Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker finally has a trailer. Here are the 6 most revealing moments.
Millions of voices cried out in excitement on Friday when the official title and first trailer for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker debuted. Here are the trailer's six biggest takeaways:
1. No one's ever really gone. The teaser is built around a Luke Skywalker voiceover, suggesting Mark Hamill's role following Luke's death is likely more significant than a cameo. Could Luke's reference to "we" also suggest more Force ghosts will visit Rey?
2. "Every generation has a legend." This phrase calls back to the trailer for The Phantom Menace, supporting speculation that The Rise of Skywalker will tie the entire franchise together by featuring connections to the prequels.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
3. Our princess. Leia is seen hugging Rey in a bit of the Carrie Fisher footage originally shot for The Force Awakens, years prior to Fisher's death. But Rey is wearing her new outfit, teasing some post-production alterations.
4. Repairs. The teaser reveals Rey's lightsaber and Kylo Ren's helmet, both destroyed in The Last Jedi, have been reassembled.
5. Lando reunites with the Falcon. Billy Dee Williams returns as Lando Calrissian, finally reuniting with the Millennium Falcon — and, in turn, with L3-37. Might he regain possession of the ship he lost to Han Solo decades ago?
6. Palpatine lives? The teaser shockingly ends with a cackling Emperor Palpatine, who was killed off in Return of the Jedi, after a shot of the wreckage of the Death Star. Could Palpatine have found a way to appear as the Sith equivalent of a Force ghost? Could he have survived? Or might this have something to do with the film's McGuffin, which could be located inside the Death Star ruins? Either way, it seems a character who hasn't factored into the saga in a major way in years could unexpectedly play a key role in its final installment.
Watch the trailer below. Brendan Morrow
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
North Carolina Supreme Court risks undermining its legitimacy
Under the radar A contentious legal battle over whether to seat one of its own members threatens not only the future of the court's ideological balance, but its role in the public sphere
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Sudoku hard: January 14, 2025
The Week's daily hard sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Crossword: January 14, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talks
Speed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Taylor Swift wraps up record-shattering Eras tour
Speed Read The pop star finally ended her long-running tour in Vancouver, Canada
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Drake claims illegal boosting, defamation
Speed Read The rapper accused Universal Music of boosting Kendrick Lamar's diss track and said UMG allowed him to be falsely accused of pedophilia
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
'Wicked' and 'Gladiator II' ignite holiday box office
Speed Read The combination of the two movies revitalized a struggling box office
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Jussie Smollet conviction overturned on appeal
Speed Read The Illinois Supreme Court overturned the actor's conviction on charges of staging a racist and homophobic attack against himself in 2019
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Quincy Jones, music icon, is dead at 91
Speed Read The legendary producer is perhaps best known as the architect behind Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
OJ Simpson, star athlete tried for murder, dead at 76
Speed Read The former football hero and murder suspect lost his battle with cancer
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Momofuku's 'Chili Crunch' trademark uproar
Speed Read The company's attempt to own the sole rights has prompted backlash
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published