Skip Nav

Is the Death Star in Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker?

Here's How Death Star II Could Play a Major Part in Star Wars: Episode IX

Weapons are major throughout Star Wars (I mean, just see all of the battles in The Last Jedi), but one of the most lethal and iconic by far has to be the Death Star II. It's even bigger and better than the original Death Star, which is already moon-sized and has the ability to destroy a planet with a single blast. The battle station exploded into smithereens during the Battle of Endor in Return of the Jedi — or so we think. Well, surprise — the trailer for The Rise of Skywalker suggests otherwise!

As the franchise inches toward a hiatus, it's probably going to roll out all of the stops in Episode IX, and Palpatine surely won't be the only throwback reference in this upcoming installation. At the end of the first promo for the new movie, Rey and her friends (Poe, Finn, Chewbacca, C-3PO, BB-8, and a new droid named Dio) stare at a wreck floating in the sea. The most popular speculation by far in the Star Wars community is that they're residing on Endor and staring at the ruins of the second Death Star. The wreck, after all, looks like the dish of the space station's superlaser. Sure, this could be a MacGuffin, but to what end?

Prior concept art for the sequel trilogy gives us a strong reason to believe that we're looking at the second Death Star. The book The Art of The Force Awakens features an unused concept for an underwater Death Star. Artist Doug Chiang explained that in this story, Rey takes the Falcon to find the Emperor's tower. Rey (then known as Kira), swims through the Death Star and finds a map to get to Luke. In The Force Awakens, BB-8 ends up helping her do so, but we might just see this idea get a boost sometime soon. In Episode IX, Rey could find herself needing to find another spot with a map, such as Darth Vader's castle, perhaps for a crystal to repair Anakin's lightsaber. Rumour also has it that Kylo Ren might be working on a superweapon and would probably find something useful in the Death Star's ruins.

This journey may or may not lead them to Palpatine, who we know will definitely pop up in the new movie. Remember when Darth Vader pushes Palpatine into the Death Star's reactor in Return of the Jedi? There was obviously an explosion, but director J.J. Abrams could build a story around the Emperor and part of the superweapon unexpectedly surviving. After all, Luke ominously said in The Rise of Skywalker trailer, "No one's ever really gone." Beyond the late Jedi, this could also refer to the Sith as well. The Resistance would definitely have a challenge ahead of them if Palpatine has been recuperating and hiding over the last thirty years in the Death Star!

Latest Entertainment