The final trailer for Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker was released Monday, with advance tickets for the December film going on sale at the same time.
The release of the trailer, which is just under two-and-a-half minutes long, seems likely to represent the beginning of a promotional push for the film, which is set to hit theaters in less than two months. A teaser trailer had previously been released in April at the Star Wars Celebration convention in Chicago, Illinois. A shorter “first look” teaser was shown at Disney’s D23 convention in August.
The trailer begins with Rey dropping a helmet similar to that used by Luke Skywalker in the original film trilogy, as she runs through a jungle landscape and into an area of wreckage. The character Finn is seen looking through binoculars as a voiceover, seemingly by Finn, says “It’s an instinct, a feeling. The Force brought us together.”
A different voice proclaims, “We’re not alone… good people will fight if we lead them,” as the trailer shows what looks like a rebel base. The apparent wreckage of the Death Star II is shown with Rey walking on it, lightsaber in hand. The character is heard saying, “People keep telling me they know me, no one does.” Kylo Ren then walks up to her on the wreckage also carrying a lit lightsaber, and his voice is heard replying, “but I do.”
The trailer then moves on to a variety of short shots. These include several TIE fighters racing toward what looks like an icy structure, a spindly “evil” looking throne, the Millennium Falcon, Rey and Kylo Ren in a lightsaber duel, a structure exploding and a ship racing on the water . During this sequence, the voice of Ian McDiarmid’s Palpatine can be heard saying, “Long have I waited, and now you’re coming together… is your undoing.”
The trailer then shifts to a scene of C3PO with the back of his head being altered in some way by a small creature with a device, as he is surrounded by most of the sequel trilogy’s heroes. Poe asks, “What are you doing there, 3PO?” The droid replies, “Taking one last look, sir, at my friends.”
Text reading “This Christmas” appears on screen as yet more scenes, including Rey and Kylo Ren jointly destroying what might be the charred helmet of Darth Vader, quickly cut to one another while Luke Skywalker says “confronting fear is the destiny of a Jedi… your destiny.” Another piece of text reads “The Saga Will End,” before flashing “The Story Will Live Forever.”
The last shot appears to show Rey standing in front of a hooded figure that is perched high in the area and seemingly connected to some kind of apparatus. A voiceover of “The Force will be with you… always” ends the trailer.
Immediate reaction to the trailer on social media appears to be largely positive, with some fans noting the emotional and cryptic remarks of C3PO in particular.
The saga’s last installment, 2017’s Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi, left the film’s protagonists in what appeared to be a precarious position. After the decimation of the rebel fleet and the apparent death of Luke Skywalker, General Leia Organa reassured Rey that the rebels had “all they need” to fight The First Order.
The untimely death of Carrie Fisher has led many to wonder how the trilogy’s final chapter might deal with the character of Leia, both dramatically and creatively. Lucasfilm have insisted that Fisher’s likeness would not be digitally replicated, and that unused footage from the previous films would instead be edited and “written around” in order for the beloved character to make a final appearance.
J.J. Abrams, the director of 2015’s Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, returns to direct and co-write the film, which has a listed running time of 155 minutes. The score is once again composed by 87-year-old John Williams, who also composed scores for the previous eight saga films.
Abrams and Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy say that the film is the final installment in the so-called “Skywalker saga,” a series of films that began with George Lucas’s original Star Wars film, which was later retitled Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. The film is intended to be a definitive end to the 9-part saga, with Abrams recently claiming a strong focus on wrapping up the series, claiming, “We aren’t screwing around.”
The dormant film series was reawakened in 2012, when creator George Lucas sold Lucasfilm and the Star Wars brand to Disney in a deal reportedly worth $4 billion. Up until that point, most fans had assumed that the series had ended in 2005, with the release of the final chapter of Lucas’s often-maligned prequel series, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.
While The Rise of Skywalker may bring to a close the overarching story that began over 40 years ago, it’s expected to be far from the last Star Wars film.
Two additional film trilogies set in the Star Wars universe have been announced. The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson is expected to develop one of the trilogies, with former Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss tackling the other.
Additionally, a fresh live action television show, The Mandalorian, is set to debut in November on the new Disney streaming service, Disney+. Other shows in development include one that will see Ewan McGregor reprise his prequel trilogy role as Obi-Wan Kenobi.
The Rise of Skywalker opens December 20, with early public screenings the night before. Advance tickets are on sale now.
