The wait is over. We now know the title for Star Wars: Episode IX and it’s a lot to take in. Are you ready to know? The official title for the final Star Wars film in the Skywalker saga is Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

 

The title reveal came at the end of a lengthy, star-studded panel at the Star Wars Celebration in Chicago on Friday and was the last bit of new information shared following the unveiling of a pulse-pounding teaser trailer for Episode IX. The panel — moderated by Stephen Colbert and featuring director J.J. Abrams, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, and cast members Anthony Daniels, Billy Dee Williams, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Kelly Marie Tran, Joonas Suotamo, and newcomer Naomi Ackie — was minimal on information in regard to the plot specifics, how certain characters and their relationships with one another would develop in the final film, big moments to watch out for, and the like. But what the panel lacked in concrete information (sure, fans have a decent idea of what to expect, but we’re still mostly in the dark here), the teaser more than made up for it.

 

The teaser delivers more information than one fan can possibly process in the space of two minutes, but what we’re going to spend the most time thinking about is what “The Rise of Skywalker” could possibly mean. Going into Episode IX, we know that there’s not a whole lot of Skywalkers left. With Luke disappearing and becoming one with the Force and Leia having handed over command of The Resistance to Poe Dameron at the end of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the only Skywalker left is Kylo Ren (don’t forget: Kylo was born Ben Solo, the son of Leia and Han Solo). If, for some reason, Kylo is the Skywalker referenced in the title, then that is going to cast some problematic shadows over this final film as viewers attempt to reconcile how one of this sequel trilogy’s biggest antagonists is suddenly being positioned as the secret focus of the film.

On the other hand, “The Rise of Skywalker” could somehow relate to Rey, who has been viewed as one of the main protagonists in this sequel trilogy as well as the successor to Luke Skywalker in terms of power, backstory, and function in the world of Star Wars. Rey’s parentage has been an ongoing question since Star Wars: The Force Awakens and although plenty of theories exist about who her parents might be, the films have actively avoided giving a definitive answer on the topic. Could the answer to Rey’s parentage somehow be tied to the Skywalker name? There’s also been a theory floating around that Rey is a clone of Luke Skywalker. At this point, anything is possible.

For now, it’s all theories and wild guesses. We’ll have to find out the true meaning of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker when it arrives in theaters on December 20.

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