And here we were thinking that Lando Calrissian’s return would be the biggest comeback teased in the first Star Wars: Episode IX trailer.
While the new teaser for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker has given the fans much to be excited about, the villainous Emperor Palpatine managed to steal the show with the mere sound of his sinister laughter. The internet has been freaking out all afternoon about Ian McDiarmid’s return to the series, and in a recent tweet, the actor offered his own ominous response to today’s trailer:
“The dark side is stronger than ever. #EpisodeIX”
Right now, we know next to nothing about Palpatine’s role in the Sequel Trilogy finale, but you can bet the theories are going to come thick and fast, and won’t stop until we get some answers, just over eight months from now.
At the very least, the Emperor’s comeback could be an effective means of connecting The Rise of Skywalker to the wider franchise. Indeed, the team at Lucasfilm has long insisted that this year’s release will serve as the culmination point for not just the Sequel Trilogy, but the Skywalker Saga as a whole. And sure enough, linking the story back to the original villain who set these events in motion is certainly one way to follow through on that claim.
In any case, the new trailer still packs a few noteworthy reveals besides Palpatine, the biggest surely being the film’s long-awaited title drop. Much like the Emperor tease, the name, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, seems designed to fuel speculation, but we’ll find out just which Skywalker is doing the rising when the film hits theaters on December 20th.