Lucasfilm(CHICAGO) — Today at Star Wars Celebration, a fan event in Chicago, the name of the ninth Star Wars movie was finally revealed: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Following a Stephen Colbert-hosted Q&A panel with director J.J. Abrams, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, and the film’s cast — including Daisy Ridley, Oscar Isaacs, John Boyega, and Billy Dee Williams — the movie’s title was unveiled along with the first teaser trailer.
The trailer opens on a desert planet, with Ridley’s Rey facing off against a TIE Interceptor like a matador, armed only with her lightsaber. As it approaches, we hear Luke Skywalker’s voice reaching out to her. “We’ve passed on all we know. A thousand generations live in you now. But this is your fight.”
Shots of Kylo Ren repairing his helmet follow, and then we see Rey’s friends Poe, Finn, Chewbacca, and the droids C-3PO and BB-8, united on a mission together.
A couple of original Star Wars trilogy cast members are seen also: Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian is once again blasting through hyperspace in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon, and the late Carrie Fisher as General Leia hugs Rey warmly. Unused footage shot of the actress in Episode VII was used to give Fisher a presence in this film.
As Poe, Finn, Chewie and the droids approach the wreckage of the Death Star, we hear Luke say, “No one is really gone.” That’s followed by the haunting laughter of Emperor Palpatine, who was supposed to have been killed at the climax of Return of the Jedi.
In fact, Ian McDiarmid, who played the character, was the last to take the stage after the trailer ended.
Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker opens December 20 from Lucasfilm, which like ABC News, is owned by Disney.
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