Millions of fans have been awaiting Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker to complete the 40-year saga. The highly anticipated sequel was teased this weekend at the D23 Expo with an exciting new teaser. There are new faces, epic battles, and everything you would expect from a grand finale.
The footage clocks in at about two minutes, but The Rise of Skywalker makes up only about half that time. Nevertheless, there is plenty to see, so much in fact that we're going to break it down to get a proper grasp at what we're watching. So let's start from the beginning, which itself is a brief look back.
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
As the screen fades from black, we see the twin suns of Tatooine before a young Luke Skywalker appears, as he did in Star Wars: A New Hope. We briefly see Obi-Wan, Princess Leia, Han Solo and others -- all the original franchise heroes -- as the teaser takes us through the story, including the fall of Anakin Skywalker, the rise of the Empire and the collapse of the Jedi, along with all the iconic moments of the saga. It's been a long journey.
As the nostalgia begins to set in, we hear Luke's voice saying, "We've passed on all we know. A thousand generations live in you now." Then, as the teaser reaches the events of the sequel trilogy, he concludes, "This is your fight." Finally, we see Rey from The Force Awakens as she embraces the Force and the actual teaser for The Rise of Skywalker begins.
A WHOLE GALAXY TO EXPLORE
One of the first shots from Episode IX features Rey, Poe, Finn, C-3PO and Chewbacca staring at a mass gathering in a valley on a desert planet, one that doesn't look like Jakku or Tatooine. The lack of military equipment and emblems indicate this is likely a small settlement, one of many new locations in the teaser.
Rey, Finn and Poe appear to journey across multiple planets in The Rise of Skywalker, if we take into consideration that previously released photos. As is typical in Star Wars, each planet possesses its own, unique environment. We see everything from tropical locations to torrential waters in the footage, and they all contribute in their own way to making the galaxy in the upcoming film feel epic.
GENERAL LEIA
We see General Leia Organa as she will appear in The Rise of Skywalker. Actress Carrie Fisher sadly passed away in 2016, after she completed work on The Last Jedi. Director J.J. Abrams has explained they would finish Leia's story using a combination of Fisher's completed shots and unused footage from The Last Jedi and The Force Awakens. This will be Fisher's last on-screen performance.
With Luke Skywalker now gone, Leia is the last of the three main heroes from the original trilogy. Abrams said the story of The Rise of Skywalker had her at its heart, but while that isn't made clear by the teaser -- understandably so -- it will be interesting to see how that's tackled in the film.
STAR WARS
Some of the most striking shots in the teaser feature the Resistance fleet facing an armada of Star Destroyers above the surface of a dark, stormy planet. By the looks of it, this may be one of the largest battles in the franchise.
This is what the entire saga has been leading up to: the climactic confrontation between the forces of good and evil in the form of the Resistance and the First Order. In many ways, they've both been shaped by the Jedi and the Sith, but the simplicity of that dichotomy doesn't guarantee an ending as simple and as predictable as what the previous two trilogies delivered, especially considering what we see toward the end of the teaser.
THE DEATH STAR
The first teaser for the film featured the ruins of an old Death Star, half-submerged in an ocean. The destruction of Death Star II marked the end of the Empire, but it was not the last of its kind to be built, if you include Starkiller Base. That too was destroyed at the end of The Force Awakens, but the super-weapon will return in some form or another.
Midway through the teaser we see a powerful, red beam of pure energy obliterating a snow-covered mountain range. We cannot say for certain if it is coming from a Death Star, as the teaser only shows the beam. Considering the track record of both the Empire and the First Order, it's a reasonable assumption to make. If we must have a Death Star in the final entry in the saga, we can only hope that it plays a limited part in the oncoming conflict.
MASTERS OF THE FORCE
With Supreme Leader Snoke and Luke Skywalker gone, Kylo Ren and Rey appear to be the last two remaining masters of the Force in the entire galaxy, and they are set to fight one final time in The Rise of Skywalker. We see them in action a lot in the teaser, throwing their lightsabers around, scorching snow and cleaving trees in two until finally they meet.
Somewhere on a platform above the sea, they swing their lightsabers at each other in the middle of a storm. The last time Rey and Kylo Ren fought was in The Force Awakens, but Rey had barely scratched the surface of her potential back then. Thanks to the sacred Jedi texts and Luke, she's clearly ready for him this time around.
THE DARK LORD
Out of nowhere, as the music builds and images of battle become more frequent, we hear the unmistakable voice of Emperor Palpatine. "Your journey ... nears its end," he says, followed by a single labored breath from Darth Vader. Nothing else of the two fallen Sith Lords appears. Just like the recently released poster, this trailer teases Palpatine without so much as poking at the mystery surrounding his role in the film.
Ever since his evil cackle appeared in the teaser trailer, fans have woven countless theories trying to explain how Palpatine could return after such a spectacular demise in Return of the Jedi. They range from an appearance as a Force ghost to resurrection aided by technology. One thing is certain, given how heavily the former Emperor has featured in marketing, it will not be a small role.
THE FALL OF A HERO
Following Palpatine's foreboding words, we see twin lightsabers, glowing red. Behind them, watching from beneath a black hood, is none other than Rey, having apparently fallen to the Dark Side. She swings the second lightsaber down to form a double-bladed weapon, ready to fight her off-screen opponent.
The teaser seems to suggest that Rey will be influenced by Palpatine, in much the same way that Kylo Ren has been influenced by the villain that Darth Vader was. What should make fans suspicious is that this is being shown in the teaser, when Disney and Lucasfilm have gone to great lengths to keep the rest of the narrative secret. We cannot assume anything right now. Rey could become a Dark Jedi or the clip could have been taken from a vision, similar to Luke's experience in the cave on Dagobah. We'll have to wait until December to find out.
Directed and co-written by J.J. Abrams, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker stars Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Kelly Marie Tran, Joonas Suotamo, Billie Lourd, Keri Russell, Matt Smith, Anthony Daniels, Mark Hamill, Billy Dee Williams and Carrie Fisher, with Naomi Ackie and Richard E. Grant. The film arrives on Dec. 20.