The Emperor returns on the poster for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
By Dan Selcke
You know, for a guy who’s been dead since Return of the Jedi back in 1983, the nefarious Emperor Palpatine sure has been getting a lot of play lately. First, his malevolent laugh capped up the first trailer for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, released back during the Star Wars Celebration in April:
Fast forward a few months, and we’re at another big convention: the D23 Expo, where Disney shows off some of the many (many many) shows and movies it has in the pipeline. Naturally, Star Wars had a big presence, and while director J.J. Abrams said that he and his team weren’t quite ready to debut a new trailer, they did have a poster in tow:
Check out the new poster for Star Wars: #TheRiseOfSkywalker that debuted at #D23Expo. See the film in theaters December 20. pic.twitter.com/MUH87fudPP
— Disney (@Disney) August 24, 2019
That’s Kylo Ren and Rey fighting while Emperor Palpatine watches from the sky. Is it metaphorical? Is Palpatine only there in spirit or has he somehow actually returned to watch the nephew of his greatest pupil fight the student of the son of that pupil? He’s going to matter SOMEhow, at any rate.
So there was no trailer, but Abrams and company did show off a sizzle reel that hasn’t been released online…officially. It showed dozens of Star Destroyers in the atmosphere above a planet, Rey and Kylo Ren fighting on a downed ship in the middle of the ocean, and Rey wielding a double-lightsaber, Darth Maul-style. The crowd, predictably, went wild.
Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker hits theaters on December 20. After that, Star Wars will take a bit of a break…on the big screen. The small screen, on the other hand…
Next. Watch the trailer for Disney’s The Mandalorian!. dark
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