With the debut of the final Star Wars film in the nine film series just 60 days away, and today being Carrie Fisher’s birthday, we couldn’t think of a better day upon which the trailer for Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker to be released. Apparently, neither could Disney / Lucasfilm. It’s finally, finally, finally here.

Pause the SCIFI.radio stream using the controller at the upper right while you watch. Watch it full screen if you can, with good headphones or speakers, and ideally in a darkened room surrounded by your fellow Star Wars fanatics, because this is the last trailer for the Star Wars saga you will ever see.

There are so many surprises in the new trailer, it’s hard to know where to start. The main storyline is finally revealed, at least in tantalizing glimpses. We can’t tell a whole lot even now, because of course the point of a trailer is to tantalize while not giving away the story, but here’s what we do notice: Hearing the voice of the Emperor gives us goosebumps. All of the rebels finding one another and coming together will be their undoing? *Gulp*. Obviously the relationship between Rey and Kylo Ren takes an interesting turn, as they are working together against a common foe – but to what end? Will Kylo turn to the light side, or betray Rey in the final moments? The Imperial Cruiser rise from the waters is an absolutely phenomonal sight. And that big battle scene – that is a lot of ships, and – wait, is that the Ghost from Star Wars Rebels? If it is, then this stitches the animated series and the nine film motion picture arc together in some potentially very interesting ways. This is the final film of the much beloved Carrie Fisher, whose birthday is coincidentally today. How did J.J. Abrams and the other writers work around the loss of this pivotal character? We had heard that there was enough leftover footage from Star Wars Episode VIII: The Force Awakens that they were able to weave her back into the story, but what we see of her in this final trailer whets our appetite. How big is the subplot they’ve written for her? From familiar starships to formidable foes, the trailer is packed with teases of the thrilling conclusion to the generational story of a family that has found itself on the front lines of a galactic struggle of light against dark, and not always on the right side. Watch (or, more likely, rewatch) the trailer and stay tuned for deeper dives right here as we kick this wait into lightspeed in its final weeks. Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker stars Billie Lourd, Lupita Nyong’o, Daisey Ridley, Adam Driver, Mark Hamill, Oscar Isaac, Keri Russell, Carrie Fisher, Ian McDiarmid, Kelly Marie Tran, Billie Dee Williams, John Boyega, Anthony Daniels, Jimmy Vee (as R2), Dave Chapman (as BB-8), Domhnall Gleeson, Richard E. Grant, Greg Grunberg, Joonas Suotamo, and Richard Bremmer (identified only as “actor”, so we think he’s playing a central, pivotal character), and makes its big screen debut on December 20, 2019. Tickets go on sale today.

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