Lucasfilm has dropped the first trailer for it proved tremendously divisive among Star Wars fans. It's up to writer-director J.J. Abrams to wrap things up and hopefully end the controversy.
Today, at Star Wars Celebration, Lucasfilm finally allowed viewers their first glimpse of the first trailer for The Rise of Skywalker. The studio's actually been more secretive about The Rise of Skywalker than for any other Star Wars film since the franchise was relaunched in 2015; in fact, until Star Wars Celebration they hadn't even confirmed the film's title. Picking up a tip from Marvel Studios, they decided to leave the title announcement until the end of the trailer.
Related: What Trailers & Reveals To Expect At Star Wars Celebration 2019
Now the marketing campaign for Star Wars 9 is about to kick into gear. This, of course, is just the first teaser trailer, and it's designed to raise a lot more questions than provide concrete answers. Further trailers and TV spots will be released as we get nearer to the official release date, hinting at solution to many of the film's mysteries. But let's take a look at what's been revealed and implied by this initial teaser in our Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker trailer breakdown (and don't miss our teaser trailer breakdown for Regal).
- This Page: Rey In Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker
- Page 2: Rey Vs. Kylo Ren On The Desert Planet
- Page 3: Kylo Ren in Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker
- Page 4: The Resistance vs. the First Order
- Page 5: The Return of Palpatine
27. Rey On The Desert Planet
The first scenes from the Star Wars 9 trailer are all set on a mysterious desert planet. There's a sense of symmetry to this; the original trilogy began and ended on Tatooine, now the sequel trilogy begins with Jakku and ends with another desert world. The planet is as yet unidentified, but this footage was all shot in Jordan over a three-week period. It could be that the Resistance have established a base here, far away from civilization, and no doubt Rey would be entirely comfortable with the harsh, arid environment.
26. "We" Have ed On All We Know
The end of Star Wars: The Last Jedi saw Rey alone, with Luke Skywalker having sacrificed himself to allow the Resistance a chance to escape. Of course, in true Star Wars style, death isn't necessarily the end of a Jedi's story. The voice-over clearly establishes that Luke's Force Ghost has been mentoring Rey. It's unclear how much time es between Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, but it certainly looks as though it's been enough for Rey to train as a Jedi. What's more, the dialogue suggests that Luke isn't the only Force Ghost who's been mentoring her. Only a handful of Jedi have known the secret of preserving their consciousness after death; Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Yoda, Anakin, and now Luke. It could be that any or all of these Jedi of old have been acting as Rey's teachers.
According to Luke, "a thousand generations live in you now." He believes that Rey knows everything the Jedi ever knew, all the way back to the founding of the Jedi Order. That's a bold claim, but it's worth ing that Luke had traced the Jedi back to their first Temple at Ahch-To, where he'd learned the most ancient secrets of the Jedi. Between Luke and Yoda - who lived to 900 years old - that's a lot of Force knowledge.
Related: Star Wars Rebels Explains What Force Ghosts Actually Are
25. The Remade Lightsaber
The Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker trailer focuses in on Rey's lightsaber, which she has repaired after it was torn apart in The Last Jedi. Building a lightsaber is an important step in the journey of any Jedi. It's typically seen as a sort of "graduation ceremony," proving that you've learned everything you need to know about the Force and are ready to serve the Light as a Jedi Knight. It isn't just a matter of engineering; it takes mastery of the Force to attune a Kyber Crystal to the lightsaber. The experience creates a transcendent bond between the Jedi and their weapon.
In repairing the lightsaber so well, Rey has claimed it as her own. She has become the embodiment of Anakin Skywalker's legacy as a Jedi Knight; oddly enough, she's achieved this in a way that even Luke never did, as he was never bonded with this lightsaber.
24. Is The Desert Tatooine, Jedha or Even Jakku?
It's a big galaxy, but Star Wars has always tended to spin back to the same planets. That raises the interesting question of whether these shots featuring Rey are set on a brand new desert planet - or whether they're somewhere we've seen before in the Star Wars Saga. The most obvious possibilities are Tatooine, Jedha, or perhaps even Jakku. Jedha is impossible; Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, with the crust broken and the moon ultimately tearing itself apart. Jakku would be more appropriate, meaning the sequels begin and end with Rey's homeworld just as the original trilogy began with Luke's; but that particular desert world is littered with junk from the final battle between the Empire and the New Republic decades earlier, and there's no hint of said junk in the Star Wars 9 trailer. So, if this is a planet that's been visited before, it can surely only be Tatooine.
23. Rey Still Has Han's Gun
It's easy to miss, but look closely as Rey; she still has Han Solo's gun in a holster strapped to her belt. Han Solo may be gone, killed by his own son in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but his presence is still felt throughout this film. It's also a nice reminder that Rey is a slightly different kind of Jedi; while she carries a lightsaber, she doesn't have the traditional Jedi disdain for guns. One of the black-and-white photos shared with fans at Star Wars Celebration showed Rey using this weapon.
Page 2 of 5: Rey Vs. Kylo Ren & More Of Our Star Wars 9 Trailer Breakdown
22. Rey Versus Kylo Ren
Assuming the Resistance has indeed established a base on this as-yet-unidentified world in Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker, the First Order have come calling. Rey is on the run, pursued by Kylo Ren. It's possible that Rey has gone off on her own in order to draw Kylo Ren away from the rest of the Resistance; that would be a neat mirror of Return of the Jedi, where Luke surrendered himself to Darth Vader so the Rebels had a chance to attack the shield generator on Endor.
21. The Phantom Menace Tagline
"Every generation has a legend," the Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker trailer tells viewers. If this tagline seems familiar, it's because it was last used in the late '90s, when it was associated with Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. The tagline reminds audiences that Star Wars is a generational saga, with each trilogy ing the torch to another wave of stars. The prequels were about Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Pé; the original trilogy was about Luke, Han, and Leia; and the sequel trilogy is about Rey, Finn, and Poe. And yet, for all they're about three different generations of heroes, they're all part of one overarching narrative.
Related: The Last Jedi Is A Reverse Phantom Menace
20. Kylo Ren's New TIE Interceptor
The forces of the First Order have arrived on this mysterious desert world, presumably seeking the Resistance. Rey is alone, stranded in the desert, breathing heavily - and she is pursued. Kylo Ren himself has found her, and he's flying a new version of his TIE Interceptor. It's interesting to see Kylo Ren fly the TIE Interceptor so close to the ground, highlighting his pilot mastery. What's more, notice that he doesn't attempt to shoot Rey, instead trying to run her down; it could be that his weapons systems have been disabled. Alternatively, at this point in the film, Kylo could have fallen so far into the dark side that he simply wants the visceral thrill of such a brutal kill.
19. Rey's Force Jump
The Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker trailer shows Rey hatch a desperate plan, one that involves precision timing and demonstrates her mastery of the Force. She actually allows Kylo Ren to try to run her down - and then does an incredible Force leap over the TIE Interceptor. In that one second, it shows just how strong Rey has grown in the Force, particularly given she's running away from the TIE Interceptor when she does the jump and isn't looking towards it.
Meanwhile, it's interesting to note that Rey seems confident Kylo Ren won't open fire. This suggests she either knows how angry he is, or is aware of the damage his TIE has sustained.
18. A-Wings
The Star Wars 9 trailer then moves to a shot of A-Wings flying across an unknown, rocky world. One of the amusing conceits of Star Wars is that the heroes and villains always tend to use the same vehicles; A-Wings were synonymous for the Rebels in the original trilogy, and now they're associated with the Resistance.
