The final trailer for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker has arrived, and man, it’s loaded with new footage. There’s a lot to unpack in this one, though none of it compares to a mysterious shot we get towards the end of the trailer. The scene looks to feature Emperor Palpatine, and may confirm what his status is in the final movie in the Skywalker Saga.
The scene is quick, but features yet another laugh from the former Emperor absolutely drenched in reverb. Rey is seen in the distance as a figure in some sort of machine is descending upon her. Their hood can be seen flailing in the wind upon their descent. Now, who do we know that wears a black hood rather consistently throughout the Star Wars movies?
Is this Emperor Palpatine? It’s certainly what the trailer wants us to believe, as the imagery matched with the vocal cue certainly led us to speculate. Yet there’s no face reveal, so we can’t be completely sure. This could be a total fake-out on Disney’s part to throw audiences off the trail, though it’s worth noting Star Wars: The Last Jedi did little to no deceiving in its trailer footage.
If that is the Emperor, it looks like he’s being supported by a hefty bit of machinery. That isn’t surprising considering machinery is often used in the Star Wars universe to keep those who are nearly dead alive. It’s possible the Emperor’s incapable of leaving that machine, and with his command of the Force, he really doesn’t need to if he wants to reek havoc.
This scene appears to take place during the climactic massive battle between the First Order and Resistance, as evidenced by the copious amounts of lightning and blue-gray tint to the picture. There’s another sound byte earlier in the trailer from the Emperor about how he’s waited for them to come together. The trailer shows Rey and her friends, but is that who he’s referring to? If I were a betting man, I’d have to think the Emperor is talking about Rey and Kylo Ren.
Both are seen running about with their lightsabers in that massive rainy battle scene. Meanwhile, there’s a shot of Palpatine’s vacant throne, which could mean he’s decided to act on whatever grand plan he may have. We don’t know what that plan is, and just to put it out there again, we’re not even 100% positive that’s Palpatine. We do have a sneaking suspicion though, and it’s looking like Darth Sidious somehow survived the second Death Star’s destruction.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker premieres in theaters Friday, December 20. Stick with CinemaBlend for all the latest news that’s happening on the Star Wars front, and other movies this fall season.