and Sam Jackson,” Wood pointed out to The Hollywood Reporter. “It was wonderful to have all the actors come back and be able to revisit their characters. I had to fly all around the world to go get them all. Everyone just has such a great love for Star Wars, and it was so fun to see all the different eras of Star Wars represented in that moment. It ends with Luke Skywalker telling her to get up, and then she has both sabers in her hand from Luke and Leia.”

With many of these lines of dialogue sounding familiar to audiences, many couldn’t help but wonder if some were pulled from the archives, though Guinness was the exception to the rule, as Frank Oz, Mark Hamill, Hayden Christensen, and Freddie Prinze Jr. all contributed fresh recordings to the conclusion of the Skywalker Saga.

Sadly, the passing of Carrie Fisher in 2016 also required the film to utilize some creative editing, not only with footage of the actress, but also using previously recorded dialogue to deliver closure for Leia Organa’s story.

“We mined a whole bunch of samples and material that we had from her for [Star Wars: The] Force Awakens and [Star Wars: The] Last Jedi. So we were able to put [her lines] together with a combination of technology and editorial care from our dialogue department,” Wood pointed out. “I think it honored her character and also worked on a technical level.”

Wood’s accomplishments with the film were evident enough that both he and fellow sound editor David Acord earned Oscar nominations for their contributions to the film.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is in theaters now. The Oscars will take place on February 9th.

Could you tell all of the voices were new recordings? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!