- Read More: ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ – what we know so far about the final film in the trilogy
Has Rey invented the flip-phone lightsaber?
In the mid-noughties the pinnacle of tech was the illustrious flip-phone. Whether you were flaunting a metallic blue number or a chic navy, everybody bought one for the same basic reason. With a bit of practice, it was possible to open it up with a nonchalant downward flick of the wrist: answering the phone was an exhilarating rush. Just ask Adele, who hung onto her trusty flip-phone ‘til her ‘Hello’ video in 2015.
With this in mind, it’s understandable that Rey has acquired a slice of flip-phone action, with a lightsaber that cooly unfurls like a Motorola RZR? Though she’s not the first person to pioneer such a thing (Pong Krell from Clone Wars has two hinged sabers, and the Jedi Temple Guards use a similar folding design) she certainly wields it with the most style.
Also – what’s with the red lightsaber and the Sith robes? Why is she turning to Darth Maul for fashion tips? Is this a hint that she has turned to the Dark Side? To deploy a rare quote from The Hoosiers, we’re starting to worry about Rey.
Why does C-3PO have pink-eye?
Babe, are you ok? Do you need an antihistamine? A glass of water? In the latest look at Star Wars, we see the iconic golden droid rising gingerly up into a seated position, in a way that suggests he’s spent the entire afternoon getting stoned and watching the same episode of Bob’s Burgers. His eyes glow an ominous, evil hue of red. Perhaps he’s finally grown tired of everyone treating him like a glorified butler and translator for hire. Has he finally swapped his allegiance to the dark side? Frankly, who would blame him.
Sure, See-Threepio is a bit of an irritating smart arse at times. His head does tend to fall off during crucial moments of action. But also – the bloke is fluent in OVER SIX MILLION FORMS OF COMMUNICATION (by The Force Awakens, this total rises to seven million) which he puts to frequent use. Remember when he pulled off a diplomatic mission to befriend the hostile Ewoks, and ended up being worshipped by them thanks to his metallic exterior and ability to speak Ewokese? Exactly!
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Is… is… that Glastonbury?
Around a minute into the latest sneak peek at Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Rey, Poe, Finn, Chewbacca and C-3PO stroll down a sandy incline which overlooks a tent-filled city in the middle of the desert. Awash with smoke flares, flags, and brightly dressed residents (also, is that a helter-skelter in the distance?!) it looks a little bit like the view from The Park at Glastonbury. Is Chew off to get a massage in the healing fields? Has Finn got his programme and reusable water bottle stowed away in that rather fetching satchel of his? Why does Poe look so pissed off? Did he get caught out by that demonic clash between Christine and The Queens and Janelle Monae on the Sunday night? Also, where is R2-D2? Even he’s not still having it large up the Stone Circle, his absence from the trailer still seems pretty notable.
In reality, it probably isn’t Glastonbury after all. As luck would have it, Vanity Fair has a few more accurate details about where the gang are actually headed – an advance look at the forthcoming installment states that this festival-esque place is actually the new desert planet of Pasaana, on the outskirts of the galaxy and home to the Aki Aki tribe. It’s not Worthy Farm at all! That explains why Chew isn’t towing along a tinny-laden trolley, then.
What’s up with the montage?
The first half of this ‘special look’ is dedicated to an extended flashback. Featuring snogs, saber-fights, baby Anakin Skywalker, Yoda, a young Princess Leia, melty-face Darth Vader, and various other scenes and characters from previous Star Wars movies, it’s a bit of a stroll down memory lane, right back to the heady days of the early films.
Fans who aren’t keen on the direction Disney has taken with later Star Wars films might well be skeptical of such a big throwback factor. Others are bawling their eyes out at the hefty dose of nostalgia, which comes as the sequel trilogy draws to a close, and the “Skywalker saga” wraps up for good.
Once Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker comes out at Christmas, there will be three trilogies spanning from 1977 to the present, along with standalone animated film The Clone Wars, and the origin stories Solo and Rogue One. That’s a lot of space opera to digest. Plus, given the amount of edibles C-3PO appears to have ingested in this new trailer, a quick memory jog is probably in order.
What role will Princess Leia play in Rise of Skywalker?
From the beginning of the trailer, which is soundtracked by Princess Leia’s theme from the Star Wars score, Leia seems like she’ll be a large presence in Rise of Skywalker. A previous teaser for the film, back in April, shows Leia hugging Rey – throwing back to their embrace in The Force Awakens, and its led to speculation that the pair might not be strangers after all. One thing’s for sure: Carrie had a hoot during the filming of that particular scene. “[Fisher] was actually whispering, ‘This is a fucking long hug!” Daisy Ridley (who plays Rey) told Vulture.
Director J.J. Abrams has also confirmed that the late Carrie Fisher’s character will play a key role in the new film. “The character of Leia is really, in a way, the heart of this story,” he said at D23’s Walt Disney Studios panel, as Variety reports . “We realised we could not possibly tell the end of these nine films without Leia. We realised that we had footage from Episode VII [The Force Awakens] and we could use it in a new way.” Rise of Skywalker will feature the last ever footage of Carrie Fisher in Star Wars: the actor died in 2016 – her family have approved the use of the previously unused footage.
