While we don't know how it will happen, the first trailer for
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker confirmed that Emperor Palpatine will somehow be resurrected. However, a new report from a very reliable source reveals that another character is coming back, and it's fair to say that none of us could have predicted this one: Harrison Ford's Hal Solo!
Apparently, the sequence will feature a meeting between Kylo Ren and Han Solo which will serve as a "surprise intervention of sorts" for the villain.
It's said that Ren will ask the remains of Darth Vader's helmet for guidance before being met by the Force Ghost of Luke Skywalker; Han will then appear as part of a "vision" or "dream" induced by the Jedi Master, and it sounds like he's going to forgive his son in an attempt to bring him back to the Light. Those theories about a Ren/Rey team-up are starting to add up, eh?
The site cautions that they only have a rough outline of the scene so things could change, but it appears as if we'll finally get to see the older versions of Luke and Han share the screen in some capacity.
How J.J. Abrams managed to convince Ford to return to the franchise is hard to say but there is, of course, a chance that his scenes were shot during production on
The Force Awakens (it depends how far ahead Lucasfilm was planning). What are your thoughts on these spoilers for
Episode IX?
For a recap of more recently revealed Star Wars:
The Rise of Skywalker spoilers, hit the "View List" button below!
New Characters
There are two noteworthy new additions to the franchise highlighted here: Naomi Ackie's Jannah and who we believe to be Keri Russell as Zorii. Their placement on the promo poster leads us to assume that they'll be on the side of good, but while Jannah looks like she's probably a Rebel fighter of some sort, Zorii could very easily end up being a Bounty Hunter.
It's worth noting that we've heard rumours about Jannah being Lando's daughter, but there's nothing here that seems to link them.
That droid sitting alongside BB-8 is said to be a new comedic sidekick of some sort and that alien next to Finn...well, his or her identity is a mystery for the time being.
The Knights Of Ren
Talking of new characters, there are six of them flanking Kylo Ren, and you probably don't need us to tell you that these are the Knights of Ren we first saw in
Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
It's been said in the past that they all have different Sith-like abilities but none of them have a lightsaber from what we can see here, and they're instead wielding pretty ancient looking, physical weapons. The big questions going into this movie are: who are they, and what makes Kylo so special that he's been chosen to lead them?
Common sense says it has something to do with his heritage and Supreme Leader Snoke.
New Ships
Look closely in the background of the poster and you'll notice some new Resistance starships blasting through space. As expected, both the A-Wings and Y-Wings have returned and there's even what appears to be a red/orange X-Wing.
On The First Order side of things, we have what seems to be a brand new TIE Fighter but it's possible that it's either an updated version of a past model, or even what Kylo Ren will be piloting into battle. It feels like we're long overdue a space-fight, as the current trilogy has yet to beat the prequels or the original movies in that respect!
The Lightsabers
Kylo Ren's lightsaber still looks relatively unstable, but perhaps not quite as noticeably as in the previous two chapters (that could be a creative decision rather than a story-based one, though).
As for Rey, it seems as if she rebuilt Luke's old blade, but it's hard to say for sure as her hands obviously obscure much of it. Either way, she seems to be sticking with blue so those theories about her wielding a green lightsaber - similar to her former "master" in
Return of the Jedi - clearly aren't correct.
Kylo Ren's Helmet
We've heard rumblings for ages now that Kylo Ren will repair his helmet after smashing it in a fit of rage in
The Last Jedi and this artwork confirms that.
I don't know what sort of glue they have in a Galaxy Far, Far Away, but that sinister red glow looks very cool and seeing as he was the one who introduced the helmet, you can understand why Abrams has found a way to bring it back. I can't wait to see if this distorts his voice in any way (more so than it already does) but it makes for a great visual*.
*and should look particularly cool on action figures and other merchandise!
The Original Three
With no sign of Luke, Han, or Leia (sigh...), we do have the new trilogy's main heroes front and centre, but do their costumes tell us anything about what we should expect from them here?
Rey is decked out in the colours you would expect to see a hopeful Jedi wearing, while Finn looks like he may have risen up the ranks of the Resistance (which is well-deserved after the lengths the former Stormtrooper was willing to go to the last time we saw him).
As for Poe, it seems as if he's fully embraced his role as a soldier and his costume more than likely points to him spending a fair bit of time on the battlefield in this adventure.
Red Stormtroopers
There have been some disagreements about whether these new-look Stormtroopers are red or just bathed in a red light but I can tell you that it is, in fact, the former. We've known for a while now that red versions of their armour would debut here, and while their purpose isn't known quite yet, it's likely that they're some sort of elite kill squad.
Plus, if we're being totally realistic, one of the main reasons they exist is probably to sell toys!
After all, there's only so much money Disney can make out of Stormtroopers and these nifty red numbers will definitely be a must-have for many collectors out there.
What The Hell Is Going On With C-3PO?
I think this is probably the biggest takeaway from the promo poster, right?
While Chewbacca can be seen at the top of the poster, cast your eyes down and you'll notice C-3PO wearing Chewie's bandolier and wielding his crossbow. Is Lucasfilm trolling us at this point, or what? Well, while this might just be a moment played for laughs, I have a somewhat darker prediction for you.
What if Chewie ends up biting the dust in this movie and Threepio picks up his weapons as a way of paying homage to a fallen friend? It may sound far-fetched, but who would have though Luke and Han would be gone by this point?
Some Big Omissions
It's important to remember that this poster won't be one we see in movie theaters later this year. Instead, it's the sort of thing you'd find on a poster rack in Walmart or across a t-shirt or other pieces of merchandise like mugs and lunchboxes.
Despite that, many fans have already pointed out that there are some key characters missing, including R2-D2, General Leia Organa, and Lando Calrissian. This isn't necessarily an indication that they'll have only very minor roles in the movie, but it's easy enough to see why some people are worried - particularly when poor old R2 is the only droid not being given the spotlight.
It's Subject To Change
A couple of very reliable
Star Wars fansites who have been keeping on top of a lot of leaks have pointed out that some of the imagery seen here doesn't match what they've been shown or what they've heard about. Why is that significant? Well, it might not be, but it's worth pointing out that Zorii's helmet is different in the character images to what we see on the poster.
Personally, I would say the poster is the more accurate source of the two as it looks very final, but it's hard to say with these leaks and it could easily be little more than a mockup.
Either way, we need to prepare ourselves for the fact that what we've seen here could end up changing and that we won't get a "final" look at any of these characters until a little later this year, or possibly even next month when that trailer debuts at Star Wars Celebration...