When the teaser trailer for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was unveiled in April, many fans were left wondering which desert planet was featured so prominently in the footage. Could it be Tatooine? Jakku? Or perhaps Jedha?
Well, it turns out it's none of the above; it's an entirely new location.
In Vanity Fair's massive preview of the upcoming Star Wars film, it was revealed that the desert planet in Episode IX is called Pasaana. The scenes taking place on this new locale were shot in Jordan, and it's here that fans will be introduced to a new alien race known as the Aki-Aki.
In the teaser trailer, Pasaana was featured in a number of shots, most notably the opening sequence in which Rey uses the Force to leap above an approaching TIE Fighter.
Given the striking parallels between A New Hope and The Force Awakens, some fans assumed director J.J. Abrams would follow suit with Return of the Jedi by either bringing the characters back to the desert planet where the trilogy began (Jakku) or by bringing them to where viewers first met Luke Skywalker (Tatooine) to truly bring the saga full circle. With this new revelation, though, at least one ongoing theory can finally be put to rest.
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 Dec. 20.