Star Wars Episode 9 title revealed as The Rise of Skywalker

Along with the first trailer, we have finally got confirmation of what Star Wars Episode 9's title is.

Say hello to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

The trailer was launched during the Episode 9 panel at Star Wars Celebration, with it ending on the title reveal – much like the first trailer for Avengers: Endgame did.

But what does it mean?

The film is being billed as the end of the nine-film Skywalker Saga, so the title comes as something of a puzzle. With Luke gone, and Leia presumably not long for this world after Carrie Fisher's death, the only other Skywalker we know to be around is Adam Driver's villainous, tortured Kylo Ren.

Could this somehow relate to the return of Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid)? We don't know how he survived after his explosive fall in Return of the Jedi (maybe he's been hiding out on the apparent Death Star wreckage that we see at the end of the trailer), but he had a long-running obsession with the Skywalker family.

Knowing the secrecy surrounding Star Wars, things aren't likely to become any clearer until the film is released at Christmas.

Before the panel today, there had been a huge amount of secrecy surrounding the movie, even with the actors.

"They don't give you a script, you have to go to a room where there are bodyguards outside, closed-circuit television cameras, and it's printed on crimson pages so you can't photograph it. You have to read it in there, and then leave," explained Richard E Grant.

Filming on the movie wrapped in February, with returning director JJ Abrams marking the occasion with an emotional post on Twitter.

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"It feels impossible, but today wrapped photography on Episode IX. There is no adequate way to thank this truly magical crew and cast. I’m forever indebted to you all," he wrote, alongside a photo of Daisy Ridley, Oscar Isaac and John Boyega.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is released in UK cinemas on December 19 and US cinemas on December 20.

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Ian Sandwell

Movies Editor, Digital Spy  Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor.  Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world.   After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.
 

Hugh Armitage

Hugh Armitage is Movies Editor at Digital Spy.