Crooked Table Podcast: Episode 112 — Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker Title and Trailer Reaction

Listeners to the show — or, really, anyone within earshot — already know how much of an affinity Rob has for the Star Wars saga. The intergalactic battles and “space opera” melodrama of the Skywalker family have been attracting audiences for more than 40 years. So the fact that the franchise has long ranked among Rob’s personal favorites shouldn’t be much of a surprise.

Over more than 40 years, George Lucas’s “galaxy far, far away” has spawned countless films, television series, novels, comic books, video games and assorted ancillary merchandise. But, while the saga’s Disney overlords will certainly keep fresh content coming for many, many years (including original series on its upcoming Disney+ streaming services), 2019 does mark a definitive end to at least part of what we’ve all come to love about Star Wars.

This December, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker — the ninth “Episode” within the franchise centering on the lineage of Anakin Skywalker) — will bring a close to not just the sequel trilogy that began with the introduction of Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) in 2015’s The Force Awakens. The new film, featuring the return of director J.J. Abrams, will serve as the conclusion to the Skywalker story once and for all.

As such, the film has been shrouded in mystery. Until now.

At the recent Star Wars Celebration event in Chicago, Disney and Lucasfilm at long last unveiled the trailer (and, thusly, the title) of their follow-up to divisive 2017 release The Last Jedi. Clocking in at roughly two minutes, this first footage certainly doesn’t spoil anything. But it does whet our appetites for what we may expect this December. Join us as we break down the title and trailer, exploring exactly what we may expect when Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hits theaters later this year.