D23 is the Disney expo for fans of all things Disney, and the new trailer for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker made its debut there this past weekend. At long last, it has now been released to the public.

Here it is. Pause the SCIFI.radio stream using the controller at the upper right before viewing – and turn up the speakers, and darken the room if you can, because it’s going to be a real experience.

It will be more than a year and a half since the last Star Wars movie came out by the time comes out on December 20, 2019, and Disney and Lucasfilm have obviously been using the time to make sure the new film is strong with the Force.

We get a beautiful recap of the story arc of the Skywalkers that has been the primary thread through all of the eight previous Star Wars movies. It’s all tantalizing flashes.

• We see Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia, reminding us that this is the last film in which we will ever see her.
• We hear Luke’s voice telling Rey that the Jedi have passed on all they know, and that now it’s her fight.
• We see Rey with Chewbacca, C3PO, Finn and Poe Dameron crested a reach to witness the apparent destruction of a settlement. It’s unclear whether the it’s the Rebellion winning, or the First Order.
• We see Rey cut a tree in half by throwing a lightsaber like a boomerang, and it returns to her hand.
• We see C3PO with red eyes.
• We see a skyfull of Rebel ships, with the Millenium Falcon flying in formation with a squadron of fighter ships.
• We see another sky of Imperial Battlecruisers, packed almost wingtip to wingtip.
• We see Rey and Kylo Ren fighting on what looks like a piece of a downed capital ship, with a lightning storm raging around them.
• We hear the Emperor’s voice, saying “Your journey … nears its end.”

And the next shot is Rey with a folding duel lightsaber that opens like a jack knife. She’s wearing dark robes and looks for all the world like a Sith.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker stars Adam Driver as Kylo Ren, Daisy Ridley as Rey, Mark Hammill as Luke Skywalker, Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron, Billie Lourd (Carrie Fisher’s daughter), Lupita Nyong’o as Maz Katana, Ian McDirmid as Emperor Palpatine, Kelly Marie Tran as Rose Tico, John Boyaga as Finn, Anthony Daniels as C3PO, Jimmy Vee as R2D2, Joonas Sutamo as Chewbacca, and makes its big screen debut on December 20, 2019.

The greatest science fiction story ever told on film comes to a close, and in its wake not only storytelling in cinema but the technology of motion pictures itself has been changed forever. Though this is the last of the nine films in the Star Wars story arc, its legacy will ring through cinematic history.

The Force will be with us, always.

-30-