The end of an epic nine-film arc, The Rise of Skywalker has the near-impossible task
of wrapping up cinema's most-celebrated space saga.
Here are some fun production details to get you pumped, plus some supposedly leaked plot
points that just might come into fruition.
WARNING: Major spoilers ahead ... potentially!
One new planet we'll be visiting in The Rise of Skywalker is called Pasaana, a world of
sand and unforgiving sun.
Yeah — another one.
The planet, which is actually the Wadi Rum desert valley in southern Jordan, will seemingly
play host to a pivotal moment in The Rise of Skywalker.
We saw Rey jumping over a TIE fighter on a very Jordanian-looking landscape in the first
Episode IX teaser trailer, as well as Finn and Poe skidding on sand.
At this stage, all we know for sure about Pasaana is that it's home to the Aki-Aki,
a native race being played by Jordanian locals.
Rumors that red stormtroopers would be appearing in The Rise of Skywalker had been doing the
rounds online for months before Lucasfilm finally confirmed them.
According to StarWars.com, these fearsome-looking soldiers are known as Sith troopers.
But there's more going on here than just a simple palette swap.
Speaking for a feature on StarWars.com, Lucasfilm archivist Madlyn Burkert broke down the Sith
trooper uniform, saying,
"It has some really unique aesthetics to it, and it has some subtle ties to previous stormtrooper
designs, which I think fans will enjoy discovering."
Episode IX director J.J. Abrams seems equally excited about the introduction of the Sith
troopers, saying that he cannot wait for fans to meet this new batch of baddies.
Abrams said,
"The materials, the color, the lines... there is something about the aesthetic of it that
just felt absolutely right."
Who the Sith troopers serve remains a mystery — some are convinced they'll do the bidding
of the returning Emperor Palpatine, while other sources report that they'll answer only
to Kylo Ren.
It's been reported by leakers and self-proclaimed insiders that Rey will be getting a new lightsaber
in The Rise of Skywalker — and if you believe the special look teaser shown at D23, that
weapon might have more in common with Darth Maul than Darth Vader.
"Ridiculous."
*Chewie noises*
"Shh. The grown-ups are talking."
The footage drove the audience wild, according to CinemaBlend, who spoke with Daisy Ridley
about the apparent dark side reveal.
Ridley said she felt nervous about how the footage would be received, but that, quote,
"hearing the audience reaction was amazing."
But the actress kept quiet when asked if viewers should take the whole dark Rey thing at face
value.
"Uhhhhhm…
I mean, we'll see."
Like many in Star Wars before her, new character Zorii Bliss was first introduced by her looks
rather than her personality.
Was she a hero, a villain, or a little of both?
Either way, fans agreed on one thing: she looked a lot like a rose gold version of Boba
Fett.
A Vanity Fair feature described the dual-blaster-carrying Bliss as a masked scoundrel who hangs out
in a disreputable place called the Thieves' Quarter on the snowy planet of Kijimi.
Actress Keri Russell has since revealed even more info, describing her as a cool and shady
type, a criminal of sorts, and a friend of Poe Dameron.
She went into more detail when Variety spoke to her and co-star Oscar Isaac.
“She has a little bit of a checkered past, and maybe some questionable morals, but really
she's an old friend of Poe's."
Does that mean Dameron and Bliss have a romantic history?
Or did they just used to do star crimes together?
"It's complicated.
Ehh, it's complicated."
Excited Twitter users are already stanning their relationship — except for those who
are still holding on to hope for Finn and Poe.
Rumors that The Rise of Skywalker would go out of its way to tie all the previous Star
Wars movies together have been floating around for a couple of years now.
The specifics of this overarching connection remain a mystery, but from the little we've
seen of the movie so far, it's clear the movie isn't skimping on nostalgia.
This theme of bringing it all together was central at D23 Expo 2019, where a sizzle reel
featuring iconic shots from throughout the series was screened.
While The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi have already done quite a bit to call back
to the original trilogy, fans can now hope that the mysteries of Star Wars might come
full circle, exploring questions and bringing back story material that was first introduced
in the prequel trilogy.
But it's probably not midichlorians.
And it's hopefully not this guy, either.
Have we really seen the last of Harrison Ford's Han Solo?
Some people don't think so.
It's been reported for awhile that Han will appear as a Force ghost in The Rise of Skywalker
and help turn his son back to the light.
This comes by way of JediPaxis, a Redditor and moderator of the StarWarsLeaks forum,
who claims to have compiled a detailed breakdown of Episode IX via various inside sources.
Lots of people think it's true, but take it with a grain of salt and all that.
According to the leak, Kylo Ren and Rey will engage in an epic lightsaber battle on the
wreckage of the second Death Star, from which Rey will emerge triumphant.
It's in that moment of defeat for Kylo that Han will reportedly appear and coax his wayward
son back to the light.
Shocking, huh?
"What are you talking about?"
That said, plenty of fans are scratching their heads about how exactly a Han "Force" ghost
would work, especially since the only Force we ever saw that guy using was garden-variety
lethal force.
While many are convinced that Kylo Ren is in for a redemption arc, mirroring his grandfather's
last-minute change of heart in Return of the Jedi, fans are having a hard time believing
Han will be the one to do it, no matter what a leak says.
Some are theorizing that the leaked Han detail may be "Obi-Wan killed your father" style
misdirection, and that the real movie will see Anakin himself appear as a Force ghost
— but there's not much evidence out there for that yet.
Either way, it's looking pretty likely that Ben Solo won't finish this series as a bad
guy.
What was up with C-3PO's red eyes in that D23 footage?
Well, apparently, it's a long story, and a pretty sad one, as well.
If leaks are to be believed, our heroes discover a dagger on Pasaana with a message engraved
on it that none of them can understand.
Even C-3PO can't translate it because of limitations in his programming.
Eventually, Poe Dameron intervenes, claiming to have a contact that can help 3PO translate
the ancient writing: Keri Russell's Zorii Bliss.
Russell's character introduces the gang to an alien friend of hers who knows how to unlock
the message.
But, if rumors about the plot of Episode IX are indeed true, our heroes face a huge dilemma
involving their beloved droid.
Is red-eyed C-3PO what happens after he cracks the code?
Is he forever altered?
Or do our heroes find another way?
We'll have to wait and see.
Rumor has it that the true extent of Rey's powers will be revealed in The Rise of Skywalker,
and one previously unknown ability will come to the fore pretty early on in the movie.
After the heroes meet up with Lando on Pasaana, they supposedly end up in a series of underground
tunnels.
These tunnels in the desert were created by a huge sand creature, who isn't particularly
pleased with their intrusion.
At least, not to begin with.
The crew look like they're done for when the creature corners them, but, according to leaks,
Rey uses a new Force power which allows our heroes to escape.
The exact nature of this power and it’s implications we'll leave a mystery, but Rey
also reportedly uses this newfound power in a later scene, with far, far greater consequences.
The rumor that General Hux will be revealed as a mole in The Rise of Skywalker is more
than a year old now, so even if you believe nothing else from the movie's many alleged
leaks, this detail may indeed be legit.
The rivalry between Hux and Kylo Ren has been steadily building over the course of the previous
two films, reaching a critical turning point when Kylo took out Snoke and assumed control
of the First Order.
According to leaked plot details, it's revealed pretty early on in Episode IX that the Resistance
has been dealing with an alien informant who has been acting as a middle man between a
certain First Order mole and our heroes.
If you buy the legitimacy of the leaks, Hux is revealed to be the mole at a critical juncture.
But, as they say, no good deed goes unpunished, so it's likely that Hux's betrayal will have
some serious repercussions … if this whole "Hux the Mole" gossip even turns out to be
true.
The news that Billy Dee Williams was reprising his iconic Star Wars role in The Rise of Skywalker
was huge for fans of the original trilogy.
Since the announcement, people have been theorizing about what Lando Calrissian could have been
doing since we last saw him.
According to leaked plot details, Lando has been laying low on Pasaana, the sandy world
that's set to feature prominently in the final installment of the Skywalker saga.
It's also rumored that Lando reveals to the heroes that he's the father of a child, one
who was taken away from him at an early age.
It's long been theorized that Naomi Ackie's Jannah is the daughter of Lando Calrissian.
The new character was revealed at Star Wars Celebration 2019, and fans couldn't help but
notice that her blue and yellow costume, complete with a cape, looks an awful lot like Calrissian's
get-up from the original trilogy.
"Hello, what have we here?"
Speculation surrounding Rey's parents has been rife ever since Kylo Ren told her that
they were nothing but "filthy junk traders" in The Last Jedi.
Some fans were convinced that the hero of the sequel trilogy had Skywalker blood running
through her veins, and when the title of Episode IX was revealed, many believed that J.J. Abrams
planned to do some retconning.
However, according to the latest leaks, The Rise of Skywalker will reveal that Rey is
actually the granddaughter of Emperor Palpatine.
It might sound far-fetched, but it would explain why the Force is so strong with her.
The rumors say that Rey's parents were killed on Jakku because they tried to conceal her
from Sith loyalists.
This would mean that Palpatine fathered a child at some stage.
Is this possible?
Well, George Lucas' abandoned TV show, Star Wars: Underworld, did plan to reveal that
Palpatine once had his heart broken by a woman with ties to criminal gangs on Coruscant.
It would be a pretty bold move for the story to take, that's for sure.
A great deal of the Rise of Skywalker chatter has centered around Emperor Palpatine ever
since the debut of the teaser trailer.
He didn't appear in the teaser, but his infamous evil cackle did, and to make sure there was
no misunderstanding about what that meant, actor Ian McDiarmid appeared on stage right
after the footage premiered at Star Wars Celebration 2019.
We didn't get a full-on shot of Palpatine in the final trailer, either, but the character
was a much bigger presence this time around.
We do, however, get a shot of his new throne in the final trailer — only it isn't a new
throne at all.
This imposing, jagged structure was actually inspired by an old sketch that legendary concept
artist Ralph McQuarrie drew when he was working on Return of the Jedi.
Lucasfilm's creative art manager Phil Szostak pointed this out on Twitter, using a side-by-side
comparison to show how the throne in McQuarrie's sketch and the one in the movie are basically
identical.
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