At the Star Wars Celebration in Chicago, Lucasfilm has finally dropped the long awaited Star Wars Episode 9 teaser trailer. Along with it, we finally know the episode’s title: The Rise of Skywalker.
The Rise of Skywalker is both the final episode in the Star Wars sequel trilogy started with 2015’s The Force Awakens, and, as the title indicates, the finale of the franchise’s Skywalker saga. It follows in the footsteps of 2017’s divisive The Last Jedi.
J.J. Abrams, who directed The Force Awakens returns to the director’s chair, replacing original director Colin Trevorrow. Creative differences led Trevorrow to leave the project in 2017. The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson on the other hand is supposed to be working on a new trilogy of films, separate from the current continuity.
Cast members Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Kelly Marie Trans, Joonas Suotamo will all be reprising their roles in the new film. Returning as well are original cast members Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Billie Dee Williams, and the late Carrie Fisher. Joining them in this outing are Naomi Ackie, Richard E. Grant, Keri Russell, and Dominic Monaghan.
The Rise of Skywalker takes place after the events of The Last Jedi. Countless fans no doubt are wondering if it will stick to the divisive tone of that film, or if it will hew closer to the original films as Abrams’s The Force Awakens did.
Regardless of the films faults and virtues, the drama surrounding The Last Jedi left a sour taste in the mouths of many fans. With The Rise of Skywalker, Lucasfilm and the fans will be hoping to rectify the mistakes of the past and release a film that pleases both critics and fans alike.
Whether The Rise of Skywalker will do that, it’s hard to say from the trailer below. The new teaser for The Rise of Skywalker definitely tries to mirror that for The Force Awakens from 2015. Whether or not it does, it’ll be a fun few months of speculating about it until the film releases on December 20.
