On Friday, Disney revealed the title of Star Wars IX to mixed responses from fans. What does The Rise of Skywalker actually mean? Some felt like it seemed like an odd spoiler of what's to come.
In an interview with ET, Abrams defended the title, saying "it's the right title for this movie and I know it's provocative and asks a bunch of questions."
“In the flow of titles, this movie had a very weird responsibility," he continued. "It had to be the end of not just three movies, but nine movies, and the idea of having to incorporate the stories that have come before strangely is the story of the movie. Which is to say it’s the characters in the film inheriting everything that’s come before in previous generations, whether it’s sins of the father, whether it’s the wisdom that they’ve acquired. And the question is this new generation, are they up to the task, can they stand up to what they have to? And so in a way, I feel like we coming into this movie have inherited a lot, and the question is can we do it? And that question we ask ourselves every day.”
The title for Episode VIII, The Last Jedi, was more literal—Luke was the last Jedi, who was reluctant to pass his ways to Rey. It's unlikely, as most fans think, that The Rise of Skywalker is a clear spoiler that Rey is a Skywalker or that Luke will be resurrected. Instead, it seems to be a more thematic title, as Abrams is discussing here—one that has to do with lineage and legacy and wraps up what has been called by fans the Skywalker Saga.
We'll know for sure once 20 December comes around.
Matt Miller is a Brooklyn-based culture/lifestyle writer and music critic whose work has appeared in Esquire, Forbes, The Denver Post, and documentaries.
