‘Star Wars’ excitement burns anew
Fan hope for a trailer and a title soon.
There’s only one fan convention that’s truly strong in the Force.
“Star Wars” fans will descend upon Chicago this weekend for Star Wars Celebration (April 11-15), the event dedicated to celebrating all things from George Lucas’ galaxy far, far away: video games, TV shows, books, theme-park rides. If it involves a lightsaber, a Wookiee or an Ewok, it’s here.
And this year’s event might be the biggest ever, because it’ll be the first real look at the much-anticipated (and asyet untitled, but maybe not for long) “Star Wars: Episode IX” (in theaters Dec. 20). The movie is the last chapter of the Skywalker saga that started with Lucas’ original 1977 “Star Wars” film, so there’s even more interest than usual. Given the mysterious nature of the project, the secrecy has fans hungering for anything.
Some satisfaction, though, will come in Friday’s spotlight “Episode IX” panel. Director J.J. Abrams and executive producer Kathleen Kennedy are the only people announced thus far, but seeing as how “The Last Jedi” panel two years ago brought out all the big stars – Mark Hamill, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega – chances are good some familiar faces will show up as surprises.
Here are burning questions about “Episode IX” that we’re dying to have answered at Star Wars Celebration:
Are we getting an ‘Episode IX’ trailer?
Abrams’ “The Force Awakens,” the spinoff “Rogue One” and Rian Johnson’s “The Last Jedi” all unveiled footage at past celebrations, so expect that the first glimpse of what’s to come will hit Friday. Chances are, it’ll be a bunch of random sequences that tell us nothing, spliced together with awesome John Williams music, but even that’s OK. No trailer and the audience may turn into a rougher crowd than at the Mos Eisley Cantina.
What’s the title of this thing anyway?
Usually an episode title has been revealed by now. “The Force Awakens” was announced at the end of principal photography, and “The Last Jedi” was named almost a year before its release. The other trilogy-enders were “Revenge of the Sith” (“Episode III”) and “Return of the Jedi” (“Episode VI”), so we’re going to guess they’ll stick with the “R” theme and go with something like “Rebellion Reborn.” It ties into what Luke Skywalker (Hamill) says to his evil nephew Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) at the end of “The Last Jedi,” plus it sounds really neat.
Is J.J. Abrams the man to stick the saga’s landing?
We’re on record as saying he’s the dude for the job and there’s been nothing to hint otherwise. Abrams brought “Star Wars” back in pop-culture circles in a massive way with “The Force Awakens,” and although he probably won’t reveal
anything of note at the celebration – the man loves his mysteries (see: “Lost”) – that’s kind of why we love him.
Will we get any hints about the plot?
Maybe the barest minimum to get us in the movie theater. (But come on, we were there already.) “The Last Jedi” left our Resistance heroes Rey (Ridley), Finn (Boyega) and Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) with an inkling of hope in their fight against the villainous First Order, now led by hotheaded Kylo. Celebration will likely introduce new characters played by Richard E. Grant and Keri Russell, although details will still be sketchy – which you can safely expect on the whole since it’s a J.J. jam.
How will they deal with Carrie Fisher’s death?
Princess-turned-general Leia Organa will play some sort of role: Fisher’s daughter Billie Lourd (who also returns for “Episode IX” as Resistance Officer Lieutenant Connix) gave her blessing for unused “Force Awakens” footage with her mom to be included the new film. They’ve had time to figure out how to pay respect to the actress and her
character, so it’ll probably be as emotional a loss as the deaths of Harrison Ford’s Han Solo and Hamill’s Luke in “The Force Awakens” and “The Last Jedi” respectively.
Is Mark Hamill going to be a Force ghost this time around?
Speaking of the deceased Jedi master, the original trilogy actor does have a role in “Episode IX” and if he and/or Fisher appear in the trailer, they’ll definitely get the biggest cheers. (Hamill is a regular at the convention, so he might show up in person to tease the audience.)
I Luke could take a ghostly form to haunt nephew Kylo or there could be flashbacks to that unexplored time before “The Force Awakens” that sheds more light on why he’d banish himself to a porg-filled planet in the middle of cosmic nowhere.
Are Rey and Finn finally going to have last names?
After two movies, we still don’t really know too much of the back stories of the current trilogy’s heroic twosome.
“Star Wars” fans have long wondered whether Finn was Lando Calrissian’s long-lost son, and Billy Dee Williams appearing in “Episode IX” will just add fire to the flames of that rumor. And as far as we know, Kylo told Rey that the family she’d been waiting for on Jakku were nobodies long gone. Could Abrams have a secret to reveal in terms of her parentage? (Just saying, Russell and Ridley look like they could be relatives.)
Is there one last big ‘Star Wars’ swerve coming?
If there is, sadly, it probably won’t be part of a first trailer, but this is the Skywalker saga, and if something bad happens to Leia, Kylo would be the last in the bloodline. Are they really going to cap off nine films and 42 years with a Skywalker being the biggest jerk in the universe? Kylo does have a soft spot for his granddad Anakin, and the same penchant for helmets as Darth Vader, so it’s possible he could find ultimate redemption, too. Maybe.
Are we going to find out what’s next?
After “Episode IX,” there are no more “Star Wars” movies on the calendar, hard as that might seem to fathom. The “Star Wars Story” spinoffs seem to be in limbo, and there are supposed to be separate movie series in development with Johnson as well as “Game of Thrones” creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. A celebration movie panel would be the perfect place to drop some official news for a horde desperate for endless “Star Wars” stories.