The title for Episode IX was finally revealed to us at the end of its first trailer last weekend, and as the whole world knows by now, it’s The Rise of Skywalker. It came as a surprise at the time, but it turns out that it was alluded to back in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, in the same scene that also foreshadowed the title of The Last Jedi.
Reddit user A1_ebrock is responsible for pointing this out. In Snoke’s only appearance in TFA, the Supreme Leader of the First Order warns General Hux and Kylo Ren that their plans could soon be scuppered. “The droid will soon be delivered to the resistance, leading them to the last Jedi,” the villain says. “If Skywalker returns, the new Jedi will Rise.”
You can refresh your memory of the scene below:
Of course, this scene also almost name-checks TFA‘s title, too, as Snoke goes on to warn Kylo that there’s been an “awakening” in the Force. As such, along with the revelation that Ren is Han Solo and Leia’s son, this has to go down as one of the most important sequences in the whole trilogy.
Furthermore, this particular scene might also tell us who the Skywalker that Episode IX‘s title refers to is. As mentioned above, Snoke calls Luke the last Jedi and TLJ confirmed that this was the case, as Luke believed that the Jedi order should end with him. He also infers though that Rey’s “the new Jedi” that will “rise,” and it’s widely theorized that Rey will be revealed to be a secret Skywalker in Episode IX and that the title refers to her.
On the other hand, an alternate theory suggests that, in honor of Luke, Rey will be dubbed a “Skywalker” in a different sense, with the term perhaps becoming the new name for heroic Force-users. It’s another compelling take, which would fit with the foreshadowing in this scene and still prove Snoke’s fears right.
In any case, we’ll find out how much Star Wars: The Force Awakens predicted the future when The Rise of Skywalker hits theaters on December 20th.
