The trilogy of trilogies come to a definite conclusion (probably) in The Rise of Skywalker.
A fairly slow Monday got quite the hyperspeed jolt yesterday, when the final trailer for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker emerged. For the fifth Christmas in a row, UK audiences will be treated to a romp through the galaxy, with the film set for release on December 19th, 2019 – here’s a little preview:
Oh it’s tantalising isn’t it? There’s a lot to unpick here, but we’ll start with the obvious: as you can see and hear, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher will both be returning for The Rise of Skywalker. Despite Fisher’s death in December 2016, Episode IX will rework unused footage from The Last Jedi to bring Leia back to the screen, whilst Luke Skywalker is rumoured to appear as a ‘Force ghost’.
[IMDb]They’re not the only familiar faces returning; Billy Dee Williams reprises his role as Lando Calrissian, joyfully piloting the Millennium Falcon once more. Aside from the old crew, the trailer puts newest Jedi badass Rey (Daisy Ridley) front and center, with plenty of Force-powered running and jumping, and a dramatic, watery lightsaber duel with Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) in the offing.
[IMDb]The new trailer sees a bigger role for Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidious (Ian McDiarmid), whom – as in the first two sagas – appears as the Big Bad needing to be taken down, hopefully for good this time. You can also catch glimpses of what appears to be the biggest spaceship battle in the Star Wars canon, and a poignant, possible farewell for C-3PO. Surely not?!
[IMDb]Despite the money-spinning prowess of the franchise, it’s been confirmed that The Rise of Skywalker will be the final film of the saga (spinoffs and origin stories notwithstanding). So, for one last time, get ready to head to a galaxy far, far away.
