Arriving at Maz Kanata’s castle on Takodana, Han Solo urged Rey and Finn to keep a low profile. But the castle’s proprietor had other ideas, letting out a shriek of joy when she saw her old Corellian friend. The ancient smuggler queen was eager to see her boyfriend Chewbacca – and curious what favor Han needed this time.

When Han asked her for help getting BB-8 to the Resistance, Maz said the journey wasn’t hers to take – it was Han who had to return to Leia Organa after their long years apart.

Finn felt uneasy under Maz’s scrutiny, particularly when the Force-sensitive pirate said she’d lived for more than a thousand years, long enough to see the same eyes in different people. Finn knew the time had come for him to make a choice – seek his own destiny elsewhere, or join the fight against the First Order.

While in Maz’s castle, Rey had an odd vision, and found herself drawn to the ancient smuggler’s storeroom. The object calling her was Luke Skywalker’s long-lost lightsaber. Maz urged her to take it, but an overwhelmed Rey refused and fled.

When the First Order attacked the castle, Maz gave Skywalker’s lightsaber to Finn, urging him to find Rey and BB-8.

After Resistance forces drove the First Order away, Maz got to work rebuilding her organization. The effort wasn’t easy: when Finn contacted her for help slicing First Order security codes, he found Maz engaged in a firefight, which she shrugged off as a union dispute.

Maz’s union dispute prevented her from helping the Resistance, but she suggested Finn seek out an expert slicer known as the Master Codebreaker, who could be found in the gambling resort Canto Bight. Then, as her bewildered friends watched, she activated a jetpack and rejoined her battle.

Maz joined the Resistance, acting as a mentor to Leia on Ajan Kloss. Learning that Palpatine had cheated death and now threatened the galaxy again, Maz knew what had to be done: the Resistance had to find Exegol, his Sith redoubt deep in the Unknown Regions.

She also understood that Leia needed to reach out to her alienated son, the former Ben Solo – and that doing so would demand she pour all the strength she had left into the Force.

Leia succeeded in connecting with Ben, and that connection proved critical in helping him find his way back to the light. She kept a respectful vigil beside the legendary rebel leader’s body until it vanished, signaling Leia’s passage into the Force.

When the Resistance forces returned from their victory at Exegol, Maz had something for Chewbacca – the medal Leia had once awarded to Han Solo. Amid the celebration, she hoped that a long era of destruction conflict had passed for her friends and all the people of the galaxy.