The first teaser for The Force Awakens came out over a year before the film was released. But for The Last Jedi, Disney and Lucasfilm waited until Star Wars Celebration, a multi-day event celebrating all things Watto (and other characters in a galaxy far, far away), to reveal the initial footage. That was a scant eight months before Rian Johnson ruined childhoods or whatever, but at least we already knew the title of the movie. Heading into this year’s Celebration, no one (save director and co-writer J.J. Abrams) knew the title of Episode IX or had seen the teaser. Until Friday when both finally debuted. It’s no longer Star Wars: Episode IX — it’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Skywalker isn’t the only one rising, though.
In a shocking reveal, the teaser trailer above ends with a familiar evil cackle from none other than Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidious, or as his friends call him, Sheev. What does this mean for Rey? Probably nothing good!
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, which stars Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Kelly Marie Tran, Joonas Suotamo, Billie Lourd, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher (using previously unreleased footage), Anthony Daniels, Billy Dee Williams, Naomi Ackie, Richard E. Grant, Keri Russell, and Ian McDiarmid (!), opens on December 20.