Let’s overanalyze the teaser trailer for Star Wars: Episode IX—The Rise of Skywalker
Rejoice, Star Wars fans! Today, at the 2019 Star Wars Celebration in Chicago, the subtitle and first teaser trailer for Star Wars: Episode IX were revealed. The Rise of Skywalker might be a bit of a misleading title, since this is purportedly the final film in the Skywalker saga, but it could mean anything, really. Anyway, here’s a refresher, in case you missed the trailer the first time around:
What I like about the first shot from the teaser is that it mirrors the first shot from the very first The Force Awakens teaser. In TFA, John Boyega’s Finn pops up out of the sand, huffing and puffing. Now it’s Rey’s turn. Both films were directed by J.J. Abrams, so perhaps the callbacks come easy to him.
“We’ve passed on all we know,” says the disembodied voice of Luke Skywalker.
Does this mean our heroes have returned to Jakku? Why does everyone want to go back to Jakku?
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Anyway, Rey grabs her lightsaber (it looks like she repaired Luke’s broken lightsaber from The Last Jedi).
“A thousand generations live in you now,” says Ghost Luke, or whoever. Does this mean Rey now has all the memories of Jedi Masters that lived before her, or is it more of a metaphorical thing?
She ignites the blade as a low-flying TIE-Fighter comes hurtling at her from a distance. “But this is your fight.”
Notice that Rey’s new white outfit has a hood. We’ve not seen Rey with a hood in previous films, but it is very Jedi of her. I approve.
As the TIE-Fighter gets closer, Rey prepares to run.
Whoever is in the TIE (which resembles the one Kylo Ren pilots in The Last Jedi) pushes forward on the throttle.
Rey then begins to run as the TIE-Fighter gains ground…
…and then she uses the Force to flip over the TIE. Looks like Rey’s powers have grown a lot since The Last Jedi.
Next, we see a planet at night. There’s lots of rocks and a city full of lights.
Supreme Leader Kylo Ren and his stormtroopers carve their way through enemies in some sort of forest.
Someone with hairy hands is welding Kylo’s mask back together. Remember he smashed in The Last Jedi when Snoke made fun of him. Also, let’s hope this isn’t a captured Chewbacca fixing Kylo Ren’s mask.
Here’s a shot of Finn and Poe. Finn is carrying Rey’s staff. I wonder if she’s discarded it for full-time lightsaber usage.
BB-8 and his new droid pal Dio make an appearance:
Lando Calrissian and Chewbacca pilot the Millennium Falcon through hyperspace.
Poe, Finn, and C-3PO are getting attacked by flying stormtroopers; that’s new.
Here’s a neat callback to the first-ever Star Wars film, A New Hope, as Leia’s hands caress a medal of bravery, the same medal she gave to Han and Luke.
Next, we have an emotional scene as Leia hugs Rey. By the way, this is footage that wasn’t used in The Force Awakens, as Abrams revealed onstage before the trailer played.
And then we have our heroes arriving at the wreckage of a Death Star.
Emperor Palpatine cackles as the camera zooms in on the wreckage.
If I had to hazard a guess, we’re looking at the wreckage of the second Death Star that crashed into the ocean on Endor (not the moon), and that’s why we hear the Emperor’s laughter. Is it just playing over the soundtrack to recall that moment, or could his Force ghost be hanging out around there or something?
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