It's Time to Start Talking About 'Star Wars 9'

Look, I know what you’re thinking. It’s the summer. There’s beaches to visit and trashy reality TV to watch, but I’m here with an urgent message from a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker is less than five months away!

We’ve been thinking a lot about this movie, which is supposed to put a cap on not just the current trilogy but the entire Skywalker Saga. For the most part, we’ve kept Star Wars out of Multiverse. No longer! We may be several months away from this movie’s release, but there is so much great stuff — theories, news, and photos — to talk about.

This is a recreation of Inverse’s twice-weekly newsletter, Multiverse. Sign up here for free.

Below is a breakdown of all the biggest Episode IX news from the past few weeks. Consider it your end-of-summer reading as we head into what will surely be the fall (and winter) of Star Wars.

Rey Retcon Rumored

The Last Jedi made it (kyber)-crystal clear that Rey’s parents weren’t important Force users. Instead, they were “ filthy junk traders” who abandoned her on Jakku.

Say what you will about The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson (his new movie looks awesome), but it was a bold decision with a powerful message behind it. Now that J.J. Abrams is back in charge, however, it’s possible we could see Rey’s backstory retconned (translation: revised through a retroactive continuity) to give the series protagonist a more important backstory.

With Emperor Palpatine also making a comeback in The Rise of Skywalker, some truly incredible theories have bubbled up, suggesting Rey could be connected to Palp’s secret facility on Jakku. One galaxy-brained theory even claims Rey could hide from the emperor by traveling back in time and becoming Anakin’s mom in the process. (Yeah, I don’t really believe that one, but I still love it.)

I’m still on the fence about whether Rey’s backstory needs to be retconned. We even ran opposing op-eds on the topic arguing why The Rise of Skywalker shouldn’t change Rey’s origins and why she needs a better backstory.

What do you think? Email me at jacob@inverse.com and explain why you think Rey’s origins should or shouldn’t be retconned. We’ll feature our favorite replies in next week’s newsletter.

Finn Fans, We’ve Got You Covered, Too

If you’re more of a Finn stan, you’re in luck. Rumor has it the former Stormtrooper could play a much bigger role in The Rise of Skywalker than he did in The Last Jedi. (Remember that whole casino subplot? No? Me neither.)

We’re extremely here for this theory that Finn might be a Jedi after all. The theory pulls together key moments from The Force Awakens and even references the official novelization of the movie to argue that Finn is Force-sensitive, too — and Kylo Ren knows it.

Revenge of the Sith … Again

Turns out you just can’t keep an evil Sith Lord down. Despite getting shoved down a core reactor by Darth Vader in 1983, Emperor Palpatine is back in 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker — and he’s bringing an army with him.

Last month, we got an official look at the Sith troopers (basically Stormtroopers with a red coat of paint, but also more evil). Then, a major leak revealed that an entire Sith fleet could be hiding on the edge of the galaxy waiting for Palps to return. Even worse, they’ve got some sort of Death Star technology strapped to the front of their spaceship.

Confused? Me too. But one fan may have figured out the Emperor’s true agenda thanks to a forgotten Jedi prophecy all about immortality. Read more to find out how Palpatine’s “greatest student” could be the key to his final plan.

Zooming in on Zorri

Of all the new characters in The Rise of Skywalker (and there are a lot), the most interesting of the bunch is Zorri Bliss. Maybe it’s because she’s a cocksure bounty hunter in the mold of Boba Fett? Maybe it’s because she’s played by everyone’s favorite Russian spy, Keri Russell? Maybe it’s just that slick helmet?

Or maybe, it’s because there’s definitely more than meets the eye when it comes to Zorri. Recent leaks say Russell may have filmed a scene with Mark Hamill, which is a huge deal when you remember that Luke died in Episode VIII, and as far as we know, only Force users can see other Force ghosts…

Oh, and we’re also pretty sure Zorri could have something to do with how Rey ended up on Jakku in the first place. Rumor has it Zorri rescued a young Rey from the Emperor’s evil clutches, and Luke may have had something to do with it, too. If that’s the case, it looks like we could be getting a new version of Rey’s backstory after all…

Thanks to everyone who replied to last week’s newsletter with their favorite Marvel movie coming in Phase Four and beyond.

Kaitlyn says she can’t wait for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, coming May 7, 2021. “It will be so cool to see how Wandavision will lead up to it,” she writes. “And also because it’s going to be, reportedly, the MCU’s first scary film. I’m super pumped actually. I’ve watched Doctor Strange A LOT.” Meanwhile, Nancy is more excited for Blade, which has no release date but is set to star Oscar-winning actor Mahershala Ali. “Blade is the best action-packed (and sometimes) funny vampire movie ever made. Can’t wait!!”

Remember, email me this week with your thoughts on whether Rey’s backstory should be retconned in Star Wars: Episode IX to be featured in the next Multiverse. And if you like this newsletter, please share it with a friend. Goes a long way, your help does.

This is a recreation of Inverse’s twice-weekly newsletter, Multiverse. Sign up here for free.