It's just a few more days until Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker will officially enter our eyeballs! It’s an exciting week for Star Wars fans and there’s going to be a ton to unpack about the franchise in the coming weeks. One year after the events of the Battle of Crait that finished off The Last Jedi back in 2017, the stories of core characters (Rey, Finn, Poe and Kylo Ren) will notably conclude the Skywalker Saga as the Resistance and First Order go head-to-head for the last time! But, there’s also a handful of new faces joining in the fun for The Rise of Skywalker too!
Yes, it’s a bit overwhelming, but the addition of new characters for each installment of Star Wars is in the fabric of the franchise. If we only followed Luke, Han, Leia throughout the Original Trilogy, we wouldn't have met Lando Calrissian (he is also returning for The Rise of Skywalker)! A bunch of random information has been revealed about these new Rise of Skywalker newbies, but now we’re breaking down everything for you ahead of the movie. No spoilers here, just some helpful information about the four new characters ahead of the release! Check it out:
Who Is Zorii Bliss?
First up, Keri Russell will be under the helmet of an awesome new character called Zorii Bliss. Her maroon and gold suit has to be one of the coolest costumes to ever grace the franchise, but who is she? Most importantly, it looks like Zorii serves as a past connection to Oscar Isaac’s Poe Dameron, and that will in turn give us some more insight into the fighter pilot’s history. So far, there’s been little told about Poe’s life other than his commitment to the Resistance and love for the cutest droid in the galaxy, BB-8. Plus, he enjoys long runs into Finn’s arms.
Zorii Bliss has been described as a rogue and scoundrel who is from the planet of Kijimi, which will be introduced in The Rise of Skywalker. Not unlike Han Solo, Zorii has remained politically neutral during the long-standing conflict between the Resistance and First Order, thriving under the galaxy’s underside. She’s the leader of a group of smugglers called the Spice Runners of Kimiji. As Oscar Isaac has noted, she is an old friend of Poe’s who has a “checkered past” and “some questionable morals.” There’s a “sexual element” to their relationship, but things seemed to have left off “kind of messy” between the two. Will she help the Resistance during their desperate hour?
Who Is Allegiant General Pryde?
The Last Jedi created a giant shake up for the First Order when Kylo Ren murdered Supreme Leader Snoke in the third act of Rian Johnson’s film. And, it seems one change within the chain of command is the addition of Allegiant General Pryde, played by Richard E. Grant. The character looks to be a high-ranking member of the First Order who will be working alongside Domhnall Gleeson’s General Hux in The Rise of Skywalker.
The pair of First Order officials seem to be working together on Kylo Ren’s Star Destroyer in the upcoming movie. But this isn’t a father-son dynamic (as the franchise often leans its storylines toward). General Hux’s parentage was explained in the Star Wars: Aftermath trilogy of novels and the Phasma book, so you can count that out! Hux can’t be particularly happy with Kylo Ren’s recent moves, and perhaps Allegiant General Pryde will join Hux in his distaste for Kylo as he becomes the Supreme Leader of the First Order. Will the First Order tie in to the return of Palpatine? I know, I know, more questions!
Who Is Beaumont Kin?
Just as Keri Russell’s role in The Rise of Skywalker marks a continued collaboration between the actress and J.J. Abrams since working together on Felicity for four seasons, such is the case with Dominic Monaghan. The Lost star nabbed a role in the conclusion due to his established ties with Abrams on the hit ABC show – reportedly thanks to losing a bet over a football match. Monaghan will play a new character called Beaumont Kin, who the Star Wars writer/director wrote with him specifically in mind.
Beaumont Kin has not really been previewed in the marketing for The Rise of Skywalker (hence the throwback Lost image above), but he can be briefly seen with Kelly Marie Tran’s Rose Tico and Billie Lourd’s Lieutenant Connix in one of the trailers. As revealed in a recent Star Wars Adventures comic issue, Beaumont is a Resistance Trooper who joined because his parents called his “useless.” He’s friends with Chewbacca on a level deep enough to call him “Chewie.” He joins other Lost alums Ken Leung and Greg Grunberg, who are also part of the Resistance in the new Star Wars trilogy. We’ll have to wait and see how his role among the other Resistance fighters goes!
Who is Jannah?
Another new character joining The Rise of Skywalker is star of Netflix's End of the F---ing World’s Naomi Ackie. Her role as Jannah will certainly be many audiences' introduction to the 27-year-old actress. And while the other characters seem to be on the sidelines of the conclusion of the Skywalker Saga, Jannah might be the most key member of the newcomers. According to Ackie, her character will meet up with the core Resistance gang at the “right time” and help take down the First Order.
The trailers have shown her character riding alongside John Boyega’s Finn into battle on Orbaks, horse-like creatures which Naomi Ackie trained for months on. Some have guessed Jannah is the daughter of Lando since the two share blue and yellow on their costumes, to which the actress said “Lando is a very charming man… he could have children all over the universe.” Ackie has described Jannah as “fierce” and the The Rise of Skywalker will apparently explain the unique reason why she’s fighting.
Who is D-0?
You may have also noticed another cute droid rolling with BB-8 in the trailers for The Rise of Skywalker, and you’d be right! ‘Roundy” has found a friend in D-0, pronounced as “dee-oh.” As J.J. Abrams once revealed, the adorable green guy takes after the shape of a duck, with a triangular head and round body. D-0 was made out of spare parts by a small alien named Babu Frik (and member of Zorii’s Spice Runners of Kimiji). He befriends BB-8 after the Battle of Crait.
It’s certainly a friendly addition to the droid club after BB-8 met his evil counterpart BB-9E (or BB-hate) during The Last Jedi. D-0 has been described as “excitable,” and he’ll have a sweet and sassy relationship with BB-8. Considering all the intensity likely to come out of The Rise of Skywalker, audiences may look to this pair for a bit of comedic relief – as C-3PO and R2-D2 did before them. Oh, and the Porgs are apparently returning as well!
There’s a lot to look forward to during Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker, and these new characters are certainly among them. You can brace yourself with our roundup of the first reactions to the conclusion of the Skywalker Saga, or check out CinemaBlend’s live reaction to the film, straight after Monday’s premiere. Which new character are you most excited for? Sound off in the comments and participate in our poll below!
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