'Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker' Leaks Tease a Return to a Classic Rebel Base

If certain new rumors are to be believed, it’s possible reshoots for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker are underway right now, and they may involve the most beloved secret Rebel base of all time. If this is true, it might mean that Yavin IV could be a much bigger deal in this movie than it ever has been before. But what if it’s not Yavin IV? What if it’s actually … Endor? Here’s what the reshoot rumors reveal about Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and what they might mean.

Speculative spoilers for Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker ahead.

The return of beloved characters to new Star Wars movies is almost as important as the return of beloved places. I’ll never forget seeing Revenge of the Sith for the first time in the movie theater and hearing everyone cheer because they recognized the hallway of the starship Tantive IV. But what about planets? Though everyone really thought Tatooine would return for Rise of Skywalker, it turns out that desert planet in the new trailers is actually the planet Pasaana. So, in terms of vintage Star Wars planets, where does that leave us?

As many fans pointed out, the Rebel Base on Yavin IV seems to be a place Rey, Finn and Poe are totally going to visit at some point in The Rise of Skywalker. And the reason cited is that in the trailer, the terrific trio are gazing out at pieces of the original Death Star that tumbled down onto the surface of Yavin IV after Luke blew that thing up in A New Hope.

To be clear, though this looks like part of the Death Star (or a Death Star) there’s been nothing officially confirming that the Death Star (or A Death Star) will appear in the movie. And, it’s also not been stated outright by anyone from Lucasfilm that even if this was the Death Star, that it is a piece of the old Death Star from A New Hope. I mean, last time I saw A New Hope it really looked like Luke BLEW IT UP, meaning it seems like there weren’t any pieces left to fall down neatly onto a planet.

So, what’s the deal? Is a piece of the old Death Star really in The Rise of Skywalker? Or, is the Death Star piece Rey looking at actually the Death Star II from Return of the Jedi? At this point, we don’t actually know. But, running with the premise that this is supposed to be Yavin IV, there is a new rumor to support that idea.

According to Making Star Wars, reshoots were underway for The Rise of Skywalker in Black Park in Buckinghamshire, England at a location referred to as a “Resistance jungle base.” Back in 2018, the Millennium Falcon was spotted there, which is probably how Rey, Finn, and Poe get to wherever they are going. So, if Black Park is standing in for the jungle of Yavin IV, and there are reshoots happening there, then it stands to reason that whatever happens on Yavin IV in Rise of Skywalker is a big deal and pivotal to the entire film.

Is Rey trying to retrieve something from the old Death Star? Maybe there’s something important stored in the old Rebel Base there? Back in expanded universe Star Wars comics and novels; the moon of Yavin IV was actually the site of a massive Sith Temple. And, in the original Clone Wars cartoon, Anakin Skywalker had a pivotal duel with Asajj Ventress on Yavin IV. The point is, Yavin IV looms large in the minds of hardcore Star Wars fans, and not just because of A New Hope and Rogue One.

This reshoot rumor also relies on a lot of unknowns. First of all, the assumption that Black Park is standing in for Yavin IV might just be wishful thinking. In fact, if you look at the foliage, there’s every reason to believe this location could just as easily be the Ewok forest moon of Endor, and not Yavin IV at all.

Here’s another reason why Endor feels more likely than Yavin IV: Emperor Palpatine died in the Death Star above Endor. If the Emperor has come back to life for The Rise of Skywalker (which has been confirmed, pretty much) then it makes sense that there is a link between where he died and his return. So, if there is a pivotal moon connected to the Death Star and that place features in The Rise of Skywalker, let’s put our money on the home of the Ewoks making a comeback and not Yavin IV.

The Rise of Skywalker is out everywhere on December, 20, 2019.