The past few years have been very exciting for Star Wars fans. After Disney acquired Lucasfilm, plenty of new and exciting content has arrived to expand the galaxy far, far away. Both standalone films and main sequels movies have arrived in theaters, with J.J. Abrams’ The Rise of Skywalker arriving in just a few months. Episode IX will end the current trilogy and nine-film Skywalker Saga, harkening back to A New Hope. The upcoming movie’s first trailer revealed that Palpatine will somehow factor in, as his iconic laugh was heard as the screen faded to black. And now Abrams has explained this choice.
Palpatine’s inclusion in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker threw the fans for a loop, as he seemingly perished in Return of the Jedi, and hasn’t been seen since. It’s unclear exactly how J.J. Abrams will utilize the iconic villain for his next blockbuster, but recently explained why he decided to bring Palpatine back for his second Star Wars blockbuster. He said:
Well, that’s exciting. While Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will tell its own story, J.J. Abrams seems to understand the responsibility of wrapping up the long-running franchise’s story. Which means that characters from George Lucas’ original trilogy are going to be needed.
J.J. Abrams’ comments to Empire help to illuminate the filmmaker’s process, and hopefully indicates what care he’s taking with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Because in addition to ending the story he began with 2015’s The Force Awakens, Abrams will also have to end the story George Lucas started back with A New Hope. The filmmaker must link all three trilogies of movies, so the scope of the movie has to be much larger than his first outing in the franchise.
There are a ton of questions heading into The Rise of Skywalker, and Palpatine is at the top of most fans’ lists. Does his inclusion mean he somehow survived the destruction of the second Death Star? And if so, how exactly did he make it out alive? If Palpatine isn’t physically alive during Episode IX, perhaps he’ll be a Force Ghost. Sith have never been shown to have that ability, but perhaps J.J. Abrams will make a change to the canon to facilitate fallen characters.
In typical Star Wars fashion, trailers and information about The Rise of Skywalker has been limited, as Lucasfilm methodically releases new clips ahead of the film’s release. We still have a few months left before the franchise returns to theaters, so cinephiles might have to sit tight until the studio decides to release more details about Episode IX.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will fly into theaters December 20th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.