Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’s First Trailer Secretly Spoiled the Film’s Final Battle

The excitement for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker caused fans to seek out every detail about the conclusion of the Skywalker Saga they could before it landed in theaters, dissecting every new look at the film in search of clues, with the film’s release in theaters confirming that a piece of dialogue from its first teaser explicitly foreshadowed the events of the film’s final conflict. When audiences first heard this dialogue, it felt vague and ambiguous, preventing us from delving into what it could mean for the adventure, with audiences now knowing the seemingly innocuous phrase had a heavy significance for our heroes.

WARNING: Spoilers below for The Rise of Skywalker

In the film’s first teaser, audiences saw Rey staring down Kylo Ren’s TIE Fighter, as Luke Skywalker spoke, “A thousand generations live inside you now, but this is your fight.” While this line could be interpreted symbolically, it is also how Rey manages to overpower Emperor Palpatine and defeat him.

When Rey and Ben Solo face off against Palpatine on Exegol, the villain manages to suck the life force from the pair, making him immensely powerful. Not only does this deplete their energy, but he then uses his rejuvenated abilities to strike them down. As Ben is sent tumbling down a chasm, Rey is left on her back, looking towards the stars.

It’s in this moment that Rey begins hearing the voices of all of the Jedi that came before her, from Obi-Wan Kenobi to Yoda to Luke to Ahsoka Tano, as they all offer the encouragement that empowers her to rise up against Palpatine, despite her fatigue. As Palpatine notes that he has the power of all of the Sith that came before him, Rey reveals that she, too, has the powers of those that came before her, channeling the generations of Jedi that came before her to stand tall against Palpatine, wielding lightsabers against him to reflect his Force lightning back at him, causing his demise.

When fans first heard this dialogue long before the film landed in theaters, it’s easy to see how it could be completely overlooked, likely hinting at the overall tone of the film more than detailing the actual events that unfolded. While Rey might not have literally become empowered by as many as thousands of generations, though if it weren’t for those moments in which she was revived by the Jedi that came before her, she never could have defeated Palpatine.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is in theaters now.

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