The final Star Wars: Episode IX trailer paints a dark but hopeful picture
The final trailer for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker dropped last night, and the new footage paints a dark picture for Rey — and the future of the galaxy.
We knew it was coming, but that doesn’t make it any less exciting: The final trailer for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker dropped during Monday Night Football last night, and the new footage paints a bleak yet hopeful picture for the conclusion to the Skywalker Saga.
The new footage starts of with some hopeful voiceovers. We have Luke talking about the force, which quickly moves on to Finn saying, “We’re not alone. Good people will fight if we lead them.” There are a few shots of Rose, Finn, Poe, and Chewy when this voiceover is happening — just in case you forgot who those good people ready to take on the Dark Side are.
Watch the final trailer for Episode IX here:
Of course, that hopeful beginning quickly transitions to some darker moments — ones that focus heavily on Rey’s connection to Kylo Ren, and thus the Dark Side. This shift occurs with a voiceover of Rey telling someone, “People keep telling me they know me. No one does.” That doesn’t bode well for our girl, especially with all those predictons and hints that she might turn to the Sith.
To make matters worse, right after Rey says this, we get a shot of Kylo. “But I do,” he tells her. And we’ve got to be honest for a moment: He looks like quite the badass emerging from that fog with his double-edged red lightsaber. (Is it his lightsaber Rey’s wielding in the D23 Expo footage? We still have so many questions.)
After focusing on the “Reylo” connection, the trailer shifts to Emperor Palpatine — and we get more than a menacing laugh from him this time. While we get a shot of Palpatine’s throne, the big bad himself gets a voiceover. “Long have I waited,” he says. “And now, you’re coming together is your undoing.” We can only assume he’s talking to Rey, especially since there’s a later shot of her looking at someone sitting upon a thone — someone who looks a lot like Palps himself.
These moments are enough to evoke a bit of panic in Star Wars fans — especially with C3PO’s comment that he’s “taking one last look” at his friends. But while the trailer makes things seem bleak in the beginning, it’s not all lost just yet.
Once the Star Wars theme begins playing, things start looking up a bit — thanks to Luke, of course. He’ll be returning in this, most likely as a force ghost, and his final words to Rey are comforting: “Confronting the fear is the destiny of a Jedi. Your destiny.” Could he be referring to her fear of turning to the Dark Side?
The parting words of the trailer are a combination of Luke and Leia saying, “The Force will be with you. Always.” And they’re probably intended for both fans and Rey in this moment — because, let’s be honest, are any of us ready to let go of this story just yet?
How will Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker handle Reylo?. dark. Next