The third and final trailer for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was nothing if not emotional – aided, in large part, by John Williams’ majestic score.
Whether it’s the sight of Carrie Fisher’s Leia embracing Rey or the faint sound of Luke Skywalker’s voice, last night’s sizzle reel delivered one emotional haymaker after another. But none compared to the strikingly somber scene of C-3PO.
To recap: The fan-favorite droid is hooked up to some sort of apparatus, where a miniature welding droid is doing… something to the back of Threepio’s head. What, exactly, the Resistance has planned for Anthony Daniels’ series veteran is another question entirely, but when C-3PO turns to Poe Dameron and says, “taking one last look, sir, at my friends,” the Star Wars fanbase was sent into emotional meltdown.
Up until now, the Sequel Trilogy has said goodbye to Han Solo in The Force Awakens and Mark Hamill’s Luke Skywalker, who spent all his energy to bamboozle Kylo Ren (and essentially save the Resistance) during The Last Jedi‘s grand finale. And now, we turn to The Rise of Skywalker, which has been billed as the ninth and final installment in this beloved saga.
Couple this with the sky-high stakes and it’s nigh on certain that we’ll be saying goodbye to one or two big-name characters come December. But assuming J.J. Abrams isn’t planning a double bluff, the loss of Threepio will be difficult to swallow, given he’s been with the franchise from the very beginning. At the very least, it appears he’ll get the send-off he deserves.
On December 20th, Lucasfilm and J.J. Abrams bring the curtain down on the Skywalker Saga with The Rise of Skywalker.