We're coming up on a very exciting time in the Star Wars franchise, as this December marks the long-awaited release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. J.J. Abrams' second blockbuster set in the galaxy far, far away will wrap up the current trilogy, as well as the nine-film Skywalker Saga that began back with A New Hope. Moviegoers are eager to see how the characters' stories are completed, especially Force Sensitive hero Rey (Daisy Ridley). Luckily, a new photo of Rey in Episode IX was just released.
Rey has already had a fascinating story in the Star Wars franchise, going from a junket on Jakku to the new hope for the galaxy. While her beliefs in the light side of The Force have been steadfast up until The Last Jedi, marketing material for The Rise of Skywalker revealed she may be tempted by The Dark Side, as a vision of Rey with a double sided red lightsaber was shown. But a newly released photo gives a more hopeful image, check it out below.
Rey is looking like a Jedi Knight badass in this new photo, shown having grown quite comfortable with her lightsaber. There's been a considerable time jump between The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker, and her abilities have likely grown quite a bit as she continued to fight for The Resistance.
This new image comes to us from the official Star Wars Twitter page, and does a good job at not actually revealing anything about the highly anticipated movie's contents. We simply see Rey with her signature blue lightsaber, presumably after she fixed it following its The Last Jedi destruction. She's determined and ready for action, and seemingly doesn't have the small cape we saw her in The Rise of Skywalker's trailer.
Star Wars fans will likely be especially excited to see how Rey is holding her lightsaber in this new Episode IX image. She's wielding it from the back, in the way Ahsoka Tano did during the Clone Wars animated series. The community has been eagerly waiting for Ahsoka to be adapted into live-action, but this nod is a great way to acknowledge the animated Jedi's existence in the greater canon.
Related: Let's Talk About Rey's Shocking Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker Twist
Rey's fate is one of the biggest questions set to follow Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker's upcoming release. The vision of Dark Rey with her lightsaber basically broke the internet when it was revealed, and even Daisy Ridley was surprised to see the footage debut. Up until this point, Rey signified the future of the Jedi Order, and the hope that would inspire The Resistance following Luke's death. So turning to the Dark Side would be a major plot twist that no one saw coming.
All will be revealed when Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hits theaters on December 20th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
