Rise of Skywalker sneak peak to air with episode 7 of The Mandalorian

While Baby Yoda memes, GIFS, and merchandise have frozen the Internet in a carbonite cube of cuteness, The Mandalorian show is so much more than the little green guy. A true homage to classic Westerns and the films of Kurosawa, the tapestry of a post RETURN OF THE JEDI world grows with each passing week. Aside from being an excellent show in its own right, The Mandalorian is also serving as a nice appetizer to the final film in the Skywalker saga. We're now just over two weeks out until THE RISE OF SKYWALKER, but if you can't wait until December 20, The Mandalorian and Disney+ has you covered.

The Mandalorian has been dropping it's weekly episodes every Friday, however in anticipation of THE RISE OF SKYWALKER that's about to change. In a press release Disney+ announced that they will be releasing episode seven of The Mandalorian two days early on December 18. Moreover, the episode will include an exclusive sneak peak at STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER. No word on what exactly the sneak peak entails or when the episode will drop, but Hell that's half the fun right? What's the sense of a sneak peak if you already know what's going to happen?

In addition, the House of Mouse dropped a very brief plot synopsis for the episode, “An old rival extends an invitation for The Mandalorian to make peace.” Short and sweet, much like our eponymous anti-hero. Also the episode is set to introduce Giancarlo Esposito's character Moff Gideon. No word yet on if he will be offering Pedro Pascal's character a bucket of fried chicken however.

One thing strikes me about this move. Obviously, it's somewhat of a marketing ploy to build anticipation for THE RISE OF SKYWALKER. After all why not tie it in to the STAR WARS brand and Disney+'s flagship show. However, I can't help but wonder if this means there will be a tie-in between The Mandalorian and THE RISE OF SKYWALKER. Mickey and his gang were able to keep Baby Yoda secret so I guess anything is possible.

The Mandalorian is currently streaming on Disney+ and STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER opens December 20.