Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker New Teaser Promises ‘The Final Word’ in the Saga

Disney and Lucasfilm have released a new hair-raising thirty-second TV spot for Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker, which is filled with action from start to end — featuring much of the principal cast members in the likes of Rey (Daisy Ridley), Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), Finn (John Boyega), Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), and the droid BB-8 — and contains only one ominous and meta line of dialogue from Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid): “This will be the final word in the story of Skywalker.” But more importantly, it includes a version of John Williams' iconic theme from 1999's Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, “Duel of the Fates”.

The use of that booming orchestra piece is somewhat fitting considering the new The Rise of Skywalker TV spot is titled “Duel” and opens with Rey squaring off with Kylo Ren. Their lightsaber duel will likely be part of the film's climax, which works as a parallel to the first time “Duel of the Fates” was played on the screen in Star Wars, during the final lightsaber duel between Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson), Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), and Darth Maul (Ray Park) in The Phantom Menace.

As for the rest of the new Episode IX TV spot, it features Rey taking out a pursuing First Order pod, Finn dodging TIE fighter blasters as he pilots the Millennium Falcon, and Poe Dameron screaming in anguish as an X-wing starfighter is taken out by the First Order. Of course, it's possible that the last of them is simply an editing trick. Towards the end, Rey looks at a charred TIE fighter that might be Kylo Ren's — the new one in The Rise of Skywalker, which Rey jumps over, is called “TIE Whisper” — and new alien Babu Frik does an evil laugh.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is out December 20 in India and across the world. The TV spot closes out by saying “get tickets now”, but that's not applicable to India, where ticket sales won't open until a week prior to release date.