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Let's Gush About TRoS 3: Pre-Trailer 1 Hype

Thank god, it's finally October. I swear at the start of the year there was some headline about Disney's marketing people wanting to make 2019 a 'Year of Star Wars' to mark the end of the Skywalker Saga, but that definitely didn't happen. Instead we're getting just three months (a 'Season of Star Wars' perhaps), with The Rise of Skywalker, that Fallen Order game, and The Mandalorian all dropping between now and the end of the year. I'm also excited about Resistance Reborn and Star Wars: Allegiance, a Sequel era novel and comic series which could deliver the Rey, Finn, and Poe adventures I've wanted since TFA. I think we're all expecting the first full trailer for TRoS to drop early this month, so I might as well pass the time by listing what I want out of it.

Footage We Already Know Exists

First of all, it's probably about time we got the exclusive D23 footage. You know, with Kylo Ren looking down at the box that opens to reveal Vader's helmet, and the wee snippet of Rey/Finn dialogue ("It's too dangerous. I have to go alone." "We'll go together"). That stuff, which you can currently see on YouTube recorded by a phone in vertical, feels like good strong material for a first full trailer. Also, it's just delightful to see Rey and Finn together again. We have access to that footage now anyway, they might as well just give it to us in HD.

The Knights of Ren Fucking Shit Up

It's time. Give us a solid shot of the Knights of Ren fucking shit up. Ideally I'd like a few of them to have personalities and faces and names to latch onto, give a bit of spice to the group, but if action is all they're in this film to provide, I'll take action. Do it JJ. Hit the button. Hit the 'Knights of Ren fucking shit up' button. It's October. We've earned it. Let's be bad.

Where in the Galaxy is Rose Tico?

I love that most of the heroes are on the main adventure together this time rather than being split up into tiny groups. Still, the group can only be so big, and it seems like Rose has been left behind at the Resistance base. We've only had one still image of her so far and for a while it was sounding like she'd be stuck behind that computer terminal for the whole film, like a new Connix (except Connix herself has had a steadily increasing role since TFA, so even Connix isn't Connix any more).

Fortunately, we've just received a bio for Rose from the recent Triple Force Friday event: "Rose has risen through the ranks from lowly engineering support crew to military commander. She leads the Engineering Corps in making the necessary modifications to keep the Resistance's gear operational, as well as countering new advancements in First Order technology." So that's good - she actually has something to do in this film that builds on her role in maintainance. Hopefully the first full trailer actually shows us this role. Also, because she's hanging out at the Resistance base, she might be the one interacting with Leia the most. I'm sure ILM would be able to do something with the unused Carrie scenes to make that happen. The stuff they've already shown off has been most impressive. Speaking of which....

More Leia? And Potentially Some Luke?

Leia is in both sources of TRoS footage so far; the teaser trailer and the D23 special look (wearing probably my favourite #LeiaLook of the trilogy). That tells me she has a big part in this film - remember they didn't use Luke at all in the marketing for TFA because they didn't want anyone to be disappointed with his screentime. If she shows up in the first full trailer, I'd say that confirms she's more than a cameo. Clearly, whatever her role is, it's already something bigger than just one good scene and one good line, especially with that shot in the teaser of her looking at the Yavin medal.

Incidentally, the jungle planet she's on is definitely Yavin 4, right? That's the sort of detail that's exciting enough but also not really a spoiler enough that they could just reveal it in the trailer.

On the subject of Luke though, I'd say there's a chance he could be in the trailer. We obviously know he's in the film as a force ghost, and they've already been promoting him with a photo in the Vanity Fair shoot. They might as well throw him in the trailer, for no other reason than because a shot of force ghost Luke Skywalker would blow up Twitter.

The New Characters We Haven't Seen Yet

The D23 footage gave us our first look at Jannah, but what about Allegiant General Pryde and Zorii Bliss? Pryde is probably the one I'm most curious about. When the First Order was introduced in The Force Awakens, there were four significant villains: Kylo Ren, Snoke, Captain Phasma, and General Hux. Snoke and Phasma are now dead and it's looking like Kylo Ren might be redeemed by the end, leaving only General Hux as a First Order big bad who's death could mark the end of the whole organisation. He's a wonderfully irredeemable bastard who ordered the destruction of an entire system and has been a constant evil presence throughout the trilogy. Hux getting blown up could be a big victory moment that symbolises the end of the First Order in the same way the Emperor getting thrown down a pit symbolised the end of the Empire. That said, it helps to have a new First Order character so they don't seem so understaffed, and I'm excited to see Richard E. Grant in Star Wars. Because he's good in everything.

More of the New Planets

D'y'ever notice how most Star Wars planets are empty? Big empty deserts, big empty forests etc. The deserts and forests are pretty, but there's never any people. That's why the planet I'm most excited for in TRoS is Kijimi, where the vibe seems to be 'city from Skyrim'. I'd love it if the trailer showed off the Thieves' Quarter there, which we've heard is where Zorii Bliss hangs out. I want to actually learn about this planet so it's more than just a cool backdrop for the action.

Also: Mustafar. I still think Vader's castle on Mustafar would be a perfect home for the Knights of Ren. It's the only lava planet in the saga (at least that I can think of. Sullust has lava but we never see it in the films) and would be a nice way to reference one of the most popular moments from the prequels for what is (apparently) the last Skywalker film. They wouldn't need to go deep into what Vader's castle is or even that it's Vader's, but chances are the Knights of Ren are going to need a location to stand around and have dialogue anyway so rather than a Star Destroyer they might as well talk in a castle surrounded by lava.

So yeah. The first full trailer is this month, probably. It'll be amazing. I'll inevitably do another post when it drops going through all my thoughts on it. If nothing else I'm sure we'll get at least one big Dark Rey-sized thing to lose our minds over between now and December.