Nick Hughes
Opinion Editor
During Star Wars Celebration Chicago there were three trailers that caught the most attention around the world for Star Wars fans. Those being the “Rise of Skywalker” trailer, the “Clone Wars” season eight trailer, the “Mandalorian” and the “Jedi: Fallen Order” trailer.
This is a spoiler warning for all those reading this article. A lot of content was released during Celebration Chicago. There was a lot to take in and it is hard to order what was the most important announcement. Fans of the sequel trilogy, which are Episodes VII and VIII currently, would say that the “Rise of the Skywalker” trailer was the most important. Fans of the “Clone Wars” are most likely extremely hyped for the “Clone Wars” season eight trailer. Gamers are most likely going crazy over the “Jedi: Fallen Order” trailer.
First there was the Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker trailer and it was an emotional rollercoaster for the attendees of the panel, which seemed to be everyone in attendance. To put it mildly, fans were ecstatic for the trailer prior to it coming out. The anticipation was palpable to say the least. The trailer opens with a shot of Rey, the main protagonist. Audio then starts playing of Luke Skywalker talking. Luke Skywalker is famously portrayed as Luke Skywalker in the original trilogy comprising of Episodes four, five and six, A New Hope, Empire Strikes Back, and the Return of the Jedi respectively.
The trailer continues to see what looks like Kylo Ren’s hands in a tie fighter variant. Fan theories are popping up all over the internet regarding the very first scene in the trailer. This can be said for the entire trailer and the Snapper will be analyzing the trailer in depth in the Opinion section this week. Rather then go through the whole trailer in this article, it would be better to look at the ending of the trailer.
The laugh that dominated the trailer was initially thought to be Emperor Palpatine. Palpatine is the presumed villain of the Episode due to the confirmation from JJ Abrams that Ian McDiarmid will be reprising his role as Emperor Palpatine in Episode IX. This was confirmed even more so when McDiarmid came out on stage and, in Palpatine’s voice, said to play the trailer again.
The reveal of Palpatine was shocking and many Star Wars fans immediately took to Twitter and other various social media platforms to talk about the trailer. It is notable that very few people spoiled the Palpatine laugh for at least four days after the trailer came out.
The other trailers were phenomenally done and shown off as well. The Jedi: Fallen Order trailer is for the video game of the same name. It shows an apprentice that escaped Order 66 in Episode III trying to live a simple life after the Jedi Purge. Eventually the character is found out and must start running for his life. Eventually the second sister is shown, who is a part of the Sith Inquisitors, and she is revealed to be one of the main villains. The big aspect that many are excited about for the trailer is that the game will feature no microtransactions, a feature common in a lot of AAA title games, and there will be a full game at the beginning of launch for gamers to play. This is unfortunately, becoming a rarer trait in the video game industry.
The other two trailers, the Mandalorian and The Clone Wars Season eight trailer both enthralled watchers as well. The Mandalorian will be the first live-action Star Wars tv show and will be featured exclusively on Disney’s new streaming service Disney+. The Clone Wars season eight trailer teased what could be one of the most anticipated lightsaber duels in a long time between Ahsoka Tano and Maul. The Clone Wars is well known for spectacular lightsaber duels and combat and many are eagerly awaiting the return of Ahsoka to the Clone Wars.
Celebration was an awesome event and many fans left viewing parties and Chicago itself immensely satisfied with Star Wars and its future.
