If you haven’t heard yet, the trailer for this little indie film directed by J.J. Abrams premiered recently. By indie film I mean the ninth installment to one of the most popular sci-fi sagas ever created. Episode Nine, titled The Rise of Skywalker, made its first trailer debut at the annual Star Wars Celebration, held this year in Chicago. While fans have been eagerly awaiting any information having to do with the highly anticipated release, we were left with more questions than answers by the end of the trailer. Here is what we know so far based on information from the cast and crew, fan theories and the recent trailer:
Courtesy: Time Magazine
The film will be set a couple of years after Episode Eight, The Last Jedi. The last we saw in the Star Wars universe, the dwindling Resistance had just narrowly escaped the First Order upon the Millennium Falcon with not much of a plan. We have very few details on the plot of the newest installment, but the trailer gave us our first look at multiple worlds we can expect to see in the film as well as many references to the previous movies.
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Carrie Fisher will appear on screen for the last time in her iconic role as Leia. J.J. Abrams has commented that they will not be using CGI for Leia’s scenes but instead using cut footage from the previous two films and working scenes around them. Mark Hamill will also return in some way, most likely in ghostly form, after Luke’s death in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. We can hear his voice speaking in the background throughout the trailer, so it’s safe to say he will still play a large role in Episode Nine.
Courtesy: Time Magazine
This will be the last film featuring the Skywalker clan, not that there are many of them left. We will be seeing a new Star Wars project moving forward in the coming years headed by Star Wars: The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson. Not much has been said so far about this new series. None of the cast from the current films are set to star in them, so it will most likely be going in a new direction. Hopefully, the Star Wars universe will continue to build on what has already been shown in the sequel trilogy.
Courtesy: Time Magazine
Billy Dee as Lando Calrissian will be back and better than ever. We get a quick look at one of Star Wars’ most illustrious characters back in the ship he lost to Han Solo. In the trailer we see Chewbacca with Lando in the Millennium Falcon wearing an outfit eerily similar to the one Donald Glover wore for his rendition of Lando in Solo: A Star Wars Story.
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The trailer focuses on rebuilding what is broken. The opening scene of The Rise of Skywalker shows Rey with Luke’s rebuilt lightsaber that was split in two in the previous film. Also in the trailer, we spot Kylo Ren’s helmet being welded back together, as well as a glimpse of part of the destroyed Death Star. The entire aesthetic of the trailer shows fans that the film is about how people are dealing with broken things from previous films.
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Expect to see many new characters and returning characters alike on the big screen. Keri Russell, Naomi Ackie and Richard E. Grant will be joining the current cast as well as a new droid named D.O. Billy Dee is not the only old cast member returning. If you listen close at the end of the trailer, you will hear something that could mean big things for The Rise of Skywalker and is already causing lot of fans to theorize.
As the anticipation for The Rise of Skywalker grows, so does the wait for Disney’s Galaxy’s Edge which will open in Disneyland Resort on May 31 and in Disney World on Aug. 29. The land boasts two new ride attractions that are said to be very immersive and interactive for guests. Disney+ is also coming out with a live action Star Wars show titled The Mandalorian that already has promo stills out along with information from the cast and crew. With all of this to look forward to, this is gearing up to be quite a big year for Star Wars fans.