One of the most anticipated releases of the year is so, so close! Fans cannot be any more excited for Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker. It’s the ninth movie, the last in the sequel trilogy and rumored to be the longest in the saga.
Disney loves to keep secrets, so there’s still not a lot of information out there. But we’ve put all we know together in today’s post.
Oh, and a warning: this post might contain spoilers.
“The Rise of Skywalker” Plot and Cast
The official synopsis says that the “surviving Resistance faces the First Order once more as Rey, Finn and Poe Dameron’s journey continues. With the power and knowledge of generations behind them, the final battle commences”. According to Lucasfilm, the movie will put an end to the Skywalker story, which began in The Phantom Menace.
The main cast will be the same, with Daisy Ridley as Rey, John Boyega as Finn, Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron and Adam Driver as Kylo Ren. Even though Carrie Fisher passed away in 2016, she will be featured as General Leia Organa with unused footage from the previous films. Billy Dee Williams will also reprise his role as Lando Calrissian, a smuggler and old friend of Han Solo who joins the Rebel Alliance.
But what struck fans the most was Ian McDiarmid’s return as Emperor Palpatine… Who we all thought had died at the end of Return of the Jedi. In case you forgot about him, let us refresh your memory: Palpatine (a.k.a. Darth Sidious) is one of the biggest and most powerful Sith Lords in the Star Wars universe. At the end of Return of the Jedi, Darth Vader confronts him and throws him in the second Death Star’s reactor chasm. And then it exploded.
While we don’t know exactly what his role in the new movie is going to be, judging by the poster, it’s going to be big.
From the teaser trailer…
Back in April, Disney released a teaser for the film. In it, Rey is in a desert planet, being followed by a TIE Silencer. She also hears Luke Skywalker’s voice telling her that she has all the knowledge she needs from the Jedi. They’ve taught her everything they know and now it’s time for her to fight.
Then it cuts to fight scenes that show our favorite (and maybe not-so-favorite) characters in a lot of different settings. Including Lando and Chewbacca as they fly the Millennium Falcon and a junkyard full of what looks like pieces from the Death Star. We can also definitely hear the Emperor’s laughter, and it makes his return that much more intriguing.
There are a lot of parallels with Return of the Jedi, which was the last movie in the original trilogy.
… to the final trailer
Then, just last week, Disney released a final trailer. In this one, Rey is in a forest planet (or moon, perhaps?) and there is a Rebel Alliance helmet on the ground. While it may not look like much, this is perfectly symmetric with the character’s introduction. The Force Awakens starts with Rey wearing a similar item.
It cuts to her landing in the ruins of that junkyard, which is partially sinking into the water. There’s a Resistance gathering where Poe Dameron says that the “Force brought us together. We’re not alone. Good people will fight if we lead them”. As his voice-over goes on, we’re taken to a spaceport with Resistance mechanic Rose Tico, Lieutenant Connix (played by Carrie Fisher’s daughter, Billie Lourd) and a new character played by Dominic Monaghan (from Lost and Lord of the Rings).
There’s a shot of a spiky throne that may belong to the Emperor (and actually modeled after a concept art for the one he has in Return of the Jedi). Between space battles and Star Destroyers, Rey and Kylo Ren (who is Han and Leia’s son) appear in what looks like the ruins of the Emperor’s throne room.
A special look into the new film
At this year’s D23, Disney showed some footage from The Rise of Skywalker that is not in the trailers. It starts with a touching montage of the top moments in the saga. And ends with Rey looking like a Sith Lord: crimson-eyed, cloaked and sporting a double-bladed (red) lightsaber.
When does “The Rise of Skywalker” premiere?
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hits the big screen on December 20. It’s unlikely that the studios will release more footage or information from the plot before then. So, for now, all we can do is watch (and re-watch) the videos from the film and create all sorts of theories until we go crazy. May the force be with us all.
