The phantom menace, Sheev Palpatine, Darth Sidious – the Emperor is a man of many names (and many talents, it seems, given his ability to cheat death), which only portends danger for Rey and our Resistance heroes in this month’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
In fact, Episode IX is now so close we can almost hear Palpatine’s cackling laughter ringing through our ears – something that Daisy Ridley’s battle-ready heroine can sympathize with, as today’s TV spot for The Rise of Skywalker sees her come face-to-face with the ultimate Star Wars villain.
Forget Supreme Leader Snoke and the morally conflicted Kylo Ren, Palpatine is the real big bad of Lucasfilm’s far-away galaxy, and it’s fair to say that his unexpected return raises more questions than it answers. Nevertheless, up above you’ll be able to catch a fleeting glance of the Emperor, sat atop his enormous throne – a throne which ought to look familiar to diehard Star Wars fans, as it’s the realization of an unused design from 1983’s Return of the Jedi. Talk about a deep cut.
Harkening back to the franchise’s roots has seemingly informed J.J. Abrams and Chris Terrio’s strategy from the very beginning, who together were entrusted with the keys to the galaxy. Their mission? To deliver a satisfying conclusion to a 42-old-year film saga spanning nine installments and multiple generations. Will they stick the landing? We’ll find out very soon indeed.
On December 20th, Lucasfilm’s eternal struggle between the dark side and the light will reach an almighty crescendo thanks to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Early box office predictions have Episode IX pegged at a $200M+ opening on home turf, though whether J.J. Abrams’ grand finale can possibly match (or even surpass) The Force Awakens at $2.06 billion is another question entirely.
