Breaking Down The Final ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ Trailer

Football was not the best thing about the NFL last week—it was Star Wars. During halftime on Monday Night Football, Disney released the final trailer for the upcoming film Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

Tickets for the third installment of the Star Wars sequel trilogy also dropped the same night with reports that the pre-sales nearly doubled Avengers: Endgame from earlier this year. The achievement surprised some who thought Star Wars was dead after mass disapproval of the previous film, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, that received a 44% audience score.

However, the hype for the new movie could not be greater. The trailer instantly broke the Internet, and fans took to social media to discuss every last frame. Let’s break down what the trailer showed us, shall we?

RUN, REY, RUN!

The trailer opens with a shot of Rey running through the forest and scaling the inside a ship. The scene appears to be part of Rey’s space workout routine, as she is shown leaping and deflecting blaster shots. While we see no new skills, it will be interesting to see if Rey has become stronger in the Force since we last saw her.

Photo: Disney

I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHO YOU ARE

A few shots later, we see Rey standing on the wreckage of the second Death Star as Kylo Ren emerges from the fog to challenge her in lightsaber combat. In the voiceover, Rey insists that no one truly knows her:

“Everyone keeps telling me they know me. No one does.”

I am not even convinced Rey knows who she is. All this Jedi stuff is still fairly new to Rey and caused her to struggle with her identity throughout the previous film. However, Kylo Ren thinks he does as he replies:

“But I do.”

Kylo most likely does know Rey better than anyone else due to their strong Force bond, but his line could have been pulled from a different context in the movie as well. The last time these two met, Rey rejected Kylo Ren’s proposal to rule the galaxy with him, so their dynamic in this film will be interesting.

Photo: Disney

PALPS IS BACK IN BLACK

From a duel to a throne room, we see an unnerving chair with thorn-like arms projecting from it. The location has Emperor Palpatine written all over it as we hear a voiceover that suggests the Sith Lord has been the mastermind behind the events in the sequel trilogy:

“Long have I waited… and now… you’re coming together… is your undoing.”

While we do not know for certain who Emperor Palpatine is directing this omen towards, I will bet it is about Kylo Ren and Rey.

Photo: Disney

PASS THE TISSUES

If you were not expecting a tearjerker in this trailer, you may have found yourself sobbing after the next shot of C-3PO delivering an emotional farewell:

“[I’m] taking one last look sir… at my friends.”

Photo: Disney

And if that was not enough to jar your emotions, prepare for goosebumps. The next tidbit of the trailer features an epic score of the Star Wars main theme with a voiceover of the legendary Luke Skywalker offering someone—probably Rey—advice:

“Confronting fear is the destiny of the Jedi… your destiny.”

Are any of us emotionally prepared for this film?

THE DARK AND THE LIGHT

Next, we are taken back to Death Star II where Rey is conversing with Kylo Ren in Emperor Palpatine’s old throne room. Rey’s lightsaber is on, but not Kylo’s as he appears to just be chatting for the moment.

Photo: Disney

Two shots later, we see another scene of Kylo Ren and Rey. The two are whacking Kylo’s pedestal that holds Darth Vader’s helmet with their lightsabers, but whether they are accidentally knocking it over during a fight or purposefully destroying it is unknown.

Photo: Disney

After a shot of the Resistance riding across a ship on horses, we once again see Rey and Kylo Ren who confront Emperor Palpatine. It is safe to assume we should be expecting multiple interactions between Kylo Ren and Rey in the film, as their involvement with Emperor Palpatine appears to be the focal point of the film.

WHO IS REY LOOKING AT?

The trailer closes out with Rey wielding her lightsaber while smiling passionately at something or rather—someone.

Photo: Disney

Is she watching Kylo Ren return to the light side? A Resistance pal like Poe or Finn? Or maybe a Force ghost of Luke Skywalker? We will have to wait to find out when The Rise of Skywalker is released in theaters on December 20th.