The Rise of Skywalker trailer and the battle for the soul of Star Wars

It's almost here.

The new Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalkertrailer gives us a glimpse of a battle between two titanic forces.

One, anear-omnipotent master looking to carve a bold new path forward.

The other, a former student, brimming with talent, attempting to keep sacred traditions alive.

The question is,which one is director J.J. Abrams?

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker isn't just the end of a sagathat began in 1977, it'sa battle for thefandom that made the franchise the most successful series in film history (before Marvel came along).

Rise of Skywalkeropens on Dec. 20, bringing to conclusion the events set in motion in 2015 when J.J. Abrams reanimated the Star War universe with Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens, the first instalment in a new trilogy.

The film gave fans everything they wanted perhaps too much.

Droids trapped on desert planets? Check.

Supersized Death Star? Check.

Lost space orphan looking for answers? Check.

Then came director Rian Johnson's The Last Jedi,which attempted to escapethe tractor beam of nostalgia.Johnson filled the screen with a diverse range of heroes and bold new visions, putting to rest the question of Rey's parentage and sacrificinganother beloved character.

WhileThe Last Jediearned more than$1.3 billion US worldwide, it divided fans, receiving a 91 per cent rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoesbut an audiencescore of 44 per cent.

(For the record, I thought it rocked.)

Some fans expressed frustrationwith the depiction of Luke Skywalker as a cranky space hobo living on a mountain. Others complainedthat byfeaturing a plethora of strong female roles, the film was valuing equality and representation over good storytelling.

It all culminated in apetition with more than a 100,000 signatures callingfor the film to be obliterated from the official Star Wars canon.

With the increasing power of Marvel Studios presidentKevin Feige, and Lucasfilmpresident Kathleen Kennedy's contracts ending in 2021,The Rise of Skywalker doesn't just represent the end of the series, it's a battle for the soul of Star Wars. Will J.J. Abrams serve up more cinematic comfort food and visions of dja vu, or will he continue what Rian Johnson started, by challenging fans with bold new additions to the familiarspace opera?

In The Last Jedi, the villainousKylo Ren tellsRey, "Let the past die." But the new trailer suggests the past is the power source on which the franchise depends.

WARNING: There maybe some spoilers, or at least speculation, below.

The new trailer begins withRey on the run, lightsaber in hand, as her voiceover says:"People keep telling me they know me. No one does."

Soon after we hearthe voice of the original Skywalker nemesis: Emperor Palpatine.

A rocky throne sits empty, but the grave words of actor Ian McDiarmidecho as we thensee what appears to be a vintage Star Destroyer emergingfrom the darkness.

In two minutes and 37 seconds, Abrams packs the trailer with a trove of treasured images. There isRey smiling at her favourite furry co-pilot,Chewbacca, followed byRey and Leia embracing. Then,if the reworked John Williamsthemes don't already have your heartstrings vibrating, we seelong-suffering C3PO taking what the droid calls "one last look" at its friends.

Shots ofRey and Kylo smashing a black statue to pieces leaveyou wondering what exactly they're destroying.The shattered shape suggests a bust of grandaddy Darth Vader. Could these two aspects of the force, one good, one evil, finally put the past behind them?

Judging by the armada of spacecraft shown gathering,if nothing else,Rise of Skywalker is gearing up for an epic final battle.

But, how final?

As theowners of Lucasfilm, the company that produces Star Wars,Disney has much more in store, including the upcoming Disney+Star Wars series,The Mandalorian, and new film trilogies from directorRian Johnson and Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss.

Given the seemingly endless galaxy ofStar Warscontent,what audiences deserve most from J.J. Abramsisn't more fan service, but something more powerful: Closure.

Not theend of a chapter, but a truefinaleto the Skywalker series that sparked the imaginations of millions decades ago.