'Star Wars 9'  Leaks: Sith Fleet Makes Us Rethink a Scene From the Trailer

With Emperor Palpatine’s return in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker comes unlimited power, and there’s no doubt that when good old Palps comes back (however that may be) he’ll have command of an entire army. Word has it that he might have the mysterious Sith Fleet at his disposal.

However, while Kylo Ren’s redemption is on fans’ minds, one of the bigger mysteries is who he’s fighting in the The Rise of Skywalker trailer. Encircled by trees with a Storm Trooper firing in the background, Kylo looks to be in the middle of a heavy battle, but what exactly is that red mist that surrounds him? Well, a fascinating new theory suggests the red hue actually comes from the Sith Fleet’s terrifying star destroyer, and that bit of information makes us rethink the entire scene.

Redditor u/AlexSoloSkywalker theorizes that it’s actually Kylo who discovers the Sith Fleet’s existence and then joins them in the fight against the Resistance — but not before he gets a hold of their planet-destroying weapon. Instead of wiping out a planet, however, “this weapon we heard of disrupts the surface of the planet in the trailer (leaving the aftermath red).”

The idea probably stems from rumors that the Sith Fleet, when and if it shows up, has been hanging out in space for years undetected with a Death Star-esque weapon on their ship. Enter Kylo, who may have heard of its existence and gone to find the fleet and its weapon after the events of The Last Jedi and Snoke’s death. Of course, that must mean man formerly known as Ben Solo already knows Palpatine’s alive, or finds that out fairly early on in Episode IX.

Though the theory presumes that the weapon is the same destroyer seen taking down one of the galaxy’s planets in recent leaks, it’s safe to conclude that the Sith Fleet will at least have its own weapon and Kylo would obviously want to get his hands on it. AlexSoloSkywalker also suggests that Kylo is on the planet to either find or hide something, though what that could be is anyone’s guess.

Perhaps the scene from the trailer takes place at the beginning of The Rise of Skywalker. With Kylo obviously needing to assert his power over the First Order, he’d want to seek out a fleet that would help him in his goals. However, it’s more likely that the scene actually takes place at the movie’s halfway point after the Sith Fleet arrives.

In the brief glimpse from the trailer, Kylo is obviously running at the man he takes down, meaning that the battle seems to have been waging on for quite some time. The potential Sith Fleet weapon could be destroying the planet’s foliage while the remainder of the First Order fights on the ground. And who knows? The Sith Troopers could still destroy planets in the film’s finale. This scene might just be signalling the beginning of their terror.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hits theaters December 20, 2019.