Although it is many moons to come, the Rise of Skywalker is by far the most anticipated film of the year. The final to this phase of the trilogy absolutely has to go out with a bang. Probably a lot of bangs, maybe some pew pews, and definitely a few zwooms…or whatever noise lightsabers make. Today we are going to be talking about some fan theories regarding the recent trailer reveal, the geekiest thing anyone could possibly be doing right now with their free time.

Most of the fan theories speculate why Emperor Palpatine is a part of the film, as is suggested by his laugh being heard in the trailer, after unveiling a remnant of the Death Star as a fallen ruin on an unnamed planet. While it is true that his actual death was rather sudden, and overall pretty uneventful in the original trilogy, nobody expected a return in the newer films. The guy was picked up and straight up thrown into an abyss with the effort of throwing a bag of laundry down a laundry chute. The other thing that warrants some curiosity is the overall title of the film, “The Rise of Skywalker.” What does it mean? Here are some of the various fan theories with the most interesting takes on what may come.

The Rise of Skywalker

The title of the film according to J.J. Abrams is purposely vague, provocative, and intended to be its own marketing tool by stirring up fan theories about what will happen in the new film. We know that in the last film, The Last Jedi, it is made clear by Yoda that although the Jedi temple containing the archives of the original Jedi texts were destroyed, Rey will learn the ways of the Jedi by her own means. While the Jedi religion may have died off, that does not mean that the way of the Jedi or the force itself will just disappear out of existence.

As Luke expressed, who could be so callous as to think that the force does not exist if the Jedi do not exist – it is a continuous, never ending part of life. Kevin Smith has pitched in his own idea that perhaps in a new order the light side will take the name of “Skywalkers” as a philosophy in honor of Luke, rather than “Jedis” as members of a religion. This would be a fitting transition as Disney transforms the film series into a more progressive storyline for the modern times, widening the spectrum of inclusiveness.

Another take on the title may very well just be that Kylo Ren and Rey will join forces. The metaphorical interpretation of Rey going from wavering between the light and dark from the last film to being dressed in white seems like a clear indication that she has chosen to fight her urges. Kylo Ren melds his helmet back together that he destroyed, perhaps symbolizing either choosing his own destiny after being told he is a failure by Snoke – or fully embracing the dark side as in Vader’s transformation.

Here comes one of my favorite theories: Rey’s father is actually Emperor Palpatine. It could be biological, or a force creation – maybe even a clone situation. The series runs with a theme of darkness birthing from light and the light birthing from darkness. Many heroes of the light side end up having powerful evil off-springs, and vice versa. Rey having a dark origin story would only make sense – mirroring the light origin story of Kylo Ren, bringing balance to the force. While there are many outcomes you could speculate from this, it does seem to be a fitting expectation to have running with the entirety of the series.

A Favorite Theory

Last, but not least – by far the most interesting theory that would make a lot of sense, is a theory originating in the Clone Wars when Palpatine convinced Anakin to join the dark side by offering the power to give life to save his wife. Palpatine explained how there was a Sith Lord, Darth Plagueis, who harnessed the power to extend life – but was killed by his apprentice after teaching him all of his knowledge. That apprentice was actually Palpatine – but what makes this interesting is the power to extend life may have been by transferring life from one body to another.

It is a well-known fact that the dark side deteriorates Sith’s bodies at an alarming rate – so being able to transfer your consciousness would be an ideal feat to achieve. It may very well be that Plagueis actually transferred himself to Palpatine upon his death on the Death Star. It doesn’t end there. Snoke’s profile is he is an evil supreme ruler that collects Sith artifacts – he could have explored the Death Star and somehow encountered Palpatine’s body and became possessed – thereon transferring to Kylo Rens body when he was killed. It seems like a bit of a stretch, but overall it is my favorite theory.

We have a long time to consider the possibilities though, the movie does not come out until December 19, my birthday. Happy Birthday to me! More details may be revealed in the trailers to come, we will just have to wait. Until then, may the force be with you