Star Wars: What Does 'The Rise of Skywalker' Mean?

The day has finally arrived. Lucasfilm unveiled the title and trailer for the final film in the saga, and now everyone is speculating about anything and everything to do with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. And much like every other film in the franchise, the movie's title teases what fans should expect to see when the film premieres in theaters.

But fans are already debating the meaning of "The Rise of Skywalker," and what exactly it's referring to. All will be revealed when the movie comes out in December, but until then we'll have to examine the clues.

Some people think that The Rise of Skywalker could retcon one of the biggest reveals from Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the mystery of Rey's parentage. Kylo Ren revealed to Rey that she's no one special, the daughter of junk traders who sold her off. This played into that film's major theme that anyone can be special, that not only the chosen bloodline of Skywalker are significant in the galaxy.

And while this is the Skywalker Saga, after all, that would be a big step backwards in the franchise's story, effectively putting a genie back into the bottle.

Others are saying that Skywalker could be come a more ubiquitous term after the events of the name, a somewhat blanket term for light side "Force users" and replace the use of "Jedi" in honor of Luke Skywalker. This would go off of the events of The Last Jedi, ushering in a new era of Force-sensitive warriors protecting the galaxy and paying homage to the bloodline that helped balance the scales.

It's also kind of silly and could backfire, diluting the significance of the family and their impact on the galaxy. Not to mention it's a little clunky; "Skywalker" doesn't roll off the tongue like "Jedi."

The title could be referring to the redemption of Ben Solo, effectively one of the last of the Skywalker bloodline. The Knight now known as Kylo Ren turned his back on the light side and embraced the dark under the tutelage of Supreme Leader Snoke, and though he teased a return to good in The Last Jedi after killing the mysterious villain, Ren instead doubled down and seized control of the First Order.

Rey did mention that she saw good in Ben, possibly setting up an even more dramatic return to the light side in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

Of course it could mean that Luke Skywalker is being resurrected... but that's doubtful.

Either way, it's an uplifting title that not only works as the end of this trilogy, but also as the finale to the entire nine-film saga. We'll find out its full significance when it releases in theaters later this year.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker premieres later this December.

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