This ancient Jedi technology could reveal the big secret of 'Star Wars 9'

Sith and Jedi will clash once more in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and an ancient technology used by both groups of Force users could play a central role in this final showdown between Light and Dark. A fascinating new theory pulls together clues from the Star Wars Rebels cartoon, the new Jedi: Fallen Order video game, and even merchandise available at Disney’s Galaxy’s Edge theme parks.

Could holocrons be one, two, or even more of the rumored MacGuffins in Star Wars: Episode IX? There’s a lot of evidence to suggest that the Jedi version of encryption technology will play a key role in the new movie, beginning with several screenshots that seem to show Kylo Ren holding one of these devices.

This detail was recently spotted by Twitter user @sadboykyIo, who laid out there Rise of Skywalker theory in a convincing series of tweets, beginning with several photos and a key quote from the Star Wars wiki.

Several tweets later, they reach the crux of their theory:

The sacred Jedi texts speak of holocrons so the McGuffin adventure is finding them and soon Rey & Kylo both realize they need one another to open their secrets.”

Wait, what? If you’re anything like Rey and Kylo right now, you probably really want to know what a “holocron” is.

Holocrons are “ancient repositories of knowledge” small enough to hold in your palm. They’re basically highly secure Star Wars hard drives that can only be accessed by someone using the Force. The Jedi used blue holocrons to store ancient teachings — before Order 66 decimated the Jedi order — while the Sith had their own noted by their red color and pyramid shape. Their first canonical appearance was in The Clone Wars cartoon, but they also proved important as a plot device in the animated series Star Wars Rebels and, more recently, Jedi: Fallen Order.

With that in mind, this new theory argues Rey might wind up with a Jedi holocron while Kylo Ren finds a Sith one. (One of these might wind up being the much-talked-about “Wayfinder” device mentioned in many leaks.) Not only could each of holocron independently offer important information, but something truly extraordinary happens when a Light and Dark side Force wielder team up to open a Jedi and Sith holocron at the same time.

“Combining a Jedi holocron with a Sith holocron is enlightening … and dangerous,” a November 2016 post from official Star Wars Twitter reads. And in case you aren’t convinced, if you try to unite a blue Jedi holocron with a red Sith holocron at Galaxy’s Edge theme parks, they both turn purple. Is that some kind of clue?

There’s also a precedent for all this in Star Wars Rebels, so something similar could happen in The Rise of Skywalker. In the Rebels episode “Holocrons of Fate,” we learn that two participating Force users may ask the unified holocrons a question about anything past, present, or future after they unlock and fuse into one.

Ezra Bridger and Darth Maul unite a pair of holocrons, and Maul discovers that Obi-Wan Kenobi lives, giving him a chance at revenge. Ezra — who asks for a way to defeat the Sith — sees a vision of the future hinting at Luke Skywalker’s role in defeating Palpatine. Strangely, the vision sort of shows them both the same thing even when they asked different questions. What if Kylo Ren asks to unlock the secrets of the Sith while Rey asks to know the truth about who she is … and that triggers Palpatine’s resurrection.

After all, a holocron could conceivably be used like something akin to a horcrux from Harry Potter, storing the digital rather than magical essence of a person.

Further evidence for all of this comes with the creation of the First Order Raiders, a new class of stormtrooper shown in Star Wars Resistance, another cartoon set before and during the sequels trilogy. Here’s what the Star Wars website says about these soldiers:

The First Order Raiders are highly skilled hunters of a very specific variety, seeking to obtain ancient Sith relics for their commander, Supreme Leader Kylo Ren.

If First Order Raiders show up in The Rise of Skywalker it could explain how Kylo finds his Sith holocron. And, if they find a Jedi one too, maybe Rey has to steal it, or perhaps Kylo invites her over so they can combine the two objects and unleash their true holocron power.

It might sound complicated, but everything in the entire Star Wars marketing galaxy seems to be hinting that holocrons could play a vital role in The Rise of Skywalker. Whether this ancient Force technology is responsible for the return of Emperor Palpatine or just gives Rey and Kylo another excuse to stare at each longingly like in The Last Jedi remains to be seen. But either way, don’t be surprised if this little-known bit of Star Wars lore comes to the forefront in Episode IX.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will be released December 20, 2019.