Oscar Isaac teases epic Sith/Jedi chess match in The Rise of Skywalker

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

We are now just over a month out from STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER and the marketing push for the concluding film in the Skywalker saga is reaching a fever pitch. Stores are chock full of STAR WARS goodies, everything from replica lightsabers to Chewbacca plushies. While memorabilia may be prevalent at your local retail store, there's certainly a dearth of plot details when it comes to THE RISE OF SKYWALKER. Director J.J. Abrams is notorious for keeping things close to the vest and the last thing Disney wants to do is spoil their, hopefully, epic conclusion to this nine film series.

One thing we can be sure of about the new movie is the return of its #1 Sith Lord, Emperor Palpatine or as he's also known, Darth Sidious. Now how exactly he returns to the fold since he died at the end of RETURN OF THE JEDI remains to be seen. However one thing is for sure, THE RISE OF SKYWALKER looks to be another epic showdown between the Jedi and the Sith.

Actor Oscar Isaac, who plays Resistance pilot Poe Dameron agrees. In a recent interview with Total Film Magazine, Isaac likened the battle between the Sith and the Jedi to a chess match and indicated it may have been going on for far longer than we thought:

“What’s amazing about the story and the script is that you learn that both the Sith and the Jedi have been playing a very long game. From the get-go, there’s been this chess match. All these pieces have been played. And now we get to see who gets checkmate.”

J.J. Abrams has said on more than one occasion that THE RISE OF SKYWALKER will tie all three trilogies together. It's likely that there will be some connective tissue going as far back as THE PHANTOM MENACE. I'm curious to see what the "long game" is that Isaac refers to. Anyone who's followed the novels and comics outside of the series knows that Palpatine had a "scorched Earth" policy in the event of his death. This policy eventually leads to the rise of the First Order and, as evidenced by what we know, his eventual return. It will be fascinating to see how this all coalesces. Let's just hope it's something worthwhile of STAR WARS and not lamer than Gungans break dancing.

STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER pew pews its way into theaters December 20.