Some of you may have been there on May 25, 1977, watching what would become an internationally beloved adventure unfold. Some of you may have come onboard on May 19, 1999, and found a new chapter of the adventure. Still more might have found their way to this grand story later.
Whenever you started the journey, it's almost time to bid this legendary story and the characters adieu.
The story of the Skywalkers has been told over almost 40 years of Star Wars now, and last week, Disney held a conference to reveal the first look at Star Wars Episode 9. It's called The Rise of Skywalker. Which might actually mean the end of Skywalker. At long, long last, Americans might have to say goodbye to Luke & Co.
Last week on a stage in Chicago, Stephen Colbert hosted a panel with several oldies and newcomers focused on the new movie. Speaking on what Episode 9 is, a conclusion to a 40-year tale, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy said, "It has to feel like it's of its time."
The Rise of Skywalker concludes three different trilogies, and there's just so much story to cover in that time. The franchise has lost some people through the years. At the panel, they touched upon the death of Carrie Fisher. Thankfully, director J.J. Abrams said she wouldn't be recast. How could they even begin to do that?
And unlike their somewhat creepy attempt to resurrect Peter Cushing's role in Rogue One, there won't be any attempts to bring Carrie Fisher back from the dead with computer graphics, either. Instead, her role will be filled with unused footage. Carrie Fisher's daughter is in the film, though.
The new Star Wars movie has been kept under tighter wraps than perhaps even the Mueller report. J.J. Abrams was given some good questions to answer from Mr. Colbert, but he kept looking over at his boss Kathleen Kennedy with pleading eyes, looking for permission to reveal tiny pieces of the movie to the audience before him.
Stephen Colbert eventually got frustrated and tossed his binder of questions behind him. There's only so much they can reveal between now and December when the film drops.
Then it was time to bring the cast onstage, and fittingly, the first person brought out was Anthony Daniels, better known as the golden translation droid C-3PO. We say it's fitting because he's been in all nine of the main Star Wars movies. Stephen Colbert described him as the thing that binds all the movies together, similar to The Force itself.
Audiences were in for a real treat when the next actor called was none other than Billy Dee Williams, Mr. Lando Calrissian, the very definition of cool in the Star Wars universe. He revealed little about his role in the new movie (hopefully he won't have a similar one to Harrison Ford's last role), but he did tell audiences one thing that has annoyed him about Star Wars all these years: "I get sick and tired of being accused of betraying Han Solo!"
He was speaking of The Empire Strikes Back. Mr. Williams wanted the audience to know Lando had a duty to protect Cloud City and asked what would anyone have done when facing such a fearsome foe as Darth Vader.
As the next generation Star Wars cast came on stage, we got some great moments like Finnish actor Joonas Suotamo, who now plays Chewbacca, giving a shoutout to his mentor, the old Chewbacca actor Peter Mayhew.
Mr. Colbert gave English actor John Boyega (who plays Finn in the new trilogy) the choice of revealing new details about his character in Episode 9 or explaining Brexit to an American audience. That really put him between a rock and a hard place.
At last it came time to show the trailer and reveal the new title for this concluding Star Wars film, and the weight really set in as we heard Luke Skywalker's voice narrating the bit.
This is a final flight that'll conclude the epic Skywalker adventure. All we can say is it's been a wild ride.
Editorial on 04/20/2019