On Dec. 20, Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker lands in theaters to mark the end (for real this time) of the saga that began in 1977 with the original Star Wars. The franchise has been on tenuous footing since its 2012 purchase by Disney and several box office shortcomings including Episode XIII: The Last Jedi (2017) and Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018).
Star Wars, it turns out, is not too big to fail. Its long-running story, legacy characters, and zig-zagging timeline had served as the saga’s greatest strength but also a weakness. In a play to reignite excitement in both casual fans and a dedicated audience of millions, The Rise of Skywalker debuted its first and final full-length trailer during the Jets vs. Patriots halftime on ESPN.
The trailer reminds us that Star Wars has a problem these days: Every average Joe once knew Darth Vader, his “I am your father” line, and the basics of Star Wars lore — but the films are so far beyond the basics at this point. The trailer reveals a few things are happening in The Rise of Skywalker that won’t really matter; Carrie Fisher will get a proper goodbye, the Resistance will ride horses on top of Star Destroyers, and Lando Calrissian will make a comeback. It’s even possible the Empire still exists.
There are only two things going on in this trailer that you actually need to understand:
1. The Force is bringing Rey and Kylo together to create balance
Balancing the force has been a theme throughout all of Star Wars.
In the prequel trilogy, the Jedi Order thought of balance as eliminating all presence of their dark side counterparts, the Sith. The Jedi’s dogma and commitment to dominance led the Force to create balance in the form of an Empire that would wipe them out.
Then, with Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine ruling the galaxy while Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda hid in exile, the Force brought twin Skywalkers into the world, Luke and Leia. Two agents of darkness were met by two agents of light.
Balance: This is what Star Wars is always striving for across the films, TV shows, and novels. The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi put Kylo Ren and Rey on a collision course, but a rather strange one. They are drawn to one another like magnetism, and neither of them understand why. Kylo is tempted to return to the light, while Rey grapples with fear and bouts of darkness.
Rey went to Kylo in The Last Jedi in an attempt to help him flee the darkness, but after an awesome fight against some armed guards, Kylo assassinated his boss and decided to take his place instead. He walked away from the light yet again.
Kylo may not ever be redeemed, but what is clear is that he wants to tear down the existing construct of light vs dark, Sith vs. Jedi, and so on. A single shot in the trailer shows Rey and Kylo destroying a mantle that holds Darth Vader’s mangled mask, seemingly in cooperation.
I predicted in 2017 that they would team up. But to what end?
2. God-Emperor Palpatine is back
“Long have I waited, and now your coming together is your undoing,” groans what is clearly the long-lost Emperor Palpatine. Like the other Star Wars characters that have been killed off by a fall into a bottomless pit only to later resurface (i.e. Darth Maul), Emperor Palpatine appears to still be with us.
If you look at Episodes I-IX as one big story, the central conflict of Star Wars was set off by Palpatine’s promise to Anakin Skywalker that he had learned how to defeat death and would share that knowledge. In Episode III, he reminisced of an old Sith legend that pointed to the possibility that the Dark Side could both create life and unlock eternity. While it may feel like Disney pulling a cloaked Sith-rabbit out of their hat to assuage jaded fans, Palpatine reemerging would address one of Star Wars’ largest plot holes.
Certain Jedi have been able to transcend death by becoming one with the Force and emerging as what we call “Force ghosts.” They can appear anywhere and offer guidance to those in need.
Sith, however, have a more ghoulish legacy in Star Wars canon. Deceased masters of the Dark Side have a tendency to haunt the sites of their death or inhabit tombs and temples like a poltergeist. In some old novels, Sith found ways to possess the living and seize control of their bodies. Since Disney took control of the franchise and tossed out all of the old Star Wars lore, they have cherry-picked numerous elements back out for the new films.
This could be one of them.
That’s all, folks. There will be no more trailers released, and there’s just under two months until The Rise of Skywalker hits theaters. Don’t miss it.
Stephen Kent (@Stephen_Kent89) is the spokesperson for Young Voices, host of Beltway Banthas Podcast, and an entertainment contributor for the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog.
