In *Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker* (2019), several characters harbor significant secrets that drive the plot and character development. Below are the specific details of the secrets kept by the major characters:
### **1. Rey: Her Palpatine Lineage**
The film's central secret is Rey’s true identity. While she believed her parents were "nobodies" who abandoned her for drinking money (as told to her by Kylo Ren in *The Last Jedi*), it is revealed that:
* **The Secret:** She is the **granddaughter of Emperor Palpatine**.
* **The Detail:** Her father was a "failed" (non-Force-sensitive) clone of the Emperor. Her parents chose to live as "nobodies" to hide her from Palpatine, who wanted her to inherit his Sith legacy. They were eventually murdered by the Sith assassin Ochi of Bestoon because they refused to reveal her location on Jakku.
### **2. Finn: His Force Sensitivity**
Throughout the film, Finn repeatedly attempts to tell Rey something important, notably as they are being swallowed by quicksand on Pasaana.
* **The Secret:** Finn is **Force-sensitive**.
* **The Detail:** While the film never explicitly has Finn say the words "I am Force-sensitive" to Rey, director J.J. Abrams confirmed this was his intended secret. Finn’s "feelings" throughout the movie—such as sensing Rey’s presence, knowing which Star Destroyer to target, and hearing the Force—are the manifestations of this secret.
### **3. General Hux: The Resistance Spy**
A major plot twist reveals that the Resistance has a high-ranking mole within the First Order.
* **The Secret:** General Hux is the **First Order spy** feeding information to the Resistance.
* **The Detail:** When Poe, Finn, and Chewbacca are captured, Hux helps them escape. His motive is not a change of heart or loyalty to the Resistance, but a deep, bitter hatred for Kylo Ren. He famously states, *"I don't care if you win. I need Kylo Ren to lose."*
### **4. Poe Dameron: His Criminal Past**
When the heroes visit the planet Kijimi, a new part of Poe’s backstory is revealed that he had kept hidden from his Resistance comrades.
* **The Secret:** Poe used to be a **"spice runner" (drug smuggler)**.
* **The Detail:** Before joining the New Republic Navy and later the Resistance, Poe worked with a group of smugglers led by Zorii Bliss. He eventually abandoned them to pursue a different life, a fact Zorii resents when they reunite.
### **5. Leia Organa: Her Jedi Training and Knowledge of Rey**
Several layers of secrets are revealed regarding the late General Leia:
* **The Secret 1 (Jedi Training):** Leia was **trained as a Jedi** by Luke Skywalker shortly after the events of *Return of the Jedi*.
* *Detail:* A flashback shows a young Luke and Leia sparring with lightsabers. Leia completed her training but chose to lay down her saber after having a Force vision that her path as a Jedi would lead to the death of her son, Ben.
* **The Secret 2 (Rey's Identity):** Leia **knew Rey was a Palpatine** the entire time.
* *Detail:* Luke’s Force ghost reveals to Rey that both he and Leia were aware of her lineage but chose to train her anyway, believing that her heart—not her bloodline—defined her.
### **6. Kylo Ren: The Source of His Corruption**
At the beginning of the film, Kylo Ren discovers the ultimate secret of his own history.
* **The Secret:** He has been **manipulated by Palpatine** his entire life.
* **The Detail:** Upon reaching Exegol, Palpatine reveals that he was "every voice" Kylo ever heard in his head. This includes the voice of Supreme Leader Snoke (who was a biological creation of Palpatine) and the "whispers" Kylo believed were coming from the charred mask of Darth Vader.
### **7. Lando Calrissian: His Lost Daughter**
While subtle in the film, supplementary material (the *Visual Dictionary* and novelization) confirms a tragic secret Lando was keeping.
* **The Secret:** Lando's **daughter was kidnapped** by the First Order years ago.
* **The Detail:** This is why Lando remained in the desert on Pasaana—he was originally searching for her. At the end of the film, it is heavily implied that **Jannah**, the leader of the defected stormtroopers, is his long-lost daughter, though they only commit to "finding out" her origin together in the movie's final scenes.