This trailer came out of D23 and posted over at YouTube this morning. There’s a bit more Rise of the Skywalker footage in the last half but the first half is a highlight reel of some of the better moments of the Skywalker Saga. It was like they’re saying, “Hey, remember how awesome these movies were?”, like an amuse-bouche to what will eventually culminate into Rise of the Skywalker. Rian may have driven it into the ground with what he did to Last Jedi, but he’s got nothing on the power of nostalgia.
One of the most interesting things to note is that the clips used in the montage are shown in theatrical release order, and not story order. It shows clips from A New Hope, then Empire, then Return, before showing clips from Phantom Menace, and… whatever the other two were called. And I’ll be honest, I’m not even sure clips from II and III are even in the trailer. The majority of the flashback was weighed heavily on the OT. Then it comes full circle back to Force Awakens and Last Jedi scenes. So if there’s any question as to how the proper way to view the Saga, it’s answered by this trailer: 4, 5, 6, 1, 7, 8.
Anyways, the last half has some stuff from Rise. The very last scene is of course meant to titillate the fans. Or infuriate them.
Take it for what it is. I think my ambivalence is stemming from The Last Jedi being ever so unsatisfying. The bar is set pretty low so hopefully it won’t be any worse. I wouldn’t put it past them to do just that though.
Star Wars Episode IX, Rise of the Skywalker comes out this December.
