You might have seen the tweets about D23's exclusive Star Wars sneak peek, and you might have heard the rumors, but when you actually see Star Wars tease Dark Rey in the new Episode 9 footage from D23, it will shake you to your core. The footage starts off with a reel of past films in the saga, and that takes up the majority of the new trailer. But the real kicker happens in the final moments, with Rey in a dark hood and wielding a double-edged red lightsaber.
This special look originally debuted at the D23 Expo on Saturday, Aug. 24. It's an annual convention where Disney shares the newest Disney property updates, usually involving big projects. This year they made many announcements regarding Disney+ and all the new shows and movies that will be streaming there. And, of course, it was also a chance for them to give more updates on their upcoming Marvel and Star Wars shows and movies. According to reports on Twitter, the panel where this Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker trailer came from bagged everyone's phones, which prevented this footage from leaking onto the web — for the most part. But, thanks to Disney's decision to release the footage on Monday, Aug. 26, the world is now able to witness this final look at Star Wars and the end to Rey's — and the Skywalker — journey.
Luke Skywalker is speaking in the video, but so is Palpatine, aka Darth Sidious. "We've passed on all we know," Skywalker is heard saying in a voiceover. "A thousand generations live in you now. But this is your fight." Presumably, he's talking to Rey, but given the familiarity of the dialogue, it's also quite possible this is a flashback to when he was training Ben Solo (before he turned into Kylo Ren). Palpatine's voice comes in at the end, saying, "Your journey... nears its end." As this is heard, Dark Rey appears on screen, looking ready to murder someone with a sinister new lightsaber.
There are, of course, already theories about this moment where you see Dark Rey. Some believe it's just a vision, a manifestation of the darkness within her, while others worry Rey is actually turning to the dark side. ScreenRant reported that the official Star Wars site originally described this part of the teaser footage as a "vision of a Rey with a reticulated red blade," but then updated it to read "the sight of Rey with a reticulated red blade." This change suggests they caught themselves confirming a potential spoiler, giving credence to the theory that Dark Rey is, in fact, just a vision.
After the footage was shown at D23, Daisy Ridley herself commented on Dark Rey. In an interview with Yahoo where they asked if people are already "reading too much" into this Dark Rey plot, she said, "I mean, the evidence is on the screen. Take that evidence as you will. But, there's no smoke without fire." While speaking with IGN, John Boyega definitely played it off as a new wardrobe choice while Kelly Marie Tran made sure to let everyone know that this movie is going out "with a bang."
No matter what your theories are or who you want to believe, the very last Star Wars movie about the Skywalker saga will definitely be keeping fans on their toes.
