Even though we think we understand what we're seeing and hearing in many of the scenes in
the trailer for The Rise of Skywalker, there's a pretty good chance the final film might
present something very different from the conclusions we've drawn.
The footage may be edited a certain way, or digitally altered, or just presented in a
context that hides the bigger picture.
With that in mind, it's time to talk about all of the possibilities contained in this
footage — and some of the ways in which we could be deceived by it.
The trailer for The Rise of Skywalker begins with an unforgettable sequence in which Rey
stands alone on a desert planet and waits as a First Order TIE fighter approaches.
When it enters her path, she ignites her lightsaber, then runs until she's between its wings, and
leaps.
The implication here is that she's preparing to cut the ship in two with her blade aimed
right for the cockpit, and the even deeper implication is that Kylo Ren is the pilot
of the ship.
That may indeed be the case, but look closely at that ship and it becomes clear that it's
not one we've necessarily seen before.
In The Last Jedi, Kylo flew a TIE Silencer with an all-black paint job, red-tinted windows
and a very angular cockpit.
This ship looks more like a traditional TIE Interceptor with a brighter paint job around
the rounded, more typical-looking TIE cockpit design.
We also never get a look at who's at the controls — we get a shot of some hands, but nothing
that definitively reveals the pilot's identity.
Is this an epic rematch between Rey and Ren?
Or just a marketing fakeout?
In Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Kylo Ren smashes his helmet to pieces in a fit of rage after
Supreme Leader Snoke, like a true disciple of the pick-up artist, negs him for wearing
it.
"Take that ridiculous thing off."
The loss of the helmet is about Kylo's anger, yes, but also seems to be part of his growing
philosophy of "letting the past die."
Despite this, the Rise of Skywalker teaser trailer shows that same helmet being pieced
back together by a pair of mysteriously furry hands.
When we see Kylo Ren in the teaser, though, he's not wearing the helmet.
He's charging into battle with his head uncovered, burying opponents with his lightsaber.
Now, it's obviously possible that the helmet simply isn't reforged yet when that scene
takes place, but it's also possible that Kylo isn't even the one who decides the helmet
needs to be put back together.
Unless his hands got super hairy under those gloves.
There have been two Death Stars in the Star Wars galaxy so far, both destroyed by the
Rebellion at different locations.
The first exploded near Yavin IV thanks to Luke Skywalker's careful aim, and the second
was destroyed over the forest moon of Endor by Lando Calrissian, Wedge Antilles, and the
Rebel fleet.
In The Rise of Skywalker teaser, we see Rey, Finn, Poe, Chewbacca, C-3PO, BB-8, and D-0
looking out over what seems to be a fragment of a destroyed Death Star.
The image is immediately followed by the sound of Emperor Palpatine laughing, which would
suggest the Death Star wreckage is from the second station — the one Palpatine died
on.
That's not necessarily the case, though.
Yavin IV is a planet full of jungles, while the forest moon of Endor is full of… well,
forests.
The footage we see features a vast sea and sparse grassy cliffs.
Maybe this wreckage landed on another planet entirely.
This could even be a third or fourth Death Star we never saw in the movies at all, the
remnants of some kind of abandoned super-weapon experiment.
Whatever the case, we can't necessarily assume we know which Death Star that is...and that's
exciting.
Fans around the world are excited about the potential return of Emperor Palpatine, signified
by his fantastic laugh at the end of the trailer.
Admit it, no matter how you feel about Star Wars these days, everyone is excited for more
of this guy:
"No… no…
NO NO YOU WILL DIE!"
That said, we just don't know exactly how he might actually return.
A Palpatine clone would allow him to manifest in a physical form, though it wouldn't really
be "him" anymore in the strictest sense, while a Force ghost would allow him to retain all
of his memories and past deeds with less ability to interact with the physical world.
All of that said, it's possible the Emperor isn't actually returning at all.
For all the hype surrounding his resurgence, it's possible Rey or Kylo or both could simply
see him in a vision, or that our heroes might find an old hologram recording of him somewhere
in those Death Star ruins.
Now let's talk about that title, The Rise of Skywalker.
If we begin with the argument that the simplest explanation is often the best, then that means
we gotta discuss Ben Solo, a.k.a. Kylo Ren.
Much of The Last Jedi was devoted to examining his mission to finish his grandfather's work
of wiping out the Jedi, and to Rey's belief that she could redeem Kylo Ren.
If Ben really is redeemed in this film, then it's possible that he might once more take
the true name of his grandfather and his uncle who tried to save him, and become Ben Skywalker.
That's the simplest route to an explanation for the title… but it also feels pretty
unlikely.
A movie made by J.J.
"Mystery Box" Abrams in which the key villain converts to the side of good again isn't going
to telegraph that twist right there in the title, so we should maintain our skepticism
with regard to this theory.
If we set aside the "Kylo Ren is redeemed" version of the title's interpretation, that
naturally leads us to turn to Rey, the desert scavenger turned Force user whose origins
remain shrouded in mystery.
The Force Awakens teased that we would eventually learn Rey's origin, even throwing in a big
Force vision the first time she touched Luke Skywalker's old lightsaber.
This prompted waves of speculation that Rey was a secret Skywalker, or perhaps a secret
Solo or Kenobi.
The Last Jedi seemed to shove those theories aside when Kylo Ren told Rey her parents were
just junk traders who sold her off to a slaver on Jakku, but many fans believe Kylo was lying.
So now we're facing a film literally called The Rise of Skywalker, and Rey's action-heavy
moments in the trailer certainly make her look like a person on the rise.
Is she the Skywalker the title refers to?
Again, it feels too easy for a film this shrouded in secrecy to give something like that away
up front.
And that brings us to...
...the most popular theory to rise in the wake of the new movie's title reveal.
According to the Internet hive-mind, now that we've seen the last Jedi, it's time for the
galaxy's Force users to call themselves something new: Skywalkers.
The first two Star Wars trilogies ended with films that featured the words "Jedi" and "Sith"
in their respective titles, each concluding with the return or the revenge of a group
of Force users.
The Last Jedi featured numerous references to Luke Skywalker's belief that the Jedi were
too self-righteous to be preserved and that the order should end.
Yoda confirmed that belief by destroying the great tree at the heart of the first Jedi
temple, so the Jedi are indeed gone in some form.
So what if Rey chooses a new direction, and uses the name of her mentor as a label?
What if "Skywalker" is not a person, but a group of people?
Now that's a rise that might be pretty interesting indeed...
Check out one of our newest videos right here!
Plus, even more Looper videos about Star Wars coming soon.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one!