The countdown is on to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
During halftime of Monday Night Football on ESPN, the final trailer for Rise debuted live. Tickets went on sale about an hour before the trailer aired and quickly began to sell. The theatre where I’m seeing the movie on the evening of the 19th was already filling up quickly just 20 minutes after ticket sales opened. If you want to see the movie on opening night, you’ll want to buy them ASAP.
In addition to the trailer, the official poster for the film was released online as well. The poster follows the style of previous posters, with Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) dominating much of the poster, with other notable characters also present, including Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams). Notably absent is the series’ antagonist, The Emperor (Ian McDiarmid), though he was present on the teaser poster released at the D23 Expo.
The theatrical poster for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
The trailer certainly keeps viewers yearning for more. There are plenty of action shots present in it, and even a handful of emotional moments (which we’ll examine with dialogue below) that makes the anticipation for the film grow.
Thanks to captioning available on Facebook with the trailer, here is a transcription of the dialogue featured in the trailer:
Finn: “It’s an instinct…feeling…the Force brought us together.”
Finn (John Boyega) didn’t know much about the Force until the events of The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, but he seems to understand it clearly as evidenced by this line. The line itself is pretty straightforward: Finn is predicting that the Force brought the heroes of the film together. It is possible that Finn feels some connection to the Force, and he senses that he was brought to the group by the will of the Force.
Poe: “We’re not alone. Good people will fight if we lead them.”
When The Last Jedi ended, it was clear that Poe (Oscar Isaac) had become a determined leader of the Resistance. He repeated, and slightly changed, Vice Admiral Holdo’s line from earlier in the film: “We are the spark that will light the fire that will burn the First Order down.”
Poe’s line in the trailer seems to have the same feeling as his earlier line. He is determined to find people to help the Resistance take on the First Order. And they will certainly need all the help they can get, with a certain Sith Lord returning from the dead.
Rey: “People keep telling me they know me. No one does.”
Kylo: “But I do.”
A good chunk of the sequel trilogy has focused on Rey’s story and her origins. Questions were seemingly answered during The Last Jedi, where Kylo Ren revealed that Rey’s parents were junk scavengers who abandoned Rey on Jakku.
However, Rey could still feel lost, even with this revelation. It is likely that the spirit of Luke (Mark Hamill) will guide Rey throughout the movie, similar to the spirit of Obi-Wan guiding Luke in the original trilogy.
It is also clear that Rey and Kylo are connected somehow. They could be related or they could simply share a strong Force Bond, a concept introduced in the Legends universe in which two people were connected to each other through the Force. Only the film will answer that speculation.
Palpatine: “Long have I waited, and now, your coming together is your undoing.”
Though The Emperor’s face is not seen in the trailer, his presence is certainly felt and there is a shot of what appears to be Palpatine rising from a chair dressed in his infamous black robes. Dozens of TIE fighters are shown immediately before this line, implying a resurgence of sorts of the Empire (though the First Order does use TIE fighters).
The line is played over footage that appears to consist of the main characters coming face-to-face with the villains and seems to imply there will be a giant space battle between good and evil.
Poe: “What, uh, what are you doing there, 3PO?”
C-3PO: “Taking one last look, sir, at my friends.”
This moment seemed to capture the essence of the film. The filmmakers have said The Rise of Skywalker will serve as the definitive end of the Skywalker Saga, which begins with The Phantom Menace (chronologically anyway). The line seems to imply C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) thinks he is seeing all of his friends for the final time. Is there a sacrifice he needs to make in order to help his friends save the galaxy?
Luke: “Confronting fear is the destiny of the Jedi. Your destiny.”
Similar to The Emperor, Luke himself doesn’t appear in the trailer, but his presence is certainly felt, especially with this line. This one appears to be Luke guiding Rey from beyond the grave, similar to Obi-Wan guiding Luke.
Although Luke’s role may be smaller than we saw in The Last Jedi, it is likely going to be a crucial one for the plot, where Luke will guide Rey to the final confrontation between the Jedi and the Sith.
Luke: “The Force will be with you.”
Leia: “Always.”
Arguably the most emotional dialogue exchange is heard near the end of the trailer, with Rey holding her lightsaber as Luke promises the Force will be with her, and Leia (Carrie Fisher) says, “Always.” Leia is not seen during this moment, so it’s possible she is saying it from beyond life.
As before, we only got a glance of Leia in the trailer, but it seems like her role will certainly be crucial to the plot. Indeed, writer/director JJ Abrams has used footage from the previous films to incorporate Leia into the story, despite Carrie Fisher’s death in 2016. Even if Leia does die, it’s important to remember that “No one’s ever really gone.”
The Countdown is on!
The Rise of Skywalker hits theatres on December 20. Early showings are available on the 19th, so hurry and buy your tickets now so you can see the film early and have all of the answers before everyone else.
The film is not yet rated, though it will likely obtain a PG-13 rating, just like its predecessors did.
The Force will be with us. Always. Just as our favorite space twins promised Rey and us.
The saga will end, the story lives forever. Watch the final trailer for @StarWars: #TheRiseOfSkywalker in theaters December 20. Get your tickets now: https://t.co/MLbzRXrCJb pic.twitter.com/RLllQGme76
— Star Wars (@starwars) October 22, 2019
The Legacy continues…… #TheRiseOfSkwalker pic.twitter.com/HDzio4z1BR
— Billy Dee Williams (@realbdw) October 22, 2019
Oh my god I ❤️ Star Wars https://t.co/RxOxaQiNUm
— Rian Johnson (@rianjohnson) October 22, 2019
https://twitter.com/JohnBoyega/status/1186462702647963648
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