'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker' - The Biggest Reveals From the First Trailer

With the annual Star Wars Celebration igniting this past week, secrets from the future of the Star Wars franchise were unveiled to fans across the world. With projects like The Mandalorian and the upcoming video game Jedi: Fallen Order also in the pipeline, one of the most anticipated things fans hoped to see was a tease at what's to come on the big screen. With director J.J. Abrams revealing not only the title for December's Episode IX, but an action-packed and highly-cryptic teaser trailer, the end of the Skywalker saga is set to arrive in The Rise of Skywalker. Like always, I'm peeling back the curtain on some of the biggest reveals from the trailer, and giving my thoughts on what could happen in the ambitious trilogy closer.

Daisy Ridley returns to fulfill her training as Rey in The Rise of Skywalker

The teaser kicks off with a shot very reminiscent of our first look at 2015's The Force Awakens, as Rey (Daisy Ridley) stands out of breath with a stark desert backdrop against her. What could be her home of Jakku, or the desert homeland of both Anakin and Luke Skywalker, Tatooine, it is clear that we will be returning to at least one of these locations in the film. As Rey reaches for the lightsaber attached to her waist, we see that it is the same one both Anakin and Luke used, clearly repaired from its destruction in last year's The Last Jedi. Mark Hamill's Luke Skywalker echoes in the background, saying "We've passed on all we know. A thousand generations live in you now." The chilling voiceover concludes with an emphasis on Rey's own fight as we see something in the distance hurtling towards her.

It is quickly revealed to be a new class of TIE Fighter shooting towards Rey, as she gears up to defend herself. While the pilot of the craft is unknown, several clues point to it mostly likely being Adam Driver's Kylo Ren. As the ship steadily approaches, Rey ignites her lightsaber, and takes off running. As the crescendo of the opening scene sees Rey leaping into the path of the ship, it begs the question if this scene is actually real, or merely another Force vision brought upon by the connection between both Rey and Kylo Ren. Nevertheless making for a phenomenally thrilling starter for the teaser, it holds plenty of questions as to when it takes place in the overall story.

As the trailer continues we see brief glimpses at what lies in the remainder of the story, including a mysterious ship entered a mysterious new planet, and Kylo Ren enacting further vengeance against the Resistance forces. While we first see him scourging a forest of what looks like Resistance soldiers with a pack of First Order Stormtroopers at his side, the next shot features a piece of Kylo Ren's past returning to the screen. As a hairy-armed assistant forges the Dark Side warrior's helmet back together, we could see a number of possibilities in Kylo Ren's future. Whether he dons the helmet (the same one he destroyed in The Last Jedi after his master Snoke called it childish) in a way of once again idolizing the fallen Darth Vader, or he simply wears it alongside his fellow Knights of Ren remains to be seen. With the clan of black-clad warriors who popped up briefly in The Force Awakens speculated to return in this film, Kylo will likely don the mask again as he continues to submerge his past self.

Adam Driver's Kylo Ren seeks vengeance after taking
up the throne of the First Order

While Kylo seeks to push the entirety of his First Order forces onto the remaining Resistance army, the trailer then pivots its focus to the heroes of the film, as we see Oscar Issac's Poe Dameron and John Boyega's Finn on-screen together again. Likely on the same desert planet we see Rey on at the start of the trailer, the two seem to be on an adventure that parallels the further trials of the young Jedi. Later in the trailer, we see the two, alongside the droid C-3PO, escaping a pack of Stormtroopers on their tail. Whether Finn and Poe are just along for the ride as Rey continues to search for her true purpose in the galaxy, or they too are looking for something themselves, the questions continue to pile up.

If one thing is clear, however, it's that Hamill's Luke Skywalker will not be the only familiar face returning in The Rise of Skywalker. As the trailer winds down, we see glimpses of not only Carrie Fisher's Leia, but also Billy Dee Williams back in the saddle of the Millennium Falcon as suave smuggler Lando Calrissian. While their roles in the film's narrative remain a secret, Leia will seemingly be sending Poe, Finn, and Rey on a mission while she resides in the background. With the film utilizing primarily older footage from previous films to piece together Fisher's role, it's likely Leia won't have as vital of a part in the story as she might have had before. That being said, with the film seeking to wring in the Skywalkers for one last adventure, the princess-turned-general remains at the center of the saga's heart. As for Williams' scoundrel Lando, it looks like he may have his own adventure on his hands, as we see him and Chewbacca piloting the Falcon across the stars.

With the loss of both Han Solo and Luke Skywalker, Billy Dee Williams' reenters
the Star Wars franchise as one of the last remaining members of the original trilogy

The biggest reveal of the trailer lies in its final seconds, as the voice of Luke Skywalker repeats a line from The Last Jedi: "No one's ever really gone."As we see Rey and Company embarking on yet another mysterious ocean-filled planet, we're shown the remnants of what appears to be a destroyed Death Star. As the screen cuts to black, the eerie laugh of none other than Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) echoes on. It's only after a few seconds that we're given the title of the sequel in The Rise of Skywalker. 

While a plethora of theories are bound to surface within the next couple months, from the true role Rey plays in the Skywalker saga to if and how the vile Emperor survived his confrontation with Darth Vader in 1983's The Return of the Jedi, our first peek at this winter's The Rise of Skywalker offers plenty to digest. As more footage from the sequel slowly unfolds, stay tuned for more of my thoughts on how this epic sci-fi saga may be shifting towards its conclusion.     

Comments

Popular Posts