THE BLESSED DAYS ARE UPON US, AS STAR WARS HAS RISEN ONCE AGAIN.
*ehem*
Now that that’s out of my system, rejoice! We have a brand-new, long-awaited trailer for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (squeeeeee!). As with every iteration of a teaser for this universe, there’s a lot to unpack. So, activate those ‘sabers, as we break it down, beat-by-beat, while speculating on meaning.
0:00- Lucasfilm logo, over heavy breathing. Disney has opted to keep it classy, and minimize the logoing to the originating company.
0:10- Rey is revealed in the desert (Her home planet? Tatooine?), calming her breathing, in an excellent unspoken nod to her lessons with Luke.
0:19- The voice of Luke cames in with previously unheard lines, heavily implying his Force-ghost presence in the new film.
0:23- As Luke continues to speak, we see Rey has taken ownership of his lightsaber, which she draws as a new-model TIE fighter approaches. Also, there’s a great shot of Rey holding the hilt next to the blaster on her hip; a gift from the late Han Solo.
0:36- “But this is your fight.” We get a cut to text, reading, “Every Generation Has a Legend” This is an exceptionally clever nod, as the mirroring trailer for Ep. I had the EXACT same text included, emphasizing the full-circle this film is wrapping up.
0:41- A soaring shot over the desert, as the TIE fighter approaches, most likely piloted by Kylo Ren (as evidenced by the gloves). Rey activates her lightsaber, and sprints away from the ship, jumping at the last moment. There’s a LOT in these quick scenes. First off, we don’t know if this is an act of aggression. The ship should have blasters, so maybe the driver is picking Rey up? Also, that jump is a wonderful reveal of Force-powers, very similar to those used extensively in the prequels.
1:09- “This Christmas” begins a montage of scenes, underscored by Leia’s theme.
1:11- A ship approaches a mountain-city at night. No clear direction as to what planet this is yet.
1:15- Kylo, making good use of his hilt to take out a combatant, quickly followed by the repair of his helmet. Looks like full-evil Kylo is back, perhaps?
1:19- our first look at Finn and Poe. It appears Finn has Rey’s old staff now?
1:21- BB-8 is joined by newcomer D-O, in somewhere with a lot of scrap (possibly D-O’s origin?).
1:22- The Falcon flies again, with Lando laughing at the helm, and Chewie co-piloting. So good to see Billy Dee Williams back!
1:26- “The Saga Comes to an End” A quick sequence in the desert again, this time with Poe and C-3PO in the midst of troopers (blink and you’d miss the troopers with jetpacks flying by). It all has a very Ep. VI vibe, though that wide shot looks a lot like a podracing track… Also, worth noting, the score shifts a bit here, and we can hear a clear reference to “Duel of the Fates” from ep. I!
1:33- What appears to be Leia holds a Medal of Yavin, which she herself awarded to Luke and Han in ep. IV. This is followed by Leia embracing Rey. All shots we’ll see of the late Carrie Fisher are from previously-unused footage, so I’m glad to see them making good on their promise to include her!
1:37- “We’ll always be with you” A great shot of Rey, Finn, and Poe, followed by Chewie and the droids, as they look out from a sea cliff (Luke’s old hermitage, perhaps???) at what appears to be the wreckage of a Death Star, most likely the one destroyed in ep. VI.
1:45- “No one’s ever really gone” In the absolute biggest twist of the teaser, we get a cut to black and a laugh that REALLY sounds like Palpatine! This opens up sooo many questions!
1:51- WE HAVE OUR TITLE! Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Is this in reference to Luke? Leia? Kylo? Maybe even Rey? We’ll have to wait ‘til Christmas to find out!
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Of course, this teaser leaves us with a million more questions than we had before, but that’s half the fun! Did I miss anything huge? Think I’m misinterpreting? Just wanna share your own excitement? Be sure to comment!
